THE 351 cities and towns in Massachusetts are used to making planning decisions all by themselves. But along one key arc of Route 128 - the stretch between the Massachusetts Turnpike and Route 3 - the development pressure is too intense to be hemmed in by town lines. One high-profile project is an $800 million redevelopment of a Polaroid site in Waltham, and it alone could add 1.7 million square feet of office and retail space and more than 33,000 cars a day to the 180,000 that now use Route 128.
Recognizing that development projects generate traffic and other regional consequences, the city of Waltham and the towns of Weston, Lincoln, and Lexington are now working together to promote more orderly development. By forming the 128 Central Corridor Coalition, the communities are looking to improve transit options, bring zoning rules into sync, create a unified system for mitigation efforts, and consider the effects of seemingly unrelated projects across all four communities.
The founding of the coalition, with help from the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, is an important step. But cities and towns can only do so much on their own, or even in loose collaboration with one another. In the long run, what's needed is a detailed corridor plan to guide development. That will require significant involvement from the state's transportation, economic development, and environmental affairs offices.
Runaway growth can happen almost on its own; MAPC and town officials say new projects totaling more than 6.5 million square feet have a decent shot of being built in the corridor. Many decisions necessary to channel this development wisely are in the hands of state agencies: Which highway interchanges should be upgraded? Which proposed developments are environmentally sound?
The Patrick administration has wisely undertaken a detailed planning effort for the corridor to be served by the proposed commuter rail to Fall River and New Bedford. The MAPC argues that corridor plans are appropriate not just in advance of major public investments, but also in areas where rapid private development is underway.
The 128 Central Corridor area clearly meets that standard, with its impressive concentration of commercial space, and more on the way. But the crush of vehicles is already clogging up the main arteries - and the side streets as GPS-armed drivers seek out alternatives. The corridor's current economic vibrancy is at risk when everyone tries to drive everywhere at once.
