Roslindale Neighbors: Rozzie to get parklet (eventually)

Roslindale Village is proposed to get a parklet this summer as part of a pilot program, Boston Transportation Department (BTD) Director of Planning Vineet Gupta told the Gazette.

A location has not yet been selected, Gupta said. The City is working with Roslindale Village Main Streets (RVMS) on potential locations.

A parklet is a small, semi-permanent public space that resembles a deck, created from two to three parking spaces. They’re intended to provide sidewalk seating for businesses and are maintained by them. Jamaica Plain’s parklet was one of the first in the city, part of a pilot program.

“There are a couple of options about what might happen,” RVMS Program Coordinator Ben Somer told the Gazette. He said he doesn’t yet know if Roslindale will get an already built parklet or if the area will get a brand-new one.

A parklet set up in Mission Hill may move to Roslindale after one of the partner businesses there was not happy with safety and parking impacts. The City is still discussing its future.

The costs for a new parklet would likely come from funds leftover from the City’s pilot program, started last year, Gupta said. Any parklets created after this year would be funded by its partner businesses.

Meanwhile, Jamaica Plain’s parklet will return as soon as the City’s Water and Sewer Department finish moving utility lines in Center Street in Hyde Square. However, the timing of that work is still unclear.

“We have to coordinate with their schedule,” Gupta said. “[But] we’re working with Hyde/Jackson Main Streets. We’re making a renewed effort to bring additional success to that parklet.”

“We’ve learned from last year’s experience,” Gupta said, noting that BTD wants to work more closely with Main Streets programs for greater local support and for possible programming.

Gupta also said that BTD is open to doing design changes to the parklets themselves.

“We’re looking at adding additional seating to [JP’s] parklet,” he said.

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