While walking the stretch of Beacon Street encompassing DPW’s requested 29 tree removals a couple of weeks ago, I had a closeup look at a stretch where sidewalk and curb reconstruction was already completed, at the former South Pacific plaza. (Where current food options include Ravioli’s, Four Corners Pizza, and Dunkin Donuts.) 
This has long been a tree desert and walking there on a hot day was not pleasant. So I was rather shocked, as others who care about trees had been, that new concrete had been poured without any provision for a berm or tree planting. It seemed like a missed opportunity to add shade trees where there have been none, and to create some separation between vehicle traffic and pedestrians. I wondered if trees were planned for the unfinished area, though it appeared to be private property and part of the parking lot. I asked at the June 28 Waban Library meeting about the Beacon Street tree removals. No answer.
But today, NHNAC and Urban Tree Commission member Barbara Darnell sent me a current photo. That unfinished area had been paved with asphalt, apparently at city expense — although it still looks unfinished.
But what’s even weirder, it looks like the sidewalk has been narrowed to add space to the parking lot. I wondered how much space there would have been for berm trees, so I went back tonight and measured. The new sidewalk is 59” wide, so you could have had a regulation 36” minimum sidewalk and an almost 2ft berm — not great, but plantable. But take a look at the sidewalk on either end of this stretch. It’s 80” wide on the west end by Jaylin Cleaners, and
96” on the east end by the planter with the Ravioli’s sign! In 2011 Google Street View, it looks to be a constant width the whole way, probably 80”. That would have been ample room to plant berm trees, so why was the public right-of-way narrowed? If the new inner curb (which itself takes away six inches of sidewalk width) was intended to keep cars from parking on the sidewalk (as in Street View!), why wasn’t it installed along the previous sidewalk line?
This seems be benefiting the private property owner at the public’s expense. And drivers at the expense of pedestrians, who are losing sidewalk space and future shade, which is antithetical to the purpose of the “Complete Streets” program.
over the many decades, motor vehicle accidents are aplenty in that location. I wonder if bollards of some sort might be planned? In which case public safety would once again trump environment and perceived public health?
I am trying to understand this. Mr. Sanders thinks that the decrease in public health created by a few more square meters of pavement trumps the increase in public safety engendered by the associated relief to congestion in what is typically a rather busy and cramped parking lot. Similarly, Ms. Malakie would rather be cooled by a few trees on a warm summer day than provide those wishing to transact business in those shops with increased safety all year round. Neither makes any rational sense.
If bollards were desired, the time to do that would have been before the concrete was poured, too.
Tree-lined streets are good for pedestrian safety, in addition to providing shade and environmental benefits. Trees make a street appear narrower, and drivers tend to drive slower than when it’s a wide open space.
Yes, the parking lot is small, but that’s not what makes it unsafe. That goes to the folks who, when all the lined spaces close to Dunks are taken, park along the edge of the lot close to the road, so as to have the most direct route to their coffee.
Thanks for posting this, Julia! I’m very interested to know what’s going in that asphalt section. That has always been a very poorly defined sidewalk, especially concerning now that it’s a school route to the new Zervas. I wish trees would be part of the plan, but it’s hard to imagine how they’d survive being knocked down by vehicles, at least without some serious reinforcements.
The real problem, as Elmo so compassionately points out, is the layout of the site. It’s an old-fashioned strip mall, about as auto-oriented as it gets, and it’s rapidly deteriorating. It’s probably the one site in the city I would most like to see re-developed (no, not over-developed) to modern standards. Build the store fronts at the sidewalk with enough setbacks for trees and wide sidewalks, consolidate all parking around the back, and create a village feel for Four Corners. Why hasn’t this already happened?
Good reporting Julia, seems city departments have their own short term agendas these days which do not serve the broad public good. Lately, the Planning Dept. also is breaking away from traditional rules and making some short term unethical decisions.
Did anybody look into the city’s legal right to the sidewalk? The city should not be giving away sidewalk space. But, the city can’t just take public property to make a wider sidewalk and plant trees without the agreement of the landowner or compensation paid to the landowner. As the author points out, the sidewalks on either side of this property are also different widths so looks like there is no standard in the section.
I don’t see a reason to assume that the city gave anything to the property owner, other than a hard curb to prevent cars from parking on the sidewalk.
Thank you Julia for the information you sent and the questions you raised.
Kimberly Ritcey and her DPW team recently created a new Standard Operation Procedure (SOP) to help with the Preservation of City Street trees as “Preserving and planting more street trees are central components of this plan”.Basically, she says “All City street trees will be evaluated” before being taken down; she says nothing about planting trees, nor widening berms.
What I was hoping for in the new SOP was some possible solutions to increase the number of trees. In fact, I would have liked some recognition that the sidewalk by the new Zervas could have had a wider berm, suitable for planting trees: it would have been easy enough to move the sidewalk one or two feet over and have more room for city trees. I hope the next rebuilt school (Cabot?) plans have taken berm sizes into consideration.
As I am traveling through our city, I am noticing some very wide berms (blocks of Beacon St, West of Angier) and wonder how they happened and how we could have more of them.