Local merchants agree ongoing construction in Kenmore Square will bring more foot traffic and revitalization, but some are calling the immediate loss of business from the mess on Commonwealth Avenue frustrating.
Construction to move the two Kenmore T stop entrances on Commonwealth Avenue farther west and inside the Hotel Commonwealth started in January and is scheduled to be completed by April, according to Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority spokeswoman Lydia Rivera. The brick bus station in the center of Kenmore Square will also be torn down and replaced with a glass design by the end of 2004, Rivera said.
While shop owners look forward to a revitalized Kenmore, Ian Mulvany, manager of Commonwealth Books, said “a string of expletives” came to mind when he thought about the current construction near Hotel Commonwealth. In addition to the MBTA construction, the hotel is also building an outdoor cafe and a string of retail shops.
“Because of our location underground, the only way to advertise our presence is on the street,” Mulvany said.
Boston University advanced $3 million to the MBTA to move the Kenmore T stop, Rivera said – a figure BU spokesman Colin Riley confirmed. Talks about the project began in January 2003, Rivera said, and she added that the construction schedule was moved up because of BU’s contribution.
“The T and the state set aside $25 million for a complete makeover of the streetscape,” she said. “We’re eliminating the brick bus shelter to make a new glass structure and new bus facility.”
But the long-term plan offers no relief to Mulvany’s bookstore, which has been open since August. Commonwealth Books regularly kept nine to 10 book carts on the street before construction began, he said. Since construction workers have asked them to scale back, the store puts out three or four carts, Mulvany said.
“January and February are bad months for us to begin with, but we’re not doing as well as we should be,” he said. He said he expects the finished project will help the entire square.
Next door, employees at a Sprint store set to open this month agreed.
“It has to get worse before it gets better, but I think it will really improve the area,” said one employee who declined to give her name.
Although Mulvany said customers have complained about difficulty accessing the storefront, he said the hotel has been understanding and helpful.
“We’ve learned to deal,” he said. “I’m feeling good about it – especially having ice cream upstairs and wine next door.”
Hotel Managing Director Tim Kirwan told The Daily Free Press in January that BU officials proposed moving the sidewalk entrances of the T stop indoors.
“It will make the sidewalk more attractive and eliminate the entrance as a traffic impediment,” Riley said last week, adding that the decision came after talks with the community and the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
“It’s an accommodation for residents and people in the hotel by allowing more walking space and convenience, which is what we like to promote,” Rivera said.
While the new entrance is expected to open in April, Rivera said Kenmore will see a “definite revitalization by the end of 2004” with a joint effort from MBTA and the state.