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Centre Street Lots Exploratory Study

Centre Street Lot East

About the Study

The Town of Brookline is launching an exploratory study to identify a vision for a potential redesign of the Centre Street East and West parking lots in Coolidge Corner. The study, which began in early 2025, will involve extensive community engagement, scenario planning, traffic and parking analyses, and financial modeling over the course of 2025. This effort aims to arrive at a thoughtful, pragmatic design proposal for the Lots that achieves the goals the community identifies. The study is being conducted by the Brookline Department of Planning and Community Development’s Economic Development and Long-Term Planning Division, the Select Board-appointed Centre Street Lots Committee, and a consultant team led by Brookline-based Speck Dempsey.

Centre Street Walk

Community Engagement

On any given day, the Centre Street Lots are used by customers of Coolidge Corner’s small businesses, patrons of the Coolidge Corner Theatre, workers and tradespeople serving this vital commercial node, visitors to Brookline’s beloved farmers’ market, and more. This process must start with deep community engagement and welcome a broad range of Brookline’s constituents to weigh in on how they use the lots today and how they might like to use them in the future. 

Project Timeline

Project Kickoff

Project Kickoff

January - March 2025

What is currently working at the lots? What isn’t? How do people use the lots? Where are people congregating? 

Gathering Input

Gathering Input

March - May 2025

What do the employees, merchants, vendors, patrons, residents, visitors, and others who use these lots want to see in them? 

Testing it Out

Testing it Out

May - July 2025

How can tactical urbanism interventions inspire the community to re-envision the potential of these important community assets? 

Develop Options

Develop Options

What are the 3-5 options that make the most sense to present to the community?

July - September 2025

Select Preferred Option(s)

Select Preferred Option(s)

Which design option works best for Brookline’s future? 

September - October 2025

Modeling and Analysis

Modeling and Analysis

October - November 2025

How will the proposed plan impact traffic flow? Will it meet parking needs? Is it economically viable? 

Final Report and Presentation

Final Report and Presentation

What did we intend to accomplish with this project? How did we study it? What findings did we arrive at? What comes next? 

November - December 2025

Guiding Principles

Adopted by the Centre Street Lots Committee on May 15, 2025.

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Ensure continued access for business owners and lot users

Coolidge Corner is a thriving mixed-use neighborhood and Brookline’s principal commercial district. Changes to the Centre Street Lots must ensure existing users, including local residents, continue to be supported.

Foster inclusive community engagement

A robust exploration of the future of the Lots necessitates deep community engagement with Brookline’s diverse constituencies, including small businesses, neighbors, visitors, civic institutions, and many more individuals and entities, with attention to those less vocal in Town policy-making.

Commit to environmental sustainability

Brookline takes its responsibility for sustainability seriously. This visioning exercise must reflect this commitment by prioritizing best environmental practices in its plan and approach.

Align with the Brookline Comprehensive Plan

To best address the needs of Brookline’s community members and their vision for the Town’s future, the vision for the Centre Streets Lots must mirror and complement the ongoing Comprehensive Plan process, and reflect established Town priorities.

Adopt a pragmatic fiscal approach

Given this exploratory exercise’s aim of producing a preferred, consensus-driven proposal with implementation potential, it must be grounded in Brookline’s fiscal realities and the economics of development and construction.

Centre Street Lots Exploratory Study

Questions?

Contact Zach Tesler, Economic Development & Long-Term Planner

(617) 730-2124

Town of Brookline

333 Washington Street

Brookline, MA 02445

Town of Brookline
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