Wareham Village expansion may be discussed at Town Meeting

Main Street and nearby areas could be redeveloped to welcome new businesses into town.

The expansion of Wareham Village is a potential discussion item for the fall Town Meeting on Oct. 26. Director of Planning Joshua Faherty proposed the topic to the Select Board at its meeting on Oct. 6.

The expansion is part of the larger urban renewal plan, which aims to redevelop Main Street and attract new businesses and visitors. The plan identified an area where the Planning Board wanted to encourage reinvestment, redevelopment housing and stronger commercial activity, Faherty said.

Wareham Village is currently zoned as a traditional village zoning district, similar to the setup in Onset Village, which allows for compact, walkable village centers with a mix of commercial and residential uses. The proposed district will make redevelopment more feasible.

The land Faherty proposed to be added to Wareham Village include parts of Main Street, Chapel Street, Sawyer Street and Ladner Lane. 

The redevelopment of these areas could increase private investment and taxable economic activity, according to a presentation by the Finance Committee.

Redevelopment will also allow for more multi-family use, greater density and greater building height and reduce parking requirements.

“Many other properties are older, relatively small or are developed in a traditional downtown pattern,” Faherty said. He said this would make redeveloping the area more difficult.

The Wareham Redevelopment Authority voted unanimously to support this proposal for discussion at Town Meeting, and the Select Board recommended its approval for discussion.

If the expansion is discussed at Town Meeting, voters will make a decision on adding the listed property to the Wareham Village inner circle. The vote won’t affect the area’s permitted uses or design guidelines.