WHITMAN - June 2, 2026 - The Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC) presented a comprehensive Downtown Revitalization Study to the Select Board, highlighting a significant demographic shift and outlining actionable recommendations to leverage Whitman’s full sewer capacity and transit-oriented infrastructure to cultivate a vibrant, walkable mixed-use core. The grant-funded study outlines specific initiatives to revitalize key commercial zones without putting additional strain on the municipal tax levy.
The Full Story
Mary Waldron, Executive Director of the Old Colony Planning Council (OCPC), presented the final draft of the downtown revitalization study. The document represents the culmination of a multi-year project initiated by a 2022 state economic development bond bill earmark secured by Senator Michael Brady and Representative Alyson Sullivan-Almeida. OCPC representatives noted that Whitman sits in a unique geographic “hot spot,” contradicting historical narratives that the town is isolated from major regional transit corridors.
“You’re in a great spot, you have a lot of great momentum, your demographics look great... project management is so critical. You can take these actions that are in this plan, divvy them up, put them in a spreadsheet, assign them to people, assign dates—you could make a lot of things happen here.” — Paul DiGiuseppe, OCPC Comprehensive Planning Director [47:48]
The study scrutinized a 108-acre commercial target area encompassing several downtown parcels. Key data trends from the report show a notable downtown population surge alongside a shift in demographics. The fastest-growing groups are young professionals seeking transit-linked housing options near the commuter rail station, which sits less than a mile from the core business district. Additionally, the town has experienced a diversification trend, with the white share of the population shifting from 94% to 86% alongside growth in Black, Asian, and multi-racial populations.
The OCPC outlined specific recommendations to mobilize these trends into economic stability:
Infrastructure Priorities: Advancing the Route 27/South Avenue corridor improvement projects, currently slated for the regional Transportation Improvement Program (TIP) for 2030.
Regulatory Updates: Conducting a comprehensive zoning overhaul to build out the 40R Smart Growth Overlay district, reinforcing a vibrant mixed-use core.
Commercial Activations: Forging a formal downtown business association or a self-assessed Business Improvement District (BID) to allow property owners to pool resources for maintenance and beautification.
Targeted Redevelopment: Focusing planning resources directly on underutilized focal sites, such as the vacant Regal Shoe facility and the former Park Avenue school building.
Select Board members praised the plan’s depth but emphasized the need to preserve Whitman’s character while expanding the commercial tax base to absorb escalating healthcare and operational costs. Town Administrator Mary Beth Carter added that the town applied for a comprehensive Master Plan update grant in May, which represents the first structural master planning effort since 2004.
