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Trammell Crow unveils revised design for 752‑unit Plain Street project; traffic, MBTA crossings and phasing remain under review
Summary
Trammell Crow presented architectural revisions to the large Plain Street redevelopment — breaking long facades into smaller masses, adding gabled roofs, and committing to new public amenities — but the Planning Board kept the project open to additional peer review on traffic, water/sewer and MBTA grade‑crossing impacts and continued the matter to Nov. 12.
At a continued public hearing Oct. 14, the Trammell Crow Residential team presented substantial design revisions for a proposed 752‑unit redevelopment of the former Palmer‑Armstrong site (approximately 30 acres) on Plain Street. The applicant described phase 1 as roughly 427 units and phase 2 as the remaining units; the team said it expects to close on the second parcel within 12 months and to sequence site access accordingly.
Architect Steve Shetler showed major architectural changes intended to break long facades into smaller, more residential‑scaled masses with gables, dormers, brick and balconies. The applicant also proposed public amenities including a riverwalk, a public playground (replacing a prior food‑truck concept) and multiple resident courtyards. Attorney Frank Marinelli said the project would preserve mature trees and provide about 58% open space, and he described the overall investment as “a $230,000,000 investment in Braintree.”
Traffic peer reviewer Greg Lucas and the project traffic team (MDM) discussed outstanding site circulation questions, queue storage at the Plain Street driveway and signal timing optimization at Plain/Hancock/Washington. The developer proposed a phased driveway approach: Plain Street as the initial vehicular access for phase 1, with later access to Mahar Highway after acquisition and site work in phase 2. Board members and many residents raised concerns about peak‑period queuing and safety at the Plain/Hancock/Washington intersection and at MBTA grade crossings; the applicant said it is coordinating DTR studies and MBTA/Keolis on pedestrian crossing alternatives and that MBTA has been clear about restricting unsanctioned at‑grade crossings.
Given outstanding peer reviews (civil, water/sewer, fiscal and traffic), public concerns about traffic and the need for MBTA coordination, the board continued the matter to Nov. 12 for further review and for staff and peer reviewers to report back. The applicant will provide updated site plans and peer review responses.
