2008 South Shore (Boston) Greenway

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

A PLAN FOR ECOLOGICAL IMPROVEMENT AND ALTERNATIVE TRANSPORTATION IN MASSACHUSETTS PREPARED FOR SUSTAINABLE SOUTH SHORE

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008 MICHAEL LANCE, KATHLEEN McCORMICK, ANDREW WEIR

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements The authors wish to acknowledge the help and guidance they

have received from numerous members of the South Shore community and from faculty, staff, and fellow students at the Conway School of Landscape Design. In particular they wish to thank Judeth Van Hamm, president of Sustainable South Shore, for her tireless energy and enthusiasm in initiating this project and supporting it throughout. Invaluable contributions were made by other members of the South Shore Greenway Committee (Sally Turner, Mark Fenton, Barbara Lydon, Stephen Bobo, Turner Bledsoe, and Ken Read-Brown) and by Todd Thomas and Steve Ivas .

The Conway School of Landscape Design is the only institution of its kind in North America. Its focus is sustainable landscape planning and design. Each year, through its accredited, ten-month graduate program just eighteen to nineteen graduate students from diverse backgrounds are immersed in a range of applied landscape studies, ranging in scale from residences to regions. Graduates go on to play significant professional roles in various aspects of landscape planning and design with an eye to sustainability.

The Class of 2008: Kevin Adams, Sarah Bray, Jesse Froehlich, Douglas Guey-Lee, Elizabeth Hammen, Pamela Hurtado, Liz Kushner, Adrian Laine, Michael Lance, Amy Livingston, Kathleen McCormick , Katja Patchowsky, Seth Pearsoll, Catherine Pedemonti, Theresa Sprague, Tom Sullivan, Dillon Sussman, Joseph Weidle, and Andrew Weir

Introduction.................................1 • Vision of a Greenway • Context • History • Community Goals Existing Conditions.................11 • Topography • Open Space • Water and Wetlands • Built Environment Existing Connections...............23 • Roads • Roadsides • Public Transit • Bikeways • Sidewalks • Natural Connections Ecological Function.................37 • Natural Drainage Systems • Conservation Corridors Routing the Greenway.............45 • Bikeway Criteria • Bikeway Discussion • Proposed Bikeways • Trail Criteria • Proposed Trails • Conclusion Appendices.................................61 • References • Funding Sources • Public Meetings • Contacts • Press

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

INTRODUCTION

GREENWAY VISION

CONTEXT

Natural landscape features like waterways, forests, and meadows create connections for animals, birds, and fish living in our shared world.

HISTORY

COMMUNITY GOALS

Chapter 1: Introduction Greenways, while varying widely in type and name, serve a common function whether they are in rural or urban communities: they make connections in the landscape.

Whether composed of woodlands, waterways, trails, or a combination of all these, they encourage the movement of wildlife, people, or both and simultaneously provide ecosystem services that protect and enhance water quality and wildlife habitat.

Greenways provide other connections. They tie communities together. They strengthen links between town centers and other cultural resources. They reduce the impact of urban congestion, traffic and open space fragmentation. They give people a stronger sense of place.

A corridor is any part of a landscape linking patches of landscape and facilitating species movement among patches. Corridors can be wet or dry. Corridors provide avenues for animals to travel, migrate, and meet to mate; as well as for plants to propagate.

A corridor can be a natural or human landscape. The South Shore Greenway attempts to integrate the two by designing a greenway that supports a bikeway, establishing a route for alternative transportation while serving the ecological function of preserving open space and promoting environmentally responsibility.

Human landscape feature like roads, rails, and trails create human connections.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

The South Shore community of five towns (Hull, Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, and Norwell) have come together to ask the question of what makes a city more humane. Local citizens want to foster physical and psychological connections through a linked network of greenways and greener, more sustainable, communities that serve as a model for others.

This document is a first step in the complex process of creating a greenway network on the South Shore in five towns South of Boston: Hull, Hingham, Scituate, Cohasset, and Norwell.

It examines the development of a greenway that supports an alternative transportation network of paths for pedestrians and bicyclists, primarily along existing roads and streets. It analyzes how, in addition to enhancing human connections, a greenway can also improve connections on an ecological level through linking open space and by protecting natural resources. The document also suggests the next steps in identifying green buffer zones that protect waterways and provide off-street hiking and biking trails. It begins the design process by analyzing existing connections and conditions, developing criteria from a site analysis, and then proposing a route for an ecologically sound bikeway along the South Shore.

The proposed first-phase of the greenway is a bicycle trail and green corridor through five towns south of Boston: Hull, Hingham, Scituate, Cohassset and Norwell. It links city parks, provides alternative transportation, and connects existing trail systems within the five towns.

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

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A Vision Of The South Shore Greenway You’ve been cycling for several hours now, through parks and historic town centers, along the coast, past beaches and harbors, As you coast down a quiet paved trail in Wompatuck State Park—the green heart of the greenway and the region— you see what a refuge this is, what a breathing green emerald set in the center of the built environment.

You think back on how this all began.

It started with a group of people who believed in the idea of a sustainable South Shore, an alliance that believed that they could make a difference, that they could do better, that they could build something new. They wanted to foster stronger connections between neighboring towns to create a more humane, ecologically stronger whole. They wanted to reduce their carbon footprint. They wanted people to experience the natural beauty of their region. Their leadership has made them a model for other communities to follow.

It started with Hull’s first windmill, built in 1998, followed by a second in 2003. They provide energy for fifty-percent of Hull’s needs. Now there is the promise of two future turbines and even more independence from oil.

It started with the Greenbush Commuter Rail, to bring the residents of the south shore into and out of Boston and further, without automobiles. Now traffic is lighter and the air cleaner.

This is where a dream became reality, where an idea to move away from modern energy use and transportation grew to a realized vision of a carbon free community.

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

GREENWAY VISION

CONTEXT

HISTORY

COMMUNITY GOALS

Chapter 1: Introduction What is a Greenway?

An underlying idea of a greenway is motion. As water flows and forests grow and as trails meander and bend, they create corridors of connection for people and wildlife.

A river is a route of travel, from headwaters to estuary, for fish and for people. Wooded areas provide safe movement for animals. Roads and highways are routes for people . The latter but are seemingly one-sided, safe for driver and not for wildlife. A greenway can reducee human impact, making roads safer for people and wildlife, open space and wooded areas more accessible and connected, and waterways cleaner.

A greenway also makes other connections. It links sidewalks in communities to strengthen the connection residents have to town centers, neighborhoods, outdoor recreation, and other places of interest and value. These improved human connections contribute to an expanding network, on both human and natural scales, encouraging ecologically sensitive building through setting guidelines on how to minimize the impact of construction on the environment.

These links are some of the connections that drive the planning of a greenway. A desire to reconnect fragmented open spaces and disconnected communities, to reevaluate the impact that we have, as human beings, on the natural world is the starting point in planning a greenway.

When we build a parking lot or a road or shopping center, what sort of connections have been built and what sort of connections have been broken? Can the miles of roads serve a function other than a for vehicular traffic? Where do land and water connections exist and where have they been broken?

Can they be repaired?

A river is a greenway, offering a corridor for people and animals

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

Members of the South Shore community of the towns of Hull, Hingham, Norwell, Scituate, and Cohasset have come together to begin to ask these questions. They want to reestablish connections and open corridors for people and wildlife.

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Land Use in Context

Geographic Context

As the twentieth century approached, fewer and fewer South Shore citizens relied directly on the land for their survival. In 1900, about a third of the region’s land was farmed (150,175 of 432,000 total acres—United States Census data). This level remained relatively constant until after World War II when the demand for housing increased.

By 1971, less than 10 percent ( 36,080 acres) of land was devoted to agriculture.

Within the five towns, most of the farmland reverted to forest or was used for residential development. Currently, slightly less than half of the land within the five towns (24,214 of 49,820 total acres) is forested and about a third (15,760 acres) is residential development. Most of the remainder is devoted to recreation and parks (3,080 acres, 6.2 percent), or to industry and commerce (1,749 acres, 3.5 percent). Less than 1000 acres (1.9 percent) of agricultural land remains.

The South Shore region is located 14 miles south of Boston and about forty miles north of Cape Cod. A recently opened commuter rail (the Greenbush line) connects Scituate, Cohasset, and Hingham to Boston. There are commuter ferries from Hingham and Hull to Boston throughout the day.

Pressure to use remaining forested and agricultural land for housing is expected to grow with job growth in adjacent towns and an increase in mass transit service to Boston. The Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) predicts that a cluster of towns (Avon, Braintree, Canton, Norwood, Quincy, Randolph, Stoughton, Westwood, and Weymouth) just north and west of the South Shore will become a major job center over the next twenty years (MetroFuture Draft Summary, October 2007). MAPC predicts that Hingham, the town closest to the new job center, will lose more than 1000 acres of natural open space in the next twenty years if current growth trends continue.

The South Shore is at risk of losing forested and farmed lands which add much to the beauty and character of the area. This loss can be mitigated by placing valued landscapes under permanent protection as part of an area-wide greenway network.

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

GREENWAY VISION

CONTEXT

HISTORY

COMMUNITY GOALS

Chapter 1: Introduction

Land Use 1999

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

GREENWAY VISION

CONTEXT

An Overview of South Shore Historic Places A greenway with an integrated bikeway can connect important destinations and places of value in the community.

In developing this document, information about places of value were gathered at public forums attended by residents and representatives from each of the five towns. Participants identified many sites of historic and cultural significance. (see appendix C: public meetings) Each town has a historic town center that is highly valued by residents. The histories of these town centers are linked and date back hundreds of years. Most were established as trading posts for European settlers and Wampanoag Indians. By the late 1600s and early 1700s, the towns had each raised town halls, churches, and meeting houses, the oldest being the Old Ship Church built in 1681. From the early years the residents were linked to the ocean, in part through the fishing and shipbuilding industries.

At the public meetings, townspeople also identified lighthouses as significant destinations for residents and visitors to the South Shore. The distinctive lighthouses in Scituate include the second oldest lighthouse in Massachusetts.

The first Scituate lighthouse (1 on opposite page), The Light was built in 1810, and was the setting for “The American Army of Two”, a moment during the war of 1812 when the two daughters of the lighthouse keeper sat behind cedar trees and played fife and drum so as to mislead an approaching battalion of British soldiers into thinking that an army awaited them onshore.

The beaches of Hull were also identified by many at the public meetings. Hull is a narrow peninsula that has a long history as a popular destination. In the late 1800s the small beach town drew tourists to the boardwalks and hotels of the area. In the early to mid-1900s, Hull saw the birth and rise of Paragon Park, a famed amusement park. In 1984, after a slow decline, the park was purchased by developers and erased from the

HISTORY

COMMUNITY GOALS

Chapter 1: Introduction

landscape, replaced by condominiums.

In addition to the town centers, historic buildings, and lighthouses, community members also acknowledged a number of parks and reservations as places representative of the South Shore. Perhaps the most popular is the World’s End (3), a Frederick Law Olmsted designed residential subdivision that was only partially built. The project was abandoned after the plants and roads were installed and in the 1960s it was acquired by The Trustees of Reservations and opened to the public as a park.

Wompatuck State Park (4) and Bare Cove Park (5), decommissioned military annexes, were both identified as important recreation areas.

Wompatuck State Park served as Hingham Naval Ammunition Depot Annex from 1941 to 1965, a 4,000-acre munitions center with 100 active military bunkers, one of which housed parts of the first atomic bomb. The annex sat in four towns: Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate, and Norwell. It was decommissioned in 1965 and is now Wompatuck State Park, managed by the Department of Conservation and Recreation.

It represents roughly 30 percent of the open space of this report’s five-town study area.

Bare Cove Park, another former United States military annex, served as base from 1903-1961. Most of the munitions used in the European front in World War II were created at the depot.

At peak capacity in 1945, over 2,400 civilians and military personnel worked there. In the mid-1950s, the site contained over ninety buildings, its own telephone exchange, and fifteen cranes. The base was decommissioned in 1961, though the Navy held on to the property until 1971, when it was turned over to the town of Hingham. Today much of the 990-acre site is occupied by the town’s Bare Cove Park.

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

Paragon Park

Another series of significant land acquisitions started in the 1920s when Albert and Eleanor Norris began purchasing land along the North River, now a National Natural Landmark and a Commonwealth of Massachusetts Scenic River. According to The Trustees of Reservations, which acquired the 190-acre Norris Reservation in 1970, much of the landscape was shaped by the early millers, farmers, and shipbuilders who used the land.

Participants at the public meeting also recognized Hull’s windmills (2), built in 1985 and 2006, and commuter rails and ferries, as important destinations to be included in the greenway. These destinations indicates the residents interest in alternative energy production and transportation.

A bikeway supported by a greenway will serve as a way to connect the places of the past with the places of today and tomorrow.

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South Shore’s Green Heart: Wompatuck State Park Preserving and linking open spaces such as state parks, conservation and recreation areas, and waterways is a central strategy for designing a greenway. Acquiring open space to reconnect broken links and build green corridors will create a network that improves ecological condition of the area, a key community goal.

