Federal Highway Approval Needed for Riverside Development Entrance in Newton

After months of public hearings, the developers and traffic engineers working on the proposed Riverside mixed-use development will soon be applying for federal highway approval in order to move forward with the project.

The application will request a modification to the Route 128/I-95 "collector-distributor" (or "C-D" road) to allow the construction of the site's proposed entrance. And according to MassDOT Highway Division Administrator Frank DePaola, federal highway officials are likely give their approval.

"[Highway officials] feel that we addressed all safety concerns," DePaola said during a Land Use Committee working session Tuesday night.

In plans presented at the Riverside project working session, Planning Department Director Candace Havens explained that the proposed entrance on the west side of the site has been changed to a small roundabout, rather than the previous options of right- and left-turn intersections. 

Having a roundabout at this west entrance allows cars to enter from all directions, Havens said, and it slows traffic down, reducing the risk of a serious accident. 

Developer BH Normandy is currently seeking a special permit to build a mixed-use project for the Riverside MBTA Station site on Grove Street in Newton. The project would include a five-story, 331,000-square-foot residential building with 290 housing units as well as a 10-story, 225,000-square-foot office building, 20,000 square feet of retail space and 8,000 square feet of community space. 

At a public hearing late last year, neighbors and city officials expressed concerns about the main entrance proposed for the west side of the site. The preferred option ("Option B-2") would allow two-way access in and out of the site (a right and left turn allowed) and the other ("Option A") would only allow just right turns in and out of the site. Although the B-2 option would take nearly 1,500 cars off of Grove Street, traffic engineers and state highway officials said it was unlikely Federal Highway Administration officials would accept the two-way access point.

DePaola explained that the developer's traffic consultant will soon fill out an application to construct the roundabout and file it with Federal Highway. DePaola said the review process will take between 60-90 days. 

Rear access to the site

Although the MBTA has said it will not allow a rear access point behind the Riverside Station site, Havens said the Planning Department's rough cost estimate for a road behind the site came in at around $1.7 million.

However, the estimate does not include any environmental costs or mitigation that would be required to build a road behind the site, as it is next to the Charles River, Havens said.

At a November public hearing, MBTA officials made it clear that they would not like to install an access road behind the site due to issues of safety and T operations, despite officials' arguments that it would improve traffic conditions in nearby neighborhoods.

Despite push back from the MBTA, Ward 4 Alderman Jay Harney continued to argue the need for the rear access road.

"We really need to keep this option open," Harney said. "The MBTA is going to be making a lot of money from this site and it's only fair that they come to the table and talk a little bit more about this."

Ward 7 Alderman-at-Large Marc Laredo agreed that the city should keep talks open with the MBTA about a potential access road.

"I don't want it to hold the project up, but I would like to pursue this more," Laredo said.

If a road were to be built, Havens said there would have to be some relocating of storage units, substations and train tracks. 

The Land Use Committee also discussed the proposed parking plan for the Riverside Station site. Stay tuned to Patch for more information on this discussion.