The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

The Watershops District Revitalization Plan focuses on revitalization strategies within sections of the Six Corners and Old Hill neighborhoods in Springfield. The plan is a continuation of ReBuild Springfield and focuses on redevelopment of Old Brookings School into housing and community areas; development of owner-occupied single-family housing on vacant lots with a higher density; three mixed-use centers; revitalization of Ruth Elizabeth Park; incorporation of pedestrian-friendly features such as street crossings and benches; and new alternative transportation and open space connections.

Opportunities: The opportunities for this plan included the availability of vacant lots that can be redeveloped as new owner-occupied housing; historic structures located in dense and walkable areas; collaboration with Springfield College; and several existing parks that could be improved and become greater neighborhood assets.

Challenges: Challenges identified include: illegal activities in the neighborhood as a whole and parks in particular; neighborhood perception that constrains redevelopment and reinvestment; concentrated areas of vacant parcels and buildings; lack of parking options for businesses; lack of funding options for redevelopment activities; and absentee landlords who do not maintain properties.

Project Team: Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, HAPHousing, MHSC Neighborhood Council, Rosemary Morin, Alicia Zoeller, Brookings Elementary School

Cost: Not Available

Units: 30 new housing units, 26 rebuilt housing units

Funding Sources: Barr Foundation

Contact: Josiah Neiderbach, Planner, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, jneiderbach@pvpc.org

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

This project is designed to improve streetscape and pedestrian, bicycle, local transit, and vehicular facilities in and around South Station, including the re-opening of Dorchester Avenue for public use; to consider opportunities for joint public/private development over an expanded South Station; to enable growth in high-speed and other intercity passenger rail service in the northeastern United States; to support sustainable economic growth and improved quality of life in NEC metropolitan areas; to support increased statewide transportation access, environmental sustainability, and improved personal mobility.

Opportunities: The expansion will allow for the opportunity to connect New England and the communities around Boston with a more efficient and effect public transit system. 

Challenges: Due to the size and scope of the project, there are many more stakeholders to include and manage throughout the process. The development of the project relies on first purchasing and demolishing the US Postal Service distribution facility on Dorchester Avenue, and the future for funding of large transportation projects is unknown.

Project Team: MassDOT, MBTA, US Dept Transportation, Amtrak, City of Boston, HNTB

Cost: $850 million

Funding Sources: State, Federal, and Private funding

Contact: Katherine S. Fichter, Manager of Long-Range Planning, MassDOT, katherine.fichter@state.ma.us.  Project website link here.

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

A “pocket neighborhood” consisting of 13 sustainably-built homes located along the Assabet River. The development has pedestrian connections to public transit and all houses face a shared park, fostering a sense of place for residents.

Opportunities: This project focuses on preserving open space, utilizing Low Impact Development (LID) strategies, and providing high-performance houses, designed to meet a Zero Net Energy (ZNE) standard.

Challenges: Development occurred during a time of poor housing sales, creating doubt as to the success of a unique style of housing development.

Project Team: Union Studio Architecture & Community Design, NOW Communities

Cost: $7.5 million

Square Feet/Units: 13 units

Funding Sources: Private

Contact: Steve Weikal, NOW Communities, steve@concordriverwalk.com; Emily Hall, emily@unionstudioarch.com, (401) 272-4724, Union Studio Architecture & Community Design

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

This plan contains ideas and strategies to address eight key topics: Smart growth; climate action and clean energy; green infrastructure; housing; brownfields; food security; sustainable transportation; and the environment. The plan was adopted in October 2013. The overarching goal of the plan is to chart a course for a more vibrant, competitive, sustainable, and equitable region.

Opportunities: Funding through the HUD Sustainable Communities grant provided planners at PVPC to prepare detailed plans for topics that are cross-cutting and key to growth, but may oftentimes be marked as low-priority.

Challenges: As with many new-style plans, it took time, involvement, and coordination to complete this plan and work towards implementation.

Project Team: PVPC, University of Massachusetts Department of Architecture, HUD Sustainable Communities Initiative, Capitol Region Council of Governments (CT)

Cost: Part of a larger $1.2 million HUD Sustainable Communities grant, In house funding

Funding Sources: HUD Sustainable Communities grant

Contact: Christopher Curtis, Chief Planner, Pioneer Valley Planning Commission, chcurtis@pvpc.org

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

The project is a redevelopment of a surface parking lot into apartment housing, adjacent to the Clipper City Rail Trail.

