They're giving downtown the old college try
Can a group of college students save Moody Street?
Maybe. With an unbiased eye and no political agenda, about a dozen Bentley University business students might actually be the perfect doctors to cure what ails the heart of Waltham, according to some local political leaders and planners.
Moody Street is not dying, but it has lost some of the vitality it won in recent years during the economic boom. Now, there are vacant storefronts, dingy streetscapes, and, arguably, insufficient parking, all of which threaten to take the sparkle off what was an economic diamond a decade ago.
Enter professor Charles Hadlock's senior honors class, for which students are spending the fall semester creating an economic development report with recommendations for Moody Street.
"I can't imagine anything better," said Alex Green, owner of Back Pages Books on Moody Street. "I think they're offering us something we haven't had all along that we desperately needed . . . They're the ones that are going to offer us the suggestions that are the least politically charged and the ones that offer probably the most significant immediate impact on Moody Street."
Much of the challenge is also about getting the word out about Moody Street, which is primarily known for its good restaurants. Students can help come up with materials that advertise what the area offers and why people should check it out, according to Jennifer Rose, a consultant working for the city and the Waltham West Suburban Chamber of Commerce, who is also helping out the Bentley class.
Moody Street has some hidden gems, such as the Charles River Museum of Industry and the Waltham Mills Artists' Association, said Rose, that need to be woven into a sharp, well-told story.
"You don't always have a chance as a student to make a difference," said Rose. "This could have a real impact for some small-business owners. That is better than getting an A."
The students are researching what type of retail might complement and thrive amid the array of stores and restaurants already there; how to "brand" the area as a destination that can draw customers from all over; what role local regulations play in the development of the commercial district; and what sort of infrastructure, such as improved streetscapes or parking, might really help draw customers.
The students have already started exploring Moody Street. They are taking photos and talking to business owners. They are also working on written surveys for businesses and customers and exploring other similar business districts, in such communities as Somerville and Woburn, to get ideas.
"What is the feel of Moody Street?" said student Owen Bacewicz during a brainstorming session on branding last month. "What is Moody Street right now?"
It's a complicated assignment, said Hadlock, because students have to understand real estate, marketing, politics, and several other areas like the regulatory environment.
"We want the students to have a real-world, multidisciplinary challenge before they leave college," said Hadlock.
The professor said the idea for the class came from state Representative Peter Koutoujian, a Waltham Democrat who has worked with the business-focused university on other projects.
Koutoujian said he feels the students are ideal researchers because they are independent.
"I think that there's a lot of strong feelings about Moody Street in this city, and people are dug in in many ways about what they think should happen," said Koutoujian. "And yet there's been no group like this to come in and do a real business-like assessment of Moody Street . . . in an impartial, apolitical setting."
He said he's intrigued by the possibility of more "creative economy" additions - art galleries or performance spaces, for example - to complement the movie theater and artist spaces already there. But he said he knows he's not qualified to judge that, so he is hoping the students' report will help everyone make educated decisions.
"I don't want to gentrify this street," said Koutoujian. "I think the diversity of this street is one of the great aspects of it."
But there does seem to be general agreement that there's not enough retail, and that adding the right mix could stabilize the area. In recent years, Koutoujian said, Moody has been drawing many patrons from other towns, like Framingham, Sudbury, and Lincoln, but it will take some work to maintain those customers and find new ones.
He said a key question is, "What sort of incentives, regulations, laws, what type of programs can we put together to draw in the right business mix to make this a sustainable revitalization?"
For Green, the bookstore owner, the students' work could save what he considers the soul of the city. Moody Street is truly something special, he said.
Waltham is the "only community in the western suburbs that has this massive anticorporate, self-styled, self-designed soul of its own that's been going for 100 years or more," said Green.
His bookstore was teetering on the brink of extinction just a few months ago. Green posted an online plea to his customers asking for financial support and got about $15,000 worth, via a members' rewards program. Business is doing a little better now, he said, and he expects to survive.
As for the street, it's not failing, he said, just stagnant, in part because of political gridlock.
But the students will bring in a fresh, unbiased perspective, said Green, and hopefully drown out the "vocal political jockeying."
While calling Moody Street "the best thing you'll find in America," Green conceded: "I think there's this sense that we have something good here, but don't know how to market it."
Lisa Kocian can be reached at 508-820-4231 or lkocian@globe.com. 