Brockton residents asked for input on Downtown
An effort to return downtown Brockton to its heydey as an anchor for the city and region needs input from the people who live there. So an Aug. 19 walking tour and focus group discussion – hosted by the Department of Planning & Economic Development – will be an opportunity to brainstorm and share ideas.
“So often, residents aren’t included in the planning process and we want them to be involved,” said Rob May, Brockton’s director of planning and economic development. “Here, they live and breathe downtown,” he said. NBrockton Gateway is a collaborative partnership led by the city, Brockton 21st Century Corp. and Trinity Financial, the group behind the redevelopment of the Enterprise block in downtown Brockton.
Working with MassDevelopment, the state’s finance and development agency, the group launched the Brockton Gateway Transformative Development Initiative in mid-July.
The consulting team of Stantec and A.G. Jennings has been retained for technical assistance.
The goal, May said, is to transform the downtown area to a walkable, transit-oriented destination with housing options for all income levels as well as shops, restaurants, art galleries and beautiful open spaces.
The district extends from the MBTA commuter rail station to Main Street and down Main to the proposed higher education collaborative campus at Belmont Street. “This city has great architecture and great bones,” May said. “This is the next great opportunity. Brockton’s downtown district was among 10 such districts selected by the state last year for an investment of funding, technical assistance and real estate services.
The transformation will not happen quickly but May said much can be done in the next five years.
For example, he said, there is the second phase of the Trinity project which includes mixed housing and a parking garage as well as a new residential project proposed at 121 Main St.
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- clifton heights
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<font color=BLACK>My name may be Clifton but I've never been a boy </font> <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley2.gif" border="0">
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The transformation will not happen quickly but May said much can be done in the next five years.
For example, he said, there is the second phase of the Trinity project which includes mixed housing and a parking garage as well as a new residential project proposed at 121 Main St.
How in hell is housing going to enhance down town? Good grief! This is a BUSINESS district and we need business. Is housing going to draw people to come to Brockton to shop or eat? I can’t believe what I’m reading!
If we all sang the same note in the choir, We'd never have harmony
2/1/1938-5/4/2019
Rest in peace
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- clifton heights
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Capt wrote: QUOTE:
The transformation will not happen quickly but May said much can be done in the next five years.
For example, he said, there is the second phase of the Trinity project which includes mixed housing and a parking garage as well as a new residential project proposed at 121 Main St.
How in hell is housing going to enhance down town? Good grief! This is a BUSINESS district and we need business. Is housing going to draw people to come to Brockton to shop or eat? I can’t believe what I’m reading!
On this, we agree. Downtown was a place to shop, meet, be entertained by movies, bowling, you name it. I remember taking the bus with Mom and eating at a lunch counter. Stores, restaurants, AND family entertainment are needed, not just additional housing.
<font color=BLACK>My name may be Clifton but I've never been a boy </font> <img border="0" src="smileys/smiley2.gif" border="0">
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A rental of say $1,250 and they might pay $250 per mo.
Brockton's problem solved. Lol
If we all sang the same note in the choir, We'd never have harmony
2/1/1938-5/4/2019
Rest in peace
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- SeamusMcFly
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Transit oriented development with the necessary critical mass of people (residents) to support businesses is the only way to make downtown viable and a destination with all the things listed.
You can't believe what you're reading because it is counter to everything you've ever seen or heard. Of course everything you're used to, doesn't work, and it has been proven.
I'm glad trinity is involved, because they understand this. I also hope by stantec, they mean add Inc./stantec, because they get urban design very well.
I will be at this if at all possible.
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If we all sang the same note in the choir, We'd never have harmony
2/1/1938-5/4/2019
Rest in peace
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If we all sang the same note in the choir, We'd never have harmony
2/1/1938-5/4/2019
Rest in peace
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- clifton heights
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That's right; and you don't get the people without the sense of security and the businesses. That is why this is only a tiny first step. Since housing is already on the agenda, you can't continue to add more and more without the proper balance of the other things. Any urban planners out there? Downtown redevelopment will not be easy since the reasons why it collapsed still exist.Scott wrote: You don't get the coffee shops, restaurants or retail establishments without the people.
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Main Spring definitely has to go and absentee landlords need to be tended to. Another solution is to make the eviction process easier and start throwing the slime bags out. They have the landlords over a barrel and know how hard it is to evict them, so they continue to live like pigs and destroy decent neighborhoods.t Besides crime,this is another reason for people leaving Brockton.
If we all sang the same note in the choir, We'd never have harmony
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Rest in peace
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- SeamusMcFly
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Safety needs to the be improved, and that is key, but it doesn't happen without money. Sad to say, but very true. We're not talking about the money of a couple valiant souls opening a bakery or a coffee shop, because there would be no one around to patronize them. We're talking money from deep pocketed developers who can afford the risk of they see a potentially successful area where rents and leases with significan5my increase as it grows. Those developers of course are always looked at as evil by too many vocal brocktonians.
If we want things better, we need to open the doors a bit more, and be more open to things that many of us don't really understand.
I've said it a number of times, trinity is a great start, but we need another 20 trinities to see the results we really want. Downtown isn't that big either, so we need to start building those up as well. Higher density allowed per acre makes development more attractive to developers, as the chances to recoup on construction costs quicker are much better.
The first things to go in really need to be housing with some street level retail before we can think about attracting any white collar or tech office jobs to the area. The first people are going to continue to be first time home buyers and commuters looking for housing close to the train to get into the city. Once, it starts to resemble a neighborhood with city amenities, then you start attracting people who are look for a bit more hip urban living. Businesses like to be in those areas and they hopefully also follow. The initial investment and proper vision are the first and most important keys.
If the vision is not agreeable or realistic, developers won't invest in it. Our planning board does not have the tools or vision to do this, and opening this up to urban design professionals is a very smart decision on their part.
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lol
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If we all sang the same note in the choir, We'd never have harmony
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Rest in peace
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- SeamusMcFly
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There are so many places we could look to for good development and ideas, Quincy is not one of them.
They built a bunch of high rises, but they are not near anything. Terrible urban design run amok.
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