Future of Bass River Waterfront On the Table Thursday Night

A riverfront area of downtown Beverly may, some day, take on a new look. City and regional planners will start Thursday night on an effort to shape that future.

The industrially-zoned land along the Bass River riverfront will become the focus at a public meeting Thursday night at Beverly Public Library at 7 p.m.

The area, mostly along River Street and McPherson Drive, runs generally from Porter Street to Elliott Street and includes the land opposite Beverly Depot along the river.

Already, officials from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council have gathered some information about the area but plan Thursday night to have a "workshop-style exercise" where meeting participants help identify the “strengths, opportunities and weaknesses” with the area - both currently and for future uses. Ultimately, the goal is to come up with a strategy for the future of the area known as the "Bass River Action Plan."

In addition to future development, the study is designed to look at environmental features, transportation and public space in the area and how it can be better connected to the downtown.

The effort is a combination of work by MAPC and the city’s planning department.