Newton. November 10, 2011.

The property considered for development at the Riverside station has long been an underutilized open industrial site situated at an important regional and economic crossroads. The available access - by car, by local and intercity buses, and by the MBTA’s Green Line – offers an opportunity that has no regional parallel. The site could bring many benefits to Newton residents: career opportunities, new neighborhood shopping and dining, and housing – all of which would enliven what is now a parking lot, MBTA maintenance sheds, and a rail scrap yard.

Given the site’s location between the Lower Falls and Auburndale neighborhoods, the development also has the potential to reconnect these two areas which have for too long been divided by both Route 128 and by the expansive Riverside T parking lot itself.

We understand neighborhood concerns with increased traffic. Road traffic at the Riverside parking lot is already high at peak times, and some form of remediation is required. Nonetheless these concerns should be weighed against the economic and community amenities which a large-scale, mixed use development at the site will bring.