ATHOL – Residents had the opportunity to see and ask questions about the final proposal for the greening of Lord Pond Plaza.

Casey-Lee Bastien, landscape architect with BSC Group of Boston, said the proposal calls for replacing much of the two-acre asphalt parking lot with green space, as well as daylighting Mill Brook, which has remained hidden under pavement since the plaza was developed.

Three public meetings and two site walks have been held since the greening of Lord Pond was first proposed. Planning and Development Director Eric Smith said town officials and representatives of BSC have striven to address concerns raised by the public—predominantly traffic flow, vehicle and pedestrian safety, snow removal, and environmental impact.

“For circulation,” said Lee, “we did traffic studies on where people were coming and going and looking at ways to maintain flow into and out of (the area).”

Bastien said there would be two locations on Main Street where motorists can enter and exit the plaza—the existing one between Cumberland Farms and Elev8 Cannabis, and also by way of Freedom Street. Another entrance off of Main Street will be located west of the main entryway but will be limited for access to the plaza. Other entry and exit points include Exchange and South streets.

The amount of space for parking will be significantly reduced by the addition of green space and daylighting of Mill Brook. Lee said this development won’t create a problem for retailers.

“Then we looked at maximum build-out at peak capacity, if all the buildings that use it suddenly were at full capacity – four cars per thousand square feet of retail – that gets you up around 250 parking spaces,” said Lee. “We’re a little way over that with 260.”

Lee went on to explain unused space can be turned into drainage, usable landscape, and daylighting of Mill Brook.

Environmental benefits

One of the advantages of the project is that it will make downtown Athol more comfortable during the summer months. A Municipal Vulnerability Preparedness Program report completed in 2020 identified the Lord Pond parking lot as a heat island, absorbing and radiating excess heat in sunny weather. The BSC plan states the planting of various species of trees is designed to create islands of shade.

In terms of environmental impact, Lee noted that the green space will allow for better filtering of contaminants carried in snow and ice runoff and stormwater. At present, he explained, pollutants simply flow into catch basins and straight into a nearby brook. The addition of swails will slow water runoff and allow for natural percolation into the soil supporting grass and trees.

The green space is being added in such a way as to provide locations for community events such as the farmers markets and musical performances. One such location will be in the center of the existing parking lot and the other behind the Athol Senior Center.

Mary Holtorf, chair of the Downtown Vitality Committee, expressed some concern that trees planted on the site might obscure the view of retail establishments from passing motorists. Lee noted that signage will be placed at every entrance to the plaza, adding that there will be some trade-offs.

The next step as the project moves forward is the issuance of a final planning report from BSC Group. This will include recommendations on how best to proceed. The total cost of the transformation is estimated at approximately $4 million. That amount should be covered by grants, with some matches from the town. It’s hoped construction can get underway sometime next year.

Greg Vine can be reached at gvineadn@gmail.com.

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