neponset river reservation

137 Pages·2015·46.07 MB·English

NEPONSET RIVER
RESERVATION
MASTER PLAN
PHASE II
from Paul’s Bridge to
Central Avenue,
Boston and Milton, MA
June 2006
Massachusetts Department of
Conservation and Recreation
Division of Planning and Engineering
September 21, 2006

Mr. William F. Welch, Clerk Mr. Steven J. James, Clerk
Massachusetts State Senate Massachusetts House of Representatives
State House – Room 335 State House – Room 145
Boston, Massachusetts 02133 Boston, Massachusetts 02133

Dear Messrs. Welch and James:

I am pleased to present the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s (DCR’s) Neponset River
Master Plan, Phase II, which encompasses a major section of the Neponset River Reservation,
including approximately 125 acres of parkland and over 11 miles of riverbank extending from Central
Avenue on the Milton-Boston line to Paul’s Bridge in Hyde Park and Milton.

This Master Plan seeks to protect and enhance the ecological health of the Neponset River system,
while providing for expanded recreational opportunities in the Reservation. The Plan will serve as a
guide for the stewardship, management, maintenance, and operation of the parkland, the parkway, and
the watershed, and enable DCR to more effectively contribute to development decisions on adjacent
properties. It also identifies partnership opportunities with businesses, community groups, and
landowners along the river.

Phase I of the Master Plan, covering the Lower Estuary of the Neponset River Reservation, was
completed in 1998. Much of that Plan has been implemented in the area extending to Central Avenue.
This new Plan builds upon the success of the Phase I Plan by facilitating access to the river and
providing a wide range of recreational opportunities for the adjacent neighborhoods and region. The
Lower Neponset Trail, constructed as part of Phase I, runs from Central Avenue to the Port Norfolk
Neighborhood in Dorchester, where connecting roads and trails lead to the mouth of the river at
Dorchester Bay. Pope John Paul II Park and the Neponset Park have been beautiful and popular
additions to the regional network. It is our hope that some elements of Phase II of the Master Plan,
which is slated to be implemented over a ten- to fifteen-year period, will commence immediately.

The Phase I Master Plan was made possible through the thoughtful participation of numerous
individuals and organizations. The continued involvement of the public is critical to this Plan’s
success, and we will continue the open and thorough public process associated with this project.

Sincerely,

Stephen H. Burrington
Commissioner
COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS · EXECUTIVE OFFICE OF ENVIRONMENTAL AFFAIRS
Department of Conservation and Recreation Mitt Romney Robert W. Golledge, Jr., Secretary
251 Causeway Street, Suite 600 Governor Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
Boston MA 02114-2119
617-626-1250 617-626-1351 Fax Kerry Healey Stephen H. Burrington, Commissioner

