MCI Master Plan Committee Tables June Minutes, Hears 542-Response Survey Results

CARLISLE — July 9, 2026 — Carlisle's MCI Master Plan Committee tabled its June 25 minutes and received an initial look at fiscal and survey work on the former state prison site at its July 9 meeting. A consulting team led by Bill reported that 542 residents responded to an online survey following June's design charrette week, with roughly two-thirds of respondents having skipped the in-person events entirely; support for housing was broad but split on density, with 60 percent backing taller mixed-use buildings when the tradeoff of lower-height townhouses elsewhere was explained. Fiscal analyst Tom Layton of Stantec said the team has built an initial model analyzing development by type — including surface-parked apartments, structured-parking apartments, townhomes, affordable units, and retail — and will next review it with town financial staff before applying it to specific scenarios, noting that roughly 21 percent of property tax revenue flows to the town's operating budget. A committee member warned flatly that proceeding to a spring town meeting with a single Commonwealth Avenue entrance for a development of up to 1,000 units "is a folly," and said DCAM has already written to MassDOT demanding a second northern access point on Route 2.