On Memorial Drive, Shopping May Stop for Good

A recent decision by the Metropolitan District Commission (MDC) to uphold its long-standing ban of trucks on Memorial Drive could end any hope for keeping the Stop & Shop grocery store in Cambridge.

Stop & Shop closed its Mem Drive store last Saturday, but many community leaders have held out hope that a Super Stop & Shop could be built in its place.

The chain's design for the enlarged store, however, requires that trucks servicing the one-stop shopping site travel on Mem Drive for about 350 yards when exiting the site. And the MDC has reiterated its position that trucks may not drive on any section of the road.

In recent weeks, the controversy over Stop & Shop has pitted neighbor against neighbor, dividing the city between conservationists who want to protect the Charles River basin from 18-wheelers and hungry Cambridgeport residents who want a convenient place to shop.

The Charles River basin is subject to a special measure of environmental scrutiny because it is a national historic district, according to Julia B. O'Brien, the MDC's director of planning. The area has special protection under the state's constitution because it is considered park land.

"Memorial Drive was not built to accommodate 18-wheel vehicles," O'Brien says. "There are public safety concerns. It's also inappropriate in terms of long-term stewardship of a park area."

But city residents and officials are concerned that the closing of the Cambridgeport Stop & Shop has left area residents--particularly those who live in public housing developments along Memorial Drive without a place to buy their food.

Although the grocery chain is operating buses from its former Cambridgeport site to its store in Watertown, shoppers who used to walk to the Cambridgeport store say they have lost their independence.

The city council supports the building of a Super Stop & Shop.

"The city's position is we want to do whatever is possible to do to make sure the people of Cambridge eat," says Isaac T. Graves, chief of staff to Cambridge Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves '72.

On Monday night, the city council voted to filea "home rule" petition asking the statelegislature to overrule the MDC and allow truckson Memorial Drive.

The legislature could support Cambridge'spetition with a simple majority. If that measureis vetoed by the governor, it would take atwo-thirds majority of both houses to force theMDC to change its position.

It is not clear, however, whether thelegislature will support the petition, observerssay. The local representatives, which the rest ofthe legislature would follow, appear to be spliton the issue.

Although the old Stop & Shop used to beserviced by trucks travelling on neighborhoodstreets, the grocery store gave up the right tohave trucks approach it through Cambridge roadwayswhen Stop & Shop bought a city street last year.

Ironically, the chain purchased the street fromthe city in order to assemble a block of landlarge enough to build a Super Stop & Shop.

At the time of the purchase, the city'shesitancy to sell the grocery store the street wasseen as the biggest obstacle to the building of aSuper Stop & Shop.

"The purchase and sale agreement really createdsomething of a box for both the city and the Stop& Shop," O'Brien says

On Monday night, the city council voted to filea "home rule" petition asking the statelegislature to overrule the MDC and allow truckson Memorial Drive.

The legislature could support Cambridge'spetition with a simple majority. If that measureis vetoed by the governor, it would take atwo-thirds majority of both houses to force theMDC to change its position.

It is not clear, however, whether thelegislature will support the petition, observerssay. The local representatives, which the rest ofthe legislature would follow, appear to be spliton the issue.

Although the old Stop & Shop used to beserviced by trucks travelling on neighborhoodstreets, the grocery store gave up the right tohave trucks approach it through Cambridge roadwayswhen Stop & Shop bought a city street last year.

Ironically, the chain purchased the street fromthe city in order to assemble a block of landlarge enough to build a Super Stop & Shop.

At the time of the purchase, the city'shesitancy to sell the grocery store the street wasseen as the biggest obstacle to the building of aSuper Stop & Shop.

"The purchase and sale agreement really createdsomething of a box for both the city and the Stop& Shop," O'Brien says