One-On-One With Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer

FRAMINGHAM, MA — Mayor Yvonne Spicer has been in office for a year and three months and stood at the helm as Framingham made its transition from town to city. That transition is far from complete, as Spicer likes to call Framingham "a baby city, a city in its infancy." Patch sat down with Spicer to talk about some things getting the biggest buzz in the city including the Nobscot Chapel, marijuana and representation in city government.

Nobscot Chapel and Apartments in Framingham

The bid for the Nobscot Chapel was recently awarded to Nobscot Realty LLC, a business entity controlled by Andrew Rose, principal of Centercorp Retail Properties and owner of the vacant Nobscot Plaza. One other bid was placed for the chapel by Rick McKenna, a local builder. Rose offered Framingham $50,000 for the chapel and McKenna offered $40,001.

Spicer recognizes the contentious attitude some residents hold against Rose for the vacant Nobscot plaza. Many neighbors voiced support for McKenna's vision of the chapel becoming an eatery and marketplace. But Spicer said while Rose's offer was more competitive it wasn't all about dollars and cents. "One met the criteria completely and one didn't," she said. Furthering the intersection improvement plan in a way that both preserves and relocated the chapel was crucial, Spicer said. "The ability to execute the plan was demonstrated much better by one candidate," she said adding that McKenna's application did not have as detailed a plan for the property and how the plan would be executed.

Rose has a redevelopment plan in place for the whole block which replaces the chapel space with a CVS and moves the chapel to 881 Edgell Rd. The relocation of the chapel allows for a complete redesign of the intersection of Water Street, Edmands Road and Edgell Road.

The City Council voted early in March, shortly after the bid was awarded to Nobscot Realty LLC, to request an advisory opinion from the state inspector general to figure out whether decision-making authority over the sale of the chapel falls with the mayor or the city council. Spicer said she is confident that her decision follows the city charter and has had the city solicitor review all decisions. "I do wish our energies could be spent collaborating instead of challenging things that are an integral part of the charter," she said.

Nobscot Village is one example of the incoming wave of apartments to the city as a whole. Rose has proposed replacing the Nobscot plaza with a four-story apartment building and adding a three-story building on Water Street. Spicer said so far nothing has been approved or presented to the Planning Board. "I would hope that whatever is developed there is something that will benefit the community, that will bring it back to its vibrancy," she said. Much of the housing and apartment development has been focused on the downtown, Spicer said, with transit-oriented developments opening up blocks away from the commuter rail. "We're trying something we've never done before," Spicer said. With a growing 55+ population and a simultaneous focus on attracting millennials and young families, Spicer said there needs to be a balance between pushing more apartments and traditional homes.

The Marijuana Industry in Framingham

Spicer holds the strides made so far in the evaluating process for possible marijuana businesses in the city as a testament to collaboration with the City Council. So far, three businesses have moved forward to begin host community agreement negotiations with the mayor and Spicer said the city is playing it by ear as to how many businesses the city will house.

Anyone who has been to a Community Outreach Meeting in the city knows that the majority of concerns by residents aren't about cannabis but about traffic. The police department's traffic and safety division has dwindled to just one officer. Spicer said she realizes traffic in general is an issue throughout the city. "That's why we have a police officer on the MAT team and require a traffic plan," she said.

As for traffic as a whole, Spicer said the city will continue advocating for residents to use public transportation, hoping to expand services in the future. "I would love to get the regional transportation buses running on Sundays," she said, adding that the increased cost would mean vying for state funding to cover the extra day.

A new program the city plans to roll out in the spring is a bike-share program through Zagster. The pilot program would most likely start at Framingham State University before it's rolled out citywide, Spicer said.

Representation in City Government

Starting fresh as a new city allows the government to step up representation where there previously hasn't been — namely in Districts 7, 8 and 9. Spicer said she's pleased with the people she has appointed so far to various boards and commissions but adds there is work to be done. The most recent round of appointments, the Strategic Initiatives and Financial Oversight Committee, had appointments from the mayor, School Committee and City Council totaling nine appointees; not one member is from Districts 7, 8 or 9.

Spicer said in instances like that, the issue is layered between getting the public in those districts notified about the process and gathering applicants from underserved districts. She added that implementing tools in the government like the citizen participation officer help bridge the gap in the community. "Do I think we are where we need to be? No," she said, adding that she plans to once again apply for a diversity and inclusion director in the city.

While this first year has brought bumps in the road and lessons learned, Spicer said she is thankful Framingham finally has a platform to be heard in the state. "Just on Friday I went and testified on behalf of educational funding," she said, "As a city we have a voice at the table."

RELATED:

• City Council Challenges Mayor's Jurisdiction Over Nobscot Chapel
• Framingham Marijuana Cultivator Gets Green Light
• Strategic Initiatives & Financial Oversight Committee Appointees