June 8, 2023 Information Box
Hull Redevelopment Authority Information Box as published in The Hull Times on 6/8/23
A Program not a Project: The HRA Planning Initiative
There are two types of urban renewal plans that the HRA could prepare to guide the future of the parcels that it owns along Nantasket Avenue.
The HRA could form a plan and create a program for future development. These are special rules that establish the overall framework of locations, special standards and requirements, and community benefits. After this type of plan is approved, individual projects can then advance as long as they comply with the framework and the standards within it. It's like setting the stage to coordinate and manage subsequent projects. This approach is also adaptable to changing market conditions.
In the other type of plan, the HRA could focus on one or more specific projects that it would implement on its own or in conjunction with a specific developer proposal. This type of project-based plan includes complete designs and all of the associated support actions that the HRA would directly accomplish. The projects could include specific designs and specific proposals for buildings, parks or parking, public amenities or infrastructure construction.
The HRA has taken the first route, to create a program plan with special rules. Although it is testing various approaches with illustrative studies and examples of projects in other communities to support the discussions, the focus of the emerging plan is in setting the stage for where, what, when, and how specific projects can emerge.
Here are some ways to think about it.
"Super zoning" - A program plan doesn't replace the town's zoning for the area. Instead, it creates even more specific rules. The plan defines parcels and places where different uses can occur, and specifies the amount of uses that may be created and retained. The plan establishes public goals that future projects must support and special benefits that they must provide for the community.
Community expectations and requirements - Once established, the HRA's management and control of its land will then need to conform to the goals and specified public benefits of the program plan, created with public input and the reviews and approvals of participating town boards.
A way to manage and control future projects - With a program plan in place, the HRA will now have a strong tool in place to ensure that all future projects conform with those expectations and requirements that have been established in advance.
Keep an eye out for the HRA's explanation and invitation to get and stay involved in the planning process in the Hull Times Summer Guide.