A new plan for the Tremont Nail Factory District was unveiled on May 31 that envisions a vibrant cultural destination, complete with space for artists, exhibitions, concerts and recreation.

Town and state officials want to transform the former industrial site into a destination for residents and tourists alike. Rhode Island-based design firm Union Studio and MassDevelopment, a state agency with a track record of revamping blighted properties, were enlisted to make that a reality.

The proposal was discussed at a public meeting held in the Town Hall auditorium attended by approximately 40 people. While audience members applauded the new plan, officials said actually implementing it will require a concerted effort.

“Last time we had a study done it told us what we could do,” said Selectman Chair Peter Teitelbaum, referring to a feasibility study done a few years ago that was shelved. “We needed someone to tell us what we should do…We need everybody to stay engaged on this.”

The town-owned, 7.2-acre site is located on Elm Street. The Tremont Nail Company, which since 1819 had manufactured cut nails and other products, sold the site to Wareham in 2004. It was purchased using Community Preservation Act funds. The act is a Massachusetts law that allows participating cities and towns to adopt a real estate tax surcharge, supplemented by state matching funds in order to fund community preservation.

Since then, the property has languished, attracting few tenants and drawing ire from residents tired of town funds being used to maintain the eight buildings on the property.

In January, officials announced that MassDevelopment awarded the town $50,000 to study potential uses for the site. Wednesday’s meeting was an opportunity for the public to learn what plans Union Studio developed based on input from various stakeholders in town, said Director of Planning & Community Development Ken Buckland.

“We want to redevelop this in a way that will preserve the history of the site while making the property vital again,” said Buckland.

Jeremy Lake, a senior associate with Union Studio, outlined the plan. It calls for preserving all the historic buildings on the site, including the former main factory, a hulking structure with a rich history. A large metal building built more recently may or may not be razed to make room for eight multi-family homes in the future. Lake noted that all of the plans were recommendations. Ultimately, local leaders must decide what direction to take.

Short term, Lake said the town should focus on using “the yard,” the name given to the open lot in the center of the site, for car shows or farmers markets. Plans also call for making the waterfront an attraction by making it park-like and adding a launch for small boats.

Lake noted adding trails connecting the site to Merchants Way would bring in foot traffic and bring more business to Wareham Village.

Another suggestion called for using the former office building on the site as the location of a museum on the history of the site. Uses for the historic buildings also included turning them into space for events, exhibitions and concerts.

Kirk Whipple, one of the founders of the Cranberry Coast Concert series, endorsed that final suggestion. Whipple said Wareham’s potential for drawing tourists hasn’t been fully developed. Using the Tremont site to do that is a huge opportunity, he said.

“This needs to become a destination with its own identity,” said Whipple. “I don’t know why it took so long for Wareham to say, ‘you don’t need to go over the bridge, you don’t need to fight traffic.’” Whipple added that the Cranberry Coast Concert series would be a good fit for a revamped site.

There are some potential obstacles to redevelopment, Lake said. New construction is prohibited on most of the site due to wetland regulations; however, Lake said the northwest corner of the site isn’t under that restriction. Also, renovations of the historic buildings would be allowed.

An environmental study performed last year uncovered contaminates at the site. Teitelbaum said a second study is scheduled to take place soon. Once completed, that study should reveal the extent of the contamination, but Teitelbaum was hopeful the problem isn’t as large as he initially thought.

Teitelbaum said he was skeptical of the town purchasing the site when it was first announced. As recently as 2013, Teitelbaum said he would have preferred to see the factory and other buildings gone. With new plans in hand he said town officials are optimistic the project will start moving forward.

“The town is committed to cleaning up the site and getting people engaged,” he said.

Next steps include collaborating with MassDevelopment, which may award the town funds to clean up pollution on the site. Teitelbaum said a clear plan forward is a major step in securing those funds.

In the meantime, residents are invited to follow the project’s progress, make suggestions and view the plans at a website dedicated to the redevelopment process. For more information, visit www.courb.co/tnf.