RELATED PROJECTS AND 4 RECOMMENDATIONS

A. Projects Related A. PROJECTS RELATED TO STUDY AREA to Study Area B. Recommendations Beyond Study Area A number of projects related to the Master Plan study area are planned or underway by the MDC, abutting towns and cities, neighboring property owners and developers. The status of these projects varies. Some are very advanced in their design and/or construction, others exist only in concept. Development within the Alewife subwatershed had and will continue to have an effect on the hydrologic regime of the receiving water bodies and groundwater in the Alewife Reservation and Alewife Brook corridor (see Section 2D). Descriptions of the various projects follow.

A1. MDC FLOODPLAIN MAPPING PROJECT For the past 20 years development activities have proceeded in the water- shed without updates of the 1982 floodplain lines delineated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The MDC has identified the need to verify those lines throughout the Alewife area 100- and 200-year floodplain. The MDC hired Applied Geographics to produce updated and corrected floodplain maps for all floodplains around the Alewife Reserva- tion, Alewife Brook, the Mystic River, Fresh Pond, and Spy Pond. These new maps should advance understanding as to why so many properties “outside” the 1982 delineated floodplain regularly have flooding problems. This is one helpful step of many that are needed to thoroughly understand the complex flooding issues in this watershed. The work under this con- tract is expected to be completed by the end of 2003.

ALEWIFE MASTER PLAN 63 cost-effective to eliminate • Not practical to reconstruct Alewife Brook and Mystic River channels or tun- nel flow to alleviate problem • Upper Mystic Dam safety improvements can be made without adversely affecting downstream flooding levels • Flood monitoring program is recom- mended to collect better data for future projects. Any applicable findings of this study will be incorporated into the design development of FIGURE 74. The MDC fl oodplain mapping project will review and adjust the existing FEMA 100-year fl oodplain lines for the the Alewife Reservation and Alewife Brook Alewife Reservation, Alewife Brook, the Mystic River, Fresh Greenway restoration. Pond, and Spy Pond. New orthophotos allow for much greater accuracy. A3. CAMBRIDGE STORMWATER WETLAND A2. MDC MYSTIC RIVER HYDROLOGIC AND HYDRAULIC STUDY South of the Little River in the Alewife Reser- vation, the Cambridge Department of Public The MDC has contracted Camp, Dresser and Works and the Massachusetts Water Resource McKee (CDM) for a study and conceptual de- Authority (MWRA) have proposed a storm- sign for the new Upper Mystic Lake Dam. This water wetland as part of the Long-Term CSO project includes a hydrologic and hydraulic Control Plan for Alewife Brook. A primary (H&H) study of the Mystic River Watershed function of the wetland is to receive and treat (Phase I) and the development of required the stormwater that will be separated from the dam safety improvements recommendations as sewage that flows through Cambridge sewer well as the conceptual design of a fish ladder pipe CAM004, thus preventing the combined at the Upper Mystic Lake Dam (Phase II). The sewer overflows from continuing the pollution objectives of the study are to identify constric- of the Little River and Alewife Brook. The tions that prevent flood flows from reaching the Amelia Earhart Dam and pumping station and to establish the role of the Upper Mystic Lake Dam in flooding within the basin. Ex- tensive hydrologic and hydraulic modeling has been conducted and findings were presented to the public in April 2003. The major conclu- sions presented are:

• Flood obstructions have been removed. No other identifiable constrictions on either the Mystic River or Alewife Brook exist. FIGURE 75. A restored natural stream channel is designed • No localized constrictions exist that are to convey stormwater to the wetland for water quality treatment and will provide habitat for wildlife.

64 RELATED PROJECTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ALEWIFE MASTER PLAN separation project and the use of natural pro- storage will feature a large open water area cesses in the wetland to remove contaminants connected to the Little River to allow alewife, will significantly improve the quality of the blueback herring, and other fish to enter this stormwater that flows into these waterways. protected area for reproduction.

