Count me among those who welcome the possibility of having MassChallenge in Newton. They are an excellent organization, and we absolutely want them here. They can and will bring a new level of economic opportunity to the City, and will be a great addition. I do however want to draw attention to a slight problem: We now have several interesting tools in our economic development tool box (the EDIP incentive program, the possibility of an internationally recognized business incubator), but we absolutely require a robust framework and plan for economic development so we know when and how to make the most of these. We have recently lost both TripAdvisor and now Clarks due to the fact that we could not effectively find places where they could grow and reach their next goals – this at a time when the Wells Ave park is not what it could be. The City of Marlborough recently went through an extensive economic development planning process, and their plan is a helpful template (and can be found at marlboroughedc/doing-business-in-marlborough/marlborough-economic-development-master-plan/). Part of their goal is to ensure that commercial and industrial development is doing its part to foot the City’s overall property tax bill (as well as provide regional jobs and support local business). We can do the same. Especially when our City is facing so many other competing pressures for land, when we have not updated our zoning, and when we have conflicting visions for what the City can be in the future, we desperately need to plan for – and appropriately use – opportunities in order to maximize the benefits (or even obtain them in the first place. So, let’s welcome MassChallenge – with open arms for the real opportunity that this is. But let’s also do so in a well thought out manner, and in a way that helps provide a meaningful foundation for other good economic development in the City
Posted on: Sat, 17 Jan 2015 20:10:33 +0000