Arlington Installs 3 New 'Parklets' To Eat, Shop Outdoors

ARLINGTON, MA — Three new "parklets" and other public space improvements were recently installed in Arlington Center and Arlington Heights with the support of MassDOT's Shared Streets and Spaces grant program. The project's goal is to enhance public and private outdoor seating, ensure pedestrian safety and provide bicycle parking infrastructure.

This is done by converting parking spaces, small roadways and pedestrian alleyways into safer areas to dine outdoors, walk and travel by bicycle. The aim is to provide businesses with additional public space for customers to safely use.

Parklets can be found at the following locations through November (snow may force their early removal):

• In Arlington Center, the Town created outdoor seating parklets on Alton Street and Medford Street and installed lighting and bicycle racks on Old Mystic Street along Whittemore Park. Park Terrace is closed to vehicular traffic and has been temporarily converted into an outdoor seating area and pedestrian plaza. A temporary mural created by Arlington artist Maria Lobo, which celebrates clean energy, adorns the brick façade along the street’s edge.
• A dark pedestrian walkway at Old Mystic Street, adjacent to Whittemore Park at the Massachusetts Avenue and Mystic Street intersection, transforms with the installation of lighting and bicycle racks. Close to the Minuteman Bikeway, these improvements will allow bicyclists and pedestrians greater access and visibility in exploring Arlington Center.
• A protected parklet on Alton Street features six picnic tables placed along the western side of this one-way roadway. Additional string lighting is installed over the seating area and a temporary wheat paste mural will also adorn the wall facing the parklet.
• In Arlington Heights, a parklet and outdoor dining area is situated in front of a long-vacant commercial building at 1306-1308 Massachusetts Avenue. This installation serves several take-out dining establishments in a neighborhood that has few public outdoor seating options. This parklet and seating area is in response not only to the pandemic but also to general improvements to the Arlington Heights business district identified in the 2019 Arlington Heights Neighborhood Action Plan.

Providing space for outdoor commerce to take place has been key to Arlington's ongoing pandemic response. Securing the MassDOT grant has allowed the town to buy equipment to dramatically expand outdoor seating capacity for dining and other passive uses.

To learn more about the parklet program, contact Ali Carter, Economic Development Coordinator, at [email protected] or 781-316-3095.