We need a pedestrian-friendly makeover at MCI-Acton site
I was horrified to hear that Maynard Crossing or The Point in Littleton might be models for its future.
I read with interest the recent Acton Bridge article about the MCI-Acton redevelopment (“Jailhouse reno: MCI makeover could lift ideas from nearby towns”) but was horrified to hear that Maynard Crossing or The Point in Littleton might be models for its future.
Both of these developments are totally car-dependent, with shopping mall-type, big box stores surrounded by oceans of parking. People don’t even walk from one store to the next. That’s not what West Acton wants or needs. Baker Avenue is bad enough; we don’t want that again.
The MCI-Acton site is close to the commuter rail and easily accessible on foot or by bicycle, with convenient connections to the Bruce Freeman Rail Trail and West Acton. It should have a street network with multiple connections to the surrounding neighborhood, smaller-footprint buildings, and a mix of uses in each building. Residents should be able to live, work, and shop in the same neighborhood, without once getting into a car.
In short, the model for the MCI-Acton redevelopment should be West Acton.
Christopher Schaffner
Old Marlboro Road
