Town OKs next phase of upgrade
Brookfield voters, planning panel approve streetscape extension
BROOKFIELD — Voters and a commission have given their blessing to the third phase of downtown’s streetscape.
This phase would extend sidewalks and other upgrades further down Federal Road and onto Laurel Hill Road, expanding on the work to attract pedestrians, which is the heart of the town’s revitalization project.
The town has applied for a state grant that would cover most of the
$1.3 million cost but requires Brookfield to put up 20 percent.
At a special town meeting last week, residents voted unanimously to allow the town to borrow the
$260,000 Brookfield must cover. The Planning Commission signed off on the project late last week.
Commission members said they were excited that bus shelters will be added for riders awaiting HAR Transit buses.
But one member said he would have liked the sidewalks to continue farther south down Federal Road, instead of heading down Laurel Hill Road.
“It would have seemed more logical in terms of a consistent downtown,” he said.
But Greg Dembowski, who manages the project, said adding the sidewalks on Laurel Hill Road makes more sense because of where pedestrians walk, such as the tenants in the Laurel Hill Apartments.
The third phase includes a “pocket park” with ornamental trees and benches, and upgrades to driveways on Old Route 7 and Lau--
At a special town meeting last week, residents voted unanimously to allow the town to borrow the $260,000 Brookfield must cover.
rel Hill Road.
The $3.5 million first phase, completed late last year, added sidewalks, parking, crosswalks and other amenities to the intersection of Federal and Station roads.
The second phase will begin this summer and extend the streetscape down Federal Road to the Still River Greenway.
As part of the second phase, the town acquired property from the owner of the Dunkin’ on Federal Road.
This shrinks the Dunkin’ driveway and prevents service trucks from driving onto the property, Dembowski said.
As a compromise, the town promised to help the owner move his Dunkin’ down Federal Road to the former Hearth restaurant property, Dembowski said.
This could be possible now that the Zoning Commission has approved regulations on drive-thrus in the Town Center District.
“There are a lot of pieces in this puzzle in this downtown and they’re all moving at the same time,” Dembowski said. “This is really a good thing for our downtown.”
Plans are in the works for a fourth phase, which would extend the streetscape north on Federal Road to Newburry Village.
“There are a lot of pieces in this puzzle in this downtown and they’re all moving at the same time.” Greg Dembowski, project manager