Town receives $150,000 to help attract businesses, redevelop Main Street

After receiving $150,000 in state grants, plans are moving forward to redevelop Main Street and attract new businesses.

Director of Planning and Community Development Josh Faherty said the $150,000 is broken into two grants, one for $100,000 and the other for $50,000.

The $100,000 grant will be used to hire a consultant to conduct an environmental impact review, which assesses the impact of the town’s Urban Renewal Plan.

“The developer is going to look at where we expect redevelopment to occur, which is Main Street, and then we have to anticipate what kind of structures could be built,” Faherty said. “Most of Main Street is located within a flood zone so we’re probably looking at elevated structures with parking down below, commercial then residential above.”

The Urban Renewal Plan outlines the steps needed to redevelop Main Street and according to Faherty, having one helps Wareham get state grants.

Part of implementing the plan is the environmental impact review. The next steps include finding ways to attract more people to Main Street.

In order to get people to Main Street, Faherty said the town secured a $50,000 grant to be used as tax incentives for new businesses to move into vacant store fronts on Main Street.

Faherty said he and the Wareham Redevelopment Authority identified seven store fronts on Main Street that had been vacant for six or more months which allowed them to get the state grant. He added the $50,000 will be used as $10,000 tax incentives to get five of the seven store fronts filled.

“We’re hoping that [new businesses] renovate the inside of their business to drive in traffic.” Faherty said.

In the past, the Urban Renewal Plan has included a proposal to build fishing piers and kayak launches on the Wareham River behind Merchants Way.

However, Faherty said the state would require the town to build a 30 foot tall ramp over the train tracks between Merchants Way and the water.

“We went through the motions of designing [the ramp] and it would be hideous — it would be larger than any of the buildings on Main Street,” he said.

Faherty added the ramp would likely not be used because it would not be practical.

“If someone wanted to go kayaking they don’t want to walk up the ramp, make two 90 degree turns and walk down the ramp just to throw the kayak water,” he said. “People are either going to walk up and down the ramp or jump the tracks which they are doing now.”

Instead, Faherty said there have been discussions, but no official plans, within the Wareham Redevelopment Authority to shrink Merchants Way and put in a park.

“It would include some green space and picnic tables and allow people who are enjoying Main Street to then enjoy Merchants Way,” he said.