In a two-part series beginning this week, the Reporter tries to examine all the angles of Peabody Square, a community junction at a crossroads of its own.

By Jim O'Sullivan

Chris Stanley held a cardboard cup of coffee and skirted a rusted Camry as it pulled into the parking lot. Stanley looked across the intersection and counted the telephone poles, traffic light poles, and street signs blocking his view.

"One, two, three … 10, 11 poles - 12, if you include that one," said Stanley, a 36-year-old architect and father of two. "It's the space that freaks me out - between Talbot Ave., Dorchester Ave., and Ashmont Street, it's just so poorly designed."

Stanley was spending his Saturday surveying Peabody Square, pointing out with a local's discerning eye the pros and cons of a heavily-trafficked area of the city, whose critics decry its lack of planned cohesion, and whose defenders tout its potential over its present amenities.

Stanley is both, champion and detractor, a resident of nearby Carruth St. and a co-chair of the community advisory committee for the MBTA's redevelopment of Ashmont Station. In front of Store24 last Saturday, Stanley addressed a host of the neighborhood's gripes: traffic snarls blamed on poor design, difficulty getting around on foot due to haphazardly-located crosswalks, drug activity near the T station and Store24, reluctance on the part of prospective new businesses who have been slow to invest there, a sharing of the territory among local politicians, and a lack of cohesive planning that lends a disjointed feel to the area.

He is not alone in diagnosing its flaws or recognizing its capacity to become a place to seek and a place to stay, instead of a place through which to pass. Joy Campbell, a 40-year-old office manager who moved to Bailey St., on the opposite side of the Square from Stanley, in 2000, said she chose the area because she wanted to live near the Red Line, in a safe area that offered affordable housing. She chose Bailey St., but with reservations.

"The Peabody Square and Ashmont T area just struck me as really bleak," Campbell said. "I remember coming out of the subway at night, and thinking, 'How could I ever possibly think of this as home?' It was charmless … It just didn't seem to have any vitality."

But Campbell said she saw "almost limitless possibility" in the retail and residential cluster along Dot Ave, mentioning, as do other Peabody Square watchers repeatedly, Somerville's Davis Square as a paradigm.

"People are going to be out," Campbell said. "The question is: Do we want people hanging out or do we want people going out? You've got to define [the Square]. If you don't define it, it's going to define itself. And, right now, the definition is: I'm empty space."

A Dorchester nexus that hugs parish, political, and civic boundaries, Peabody Square has begun to clamor for attention.

Crime circles Square

Tom Lee grew up on Bailey St., and remembers when a mounted police officer would patrol the area around Ashmont Station.

Lee, now the captain of Area C-11, Dorchester's largest police district, said last week that he thinks such a close watch over the area would be a good idea today, but budget restrictions prohibit him from assigning a full-time patrol to the area around the station. Ashmont Station and Store24, Lee reported, are two hot spots for a local crime slate that includes muggings and drug trafficking. Both venues, Lee said, serve as convenient meeting spots for drug dealers looking to sell marijuana and cocaine.

"They try to blend in among the people," Lee said. "No matter how many arrests you make, they keep coming back there."

According to Lee, Boston police will increase foot patrols during the holidays, aiming to protect commuters who make likely prey for muggers. But Lee said the stick-up artists have proved adaptable, identifying the increased police pressure, and temporarily taking their operations elsewhere.

"I wish we had the resources to put a full patrol back," Lee said. "I think that'd be a start."

A series of brawls and bar-related incidents also have Lee worried, and blemish the area's reputation, neighbors say.

On Tuesday, at a Boston Licensing Board hearing, licensing commissioners heard testimony from Layden's Pub and from police about a brawl last month that started when two men outside smoking encountered another group walking along the sidewalk. The fight, which split along black-white racial lines, led to several arrests. Lee said the fight was one in a string with racial overtones.

In a much-publicized July incident, a 61-year-old Savin Hill man was killed by a hit-and-run driver after stepping outside Ashmont Grille. Richard Miller was dragged several hundred feet, according to reports, before being run over and killed. Police say they still do not know the driver's identity.

The violent incidents and the drug trade mar the neighborhood's reputation, and Lee said that, while Store24 shouldn't shoulder the brunt of the blame, cutting back business hours could ameliorate crime.

Shaun Marshall, the store's manager, said he hadn't heard many complaints from residents about criminal activity near the 1886 Dorchester Ave. address. Marshall said the Everett Square branch that closed during late-night hours suffered a drastic drop in business, and said supervisors likely would be reluctant to scale back hours in the Peabody Square branch.

'A domino effect'

When Ashmont Station is rehabilitated, finally, as part of the $90 million rehaul of Dorchester's four Red Line stations, neighborhood activists and T officials alike could hardly be blamed for following the lead of Alexander the Great, who famously wept when there were no more lands to conquer. The redevelopment of Ashmont Station, and an adjacent parcel controlled by the Dorchester-based Trinity Financial development firm, represents the brass ring of civic efforts, with construction scheduled for next year.

