The Four Town Group A Model for Valley Land Use Planning
The Four Town Group, consisting of public officials from the Towns of Douglas, Sutton, Northbridge and Uxbridge, Massachusetts was formed in 2003 to work on a cooperative regional plan for 1,700 acres of undeveloped land located within the communities and adjacent to Route 146. This planning work was especially important because the properties are challenged by community boundaries, limited access, limited connections to utilities and services, differing land use patterns and inconsistent zoning regulations. These conditions created a major impediment to the development of the parcels in a way that is cohesive, comprehensive, and respects the character of the valley and greenway along the Mumford River Corridor.

Daylor and Associates was hired by the Four Towns Group to develop a plan for the highest and best development of the 1,700 acres. Over the course of a year, the consultants worked with stakeholders including property owners, residents, elected officials, state agencies and others in the production of a development concept plan. 

Key aspects of the plan include:
- Appropriate locations for new access roadways
- Recommended land uses
- Recommended resource protection along the Mumford River.

The next steps for the Four Town Group include assessments of inter-municipal cooperation models and the identification of infrastructure needs. With the conceptual land use plan complete, the planners and the project committee are working towards implementing key recommendations from the plan.

For more information on the planning effort, e-mail us

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Attendees of the Mill Village Conference visit the Ashton Mill.

The Mill Village Conference
On November 2nd & 3rd the Corridor Commission, in partnership with Slater Mill Historic Site and Rhode Island College, held the Mill Villages: Industry, Transformation and Power Conference on the campus of Rhode Island College. The conference explored the history of the Mill Village, its purpose and its future. International, national and local scholars and practitioners presented an array of papers and talks at the conference.

Participants learned that the mill village was created by mill owners to provide a steady, reliable and sober work force. It was the focus of life in the created industrial landscapes of the increasingly industrialized young republic. It also was a place of newness, grand structures and transition.

From the portrayal of Samuel Slater as a traitor and a knowing/known industrial spy to an artist’s rendering of the bucolic yet smokestack strewn landscape, the material covered was broad. Conference speakers offered insight from the baseball oval, where diverse groups of workers came together and competed, to profound understandings of the village landscape of today. The speakers also addressed the future role of the mill village and the preservation efforts underway to maintain them as vital places.

The success of the conference was due to the partnership holding the event consisting of Rhode Island College, the Slater Mill Historic Site, the DSF Group at Slatersville Mill Complex and the Heritage Corridor. Conference participants walked away with a much greater appreciation for the history, architecture and landscape of the Blackstone Valley and its mill villages.

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Congressman Richard Neal (second from right) joins local officials at ribbon cutting for bridge at Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park

Cause for Celebration: Blackstone Canal Gates Restored!
On October 19, state, federal and local officials, partners and the general public gathered to celebrate the restoration of three historic water control structures at the Blackstone River and Canal Heritage State Park in Uxbridge, MA. After a ceremonial ribbon-cutting, park staff opened one of the gates so the audience could see how the newly-restored structures will help control the flow of water through the canal. The event included remarks from Congressman Richard Neal, State Senator Richard Moore, State Representative Jennifer Callahan; representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) and Commissioner Louise Redding and Executive Director Jan Reitsma.

The restoration will help protect the historic canal from flooding and will enhance the visitor experience through new opportunities for interpretation. The project is a prime example of the Commission’s ability to use federal dollars to leverage additional support: the Commission’s $238,000 was matched dollar-for-dollar by the Office of Public Private Partnerships in the Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs, while DCR contributed approximately $200,000 toward construction.

For more information, contact Joanna Doherty, Community Planner at the Commission, at 401-762-0250 or e-mail us .

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