A Big City Vision with Small Town Appeal

How strategic planning and focused investment are reshaping this Massachusetts city

Founded in 1637 and nicknamed “Silver City” for its historic manufacturing prowess, Taunton, Massachusetts stands at a compelling crossroads of past and future. This city of 60,000 residents, situated 40 miles south of Boston and 20 miles east of Providence, has masterfully preserved its close-knit community atmosphere while implementing modern urban amenities.

“What’s really special about Taunton is that we are a city with a really small-town feel,” says Mayor Shaunna O’Connell. “It’s a very close-knit community with rural areas and beautiful recreational spots yet has a city center and services that meet the needs of residents.”

This duality forms the foundation of Taunton’s strategic approach to growth. While many mid-sized cities struggle to maintain their original character during expansion, Taunton’s leadership has deliberately preserved its historical elements while developing modern infrastructure. The city exemplifies the growing trend of “15-minute cities,” urban areas where most daily necessities can be accessed within a short walk or bike ride.

The city’s approach appears to be working. According to Jay Pateakos, Director, Economic and Community Development, businesses and developers are increasingly viewing Taunton as a prime location. “We’re attracting the big names now,” he notes. “Taunton is really being seen as an up-and-coming city and the place to be,” adds Mayor O’Connell. “We have people knocking on our door constantly looking to bring their business here, to bring their housing development here, and to bring their families here.”

This influx of interest comes as Taunton maintains strong fiscal health, having secured AA+ bond rating—a distinction Mayor O’Connell points out is rare among Massachusetts gateway cities. This financial stability has enabled the aggressive infrastructure and quality-of-life investments that are reshaping the city’s profile and attracting new residents and businesses.

Downtown Renaissance

Taunton’s downtown revitalization exemplifies the nationwide trend of smaller cities reinventing their urban cores to combat the “donut effect” of hollowed city centers. “In the downtown, we have been focused on making Taunton a destination in this region,” Mayor O’Connell explains. “We’ve done strategic and smart planning to bring in different types of restaurants, retail stores, and housing. This creates foot traffic and makes downtown a place where people want to be.”

This mixed-use approach aligns with contemporary urban planning principles that recognize the interdependence of residential, commercial, and recreational spaces in creating vibrant downtowns. The strategy has already yielded tangible results with five new restaurants, a bookstore, and a theater recently opened or soon to debut in the downtown area.

The 2020 completion of Taunton’s new City Hall represents another significant investment in the downtown revitalization. Unlike many municipal buildings that prioritize function over form, Taunton’s City Hall was designed to be a visual anchor for the downtown area.

“It’s a beautiful building outside. We worked hard to preserve the historical features and ensure it fit with the fabric of downtown,” says Mayor O’Connell. “On the side of City Hall there is what we call the City Walk, with large historical pictures of Taunton that tell the history and show different stages throughout our beginning.”

This attention to aesthetic details and public spaces highlights a sophisticated understanding of how civic architecture contributes to community identity. The City Hall project includes open-air spaces where residents can relax and enjoy the downtown atmosphere, a design choice that acknowledges the growing importance of “third places” in urban environments and supports the broader goal of increasing downtown foot traffic.

Economic Development

The transformation of Taunton’s former Galleria Mall site into the Silver City Business Park represents a strategic pivot from traditional retail to high-value industrial and distribution spaces. “When the mall closed, as is happening across the country, we wanted to ensure we attracted developers that would add to Taunton through employment and tax base while being good partners,” says Mayor O’Connell.

The development, managed by the Atlanta-based Portman Group, involves an ambitious three-building complex totaling over a million square feet. “The first building has completed 250,000 square feet of space,” Pateakos explains. “We’ve had meetings with about a dozen potential tenants, from manufacturers to a water distributor. Once that building is half full, it will trigger the next building, which will be 450,000 square feet.”

Located at the interchange of Routes 140 and 24, the site offers strategic access to Boston, Providence, and Cape Cod, a competitive advantage in today’s logistics-driven economy. This prime location positions Taunton to capitalize on the growing demand for distribution centers fueled by e-commerce growth.

The city has developed a coordinated workforce pipeline to support this economic expansion, bringing together educational institutions and employment services. “We have a Voc-Tech high school here, Bristol Community College, and the Workforce Development Bureau,” notes Mayor O’Connell. “They communicate, collaborate, and meet monthly so schools understand the needs of businesses and can fill the pipeline with properly trained workers.”

Infrastructure and Public Safety Investments

Taunton’s approach to municipal infrastructure highlights the growing recognition among mid-sized cities that systematic capital planning is essential for sustainable development. “We created a capital improvement program in 2022, the first Capital Improvement Program the city has ever had,” Mayor O’Connell states. “We knew it was important to have a CIP so we could strategically address longstanding issues that have gone unaddressed for decades, and we also knew how important it was to fund it.”

The financial commitment is substantial, with the current fiscal year allocating approximately $40 million to capital improvements, including $7.2 million for roads and sidewalks and $7.3 million for water and sewer systems. “That will bring us to paving about 20% of the city, keeping in mind that Taunton has over 300 miles of roadway,” explains Mayor O’Connell, an aggressive paving schedule exceeds the national average for comparable cities.

The infrastructure focus extends to water quality, with recent investments positioning Taunton to receive a Lead-free Community designation from the Department of Environmental Protection. This achievement gains particular significance in the context of nationwide concerns about aging water systems following high-profile contamination cases in cities like Flint, Michigan.

