Beacon St Archives - WalkMassachusetts

Comment Letter on Kenmore Hotel Project (560-574 Commonwealth Avenue)

June 27, 2019

Brian Golden, Director
Boston Redevelopment Authority
Attn: Tim Czerwienski
One City Hall Square
Boston, MA 02201-1007

Re: Kenmore Hotel, 560-574 Commonwealth Avenue, WalkBoston Comments

Dear Director Golden:

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on the Kenmore Hotel Project.

WalkBoston believes that the re-configuration of Kenmore Square proposed by the proponent will significantly enhance the environment and improve the safety and convenience of people walking to and through Kenmore Square. It will also create new pedestrian-focused civic space that is presently missing from this important Boston crossroads – where many residents, transit users, students, Red Sox fans and Boston Marathon fans will find new space to enhance their experience of Kenmore Square.

We believe that the re-configuration will also significantly improve the safety of bicyclists and drivers, with its simplified pattern of movement. Based on the traffic analysis provided in the DPIR it also appears that the new traffic pattern will improve the levels of service for vehicles, potentially providing a benefit for the many bus riders who pass through the Square each day.

We are very pleased that the proponent has proposed building a hotel without on-site parking or below-grade service access – either of which would require a curb cut interrupting the sidewalk. With Kenmore Square’s good transit access the hotel will truly reflect an urbanist vision for the City which we applaud. While we have not reviewed any financial information about the project, we wonder whether the decision to forgo the construction of parking spaces (@ approximately $25,000 – $30,000/space) has provided the proponent with the financial capacity to build the extensive plaza and streetscape improvements that are proposed. If this is the case, we hope that future Boston development projects will be encouraged by the City to take advantage of this opportunity.

We urge the City to work with the proponent to bring this new vision for Kenmore Square to fruition.

We have several questions and comments about the project that we urge the City to work with the proponent to address.

The new, much safer, bicycle circulation system is an important improvement for Kenmore Square. We urge the design team to carefully design the western edge of the site to actively discourage eastbound cyclists on Commonwealth Avenue from riding through the plaza area rather than taking the New Road-Beacon Street-Commonwealth Avenue bike route that is the intended route.
Based on the wind study results presented at the June 19 public meeting, several spots on the plaza may be quite windy. We urge the proponent to develop designs that both reduce the wind and avoid the use of walls along Commonwealth Avenue. We believe that walls will serve to privatize the feel of the space and may also cause unintended noise impacts (wooshing sounds) as traffic passes by the intermittent walls.
We hope that the plaza will include seating that has a softer feel than that which seems to be illustrated to date – seating that invites people to linger and enjoy the great people-watching.
For how many years has the proponent committed to maintaining and programming the Plaza?
It appears from the site plan that there are two left turn lanes from westbound Commonwealth Avenue feeding into one receiving lane on Brookline Avenue – is this intended, or is the site plan incorrect? In addition, westbound Commonwealth Avenue traffic will need very clear lane markings (and perhaps a tweaking of the shape of the nose of the plaza) to ensure that traffic does not mistakenly head westbound on Beacon Street.

We look forward to a significantly improved walking experience in Kenmore Square when the project is realized.

Please let us know if you have any questions about our comments.

Best regards,

Wendy Landman
Executive Director

Comments on the Single Environmental Impact Report for the Landmark Center Redevelopment MEPA# 15183

August 8, 2014

Secretary Maeve Vallely Bartlett
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA)
Attn: Purvi Patel
100 Cambridge St., Suite 900
Boston MA 02114

RE: Comments on the Single Environmental Impact Report for the Landmark Center Redevelopment MEPA# 15183

Dear Secretary Vallely Bartlett:

For large development projects around the state, WalkBoston provides a review of proposed pedestrian facilities and provide comments that suggest ways to help improve pedestrian conditions and/or mitigate negative impacts on pedestrians.

WalkBoston has reviewed the Single Environmental Impact Report for the Landmark Center Redevelopment. The project is designed to intensify the use of the property by relocating existing parking underground, and constructing 600 residential units, 185,000 sq ft of retail space, and 15,000 sq ft of office space. The existing Landmark building is preserved and circulation is upgraded on the retail level. Public open space will be augmented, and additional paths for pedestrians provided.

The project holds many positive improvements for pedestrians. The new connections between the MBTA station and the neighborhood, both inside and outside of the building are well done and very desirable. The new park at the corner of Park Drive and Brookline Avenue will provide a gathering spot and a “green” that will have multiple uses for people-watching or as an entertainment venue.

We have some suggestions that may improve facilities for pedestrians:

• The proponent might consider extending the weather-protected portion of the walking route along the new building frontage between the existing Landmark building and the north side of the property, including both the MBTA station and the multi-purpose path. Weather protection could be provided either inside the new building, as an extension of the interior network of pathways or by a canopy that would provide some protection for walkers across this small portion of the site.

• On page 1-7 the report cites the “….vibrant streetscape along Park Drive, Brookline Avenue, and Fullerton Street.” These three sides of the project warrant such attention. But the north side of the property, where the multi-use path is proposed to be located, has not been provided with attractive treatments. The walls and landscaping along this path be provided with amenities to make it more vibrant and attractive to walkers. For example, murals could be added on the adjacent walls.

• The proposed design for Fullerton Street is confusing. A connection for pedestrians is provided via Fullerton and Miner Street to reach Beacon Street from the development, but the extensive truck use of Fullerton Street may make this connection uncomfortable for pedestrians. The proposal to increase the corner radii at the intersection of Brookline Avenue/Kilmarnock Street/Fullerton Street should be carefully reviewed for its potential safety impacts on walkers.

There is an important pedestrian safety issue that we hope the proponent of the project will undertake – improving pedestrian access across Park Drive at the top of the bridge where bus stops and the stairs to the Green Line are located. Two different improvements should be implemented.

1. By using the underground passageway adjacent to the MBTA D Line station, a pathway along the MBTA right-of-way through the Fenway Station would connect the Riverway portion of the Emerald Necklace to the multi-use path leading to Kenmore Square. This would enhance safety for pedestrians who want to walk between these two off-street paths.

2. An improved pedestrian crossing of Park Drive is needed at the top of the hill where the bus stops and access to the stairs to the Green Line are located. There is currently no crosswalk or signal at this location, and the hill reduces the visibility of pedestrians. As the location of a busy transit connection serving both Green Line and bus riders, this location warrants a careful study to develop safe crosswalks perhaps including a pedestrian activated signal or other high-visibility markings.

Thank you for the opportunity to comment on this important project.

Sincerely,

Robert Sloane
Senior Planner

Cc: Jack Murray, Commissioner, DCR
Jim Gillooly, Interim Commissioner, Boston Transportation Department

Beacon Street Multimodal Improvements and Streetscape Enhancement Comment Letter

The Beacon Street project area extends from the bridge abutment at Oxford Street to Dickinson Street, a distance of approximately 1.1 miles. The project is intended to enhance pedestrian and bicycle movements with improved streetscape, wider sidewalks, a new cycle track/bicycle lanes, and new ADA compliant curb ramps. The project goal is to enhance the multimodal connectivity of the Beacon Street Corridor.

Read the full letter here:
WalkBoston-CommentENF-BeaconSt-Somerville