Markeshia Ricks Photo
Wooster Square neighbors with Holly Parker of Nelson Nygaard.
Imagine State Street handling the same volume of traffic as now, but running straight and in two directions all the way from Grand Avenue to Water Street. Imagine narrower lanes slowing traffic for pedestrians, plus “cycletracks” on either side of the boulevard that divides downtown and Wooster Square.
Add in five- to six-story housing developments with some retail space on the Wooster Square side of State Street to bridge the “no man’s land” between downtown and Wooster Square.
City planners have been reimagining such a re-do of State Street as part of a planning study. They unveiled these ideas Wednesday night to more than 50 Wooster Square neighbors who filled the library of the Conte West Hills School.
The study, which is being conducted with the help of $125,000 in grant money from the state, is aimed at creating a “transit-oriented” plan that connects historic Wooster Square neighborhood to downtown without disturbing the uniqueness of either place. That plan, once approved by City Plan, could help guide opportunities for future development in that part of the city.
Kill the triangle sliver of land to get rid of the State Street loop.
Straightening out State Street to essentially kill the weird traffic loop around the Knights of Columbus building would open up an opportunity to do some mix of residential and retail between Chapel and Water Streets, consultants said Wednesday. It also would aid the connection of the Farmington Canal Greenway, which pops above ground around Grove Street, to the Vision Trail
In addition to making changes to State Street, the consultants from Boston-based Utile Architecture & Planning and Nelson/Nygaard talked about how to make better use of public space in Wooster Square proper, including improvements to DePalma Court and Russo Park that would provide a more direct connection to Wooster Square Park. The goal is to slow down drivers and make them more aware of pedestrians. Envisioned improvements include possibly creating a raised and resurfaced crosswalk between the two.
Neighbors also heard about opportunities for new, or redevelopment/reuse of the existing Zigler building at 81 Olive St.
Tim Love of Utile.
Based on feedback neighbors provided at a community meeting in July, consultants said that transforming State Street from feeling like the edge of the Wooster Square neighborhood — and instead making it gateway — would go a long way in connecting the two neighborhoods.
One neighbor asked if the addition of five- or six-story residential buildings on State Street, which are already in the pipeline around Union Street and Chapel, will make the Wooster Square neighborhood feel even more separated from downtown.
Utile’s Tim Love said the plans don’t exceed 70 feet in height, which is in keeping with the height of some of the pre-war buildings in downtown. He said the suggested new residential areas would allow for a gateway effect into Wooster Square that signal a scaled transition into both neighborhoods instead of the abrupt drop-off that exists now.
Consultant Kevin Hively, of Ninigret Partners, suggested that the scale of retail should remain true to the nature of the neighborhood and not focus on big, hard-to-lease spaces. He suggested a focus on corner-oriented retail and creative uses of existing empty spaces for pop-up retail and restaurants that could possibly evolve into more permanent businesses.
Husband and wife Joshua Markowitz and Julia Giblin expressed concern that the study didn’t reach farther out into the neighborhood, particularly where it abuts Grand Avenue. They live on Lyon Street, which is closest to nearby Ferraro’s Market, but that part of the neighborhood feels to them like a bit of a no-man’s land that is out of the way in terms of access to a store for basic needs. They suggested if not a full grocery store, a small market, or a covered, outdoor market would be a good option.
Markowitz also suggested that the city could use more pedestrian-level lighting that guides people into the Wooster Square neighborhood. That caught the attention of city economic development chief Matthew Nemerson, who said he’s seen something similar at the Verizon LTE Innovation Center in Waltham, Mass.
“Even with our LED lights, it’s still very hard to get light to the pedestrian level,” Nemerson said. And one of the complaints that the city has heard from neighbors is that a lack of light between downtown and Wooster Square makes people feel unsafe. Nemerson said the city has been pushing to “recapture” State Street as more than just a thoroughfare out of town.
“This is very exciting,” he said.
Utile’s Drew Kane responds to a neighbor’s suggestion.
Vito Luciani, who owns a building at 111 Water St. said instead of the loop around the Knights of Columbus building, there used to be a direct exit to Route 34 from Water and Brewery Street. He too was excited about any residual impact of better aligning State Street with Water Street. He said he’s even interested in possibly having his property, which currently hosts a travel agency and an Internet-based resale business, become a grocery store.
“I’ve been there 30 years,” he said. “It’s a good location.”
The study and its recommendations will get another public airing at the next Downtown/Wooster Square Management Team meeting and then possibly go before the City Plan Commission in November. It has yet to be decided if it will be added to the City’s Comprehensive Plan for development. If it ends up there, city officials said, it will then be used to guide future development of that part of the city.