The City of Attleboro collaborated with Barrett Planning Group in 2025 to create a long-term plan for the Route 1/1A Corridor. This initiative focused on guiding future development, land use, and infrastructure enhancements along these key commercial roads. Concurrently, MassDevelopment and the City of Attleboro engaged Barrett Planning Group and Horsley Witten Group to assess the neighborhood surrounding Sturdy Memorial Hospital and create a neighborhood improvement plan to support residents alongside the hospital’s growth. Together, these plans aim to improve mobility, safety, and economic vitality for the community.
The City of Attleboro’s Route 1/1A Corridor Study included a thorough review of past planning efforts, analysis of current City regulations and zoning, and community engagement efforts to understand the City’s future vision for the Study Area. Led by Barrett Planning Group’s Brenna Trollinger, AICP, the project provided an analysis of transportation and circulation patterns, multimodal transportation infrastructure, economic development and employment, environmental conditions, and land use within the Study Area. Community engagement included a meeting with neighborhood residents to hear about their needs and co-create a vision for the area’s future, a focus group with municipal staff, and a community survey. Ultimately, specific recommendations were made for zoning changes, infrastructure and public realm improvements, and economic development strategies to promote redevelopment and implementation. We are pleased to announce that the Plan received the 2025 Transportation and Mobility Planning Award from the Massachusetts Chapter of the American Planning Association in December 2025.
At the same time, a partnership between MassDevelopment, the City of Attleboro, Barrett Planning Group, and Horsley Witten Group resulted in a comprehensive evaluation of the neighborhood surrounding Sturdy Memorial Hospital. Horsley Witten Group completed detailed environmental assessments for two potential redevelopment sites, while Barrett Planning Group led an extensive community engagement process to identify needs, challenges, and priorities. The teams worked closely with a neighborhood working group, conducted interviews and surveys, visited local businesses and institutions, and hosted a public meeting to refine strategies for neighborhood improvements while accommodating the hospital’s future needs. The project team shared the plan through an interactive and accessible ArcGIS StoryMaps presentation to communicate the plan to the public and further promote community involvement. The interactive StoryMap showcasing the plan can be viewed at https://arcg.is/0GHrjz1.
The resulting plans for both projects provide a roadmap for the City to make these neighborhoods more welcoming, walkable, and affordable, while strengthening it as a hub for healthcare and a thriving local economy.
