Design planning for a new park on a 5,000 square-foot plot of land known as Parcel 2 is now underway. Wednesday night, the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) along with MassDOT and the Greenway Conservancy gathered to discuss future plans for Parcel 2, located between the Bulfinch Triangle and the North End. Formerly considered a potential development site, plans to convert the empty space to a park was approved in June 2018 and is expected to be completed in late 2020.
Clean-up of the space began on Wednesday morning and will conclude with the construction of an improved fence, complete with a decorative scrim telling visitors what’s going on and how to contribute their own ideas for the park’s design. The community is encouraged to Tweet their ideas for Parcel 2 @bostonplans using the hashtag #GreenwayP2.
Officials discussed how the design for Parcel 2 faces some challenges and limitations due to the existing infrastructure beneath for the Central Tunnel. This could restrict features such as a fountain or eating establishments that would require loading/unloading.
Concerns regarding traffic were mentioned by residents at the meeting as the location of the park is surrounded by busy traffic on all sides. Officials said that the design team is considering traffic and plans to design the park accordingly.
Residents of the nearby buildings also posed the question as to whether or not the park would be dog-friendly, some even suggesting that the park be converted to a dog park. It was confirmed that the park was expected to be a mixed-use park with a potential feature for dog owners in the area.
Park design meetings are expected to continue throughout the next few months and the community is encouraged to attend to voice their own ideas. The next meeting is set tentatively for September 9th at the Courtyard by Marriott. More information about the Parcel 2 initiative can be found here.
