Developers hope recreation proposal jumpstarts Route 15

By Taryn Plumb
Turley Publications Reporter

STURBRIDGE – Let's conceptualize.
Imagine you're a visitor to Sturbridge; you've gone to Old Sturbridge Village and eaten at The Publick House, walked the various trails on the town's expansive 1,200 acres of open vistas and wooded escapes, browsed the shops along Route 20 and Main Street.
But then you keep hearing about this Route 15 area.
So you hop onto Route 84; turn off at exit 1. Driving down the winding roadway, you whiz by shops and restaurants to the right and left, a recreation center, open space flush with trees, office parks and complexes, even humming industry.
This is one possible future, anyway – and one envisioned by many – for Route 15, a long beleaguered area ripe for economic development, yet rife with ongoing controversy, on account of it being the town's only commercially-zoned district not connected to the town sewer system.
Still, it appears that the first tentative steps are now being taken to transform the stretch of roadway into a viable destination.
For starters, Michael Cimini, president of Yankee Spirits and a former member of the economic development committee, is working on a proposal with investors that would site a full-scale recreation complex along Route 15.
Meanwhile, the now-in-process master plan will analyze other development possibilities in the area, and an additional, town-funded study will look at various wastewater treatment alternatives.
Cimini, for his part, sees his proposal not only as a business venture – but a kick-start to the Route 15 engine.
“It's going to be a really interesting test project,” he said. “It may be the next step in starting a cluster so that more folks want to jump in.”
Envisioned for a 12-acre parcel sandwiched between exits 2 and 3 on Route 84, the complex would comprise of a 65,000-to-85,000 square foot dome structure with a regulation-sized field and a smattering of smaller fields, a viewing area, a concession stand and retail, as well as an outdoor, regulation-sized soccer field. It may also include a basketball facility and a perimeter track, Cimini explained. Similarly, because the intent would be to build the complex as a Planned Unit Business Development (PUBD), it will include 40 percent open space, as required.
All told, demand, Cimini said, has called for such an endeavor.
Many parents drive their children as far as 45 minutes away, he said, so they can practice and play at other sporting complexes. “It will allow people to stay in town and spend their dollars here,” he said, noting that it will foster both youth and adult recreation.
Cimini had an informal discussion with the planning board in late June; right now, he said, he's getting quotes for domes. The next step will be to determine “challenges from a municipal perspective,” he explained.
The biggest hurdle: Infrastructure.
Because the area has no sewer hookup, it's been, as planning board chair Sandra Gibson-Quigley described it, a “stumbling block.”
Often, when development plans do come forward, “the cost for the water-sewer is prohibitive,” she said. “It comes down to the infrastructure.”
For instance, an entertainment park proposed by Tuscan River Management Team in 2007 never materialized past the informal discussion stage; it was to include an indoor theme park, miniature golf courses, a bumper boat pond, climbing walls and simulation rides, along with limited retail, according to planning board meeting minutes. At the same time, Sports Center was proposing an indoor soccer area. Another office park project also fell through several years back, Gibson-Quigley said.
Cimini agreed that providing private septic facilities is “not as attractive” as being able to hook up to a sewer, as private systems come with a “huge set of Massachusetts regulations and costs.”
However, that might soon change: In April, voters approved the use of $25,000 to look at four options for the area – including a new sewer line with waste to be treated at the current, 1.3 million gallon-per-day plant, with abutters paying for the costs; or similar scenarios with treated water instead being discharged in the Route 15 area, or at a new, municipally-operated satellite wastewater treatment facility. A fourth option would leave the issue up to property owners to deal with.
But beyond infrastructure, there's the issue of development – namely what townspeople want, and how the town gets there.
This issue was first taken up in 1996, with the Route 15 Study Committee.
Before that, though, there were snags: The town accepted the road in 1984, according to Charlie Blanchard – but then not much happened for more than a decade, until the state came up with a resurfacing plan, and finally completed the job in 1996.
Blanchard, a member of the ensuing committee, described its final report as a “comprehensive study,” arrived at through public input, regular meetings and individual brainstorming.
The goal: Zoning that would “react” to proposals, and ultimately “steer away” from traditional strip malls and all-retail commercial areas, he said.
Ultimately, a historic commercial district was established near Route 131, he explained, enabling small commercial development. A special use district, allowing mixed-use zoning, was also put into place.
“What we wanted to do was try to have zoning that was flexible,” Blanchard explained.
Analysis will continue with the master plan, which will look at the various options and challenges. It is expected to be completed in the fall, Gibson-Quigley said.
“From the very beginning, we have highlighted route 15 as a major issue we need to address,” she said.
And it's about time, some say. Gary Galonek, for one – he owns several parcels along Route 15 – expressed frustration, equating the rehashing of the issue to “Groundhog Day,” the 1993 movie in which Bill Murray is in a constant loop, reliving the same day over and over.
“I've always believed Route 15 should be a destination,” Galonek said, “whether it was for work or for play.”
However, because things are now slowly shifting, changes might finally “prove positive” in the area, he noted, as “we seem to have the attention of everyone, finally.”
Cimini agreed, saying that, if his recreation center project ultimately moves forward, he'll have the opportunity to report back to selectmen about the process, and suggest methods that could help move future projects along more quickly and smoothly.
Also, he recognized, quite a bit is riding on it. As he predicted, if the complex is successful, “It will take a lot of the boogeymen away.”