At the most recent meeting of the Board of Selectmen a motion was made and passed to test a plan for re-routing traffic through East Milton Square. The plan was part of a recommendation by Howard Stein Hudson to replace the park over the expressway with parking. Selectman Hurley made the motion; but as he made clear in recent email and conversation, that motion was not an endorsement of putting in a parking lot. A parking lot “would be a mistake.” However, improved traffic flow could be a first step in an effort to enhance the commercial appeal of the square and inject some vitality into it. “East Milton Square needs help.”

Hurley identified significant reasons for why the park as parking lot does not make sense. First, the Massachusetts Constitution has an amendment that requires a 2/3 vote of both houses of the legislature to convert open space to an alternative use. Given the current level of opposition by prominent members of community as well as that of key legislators, Representatives Galvin and Scaccia among them, that would be a very high hurdle to clear. Second, there is a state has recently been requiring the replacement of any open space removed. That is, if park were converted to parking, the town would need to create open space of equivalent size somewhere else. Hurley also identified a hurdle with the Department of Transportation Act (DOT Act) of 1966 included a special provision – Section 4(f) – which stipulated that the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) and other DOT agencies cannot approve the use of land from publicly owned parks, recreational areas, wildlife and waterfowl refuges, or public and private historical sites unless the following conditions apply:

• There is no feasible and prudent alternative to the use of land.
• The action includes all possible planning to minimize harm to the property resulting from use.

Lastly, Hurley believes there may be better alternatives for solving the parking issues than paving the park.

 

Hurley believes that given horrific traffic issues especially during rush hour, the challenges pedestrians in the square need to deal with and the lack of use the current park enjoys that there is room for improvement. He cited the economic toll large retail outlets and shopping centers have had on small commercial districts. One possibility to revitalizing the square might be attracting smaller specialty retailers and artisans, push carts, and permitting open air events. he acknowledges that this”may be pie in the sky wishful thinking but it is a vision”. Albeit one that would take “a lot of hard work, cooperation between the retail association in the Square and the Town and marketing”.

Improving traffic flow and increasing the number of parking spaces are needed. Therefore, testing the closing of Adams and routing traffic around Boulevard has merit. It may not prove to be feasible but it is worth looking at according to Hurley who is also interested in looking at making portions of streets near Post Office one way enabling to allow for angle parking. A slightly more ambitious plan would look at acquiring residential property behind Stella’s restaurant and converting that property to parking.

His intent in making the motion to allow the test is to determine feasibility not increase traffic headaches.

Hurley concludes, “We have a study, we have alternatives and we have grant funds. The merchants and the residents of East Milton need help and a vibrant East Milton would be an asset to the entire Town. It is time to get off the mark and get started.”