How Can Medford Square Be Improved?

What started out as a Medford City Council discussion about the Cradock Bridge reconstruction Tuesday turned into a debate about issues surrounding Medford Square.

The council will receive a presentation from the Massachusetts Department of Transportation next week on the planned 2014 reconstruction of the historic Medford Square bridge.

"This is going to have major, major impact on Medford Square, on the traffic and the business community," said Council President Bob Maiocco.

Council Vice President Fred Dello Russo, Jr. said the bridge project is going to require "a lot of support from the government and the citizens to continue to patronize all the businesses in the square."

He cited a recent dinner out in a neighboring community, one he would not name, as an instance where he wondered why Medford could not have a similar thriving setting downtown.

Councilor Michael Marks shared Dello Russo's concerns, adding that low foot traffic is hurting Medford Square.

Marks said he's heard from residents who don't go to Medford Square because "there's not a destination place in the square."

Marks said there are currently three city-owned lots near Medford Square that aren't being used. He put blame on Mayor Michael McGlynn for not putting forward a plan for a mixed-use area like Station Landing or what he said could work on Salem Street two weeks ago.

He added a lack of parking enforcement near Medford Square is also hurting downtown businesses.

"Without enforcement, cars will stay in the same spot for eight to 10 hours, therefore creating a need for additional parking," Marks said. "That's the problem with our square...There are very easy solutions to revitalize Medford Square. This isn't rocket science."

Unlike Dello Russo, Marks explicitly mentioned the downtowns of Woburn, Melrose, Somerville, Winchester and Wakefield as having thriving downtown business districts.

"We've had 26 years under this leadership to produce a revitalized square, and the current leadership is unable to do so," Marks said.

Marks said he's disappointed with the current business make-up of downtown, compared to years past.

"We used to have a movie theater...a bowling alley in the square," Marks said. "When I grew up there were things to do in the square. Now you go down there and get your nails done, or pick up a slice of pizza, or maybe go see a chiropractor. That's about all you're going to do in the square."

Councilor Breanna Lungo-Koehn said the city needs parking enforcement now "more than ever," and that it's something the council has asked for year after year.

Lungo-Koehn also refuted some of Marks' notions about a lack of activity downtown.

"There are a lot of things to do in the square," she said. "But people are deterred because of the parking....(Parking enforcement) is something that should have been done years ago."

Councilor Rick Caraviello called parking "the main part of the problem" in Medford Square but echoed Lungo-Koehn's point about a strong diversity of businesses there.

"There are nine or 10 restaurants in the square that all seem to be doing pretty well," he said.

Marks clarified his position, saying the west side of Medford Square is active but called the east side "a ghost town," to which Caraviello also disagreed.

"There's more vacant that what you mentioned," Marks said. "There's a whole building on Forest Street that's vacant...When you look at it the types of businesses we have, that lends itself to not having the foot traffic, at least for a lot of people....There are some good businesses there, but we can do a lot better."

What changes would you like to see in Medford Square? How can it be improved? What kind of businesses would you like to see there?