City of Chelsea Hosts Inaugural “Mayor & Manager Off Main”

Mayor Kate Henson and City Manager Elle Cole sit down with guests of The Grateful Crow to talk about walkability and housing. Photo by Suzei Povlich

Chelsea’s Mayor Kate Henson and City Manager Elle Cole hosted the first quarterly event known as “Mayor & Manager Off Main,” where they held personal, informal discussions with local community members about city concerns. The event was hosted at The Grateful Crow on April 16, and conversation topics included traffic control, affordable housing and the hiring of Rachel Kapolka as the new social media manager for the city.

Affordable Housing

Several residents asked about the recent decision to not move forward with the proposed construction of affordable housing on Old Manchester Rd. The site had previously been used as a landfill, and environmental testing found it unfit for residential buildings.

“This is not the outcome we had hoped for, but it is the right decision,” said City Manager Elle Cole in a statement released by the city. “Our commitment to affordable housing hasn’t changed. If anything, it’s stronger. We are taking what we’ve learned and moving forward in a way that is thoughtful, transparent, and rooted in what’s best for our community.”

Henson and Cole both emphasized during the gathering at The Grateful Crow that the city of Chelsea is still dedicated to pursuing affordability in the community.

“We’re dedicated to creating spaces where people who work in the community can live,” Mayor Henson said.

According to Cole, several ordinances currently in place are being examined to determine if they align with the city’s stated intentions.

“We say we want affordable housing in the community, but not all of our ordinances reflect that,” Cole said. “Revising them is a high priority. We’re working on it.”

Walkability and Safety

Other goals Cole and Henson mentioned included focusing on keeping the city walkable and accessible. Cole, who is new to Chelsea, but has worked in government for years, identified it as a strength of the city.

“Walkability and connectivity is one of the secret sauces of the Chelsea community,” she said.

Strategies to increase pedestrian safety include painting murals on crosswalks on M-52. Henson also discussed a traffic study being done on the portion of the state highway that runs through Chelsea, though MDOT plans to wait to conduct the study until construction of Main Street Park is completed.

Future of “Off Main”

According to Henson, these informal chats are planned to take place quarterly. She feels they’re a good way to keep in touch with the community and ensure that the topics residents want addressed are in the forefront of city council’s minds.

The dates of the future meetings will be released on the city council’s website.