Traffic Still a Major Concern with Proposed Riverside Station Development

The auditorium at was packed once again last night as residents and elected officials voiced their concerns about a proposed mixed-use development at the Riverside MBTA Station.

Despite changes to scale-back the project, those in the audience remained skeptical that the modifications would do anything to alleviate traffic back-up coming on and off Route 128/Interstate 95 as well as the surrounding neighborhood roads. 

"I don't think any public officials can responsibly let a project like this occur," said Clearwater Road resident Norm Sieman. "Unless and until [the traffic] problem is solved, this is not only a destroyer of quality of life in neighborhoods, it also has regional impacts."

The community meeting was held to update residents on changes to the size of the project as well as some new plans for Grove Street and the multiple roundabouts that will be built to move cars around the property. Consultants also had a chance to respond to some of the concerns expressed in comment letters written by residents, . 

Since the start of planning, the total size of the project has reduced by about 20 percent, according to plans presented by ADD Inc. architect Tamara Roy.

The proposed project includes roughly 1.5 million square feet in development, including 695,700 square feet in retail, office and residential space as well as another 791,789 square feet in parking.

If the project moves forward in its current state, a total of 245 residential units would be built alongside two office buildings, a retail/community space and multiple parking structures/areas totaling 2,251 parking spaces. 

Changes made to project size 

, Roy and several consultants went back to the project's developer, BH Normandy, and re-worked the size of the development.

Roy explained some changes last night including:

• Reduced commercial space. Previously two floors of a building facing Grove Street were devoted to retail, now the second floor is dedicated "community space."

• Reduced the residential space by 50 units (from 295 to 245)

• Increased and improved open space areas. Dedicated playgrounds for children, including a children's fountain.

• Reduced roadway widths - Grove Street goes from previously proposed four-lane road to a two-lane road with some turning lanes and dedicated bike lanes. 

Roy also highlighted other parts of the project including covered and protected bike pavilions, more pedestrian-friendly amenities, outdoor seating for the retail area and "stoops" for the new residents living along Grove Street. 

Along with Roy and ADD Inc., consultants with VHB Inc. have also been studying the project and working with BH Normandy. Richard Hollworth, who focuses on civil and environmental issues at VHB, highlighted plans to "maximize connectivity" to the trail systems along the Charles River Basin.

VHB consultant Randy Hart, who works with traffic planning, said last night the biggest change from the plan presented earlier this summer is putting Grove Street back to a two-lane road rather than a four-lane road. This means there would only be one lane going in each direction, except for two areas near entrances/exits where turning lanes would be added.

Hart also went over the multiple roundabouts that will be added on Grove Street and at the suggested new main entrance for the facility, which would be located closer to the highway and in what some may see as the back of the facility (the current main entrance is off Grove Street).

Traffic concerns pile up

Although the plans presented last night featured a slightly smaller footprint, residents' concerns focused around the project's impact on traffic in the area. 

"I don't see how you're solving the traffic jam-ups that are going to occur," said Hallerton Road resident Alison Bass. 

Along with other residents, Bass expressed concerns about backups on the collector-distributor road (C-D road) that leads to and from Route 128/I-95, an area that already sees major backups during rush hour. 

Hart told the crowd that many of the traffic problems actually lie up the road a bit when the highway connects to Route 30, and that the developer is communicating with the state on how those backups can be alleviated.

"That's a big issue, an issue far bigger than this project and anything we could solve," Hart said. "That issue has come up and they're in the process of evaluating it and looking at different options."

School Committee member Jonathan Yeo also voiced his concerns about traffic, and how additional cars could be cutting through Grove Street and the surrounding neighborhoods to get to the redeveloped station.

While Hart reiterated that density and traffic studies are ongoing, the two-lane Grove Street will likely make it "less-attractive" for those looking to cut through to the station.

Could over-crowding get worse?

Aside from traffic, several residents stood up with concerns over sewer infrastructure as well as additional children coming in to the Newton Public Schools as a result of the added residential units.

According to Steve Buchbinder, BH Normandy attorney, the housing units break up into 65 percent one-bedroom, 30 percent two-bedroom and 5 percent three-bedroom, which translates to the number of new students coming in "in the low 30s," Buchbinder said. That number of new students, he added, would be distributed throughout the grades.

But for schools that are, as one resident called "stuffed to the gills", any additional families moving to Newton will add to the already overcrowded schools. 

Buchbinder told the residents that the project consultants are in the process of looking at potential enrollment and what impact it would have on the local schools.