Trapelo Road and Belmont Street form a commuter thoroughfare through Belmont from the western suburbs to Cambridge. This aerial view shows the Belmont stretch of Trapelo Road running from Waltham and McLean Hospital on the upper left to where it merges with Belmont St. near the Oakley Country Club in Watertown. Pequossette Playground is the green space in the middle.

But this corridor is also Belmont’s main street.  Instead of being primarily a highway, it should serve our neighborhoods and shopping districts. It should be more pedestrian friendly. This map displays the business clusters along the corridor. Our presentation will take us on a walk down this road, depicting existing conditions, showing glimpses of our historical past, and also providing some computer imagery of what might be.

Together, we can come up with the elements that could transform this busy roadway into a more pleasant place for all of us.

Working with residents, business owners, other groups of citizens, and Belmont’s town committees, we hope to find ways to make our busiest thoroughfare into a more vibrant main street and an enjoyable place to walk, shop, work, and live.

You can probably think of many changes you’d like for the Trapelo Road/Belmont Street corridor. Here are some examples from neighboring communities . .

. . . . showing features that many of us would like to see on Belmont’s main street:

A design that lets traffic move smoothly but more slowly, with traffic-calming measures such as curb extensions – or neckdowns . . .

. . .  so pedestrians can cross safely . . .

. . . and residents can get out of their driveways.

More trees and green space.

Amenities like benches, . . .

. . .gathering spots, bus shelters and public art.

Here in Arlington Heights, they’ve buried the utility lines.

Our vision includes a well-planned mix of retail . . .

. . . and residential areas so no section is deserted and forbidding even at night.

We need enough public parking, located in the areas where we want to encourage local businesses.

We need provisions for bicycles and other alternatives to driving.

And we need to preserve the many landmark buildings we’re lucky enough to have. The First Congregational Church of Waverley, the oldest church building in Belmont, has been nicely restored.

But the former S. S. Pierce building in Cushing Square could use more attention.

Let’s start our walk down Trapelo Road, beginning at the Belmont/Waltham line.

Beaver Brook Reservation attracts..

families from all over just as it did

. . . in the 1890s when it was one of the first regional parks in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

Across the street from the Reservation, the Waverley Oaks Apartments provide affordable housing for seniors and people with disabilities.

But the sidewalk that these residents use to go to Shaw’s Supermarket ends abruptly before it gets to Waverley Square.

Across the street is a three-story building that sits right on the sidewalk with no setback.

Here’s a close-up. The brick wall at street level seems to shut out human contact. A design with ground-floor retail stores would have been a better choice.

Approaching Waverley Square, this is the traffic light in front of Shaw’s supermarket. Bravery is essential for anyone trying to cross.

The supermarket and the car wash cause very heavy traffic. Ideally, two high-traffic uses wouldn’t be located next door to one another.

Waverley Square grew up around public transit. You can see on the map that the train tracks run right through the middle of the orange bubble that marks the square.

And here’s the overhead wiring for the buses that have replaced the old trolleys. Trapelo Road is 75 to 80 feet wide because the trolley tracks used to run down the middle of the street.

At the turn of the century, the trolley carried people from Waverley into Cambridge and Boston. Even Waverley Square was still bucolic then -- look how many trees there were. In the background, you can see the Waverley fire station – then the Daniel Butler School.

And here’s the same scene today. This bridge crosses OVER the train tracks.

The commuter rail service to Boston still provides an important transportation route.

Now the station is hard to find, . . . .

. . . but historically, it marked an important junction and shopping center.

This nicely-proportioned building combines ground-floor retail with apartments above.

It’s still known locally as Corbett’s Drugs. 

Here’s the same building in the 1890s. Waverley Hall, the large building with the clock tower, was the center of community life back then – used frequently for church services, dances, fairs and other social gatherings. It was torn down in 1922.

A shortage of parking is a problem in Waverley Square. This lot a mix of short-term and all-day permit parking.

But some efforts to provide parking create new problems. The lot between these two buildings interrupts the street façade.

The DeStefano brothers rehabilitated this building,

. . . And brought a historic structure back to life.

This gas station and the nearby businesses,

. . . although useful to the neighborhood, would be more attractive with some trees and perhaps fewer curb cuts.

Wheelworks, the quintessential bike shop, is the perfect use for this one-story…

…historic retail building. This picture is from the 1950s.

Since Wheelworks draws cyclists from all over, it would be nice to have a bike path and bike racks along the street.