The 4,000-acre Wompatuck State Park lies predominantly in Hingham, but also stretches into Cohasset, Scituate, and Norwell, and is the largest and most central open space area of the five-town region. The park, a former military annex, offers 262 wooded campsites (140 of them with electricity), twelve miles of paved bicycle trails, and many miles of wooded bridle paths and hiking trails.

The park is named for an Indian chief the local colonists knew as Josiah Wompatuck. In 1665, Chief Wompatuck deeded the land and its surroundings to the English settlers.

In this report Wompatuck Park is referred to as the Green Heart, the central hub for trails with accessibility into the four towns it touches. It’s 4,000 acres of open space is an essential part of the greenway plan because of the variety of corridors it already contains. The map to the left, available on the park’s web site, shows the trail, roads, open space, and waterways that all provide existing connections to the towns outside the park.

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

GREENWAY VISION

CONTEXT

HISTORY

COMMUNITY GOALS

Chapter 1: Introduction Community Goals for a Greenway Through a series of public meetings held in February and March 2008, community members and town representatives defined what a greenway meant to them. They brainstormed, discussed, and set goals and criteria. The goals were based on a broad understanding of what a greenway should do: essentially reconnect open space and people with as little impact of the earth as possible. The goals were to: • Connect town centers, harbors, and beaches, and improve social connections.

• Build links between existing open space.

• Make community-based transportation, such as trains and ferries, widely accessible to other forms of transportation by linking existing trails, bike paths, waterways, and roads.

• Improve ecological conditions along roadsides and waterways, and educate the public about how to be more environmentally conscious.

These goals discussions began a dialogue among the townspeople. Many residents of different towns had similar interests and projects within their own towns, but they were not aware of each other because of a lack of social connection.

For example, all the participants were interested in linking towns with trails or bikeways, and all of them were at the meetings because of the greenway.

Places of Value & Interest The community identified specific places that they wanted to be considered when the route of the greenway was planned.

These places were identified in public meetings and are represented on this map.

and schools. Other places were identified because residents felt they represent their community: Wompatuck State Park, the coastline, beaches, as well as historic village centers and lighthouses. This map shows the wide spread of valued places.

Many places, such as train stations and schools, were marked because they are part of residents daily routine: train stations

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INTRODUCTION

TOPOGRAPHY

OPEN SPACE

Topography Page 12

WATER AND WETLANDS

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

Open Space Page 14

CRITICAL HABITAT

Chapter 2: Existing Conditions Introduction: Physical Environment Five key analyses of the study region—topography, open

space, water and wetlands, the built environment, and sensitive environmental areas—are presented in this chapter.

These analyses suggest directions for the future greenway. In summary these are: • The greenway should skirt low-lying coastal regions to avoid future flooding.

• The greenway should make use of the resources provided

by Wompatuck State Park and other already protected open space.

• The greenway should respect the ecological importance of water in the region.

• The greenway should act to buffer streams and wetlands from run-off from impervious surfaces.

• The greenway should act to preserve or enhance wildlife habitat integrity.

Water and Wetlands Page 16

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

The Built Environment Page 18

Critical Habitat Page 20

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Topography Elevation in the five towns ranges from sea level (0 meters) to 73 meters (240 feet) at Judges Hill in Norwell. Much of the coastal region (and virtually all of Hull) is low lying and vulnerable to rising sea levels associated with global warming.

Global Warming and Sea Level Change The increase in sea level as a result of global warming is largely being caused by the thermal expansion of water and the melting of land ice (especially in Antartica). The latter is particularly hard to predict and overall sea-level rise thus includes a number of potential sources of error (global warming calculations, ice flow models, etc.). The admittedly cautious estimates of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (4th Assessment Report, 2007) range from an increase of 21 cm to 70 cm by 2099 with an additional 10 to 20 cm or more possible arising from the unknown behavior of ice sheets.

Estimates for the increase between 2100 and 2200 are on the order of 350 percent of the rise until 2100, even if the emission of the greenhouse gases that cause global warming stops immediately instead of continuing to grow as is currently the case. It is thus reasonable to expect an overall increase of three meters in mean sea level to occur sometime within the next two hundred years and possibly sooner.

Global warming also makes the overall weather system more energetic and is expected to lead to more frequent and stronger major storms.

The above map shows South Shore regions that will be submersed by a three-meter rise in sea level (see Global Warming and Sea Level, opposite). Large sections of Hull will be lost as well as significant coastal sections in Scituate and, to a lesser extent, in Cohasset. With the exception of Norwell, these at-risk areas are heavily urbanized. In addition, the more energetic storms and increased storm surges associated with global warming will cause increased flooding in low-lying areas well before sea level rise reaches three meters.

Further development in areas at risk should be slowed or halted. Non-vehicle transport should be promoted to reduce greenhouse gas emission and help reduce global warming.

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

Data courtesy of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

INTRODUCTION

TOPOGRAPHY

OPEN SPACE

WATER AND WETLANDS

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

CRITICAL HABITAT

Chapter 2: Existing Conditions

Weir River

Judges Hill

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Open Space

Chapter 61 Protection In the early 1970s, rising property values forced many farmers and forestland owners to sell their land because the tax burden was so great. Farmers, conservationists, and landowners formed a coalition to promote an amendment to the Massachusetts Constitution allowing preferential assessment of property.

The constitutional referendum passed in 1973 and Massachusetts voters approved legislation known as Chapter 61, the Forestland Act; Chapter 61A, the Farmland Assessment Act; and Chapter 61B, the Open Space Act. These new laws required cities and towns to reduce assessments on farm, forest, and open space lands, provided the owners made a commitment to keep their land in one or more of those uses. It is a voluntary form of conservation.

A provision of these statutes grants cities and towns right of first refusal on lands classified under Chapter 61, if lands are sold for residential, commercial, or industrial purposes. The right of first refusal grants the city or town the right to match a bona fide offer for conversion of the property from its forest, agricultural, or recreational use.

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Open space (defined as conservation lands and outdoor recreational facilities) constitutes over 28 percent of the 47,600 acres in this region with the dominant landholders being the state and municipalities (approximately 3,900 and 6,600 acres respectively). Land trusts and assorted private landowners each own about 1000 acres (this figure includes Chapter 61 land; see left). Other categories of ownership account for the remaining small holdings.

The region’s open space is dominated by the 3,600-acre Wompatuck State Park which lies at the intersection of Cohasset, Scituate, Norwell, and Hingham. The adjacent land trust property to the north, Whitney and Thayer Woods, provides an additional 640 acres of continuous conservation land. The remaining open space is heavily fragmented with one near-continuous chain running diagonally down the west flank of the region.

Wompatuck State Park provides a core of wildlife habitat and outdoor recreational opportunities in the study region.

An extensive road and trail network provides cross-region connection and the opportunity for direct experience of nature. Greenways should maximize their use of this resource.

South Shore Open Space Acreage by Ownership Ownership Federal State Municipal Land Trust Private (non profit) Private (for profit) Chapter 61 Other Categories Unknown Total

Acreage 40 3929 6623 1303 85 1068 93 14 192 13348

Percentage of Total Land Area 0.1 8.3 13.9 2.7 0.2 2.2 0.2 0.03 0.4 28.1

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

TOPOGRAPHY

OPEN SPACE

WATER AND WETLANDS

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

CRITICAL HABITAT

Chapter 2: Existing Conditions

Data courtesy of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

Whitney and Thayer Woods

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

Wompatuck State Park

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Water and Wetlands Surface water (lakes, streams, rivers, and ponds), wetlands (swamps and bogs), and tidal flats comprise just under 19 percent acres of the 47,600 acres of this region and have varying degrees of legal protection (see left).

The Wetlands and River Protection Acts Wetlands are sponges, absorbing rainwater and trapping sediments. They are essential to healthy fish, shellfish, bird, and wildlife populations. They are important to human survival as they provide flood control and help ensure an abundant and clean water supply, Massachusetts was the first state in the nation to officially recognize the importance of wetlands when they passed the Wetlands Protection Act in 1963.

The act treats wetlands as a resource whose essential functions must be protected. It applies to all freshwater and coastal waterways and waterbodies— rivers, streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, swamps, bogs, beaches, dunes, and estuaries as well as to the flood plain. The act creates a 100-foot buffer zone around waterways and bodies of water.

In 1996, Massachusetts adopted a new law to expand riverfront protection. As defined by the law, riverfronts include dry land as well as wetlands. Wet or dry, riverfront areas protect water quality, stabilize stream banks, reduce flood peaks and downstream

flooding, and support fish and wildlife habitat. The law created a 200-foot riverfront buffer zone on both sides of rivers and streams. The buffer zone is 25 feet in certain densely populated urban areas. The law was created with drinking water supply in mind. Almost 200 public wells are within riverfront areas; more than 60 percent of Massachusetts towns depend on surface water (lakes, rivers, streams as opposed to underground aquifers) for their drinking water.

Any proposed work inside the wetland and riverfront buffer zones must be reviewed by the local Conservation Commission or the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection. The proposed work will be evaluated for its impact on wetland and riverfront functions. The act prohibits work which: • adversely affects the quality or quantity of groundwater and water supplies; • destabilizes stream, river, lake, or pond banks; • damages habitat for fish or wildlife; • reduces water volume or flow; • alters the flood plain; • increases water velocity during a flood; Further information can be found at http://www. mass.gov/dep/water/resources/wetlands.htm

This network of water plays an essential part in the health of the local ecosystem: it regulates river flow and mitigates flooding, it filters pollutants and fertilizers, it provides habitat zones for plants and animals, and it provides corridors along which wildlife can move. Of special note are the three estuaries in the region: the Weir, the Gulf, and the North.

Estuaries are one of the most ecologically important habitats on earth because they provide habitat for many species of waterfowl and serve as nurseries for many species of marine life.

Water has shaped the history of the region through the ship-building and fishing industries, and it continues to do so through its natural beauty and its use for recreation (boating, sailing, kayaking, fishing, and many others). Much of the region’s drinking water is obtained from surface water.

Cohasset, in particular obtains its drinking water from Lily Pond.

Legal restrictions, the ecological importance of waterways and wetlands, and the importance of prventing pollutants entering the drinking water supply all have to be respected by the greenway.

South Shore Wetlands Acreage by Type Category Surface water Wetland Tidal flats Cranberry bog Total

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Acreage 1656 4669.9 2630.8 27.3 8984.5

Percentage of Total Land Area 3.5 9.8 5.5 0.1 18.9

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

Data courtesy of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

Data courtesy of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

INTRODUCTION TOPOGRAPHY OPEN SPACE

WATER AND WETLANDS

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

BUILT ENVIRONMENT CRITICAL HABITAT

Chapter 2: Existing Conditions

Gulf Estuary

Weir River Estuary

North River Estuary

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Effects of Impervious Surfaces

The Built Environment The built environment consists of manmade structures.

In combined sewer outflow systems water collected from storm drains in streets and parking lots is treated along with sewage. Storms cause an increased load on the water treatment facilities, possibly overwhelming them and leading to direct discharge of untreated sewage.

A major environmental problem results from impervious surfaces—the totality of roads, parking lots, buildings, paved surfaces, and other structures—preventing the infiltration of rainwater into the soil beneath where cleaning and aquifer recharge normally occur (see left). In this study region impervious surfaces comprise 13 percent of the total area (i.e., approximately 6,200 acres of the 47,600 acre region) and include over 600 miles of roads. Impervious surfaces are concentrated along the coast (Hull is notably heavily built up) and along Route 3 (in the southwest quadrant of the study region) and Route 3A (in the northeast of the area). Hingham, to the northwest, is also heavily developed.

Percentage of Impervious Surfaces by Town Town

Impervious surfaces increase the rate at which rain from storms enters waterways. This causes higher levels of erosion and possible flooding. In addition to the damage done to stream and river banks, erosion washes sediment into the rivers and streams, clouding water, clogging fish gills, and suffocating fish eggs.

Surface pollutants (oil, gasoline, rubber) build up on surfaces then wash off into nearby water and waterways.

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Hull Hingham Scituate Cohasset Norwell Area Weighted Average

Percentage 30 15 12 11 9 13

Recent research (Clausen et al., 2003) indicates that by the time impervious surfaces reach 25 percent by area, then substantial pollution of surface water will have already occurred. Only Hull has exceeded this threshold, and since the town has no surface water, this implies that significant surface pollution is being discharged into the ocean. With the exception of Norwell, however, the towns fall into the 10-25 percent range, where streams are at risk of water quality problems.

Where possible, greenways should buffer wetlands and surface water from impervious surfaces by slowing and filtering surface run-off. Any paving should be porous to allow rain water infiltration.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

TOPOGRAPHY

OPEN SPACE

WATER AND WETLANDS

Data courtesy of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

INTRODUCTION

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

CRITICAL HABITAT

Chapter 2: Existing Conditions

Route 3A

Route 3

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Critical Habitat The Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program

Endangered Species in Massachussetts There are ten species of fish, five species of amphibians, fifteen species of reptiles, twenty-eight species of birds, and eleven species of mammals listed as endangered, threatened, or of special concern in Massachusetts. In addition there are 109 species of invertebrates (including 48 species of butterfly and moth) and 264 species of plants similarly listed.