The stormwater wetland is designed, also, to The projected benefits of this new wetland are meet the goals and objectives of the Master described on page 64. Plan for Alewife Reservation with respect to wildlife habitat enhancement, hydrological A4. BELMONT UPLANDS DEVELOPMENT improvements, and recreational and educa- tional opportunities. For example, the smaller The 15.6-acre Belmont Uplands site, located wetland cell designed for compensatory flood northeast of Little Pond, is the highest el- evation in the area. Although not part of the MDC Alewife Reservation, it is contiguous to Benefi ts for Alewife Reservation from the it and supports a mature silver maple forest, a Stormwater Wetland Project: habitat type not found in the Reservation. This forested area is home to many animals, includ- • Improved water quality through elimina- ing large mammals like deer and coyote. Coyote tion of combined sewer overflows into apparently use the area for daytime cover be- the Cambridge sewer outfall CAM004 fore going downstream to hunt at night. The and additional water quality treatment area also likely supports vernal pools that pro- of the remaining stormwater through a vide breeding grounds for amphibians in the natural wetland system spring. • Enhanced habitat diversity through the creation of low marsh, high marsh, and upland plant communities • Expected enhanced hydrologic con- ditions in the surrounding wetlands through increased resident time of stormwater in wetlands, with concomi- tant increased infiltration and a season- ally elevated watertable • Recreational and educational opportu- nities to study wildlife and plants from boardwalks, paths, and overlook plat- forms incorporating signage and a pub- lic gathering space • Connection to main gateway to the Res- ervation and MHD Bike Path • Invasive species control and restoration of native plant communities • Long-term maintenance and monitoring by the Cambridge Department of Public

Works FIGURE 76. Foot trails lead through the silver maple forest.

ALEWIFE MASTER PLAN RELATED PROJECTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 65 The parcel is owned by AP Cambridge Partners five years and restore the area as described in II, LLC and O’Neill Properties Group. In 2002 Section 2C, Area 2 of this Master Plan. the Town of Belmont approved a zoning bylaw that allows for the commercial development of The office complex currently expands south this site. The current plans propose a commer- of Acorn Park Drive up to the Little River and cial building and structural parking on approxi- divides the Reservation land north of the river. mately 7.8 acres. The MDC Planning Office The redevelopment plan calls for restructur- and the Town of Belmont have negotiated a ing of the building complex in three phases, Conservation Restriction (CR) to preserve and which would ultimately result in the demolition enhance the remaining 7.8 acres of upland and of all building and structures south of Acorn wetland habitats. The O’Neill Properties Group Park Drive. The MDC and the property own- has agreed to gift this CR to the MDC. In ad- ers are discussing the reclamation of this area dition they will provide habitat enhancement, as open space through a Conservation Restric- forest management that enhances biodiversity, tion (similar to the agreement for the Belmont long-term maintenance of the CR area, and a Uplands). This plan could potentially ben- public trail that connects to the MDC Alewife efit the Alewife Reservation through restored Reservation trail network. (Refer to the Master floodplain, improved habitat connectivity, and Plan fold-out map in Appendix E for areas rec- increased flood storage capacity. (Refer to the ommended for Conservation Restriction). Master Plan fold-out map in Appendix E for areas recommended for Conservation Restric- The development of the Belmont Uplands site tion.) will have negative effects on the habitat value of the whole Reservation given the loss of for- A6. ARLINGTON HOTEL ested land and decreased habitat connectivity. However, the MDC has worked closely with Completed in 2002, this new hotel complex the developer to define measures that protect in the Town of Arlington is located off Mas- and enhance the remaining open space and its sachusetts Avenue adjacent to the Alewife connection to the Alewife Reservation. (See Brook Greenway. Because the hotel develop- Open Space Maintenance Plan, Belmont Up- ment required the temporary use of the abut- land Site, by Epsilon Associates, revised May ting Parkway, an agreement between the hotel 2002 for further details.) developers and the MDC Planning Office was reached requiring mitigation for the temporary

A5. ACORN OFFICE PARK REDEVELOPMENT In 2001 the Bulfinch Companies and the McK- innon Company, the owners of the Acorn Of- fice Park (formerly Arthur D. Little headquar- ters), developed a master plan that outlines the redevelopment of this office building complex. Currently Bulfinch Companies uses MDC land, the former ADL parking lot, to satisfy the company’s parking needs. The MDC issued Bulfinch a permit for the use of the existing lot. Proceeds from that permit have helped FIGURE 77. The Arlingtion Hotel is set right on the border of Alewife Brook Parkway. This pictures shows a view into fund a large amount of this Master Plan. The the Alewife Brook corridor approaching from Massachusetts MDC plans to reclaim this land within the next Avenue.

