The 15 billion dollar “Big Dig” changed a major area in Boston’s downtown. One of the changes depressed the Central Artery to create a major linear park. The Artery Business Committee (ABC) a major Boston downtown business association hired a team of planners, consultants and urban designers to study the area impacted by the change considering new vehicular circulation patterns and opportunities to attract new housing, retail, and other pedestrian-friendly uses to the area.

ABC contracted Todreas Hanley Associates to serve as Retail Consultant on the study to provide market information and analyses to the team and the Committee itself.

Our goals were to:

1. Determine how the market for retail, restaurant and entertainment uses will change when the greenway replaces the road
2. Recommend ways to increase the market for these uses by private or public actions including the design and use of the Greenway, traffic changes, and modification of zoning and other land use controls
3. Providing building owners with information that will allow them to make decisions about the physical changes to their buildings and the use of rental space.

Rose Kennedy Greenway, overview (photo: gconservancy)

Rose Kennedy Greenway, near Chinatown (photo: gconservancy)

Rose Kennedy Greenway, Wharf District Parks (photo: gconservancy)

Rose Kennedy Greenway, concert in Wharf District Parks (photo: gconservancy)

THA’s effort included identifying new retail, restaurant, entertainment markets and uses that would bring pedestrian activity to the variety of historic commercial buildings bordering the park. THA also identified sub-areas that could be revitalized as a pedestrian shopping, dining and entertainment districts.

THA provided information on retail voids and barriers to development, identified retail concepts and tenant types for properties abutting the Greenway as well as design and use concepts for the Park itself. The adjacent neighborhoods were also evaluated for their potential to serve as catalyst for sustainable mixed-use Smart Growth development projects.