In the meantime, though, decisions await and problems persist. The 30,000-square-foot development parcel adjacent to the south of the station property remains a question mark.

Vince Droser, project manager for Trinity, said his company is waiting for the T to advance in its planning and financing of the Ashmont rehaul before it commits to a specific development plan for the triangular lot. But, Droser said, when the choices are made, community sentiment will steer them.

"Let's pretend it's a blank piece of paper," Droser said. "If you had a magic wand, what would you want to do to Peabody Square?"

"I think the community needs to form its vision so that developers and others involved can reflect that vision," he added.

The now-unused parcel will be just a start, said Bill Richard, a 33-year-old father and St. Mark's Area Main Streets board member who lives on Carruth St. "We're not just banking on the station, we're banking on the development for the neighborhood. You know how it happens in these neighborhoods," Richard said. "The property across the street improves itself, and then you have to work on your storefront, and working with St. Mark's, there's going to be a domino effect throughout the neighborhood."

Dan Larner, the St. Mark's Area Main Streets director who calls Peabody Square a major commercial hub in the neighborhood, has made a mission out of restoring storefronts along the Avenue, and has several more, including the Ashmont Grille, planned for the Square. Larner said he foresees the roadside cosmetic facelifts, the station reconstruction, and the developed parcel working together.

"All these things together will have a gigantic impact on the area," Larner said, adding that businesses who come to the area tend to stay there.

"Believe it or not, people here have money to spend," Richard says. "And we need to get the word out to the business community."

'What can we do?'

A glance at the mosaic of different elected and city officials representing Peabody Square offers insight into why change's arrival might be slow there. Of the six voting precincts that comprise the Square, there is no consistent combination of City Hall coordinators, city councillors, state representatives, and state senator. Senator Jack Hart is the only official who represents the entirety of Peabody Square, and Hart's seat, the First Suffolk Senate, only came into existence after last year's redistricting. State Representative Martin Walsh and Speaker of the House Thomas Finneran, allies, each claim three precincts. In the City Council, frequent foes Charles Yancey and Maureen Feeney each represent three precincts. In City Hall's Office of Neighborhood Services, Molly Dunford covers four precincts and Mila Monteiro covers two.

Boundaries of civic groups, too, reflect confusion about who has what say where. Groups from Ashmont-Adams, Ashmont Hill, the St. Mark's Area, and the soon-to-be-renamed Atherstone-Bailey-Clermont-Fuller (ABCF) Association all weigh in with politicians and city officials about their opinions regarding Peabody Square.

Dorchester's traditional parish divisions consign Peabody Square to the margins as well. Residents of Peabody Square and its surroundings attend St. Mark's and St. Gregory's on the Avenue, but it's not far to St. Ann's or St. Brendan's either.

The result, many agree, is a sort of "no-man's land," a peculiar section of the city whose failure to lie in the jurisdiction of a singular person or institution who could be held accountable for its well-being damns it to second-class status, a sort of orphan among other, higher-profile, better-resourced, and more soundly-planned sections of the neighborhood like Adams Corner.

"That's part of the problem," said Bill Richard. "No one takes ownership of it. It's the great divide."

"Everyone feels like they have a piece of it, but it's not really in anyone's neighborhood," Droser said. Still, instead of being a marginalized gutter, insist the optimists, Peabody Square can profit from its location. "That's actually good," Droser went on, "because it allows for a lot of different perspectives. And then it becomes not just a tranportation hub, but a neighborhood hub."

Dunford pointed to the annual Christmas tree lighting, scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 29 at 4 p.m. Different civic groups "play nice" in Peabody Square, Dunford said, making the lighting a group effort.

"For a change, it's a lot of people saying, 'What can we do to make it better?', instead of, 'What can we do to make it ours?'," Dunford said.

Eyeing the key decisions over the station-abutting parcel, and hopeful for other changes that might uncrimp traffic flow or brighten the commercial district, a group of Peabody Square residents are planning to meet early next month to debate options and brainstorm ideas. At 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, December 3, a meeting in the Foley Building on River St. will foster what Droser called Peabody Square's "vision."

"I have every faith that it's going to go from being an urban wasteland to being a vital part of the community, something that draws people together," Campbell said.

Next week: Rounding out the Square.

By Jim O'Sullivan

(Second in a two-part series)

Nov. 28, 2003- Nervous users of Ashmont Station crowded the basement of All Saints Church shortly before 6:30 p.m. on October 8. Two large and life-altering questions would be answered that night. The first was whether or not the redesign of Ashmont Station would preserve access from Radford Lane. The second, nationally televised and scheduled a few hours later, was whether or not the Red Sox could top the Yankees in Game One of the American League Championship Series.