66 RELATED PROJECTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ALEWIFE MASTER PLAN disturbance of the public open space. Mitiga- B. RECOMMENDATIONS BEYOND tion measures included revegetation of the STUDY AREA Alewife Brook corridor with native tree and shrub species, which were planted in the fall The Alewife Reservation and Alewife Brook of 2002. In addition, the hotel owner agreed to corridor comprise less than 4% of the total take over the maintenance of a defined section Alewife watershed, thus successful manage- of the Alewife Brook corridor adjacent to the ment of this site cannot occur in isolation hotel and has committed to removing invasive from the surrounding cityscape. In particu- species in this area. lar, plans to develop abutting properties (e.g., the Belmont Uplands, the former skating-rink site, Acorn Office Park, Cambridgepark Drive, A7. FITCHBURG CUTOFF BICYCLE TRAIL and the Mugar and Martignetti sites) and more The Massachusetts Highway Department distant, but still ecologically linked sites (e.g., (MHD) plans to upgrade the existing stone Alewife Industrial Quadrangle area) must be dust trail (also known as the Fitchburg Cutoff carefully considered in light of their potential Trail) at the southern border of the Reserva- impacts to the Alewife Reservation and the tion. The improved trail will be a 12-foot-wide, Alewife Brook corridor. two-way, multi-use asphalt path, including a ve- hicular bridge (for maintenance purposes) over Using the framework of recommendations es- Old Alewife Brook behind the Alewife subway tablished by this Master Plan, a review of pro- station. This proposed path improvement proj- posed development plans for the surrounding ect would strengthen a vital link in the regional areas is highly advisable. Promising elements path system and is also an important compo- from other existing studies and plans can be nent of the Master Plan trail system. Construc- extracted. These urban planning initiatives tion of the project has been on hold for several should be oriented toward sustaining and pro- years, although funding is in place. According tecting the investments of the Alewife Reser- to 2002 survey information, the existing trail vation and Greenway. is located partially on MHD land and partially on MDC land. Thus coordination among the B1. WATERSHED PLANNING MHD, MDC, and City of Cambridge (which It is essential to place site-specific restorative will use portions of the path for stormwater designs in both a larger landscape and a larger wetland maintenance) is recommended to bring management context, in this case where the this project to fruition. two are in the same watershed. From an envi- ronmental perspective, watersheds are the most appropriate units in which to manage water resources effectively in the urban landscape. Even if all the recommendations of the Mas- ter Plan are implemented, it is unlikely that the Alewife Reservation and Alewife Brook will be able to sustain long-term ecological health without additional positive changes in the wa- tershed. An effective, comprehensive water- shed management plan must be developed that will prevent, or at least reduce, the severity of FIGURE 78. The existing, narrow stone dust path parallel to the problems that necessitated the need for the Boston-Maine Railroad tracks

ALEWIFE MASTER PLAN RELATED PROJECTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 67 restoration effort in the first place. use (e.g., former MDC skating rink site, Martignetti property, Mugar parcel, The following elements should be addressed in Thorndike playing fields) developing a plan for the larger Alewife water- • Investigation of opportunities for shed: “daylighting” or opening up now bur- Land Use Planning ied streams in the Alewife watershed (e.g., Alewife Brook, Upper Wellington • Development of a model of the water- Brook, Winn’s Brook) shed that identifies pervious and imper- • Better, ecologically sustainable site and vious areas building design • Examination of land use management • Implementation of stormwater Best techniques and alternative future devel- Management Practices (BMPs) opment scenarios for the entire water- shed • Development of guidance directives for reducing stormwater runoff by encour- Land Conservation aging a “start at the source” BMP effort • Identification and prioritization for by individual homeowners protection of all sites targeted for devel- • Assessment of the potential for retrofit- opment (e.g., Belmont Uplands) to pre- ting low impact development stormwa- serve important watershed hydrologic ter BMPs such as “green parking lots” functions into the existing urban framework • Prioritization for protection and pos- • Discourage developers from using un- sible acquisition by MDC of all undevel- derground stormwater detention basins oped lands adjacent to the Reservation as a means to achieve a no-net discharge (e.g., Belmont Uplands, Mugar parcel, of runoff from their sites because these Martignetti property, portions of Acorn Office Park, Jerry’s Pond, north- ern piece of the cattail marsh) because these sites provide key wetland and upland habitat and flood storage capacity, all of which could be enhanced fol- lowing acquisition Aquatic Buffers • Examination of potential pro- tective buffer strip creation and planting schemes for headwater streams and ponds Hydrological Connections • Improvement and maintenance of existing hydrological con- nections between flood storage

areas and identification of ad- FIGURE 79. Stormwater bioretention basins as proposed for the Dilboy Field ditional areas suitable for this parking areas could be implemented throughout the watershed.

