I get email notifications of new comments on this blog, and every so often there’s a comment on some really old post. The post that’s generated this most often is January’s discussion of Westwood Station, a mixed-use development proposal next to the Route 128 MBTA and Amtrak station in Westwood, MA (about 30 minutes south of Boston).

Most of the commenters favor the development; a few posters oppose it, one citing wetland protection and one simply writing, “I am one of the narrow minded, poorly informed people mentioned above. I will do everything possible to slow down this project and reduce its negative impact to the Town of Wstwood [sic].”

This week, the developer himself, Jay Doherty, posted a comment, addressing the concerns about environmental protection (a red herring, I am pretty sure) and impact on the schools (the project is supposed to mostly draw young people and empty nesters. And he linked to a project site complete with many details, including maps.

Map of Westwood Station plan

It appears to closely follow many principles of smart growth, like a main street with one end at the train station lined with mixed-use residential over retail buildings. There are residential towers a little farther away abutting a park, but much of the park still touches roads so as not to feel too private; a hotel and office towers lie off the main street.

From the pictures it appears to be a mostly continuous streetwall, (hopefully) avoiding the suburban sensibility problem of Newport in New Jersey.

There are large retail buildings that could become big box stores, and large parking garages, though I suppose this development is in the middle of the suburbs right off Route 128, so having minimal parking would be naive. It looks as though farther down the main street the parking garages are right up against the street, and I’m not sure why that has to be the case.

Community input into development is important, especially to oppose really bad plans, but also to encourage good ideas as the town of Hercules, California has done in adopting a plan to create a town center on the former site of a dynamite plant. Of course, sometimes community input turns into NIMBYism. Hopefully the town of Westwood can overcome the no-change forces and build a real walkable community in the suburbs.

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Tagged: anti neighbors, development, smart growth, urban plans, westwood station

David Alpert created Greater Greater Washington in 2008 and was its executive director until 2020. He formerly worked in tech and has lived in the Boston, San Francisco Bay, and New York metro areas in addition to Washington, DC. He lives with his wife and two children in Dupont Circle.