By Ben Oleksinski
Lexington is developing a new zoning district for the nearby Hartwell Avenue area. On May 30, a joint meeting between the town’s Selectmen and Planning Board took the first steps in a long-term transformation project, initiating talks of commercial viability and community values.
Lexington Selectmen are seeking to improve the balance of their town’s tax base, taking pressure off residential taxpayers by revitalizing the commercial zone. The best opportunity to this end is Hartwell Avenue. The proposal would create a refreshed zoning district that maintains commercial values by allowing property owners to build mixed-use developments, adding a focus on walkability, and including retail and limited residential uses.
For Bedford, such zoning would come close to town lines. Specifically, the segment of the district from Maguire Road to the Bedford Street ‘jug handle’ and adjacent properties. As of now, the defined area is mostly allocated for commercial and manufacturing uses. There is a certain geometry to the placement [of the development] that anchors and lends itself to the plans.
However, some implications concern both.
Mainly, the change in traffic flow. Roads would be more pedestrian-oriented, using the available size to carve out rain gardens, bike lanes, and a median with two travel lanes and parking lanes (a departure from the current cross-section). With added commercial activity, driving through Hartwell Avenue would be very different from now.
These changes would be taken into close consideration. The Stantec company is currently assessing existing conditions and projecting a traffic model at 10-, 20-, and 30-year intervals. Key improvements will be identified to accommodate the anticipated traffic and provide cost estimates. These will, in turn, be built into an infrastructure financing plan conducted by other consultants.
For what the area would look like, developments would allow more density with the streetscape. Buildings could be anywhere from three to five stories with clear development design standards.
Again, the initiative is long-term. The goal of the joint meeting was to draft a proposal, with community input, and present it to the Lexington Town Meeting for a vote in Fall 2018. Although zoning might be approved this year, most likely it would be five to ten years before development begins.
Click this link to view the PowerPoint presentation by consultants Gamble Associates.
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