68 RELATED PROJECTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ALEWIFE MASTER PLAN systems are inadequate for sustaining first and human developments fitted into, not wildlife against, the ecological landscape. The Alewife • Update FEMA floodplain delineation Reservation and Greenway are urban wilds within a sea of suburban sprawl and generally Erosion and Sediment Control unrestrained development. The long-term • Development of guidance directives for viability of healthy populations of terrestrial reducing erosion from abutting proper- animals located within the Reservation and ties Alewife Brook corridor needs to be considered • Assessment of the potential for retrofit- when undertaking planning efforts. Emphasis ting erosion control BMPs into the ex- should be put on maintaining a resident isting urban framework population of a sufficient size to ensure genetic Non-Stormwater Discharges diversity and facilitating the genetic exchange with other distant populations. • Investigation of structural and non- The following elements should be addressed structural controls for limiting lawn and wastewater discharges and for uncou- in developing a landscape ecology plan for the pling illicit connections, with an accom- Alewife area: panying management plan and detailed Habitat Patches implementation strategy and budget • Prioritization for protection and possi- Watershed Stewardship Programs ble acquisition of all undeveloped and • Outline program for public and private vacant lands adjacent to the Reserva- stewardship that helps sustain the water- tion (e.g., Mugar and Martignetti prop- shed erties, sections of Acorn Park) and the Greenway (e.g., W.R. Grace property) B2. LANDSCAPE ECOLOGY PLANNING as potential sites to increase the size of One measure of the ecological health of the contiguous wildlife habitat a landscape is the overall connectivity of • Identification and characterization the natural open spaces that are present. A (e.g., overall size and ability to sustain fragmented landscape is generally inhospitable populations, ratio of interior to edge for wildlife, yet a network of green corridors dimensions, habitat diversity and edge connecting “island” habitat patches can structure, resilience to disturbance, and significantly improve habitat value. Maintaining recolonization potential) of isolated large, intact parcels is even more beneficial as habitat patches proximal to the Reser- certain species require interior habitats far from vation and Greenway any edges. • Prioritization for protection of those Unfortunately, land use planning often occurs patches deemed most beneficial for at the scale of individual development sites, augmenting and sustaining wildlife with little understanding about the implications within the MDC managed lands of those projects upon the larger ecological Corridors and Connectivity context of the landscape or region. Land use • Identification and characterization (e.g., planning must shift from its reactive mode corridor width and length dimensions, — merely responding to existing environmental gap isolation between patches, “step- constraints — to a more proactive mode, ping stone” connectivity of patches) whereby green open spaces are prioritized

ALEWIFE MASTER PLAN RELATED PROJECTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 69 of those areas that can be connected to planning concepts to create open the Alewife Reservation and Greenway stream corridors. through creation of wildlife corridors • Improve fish passage at the Amelia • Prioritization for protection of those Earhart Dam at Boston Harbor by locations deemed most suitable for managing the dam operation to allow creating wildlife corridors to the MDC for fish to pass during the spawning managed lands (e.g., the existing cor- season or by installing a fish ladder ridor provided by the Mystic River to that allows for passage at all times. the Mystic Lakes, the potential corri- dor along the Mystic River to Boston B3. REGIONAL TRAIL NETWORK AND Harbor, the potential corridor through ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION PLANNING the future developed Alewife Industrial Outdoor recreation has become as popular Quadrangle that will link the Alewife within cities as it has always been in the Reservation via Blair Pond and Raffer- countryside. One outcome resulting from ty Park to the Fresh Pond Reservation, this urban increase in recreational activity is and the potential corridor from Little the accelerated construction of regional trail Pond to Spy Pond beneath Route 2) networks. In terms of public circulation and • Investigation of stream daylighting op- pedestrian and cycling use, connecting the portunities in the Alewife watershed newly designed trail systems within the Alewife (e.g., Alewife Brook, Upper Wellington Reservation and Alewife Brook Greenway to Brook) and incorporation in regional the larger network of trails throughout the The Evolving Multi-Use Path System, Boston North.

