$ marks the spot; Blackstone Valley maps zoning, infrastructure to lure developers.

Byline: Donna Boynton

Modern-day cartographers, using a mouse and geographic information systems instead of a compass and sextant, have been mapping already inhabited and charted territory: The Blackstone Valley.

It is not to help people navigate the 11 towns in the region, but to help businesses buy into the Blackstone Valley.

The Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, with the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce, is working with the towns to map the region's infrastructure and zoning to plan for future work and market the towns in the present.

Under way for about two years, the project has been an exercise in regional cooperation for the common good. Individually, the small towns in the valley have been hindered by size and resources. Collectively, they have been able to pool their resources and work on a regional economic development approach aimed at ultimately creating a Blackstone Valley Economic Development Council. They hope to attract the attention of state economic development officials and businesses considering expansion or relocation.

"The concept is that we want sites ready for development," a goal as important as reducing the often long permitting time for businesses, said Lawrence Adams, CMRPC executive director. "We want to see where existing infrastructure is, what its capacity is, decide what the best locations are for economic development and where towns need to invest in future improvements."

The hope is to link that information with the state's site-finding program so a prospective business can easily access the list of developable land in the Blackstone Valley, Mr. Adams said.

Such a visual database can not only help fast-track projects but also create interest in the region beyond the initial inquiry.

Not long ago, a developer called the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce looking for recommendations on where to invest $8 million to $10 million to construct a 150,000- to 200,000-square-foot building.

There was little then-acting President Joseph Deliso could recommend.

The Blackstone Valley, long hailed as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution, has long been the catch-all of businesses that no other community wanted.

Limited offhand knowledge of existing zoning and infrastructure put the region at a competitive disadvantange.

"We get the economic development that nobody necessarily wants," said Mr. Deliso, during a recent project update in Grafton.

"We're very vulnerable," said Julie Woods, an Uxbridge selectman who with her counterparts in Uxbridge, Douglas and Sutton have met regularly to discuss regional economic development, and who helped organize yesterday's 11-town meeting. "We are under pressure to take any development that comes along to reduce residential tax pressure."

Several years, millions of dollars and much effort have been invested in cleaning up the Blackstone River and marketing its namesake, the Blackstone Valley.

Ms. Woods said the valley communities want to be careful not to compromise under residential tax pressures and undo the positive work that has been done.

"For the most part, this region has always been fending off the lower-paying , lower-skilled jobs that don't bring any prestige to the area - medical waste, landfills, asphalt plants," said Ms. Woods. "If we market ourselves differently and do a better job positioning ourselves, maybe we'll attract a higher-quality-type business."

Ms. Woods emphasized that the communities appreciate the businesses they have, but lately have had some "less than desirable callers." She said it is premature to identify the business sectors to which they hope to market the valley.

"One thing we want to do is take a look at the businesses that are here, appreciate them, find out what opportunities there are for expansion and what businesses might partner, complement or feed off of them," said Ms. Woods. "We know that there are some good businesses moving here; we need to do a better job of tapping into those."

The first step toward accomplishing those goals is the infrastructure mapping project, which is an inventory of what the region has to offer by way of roads, water, sewer and land.

CMRPC has budgeted $28,000 for the infrastructure mapping project, which is the foundation for the larger Blackstone Valley Economic Development Council. The funding is through the state's Chapter 43 D Smart Growth initiative to expedite the permitting process.

The zoning and infrastructure mapping will further streamline the process for potential businesses and developers, pulling together many resources to make the valley more attractive to desired types of development.

"This takes the town boundaries away and helps us focus on a regional effort," said Paula Brouillette, a Douglas selectman and one of the organizers of the four town meetings that have served as the foundation of the 11-town initiative. One offshoot of the 11-town meeting, said Ms. Brouillette, may be discussions of regionalized services.

Cathryn Welch, economic development permit coordinator in Douglas, said zoning is the first hint to prospective businesses as to what type of development an area is hoping to attract.

"Part of what we are trying to do is brand this area," said Ms. Welch, adding that the region's history as the birthplace of the Industrial Revolution and its strong agricultural heritage are key to that effort.

To start the process, CMRPC has reviewed previous infrastructure studies, and towns have identified target areas that may present the greatest opportunity for economic development. As the project progresses, public visioning sessions, or focus groups, will be held and final maps will be prepared, delineating the highways, water and sewer lines, zoning and those defined economic development target areas.

"Realtors come into my office all the time asking for information about water, sewer, any land that is commercially or industrially zoned that is undeveloped," said Laurie A. Connors, Millbury town planner. "It will be visually helpful to have a map with all that information to point to."

Ms. Connors has already identified one area as an economic development priority - a tract of land off Route 146 on the Sutton town line that has previously been the subject of an industrial park feasibility study.

"One big challenge we have is that we don't have the infrastructure," said Ms. Connors. "I hope this project helps me to leverage the money necessary and the effort necessary to get that infrastructure we need in that area to make it feasible for development or attract someone big enough willing to bring the infrastructure into that area."

Mr. Adams said the most intriguing part of the process has been watching the region's leaders and municipalities working together.

"What has been so exciting to me is that this is a collaborative effort between towns to share in the economic development of the region," said Mr. Adams, adding that the project may lead to opportunities to link infrastructure systems across town borders.

"We can't spread economic development money everywhere," said Mr. Adams. "We need to be more selective and more collaborative."

Contact Donna Boynton by e-mail at [e-mail].

Underlying economy of the Blackstone Valley

These employment sectors now account for the region's job base

Sector Percentage of employment

Manufacturing 24.6 %

Services 21.4 %

Wholesale and retail 20.4 %

Government 18.8 %

Construction 5.1 %

Transportation and communication 5 %

Finance/insurance/real estate 2.6 %

Agriculture/forestry/fisheries 1.1 %

Other 1%

Source: Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce

T&G Staff/STACEY ARSENAULT

ART: PHOTOS

CUTLINE: (1) Project lead Rosemary Scrivens, regional planner for the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, talks about the work under way to map the existing infrastructure and areas where Blackstone Valley towns are steering economic development. (2) Daniel Goodrich, a GIS technician at the Central Massachusetts Regional Planning Commission, points out a detail on a map of a community that is part of the Blackstone Valley project.

PHOTOG: RICH DUGAS