Green and Clean in Allston-Brighton
Once the snow melts and the grass starts growing, it becomes painfully obvious a whole lot of green spaces around town need some attention. Some parts of the city get that attention— like the median strip above the Mass Pike along Boylston Street in the Back Bay. But Brighton is a whole other story.
As inevitable as summer mosquitoes, the medians along Commonwealth Avenue fill with trash and weeds. Even the small park on the eastern half of the Chestnut Hill Reservoir looks abandoned — a real shame because it could be a gem.
But finally, some good news: the Lincoln Street Green Strip, the one-acre abandoned lot between Lincoln and Cambridge streets, is getting a much-needed renovation. The artist team of Legge Lewis Legge, through funding from the Boston Department of Neighborhood Development and the New England Foundation for the Arts, designed raised steel planters and vertical sculptures for the site. And while they’re at it, they’ll be pruning some of the overgrown plants back to civility.
Neighborhood activist Harry Matison says he hopes this project inspires neighborhood improvement and more public art in other nooks and crannies around Brighton. I agree; clean, well-tended green spaces dramatically improve a neighborhood’s image.
Once the Lincoln Street Green Strip is finished, I’m calling for a concerted effort to clean, upgrade, and maintain the green spaces along Commonwealth Avenue. A little bit of care might improve the area and maybe even the value of condos like these:
1706 Commonwealth Avenue, #11
Brighton, 02135
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
Sq. Ft.:515
$224,900
1641 Commonwealth Avenue, #8
Brighton, 02135
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
Sq. Ft.:541
$194,900
1629 Commonwealth Avenue, #6
Brighton, 02135
BEDS:1/BATHS:1
Sq. Ft.:545
$203,000
Open Houses in Brighton Under $300K
