Centre Street Lots Exploratory Study
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.
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
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
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
May - July 2025
How can tactical urbanism interventions inspire the community to re-envision the potential of these important community assets?
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)
Which design option works best for Brookline’s future?
September - October 2025
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
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.
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.