www.mass.gov/dcr Lt. Governor Department of Conservation & Recreation
NEPONSET RIVER
RESERVATION MASTER PLAN
NEPONSET RIVER
RESERVATION MASTER PLAN
Acknowledgements
Commonwealth of Massachusetts
Mitt Romney, Governor
Kerry Healy, Lt. Governor
Robert Golledge, Secretary, EOEA
Stephen Burrington, Commissioner, DCR
Karst Hoogeboom, Deputy Commissioner for Planning and Engineering, DCR
DCR Project Team
Cathy Garnett, Project Manager
Jim Baecker
Julia B. O’Brien
The Consultant Team
Crosby | Schlessinger | Smallridge, LLC (Prime)
Landscape Architecture, Planning and Urban Design - Boston, MA
· Deneen Crosby, Principal in Charge
· Carole Schlessinger, Project Manager
· Josh Burgel
· Kate Hunchar
· Kaki Martin
· Chris Riale
· Tamar Zimmerman
BSC Group
Natural Resources Assessment and Environmental Planning - Boston, MA
· Ken Fields
· Greg Sampson
· Tim Witman
· Heather Vaillant
D.G. Jones International Inc.
Cost Estimating - Medford, MA
· Charles McGrory
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NEPONSET RIVER
RESERVATION MASTER PLAN
Earth Tech
Structural Engineering - Concord, MA
· Robert Hajjar
Howard/Stein-Hudson Associates
Traffic and Transportation - Boston, MA
· Anne McKinnon
· Tony DiSarcina
Jacques Whitford Company Inc.
Assessment of Contamination Issues and Landscape Architecture - Woburn, MA
· Mark Klopfer
· David Taylor
· Cheri Ruane
· Elise Mazareas
· Tereza Dan
rai architecture
Architecture - Sudbury, MA
· Thomas Rourke
Judith Nitsch Engineering, Inc (under separate contract)
Land Surveyors - Boston, MA
· Paul S. LeBaron, PLS, Survey Department Manager
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NEPONSET RIVER
RESERVATION MASTER PLAN
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION 1
Project Goals 2
Public Process 3
CHAPTER II: EXISTING CONDITIONS & ANALYSIS 5
Land Use 5
Demographic Profile 11
Access 13
Views 15
Natural Resources 15
Cultural Resources 18
Dams and Bridges 23
CHAPTER III: THE PLAN 25
Continuous River Corridor Trail System 26
Overlooks and Views 28
Water Trail 34
Signage and Interpretive Elements 35
Fencing Strategy 36
Access/Connections 37
Specific Recommendations by Area 39
Section 1: Paul’s Bridge to the Martini Shell 39
Section 2: Fairmount Avenue Section 41
Section 3: Former Bay State Paper Co. Site/Tileston and Hollingsworth Dam 43
Section 4: Belnel Neighborhood to Mattapan Square 46
Section 5: Mattapan Square to Central Avenue 48
Destinations 51
Martini Shell 52
Doyle Playground 55
Downtstream from the Tileston & Hollingsworth Dam 55
Truman Parkway Field Office 57
Kennedy Playground 60
McIver Square 61
Ryan Playground 62
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NEPONSET RIVER
RESERVATION MASTER PLAN
Acquisition/Easement Recommendations 63
Early Actions Items 65
Conservation Plan 67
Section 1: Paul’s Bridge to the Martini Shell 68
Section 2: Fairmount Avenue Section 72
Section 3: Former Bay State Paper Co. Site/Tileston and Hollingsworth Dam 73
Section 4: Belnel Neighborhood to Mattapan Square 74
Section 5: Mattapan Square to Central Avenue 76
Conservation & Environmental Management through Education 80
Environmental Contamination and Possible Remediation Options 80
Riverways Study of Fish Passage and Habitat Restoration 87
Permitting 88
Cost Estimates 91
CHAPTER IV: ONGOING OPERATIONS 93
Maintenance 93
Routine/General Maintenance 93
Specific Maintenance Plans for Individual Conservation Areas 97
Staffing 100
Safety and Security Plan 101
APPENDICES
A: COMMUNITY MEETING SUMMARIES A-2
B: STRUCTURAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR WALKWAY AT RIVERWAY PLAZA A-6
C: INVASIVE SPECIES MANAGEMENT A-8
D: BANK STABILIZATION TECHNIQUES A-16
E: SAFETY AND SECURITY PLAN A-19
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Introduction NEPONSET RIVER
RESERVATION MASTER PLAN
CHAPTER I: INTRODUCTION
In the late 1880s two of the founders of the Metropolitan Park system, Charles Eliot and Sylvester
Baxter, alarmed by the hasty pace of Boston’s expansion, laid out an idea for a vast, intercon-
nected system of parks, nature reserves, and scenic roadways in and around the city to ensure
that a wide range of natural and recreation lands would be preserved and enhanced for the
future. “This plan builds upon the course set by Eliot and Baxter. The course stresses the
principles of wise land stewardship, of preserving sensitive wildlife habitats, of restoring damaged
natural areas, and of opening portions of the outdoors for public use and enjoyment. It is a
course that has stood the test of time, and one we can count on to guide us in the future.” In
1893, Eliot wrote: “Nature appears to have placed these streams just where they can best serve
the needs of the crowded population gathering fast upon them.”
from A Master Plan for the Lower Neponset River Reservation, Metropolitan District
Commission, 1996, page 1
In 1998, the master plan for the Lower Estuary of the Neponset River Reservation (Phase I) was
completed, and much of that plan, up to Central Avenue, has been implemented. The Lower
Neponset Trail runs from Central Avenue in Milton to the Port Norfolk Neighborhood in
Dorchester where connecting roads and trails lead to the mouth of the River at Dorchester Bay.
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NEPONSET RIVER Introduction
RESERVATION MASTER PLAN
Project Area
Pope John Paul II Park and the recently completed Neponset Park are beautiful and popular
additions to the regional open space network.
Building on the success of the earlier Phase I Plan, the Department of Conservation and Recre-
ation (DCR) embarked upon a master plan for a major section of the Neponset River Reservation
extending from Central Avenue on the Boston/ Milton line to Paul’s Bridge in Hyde Park . This
plan provides access to the River, a continuous trail connecting to the Phase I trail, five MBTA
stations and several private developments along the River, as well as a wide range of recreation
opportunities for the adjacent neighborhoods and region.
The plan is a long-term plan that will be implemented over a ten to fifteen year period. However,
implementation of some elements will begin immediately. Equally important, the plan will enable
the DCR to more effectively “weigh in” on current development decisions - to work closely with
developers and regulatory agencies to identify opportunities for public/private partnerships as
well as potential impacts to the Reservation.
Project Goals
This Master Plan was developed to respond to the following goals:
• Continue development of a greenway corridor and a continuous multi-use pathway system
throughout the Reservation that links this section of the Neponset River Reservation and its
surrounding communities (e.g. Boston and Milton) with the Lower Neponset River Trail.
• Restore River banks, edges and channels to promote both increased recreational use and the
river’s ecological health.
• Protect and enhance the wildlife habitat by improving natural areas.
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Introduction NEPONSET RIVER
RESERVATION MASTER PLAN
• Strengthen the open space network along the River by identifying key parcels required for
acquisition or easement, and key connections to other public open space systems.
• Determine areas most suitable/desirable by location and type for recreation, education and
preservation.
• Identify partnership opportunities with businesses, community groups and owners along the
River to obtain funding for capital improvements, maintenance and operations.
• Develop a public participation and volunteer framework to help care for the Reservation.
• Develop guidelines and techniques for management and operation of the parkland.
• Develop early action park improvement projects and maintenance and operation priorities.
Public Process
The Plan is the result of a public process which began with the Phase I Master Plan in the 1990s.
The public process for this Phase II Plan has been carried out over the course of five months.
Three public meetings were held:
• March 8, 2006: Public Meeting to discuss Existing Conditions Inventory & Analysis
• April 26, 2006: Public Meeting to discuss Master Plan Alternatives
• June 14, 2006: Public Meeting to discuss Recommended Master Plan
A newsletter summarizing the project progress was widely distributed prior to each meeting.
Large display boards at the public
meetings provided attendees with
detailed information about the
plan.
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