By Trace Salzbrenner — [email protected]
The next stage of MCI-Concord’s redesign is officially underway.
The state closed the 1878 prison, situated on the Route 2 rotary, last June due to its declining population and the cost of upkeep. Massachusetts owns the property, but is working with Concord to redevelop the site.
“We are only now getting to the point where we can formally gather input from the community,” said John Boynton, community outreach chair for the MCI-Concord Advisory Board.
The advisory board held public workshops on April 30 at Gerow Park and the Harvey Wheeler Community Center. More than 120 people participated, according to the board’s website.
Attendees had the opportunity to offer input and talk with consultants from Agency, the landscape and planning firm hired by the advisory board.
Boynton said Agency will be “gathering community input, synthesizing the input into scenarios, and analyzing the fiscal impact of those scenarios” so the advisory panel can make a recommendation to the Select Board later this year.
The MCI-Concord Advisory Board has until June 30 to use $725,000 provided by Massachusetts for the community outreach phase of the project. After that deadline, Boynton said, the Select Board will choose which option or options to pursue and will begin rezoning the area this fall.
“We want this to be something we as a community are proud of,” Boynton said.
The community speaks
The April 30 event let attendees vote on priorities and leave ideas and suggestions for the design firm to consider.
The advisory board broke topics out into six sections: community and care, buildings and structures, environment and open space, transportation and access, energy and infrastructure, and economics and feasibility.
Attendees’ comments frequently touched on reconfiguring the rotary, the future of the prison’s wastewater treatment plant, and connecting the space to the surrounding parks.
Other suggestions for buildings and businesses to include in a reimagined prison property: a new museum, a grocery store, a hotel, and mixed-use housing.
Space for multiple options
Boynton emphasized that it’s a large property with a lot of room. He said it doesn’t have to serve just one purpose for Concord, but can provide many opportunities for growth.
“For those that want recreation, there is space for recreation. For those that want housing, there is space for housing,” Boynton said.
Bill Kemeza, a member of the town’s Natural Resources Commission, attended the April 30 event with granddaughter Lucy.
Kemeza said he was happy to see community participation and wanted to add his input. He hopes the new space will add affordable housing and recreational amenities for Concordians.
Lucy hopes the redevelopment will connect to local wildlife.
“There are great paths for biking around here,” Bill Kemeza said. “It would be a shame not to highlight that.”
The next workshop will be May 28.
Community members can attend a future workshop or submit feedback online at mci-concord.org/resources.