Special Concern: Least Tern

(NHESP) is responsible for the protection of hundreds of species that are not hunted, fished, trapped, or commercially harvested in the state. The program’s highest priority is protecting the 178 species of vertebrate and invertebrate animals and 264 species of native plants that are officially listed as endangered, threatened or of special concern in Massachusetts. Information about which animal or plant is under protection in each area is restricted. Instead, only their habitats are mapped. These priority habitats help determine whether or not a proposed project must be reviewed for compliance with the Massachusetts Endangered Species Act (MESA). Certified vernal pools may also be protected under the Wetlands Protection Act (WPA). Also shown on the map are areas of critical environmental concern (ACEC) as designated by the Massachusetts Secretary of Environmental Affairs. ACECs receive special recognition because of the significance of their natural and cultural resources. Such areas are identified and nominated at the community level. ACEC designation creates a framework for local, regional, and state stewardship of these critical resources.

The areas of special value in terms of habitat and associated supporting landscape are largely concentrated in a broad corridor from the North River in the southeast, through Wompatuck State Park, and to the Weir River estuary in the northwest. The Weymouth River on the western edge of Hingham and the Weir River estuary bordering Hull are areas of critical environmental concern.

Greenway development should act to preserve or enhance habitat integrity by connecting separated open spaces or by buffering water and wetlands from pollution.

Special Concern: Four-toed Salamander

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

Data courtesy of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

INTRODUCTION

TOPOGRAPHY

OPEN SPACE

WATER AND WETLANDS

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

CRITICAL HABITAT

Chapter 2: Existing Conditions

Weir River

Weymouth River

Wompatuck State Park

North River

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Endangered Species in the Study Region Town Taxonomic Group

HINGHAM HULL

Common Loon

Status SC

Last Seen

Town

Taxonomic Group

Scientific Name

Common Name

Status

Last Seen

1922

Dragonfly / Damselfly

Somatochlora linearis

Mocha Emerald

SC

2003

Enallagma laterale

New England Bluet

SC

2003

Cingilia catenaria

Chain Dot Geometer

SC

Historic

Butterfly / Moth

Eacles imperialis

Imperial Moth

T

1934

Reptile

Terrapene carolina

Eastern Box Turtle

SC

2004

Vascular Plant

Platanthera flava var. herbiola

Pale Green Orchid

T

1981

Vascular Plant

Eriocaulon parkeri

Estuary Pipewort

E

1997

Vascular Plant

Sagittaria subulata

River Arrowhead

E

1928

Vascular Plant

Lycopus rubellus

Gypsywort

E

2000

Historic

Vascular Plant

Senna hebecarpa

Wild Senna

E

Historic

Vascular Plant

Bidens hyperborea var. colpophila

Estuary Beggar-ticks

E

2003

Vascular Plant

Conioselinum chinense

Hemlock Parsley

SC

1998

Amphibian

Hemidactylium scutatum

Four-toed Salamander

SC

2002

Beetle

Cicindela purpurea

Purple Tiger Beetle

SC

1935

Bird

Charadrius melodus

Piping Plover

T

2002

Bird

Sterna hirundo

Common Tern

SC

2004

Bird

Sterna paradisaea

Arctic Tern

SC

1932

Bird

Sterna antillarum

Least Tern

SC

2004

Reptile

Terrapene carolina

Eastern Box Turtle

SC

2002

Vascular Plant

Aristida tuberculosa

Seabeach Needlegrass

T

1998

Platanthera flava var. herbiola

Pale Green Orchid

T

1916

Butterfly / Moth

Spartiniphaga inops

Spartina Borer Moth

SC

Historic

Dragonfly / Damselfly

Neurocordulia obsoleta

Umber Shadowdragon

SC

2004

Dragonfly / Damselfly

Somatochlora linearis

Mocha Emerald

SC

2003

Dragonfly / Damselfly

Enallagma daeckii

Attenuated Bluet

SC

2003

Ophioglossum pusillum

Adder’s-tongue Fern

T

Vascular Plant

Rumex verticillatus

Swamp Dock

T

1996

Vascular Plant

Rumex pallidus

Seabeach Dock

T

1876

Bird

Podilymbus podiceps

Pied-billed Grebe

E

1977

Bird

Tyto alba

Barn Owl

SC

1970

Butterfly / Moth

Spartiniphaga inops

Spartina Borer Moth

SC

2001

Dragonfly / Damselfly

Anax longipes

Comet Darner

SC

2001

Reptile

Glyptemys insculpta

Wood Turtle

SC

1979

Reptile

Terrapene carolina

Eastern Box Turtle

SC

2004

Vascular Plant

Ophioglossum pusillum

Adder’s-tongue Fern

T

1893

Vascular Plant

Platanthera flava var. herbiola

Pale Green Orchid

T

1915

NORWELL

Butterfly / Moth

Dragonfly / Damselfly

Vascular Plant

22

Gavia immer

Common Name

SCITUATE

COHASSET

Bird

Scientific Name

Vascular Plant

Ranunculus pensylvanicus

Bristly Buttercup

T

1885

Vascular Plant

Vascular Plant

Ranunculus micranthus

Tiny-flowered Buttercup

E

1800s

Vascular Plant

Sabatia kennedyana

Plymouth Gentian

SC

1914

Suaeda calceoliformis

American Sea-blite

SC

1987

Sanicula canadensis

Canadian Sanicle

T

1933

Vascular Plant

Rumex pallidus

Seabeach Dock

T

2001

Vascular Plant

Vascular Plant

Asclepias verticillata

Linear-leaved Milkweed

T

1914

Vascular Plant

Bird

Sterna hirundo

Common Tern

SC

2003

Bird

Tyto alba

Barn Owl

SC

1989

Vascular Plant

Rumex pallidus

Seabeach Dock

T

2004

Vascular Plant

Triosteum perfoliatum

Broad Tinker’s-weed

E

1890

E = Endangered, T =Threatened, SC = Special Concern

Further information on the Heritage andand Endangered Species Program cansee be found at For further information on Natural the NaturalHeritage Endangered Species Program http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/nhesp.htm http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/nhesp/nhesp.htm

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

HUMAN CONNECTIONS

NATURAL CONNECTIONS

Chapter 3: Existing Connections Human landscape features like roads, rails, trails, and sidewalks create human connections. Natural landscape features like waterways, forests, and meadows create connections for the animals, birds, and fish living in our shared world.

Roads

Page 26

Bikeways Page 32

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Roadsides Page 28

Sidewalks Page 34

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

Public Transit Page 30

Natural Connections Page 36

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Roads

Road Ecology The nearly five million-mile American road network slices across the land, moving humans, food, and goods, but fragmenting the landscape and disrupting natural processes.

Take a walk along a busy highway if you dare. If you can ignore the noisy roar, stinking exhaust, and hot air blasts from the rushing traffic, you may notice that almost nothing grows or lives along the edge of the road. As you turn towards the woods, you may cross a drainage ditch full of sediment and contaminants which will end up clouding the nearest stream. As you walk, you feel tough grasses beneath your feet, the only plants to survive the road salt and the harsh chemicals spewing from racing cars and trucks. It quiets as you walk towards the woods, but still you won’t hear many birds singing or see many different plant types until you are far from the road.

Roads splinter wildlife habitats, spread pollutants into the air, soil, and water, and change the migration patterns of fish, birds, and mammals. The result is a monotonous environment lacking in the diversity and richness of a healthy ecosystem.

The South Shore is rich in roads. Nearly 600 miles of roads connect people and places in the 136-square mile South Shore study area. Road density (~8 miles of road/square mile) is twice as high as the state average (4 miles/square mile). Of the five towns Hull has the highest road density (23 miles/square mile) and Norwell the lowest (6 miles/ square mile).

Forty-four miles of heavily used roads ring the region’s green heart, Wompatuck State Park, separating it from the coastline and population centers. State highways (routes 3, 3A, 53, 228) are the most heavily used roads with more than 10,000 vehicles per day.

Nearly 400 miles of moderately used roads (101 to 1000 vehicles per day) form a continuous network across the region, becoming more dense at the periphery where residential and commercial development are most concentrated.

About 150 miles of very lightly used roads are scattered throughout the region in tiny dead-end fragments (less than a mile in length) except in Wompatuck State Park and Bare Cove Park where they form a continuous network.

The lightly trafficked roads are the most desirable (and heavily trafficked the least desirable) to muscle-powered users, but less busy roads may be too few and discontinuous to effectively serve the alternative transportation function of a greenway network. The abundance and continuity of moderately used roads provides greater opportunity for making alternative transportation connections on the South Shore.

Roads Affect Ecological and Human Health Roads have important implications for human and ecological health on the South Shore. With roads comes traffic and the air, water, and noise pollution it produces.

Studies have shown that humans living near major roadways are at increased risk for death from heart and lung disease.

Children living near busy roads are at greater risk for developing asthma.

Roads also have adverse affects on plants and animals. For example, large mammals thrive only where road density is less than 1 mile/square mile. Higher densities are associated with significant loss of habitat and mortality from collisions with vehicles. Wetland species seem to be particularly sensitive to the adverse effects of roads. Plant, amphibian, reptile, and bird populations tend to be reduced in wetlands within a mile of a road. Woodland birds are especially to sensitive to traffic noise during their breeding season. Their numbers were found to be reduced in woodlands within 1.7 miles of a busy highway (Forman et al., 2003).

The adverse effects of roads are reflected in the increased prevalence of heart and lung disease in humans, and reduced populations of mammals, amphibians, and birds where road density and/or traffic volume is high. A well designed greenway has the potential to help prevent some of the environmental ills caused by roads. Providing humans with alternatives to driving may reduce vehicle use. Less traffic means less air, water, and noise pollution and a healthier environment for all species.

Roadside Zones of Impact Roads have long range effects on many environmental quality.

Adapted from Forman et al, 2006

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

HUMAN CONNECTIONS

NATURAL CONNECTIONS

Chapter 3: Existing Connections

Bare Cove Park

Wompatuck State Park

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

25

Roadsides Rarely do a road’s travel lanes completely fill the road

right-of-way. The remaining roadside area between the travel lanes and the edge of the right-of-way is an untapped public resource. Forty-four miles of South Shore roads have roadside areas more than twenty feet wide. The roads with the widest roadsides tend to be the heavily trafficked highways at the periphery of the region. These are also the roads which are the most detrimental to the environment.

Transforming the roadside into a greenway can help counteract some of the adverse effects of roads. For example, a greenway which supports alternative transportation function may help reduce traffic and the resulting air, water, and noise pollution. In addition, a roadside greenway can help protect water quality by capturing stormwater runoff before it reaches waterways.

Most South Shore roads with wide right-of-ways are state highways and under the jurisdiction of the Massachusetts Highway Department. Gaining the Department’s support and cooperation is essential if this underutilized resource is to be integrated into a greenway network.

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

HUMAN CONNECTIONS

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

NATURAL CONNECTIONS

Chapter 3: Existing Connections

27

Public Transit Car-Free Homes in Freiberg, Germany A free, year-long public transit pass is only one of the incentives given to participants in a recent experiment in sustainable urban design. The experiment is occurring in the 5000-resident Vauban district in Freiberg, Germany, where the city is taking an aggressive approach to wresting the streets away from cars and returning them to pedestrians and bicyclists.

The Vauban district is designed to discourage car ownership.

Cars are not allowed in the district’s residential area except to drop-off and pick-up passengers and goods. All parking areas are at the periphery. The land which would normally be used for parking contains playgrounds, gardens, and parks instead. Although it is discouraged, residents are allowed to own cars, but it is very expensive. The cost of a because they must buy a parking space in the community parking lot for approximately $27,000. The need for a car is reduced because schools, a farmers’ market, shops, a food coop, recreation areas, and approximately 600 jobs are all within walking distance of one another. Residents who do occasionally need a car can participate in a low cost community car-sharing program The experiment has been very successful. The car ownership rate in Vauban is only 150 per 1000 residents compared to 430 per 1000 residents in Freiberg as a whole.

Nearly eighty percent (25,052 workers) of employed

residents leave their South Shore town for work (United States Census, 2000). The average commute time ranges from 35 to 40 minutes. The vast majority of commuters drive, either alone (77 percent) or in a carpool (6 percent) while 12 percent use public transportation, walk, or bike.

Travel Mode

Public transit use may increase with the recent opening of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority (MBTA) Greenbush commuter rail line. The 18-mile-long line, skirting the coast from the South Shore to Boston, restores a connection which was broken in 1959. It takes about one hour to travel between the Greenbush Station in Scituate and South Station in the heart of Boston.

Wikimedia Commons

Ferries offer another way to get to Boston from the South Shore. Ferries run between Hingham, Hull, downtown Boston, and Logan Airport multiple times each day. There is no charge to bring a bicycle on the ferry.

Residents walk through an urban park in the car-free Vauban district.

