permit from the Town. This process is often lengthy and creates uncertainties for developers, making the prospect of developing in this area less appealing and often infeasible. Although the Town is sometimes able to negotiate public realm improvements in exchange for granting a special permit, this happens on a case-by-case basis. There are no clear expectations for either developers or the Town guiding the required trade-offs between additional density bonuses and public benefits.
Assets and Opportunities Route 9 East is a prime location for transitoriented development (TOD). The majority of the study area is located within a quarter mile radius of one of two MBTA Green Line stops: Brookline Hills or Brookline Village. The entire study area falls within a half-mile radius of either of these stops. As a major commuting road in and out of Boston, Route 9 East serves many drivers
Figure 3.11 Area within Âź mile of MBTA Green Line stops.
26 | Bringing Back Boylston: A Vision and Action Plan for Route 9 East
each workday. Although the traffic poses a challenge, it also represents an untapped asset for businesses: a pool of potential customers who travel through the corridor twice per day and could patronize businesses there if given a reason to do so. There is not a lot of foot traffic on Boylston Street itself, but many pedestrians walk on Cypress and Washington Streets, and pedestrian traffic crossing Route 9 East is quite heavy. Sidewalks at the Cypress Street intersection often get heavily congested with commuters walking to and from the Brookline Hills T station and students going to and from Brookline High School. These pedestrians represent many potential customers for businesses in the area. Route 9 East has access to parks and open space, including the Emerald Necklace, a linear park system designed by Frederick Law Olmsted that is a major recreation and historic
Figure 3.13: Fire station and the Brookline Bank building (next page) are iconic buildings near Brookline Village.
site for people throughout the Boston metro area. There are also several neighborhood parks in or near the corridor, including the Boylston Street Playground, Cypress Street Playground, and Emerson Park. Several iconic and historic buildings provide visual interest and act as landmarks to help with orientation along the corridor. These include
Figure 3.12: Gateway East Project Plans – 25% Design. Image Source: Gateway East Project 7/23/15 Presentation