A redeveloped cleveland circle

palindrome

palindrome

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Hey guys. I was just messing around with google maps and tried to make a master plan for cleveland circle. What do you guys think? I don't really know much about urban planning etc but i have lived in the area and this is what i would like to see.

I was going for something in between Washington square and Coolidge corner. Probably most similar to Brighton Center if anything. If any area can handle an increase in density it s surely this one. Steps to 2 green lines and several bus routes. Bike lanes and an abundant amount of taxis/zip cars.

For retail i would really like to see a nicer restaurant as well as an additional bar. Also, some sort of clothing store and maybe a barber.

Anyways, take a look and tell me what you think.

blue is residential
red is parking
green in a new street
yellow is office
purple is residential that has been proposed.

http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?oe=u...794,-71.149864&spn=0.003355,0.006899&t=h&z=17
 
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Looks fairly feasible, although I'm sure the Brookline neighbors would scream bloody murder about a dense apartment complex being developed on the cinema site.

There was a plan awhile back to revert Cleveland Circle to an actual traffic circle, mostly to improve circulation for pedestrians. Whatever happened to that?
 
I've never been out there, but I would just mention that based on google streetview, it looks like the intersection(s) here could use some redesign which would accomodate those improvements you mentioned palindrome. I think reverting this to an actual circle would be quite nice and make it a more desirable place for new development
 
It's funny - I've been thinking a lot about Cleveland Circle recently. It has great potential and it does in fact have quite a lot of amenities already. If only they could nuke the Applebees... (I did eat there once with a gift certificate and they gave me a free beer from a mistaken order at another table... so good on them for that at least...)

Anyway. There are two problems.

First, street layout and design. The clocktower stands like an isolated afterthought in the middle of a parking lot and junky C-line terminus. Scrap the diagonal parking on westbound Beacon Street in favor of wider sidewalks with amenities like benches. Keep the parking in the curved service road by Sutherland Street (by Cityside Bar and Citizens Bank) but repave it with stone or brick to separate the space from the main roadway. Widen Chestnut Hill Ave sidewalks. Beautify the C-line terminus and integrate the clocktower more effectively, adding more usable public space in the middle island. If Kenmore can get a trillion-dollar bus shelter, why can't the c-line get a proper terminus? Some all-around beautification efforts here would go a long way. If my memory serves, Beacon Street through Coolidge Corner was beautified in a similar way within the last 10 years, which eliminated the parking lot and transit-afterthought feel.

(BTW, I disagree with the idea of a traffic circle, which will generally be inhospitable to pedestrians. Red lights and walk signals are the best way to share this space.)

Second, density. The Applebees, the Cinema and associated parking lots, the dunkin donuts and CVS and associated parking lots... the gas station on C.H. Ave etc. There's enough open space around the reservoir to go around. These suburbanish spaces are blights especially when there are 3 green lines within 5 minutes walk.

Great post, PD. Love the map.

Edit: PS - I've always thought the cinema lot would be a great place for a stand-out high rise office tower, a sort of "gateway" tower thanks to the transit and road infrastructure it sits on. And I'm sure the Chestnut Hill nimbys wouldn't voice any disapporoval whatsoever... right?
 
One thing i found interesting from doing this map too, is that there is a pool in the courtyard of the building which houses the 7/11 and citizens bank!

Got to love the overhead.
 
palindrome, I had forgotten about that! It's a condo building on Sutherland. Crazy. Who would want to pay the condo fee on that?? And why did they ever think it was worth building??

Screen-shot-2009-09-06-at-9.54.24-PM.png
 
I lived in this area for a couple years maybe 10 years ago. I loved this area and it has alot more potential. Your plan is great I would suggest the following:
Create more parking along beacon Street near the resouvour (maybe remove the parellel parking and have cars park like regular spaces), Parking is horribal in the area for residence and if you eliminate any then you need to replace it. This is where i first learned that if your car is half in a no parking zone just push the car in front of you up to create more space !!!!

I would say make the residences on the old theater site 10-15 stories tall and have an underground parking garage to accomodate all needed parking. I know the Brookline residents would never have it but if you over discounted residence parking, some cash to fix up the area and traffic you never know.
 
What a waste!

THREE TRANSIT LINES in walking distance!

And what do we have?

Playgrounds! Baseball fields! Dead cinemas!

That large-footprint building just south of Beacon Street should be forty soaring stories of apartments.

The entire stretch of Chestnut Hill Avenue from Commonwealth down to Beacon should feature retail on both sides.

Cassidy Playground and the lake shore need to be developed as high-density residential and retail.
 
According to the MBTA, Reservoir (Cleveland Circle) is 21 minutes from Park Street.
 
The walkway around the reservoir is heavily used -- I would not want to sacrifice it for development.
 
What would you like to see in Cleveland Circle?
Posted on October 23, 2009 by Neal Simpson


Apparently the folks at the MBTA are hot to start leasing more of their land (in case you hadn?t heard, they?ve got a bit of a revenue situation) and have decided Cleveland Circle would be a good place to start.

The T is working with the Urban Land Institute to see how it can redevelop the Reservoir T Station by taking advantage of air rights over the train tracks. The institute will present potential development scenarios at Town Hall next Wednesday. Check out this flyer for more information.

The T property straddles the town border, with the majority in Brookline and a small piece in Boston. Kara Brewton, the town?s economic development director, said that what happens there could set the tone for the development of other border properties, particularly the site of the former Circle Cinemas.
Click to expand...

http://blogs.wickedlocal.com/brookline/2009/10/23/what-would-you-like-to-see-in-cleveland-circle/
 
Why hold the public meeting?

Q: What would you like to see in Cleveland Circle?
A: Parks, open space, lawns, trees, public space, shrubs, fountains, benches & grass.
 
I don't know... they're talking about building on air rights here. Air rights over what, exactly?

Btw, the meeting is 6pm at Town Hall tomorrow.
 
i have no idea what they are talking about with air rights in this case. I have no idea how this would happen.
 
I would say the same:



While I am all for air-rights, they are really only a short term solution. The T really needs a long term solution but no one seems to be able to figure out something.
 
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