by While some neighbors are complaining about the possible loss of meandering walks and parts of the park’s trees, the city wants to rethink Cambridge Park as a commuter route.
The planned renovation of Cambridge’s Linear Park, a half-mile natural space that connects the MBTA Alewife station and the Somerville border, has been put on hold by a judge. The Somerville Community Path leads to more public transportation for commuters and pedestrians.
Nearly 40 years ago, the Red Line was extended past Harvard to Alewife, creating the park. The city claims that the paved walkway has deteriorated since then and that the project will improve the area for park visitors and walkers, as well as bikers and other commuters.
According to a city layout plan, work is scheduled to start in early September to enlarge the walkway, replace outdated light poles, plant new trees, and make other improvements. However, earlier this month, a group of Cantabrigians complained to the Middlesex Superior Court, demanding that all park preparations be halted.
The city must temporarily halt all activities, including the destruction of healthy trees, in preparation for a preliminary injunction hearing on Monday, the judge agreed.
Adam Costa, the attorney for the neighbors opposing the redesign, said in a statement, “We see the judge’s decision as a victory, but much more needs to be done.”
A city official told Boston.com that the court last week permitted a city contractor to proceed with the removal of five diseased cherry trees for public safety reasons.
Complaint: Project will likely kill over 120 mature trees
According to the lawsuit, the city’s plans will increase the path’s risk by adding intersections and facilitating faster cars’ use for commuting. The project creates secondary pedestrian pathways, as acknowledged in the complaint, but it also adds ten new intersections, increasing the likelihood of a serious or catastrophic accident.
They claim that we will create a safer route for everybody. Charles Teague, the main plaintiff in the lawsuit and a daily pedestrian of the walkway, told The Boston Globe, “And I dispute that.” The cost to the environment will be enormous.
According to the complaint, volunteers also found that the path’s expansion will have an impact on tree roots, which is likely to damage more than 120 older trees.
According to the complaint, Linear Park will be permanently destroyed by the Project, effectively turning it from a public park into a commuter thoroughfare and transportation corridor.
The city’s plan calls for a new irrigation system as a crucial upgrade, but the neighbors argue that it won’t be updated, further harming the trees.
Paths will be widened up to 4 feet
At the moment, Linear Park’s walkways are 10 feet or less broad. The city intends to widen them to between 11 and 14.5 feet, adding one shared middle pass lane and two travel lanes.
Costa argues on behalf of the neighbors that changing the park’s official use to one that is more focused on transit would require state consent. Other procedural issues are also addressed in the complaint.
According to Costa, the project is in violation of the City’s own Zoning Ordinance, which designates Linear Park as being in a “Open Space District,” which typically forbids transportation usage. Additionally, parts of the project are located on property that the City of Cambridge does not even own.
The city intended to prohibit contractors from parking cars on tree roots, moving smaller trees, and using air spading to loosen the soil in order to preserve the trees. According to the city plan, new utilities will be located beneath the paved route to minimize disturbance to the roots. While the complaint emphasizes the advantages of mature trees, the city will also plant 120 to 150 new trees.
Jeremy Warnick, a city spokesperson, stated in a statement that the city had no plans to take down any healthy trees.
The issue is being thoroughly examined by the City of Cambridge. Meanwhile, Warnick stated, “We stand by the plans for this project and are confident that all necessary processes and procedures have been followed.” We’re excited to improve the park and better serve the interests and needs of our neighborhood.
Molly Farrar works for Boston.com as a general assignment reporter, covering topics such as politics, crime, and education.
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