Welcome Mat for High Tech (Boston Globe)

Area towns cited on industry list
By Lisa Kocian, Globe Staff  |  December 4, 2008

In a state that sees itself as a high-tech hub, Shrewsbury stands out near the top among the most tech-friendly communities in Massachusetts, and two other area towns were in the top 10, according to the latest ranking by the Massachusetts High Technology Council.

The council, a nonprofit lobbying group based in Waltham, evaluated the state's 351 cities and towns on 12 factors, including commercial tax rate, business incentives, number of college graduates within a 30-minute drive, and the local school district's MCAS math scores, to come up with its annual MassTrack ranking, released last month.

Shrewsbury earned the second spot, trailing only North Reading; rounding out the top 10 in the council's recent ranking were, in descending order: Groton, Grafton, Medway, Douglas, Boylston, Leominster, Gill, and Uxbridge.

The adoption of "expedited permitting," a state initiative that allows communities to fast-track certain stages of the development process, was a key factor in the rankings, according to Chris Anderson, president of the Massachusetts High Technology Council.

Last year's number one, Abington, fell to 85th on the list, in part because it has not adopted the state initiative. This was the first year that all of the top 10 towns share the distinction of having adopted expedited permitting, which was passed by the Legislature in 2006.

"We compete with a number of states that are doing a very effective job of welcoming the innovation economy," said Anderson. "Unlike many other states, Massachusetts has strong local rule, or home rule, history. It's more difficult for some of the statewide policy initiatives to take root because you have to overturn the historic role of the cities and towns in determining what goes on in each city and town."

The area's lowest-ranking communities were Framingham, Sudbury, and Newton, at 310, 311, and 318, respectively. All of those municipalities lost points for higher commercial tax rates, and none of them have adopted expedited permitting.

North Reading topped the list thanks to its low tax rate ($11.50 per $1,000 for both commercial and residential properties), the large number of college graduates within a 30-minute drive time (552,446), as well as its adoption of expedited permitting, according to Anderson, who also credited North Reading for its increase in housing stock and improvement on MCAS math scores.

North Reading's tech friendliness is also helped by its location in a technology belt in the northwestern suburbs of Boston, said Anderson. From Waltham in the south to Harvard in the west and North Reading in the east, a triangle is formed on the map that boasts a high concentration of innovation workers.

North Reading, the home of Teradyne Inc., is unusual for its size of only 15,000 in that it has a full-time planning department, according to Town Administrator Greg Balukonis. In addition to a full-time engineering department and other key staff, the town's two professional planners help developers move through the approval process efficiently, he said.

"The policymakers, the Board of Selectmen and Planning Board, have made economic development a priority," said Balukonis.

Shrewsbury ranked second because of its low tax rate ($9.14), adoption of expedited permitting, and use of the Tax Increment Financing Program. The tax-adjustment program helped attract Charles River Laboratories, which is Shrewsbury's biggest taxpayer, according to Town Manager Dan Morgado.

Another key factor, he said, isn't specifically measured in the rankings but has to do with an ability to get things done in town, a reputation for being business friendly. Morgado highlights "the ability of people to come in the building and leave quickly with a set of answers that don't change."

Shrewsbury also benefits from its location near Route 9 and the Massachusetts Turnpike, he said, as well as the proximity to Worcester and the UMass Memorial Medical Center.

Despite its efforts, Shrewsbury does not have any high-tech projects in the pipeline.

"The economic situation has made all of our inquiries pretty much dry up," said Morgado.

State Representative Karyn Polito, a Shrewsbury Republican, was one of only six House members to get a perfect score by the high-tech council for her legislative efforts. She echoed Morgado but added that Shrewsbury is attractive because it still has available land to build on, which can be particularly important to specialized high-tech facilities.

High technology is important because it offers not just jobs but good jobs, she said.

"The tech sector offers good paying jobs for families," said Polito. "We have a very sophisticated university and college system, where we are graduating top-notch students with the skills for these tech jobs, and we want to make it so they stay here in the Commonwealth."

Groton Selectwoman Anna Eliot said the largely residential town has land available for commercial projects, and is establishing an economic development committee to attract high-tech companies to town.

"We would like to attract business that can utilize the educated people that are here and give job opportunities," she said.

Anderson said the rankings are an important tool in encouraging communities to make improvements by giving them specific information about what they can do to better attract high-tech companies.

"There's a big role for each city and town in determining the overall competitiveness or attractiveness of the state for tech firms," he said.

For detailed information on the rankings, methodology, and town-by-town information, go to www.masstrack.org.

Lisa Kocian can be reached at lkocian@globe.com.