Another corporate sponsor is making a major investment in rail transit.
First Apple helped finance the rehab of an "L" stop in Chicago. Now New Balance is paying to build a passenger rail station that will serve its headquarters in Boston's Brighton neighborhood, reports Nicole Anderson at Network blog the Architect's Newspaper:
It has been five decades since there has been a commuter rail station in Brighton, but this will soon change. MassDOT Secretary Richard A. Davey and New Balance Chairman James S. Davis announced this summer that they will build a new Worcester Line commuter station, and just a few days ago, the sports apparel company gave word that it is slated to open in 2014.
The station, New Brighton Landing, will be part of New Balance’s $500 million development complex that will serve as the company’s headquarters and also include a hotel, a sports facility, retail space, and parking. Elkus Manfredi Architects and Howard/Stein Hudson Associates will design the 250,000-sq-ft headquarters.
In June, MassDOT said that New Balance has agreed to “fund all permitting, design, and construction costs for the station and fund annual maintenance costs” for the $16 million New Brighton Landing station.
The area around the station is being branded as a 14-acre, mixed-use "health and wellness district," which will include the company's headquarters, shopping and other amenities. Compare that to the California employers we wrote about yesterday that spend their resources subsidizing solo car commuting.
Elsewhere on the Network today: Biking Toronto reports that while protests continue -- a physician was arrested during demonstrations yesterday -- city officials are moving ahead with a controversial bike lane removal. This Big City looks at how climate change is affecting cities around the world, beyond Hurricane Sandy. And Systemic Failure shares research that casts doubt on the value of sharrows, even showing they can make streets less safe than no cycling treatment at all.
