Publication Date
Spring 2023
Committee Members
John Mullin Henry Renski Michael DiPasquale
Abstract
The purpose of this project is to create a Transit Oriented Development (TOD) plan for Palmer, Massachusetts based on scholarly and professional literature, site visits and a review of case-studies. It begins with a definition of TOD, describes the best TOD practices, analysis of obstacles related to TOD and measures of success. It then moves to a description of the possible TOD site in Palmer and creates an implementation strategy for the town. Palmer was included in the MassDOT East-West Passenger Rail study, that investigated putting a commuter rail stop in the town as part of the extension of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) Framingham/Worcester Line, connecting Palmer to Worcester, Boston, Springfield, and New York via rail. Transit Oriented Development has the potential to create the elements that increase the use of transit and capture more of the economic activity generated in the TOD zone.