Envisioning a New Community Center
The Town of Winchendon had the opportunity to purchase a 43-acre parcel located at 86 Ingleside Drive. The Winchendon Enhancement Committee (WEC), in collaboration with the Toy Town Partnership, had created and refined a vision for the property, and Tighe & Bond completed a master plan for the Ingleside property.
The vision for the parcel is based on the Makerspace development model. A Makerspace is generally a community center that combines community, education, and proper equipment to encourage collaboration and creativity. The master plan provides for the re-use of the existing on-site structures to provide indoor areas to be used as a community center with gallery space, studio space, and tools for a variety of uses that support artisans, wood working, graphic design, gallery space, and many other uses.
The master plan also seeks to provide a variety of active and passive recreation areas and public spaces that will bring the community together, such as picnic areas, community gardens, athletic fields, walking trails, a boat launch area, and an outdoor theater. The vision for the property seeks to create an intergenerational space that will promote social interaction, collaboration, and learning for all Winchendon residents.
Using this vision as a starting point, Tighe & Bond performed a master plan study of the property. The master plan contains a description of the existing land use and site conditions, including an analysis of environmental, historic, and cultural resources, and a preliminary structural evaluation of the on-site structures. The master plan also includes a zoning analysis and summary of other regulatory considerations that could impact the location of activities on the project site and the allowable uses.
The results of this evaluation were used to identify siting constraints and suitable locations for the various types of preferred land uses, including a variety of active and passive recreational uses, community gardens, an arts facility, educational and environmental purposes, and public event spaces.
Services Snapshot
Tighe & Bond provided master planning services for the Town of Winchendon, including a review of existing site and structural conditions, environmental and cultural resources, land use, and zoning analysis.
