Brookline —
The future of the Waldo and Durgin garages in Coolidge Corner still remains murky, but the town hopes to have a say in the redevelopment of the site by proposing a number of different scenarios.
Although those recommendations have not been officially made, the Waldo Area Study Committee presented a report to the Brookline Board of Selectmen on Tuesday, Jan. 8, about the types of changes they believe would be feasible.
The 11-member committee was formed last summer to look at development possibilities for both of the underutilized and dilapidated garages, which are practically adjacent to each other. Durgin is the more recognizable, since it sits on Pleasant Street, but Waldo is tucked away, and can be accessed through the narrow Waldo Street private way.
Nearby residents have long wanted to see change at the site. Durgin, which has seven storefronts, only has a few tenants currently, including Tiny Hanger, Jerusalem Pita, and a convenience store. The rest of the Durgin lot is comprised of a parking garage that was originally built in 1927 to hold 225 cars. The Waldo Street garage is an abandoned building owned by Chestnut Hill Realty, while Durgin Garage is owned by Gladys Vinograd and Joseph Vinograd
During the presentation, Planning and Community Development Acting Director Kara Brewton mentioned a couple of options for the redevelopment of the site, without offering any recommendations.
The first option involved reusing the Durgin garage as is.
Under that scenario, some options include reshaping the building into “funky office space” as Brewton put it, or leaving it as a garage for parking.
Nonetheless, a consultant for the study committee said the garage would only work as valet parking since the interior floor plates are very narrow, and could potentially be hazardous for most motorists. Ultimately, the idea seems unlikely given that the valet operation would not generate enough revenue to cover operational costs, said Brewton.
Another idea would be the full redevelopment of the sites, with residential or hotel uses that would include adding multiple floors.
Some other suggestions include keeping small residential storefronts on Pleasant Street for Durgin Garage with a parking garage behind them, and adding about 10 residential units on the second floor, or using both garages for parking below multiple stores of residential units.
Brewton also showed a slide of a proposed site plan for Waldo that included creating a number of townhouses with a small courtyard in the middle, but Brewton called the plan “a little ridiculous” since all of the front lawns of the homes would face the back of commercial buildings.
The conclusion from the study was that residential and hotel uses would likely work on the site, as well as businesses serving food. Office use seems the most unlikely because of parking and traffic challenges.
“As far as uses are concerned, residential uses are financially feasible right now,” said Brewton. “The location of the site is one that lends itself well to residential uses…we do hear from hotel consultants that another hotel in Brookline is possible and could work on this site.”
Brewton said some tenants have expressed interest, such as a small grocery store and a hotel, and developers interested in constructing residential buildings have also shown interest.
“Everybody that looked at the building quickly came to the realization that the Durgin doesn’t work well at the price they’re asking for,” she said. “Unless it’s with Waldo…you really need to have both of those properties together to do something significant here.”
She said the Vinograds are exploring selling the garage, and Chestnut Hill Realty has expressed interest in buying it.
The Durgin Garage was recently named one of Massachusetts’ most endangered historic properties by Preservation Massachusetts, an almost 30-year-old non-profit organization that promotes historic preservation.
The next meeting of the Waldo-Area Study Committee will be on Friday, Jan. 18 at 8 a.m. in Room 103 in Town Hall.
