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Public visioning workshop planned for city’s upper
harbor
Planning for sustainable and responsible economic growth
New Bedford Economic Development Council
 New
Bedford’s upper harbor, north of Coggeshall Street, is
home to one of the most intact collections of historic
mill buildings and environmental beauty to be found
anywhere. While the working waterfront’s piers and
wharves have always been critical to New Bedford’s
whaling and fishing industries, historically the upper
river has been ignored as a significant asset for public
access and future development.
New planning for this area, the Upper Harbor Development
District, will focus on how key assets: the river,
historic mills, and adjacent neighborhoods, can be
linked together for sustainable and responsible economic
and community growth. New development can balance mill
redevelopment for new industries, public access to the
water, and a stronger natural environment. The City of
New Bedford, MassDevelopment, and the New Bedford
Economic Development Council (NBEDC) have partnered
together to undertake this comprehensive and community
based planning effort.
This plan will be developed in two phases. The first
phase is the community-visioning workshop, which will
provide an initial understanding of key issues and
opportunities presented by the redevelopment of the
Upper Harbor Development District.
To begin this process a public visioning workshop will
be held on February 15th and 16th at the Joseph Abboud
Manufacturing Corporation located at 689 Belleville
Avenue. The workshop will be kicked-off at 6:00pm on the
evening of Friday, February 15th, with a presentation of
the community boathouse concept that has been designed
by MIT architecture and urban design graduate students.
The visioning workshop will take place on Saturday,
February 16th, from 8:00am-3:00pm. All are invited to
participate and ample parking is available.
This analysis will inform the second phase of this
planning effort: the development of a comprehensive
district plan that reflects the visioning process
towards the goal of implementation. The Garfield
Foundation has awarded a grant to the NBEDC to support
the second phase planning and community outreach.
“This visioning workshop offers an opportunity for all
stakeholders in this area of the city to get together
and begin the conversation about how sustainable
development can work for the upper harbor,” New Bedford
Mayor Scott W. Lang said. He continued, “We will
continue to incorporate community-based planning
activities in the ongoing process to develop a city wide
master plan.”
Matthew Morrissey, Executive Director of the New Bedford
Economic Development Council, added, “These crucial
community planning efforts provide the foundation for
responsible growth and development that leads to job
creation for New Bedford residents. The partnership
between the City of New Bedford, MassDevelopment, and
the NBEDC delivers value that we could not achieve on
our own.”
The planning and urban design firm Goody Clancy will be
facilitating the visioning workshop and developing the
plan. Interested participants are encouraged to RSVP
with the NBEDC. Please contact Deidra Jarvis at (508)
991-3122 ext. 10, or by email at djarvis@nbedc.org. |
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