13 Villages & One Goal...
Newtonville: Villagers' Visions for Austin Street
Newtonville: Villagers' Visions for Austin Street
The residents and business owners of each Newton village have the most at stake in terms of the use of public property in their village. The Austin Street parking lot is public property. Newtonville residents and business owners are the most affected stakeholders when it comes to the Austin Street parking lot. In a village survey and via several petitions, Newtonville rejected the proposals for massive buildings on the lot offered by developers, including Austin Street Partners (ASP), the developer group ultimately chosen by Mayor Warren. The Mayor has since said the ASP proposal is off the table, and that Newton is "starting from scratch" to create a plan for the Austin Street parking lot. The City has not created any pathway for residents and business owners to offer their visions for Austin Street, so we are offering one here.
In cooperation with the Newtonville Trust community organization, the Newton Villages Alliance is inviting Newton residents and business owners, and particularly those from Newtonville, to send us their ideas for the best use of the parking lot. Ideas can be written descriptions, drawings, renderings, tearsheets from design magazines or inspiring photos one stumbles across on the web. Please email descriptions or images to us at [email protected] or mail them to us at Newton Villages Alliance, P.O. 610051, Newton Highlands, MA 02461. We'll publish as many good ideas as we can, here, for all to consider.
Below are some of the best ideas for Austin Street we've seen so far:
In cooperation with the Newtonville Trust community organization, the Newton Villages Alliance is inviting Newton residents and business owners, and particularly those from Newtonville, to send us their ideas for the best use of the parking lot. Ideas can be written descriptions, drawings, renderings, tearsheets from design magazines or inspiring photos one stumbles across on the web. Please email descriptions or images to us at [email protected] or mail them to us at Newton Villages Alliance, P.O. 610051, Newton Highlands, MA 02461. We'll publish as many good ideas as we can, here, for all to consider.
Below are some of the best ideas for Austin Street we've seen so far:
A Beautiful Parking Lot & Pocket Park
Imagine walking through the passageway from Walnut Street alongside the bank and coming out into Bram Way to be greeted by a view like this - a beautifully paved parking lot with gorgeous trees and a hedge surrounding a little pocket park nearer the far end of the parking lot.
This vision would retain the public use of the parking lot, and the parking spaces residents and business owners need. It would also create a much-needed park and tree canopy to make Newtonville's village center a more appealing place for residents and visitors alike.
This use would would have the added benefit of preserving the land for future needs, and would have no negative impacts in terms of traffic, parking shortages, school overcrowding, or the costs of providing City services to a massive, high-density housing development.
Imagine walking through the passageway from Walnut Street alongside the bank and coming out into Bram Way to be greeted by a view like this - a beautifully paved parking lot with gorgeous trees and a hedge surrounding a little pocket park nearer the far end of the parking lot.
This vision would retain the public use of the parking lot, and the parking spaces residents and business owners need. It would also create a much-needed park and tree canopy to make Newtonville's village center a more appealing place for residents and visitors alike.
This use would would have the added benefit of preserving the land for future needs, and would have no negative impacts in terms of traffic, parking shortages, school overcrowding, or the costs of providing City services to a massive, high-density housing development.
Ideas for a Pocket Park on the Austin Street Lot
Jane's Walk in New York's Gramercy Park (below left) is one idea of what an Austin Street pocket park could look like. Or a pocket park might look more like a plaza with flower beds (below right). There are many possibilities...
Jane's Walk in New York's Gramercy Park (below left) is one idea of what an Austin Street pocket park could look like. Or a pocket park might look more like a plaza with flower beds (below right). There are many possibilities...
Pocket Park Features
These might include trees, hedges, elegant benches, period street lamps, a refreshing fountain, a play structure,...
These might include trees, hedges, elegant benches, period street lamps, a refreshing fountain, a play structure,...
What About Simply Adding Trees and Landscaping to the Austin Street Parking Lot?
This approach is like the parking lot and pocket park idea, but would retain even more parking spaces. It's difficult to argue against more trees. They're good for the planet and good for people.
This approach is like the parking lot and pocket park idea, but would retain even more parking spaces. It's difficult to argue against more trees. They're good for the planet and good for people.
This is a rendering from a project in another community, but imagine if the sidewalk on Austin Street was widened (taking a strip a few feet wide from the parking lot) to accommodate a row of trees on either side. This allée landscaping technique would have a transformative effect on Austin Street and on the parking lot. In the image at left, the figures would be walking from Bram Way, as if from Starbucks, and heading west along Austin Street in the direction of Lowell Avenue. If done in conjunction with trees elsewhere in the parking lot, the overall experience of the lot would be a very pleasant one. Below are photos of places where parking lots are shady, tree-lined places, including one which functions as an arboretum to educate the community about native tree species.
Adding a Few Zipcar Spaces to the Lot
A number of people have suggested this idea. Why not?
A number of people have suggested this idea. Why not?
Adding Beautiful Places to Park Bicycles
Bicycles needn't be locked up to ugly bike racks. What about the elegant stanchions now produced for bicycle lock up? Or the clean look of sculptural bike circles?
Bicycles needn't be locked up to ugly bike racks. What about the elegant stanchions now produced for bicycle lock up? Or the clean look of sculptural bike circles?
Keep your great ideas coming... We'll publish more as you do. Thank you for participating.