See http://www.vauban.de/info/abstract.html for more information

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Since commuter rail lines and ferries connect the South Shore with the heart of Boston, linking the greenway network and the public transit system will increase people’s transporation options. As gas prices continue to climb and people look for alternatives to their cars, these connections may become even more important. Communities with a good public transit system will feel increasing development pressure. A greenway network can help guide future development and conserve natural landscapes.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

HUMAN CONNECTIONS

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

NATURAL CONNECTIONS

Chapter 3: Existing Connections

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Bike Trails

Anacostia Tributary Trail System

The South Shore has only one existing bike trail, the

The Anacostia Tributary Trail System meanders for miles along the tributaries of the Anacostia River in Prince George’s County, Maryland. Prince George’s County is part of the Baltimore-Washington DC metropolitan area. The trail system links residential areas, parks, and commuter train stations. Much of the system lies within the “Beltway” (Interstate 495), one of Washington, DC’s busiest roads, but it travels through a variety of natural environments including woodlands, open fields, and wetlands. As part of the Anacostia Headwaters Greenways, the trial system serves as model for metropolitan greenways that maximize ecological function while supporting alternative transportation.

0.75-mile Hingham to Hull Trail, running along Rockland Avenue between George Washington Boulvevard and the Route 3A rotary. At its east end, the trail connects to the proposed Weir River-Nantasket Trail running from the tip of the Hull peninsula to the Weir River and around Little Harbor in Cohassett. At its west end, there is potential to connect with the existing Back River Trail and proposed South Weymouth Naval Air Station Trail in Weymouth.

A 10-mile loop trail connecting commuter rail stations, commercial districts, high density residential neighborhoods, and beaches in Scituate is proposed.

The Anacostia Headwaters Greenways are part of Maryland’s state-wide 1500-mile long greenway network.

Maryland has designed a multipurpose greenway system.

They recognize that greenways can be multipurpose.

Many Maryland greenways are primarily recreational, but all provide some level of ecological function such as preserving natural landscapes, providing flood control, and protecting wildlife corridors. In urban and suburban areas, ecological function is maximized by routing the greenway along river and stream corridors.

A proposed 7.6-mile bike trail in Norwell connects neighborhoods, schools, commercial districts and a bus stop, the only public transit option available. The project was recently funded. There is potential to link the Norwell Bikeway with proposed trials in the adjacent town of Hanover.

The Metropolitan Area Planning Council’s (MAPC) Regional Bicycle Plan (March 2007) has a conceptual plan for a 16-mile rail-with-trail along the right-of-way of the newly completed Greenbush commuter rail line. The MAPC’s plan notes that additional study will be needed because of the Massachusetts Bay Transit Authority’s reluctance to participate in rail-to-trail projects.

Flickr

See:http://www.dnr.state.md.us/greenways/ for more information.

The Anacostia Tributary Trail meanders along tributaries of the Anacostia River watershed in suburban Prince George’s County, Maryland.

30

The most recent Massachusetts Bicycle Transportation Plan (2007) proposes a statewide bicycle network called the Bay State Greenway. The proposed Greenway would have seven primary corridors. The proposed corridor that is closest to the South Shore, the 150-mile Boston-Cape Cod corridor, connects Boston to Provincetown through towns east of the South Shore (Milton, Canton, Randolf, Avon, and Brockton).

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

HUMAN CONNECTIONS

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

NATURAL CONNECTIONS

Chapter 3: Existing Connections

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Sidewalks both sides of most streets. With only 100 miles of sidewalk for 600 miles of roads, none of the South Shore towns can be considered pedestrian-friendly except Hull which has almost 25 miles of sidewalks. Sidewalks are lacking in Norwell. Cohasset, Hingham, and Scituate have some sidewalks, mostly in commercial districts and along heavily trafficked highways. Most sidewalks (83 percent) are only on one side of the road and discontinuous, forcing users to cross busy streets to stay on them.

Andrew Weir

Pedestrian-friendly towns have continuous sidewalks on

The opportunities for pedestrians and bicyclists to share sidewalks on the South Shore is limited. Although there are some sidewalks wide enough to accommodate both pedestrians and bicyclists (greater than 10-feet wide), the majority are 3-feet wide, making them too narrow for safe shared use (Hummer, 2006). Telephones and signposts are found in many of the widest sidewalks, reducing the space available to pedestrian and bicyclists. Keeping sidewalks clear of obstacles will improve their travel utility.

Telephone poles in the sidewalk on George Washington Boulevard are obstacles to pedestrians and bicyclists.

32

There are isolated walking trails in several of the conservation areas. These trails through scenic landscapes can be the seeds for a greenway network on the South Shore.

Zoning for Bicycles

Bicycle Parking Guidelines – Madison, Wisconsin Land Use

Bike Space

Dwellings/Lodging rooms

1 per dwelling unit or 3 lodging rooms

Clubs/lodges

1 per lodging room plus 3% of person capacity

Fraternities/sororities

1 per 3 rooms

Hotels/lodging houses

1 per 20 employees

Galleries/museums/libraries

1 per 10 auto spaces

Colleges/universities/junior and high schools

1 per 4 employees plus 1 per 4 students

Nursery/elementary schools

1 per 10 employees and students above second grade

Convalescent and nursing homes

1 per 20 employees

Commercial/manufacturing

1 per 10 auto spaces

Places of assembly, recreation, entertainment, amusement

1 per 10 auto spaces

Some towns and cities prohibit bicyclists on sidewalks, especially in busy commercial districts, to ensure pedestrian safety. The most progressive towns provide bicycle parking throughout their commercial districts so encourage bicyclists to park and walk to their destinations. South Shore towns should be encouraged to adopt zoning ordinances which mandate bicycle parking facilities in their commercial centers as a first step towards building a greenway network that supports all types of alternative transportation.

With over 60,000 students attending the University of Wisconsin, and very limited campus parking, Madison, Wisconsin has long been a leader in accommodating bicycle commuters. The Madison Common Council passed a zoning ordinance requiring developers to provide offstreet parking for new and expanded development, and for changes in use that would require additional vehicle parking. This ordinance, passed on March 1, 1988, has been a model for towns and cities around the county.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

HUMAN CONNECTIONS

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

NATURAL CONNECTIONS

Chapter 3: Existing Connections

33

Natural Connections

Kathleen McCormick

Thirty-eight square miles of undeveloped lands grace

The North River Estuary

the South Shore. These conservation and recreation lands are scattered across the region in a patchwork of land areas ranging in size from a thousandth of a square mile to almost five square miles. The patchwork has been created by development.

To animals, each of these patches represent habitat.

Development increases the number of habitat patches, but makes them smaller and more isolated. With continued development, habitat patches can become too small and isolated to support certain sensitive species. If there is no way for individuals of that species to move to a larger habitat patch, the long term survival of the species can be threatened (Hellmund and Smith, 2006).

A patchwork of habitats presents other threats to some species. Many species travel to find food and mates. If travel is blocked, starvation threatens as does the risk of genetic defects because of inbreeding. Extinction threatens all species if they can’t flee natural disasters such as floods and fires, or re-colonize areas after disturbance, disease, or natural disaster (Hellmund and Smith, 2006).

Many of the habitat patches on the South Shore are linked by rivers and streams. Waterways form a natural transportation system. The South Shore’s natural transportation system is almost as extensive as its humanbuilt roadway system. Five hundred miles of waterways connect the area’s lakes and ponds to the Atlantic Ocean in three estuaries, the Weir, the Gulf, and the North. Estuaries are one of the most sensitive and ecologically important habitats on earth. They provide preferred habitat for many species of waterfowl and nurseries for many species of marine life (United State Environmental Protection Agency, 2008). The natural transportation system serves people, animals, and aquatic creatures.

The banks along waterways, known as the riparian corridor, are an extremely important ecosystem in and of itself

34

because this is where so many species find food and shelter.

Species frequenting riparian corridors include birds, bats, deer, mice, otters, raccoons, minks, and beavers. Riparian corridors have extraordinary value to humans too, not only for their beauty and the recreational opportunities they provide, but also for their role in protecting water quality.

Riparian corridors help regulate water quality and quantity by filtering sediment, removing pollutants, and controlling flood waters.

Unfortunately humans’ auto-domainated lifestyle and love of waterfront living have diminished the South Shore’s natural transportation system. Roads bisect many streams.

Homes encroach on shorelines and riparian corridors. The result is reduced aquatic ecosystem health.

The effects of human development on aquatic ecosystem health are evident throughout the South Shore.

Musquashcut Pond in Cohasset and Old Oaken Bucket Pond in Scituate, both surrounded by roads and residential development, are just one example. The water is clouded with algae because of excessive phosphorous (found in fertilizer) and low oxygen levels (Coastal Watersheds Water Quality Assessment Report, 2006). Water quality has been too poor for human swimming in many ponds and river segments including North River, Weir River, Aaron River, Herring Brook, Bound Brook, or in Musquashcut Pond, Jacobs Pond, Old Oaken Bucket Pond, and Lily Pond (Coastal Watersheds Water Quality Assessment Report, 2006, 2002).

A well-designed greenway can restore broken connections in the South Shore’s natural transportation system and create new ones.

What we do on the land is written on the water.

-Mary Wahl, Oregon Bureau of Environmental Services

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

HUMAN CONNECTIONS

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

NATURAL CONNECTIONS

Chapter 3: Existing Connections

35

INTRODUCTION

NATURAL DRAINAGE SYSTEMS

CONSERVATION CORRIDORS

Chapter 4: Ecological Function

This chapter describes ways to enhance the ecological

function of greenways. Two approaches are discussed. The first approach is natural drainage systems. Natural drainage systems use plants and soils to help manage stormwater runoff. The second approach is to create conservation corridors. Conservation corridors will help restore natural connections that have been broken by human activities.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

37

Natural Drainage Systems In a region so rich in shoreline, wetlands, and waterways,

protecting water should be a priority greenway function.

The key to protecting water is managing runoff from storms.

With careful design, the South Shore Greenway can become part of the region’s existing stormwater management system.

Rain and snowmelt become destructive, causing flooding, erosion, and water pollution, when they are not absorbed into the ground. Excess water carves through the land picking up soil and pollutants, eventually ending up in streams, rivers, and the ocean, clouding and polluting the water. Excessive runoff is a major problem in developed areas where buildings

and roads prevent stormwater from being absorbed into the ground. Traditional storm sewer systems can aggravate the runoff problems. The speed and volume of water coming out of storm sewer pipes erodes stream channels, and like uncontrolled runoff decrease water quality, disrupt aquatic food chains, and destroy riparian wildlife habitat. The South Shore Greenway has reduce these problems by becoming a natural drainage system for stormwater.

Natural drainage systems use plants and soil to manage stormwater. Unlike the gutters and pipes of traditional storm sewer systems which simply transport stormwater and all its pollutants to the most convenient stream or expensive, high maintenance water treatment facility, natural drainage systems are multifunctional with lower cost and lower maintenance. In addition to filtering, cleansing, and infiltrating stormwater, natural drainage systems provide wildlife habitat, reduce erosion, recharge groundwater and are more aesthetically pleasing than traditional stormwater sewer systems.

Natural drainage systems are very effective. They have been reported to reduce annual stormwater runoff volume by as much as 65 percent and to remove up to 80 percent of the suspended solids and heavy metals, and up to 70 percent of nutrients like phosphorous and nitrogen from stormwater runoff (Seattle Public Works).

Natural Drainage Systems (NDS) are an innovative approach to stormwater management that afford greater environmental protection at a lower cost than traditional gutter and pipe systems. The City of Seattle found that their first NDS project was 25% less expensive to build than a traditional storm sewer system and captured 99% of the stormwater runoff.

Natural drainage systems in urban and suburban settings use a combination of approaches to minimize run-off. Two of the most applicable to a greenway are permeable surfaces and bioswales.

Three guidelines characterize the natural drainage system approach: • Create a network of bioswales and gardens planted with native plants to collect and absorb stormwater from streets, roads, and buildings.

• Replace impervious surfacing materials on sidewalks, roads, and streets with permeable materials.

• Narrow streets and roads to reduce the amount of impervious surface, to slow traffic, and to provide space for sidewalks and bikeways.

38

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

NATURAL DRAINAGE SYSTEMS

Permeable Paving The material used to surface a trail within a greenway

has a profound impact on the greenway’s ecological function and sustainability. The surface must drain well and be strong enough to handle a trail’s intended use.

A strong, well-drained surface will ensure that a trail is long-lasting and easier to maintain, two elements of sustainability. For high ecological function, the surface should minimize trail runoff. By letting water seep through into the soil below, permeable surfaces reduce stormwater runoff, help recharge groundwater, and filter pollutants. They may reduce or eliminate the need for an underground storm drain system or a curb and gutter system.

Pervious pavers are interlocking blocks of brick, stone, cobbles, or pre-cast concrete placed in a rigid frame on top of a bed of gravel. Sand-filled gaps between the pavers allow water to seep into the gravel bed below and then beyond into the soil. Pavers form a durable and strong surface.

They are easy to repair or replace because they can be lifted easily. In addition, pavers come in many colors, shapes, and textures to make interesting designs possible.

Chapter 4: Ecological Function Pervious Concrete

To maintain surface drainage, some manufacturers recommend vacuuming permeable paving once or twice a year to prevent them from clogging. In addition, the gaps between pavers may require occasional sand or gravel replenishment.