The answer to both questions was yes, although the Sox' first-game victory later became a historical footnote; neighborhood pressure brought about a result of more resonance. The Sox famously folded in the series' deciding game; in Peabody Square, a stark majority of locals sniped down a trial balloon and flexed a little civic muscle that augurs well for an area of the city begging for an infusion of resources and vitality.

In discussions with community advisors and design firm Cambridge 7, MBTA officials had considered redrawing plans to seal the egress onto Radford Lane, the small side street jutting from Carruth St. to the entrance at the back of the station. T personnel had floated the idea, which was supported by some abutters, to the larger community &endash; and were greeted with swift and vocal opposition.

Emotional e-mails flew between civic activists. State Representative Martin Walsh said he received more phone calls about Radford Lane than any issue since he had taken office &endash; including his vote on the death penalty. A meeting was scheduled. All Saints was packed.

"It wasn't until the Radford Lane meeting that you got the gist of the neighborhood pulling together," said Barbara Boylan, the MBTA designer who offered as an alternative four different ways to preserve the entrance.

Symptomatic of what ails Peabody Square and what could belong to it in the future, the Radford Lane uproar hinted at a community in crossroads.

Point of reference

Grasping for a point of comparison, Peabody Square's interested parties commonly arrive at the same example: Somerville's Davis Square. Davis Square is "a destination," they say, whereas Peabody Square is a place to pass through. This summer, members of the Ashmont Station community advisory committee road-tripped north to Somerville, examining the rich offerings of Davis Square &endash; among them a barbecue dinner at the venerable RedBones.

Davis Square boasts what Peabody Square hopes for: a major transit station that draws foot traffic to local businesses, pumping capital into the area. According to Jack Connolly, a Somerville alderman and businessman whose office and home are "in the heart of Davis Square," the area's success stems largely from the Davis Square T Station, which opened in 1984.

"Essentially, that has been the magnet that has drawn people here," Connolly said Tuesday in a telephone interview. "Before that, this place was &endash; the retail was all boarded up, it was just all barrooms and barrooms, a few Chinese food places." Connolly said a 99 percent white population" preceded the square's current ethnic diversity. "Things were just old and gray and tired."

With the arrival of the station, Davis Square bloomed, pulling in retail investments to replaced boarded-up shops and faceless saloons. Connolly said the city has been careful to regulate the business boom, curtailing business expansion into the residential communities that house 50,000 people within walking distance of the Red Line.

"The success is keeping the central business district right in the middle of the square," Connolly said. "We've been very careful in not allowing business to encroach up into the neighborhood streets."

Along with rising business stock came rising property values, a trend that Connolly trumpeted, but has met with mixed reviews in Boston neighborhoods. Connolly admitted that young families looking to buy homes near Davis Square have a hard time, and said the area's density makes the construction of affordable housing difficult.

Getting Square

On December 3, Peabody Square's neighbors and merchants will huddle at the Foley Building on River Street for a "what's next?" planning session. The 30,000 square foot development parcel adjacent to Ashmont Station remains the area's biggest question mark. Trinity Financial, the firm handling the site, has said it will wait until the T's plans for the station are finalized &endash; likely sometime early next year &endash; before it proceeds with design and development. Ideas bandied about often include a combination of housing and, along the sidewalk, a retail package.

With the storefront restoration along Dorchester Ave. headed by Main Streets Director Dan Larner, locals hope the station and the parcel can rejuvenate the Square &endash; though defining just how proves challenging.

"To say more urban would be to deny its existence at this point, but something a little more friendly," said Len Osborne, a 47-year-old architect who has lived with his wife on Van Winkle Street since 1998. Osborne called for "a renaissance" of Peabody Square. Others see a natural progression from a blighted area toward a commercially affluent one.

With Peabody Square's problems largely identified, articulating just how to bring about that renaissance becomes the key challenge for local activists and government officials. The Square overlaps several different political districts and several different civic groups. Often, the effect has found Peabody Square in the gutter; still, many see its existence on the margins as an opportunity. Calling on government agencies and officials might be the next stage.

"If Mayor Menino's serious about Main Streets, this is it, this is what it's about," said one area activist.

Chris Stanley and Bill Richard, two local men eager to play a role in reshaping the Square, say business reinvestment will be essential.

"Not for nothing, but the Big Dig winds down, and these unions are going to be needing jobs," Stanley said. "There's going to be a lot of pressure on the politicians to keep construction going."

Della Costello, who owns a three-decker on Ashmont St., where she has lived for 30 years, said she only goes to the Square when she is in transit. Right down the street from her house, it doesn't offer her much of a destination. She said she would like the traffic island in the intersection to bear flowers and trees, instead of pavement. A sit-down restaurant across the street wouldn't be bad, either.

Others push for a coffeeshop or a bookstore in the area. During the recent City Council election, residents of the elderly housing Englewood Apartments held candidates' ears with requests for a crosswalk closer to their building. But both a grand vision and the bare minimums have proved elusive in Peabody Square.

"The space is here, it just needs to be worked on," Stanley said. "These are just basic standards that make city life worth living."