Business Newsletter - June 2019
Here are all of the important stories for Sturbridge business owners to know this June. For more information on any of the articles listed below or if there are any questions or comments please contact the Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator by clicking here or calling 508.347.2500 ext.1411.
Annual Town Meeting
On Monday, June 3rd the town will be hosting its Annual Town Meeting (ATM) at Tantasqua High School beginning at 7:00pm. There are many items that are on the warrant for the evening and all items for the meeting can be viewed by clicking here.
Sign Inventory
As has been stated in several previous newsletters, staff are conducting an inventory of all commercial and industrial signs in Sturbridge (click here to view the initial announcement). At this time, town staff have taken several hundred pictures and have documented a vast majority of the signs in town. Please note that even though most signs have been photographed, you will still see town staff taking pictures over the next month or so.
Route 15 Charrette
On April 29th the town hosted a charrette (discussion) on the zoning in the Route 15 corridor. At that meeting, there were many ideas and feelings on both sides of the debate: some wishing for development while others wanted to preserve the green corridor. Ultimately both sides agreed that regardless of their positions there is limited land available for development in the corridor currently. You can read the full summary of the meeting by clicking here.
In terms of next steps, town staff are now looking at the zoning in the corridor to generally maintain the current uses, remove the Planned Unit Business Development (PUBD) district and add some additional commercial uses. Town staff discussed these options in great detail with the Planning Board on May 28th at which time the Board supported these proposed changed (click here to view that meeting and hear the discussion). Staff will continue to work to develop recommended changes for later Planning Board meetings and public discussion.
Business Renewal Form
In an effort to make the business license renewal process easier, the Town Clerk and Economic Development and Tourism Coordinator have collaborated to develop a more streamlined form for this process. The form is now a fillable PDF and can be accessed by clicking here. All businesses are encouraged to ensure that their licenses are current by checking with the Town Clerk at (508) 347-2510.
Monthly Town Meetings
To view the June committee meetings, please click here. Please note all meetings are subject to change as per Massachusetts General Laws.