More Wrentham Businesses Better For Taxpayers

Wrentham town administrator William Ketcham said Wrentham is moving towards commercial viability in the town to reduce tax burdens on the residential population.

Ketcham said the Planning Board has been working on rezoning certain areas of Wrentham to commercial zoning. He said rezoning would attract more commercial businesses, which will in turn give more tax revenue to the town.

The current rates per $1,000 for tax rates were $14.43 for homes and $17.06 for commercial business.

“Generally speaking, a commercial business will end up paying more to a town than it demands on services,” he said.  “It’s a way to reduce burden on residents… That’s one of the town’s priorities.”

Ketcham said one of the areas selected for rezoning is the business-zoned area starting on Route 1 at Madison Street to the Foxborough town line. The zoning currently only allows businesses like that found on the common.

“There’s been a couple of people looking at the property there, but nothing particularly definite,” he said.

Ketcham also said that the area behind downtown known as the Crosby Valve Property (behind Town Pizza and the Looking Glass Café area) would be rezoned to attract another business and encourage redevelopment.

“We hope to be working with the owners of those properties to encourage their redevelopment,” he said. “We worked with the metro planning council to do a study of the area. The study was a preliminary action to develop an architectural design standard.”

Ketcham added the standard would be devised after taking surveys from many residents, and he said the look of the town would be a “traditional rural New England” look.

He said two other areas, including the small industrial park on Route 1A right before the Norfolk line and the area behind the Mobil next to the Outlet Mall, which has already begun on construction.