With one proposed overlay underway, town officials are beginning to turn their attention to the next step in their plan to increase Belmont’s commercial tax base — the Brighton Street corridor –– where town officials are looking to implement a zoning overlay.
Thursday afternoon, students from the Harvard Kennedy School Urban Politics Field Lab presented to town officials and members of the community the development priorities identified by key stakeholders in the Brighton Street corridor. The Harvard students engaged with residents, private property owners and developers using interviews, surveys and focus groups.
An overlay is a type of zoning that exists in addition to the underlying zoning for a particular district. In Belmont Center, a vote on the proposed overlay is expected at the March special Town Meeting. In the case of Belmont Center, the proposed overlay would allow for increased building heights on Leonard Street and plans for mixed-use development.
According to Director and Town Planner Chris Ryan, students from the field group were interested in applying the skills they’d learned from the program to a “specific, on-the-ground, real-world project.”
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“There are no hard plans established around this area, but they reached out … to see how they could incorporate local values, needs and priorities into this plan,” said Sebastian Fernandes, one of the five Harvard students.
As part of their study, students gathered information on the amenities people would like to see in the area, as well as the long-term vision residents have for the neighborhood. They also sought input from the private sector to determine what types of projects would be possible, and from all participants on how Belmont should communicate updates on the project.
Input from residents and owners of Hill Estates was also included in the data.
In general, most residents, including those at Hill Estates, want to see places to eat, gather and shop, according to Alisa Bhakta. That includes restaurants and brewpubs, indoor play establishments, local retail (including grocery), and entertainment venues, such as a movie theater. Less commonly identified amenities included open space for a dog park, development for industrial and office space, or lodging and travel amenities.
“There was quite a lot of interest in actually understanding what sort of revenue could be expected from this development,” Fernandez said, noting participants’ interest in knowing the economic impact of any development or zoning changes.
In speaking with the town’s consultant, AbleCity, Claudia Sachs said transit-oriented development improved the feasibility of the project. Developers also noted proximity to existing transit opportunities — primarily the bus with access to the Alewife train station — was an asset to the study area.
“The linchpin to this is the very much desired additional MBTA commuter stop,” said Select Board member Elizabeth Dionne, adding that Cambridge is the community with more sway in this regard. “They’re the ones who are providing the density that would justify the additional stop [in Cambridge].”
Transit-oriented development was among the findings on which study participants were in agreement. Others included consistent communication and engagement, walkability and bike amenities, safety at major intersections, flood prevention, and the inclusion of greenery and social spaces.
Areas of disagreement, meanwhile, included the number of buildable floors allowed (discussions centered on a maximum of four floors), residential setbacks, affordable housing, and parking minimums.
As for residents at the meeting on Thursday afternoon, many raised concerns about traffic and parking.
“There have been a lot of concerns about traffic,” said Pranav Subramanian.
Potential solutions include financial incentives and public improvement fees, which would fund infrastructure improvements.
“The best solution to a traffic problem is to encourage other modes of transit,” he said.
