Business View Civil and Municipal | March 2021

71 CIVIL AND MUNICIPAL MARCH 2021 FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS Foxborough’s downtown – known to locals as the “uptown” area of Town – is currently experiencing a revival. Over the past two years the Town has approved 115 new apartments, while a group of community-minded residents have also banded together to salvage the Town’s old community theatre. A once-abandoned fire station will soon be redeveloped into a 19-unit Apartment Complex; complete with a new Brew Pub. “We really want to nurture our uptown,” says Paige Duncan, Foxborough’s Planning Director. “Right now, we see a lot of services that you would normally see in many village centers – hair salons, restaurants and other service amenities – and they are all doing great, but we also want to see the bakery, the cheese shop, the ice cream store, and the little sundries that draw people out of their homes and into their central business area to walk around, browse and take the time to enjoy our historic Town Common.” In addition to the revitalization efforts of the uptown area there are also new plans to create a rail trail that will connect uptown to Patriot Place and the new Foxborough commuter rail station. This will help the Town become more walkable and accessible than ever before. Having a cooperative working relationship with local businesses, can often lead to assistance in funding community improvements. For example, Schneider Electric recently provided a $150,000 grant to redo the electrification of the uptown Town Common, while also providing $100,000 to the local High School for aspiring students interested in pursuing electrical engineering and/or STEM based careers. And the Kraft Group runs an ongoing program offering up to $100,000 per year toward various community- based programs and charities. Fire admits, “We think of our relationship with Foxborough as a partnership. We have a representative on the Town’s Economic Development Committee and we participate in initiatives that work in our collective best interests. The Town has been great to work with.” Farmers Market - Courtesy of Amanda Smith Cranberry Bog - Courtesy of The Kraft Group