Across the street, the landscaping of this bank looks nice,  but the curtained windows shut out the street life.

It was designed 40 or 50 years ago by The Architects Collaborative,  a well-known firm founded in Cambridge.

This beautiful church has recently been painted. It has been an important part of Waverley Square for generations and should somehow be protected.

This 1890’s photo shows people walking across the tracks to the church, dressed in their Sunday best.

The wide-angled intersection at the Waverley fire station presents a danger for motorists and pedestrians alike.  This landmark was . . .

. . . built in 1873 as the first Butler School. The original schoolhouse doors can be seen in this photo.

Here’s a nice multi-use building with so much potential.  Imagine it with awnings, surrounded by wider sidewalks, bump-outs, trees and perhaps a sidewalk café.

Here’s an aerial map of that same area with an overlay showing some traffic-calming features and landscaping sketched in.

Using some computer imagery, here’s what the area might look like with some of these traffic-calming measures in place….

…Drivers on a narrower street automatically slow down and watch for pedestrians.

The Beech Street area (which in the early 1900’s was referred to as Central Square) is another busy section of Belmont’s Main Street . . .

. . . But it seems to lack an identity of its own --

Curbing here to mark the division between the street and the sidewalk would make a big difference.

This stretch doesn’t need to look so bleak.

Imagine this same area….

…. with a wider sidewalk, awnings, benches, and street trees.

This business center would also be a comfortable place for a two- or three-story building with ground-floor retail along with more parking for the stores to flourish.

Here’s a landmark that adds community life to this area.

Historically it was even livelier and busier.

Computer imagery shows how this retail block at Beech Street ….

…could be improved by adding trees and shrubs and giving building façades a more cohesive look.

Here’s the other half of the block with the same elements added in.

After the Beech Street area, between Hull Street and Flett Road, is a wide stretch. The road is lined with auto service stations….

... underutilized buildings like this former Knights of Columbus hall . . .

… private lots…

..And a hidden gem of a playground.  Notice on the map how Pequossette playground should dominate this area.

But there’s certainly no sign of it here. The sheer width of the road in this barren looking stretch, creates a dragway of four lanes of cars, with drivers often ignoring pedestrians waiting in barely visible crosswalks.  No doubt a dangerous spot for children, elderly – or anyone – to cross.

This is the entrance to the playground from Trapelo Road.

The VFW building, on town-owned property, hides a neighborhood oasis with a newly equipped playground and fields for soccer, baseball and basketball. 

This cracked asphalt marks the other entrance to PQ playground from Trapelo Road.

Across the street, look at the transformation of an old car dealership into Video Plus.  Thoughtful landscaping . . .

. . . and ample parking are two commonsense features of successful, attractive commercial development.

And across the street is yet another service station where some cars are permanent fixtures, including an out-of-commission police car.

The Kendall family’s empty properties on either side of the street have lots of unrealized potential.

But the former Volkswagen property is an expanse of asphalt and bordered-up buildings, creating no doubt, the biggest eyesore along the corridor. The development that occurs on this site is pivotal for the transformation of the Trapelo Road/Belmont Street corridor.

A site of this size is rare along the corridor. It provides a marvelous opportunity. Look how close it is to PQ Park. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to re-connect the playground with Belmont’s main street?

How do you envision the vacant VW lot in the future? Here’s some more computer imagery.  Notice the white car: it shows up in the next two slides.

The VW property in the future could look something like this, with housing on an appropriate scale, attractive lamp posts, trees, and landscaping.

For a while, there was a proposal for a Walgreen’s.

Here’s what that might have looked like.

The vision that becomes reality depends on the combined work of town planners, leaders and the landowners. Careful zoning can encourage landowners to build the kind of development that residents would like.

In Palfrey Square, just after the Volkswagen property, is

a short block of retail shops and service businesses.  A bus stops at this corner and picks up hundreds of passengers during all hours of the day and night.

East of Palfrey Square are several blocks of pretty one-

and two-family homes.This residential stretch has more trees than most along the corridor

Cushing Square has . .

. . a collection of nicely renovated blocks of retail shops  . . .

…professional buildings,…

and some beautiful landmark buildings.  Utilities are underground as well in this area.

However, pedestrians have a horrible time trying to cross from one business to another.

To encourage shoppers to park once and visit several shops, a business center needs both parking and streets that are safe to cross.

