Bridging Divides: The Gardens as a Transport Hub

BRIDGING DIVIDES

THE GARDENS AS A TRANSPORT HUB

SITE CONTEXT Our vision of the Gardens as a transportation hub for mobilizing and connecting families to opportunities is concretely grounded in the geographic and spatial orientation of the current site. Located on 266 North Beacon Street, the current 7.58-acre site of the Gardens is spatially located near the border of Allston and Brighton, just a stone’s throw away from some of the most vibrantly growing neighborhoods in Boston. While nearby institutional and commercial developments have placed immense rent pressure on the housing market within which the Gardens is situated, they also present immensely rich opportunities that residents of the Gardens can continue to tap into through our goals of maintaining and expanding affordable housing with our proposed project.

TRANSPORTATION: ACCESSIBILITY TO OPPORTUNITY The Gardens is served by a variety of public transit options within easy walking distance from the site, making the Gardens an ideal family housing location for providing access to many opportunities.

The 64 bus line’s North Beacon stop is directly in front of the site, connecting residents to Cambridge and the MBTA Red Line at Central Square. Additionally, the 86 bus stop along Market Street is less than four minutes away by walking, connecting the site to the Red Line via Harvard Square and the Orange Line via Sullivan Square. These bus lines provide valuable access to the burgeoning economic growth in Allston and Cambridge driven by institutions such as Harvard University, as well as provide opportunities to build stronger relationships with these academic institutions for possible on-site programming and volunteers. As we will describe later, there are many possibilities for rekindling a formerly impactful relationship with local universities for mentorship and tutoring programming at the Gardens.

The Boston Landing station, served by the MBTA commuter rail, is also a 13-minute walk from the Gardens, providing a direct line to the heart of Downtown Boston and its rich array of employment opportunities, public amenities, and commercial areas. But beyond serving as a connection to downtown, Boston Landing itself has become a central hub for development in the neighborhood of the Gardens. Zoned as a Planned Development Area (PDA), the Boston Landing complex includes a wide variety of existing and planned commercial facilities. In addition to the newly opened Warrior Ice Arena, other construction is underway for the New Balance headquarters, a hotel, and a variety of shops.

Near the Boston Landing station, the 10.6-acre Allston Yards development has also been recently approved on the site of the Stop & Shop supermarket. With expanded retail and restaurant space, including a new Stop & Shop, Allston Yards’ proximity to the Gardens provides residents with easy access to fresh groceries. Several other grocery and convenience stores are also within easy walking distance from the Gardens.

“I’m a walker, so everything is very accessible--the grocery store, the mall, Brighton Center, hospitals, parks, and the Charles is right over there--I can walk to any of them, so I just feel we have everything - Current resident of the Gardens

AMENITIES FOR FAMILIES AND RESIDENTS As a housing development tailored for families, the Gardens is situated in a location with close proximity to public amenities and other resources for residents with children to readily utilize.

Various current residents cited the Oak Square YMCA and Faneuil branch of the Boston Public Library, a 20-minute walk from the site, as important resources for their children. As seen in the following map, more libraries and local schools are in close proximity to the site, providing easy access for families with schoolage children. Additionally, immediately south of the Gardens is McKinney Playground, with a baseball field, basketball court, and street hockey court that are often used by residents.

The Gardens also has several hospital and medical service centers within a one-mile radius of the site, including St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, Francsican Children’s, and Spaulding Rehabilitation. In addition to offering potential opportunities for workforce employment, the proximity to medical centers can be invaluable for both residents with children and those who are aging in place for access to medical care. For working-age and senior residents, the Gardens provides accessibility to other important nearby public amenities. The AllstonBrighton Resource Center resides one mile north of the site and hosts a range of job and career fairs. For senior residents, the nearby Veronica B. Smith Senior Center provides health and nutrition services, in addition to comprehensive programs targeting seniors through seminars and workshops.

16

Watertown Town

Boston Cambridge MBTA_Bus_Stops MBTA_Routes

Existing_Bike_Network_2019 Boston_Street_Segments SPEEDLIMIT 1 5 10 50 100 MicrosoftBuildings_Clip tl_2019_25_place_1 Green Line Commuter Rail

Newton Brookline

THE PROPOSAL