Opportunities: The development will include underground parking and rooftop solar. A TOD/Smart Growth zoning ordinance does not exist in Newburyport, and the developer has stated that they will work with the City to develop an overlay district to include the site and the surrounding neighborhoods within walking distance to the train station.

Challenges: As a redevelopment of an industrial park site, there are existing electrical and drainage easements; as well as wetlands, unknown subsurface conditions, and noise attenuation.

Project Team: Minco Development, GSD Associates, LLC

Cost: $13 million

Square Feet/Units: 67 units

Funding Sources: Private

Contact: Karen Pollastrino, Project Manager, Minco Development Corporation, nbpt@mincocorp.com, (978) 499 – 9700

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

The Main Street Corridor Project is a multi-phase project to transform a four-lane auto-dominated roadway to a two-lane pedestrian/bicyclist friendly environment as well as add three new public outdoor spaces to Peabody Square. Long-term, the City plans to improve side-street connections to a Riverwalk.

Opportunities: Designing the corridor with a “pedestrian-first” mentality created opportunities to extend the sidewalk, bump-out the crosswalks, install new street trees, and create outdoor dining/seating areas. The public investment has already lured private developers to build a hotel and construct or renovate 100+ housing units.

Challenges: Reducing four lanes to two on an already heavily-traveled road to benefit customers was not an easy sell, especially given past mistakes.

Project Team: City of Peabody, Green International Affiliates, Inc.

Cost: $5 million

Funding Sources: Massworks grant, in house funding, CDBG funds

Contact: Blair Haney, Assistant Director of Planning, City of Peabody, blair.haney@peabody-ma.gov, (978) 538-5781

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

 The Hayden Building, located at the edge of Chinatown and the Theater District in Downtown Boston, was built in 1875 and had fallen into disrepair. The building is a Nationally Registered Historic Landmark, and was gutted by a fire in 1985, remaining vacant until its rehabilitation and adaptive reuse. The building is certified LEED Platinum, is located within two blocks of three subway stations, the Boston Common, and several bus lines.

Opportunities: Heightening the awareness of both the physical building and it’s social history by way of the design concept, spatial layout, material articulation, and infographics.

Challenges: Significant damage and neglect necessitated significant improvements to the shell of the building.

Project Team: CUBE design + research, Historic Boston, Inc., Marc Truant and Associates

Cost: $3.9 million

Square Feet/Units: 8,500 sqft, 4 units

Funding Sources: Privately funded, historic tax credit (State and Federal), Non profit donations.

Contact: Chris Johns, Partner, CUBE design + research, cjohns@cubedesignresearch.com, (617) 848 – 2602

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

 In 2012, the Town began undertaking the development of the Greenfield Comprehensive Sustainable Master Plan Project, which is anticipated to be completed in January 2014. The goals and strategies of the plan include: increasing the density of housing within one mile of downtown, allow co-housing, identify gateways and develop a beautification plan, develop a townwide walkability plan, create a Greenfield Bikes Initiative, adopt a Right-to-Farm Ordinance, adopt an infill development ordinance to encourage redevelopment or reuse of vacant or underperforming buildings or parcels, and to encourage the preservation of historic buildings through creative reuse.

Opportunities: The Town has gotten feedback from people that have not currently been engaged in this process the innovative and creative engagement tools such as MindMixer. Education of residents has also been very important, and has had the effect of generating more interest from the public.

Challenges: The challenge is the timing – this plan has been developed with a lot input in a very small period of time due to the grant restrictions from the HUD Sustainable Communities Program.

Project Team: Town of Greenfield, VHB

Cost: $120,000

Funding Sources: 2012 Massachusetts Mini-Entitlement Grant from DHCD and a grant from FRCOG as part of the HUD Regional Sustainable Communities Program to develop the Franklin County Regional Plan for Sustainable Development.

Contact: Angela Vincent, Sustainability Project Manager, Vanasse Hangen Brustlin, avincent@vhb.com

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

The 2013 Great Barrington Master Plan was drafted over the course of three years of public participation and stakeholder engagement. The Vision of the final approved plan calls for Great Barrington to continue to balance its small town character, historic buildings and vibrant downtown, with the rural heritage of productive farms, scenic vistas and open spaces, and vast tracts of protected habitat. The Plan groups its implementing actions into a set of four Core Initiatives, these being: “Character”, “Community and Connections”, “Commerce”, and “Coordination”.

Opportunities: Key opportunities for Great Barrington include: Redevelopment of historic and contaminated sites, cleanup of the Housatonic River, and restoration of the passenger railroad.

