Alewife Development Plan Ready

The Alewife Development Plan has been three years in the making. But if last night's city Planning Board meeting is any indication, the proposal may not go before the Cambridge City Council anytime soon.

Cambridge Deputy Director of Community Development Mary Flynn outlined goals in five areas of planning: environment and open space, transportation, housing, economic development and urban design.

Flynn said four locations, that are largely undeveloped compared to the rest of Alewifewould be upgraded under the plan. These areas are the Alewife Reservation, the Triangle, the Quadrangle and the Fresh Pond commercial area.

Flynn said that in terms of environment, the plan would "provide open space when-ever possible" and increase pedestrian access, while still providing for a safe environment.

The plan "would promote alternate means of transportation," and "encourage people to use the new bus network or the T," Flynn said. It also promotes improvements in pedestrian and bicycle paths.

She added that the plan would create "new housing opportunities wherever possible."

In terms of economic development, it would "encourage new job opportunities" and the expansion of the tax base through private development.

Finally, on the issue of urban design, the plan would increase connections between areas.

Alewife is currently divided into many small areas, Flynn said, and the connections would provide a more cohesive environment.

Flynn also emphasized the necessity for development in the end of the Triangle, and the plan calls for active ground floor retail use along Cambridgepark Drive.

Flynn stressed the importance of access between the Triangle and the Quadrangle. The two areas are currently blocked off by the commuter rail and fences and would be connected by extending Cambridgepark Drive to Smith place.

The Triangle and the Fresh Pond Shopping Center would also be connected by a pedestrian bridge over the tracks.

The Quadrangle is important for future economic development, Flynn said, and would be used for research and development, light industry and manufacturing firms.

The Fresh Pond area would be devoted to the upgrading the shopping center and encouraging mixed use development.

Concerns Raised

Residents and businessmen among the audience of about 40 people at the board meeting raised a number of concerns, particularly about transportation and traffic.

One resident said that she was concerned about the increased traffic because the streets are "quiet and suburban type streets," and she does not want to see the nature of the streets change.

Another resident was concerned that the increased transportation connections would increase traffic through Alewife, and he wanted to know what the committee was going to do about "safety considerations resulting from new connections to the rest of Cambridge."

Two Belmont residents also voiced concerns about Cambridge's desire to shunt traffic away from the area and into neighboring communities. One of the residents that said that Belmont is a residential area and they don't want trucks going through at all hours of the day.

Other concerns included the timing of implementation of the plan, and the lack of specific numbers in the proposal. The resident who raised that concern said, "I can't assess adjectives. I can assess numbers." He asked the committee to provide more specifics in the plan.

Alewife residents and business owners interviewed yesterday afternoon did not know anything about the new master plan. Of eight people questioned, six said they had never heard of any plan, and two thought the proposal dealt with building a new bridge on the Alewife Brook Parkway.

One concerned citizen, who declined to be identified, said, "It seems to me that they should let the North Cambridge people know before they start passing development plans that we will have to pay taxes on."

These concerns, along with others raised at a meeting at the Chamber of Commerce last week, make it unlikely that the plan will go before the council anytime soon.

Concerns raised at last week's meeting dealt with the existing parking freeze, locations of new housing, lack of a buffer zone between the residential and industrial areas, traffic, and open space bonuses.