The best way to minimize run-off is to use a surface material which lets water seep through into the soil below. Materials which allow water to move through them are called permeable or porous. Until fairly recently, the only options for creating permeable trail surfaces were soft natural materials such as soil, bark, wood chips, gravel, and crushed stone. The problem with these soft materials is that they do not hold up very well under heavy trail use, especially in places like the South Shore where winters are harsh. Nor are soft materials practical in urban and suburban environments where tidiness tends to be highly valued.

New permeable surfacing materials overcome these problems; they are strong, have an orderly appearance, and most important for ecological function, they allow water to drain through them.

Two new types of poured permeable pavement are available, concrete and porous. They resemble conventional concrete and asphalt, but have more air spaces to let water percolate through them. Because they drain so well, these newer materials are less prone to cracking or buckling from freezing and thawing.

Studies indicate they require less frequent repair and patching than conventional paving which reduces their maintenance costs.

CONSERVATION CORRIDORS

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

Gravel Base

Porous Asphalt

Permeable Pavers

Gravel Base

39

The first project has been so successful that two additional natural drainage systems projects are underway and one is in the planning stages. All three are in higher density

40

The project is expected to reduce stormwater runoff by sixty-five percent.

Finally, the South Lake Union neighborhood is being rapidly redeveloped with a natural drainage system. The new mixed-use neighborhood will be an uban center with ten to twelve story high buildings built to the property line. The plan is for a shallow (two-foot deep), but wide (twenty foot) wide bioswale to run for 12 blocks. The space for the bioswale will be created by eliminating a parking lane and narrowing the street. The streets will have sidewalks on both sides.

The first SEA project was a typical suburban street before its transformation.

The first SEA project after it was transformed into a natural drainage system.

Seattle SEA Project

Benefits The natural drainage system provides many benefits to the neighborhood. It creates much needed open space in a dense suburban neighborhood. It provides a place for neighbors to meet, walk, talk, and share gardening activities. The curving sidewalk, separated from the street by lovely bioswales jammed with grasses, perennials and shrubs, has the feel of a graden walk; it beckons walkers. The meandering narrow street not only reduces the total amount of impervious surface, it slows traffic reinforcing the invitation to walk. Most importantly, stormwater runoff has been reduced to almost nothing.

Residents report that their property values have increased.

The most ambitious project yet is the 34-block, 1,600-unit, mixed-income High Point housing redevelopment project which is creating bioswales, porous concrete sidewalks, and frontyard rain gardens a 129-acre former public housing project site. When completed, the High Point project will integrate more than four miles of bioswale into the planting strip in the street right-of-way.

Seattle SEA Project

The first SEA project transformed a suburban street in the Piper’s Creek watershed into a 660-foot long natural drainage system by eliminating eleven percent of the neighborhood’s impervious surfaces and planting a roadside bioswales with over 1,100 native shrubs and trees. Mature trees were preserved where ever possible. The street is also narrower than before to reduce impervious surface, and has gentle curves slow traffic. A two-foot wide concrete border separates the street from the bioswales and helps define the roadway edge.

All bioswales are within the street right-of-way, demonstrating Seattle’s growing commitment to streets that are part of community space, not just thoroughfares for cars. The design does accommodate cars with angle and parallel parking stalls grouped between bioswales and driveways. Most properties also have alley access with parking. The cost of this project was $850,000.

neighborhoods. The Broadview Green Grid increases the scope of Seattle’s SEA projects to a fifteen city block neighborhood. Like the first project, the 32-acre Green Grid uses bioswales and porous surfaces to manage stormwater runoff.

Seattle SEA Project

Seattle SEA Project A major storm causing three hundred landslides and millions dollars of damage to city and private property galvanized Seattle, Washington to attend to a traditional storm sewer system that just wasn’t working. As a result, the Street Edge Alternative (SEA) program began. This innovative program has three goals: stormwater management, water quality protection, and preservation of healthy riparian habitat for fish and wildlife.

The first SEA project transformed a linear suburban street into a garden walk which reduced stormwater runoff by ninety-eight percent at seventy-five percent of the cost of a traditional storm sewer system.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

NATURAL DRAINAGE SYSTEMS

CONSERVATION CORRIDORS

Chapter 4: Ecological Function Bioswales

Seattle SEA Project

Seattle SEA Project

Bioswales are linear rain gardens, gently sloping

CONWAY SCHOOL OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN, WINTER 2008

depressions planted with dense vegetation. In contrast to traditional rural drainage ditches and urban gutter systems, bioswales are designed to slow, cleanse, and absorb stormwater runoff. In a well designed bioswale, runoff moves slowly along the gentle incline, depositing sediment and percolating into the ground where plant roots and soil microbes remove salt, oil, gas, antifreeze, and other pollutants in runoff from roads as well as pesticides and fertilizers in runoff from lawns and fields. Bioswales are especially effective at removing sediment, fertilizer, and heavy metals (City of Portland, 2006). With careful design, bioswales absorb almost all the runoff from normal rainstorms (Virginia Center for Watershed Protection, 2007). Careful design includes planting bioswales with appropriate trees, shrubs, and perennials. Studies show that forested areas capture, absorb and store fifteen times more rainfall than grass or turf.

Ideally for water management, bioswales should form a continuous line along the greenway path. On roads with existing grass-covered drainage ditches, replacing the the grass with trees, shrubs, and perennials is a relatively low cost first step toward a bioswale-lined greenway. Bioswales should sandwich a greenway path wherever possible to catch runoff from both the path and road. Bioswales should replace traditional gutter-and-curb systems along roads with low traffic volumes. Where the greenway path follows heavily trafficked roads requiring curbs, curb-cuts can be made so that runoff from the street can enter the bioswale.

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Integrating Human and Natural Connections Not every part of the South Shore greenway must serve

all possible functions. In some cases, what suits humans harms other species. Compatibility issues can be addressed by physically separating the most intensive human activities from the most important conservation areas. Some greenway segments can be designated as conservation corridors and left in an undeveloped state. Other greenway segments can be designed to accommodate humans and other species.

New Style in Stream Crossings Massachusetts recently set new standards for bridges over rivers and streams. The intent of these new guidelines is to create an efficient human transportation system without undermining the natural transportation system. The new standards call for bridges, rather than culverts to create a passageway for both aquatic and terrestrial organisms. The bridge should be high and wide enough to span the stream and its bank to preserve the riparian corridor for terrestrial species. The stream bed should have a natural substrate which mimics the substrate up and downstream from the bridge to facilitate passage of fish and other aquatic organisms. Finally, the bridge should be engineered so that the depth and velocity of water flowing beneath the bridge matches up and downstream flow.

Decisions about the level of human use should be based on a site’s ecological characteristics and its capacity to sustain human use without harming other species. For example, many wetland plants are extremely sensitive to compaction. Simply walking across a wetland meadow leaves a scar on the landscape that will be visible for years.

Human use should be minimized where it will cause longterm damage, especially if the area contains endangered species. In areas where humans have already shaped the landscape to suit their needs, the greenway can be designed to accommodate species adapted to living in concert with humans. For example, planting trees along a greenway path in a surburban neighborhood provides habitat for songbirds without compromising the alternative transportation function of the greenway.

Restoring Natural Connections With careful planning the South Shore Greenway can

restore connections which have been broken by human development. Several strategies can be used to restore natural connections.

• Encourage compact development to preserve existing open space and minimize demand for new roads.

• New and replacement bridges should be meet design standards which facilitate passage for wildlife, fish, and

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other aquatic species by matching the environment beneath the bridge to the up and downstream environments.

• Acquire land to expand riparian corridors. The Massachusett’s River Resource Protection Act mandates a 200-foot buffer zone around all perennial streams and rivers (except in some very densely populated urban areas). This buffer zone provides the minimum level of protection. A wider buffer will provide greater protection of this extremely sensitive and valuable ecosystem.

• Work with property owners and municipal governments to encourage creating a naturalized landscape in all riparian corridors.

Expanding Natural Connections The South Shore Greenway can improve the ecological

health of the entire region by expanding the existing system of natural connections. One straightforward strategy for doing this is to create a naturalized buffer zone around all properties that border on existing open space. This will require working with private property owners as well as government agencies. As a first step, naturalized landscape borders around all public parks and school grounds could be created to serve as models for the rest of the community.

Natural connections can also be expanded by increasing the amount of permanently protected land through acquisition or legal means. Identifying land for protection will require very careful consideration. The greatest gains in ecological can be obtained by prioritizing certain types of land for protection.

• Land which recharges groundwater and aquifers is essential for protecting water quality and quantity. Land around the headwaters of surface water supplies should also receive priority because whatever happens at the headwaters will affect all downstream water quality.

• Protecting land areas which are large enough to maintain viable populations of plants and animals will ensure that each species has the flexibility to adjust to changes which might threaten survival.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

NATURAL DRAINAGE SYSTEMS

CONSERVATION CORRIDORS

Chapter 4: Ecological Function

• Protecting land which supports native plant and animals species will help to maintain the unique character of the South Shore. The Commonwealth’s Natural Heritage Atlas can provide guidance about the location of important habitats.

• Protecting land which is rich in species number will help ensure that biodiversity is maintained. The Commonwealth is currently mapping the location of plant communities considered most critical to maintaining biodiversity. Scituate, Cohasset, and Norwell have been mapped. The South Shore contains three of the less common plant communities in the Commonwealth. Protecting these areas is important for biodiversity at a state level.

The Massachusetts Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) has defined eight ecological communities that are the most critical for preserving the Commonwealth’s natural history and diversity.

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INTRODUCTION

BIKEWAY CRITERIA

BIKEWAY DISCUSSION

PROPOSED BIKEWAYS

TRAIL CRITERIA

PROPOSED TRAILS

CONCLUSION

Chapter 5: Routing the Greenway

Introduction: Alternative Transport Bikeways Page 46

The goal of this project is to propose an alternative

transportation network as the first step in developing a greenway system for the SouthShore. There are two forms of non-motorized transport that we shall focus on: bikeways and hiking trails. Bikeway and trail networks provide several benefits, such as: • Providing a local transport system to reduce or replace vehicular traffic, reducing congestion and pollution.

• Providing opportunities for recreation and experience of nature through outdoor activity.

• Promoting general fitness through exercise.

Hiking trails are generally a less effective alternative to vehicular transportation than bikeways. However, because of their ability to go where bikeways may not be able to (over rough terrain, up steep slopes, etc.) they can also provide better opportunities for experience of nature and outdoor education.

Trails

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• Provide scenic vistas where possible to encourage use.

Ecological considerations also require the following: • Minimize construction in ecologically sensitive areas.

Where construction is necessary, use environmentally sensitive materials and techniques.

• Identify areas where existing route infrastructure conflicts with ecological considerations and work to reduce that conflict.

• Provide opportunities for nature experience to promote education and environmental understanding.

The specific implications of these general criteria will vary with the network (cycling or trails) and will be dealt with in those sections.

Other forms of non-motorized transport (e.g., sidewalks, bridle paths) are not dealt with here because they are either limited in applicability to the general population or more appropriate to heavily urbanized areas where the ecological aspects of greenway development are limited.

General recommendations for laying out both bikepaths and hiking trails include: • Use existing infrastructure where possible to reduce costs, limit impervious surfaces, and facilitate implementation.

• Provide safe routes away from heavy traffic or busy intersections to promote use of the system by people of all ages and levels of experience and ability.

• Connect to other alternative transportation networks, particularly to mass transit, to allow multi-modal transport.

• Respond to suggestions from the public to ensure that popular destinations are served and preferred routes used.

• Form a continuous network to allow long distance travel over multiple routes.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

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Bikeway Criteria Transportation 1. Use existing infrastructure where possible to reduce costs, limit impervious surfaces, and facilitate implementation.

Roads connect most popular destinations and, in a highly developed region like the study area, often provide the only easily available connection between them. They also avoid intruding into areas that are perceived as private. Thus roads should be used for the bikeway when not in conflict with other criteria.

The network of roads in the study region.

United States Department of Transit guidelines for mixeduse paths are for two travel lanes, each four feet across. This allows sufficient room for two user groups (e.g., pedestrians and cyclists) to avoid conflict. To separate these paths from traffic, an additional two feet minimum is required to provide room for a vegetated buffer. This buffer will provide additional security by screening road debris and visually separating between automotive and non-automotive traffic. Thus a minimum of ten feet of roadside (the difference between the width of the right-of-way and the road width) is required.

Two feet is a fairly small separation and sufficiently safe only on roads with a traffic volume of less than one thousand vehicles per day. On roads with greater traffic volumes (up to ten times higher), the required separation should be increased to twelve feet to provide greater safety. Above a traffic volume of ten thousand vehicles per day, roads are unsafe for cycling regardless of the width of any buffers.

The network of roads meeting the above criteria on traffic volume and roadside. Also shown (in red) are major intersections

Existing train and ferry routes in the study region.

Planned routes should also connect to other alternative transportation networks at a variety of locations. By connecting to Wompatuck State Park and other open spaces, bike routes will connect to existing trail networks.

They should also connect to bike-racks at existing sidewalk networks to facilitate pedestrian/cyclist interchange.

