In June, 2000, the Mayor and City Council approved the Woburn Square Revitalization Plan, as the city’s blueprint for the improvement of downtown Woburn. The culmination of a two-year cooperative effort of the Woburn Redevelopment Authority and the Committee to Revitalize Downtown Woburn, it has guided a series of projects and initiatives since its completion.
The 2000 Plan proposed a program of revitalization activities which include new traditional lighting and other streetscape improvements, financial and technical assistance to merchants and property owners for façade renovations and other improvements, parking system implementation, new zoning proposals, and a marketing strategy and program for promoting Woburn Square as a good place to shop and conduct business.
The Plan identified a specific area of downtown Woburn as the focus of improvement efforts. This map shows the boundaries of the Revitalization Area covered by the Woburn Square Revitalization Plan.
Substantial progress has been made in terms of the Plan’s implementation over the last fifteen years. Energy-efficient period lighting, banners and hanging plants have replaced outdated utility poles and Marlowe Park has been completely renovated and programmed for public activities. Numerous buildings have been renovated and dozens of business signs replaced using a combination of private and public funding. In fact, the WRA’s Storefront Sign Improvement Program has recently been expanded to offer loans for façade improvements. The City recently acquired property on Main Street to create a new 60-car off-street parking lot and multiple business-friendly zoning amendments have been adopted over the years. The City is actively studying ways to improve traffic flow through Woburn Center (including the feasibility of reconfiguring some of the travel lanes) and plans to install parking meters within the short term.