The Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) hosted a meeting at the Holland Community Center on Jan. 13 to discuss neighborhood planning around the Four Corners /Geneva T stop on the Fairmount Line. The meeting led residents through a discussion about how to best make use of open space around the MBTA commuter line station that opened last year.

The discussion was led by BRA planners Ted Schwartzberg and Josh Fiala, an urban designer and architect at the Cecil Group Planning and Design Co. Five groups of 8 to 10 people discussed desirable outcomes for development of a half-mile radius of city surrounding the station. In a second exercise, the groups were asked to winnow their vision down to a few specific improvements or key concepts that each group shared with the others.

Azia Carle, a 23-year-old, lifelong resident Fields Corner, was the spokesperson for one of the groups.

“We’d like to use new business to build up the culture and sense of community in the area,” said Carle. “We would also like to maintain some open space and perhaps organize community gardens. We would also like to see more signage and other improvements to bicycling and walking conditions. These plans would benefit from increasing the frequency of the train and lowering the cost.”

Other groups suggested investing in public art and improving the sense of safety with better lighting. It was also pointed out by many that the youth population in the area is high and so some of the development should be focused on serving their needs.

Much of the planning built on the work of The Fairmount/Indigo Line Coalition, a group formed in 1999 that includes community development corporations, civic leaders and transit advocates from neighborhoods all along the Fairmount corridor. Initially, the group focused on advocating for new or renovated stations stops along the line. Their push helped steer state officials to invest in new stations at Newmarket, Four Corners/Geneva Ave, and Talbot Avenue. A fifth new station is will be built by next year at Blue Hille Ave./Cummins Highway.

Marvin Martin, a Four Corners resident has been involved in the process since the start as a member of the Four Corners Action Coalition, pointed out that the Four Corners Coalition had already formed a development plan around the station. He does not want the emerging BRA processt to duplicate efforts.

“My frustration is that we spent a whole year planning for Four Corners redevelopment. What we don’t need is a new vision or planning process,” said Martin. “What the BRA needs to do is figure out how they’re helping the implementation of the Four Corners plan now, while still planning for Geneva.”

“It is important to note that these meetings are not taking place in a vacuum,” said Schwartzberg. “ It is not as if the ongoing projects in the area or around Boston are on hold while we conduct these meetings. New ideas and projects do arise from our work but our reports also help direct ongoing projects and highlight community concerns.”

With the assistance of The Cecil Group and Metropolitan Area Planning Council, the BRA intends to produce a document summarizing their meetings with community stakeholders. The document will be used by other city departments like Public Works Department and the Department of Neighborhood Development (DND) as well as the MBTA to inform them of the types of projects and services that the residents of the neighborhood desire.

The work the BRA does could affect the pace and scope of public works projects or lead to adjustments in zoning laws, but in Schwatzberg’s seven years at the BRA the largest impact he has seen has been on the DND. That will likely to be the case in the Four Corner /Geneva area because the city owns a significant amount of land there.

In his State of the City address last week, Mayor Walsh highlighted a new plan to make 250 city-owned parcels available for development through a “Neighborhood Homes Initiative.” The land, most of it owned by DND, would “provide housing for low- and middle-income families where it is needed most,” Walsh said.

“The city is not in the business of owning land. It is better out have it put to a productive use for the neighborhood,” said Schwartzberg. “When DND decides to put the land out to bid it will consider what the residents want the land to be used for by looking at our summary of these community meetings.”