Will someone please define “vibrancy” for me? Explain why we need more “experiences” in Belmont Center. Vibrancy and experiences are offered as reasons for the proposed zoning overlay. What the town desperately needs is revenue, not experiences.
I walk to Belmont Center three times a week. It always feels full of vitality and activity. The Center hosts Town Day, the Holiday Tree and Menorah Lighting, Midnight Shopping and Holiday Happenings, the Farmers’ Market, Touch-a-Truck, pumpkin painting and Halloween window decorating, the LGBTQ celebration, author talks, and outdoor dining. The Center is beautifully decorated for the December holidays and replete with flowers in warmer months.
Belmont Center is home to 10 food establishments, from pizza to pastry, wine to chocolate, and five restaurants. There are toys, books, jewelry and eyeglasses along with seven clothing stores, two gift stores, two realtors, five banks, and nine hair, nails and fitness salons. Don’t forget the cleaners, law offices, and a newspaper office.
I hear some want more medical office space in Belmont Center. We already have 12 dental practices. There are numerous dental, medical, and wellness practices along Concord Avenue and Trapelo Road. Residents can access the medical office buildings just over the border in Cambridge and Waltham.
The proposed zoning will likely replace the diverse local flavor we treasure about Belmont Center with national chains, but no additional parking. First, malls scooped local shoppers; now online shopping dominates. Yet Belmont Center endures with a special mix of retail and service establishments and community gathering spaces.
I don’t see any tax relief from destroying Belmont Center for intangibles. I do see developers forcing out the local businesses we enjoy. If the overlay passes, I won’t be the empty-nester living in the Center, I’ll be driving to Lexington or Concord for their right-sized centers.
Anne Marie Mahoney, Goden Street