Bridging The Divide In West Acton
PHOTO/EILEEN KENNEDY
Mathias Rosenfeld
West Acton Village is a community divided, cut off by railroad tracks. On one side there's a small business district and on the other is the start of a residential neighborhood.
Local planner Mathias Rosenfeld and his father Michael, an architect, are on a mission to bring the two sides of the tracks together. Their plan calls for a more vibrant, walkable village center, complete with community space, studios, a performing arts center as well as office and retail space.
"We want to create a gateway to West Acton," Rosenfeld said. "We want to have green development that helps make the town more sustainable and more walkable. We want to help the economy and to boost the businesses that are already here."
Renovated Space
Michael Rosenfeld's architecture office is located at the heart of the area, in a former church at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Spruce Street. The Rosenfelds bought the church property and renovated it in the early 1980s.
Over the years, the Rosenfelds acquired buildings next to their business. The first building next to them on Massachusetts Avenue was turned into additional space for their architectural firm, but after renovating it, it's now a store called Village Art.
Three houses on Massachusetts Avenue next to the art store will be the site of the new development, tying the village together and creating a longer streetscape. The buildings will be preserved as part of the village's historic district.
Even done in phases, the project is an ambitious one with a price tag of between $10 million and $15 million. But that's why planning the project now is important, although a lot of thought has already gone into it. A number of years ago Acton changed the residential zoning for the project properties and made them part of the West Acton Village, which allows commercial uses.
"Acton has been saying for 20 years that its villages should be a focal point for economic development and community life," said Roland Bartl, Acton's planning director. "This project would really inject some life and economic activity for the village."
West Acton is seeing the effects of the recession, with a number of empty storefronts appearing recently.
The Rosenfelds envision their development plans as a way to draw more people to the village, where they would spend time together as a community while they patronize local businesses.
The plan also includes the town regaining control of about 300 feet of Massachusetts Avenue in front of the project from the Massachusetts Highway Department. State highway regulations prevent on-street parking, which the Rosenfelds want to add to the project. Bartl said the town supports on-street parking, but the state still needs to give its blessing.
In March and April, the Rosenfelds held open houses for West Action Village residents, businesses, abutters and officials to view their plans and found an overwhelmingly positive reaction.
"We got a lot of support and people gave us their ideas," Rosenfeld said. "I think people are afraid of development, but they want to see positive development. Many of them see this as a real benefit to the town."
Of course, the economy will dictate to a certain degree what gets done, and the permits have not been filed yet. "We're being very careful. We think we're in a very good position now to get it going," he said.
"I think the Rosenfelds as architects are sensitive to any concerns from the community," Bartl said. "They have a commitment to the place where they do business. They have longer view of this than a normal developer would who just wants to get in and get out with a profit."
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