4. Respond to suggestions from the public to ensure that popular destinations are served and preferred routes used.

Bike routes should be designed to connect popular destinations as obtained from the first public forum.

2. Provide safe routes away from heavy traffic or busy intersections to promote use of the system by people of all ages and levels of experience and ability.

To provide safe routes, the bikeway should avoid automotive traffic where possible. This implies using off-road bike paths where available, avoiding major intersections, and only using in-traffic routes where vehicular volume is small (less than 100 vehicles per day).

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Routes suggested by participants at the second public forum should be evaluated for their suitability and, where possible, prioritized for inclusion in the overall network.

3. Connect to other alternative transportation networks, particularly to mass transit, to allow multi-modal transport.

Ferry terminals and train stations form important destinations on an alternative transportation network, providing access to suburb-to-city transportation. The bikeway should connect to them whenever possible.

There are two very short existing bike routes in the study region and its immediate vicinity. (the Hingham-Hull trail at 1.2 km and the Back River Trail in Quincy at 3.3 km).

There are also, several proposed routes developed by town governments and community groups. These should also be evaluated for inclusion in the plan.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

BIKEWAY CRITERIA

BIKEWAY DISCUSSION

PROPOSED BIKEWAYS

TRAIL CRITERIA

PROPOSED TRAILS

CONCLUSION

6. Provide scenic vistas where possible to encourage use.

The publicly chosen popular destinations

Chapter 5: Routing the Greenway NHESP habitats with major roads

The region is rich in beautiful views, historic town centers, large beaches, waterfronts, harbors, and conserved open space.

As such almost all possible routes are judged to have scenic merit with the exception of heavily developed strips along major highways. These should be avoided where possible.

Ecological Considerations 7. Minimize construction in ecologically sensitive areas. Where construction is necessary, use environmentally sensitive materials and techniques.

This goal is achieved by using roads where possible. If off-road bike trails are required they should be limited to previously disturbed areas such as disused rail beds. Where construction is required, recycled materials and porous surfaces should be used.

Bike routes proposed by the community and towns.

8. Identify areas where existing route infrastructure conflicts with ecological considerations and work to reduce that conflict.

Conflicts with sensitive areas such as Natural Heritage and Endangered Species Program (NHESP) habitats or proximity to Areas of Critical Environmental Concern should be identified and assessed. Routes can then be redirected or appropriate construction recommended to ameliorate negative impact.

9. Provide opportunities for nature experience to promote education and environmental understanding.

5. Form a continuous network to allow long distance travel over multiple routes.

Routes through existing conservation land and other natural areas should be provided with interpretative signage.

Connection between diverse ecosystems such as estuaries and uplands. particulary on off-road routes, provide exposure to varied ecological and environmental communities and further reinforce educational goals.

Loops should be prioritized over dead-ends to provide flexibility and enhanced their attraction for physical exercise.

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Data courtesy of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

The destination criteria are: • • • •

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Connect to existing sidewalks and trails.

Connect to rail stations and ferry terminals.

Connect to public open space.

Connect popular destinations as defined in public forums.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

BIKEWAY CRITERIA

BIKEWAY DISCUSSION

PROPOSED BIKEWAYS

TRAIL CRITERIA

PROPOSED TRAILS

CONCLUSION

Chapter 5: Routing the Greenway Summary Bikeway Criteria

Data courtesy of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

The two maps to the left summarize the previously discussed bikeway criteria in terms of destinations and existing or proposed route infrastructure. Also identified on the route criteria map is a onflict area where Route 123 in Norwell traverses an NHESP Priority Habitat.

Additional ecologically-oriented directives are: • Use roads where possible.

• Identify conflicts with environmentally sensitive areas and work to mitigate or eliminate the conflict.

• Provide opportunities for nature experience.

It is apparent that no one route or network exists using the above criteria. Instead a bikeway network will have to use roads outside of the developed criteria or require substantial off-road sections.

Conflict with NHESP Conflict with NHESP Priority Habitat Priority Habitat

The existing or proposed route infrastructure criteria are: • Use existing and community-proposed bike routes, including those developed in public forums.

• Use roads with less than 10,000 vehicles per day and an available roadside greater than 40 feet.

• Use roads with less than 1000 vehicles per day and an available roadside greater than 20 feet.

• Use roads with less than 100 vehicles per day .

• Avoid major intersections.

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Alternatives for Route 123 in Norwell Three alternatives were considered for the section of the bikeway that runs from Norwell center to the Scituate town line shown circled below and for which there a potential conflict. These alternatives are shown on the right.

Jerusalem Road, Cohasset Option A Routing north along minor roads.

A scenic route past several historic homes, Jerusalem Road offers beach access and expansive views of the ocean and Boston skyline. It was both a popular destination and route suggested in the two public forums.

Option B Using a combination of on-road and offroad routes along the North River.

Option A avoids heavy traffic but requires on-road cycling along roads where there is an insufficient rightof-way to achieve safe separation from traffic flow.

It would be the cheapest to implement.

Option B would involve new construction in a resource area. It would allow access to the scenic North River but require routing across private land. Because of this it would be the most expensive and slowest option to implement.

Option C Using Route 123

Option C uses Route 123 where there is heavy traffic but a wide enough right-of-way to allow safe separation.

It is also more direct. Installation of a vegetated buffer would provide limited habitat and the opportunity to address water quality issues arising from impervious surfaces in an environmentally sensitive area. This section of road is also under planning for redevelopment and thus offers a timely opportunity to carry out the required construction planning. Accordingly, it was the final selection for the proposed route.

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Due in part to substantial outcroppings of ledge (shown above), however, pedestrian and cycle traffic is forced to share the road with cars. Traffic volume is greater than one thousand vehicles a day.

Despite these unsafe conditions Jerusalem Road was included in the proposed route due to the outstanding scenic value it offers. Signage and striping should be installed to make drivers aware of pedestrian and foot traffic.

In addition, Jerusalem Road is recommended as one-way on Sundays from mid-April to mid-November to provide more room for cyclists, pedestrians, in-line skaters, and other non-motorized road to avail themselves of this outstanding resource.

Such a program would be in keeping with others in many communities across the country and the world. In particular, Boston has been closing a section of Memorial Drive to traffic on Sundays for thirty years. A recent proposal by the Charles River Conservancy would extend this by also making Storrow Drive one-way on Sundays, allowing the other lane to be used for cycling and skating.

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

BIKEWAY CRITERIA

BIKEWAY DISCUSSION

PROPOSED BIKEWAYS

TRAIL CRITERIA

PROPOSED TRAILS

CONCLUSION

Chapter 5: Routing the Greenway Bikeway Discussion

Alternatives in Hull

As noted above, application of the criteria developed for

An abandoned rail line runs the length of Hull offering the opportunity for rail-to-trail conversion.

The proposed route in Hull (in red) and the abandoned railway line (in black).

On-site inspection, however, revealed that the rail line has been heavily encroached upon by abutting landowners. Because of likely resistance to reclamation of this right-of-way, the bikeway was routed along existing streets. However, because it offers the possibility of a bikeway and trail separated from vehicular traffic, a detailed feasibility study, should be carried out to evaluate use of the rail line for a multi-use pathway.

bikeways does not result in a clear and obvious network. In some locations criteria are in conflict. Examples include: using the easternmost section of Route 123 in Norwell where it passes through an NHESP Priority Habitat; destinations nominated at public forums that are in low-lying coastal regions and thus prone to future flooding as discussed in Chapter 2; the value of connecting to an existing bikeway outside the region (in Quincy to the immediate west of Hingham) despite the necessity of traversing a very busy intersection to do so; and publicly nominated routes that pass through avoidable major intersections or use unsuitable roads. To develop a final proposal, these conflicts must be individually examined and resolved, either through rerouting the network to avoid conflict or, where this is not possible, selecting a route that balances the relative importance of competing criteria. Examples of such a process are shown to the left.

An additional option exists in the form of George Washington Boulevard, a four-lane road in lower Hull. Four lane roads can be converted to three-lane roads in a process known as “road diet.” The middle lane is used as a turning lane and the space freed by removing one travel lane used to provide multi-use paths on each side of the highway. Such alterations generally result in lower accident rates on roads that have been converted. A feasibility study is needed to evaluate this option.

A four-lane road after a “road diet.”

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A Proposed Bikeway Case Study: The Bay State Greenway

Released in October 2007 by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works, the Draft 2007 Massachusetts Bicycle Transportation Plan proposes a statewide bicycle network, known as the “Bay State Greenway,” (BSG), consisting of a 740 mile statewide network of seven primary corridors of on-road routes (545 miles) and shared-use paths (195 miles). Reasons given for improving cycling in the state included: improving safety for existing cyclists; promoting cycling to reduce automotive congestion, parking problems, and pollution; improving health; providing affordable transportation options to low-income groups; promoting tourism in the state; and improving demographics through making the state a more attractive place to live.

A proposed route makes extensive use of existing open space and specially of Wompatuck State Park where many different paths intersect and connections to trail-systems can occur.

It connects to all train stations and ferry teminals in the area to facilitate multimodal alternative transport. Town centers, harbors and estuaries are linked and several spurs allow direct access to the North River. Extensive use of the shoreline and rivers is made to maximise the scenic potential. Links are made to bike routes outside the study region to promote a more extensive network.

The route traverses NHESP Priority Habitat where it uses Route 123 in eastern Norwell and skirts Areas of Critical Environmental Concern around the Weir and Weymouth estuaries in the northwest. Water quality and wildlife habitat are especially important in these areas and construction techniques that address these issues must be used in these locations. Where connections are made to other transportation networks (trails, sidewalks, and train stations) covered bike stands should be provided to facilitate change between transportation modes.

In addition to the above, the plan made four other recommendations: • Better identify state roads and bridges where bicycles are legally permitted but do not accommodate bicycles today • Expand the “Share the Road” signs and outreach programs • Developing bicycle tourist publications through the Massachusetts Office of Travel and Tourism (MOTT) • Improve safety through education and enforcement initiatives and facility performance measurement.

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

BIKEWAY CRITERIA

BIKEWAY DISCUSSION

PROPOSED BIKEWAYS

TRAIL CRITERIA

PROPOSED TRAILS

CONCLUSION

Chapter 5: Routing the Greenway

Data courtesy of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

INTRODUCTION

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Hiking or Off-Road Trail Criteria The previous sections considered implementing a bikeway as part of an overall greenway strategy. Because the bikeway uses existing infrastructure to a large extent, it can be developed in the near future. A longer-term proposition is the extension of existing trail networks, currently limited to conservation land in the region. This section considers such extension using the same general criteria as for the bikeway.

Transportation 1. Use existing infrastructure where possible to reduce costs, limit impervious surfaces, and facilitate implementation.

Many of the conserved open spaces in the area already have extensive trail networks. Because these areas are separated, however, those trail networks are fragmented. To increase the extent and complexity of trails in the region, these separated open spaces should be connected by additional conserved land through which paths can be routed.

Forested land (light green) and open space (dark green) in the study region

In identifying land for conservation, only those parcels that are undeveloped should be considered. In the study area, these are primarily lots that are entirely forested. Agricultural could also be considered for conservation but is minimal in the study region.

Trails can also make use of existing sidewalks where required, 2. Provide safe routes away from heavy traffic or busy intersections to promote use of the system by people of all ages and levels of experience and ability.

Trails confined to conservation land will tend to meet these criteria. Where they have to cross major streets, bridges or pedestrian crossings must be provided. When routed along streets a sidewalk or multi-use path must be present, preferably with a significant separation from the road.

There are two ferry terminals in the regions, in Hingham and Hull. Neither is near open space and trail networks.

Three of the five train stations in the region, however, are near significant extents of conserved land (West Hingham to Bare Cove Park, Cohasset to Whitney and Thayer Woods, and Greenbush to the Rivermoor Habitat Park) and should be connected to trail networks, allowing hikers and other recreational users from Boston and surrounding communities to access the trail system without need of automotive transport.

Existing sidewalks and open space,

3. Connect to other alternative transportation networks, particularly to mass transit, to allow multi-modal transport.

Existing mass transit systems (rail in black and ferry in blue) and open space

Trail networks that use conservation land will connect to bike routes that use the same open space. Where sidewalks are close to conservation land, trails should be extended to meet them.

4. Respond to suggestions from the public to ensure that popular destinations are served and preferred routes used.

Trails were not a high priority in the public forums, No significant public input was received on this subject.

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

BIKEWAY CRITERIA

BIKEWAY DISCUSSION

PROPOSED BIKEWAYS

5. Form a continuous network to allow long distance travel over multiple routes.

Separated open spaces should be connected to link existing trail networks and provide longer trail opportunities.

Opportunities for larger loops are, however, limited due to the distribution of conserved open space in the study region.

6. Provide scenic vistas where possible to encourage use.

Trails limited to conserved land will fit this criteria. The use of sidewalks should be limited to areas of aesthetic value such as historic town centers.

TRAIL CRITERIA

PROPOSED TRAILS

CONCLUSION

Almost all conserved land in the region is in ecologically valuable areas. Undeveloped land outside of these areas is also likely to serve as habitat to a variety of species. Thus any new trail construction will be in conflict with this criterion. New routes should avoid particularly sensitive sites and steps should be taken to minimize the impact of construction through the use of appropriate materials and techniques such as porous surfaces.