Yankee Doodle BILLERICA WILMINGTON Existing multi-use path Existing soft-surface multi-usePEABOD pathY READING CARLISLE Proposd path connection Less active or early stage project Narrow Road or sidewalkL connectionYNNFIELD Gauge WAKEFIELDWAKEFIELD Rail Trail BURLINGTON T Selected MBTA Station BEDFORD 20 minute bike ride CONCORD Bedford (at 10 mph) Depot Store Great Tri-Community Meadows rail) National Bikeway LYNN T Wildlife Refuge Reformatory STONEHAM (To Calais Maine, via Branch East Coast Greenway) WOBURN MELROSE T T T Winchester Concord Lynn Walden Pond WINCHESTER Battle Road Trail SAUGUS Minute Man National Minuteman

o Bruce Freeman Rail Historic Park LEXINGTON Commuter (T Bikeway MALDEN MEDFORD LINCOLN To-The-Sea Trail Old Schwamb Mill Mystic Way REVERE ARLINGTON EVERETT Alewife Brook

WALTHAM BELMONT Linear Park T T Square Mass Central Rail Trail Alewife Davis Path CHELSEA Community T (Wayside Section) CAMBRIDGE Path SOMERVILLE T T WINTHROP WESTON T WATERTOWN East Boston WAYLAND T Waltham Watertown Branch Grand Greenway Junction T RR BOSTON (To Key West Florida, via NEWTON East Coast Greenway) Charles River Paths Deer Island

www.pathfriends.org

FIGURE 80. AEvolving seamless Multiuse connection Path Network, between Boston the North'Comm (mapunity by PBryceath' andNesbitt). Downtown (at the Charles River Paths) is crucial to making this function as a transportation network. 70 RELATED PROJECTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS ALEWIFE MASTER PLAN surrounding region is essential. Opportunities • the number of lanes of the Alewife for such connections exist with the Minuteman Brook Parkway and its merging with the Path (which runs from the Alewife subway Mystic River Parkway station, past the Reservation and northwest to • proposals to create a crossing from Lexington), the Mystic River Greenway (from Cambridgepark Drive into the Alewife the confluence of the Alewife Brook north Industrial Quadrangle area to the Mystic Lakes and south to the Amelia The mandate of this Master Plan is to focus Earhart Dam), and the Fitchburg Cutoff on the parklands of the MDC. The planning Bicycle Trail (a section of the Mass Central team recognizes, however, that the successful Rail Trail which will run east from the Alewife restoration and maintenance of the Alewife subway station into Belmont and will connect Reservation and the Alewife Brook corridor east to the Linear Path and Danehy Park). (particularly the latter) should be considered in In addition, potential exists for establishing the context of a new regional traffic manage- new trails that would link with the Alewife ment plan. Reservation and Greenway. One such possibility would be a trail alongside a newly daylighted Another effort that is linked to traffic plan- Alewife Brook creating a new greenway link ning in the Boston metropolitan area is the from the Alewife subway station south to the Historic Parkways Initiative launched in 2002 Fresh Pond Reservation. by the Executive Office of Environmental Af- fairs. The initiative’s slogan “A Parkway is not a Transportation has always been a serious and road. It’s a park with a road in it.” stresses the recurring planning problem facing the Alewife importance of parkways as valuable historic area. Although the acrimony of the debates of open spaces and not solely as transportation several decades ago in relation to the widening corridors that they are often reduced to. It was of Route 2 have subsided, questions about how developed through an interagency effort in- best to manage automobiles moving through cluding Metropolitan District Commission, the this area are very much at the forefront of Department of Environmental Management’s present-day planning concerns. Such heated Historic Landscape Preservation Program, discussions include, but are not limited to: the Massachusetts Highway Department, and the Massachusetts Historical Commission. • how the proposed future development The project’s goal is to protect the historic slated for the Belmont Uplands will af- parkways in Massachusetts. So far, 13 MDC- fect vehicular flow along Lake Street and controlled parkways have been identified and access off Route 2 nominated for inclusion in the National Reg- • whether the Mugar site in Arlington will istry of Historic Places and are expected to be receive permission to build an off-ramp accepted, including the Fresh Pond Parkway from Route 2 and Fellsmere Park Parkways. It is recommend- • the poorly designed intersection from ed that both the Mystic Valley Parkway and the Route 2 to the Alewife Brook Parkway Alewife Brook Parkway be included in the next formerly known as the Dewy traffic round of nominations to protect them from circle further development and infringement.

ALEWIFE MASTER PLAN RELATED PROJECTS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 71