Community Begins To Share Vision for Sullivan Square

Though the completion of the Rutherford Avenue and Sullivan Square roadway project is possibly a decade away, the city is asking Charlestown residents to begin looking at what they want the land around the new corridor to look like.

Ted Schwartzberg, a neighborhood planner with the Boston Redevelopment Authority, led a meeting at the Schrafft’s Center cafeteria Thursday night that kicked off the “Sullivan Square Disposition Study” process—an approximately eight-month review of what the community would like to see done with new parcels created by the roadway project as well as an overall vision of the finished corridor.

The BRA in March awarded the disposition study to consultant team Crosby Schlessinger Smallridge, and the process will involve agencies such as the Boston Transportation and Public Works departments, the MBTA and the Metropolitan Area Planning Council.

Funding for the study comes for a federal Sustainable Communities Regional Planning Grant, which stipulates that the work must be completed by the end of 2013, Schwartzberg said. The team expects to bring a plan to the BRA board by December.

“We were lucky to get this federal grant. “We didn’t want to let the opportunity go,” he said, acknowledging that the study was on a fast track when construction of the roadway is still several years out. “We realize the timing’s not perfect.”

Schwartzberg referred to the study as “one small piece of the puzzle for what’s going to happen in Charlestown” and said the plan would include “appropriate flexibility” in its guidelines for future development while also allowing the neighborhood to hold developers accountable.

In March, after many public meetings, the Boston Transportation Department announced that a “surface option” conceptual design had been selected for Rutherford Avenue. Officials said that eliminating the Austin Street and Sullivan Square underpasses would transform the roadway “from a highway into a neighborhood-friendly, urban boulevard.”

The issue had split the community for some time, with many concerned that the surface option would not be able to handle the area’s traffic.

The city has funding to take the conceptual plan to 100 percent design but does not currently have money earmarked for construction, BTD Director of Policy and Planning Vineet Gupta said Thursday. He anticipated the next stage of the roadway design process would begin in the fall.

The conceptual design for Rutherford Avenue presents a “framework” around which the community can develop ideas for development, Gupta said.

The roadway redesign essentially creates seven separate parcels, with four parcels of just over one acre in size and three that are just under one acre, explained Skip Smallridge, principal in charge and urban designer with Crosby Schlessinger Smallridge.

The study will look at whether some of those parcels should remain open space or be split into small pieces, at the size, orientation and use of potential buildings, at the need for parking and ways to reduce peak-hour traffic and improve connections between the rest of Charlestown.

“This area has been an auto-oriented area for so many years. It’s time to restore some balance to the pedestrians and the cyclists, particularly to facilitate connections to MBTA stations,” said Jane Howard, a transportation expert with Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates.

For the most part, Thursday’s meeting focused on the issue of open space, as Schwartzberg and the consultant team asked residents whether they would like to see one central park, like in City Square, several linked areas of green space, an expanded area around Sullivan Square T Station or other options.

Charlestown Neighborhood Council chairman Tom Cunha said, whatever the option, he wanted to make sure any parks or landscaping could be maintained.

“One of the things I’m concerned about: Will the developer be required to maintain the open space and will it be in perpetuity,” he said.

Some worried about the value of open space in the area, with air pollution, noise and potential building shadows to contend with. There was a suggestion of building indoor green space.

Several people said they would like to see at least one central park area, providing a continuity of green space at each of the neighborhood’s entrances.

Others felt the plan should accentuate the nearby Mystic River, improve the Harbor Walk connection and provide access for small recreational boats.

A representative from Charlestown Little League pointed out that there were about 125 kids playing in nearby Ryan Park on Thursday night and that very few were able to walk over from their homes. He wanted to see a safe, natural connection made between the park and the rest of the neighborhood.

Though the discussion focused on open space, several people had other concerns, which Schwartzberg said would be addressed at future community meetings.

One resident suggested the city look into splitting up the developable parcels into smaller pieces to encourage “smaller owners” that will be more committed to the community.

“We’re trying to connect Charlestown proper … We’re trying to fill in the void that was destroyed by the efforts of the transportation networks in the ‘40s and ‘50s,” he said. “If you simply put in a bunch of developed parcels, you don’t get the community commitment that you do with smaller units.”

Abby Gray, president of the Charlestown Chamber of Commerce, said the plan should encourage independent businesses. She said that several business owners had approached her wanting to move into Charlestown but were put off by the lack of space or the high rental costs.

Notes from Thursday’s meeting and future meetings, as well as maps, graphics and other items, will be posted online at tinyurl.com/SullivanDisposition.