MBTA plans 500-car garage

The following news article, by Steve Rosenberg, appeared in the Boston Globe on June 11th.

Almost exactly a year after Governor Deval Patrick promised the state would build a 500-car parking garage in Beverly for commuters, the MBTA solidified Patrick's pledge, announcing a comprehensive plan to build the $20.29 million facility by December 2011.

The complex - which will include at least 500 parking spots, condominiums, commercial shops, and offices - will be built on a 1.5-acre lot just a block from the station.

The MBTA will spend $3.75 million to buy the property - now a gas station, a parking lot, and two apartment buildings - from Windover Properties of Manchester.

"This is an extremely important step," said Mayor William Scanlon, who has spent more than a decade lobbying state and federal officials for grant money to build a commuter rail parking lot.

Most of the $20.29 million will come from the state, and the city will spend about $500,000. Although sale of the land is not expected to go through until the fall, the MBTA and the city will release a request for proposals for the property by the end of the year.

As the fifth-busiest commuter rail station on the MBTA line, the Beverly Depot stop is also a junction where two heavily used lines from Rockport and Newburyport converge. But it has little on-street parking and commuters have to hustle in the early-morning hours for one of the estimated 250 designated spaces.

As news of the project spread to commuters earlier this week, some, like Steve Mullen, said it would ease congestion. "It would definitely be convenient," said Mullen, a Beverly resident who was waiting to take the train to Boston.

In recent years, Beverly's Cabot Street - which runs through the heart of downtown - has seen an economic rebirth, primarily driven by an influx of upscale restaurants that have drawn diners from throughout the North Shore and Boston. But one block over on Rantoul Street, where the train has brought commuters from the North Shore to Boston since 1839, businesses and real estate have not enjoyed the same growth.

Scanlon believes the parking complex could represent a new renaissance for the street. "We believe it's going to help bolster our restaurant business, and also help all kinds of shops and merchants - from dry cleaners to florists to gas stations," he said

From his perch at the register of Borah's restaurant and gift shop, owner Danny Dng can see commuters hustle each morning to make the train to Boston.

He believes a new parking garage and more condos in the area would bring revenue to the area. "This will be a pickup for businesses on Rantoul," said Dng.

The announcement of the project also marks the return of Windover, a developer that just a few years ago persuaded the city to lift its height ordinance to allow for seven-story buildings to be constructed on Rantoul Street.

At the time, Windover had planned a $100 million residential and retail complex that would have included 350 new condos and a 700-car parking garage, which could have been shared by commuters.

But after the economic and real estate downturn, Windover pulled its plans from the table and has sat on its real estate holdings on the street since.

But with the garage scheduled to be built next to a 46-unit condo complex Windover built a few years ago, a version of the plan could be back on the table if the company is chosen to build the complex, said Lee Dellicker, Windover's president.

Dellicker said Windover would bid on the project and, if selected, his company could expand the complex to as many as 800 parking spaces and more than 100 condos.

"We still believe in the smart-growth and transit-oriented development concept, and we were just sitting tight waiting for the financing and the real estate world to change a little bit," he said.

More Information