8. Identify areas where existing route infrastructure conflicts with ecological considerations and work to reduce that conflict.

Ecological Considerations

Trail impact is generally small when appropriate design considerations are used and this criterion is de-emphasized here.

7. Minimize construction in ecologically sensitive areas. Where construction is necessary, use environmentally sensitive materials and techniques.

9. Provide opportunities for nature experience to promote education and environmental understanding.

Critical habitat (from Chapter 2) in purple and open space.

Chapter 5: Routing the Greenway

Educational signage along trails will provide opportunities for education and instruction in ecological issues including species habitat, forest succession, and the role of water in the environment.

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Proposed Hiking Trail Routes To determine possible trail routes, parcel lots that are entirely forested, and thus probably undeveloped, were examined.

There are no undeveloped parcels available in Hull available for trail development. This approach could not be applied to Scituate as at this time there is no available digital map of parcels for the town. Problems with data also mean that this analysis could not be completed for Norwell though the town has posted its own map of proposed trails at http:// www.townofnorwell.net/Public_Documents/NorwellMA_ Planning/Recreation%20-%20Priorities.pdf. The town of Hingham is heavily urbanized (second only to Hull in this region) and no opportunities for extending the trail network were found. Cohasset was the only community where opportunities for extending a trail network were found.

By targeting for acquisition and conservation parcels that

are completely forested and thus unlikely to have been developed, the town of Cohasset can construct a trail that connects Whitney and Thayer Woods (and thus Wompatuck State Park) to Wheelwright Park in northern Cohasset. The proposed trail intersects existing sidewalks at two locations, allowing pedestrian access from the trail to Cohasset Village and the harbor area.

A second proposed trail connects Whitney and Thayer Woods to the Cohasset train station along a disused railway spur.

It should be noted that the land use data (i.e., whether or not a parcel is forested and thus probably undeveloped) used here was obtained in 1999. On-site observation is needed to verify the current status of parcels.

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

BIKEWAY CRITERIA

BIKEWAY DISCUSSION

PROPOSED BIKEWAYS

TRAIL CRITERIA

PROPOSED TRAILS

CONCLUSION

Chapter 5: Routing the Greenway

Data courtesy of the Office of Geographic and Environmental Information (MassGIS), Commonwealth of Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs.

Wheelwright Park

Whitney and Thayer Woods

Cohasset Village

Wompatuck State park

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SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

INTRODUCTION

BIKEWAY CRITERIA

BIKEWAY DISCUSSION

PROPOSED BIKEWAYS

TRAIL CRITERIA

PROPOSED TRAILS

CONCLUSION

Chapter 5: Routing the Greenway Conclusion and Recommendations The bikeway and trails proposals developed in this chapter

represent the initial phase in developing an extensive greenway network for the South Shore. As such, they should prioritize environmental sensitivity wherever possible. Detailed evaluation of local conditions including proximity to ecologically sensitive areas, traffic volume, road condition, accessibility, land use, and so forth is required along the proposed routes to evaluate the practicality of implementation. Changes to the proposals in response to conditions determined from detailed on-site inspection will likely be required.

Key recommendations emerging from this chapter’s analysis are: • An abandoned rail line exists in Hull. Though effectively encroached upon by local residents, the town should evaluate this rail line as an alternative to an on-road bikeway in the town.

• George Washington Boulevard in Hull should be evaluated for conversion to a three-lane road with neighbouring multi-use paths on each side.

• Mixed-use (cycle and pedestrian) paths with wide vegetative buffers and storm water management systems should be installed along both sides of Route 123 in Norwell when it is redeveloped. These will both provide important links from Norwell town center to mass transit at the greenbush station in Scituate, and mitigate the impact of a busy road in an environmentally sensitive area.

• Jerusalem Road should be converted to one-way traffic on Sundays to allow residents and visitors alike to use this road for cycling.

• Where the bikeway connects to other transportation networks (trails, sidewalks, and train stations) covered bike stands should be provided to facilitate transfer between transportation modes.

• Trails linking Whitney and Thayer Woods to Cohasset train station and to Wheelwright Park near Cohasset harbor should be developed.

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REFERENCES

FUNDING SOURCES

PUBLIC MEETINGS

CONTACTS

PRESS

Appendices Appendix A: References 2007 Massachusetts Bicycle Transportation Plan. <http://www.massbikeplan.org/index.htm>, Draft report, 10th May, 2007.

Jack Clausen, Glenn Warner, Dan Civco and Mark Hood, University of Connecticut. Nonpoint Education for Municipal Officials Impervious Surface Research. 2003.

Impervious surface and water quality study. <http://www. nemo.uconn.edu/tools/impervious_surfaces/literature>. htm#clausen03>. March 20, 2008.

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Climate Change 2007 - Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability: Working Group II contribution to the Fourth Assessment Report of the IPCC Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.

Cambridge University Press, 2008.

Metro Area Planning Council. <http://www.mapc.org/index. html>, 21 March 2008.

The Trustees of Reservation. <http://www.thetrustees.org/>, 21 March 2008.

Wompatuck State Park. <http://www.mass.info/hingham.ma/ parks/wompatuck_state_park.htm>, 21 March 2008.

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Transportation Enhancements Program

Safe Routes to School

Provides funding for facilities for bicyclists and pedestrians and for the preservation of inactive rail corridors.

Funds projects to increase walking and bicycling to schools.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/te/ Jim Cope, TE Program Coordinator Bureau of Transportation Planning & Dev. MassHighways 10 Park Plaza Room 4150 Boston, MA 02116-3973 Tel: (617) 973-7043 Fax: 617-973-8035 james.cope@eot.state.ma.us

Ms. Davida Eisenberg, Safe Routes to School Coordinator http://www.commute.com/default.asp?pgid=massrides/ srsMain&sid=MRlevel2 MassRIDES 10 Park Plaza Room 2180 Boston, MA 02116 (Phone: 617) 892-6096 davida.eisenberg@eot.state.ma.us

Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality Program

Scenic Byways Program

Funding may be used for construction of bicycle transportation facilities and pedestrian walkways or for non-construction projects related to safe cycling.

Provides merit-based funding for byway-related projects each year.

http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cmaqpgs/ April Marchese, Director (202) 366-2074 april.marchese@dot.gov.

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http://www.commute.com/default.asp?pgid=massrides/ srsMain&sid=MRlevel2

http://www.byways.org/ James P. Cope, Scenic Byways Coordinator Office of Transportation Planning 10 Park Plaza, Room 4150 Boston, MA 02116 Phone: 617-973-7043, Fax: 617-973-8035 James.Cope@state.ma.us

SOUTH SHORE GREENWAY PROJECT

REFERENCES

FUNDING SOURCES

PUBLIC MEETINGS

CONTACTS

PRESS

Appendices Appendix B: Funding Sources

Regional Trails Program Funds can be used to create trails for motorized and/or nonmotorized users. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/rectrails/index.htm Paul Jahnige, Director of Trails and Greenways Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) 136 Damon Rd Northampton MA 01060-1818 Phone: 413-586-8706 ext 20; Fax 413-784-1663 paul.jahnige@state.ma.us

Department of Conservation and Recreation Trails Grant Program http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/greenway/regionalGrants.htm Paul Jahnige, Director of Trails and Greenways Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) 136 Damon Rd Northampton MA 01060-1818 Phone: 413-586-8706 ext 20; Fax 413-784-1663 paul.jahnige@state.ma.us

Department of Conservation and Recreation Trails and Greenways Grants Program

A list of possible funding sources for the development of alternative transport in the region appears to the left. Contact information was verified at the time of printing but may change without notice.

Supports innovative greenway and trail projects throughout Massachusetts. DCR will also consider requests of up to $10,000 for multi-town greenway and trail projects. http://www.mass.gov/dcr/stewardship/greenway/grants.htm Paul Jahnige, Director of Trails and Greenways Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) 136 Damon Rd Northampton MA 01060-1818 Phone: 413-586-8706 ext 20; Fax 413-784-1663 paul.jahnige@state.ma.us

Communtiy Preservation Act Provides funding to help communities preserve open space and historic sites, and create and recreational facilities. http://www.communitypreservation.org/index.cfm Stuart Saginor, Executive Director Phone: 617-367-8998; Fax 617-367-8788 stuart.saginor@communitypreservation.org

Transit Oriented Development Provides funding for pedestrian improvements, bicycle facilities, and preliminary design for bike and pedestrian projects, http://www.mass.gov/envir/smart_growth_toolkit/pages/ mod-tod.html Todd Fontanella Phone: (617) 973-7027 Todd.Fontanella@state.ma.us.

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Public Meetings:

First Public Forum

A viable planning process does not occur in a vacuum. Community input is essential in grounding the process in the real needs and priorities of the community, promoting public buy-in and involvement. Several strategies were used to obtain community input including meetings with selected town residents and officials, two public forums, and a website (www. southshore.csld@gmail.com).

The first public forum on the South Shore Greenway was held on January 29, 2008 at 7:00 pm in Norwell’s First Parish Unitarian Church hall. The forum was hosted by Sustainable South Shore and facilitated by the CSLD planning team. The purpose of the forum was to find out the wider communities’ vision of a greenway. To ensure a diverse audience, the CSLD planning team asked the South Shore Greenway Committee to extend personal invitations to individuals from local government, the business community, and recreational groups.

The forum was also advertised in the local newspapers,

Community Participation in Planning Process

South Shore Greenway Committee On January 10, 2008 seven representatives from the towns of Hingham, Hull, Norwell, Scituate, and Cohasset met for the first time as the South Shore Greenway Committee to discuss their vision of a greenway with the Conway School of Landscape Design (CSLD) planning team. The committee asked the planning team to produce a plan for a regional greenway network which they could use to generate interest, involvement, and funding. The committee’s goals for the greenway were to: •

Improve both public and environmental health.

•

Increase the potential for local economic growth by overcoming limitations imposed by automobile-dependent development.

•

Increase recreational tourism in the region.

•

Ease traffic congestion.

•

Serve as a model of a regional alternative transportation system.

•

Begin a cultural shift by socializing the next generation to be physically active and emotionally connected to the outdoors.

Fifty-four people attended the first public forum. Attendees were asked to sign-in and state their interest in the Greenway project. Individuals from all five towns attended with Norwell being the best represented. The majority (35) of attendees identified themselves as interested citizens. Several representatives from local governments and various not-for-profit organizations also attended.

Attendees participated in a mapping exercise. Attendees were asked to place stickers on aerial images maps of the five towns showing places they would like to go on and the places they valued most.

Citizens label preferred destinations on an aerial image.

Summarized results of public dotting exercise

•

The result of this initial meeting was the agreement among participants to meet again and schedule two public meetings to provide input to the planning process.

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Citizens label places of value on an aerial image.

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Appendices Appendix C: Public Meetings

Attendees formed break-out groups to discuss their vision of a greenway. Each group generated a list and reported back to the entire audience.

Participants articulated desired elements of their greenway: Rest areas with benches.

Waste receptacles.

Good signage and information kiosks.

Semipermeable surfaces.

Distinct spaces for cyclists and pedestrians.

Lighting at all street crossings.

Security phones.

Restrooms.

A short presentation was made by the Conway planning team on the process used and the criteria developed for routing the greenway. Attendees then formed break out groups to propose routes of their own using those criteria by drawing on maps of the region

In addition, they specified certain qualities of the greenway: Connect open spaces.

Connect the harbors.

Connect libraries, schools, and playing fields.

Connect to ponds and rivers.

Connect town centers.

Break out groups to discuss greenway vision.

Second Public Forum The second public forum on the South Shore Greenway was held on March 3rd 2008 at 7:00 pm in the Cohasset Town Hall. As before, the forum was hosted by Sustainable South Shore and facilitated by the CSLD planning team. The purpose of the forum was to update the community on the state of planning and obtain their response to a provisional greenway plan.

A citizen reports back to the audience.

Example maps of routes proposed by meeting attendees following Conway-developed criteria.

The routes proposed by the attendees were then collected and that proposed by the Conway team shown. A large degree of correspondence between the twoâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;Conway and the publicâ&#x20AC;&#x201D;was found. Differences were noted for future revision of the proposal. A short question and answer session followed before the meeting broke up.

Thirty-four people attended the second meeting. As before, attendees were asked to sign-in and state their interest in the Greenway project. Individuals from all five towns attended although Hingham was poorly represented (two people) due to a conflict with the annual town meeting. The audience was fairly evenly split among the four remaining towns and included several selectmen and town planners.

