Development ideas unveiled for old Braintree Electric Light plant

Options include artist lofts, wellness center, condos for seniors

By Fred Hanson
The Patriot Ledger
Posted May 29, 2010 @ 12:15 PM

BRAINTREE — Artist lofts. A conference and wellness center. Town house condominiums for older residents with open space along the river.

Those are ideas the Community Design Resource Center of Boston has come up with for the site of the original Braintree Electric Light plant on Allen Street.

The townhouse development, which would involve tearing down all four buildings on the property, was unpopular with about three dozen residents and town officials who attended a meeting Thursday night to unveil the three proposals.

“There’s a couple we like and one we don’t,” said at-large Councilor Leland Dingee, who lives in the area.

He said the design which includes 22, three-story town houses “look to me like a wall” and would discourage public access to any riverfront open space.

David Oliva of Edgehill Road said by tearing down the buildings “you’re losing the history of the area.”

Dorothy Veronica White of Beechwood Road added that new housing would make the area “terribly congested.”

David Gamble of the nonprofit design center said the condominium development is the most likely of the three concepts.

“It’s the market that drives these things,” he said.

The proposed artist lofts would be built in one of the light department buildings along Allen Street, with the former offices housing a cafe. It would include a riverfront amphitheater which could seat 185 people.

The retreat and wellness center would add a new building on the site, and include a canoe and kayak launch. The former offices would be used for a related business.

Gamble said that in meetings with residents during the past few months, the discussion has shifted from using the 1.6-acre site as a park only to allowing some development.

“It’s been a helpful dialogue,” he said.

Mayor Joseph Sullivan noted the property has sat unused for 14 years.

“The point of this whole process has been to get things moving because it can’t lay fallow another five or 10 years,” said Christine Stickney, Braintree’s director of planning and community development.

Fred Hanson may be reached at fhanson@ledger.com.

Original article at Patriotledger.com.

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