Easton, MA

Easton is a far suburb of Boston with a population of 20,000. The town’s master plan called for concentrating growth (including residential growth) at its major commercial hub, Five Corners. The town’s voters approved a TIF district (called DIF in Massachusetts), which would add sewer capacity, sidewalks, bike lanes, and traffic improvements to the area, in order to enable mixed-use development.
An aerial photograph of streets in Easton, Massachusetts. A long street runs horizontally through the photo, and a major intersection with another road is shown at the left. The center of the main horizontal street has been dug up and construction vehicles sit along it.
A photo of a street being dug up in Easton, Massachsuetts. In the photo, an excavator is pouring dirt over new sewer pipes in a narrow hole cut linearly on one side of the street. A police officer stands directing traffic while workers point to activity in the hole.
Sewer construction in the Five Corners growth area in Easton, MA, funded in part through Tax Increment Financing. Once complete, the new sewer capacity will allow more housing development and absorb growth from more rural areas of town. (Image via Town of Easton, MA.