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Appendix D: Contacts Government Agencies and Office Holders

Advocacy Groups

U.S Environmental Protection Agency Region 1: New England http://www.epa.gov/region01/index.html New England States Phone: (888) 372-7341

Rails to Trails Conservancy http://www.railtrails.org/index.html 1-202-331-9696

U.S Department of Transpotation Federal Highway Administration http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/ Massachussetts Community Preservation Act http://www.communitypreservation.org/index.cfm Phone: (617) 367-8998 Congressman Bill Delahunt, 10th District http://www.house.gov/delahunt/ Phone: 617-770-3700 Toll-Free: 800-794-9911 State Representative Garrett J. Bradley http://www.mass.gov/legis/member/gjb1.htm Phone: 617-722-2460 E-Mail: Rep.GarrettBradley@hou.state.ma.us

League of American Bicyclists (LAB) http://www.bikeleague.org/ (202) 822-1333 Email: bikeleague@bikeleague.org Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition http://www.massbike.org/ 617-542-BIKE (2453) Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center http://www.bicyclinginfo.org/index.cfm Critical Mass http://critical-mass.info/ Adventure Cycling 1 800 933 1116 e-mail:gmacfadden@igc.apc.org http://www.americancycling.org/forum/

State Representative Frank M. Hynes http://www.mass.gov/legis/member/fmh1.htm 617-722-2552 E-Mail: Rep.FrankHynes@hou.state.ma.us State Representative Robert J. Nyman http://www.mass.gov/legis/member/rjn1.htm Phone: 617-722-2020 Email: Rep.RobertNyman@hou.state.ma.us

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Greenway proposed to connect 5 towns

Shore, the idea's originators. "It's not just that we're linking these paths together. They themselves link these beautiful parks, harbors, and waterfronts, along with the ferry and the train stations."

A greenway, according to the architects and environmentalists who pioneered the movement in the 1990s, is a network of natural corridors where people can walk, bicycle, and push a stroller. The "green" activities of walking and biking are linked with trains and boats - considered "green" transportation because they use less energy and pollute less than highway traffic.

The greenway would include this Weir River Estuary Park Committee)

By Robert Knox Boston Globe Correspondent / February 17, 2008 To make it easier to walk and bike, including for commuters, environmentalists are proposing a greenway spanning five South Shore towns.

Proponents say a South Shore Greenway would build on substantial progress already made by the towns of Cohasset, Hull, Hingham, Norwell, and Scituate in creating safe pedestrian and bike ways within those towns. The plan would join the corridors and fill in gaps where needed.

Sponsors held a public meeting recently and scheduled a second for March 3 to present a report on the plan by students of the Conway School of Landscape Design.

That meeting will be at 7 p.m. at Cohasset Town Hall.

"All of these communities have some beautiful open spaces," said Judeth Van Hamm, president of the Sustainable South

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Local residents who attended last month's meeting at the First Parish Church in Norwell said they were enthusiastic about a greenway that would cause visitors to stop and notice the scenic areas they drive by on their way to the Cape.

"One of the hopes people expressed was that it would draw people to the area," said Michael Lance, a graduate student of the Conway School, the only institution in the United States devoted to sustainable landscape planning and design. The three students working on the South Shore Greenway report conducted the meeting that drew 56 people, including some officials of the five towns. New to the South Shore, the students were impressed to find an "incredibly beautiful area" so close to Boston, the Conway School's Andrew Weir said.

Weir said "greenway" is an umbrella term for a corridor that would look different in different communities, ranging from densely populated Hull with its long sandy beach to Norwell's open space and grassy riverbanks.

"The whole idea of connections is central," said the school's Kathleen McCormick.

The greenway concept involves both transportation and recreation, Weir said. When people were asked at last week's meeting where they would like the greenway to go, a common response was a railroad station, Weir said.

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Each of the five towns involved has been making progress in improving pedestrian and bike paths and linking existing corridors, greenway proponents said. Some improvements were inspired by, and even paid for by, the restoration of the Greenbush rail line that runs through Hingham, Cohasset, and Scituate. Roadway reconstruction along Route 228 has made it possible to bike long stretches of a major regional road that were dicey before, Van Hamm said. Improvements to old narrow roads have opened much of the Weir River Estuary in Hull, Hingham, and Cohasset for exploration by foot and bike, creating a "figure-eight" double loop of pathways with views of marshes and islands.

Sidewalk improvements have taken place in the three towns, and a planned road reconstruction at West Corner will knit the three together while improving a problem spot for bike riders and walkers. more stories like this New sidewalks on Forest Avenue in Cohasset and a new bike path on an old railroad right of way create the possibility of linking Forest Avenue to the Cohasset rail station and nearby Wampatuck State Park, creating the kind of network of hiking trails, bike ways, and rail transportation that causes greenway advocates to wax poetic.

At the south end of the projected greenway, Scituate planners, led by the local citizens group People for Active Transportation and Health, or PATH, have created a loop of connected walkways called “the Driftway.”

Local government has made improvements for walking and biking a priority throughout the region, Van Hamm said. The Hull Bicycle and Walk Plan adopted by selectmen last May made goals of redesigning George Washington Boulevard to be bike- and pedestrian-friendly, creating safe bike and walk ways through the Nantasket beach front district, connecting sidewalks and providing corner curb cuts throughout town,

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and creating “home zone” streets with low speed limits in neighborhoods with limited traffic.

rant in Hull, and Scituate’s People for Active Transportation and Health.

Greenway proponents also have identified some stretches where improvements are needed, Van Hamm said. George Washington Boulevard, which connects Hingham and Hull, has stretches that are not friendly to either pedestrians or bikers, she said, and it needs to be “restriped” to create bike path shoulders on each side. The boulevard also has spots that offer attractive views but make it impossible to cross the roadway “without taking your life in your hands,” she said.

“The idea is to link all these treasures that we have,” Van Hamm said. “There will be a map; people can follow it. We’ll be in line to get money to fill in the missing pieces.”

The Hingham Rotary also needs to be made safer. Reducing the speed limit on George Washington Boulevard, which feeds into the rotary, would help, she said. Greenway backers plan to ask the state to study the road for safety improvements.

She also envisions a time when tourists can take their bikes on a train or boat from Boston to the South Shore, get off at the station, and ride.

Robert Knox can be contacted at rc.knox@gmail.com. © Copyright 2008 Globe Newspaper Company. http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2008/02/17/greenway_proposed_to_connect_5_ towns/, March 20th 2008.

West Corner, where the state plans to realign Rockland Street with Jerusalem Road, needs safety improvements for walkers and bikers, and a stretch of Jerusalem Road in Cohasset where people walk to Black Rock Beach lacks sidewalks and is dangerous, Van Hamm said. Greenway backers will ask the town of Cohasset to study that road.

Other Greenway improvements include building more sidewalks in Scituate, connecting Forest Avenue to the Cohasset train station, and building pathway links in Norwell.

Recognition of the South Shore Greenway by state and local government will lead to maps, signs, and physical improvements, supporters said.

“Maps are our thing,” Weir said. The Conway School design students said their report will offer recommendations towns and other backers can act on. In addition to Sustainable South Shore (a regional group of “green” activists), the study is being sponsored by Cohasset Cycle Sports, Jake’s Seafood Restau-

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Enthusiasm abounds for South Shore Greenway

Cohasset’s recent efforts have included completion of the Forest Avenue sidewalk and a bike path connection to Wompatuck State Park beginning across from the train station.

The rest of Cohasset’s greenway is already complete or in the works.

By Nancy White The Cohasset Mariner Thu Feb 07, 2008, 12:17 PM EST Cohasset - The South Shore could have its own “emerald necklace” before too long. Enthusiastic support has been met with an idea to create walking and bike paths throughout five local towns including Cohasset. The pathways would connect conservation land and highlight points of interest in each town.

According to Bobo, it begins at the bike path to Wompatuck State Park across from the train station then will connect with the to-be-built sidewalk on Route 3A and King Street then pedestrians could have the option to continue to the waterfront and Hull via Forest Avenue or down North Main Street to the Village. Sidewalk connection then can take pedestrians or bike riders to the harbor or down South Main Street to the Cohasset/Scituate town line.

Judeth Van Hamm, president of Sustainable South Shore, and Steve Bobo, Board of Health member, came before the Selectmen to request the town’s support of the project as it gets off the ground. The Selectmen gave the South Shore Greenway the encouragement and support they desired.

The town of Scituate is looking for funding to build a sidewalk on Country Way from the North Scituate train station to the Cohasset/Scituate town line.

“I consider (this project) a windfall for the South Shore towns,” said Bobo. The towns of Hull, Hingham, Cohasset, Scituate and Norwell are involved in the project. Right now, students at the Conway School of Landscape Design are drafting a master plan for connected greenways in all five towns.

While in some respects each town has been working on efforts in isolation, this project brings the towns together toward a common goal — and could possibly make for a more appealing grant application down the line. The combination of pedestrian access to the train stations and collaboration between several towns will make a compelling case, said Van Hamm.

“I see it as a major resource for residents and an economic boon for commercial interests,” said Van Hamm, “I believe it will help every commercial node in our towns.”

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chitects. Cohasset Cycle Sports has contributed $100 already.

With a draft plan in place, the hope is all five towns could apply for a funding grant to make the greenway accessible to residents with maps and signage.

“I think it’s a great idea,” said Selectman Fred Koed and the Board supported his sentiment unanimously.

The students from the Conway School of Landscape Design will present a draft plan at a meeting Monday, March 3 at Cohasset Town Hall. http://www.wickedlocal.com/cohasset/homepage/ x1048104274, March 20th, 2008.

“It will connect Cohasset residents to another train station,” said Bobo and connect Cohasset to North Scituate center and then other Scituate areas.

Van Hamm, who lives in Hull, tried for federal grant funds for a similar project in her hometown in 2005 and 2007, but was not awarded the funding either time. She began to think broader and was able to get a team of students at the Conway School to take on the South Shore Greenway master plan as a research project.

“The landscape architects are not just connecting bike paths, it’s connecting open space and greenspaces on the South Shore,” said Van Hamm. Last week, dozens of residents from all towns met in Norwell to discuss the greenway.

“There’s a lot of enthusiasm for this project,” said Bobo.

Van Hamm and Bobo requested $400 from the town to contribute to the growing fund to pay for the landscape ar-

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Talks begin on South Shore greenway proposal

By Tessa Fitzgerald The Norwell Mariner Thu Jan 31, 2008, 03:12 PM EST Norwell -About 40 residents from South Shore communities gathered at First Parish Church in Norwell Tuesday night to offer input on the South Shore Greenway Project.

The proposed project would connect five towns — Norwell, Scituate, Hull, Cohasset and Hingham — by pathways that residents could walk, jog or bike on.

Using stickers and maps, residents at Tuesday night’s gathering marked off areas of the five towns they would like to see incorporated into the greenway. Areas like the shoreline in Scituate, Hull and Cohasset were marked off, as well as Wompatuck State Park in Hingham and the Norris Reservation in Norwell.

Some attendees indicated they would also like to see schools and businesses connected to the path network as well as access to the Greenbush commuter line in Scituate.

On the other side of the maps, participants marked off areas of town they enjoy.

Residents were also asked to split up into groups and then give their input on the set up of the Greenway.

Some groups suggested having safety phones installed along the pathways, as well as areas to stop, maps and directions, an educational component and loops so a person would not have to go back on the same path they rode or walked out onto.

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The students from the Conway School of Landscape Design, who ran the meeting, will put together the information they’ve gathered for a draft plan, to be presented at the next meeting, which will be held March 3 at Cohasset Town Hall.

The students working on the project are Andrew Weir, Kathleen McCormick and Michael Lance.

For a longer version of this story, see our Web site later in the week, www.wickedlocal.com/norwell. http://www.wickedlocal.com/norwell/announcements/ x1059371476, March 20th, 2008.

Emerald path to connect 5 towns : 3 grad students in landscape design are working on greenway study

By Kaitlin Keane The Patriot Ledger NORWELL - Five towns, three students and one pathway.

The numbers behind the South Shore Greenway Study make one thing clear - the graduate students at the Conway School of Landscape Design have their work cut out for them.

The study, being conducted by Andrew Weir, Kathleen McCormick and Michael Lance, is the final project for the Conway students’ second semester. The school says the 10-month graduate program is focused on landscape design that is ecologically and socially sustainable.

This project was a perfect fit for the school,’’ said Lance, who owns a residential landscape design firm. It’s such a great concept.’’

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Appendices The project, the South Shore Greenway Study, is to create a comprehensive plan for a bicycle and walking path that connects five South Shore communities: Cohasset, Hingham, Hull, Norwell and Scituate.

After meeting with about 60 residents and town officials from the five communities this week, the students have a better idea of what people want.

People who attended Tuesday’s meeting, held at the First Parish Church in Norwell, offered suggestions on which landmarks should be connected by the path.

Many stressed a desire to use the coastline and waterways while also creating an alternative-transportation route, Lance said.

Creating pathways that lead to the Greenbush rail line was another priority, he said.

The project is generating a buzz,’’ Lance said. People like the idea of linking a community, creating connectivity and bringing everyone together.’’

The students will aim to strike a balance between what people want and what is best for local wildlife, he said.

They will present a plan at a public meeting on March 3. Using that plan, towns will be able look into seeking state grants and other financing for the project, Norwell Town Planner Todd Thomas said.

Kaitlin Keane can be reached at kkeane@ledger.com .

Copyright 2008 The Patriot Ledger Transmitted Friday, February 01, 2008 http://ledger.southofboston.com/articles/2008/02/01/ news/news13.txt, March 20th, 2008.

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