Challenges: The challenges facing Great Barrington include a shrinking population and burdened tax base; infrastructure and buildings that are aging and in need of repair; and an economy transitioning to tourism.

Project Team: Town of Great Barrington, Berkshire Regional Planning Commission

Cost: In house

Funding Sources: BRPC for mapping District Local Technical Assistance

Contact: Chris Rembold, Town Planner, Town of Great Barrington, crembold@townofgb.org

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

Red Brook Harborview is a project specifically designed to reduce nitrogen loading to Red Brook Harbor, currently resulting from on-site septic systems. This project will treat wastewater from the proposed development and the existing marina, potentially reducing existing nitrogen loading by 890 pounds per year. Red Brook Harboview will build additional capacity at no cost to the town, creating the potential to further reduce nitrogen, with the town responsible for the planning and cost of connections to surrounding neighborhoods.

Opportunities: Enabled by an innovative zoning bylaw, providing higher-density mixed use in exchange for advanced wastewater treatment, allowing a net reduction in nitrogen loading.

Challenges: Public input showed resistance to new zoning regulation, and determining the appropriate density levels relative to benefits provided by water treatment scale.

Project Team: Red Brook Harbor Properties, LLC, Lipman Development Strategies, Horsely Witten Group, Michael Cullum Associates, Inc.

Cost: $11.5 million

Square Feet/Units: 15 units

Funding Sources: Private

Contact: John Lipman, President, Lipman Development Strategies, lipmanstrategies@aol.com, (508) 776 – 9841

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

Located off Broadway, this project is the redevelopment of the former Charleston Chew factory. This project redevelops the vacant four-story concrete frame warehouse that served as the factory, into a seven-story apartment community, reusing many of the original building materials.

Opportunities: Reclamation of a blighted site and the need for a solution to the parking and stormwater issue present on an adjacent site.

Challenges: Contamination that required remediation on site prior to development.

Project Team: Post Road Residential, Neshamkin French Architects, Sheshky Architects, Philip Koether Architects, Columbia Design Group

Cost: $90 million

Square Feet/Units: 328 units

Funding Sources: Private

Contact: Andy Montelli, President, Post Road Residential, andrew.montelli@snet.net

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

High-density urban residential community located near the Alewife MBTA station.  Close to open space, alternative modes of transportation, existing retail, and other amenities.  Prior to development, the site underwent a substantial and complicated cleanup program, removing over 100,000 tons of regulated and contaminated waste.

Opportunities: Expansion of bicycle use and integration with local amenities, located in an innovation district, Master Plan allowed for greater density and height for housing, utilized the State Brownfield Tax Credit program, and the buildings utilized sustainable development principles including green roof, efficient fixtures and systems, Energy Star compliance, and are LEED certified, or in the process to become certified.

Challenges: Environmental remediation and associated challenges.

Project Team: Cube 3 Studio, Plumb House, Cabot Cabot & Forbes, O’Connor Capital, TetraTech

Cost: $120 million

Square Feet/Units: 428 units

Funding Sources: Private, Brownfield tax credits

Contact: John Sullivan (617) 603 – 4006, jsullivan@ccfne.com,  Marketing Manager, Cabot, Cabot & Forbes

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance recognizes smart growth projects and planning/zoning initiatives across the Commonwealth. This project is one of many that were featured at our 2013 conference. See other examples. 

30 Haven is a 40R mixed-use multi-family apartment community in Reading’s Smart Growth district. The development is located less than one block from the commuter rail and a short walk to Reading’s revitalized Town Center. 30 Haven was developed with green materials and was completed in 13 months. The project is fully leased.

Opportunities: The Town of Reading and the developers of 30 Haven had a shared vision for the site, and through that vision, they worked closely to create a situation where construction time could be reduced and disruption to neighbors and local businesses would be at a minimum.

Challenges:  The loss of a much-loved, family-owned food store previously located on the development site and the downturn of the national economy presented challenges to the creation of the right mix of retail stores to reestablish the site as a destination location that would complement and reinvigorate existing stores and businesses.

Project Size: Large (>40 housing units)

Project Team: Oak Tree Development, R.J. Finlay and Co., Keiser Homes, SEB LLC

Cost: $19.4 million

Square Feet/Units: 53 units

Funding Sources: Private

Contact:  Gwen Noyes, SVP, Oaktree/Greenline gnoyes@oakdev.com, (617) 491-9100 ext. 101