Dedham residents have until 1 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, to apply for an advisory committee that will recommend zoning and design changes for the East Street Corridor.
The Planning Board is filling six of the committee's nine seats with residents, students, business owners or property owners, according to a town notice posted Sept. 24. The remaining three seats go to one member each from the Select Board, the Planning Board and the Zoning Board of Appeals.
The corridor stretches from the Endicott rotary south to Route 128/I-95 at the Westwood line. East Street provides access to the highway interchange and the Endicott and Dedham Corporate Center commuter rail stations.
The plan could reshape the area. The study will recommend zoning changes and design guidelines based on public input, and a final draft will go to the Planning Board, which may endorse the plan and propose zoning amendments based on its recommendations, Patch reported in September. The project is modeled after Dedham's Bridge Street Corridor Plan, completed in 2024, Patch reported.
A $50,000 state Planning Assistance Grant is funding the effort. The grant came from the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs' fiscal 2027 program, which awarded about $1.34 million across 16 projects supporting municipal land-use planning tied to housing, conservation and climate goals.
Committee members will work alongside a consultant team, the Planning Board and the Planning & Zoning Division to determine what is worth preserving or changing along the corridor, the town notice said. Members should expect about five weekday evening meetings and will also be asked to provide input throughout the process and encourage public participation in the planning effort.
The committee is expected to run from late 2026 through summer 2027. It will dissolve after delivering a final report with findings and recommendations to the Planning Board.
To apply, send a letter of interest and/or resume to Planning and Zoning Office Manager Ariel Jacobs at [email protected] by 1 p.m. Friday. The letter should explain the applicant's interest and qualifications. Applicants must be available for interviews at the Planning Board meeting on Wednesday, Oct. 28, at 6 p.m.
