Newton’s Zoning and Planning Committee met on March 9 with Brookline town officials to discuss Brookline’s proposal to rezone a stretch of Route 9 in Chestnut Hill. Committee members wanted to learn more about the proposal and its potential impacts on traffic, planning, and development along the Route 9 corridor.
Brookline’s proposed rezoning district covers about 27.8 acres over six blocks along Route 9 in Brookline between Hammond Street and Hammond Pond Parkway. The area currently consists of older, underutilized commercial parcels and parking lots. The proposed zoning overlay would allow for buildings as high as 150 to 175 feet (12-14 stories) on some parcels, with heights tapering lower on the parcels closest to Newton.
Chair Lisle Baker noted that Route 9 is one of Newton’s four major east-west corridors and reminded attendees that Newton and Brookline have a history of informal collaboration on land-use issues relating to the Star Market reconstruction and the Chestnut Hill Square/Wegman’s Plaza development, for example.
Brookline Town Administrator Charles Carey provided an overview of the proposal, noting that the effort was not “developer-driven” but rather a long-range planning exercise to “develop this as part of a bigger picture of what we want the neighborhood to look like.” He added that Brookline is in “desperate need” of increasing its commercial tax base. (Brookline.news reports that the Town is considering an override of almost $24 million, which would be the largest in state history.) Carey said that a two-thirds majority of Brookline’s Town meeting would be needed to approve this rezoning, and there is already vocal opposition over its height and traffic impacts.
The portion of the proposed district that is most dense is close to the Newton border. That parcel is currently occupied by an office park. A developer, City Realty, has proposed a project with up to 887,000 square feet of development, including 400,000 square feet of commercial space, 270 residential units, and 204 hotel rooms. Another parcel, located at the corner of Hammond Street and Route 9, is the site of a proposed 104-unit, six-story project to be built under Chapter 40B, and that determination is currently under appeal.
The Committee’s discussion was focused on proposed traffic concepts. The first proposal is to create an “R-cut” at Hammond Street and Route 9 that would eliminate the direct southbound crossing and reroute drivers through designated U-turn locations near the FedEx building and Duster Road.
Councilors Wright and Gordon each expressed concerns, with Wright stating that the current backup goes well past the proposed U-turn point and Gordon expressing skepticism about whether the change would improve the situation. “I could see people cutting through to get around having to do the turning,” Gordon said. Carey acknowledged the concerns and explained that this was only one potential option. He said that any implementation would require state approval and that the state would not move forward “without Brookline and Newton being on the same page.”
Two other proposed concepts were also discussed:
- A reduction to one lane in the roundabout at Hammond Pond Parkway and Heath Street and
- A proposal to address signal timing along Route 9.
Councilor Roche mentioned the conflicts in eastbound traffic that occur at the Chestnut Hill Square exit onto Route 9, and he urged that this section also be included in any traffic study.
In addition to the Town Administrator, Brookline Town Meeting Member Janice Khan attended the meeting. She is a resident of the precinct containing the affected zoning change and she offered additional information about the proposal. She said that as part of the Chapter 40B project, a barrier that currently prevents westbound U-turns at the corner of Hammond and Route 9 would be removed and additional turning movements would be added to the intersection. She also noted that shadow studies suggest that shadows would be cast across Route 9 and slightly onto Newton land at certain times of day from the tallest proposed buildings.
In addition to traffic concerns, several Councilors were concerned about the inclusion of the Star Market parking lot in the area to be rezoned as the availability of that parking was a major part of the granting of the special permit.
The item was held in order to continue monitoring the proposal. Brookline Town Administrator Carey suggested the creation of a task force that could focus more broadly on Route 9 issues. “Route 9 is a lifeline to both of our communities,” he said. “We should be working hand-in-hand with the state to flag the continuing issues and make it better.”
See NewTV’s video of the meeting.
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