A shortage of parking in Cushing Square has been a problem for years. When the town bought this parking lot in 1958, local merchants chipped in $5,000 of the $35,000 asking price.

Many of the houses in Cushing Square hold professional offices. They add small-town charm and a tranquil atmosphere.

However the street is so wide that it invites more speed than our small town allows.

The Belmont St./Trapelo Rd merge is the end of Trapelo Road. The corridor continues along the east end of Belmont Street.

Brigham’s is favorite walk-able destination…

and has been here for decades..

This traffic light at the Our Lady of Mercy Church is almost invisible. It’s a dangerous spot to cross.

The Oakley Country Club is a haven for golfers in summer and sledders in winter.

Payson Park Congregational Church is another landmark.

The School Street area is a place where retail stores seem to thrive.

The Watertown side of the street is residential, while the Belmont side is mostly commercial.

Here’s one of Belmont’s last independent drug stores…

The Grove Street area, with its central location in a densely populated residential area …

But not much has been done since the 1960s …

…and with narrow sidewalks and the road width exceeding 80 feet, it’s not a pedestrian-friendly area.

More retail shops line Belmont St….

…to the Cambridge border and beyond.

…But the four lanes of traffic pose a danger for those crossing the street.

Imagine what a difference some short-term solutions for traffic calming and pedestrian safety could make … ….such as trees, neckdowns, and well-marked crosswalks.

This is the first sight of Belmont for people entering from Cambridge. This neglected part of town could use improvement.

Let’s sum this all up. Here are some key issues: Pedestrian Safety and Road Design; Parking; Streetscape Aesthetics; Preservation of Landmark Buildings; Appropriate Development; Updates of Zoning & Business Bylaws. How can we make these things happen?

We don’t expect Trapelo Rd to get back to the way it was in 1930, when the speed limit was 5 miles an hour, and it was safe for these two youngsters, Robert and Edwin March, to ride down the middle of the street.

But the road can be made much safer than it is now. From 1988 through early 2002, in the triangle formed by Trapelo Road and Belmont Street, there were 86 accidents where a pedestrian was struck by a motor vehicle. At least three of them were fatal.

There were an additional 29 pedestrian accidents on or near Belmont Street east of the Trapelo Road intersection.

Managing the volume and speed of traffic on the corridor is a challenge Belmont can no longer avoid. Residents have shown their concern, and the town has responded.

Some pedestrian safety and traffic-calming improvements will be added soon to a few spots on Trapelo Road. Some work is scheduled this spring and summer. And there’s been discussion of redesigning the entire roadway in the next decade.

The town is taking parking problems seriously, too. A committee has been studying parking in Belmont Center. Perhaps it can expand its work and look for solutions to parking needs in Waverley Square and Cushing Square.

Improving the appearance of our streets is one of the easiest things Belmont can do.  If the sidewalks are wider and the town plants some trees, volunteers will pitch in to provide other amenities. Already the Garden Club beautifies islands with flowers and plants, and the Benches for Belmont committee has put benches around town.

A competition is now underway to encourage designs for bus shelters. And Belmont’s art community would probably be glad to develop a program for public art. Adding new street lamps and burying more utility lines are more expensive, but they might be possible as part of the reconstruction of the corridor.

Belmont is blessed with a variety of interesting and historic buildings along the corridor. Those who regret the buildings we’ve lost, like Waverley Hall, need to work out  ways to protect those that are left. Belmont can build in zoning incentives that encourage property owners to renovate historic buildings rather than tear them down. Neighboring towns have struggled with the same issue. Let’s learn from their experience.

Most everyone wants development that benefits the town and opposes development that’s unsightly, out of scale, or draws a lot more traffic.  Shoppers should be able to park once in a village center and visit three or four stores and a restaurant, rather than getting back into the car after each errand and driving to the next. An apartment above a retail store is desirable for those who need shopping within easy walking distance. But that kind of mixed development is forbidden by our current zoning law.

The town can’t tell property owners what to do. However, careful revision of Belmont’s zoning bylaw can encourage the type of development we’d like and discourage the type we don’t. The town can also pass bylaws to regulate signs and façades.

Before Belmont can act, residents should think deeply about what will be good for the town. The question we must all ask is: “What will it do to our quality of life as residents?”  This slide show presents some of the opportunities and challenges Belmont faces.  Those of us who have worked on the slide show hope that residents, business owners, and town officials will continue discussing the changes they’d like to see and will work towards defining a common vision.