Public safety infrastructure has also received major attention with the construction of a new public safety building. “The city has not built a new police station in over 100 years. Our police have been housed in temporary facilities for over four decades with promises of a new facility,” says Mayor O’Connell. “When I came into office, one of my priorities was to build a new public safety building to house the police and fire together.”

Housing Solutions

Taunton’s multi-pronged housing strategy addresses the nationwide housing shortage through a blend of downtown revitalization, adaptive reuse of historical properties, and transit-oriented development. “I don’t think you’ll find a community that hasn’t been impacted by the housing shortage,” Mayor O’Connell acknowledges. “We just had about 100 units come online this past year right in the downtown area. We have another project downtown that will bring about 36 more units online.” These downtown residential developments support the city’s revitalization efforts by increasing population density in the urban core, a strategy urban planners advocate for creating vibrant downtowns.

The city has particularly focused on rejuvenating dormant properties, exemplified by the Whittenton neighborhood Mills project. “In our Whittenton neighborhood, we have a project of 390 apartments going through the approval process in the former Whittenton Mills, which has been sitting and decaying for well over a decade,” says Mayor O’Connell. “Our team has been laser focused on vacant blighted properties and getting them developed.”

This adaptive reuse approach preserves architectural heritage while adding housing stock—a sustainable development model gaining traction nationwide. The project includes amenities that contemporary residents seek: “There will be a swimming pool, outdoor space, walking trail as it’s right on the river, and commercial space as well,” Mayor O’Connell adds.

Pateakos notes the historical significance of this development: “It’s the biggest project the city has ever seen.” This scale reflects Taunton’s ambition to meaningfully address housing needs rather than making incremental additions to housing stock.

Transit-oriented development forms another pillar of Taunton’s housing strategy, with a 285-unit apartment complex planned near the city’s new train station. “That’s going to be another real game changer here, and it also has commercial space, very nice apartments, and nice outdoor space,” Mayor O’Connell explains.

Transportation and Connectivity

Taunton’s restoration of commuter rail service after a 65-year absence represents a strategic investment in regional connectivity that positions the city to capitalize on shifting post-pandemic settlement patterns. As remote work enables professionals to live farther from major employment centers, communities with transportation links to metropolitan areas gain competitive advantages in attracting residents.

“Train service actually just started,” says Mayor O’Connell, describing the recent launch event that included the governor and lieutenant governor. “That will give people access to employment opportunities, not only elsewhere but here in Taunton, as well as economic growth, which we’re already seeing, and educational and recreational opportunities.”

This rail connection to Boston—approximately 40 miles northeast of Taunton—comes as the greater Boston area faces housing affordability challenges that have pushed residents to consider more distant communities. Taunton’s train service offers these residents an alternative that combines more affordable housing with access to Boston’s job market and amenities.

The historical context emphasizes the significance of this transportation milestone. “The last commuter train was 1958,” Pateakos notes. “Just to give you an idea of how long this area has been waiting for a commuter rail train.” This six-decade gap reflects broader trends in American transportation policy that prioritized highways over rail investment throughout the latter half of the 20th century.

The station’s strategic location in East Taunton near Route 140 provides convenient access and has already catalyzed nearby development. “It’s a really convenient location for people to get on and off the train,” Mayor O’Connell explains. The 285-unit housing development planned near the station exemplifies the economic ripple effects of transportation infrastructure investments.

Quality of Life

Taunton’s investments in parks and recreational facilities demonstrate how mid-sized cities can enhance community well-being through strategic placemaking. “We are renovating a lot of our current parks that people have enjoyed since I was a little kid,” Mayor O’Connell explains. “The biggest one is Memorial Park, and we’re putting in about $4 million for renovation. It has a beautiful pond. We’re going to make a bandstand, outdoor space, and picnicking areas for people to enjoy. I brought my kids there when they were little, so to be able to renovate that entire park for families to enjoy for generations to come is something that’s very important to us.”

Such an intergenerational approach to public space design typifies contemporary understanding of parks as critical social infrastructure. The city is also creating new recreational spaces that respond to demographic trends. “We are creating a park geared toward older Americans, but of course it’s for everyone,” says Mayor O’Connell, describing the transformation of Davol Park.

“There’s a walking trail there as well, and a small and large dog park,” Pateakos adds. “If you have little chihuahuas, you’ll have your own little space, and if you have bigger dogs, you’ll have your own separate but attached park.” These pet-friendly amenities acknowledge the growing importance of accommodating pets in public spaces as pet ownership continues to rise nationwide.

The city is also working to position itself within the growing youth sports tourism market. “We’ve been trying to figure out how to attract baseball teams and touring,” Pateakos explains. “We have a place called Fore Kicks focused on soccer that’s where everybody in probably most of the state goes to play indoor soccer.”

Looking ahead, Mayor O’Connell emphasizes housing as a central focus for Taunton’s future. “The next two years, we are really going to focus on creating more housing, in particular affordable housing, because we know there’s a dire need for that.”

Through its coordinated approach to infrastructure, economic development, and quality of life, Taunton offers a blueprint for how mid-sized cities can revitalize themselves while preserving their distinct character and community connections.

AT A GLANCE

Who: City of Taunton

What: A city of 60,000 residents implementing strategic growth while maintaining community character

Where: Bristol County, Massachusetts

Website: www.taunton-ma.gov