How is the urban development area determined?
Planners identify areas that they feel are in need of help and can meet the test of
substandard, decadent, or blighted criteria. The planners in Gardner have identified an
area from West Gardner to Union Square, including Peabody Hill, as a possible urban
renewal area.
This identification is a starting point. Until data is collected and analyzed, we will not
know if this is a suitable target area for urban renewal. The boundaries are not set. In
fact, only a Citizen Advisory Committee can identify the area, although others can give
their input and suggestions. An urban renewal plan is a community driven, citizen
participation, planning process, not a solo act. Collaboration and community organization
are the key elements of a successful urban renewal process.
For this plan to be successful, it will need the vast majority of the 22,000 citizens of
Gardner to demonstrate their support and enthusiasm. A comprehensive communication
plan will keep residents of Gardner informed from the very beginning, and update them
as milestones are achieved.

Show All Answers

1. What is urban renewal?
2. How is the urban development area determined?
3. Why look at an urban renewal plan at this time?
4. How long does the planning process take?
5. What are the elements of an urban renewal plan?