Proposed new sidewalk at Bentley University presented to Conservation Commission
A proposal for a 5-foot-wide sidewalk connecting Linden Street to the adjacent Bentley University soccer field complex was presented to the Conservation Commission on Thursday. Bentley’s Director of Planning and Construction Jon Nattinville served as the university’s representative during the meeting. Commissioner Bill Doyle is the civil engineer for the project and therefore recused himself from any decisions regarding the plans.
Nattinville explained that due to the construction of the rail trail, the curbing and roadway in the specified area was in disrepair. The plans involve repaving the road itself, installation of electrical and telecommunication conduits, installation of granite curbing and making a nearby water retention basin larger.
Commissioner Frank Fitzgerald asked about specifics on the retention basin expansion. Nattinville said that the material removed to expand the basin would be moved offsite and may be able to be reused in future construction projects at the university. Additionally, Commissioner Gerard Dufromont asked that Nattinville look into putting some flowering bushes nearby the sidewalk to make the area more aesthetically pleasing.
Due to the fact that the application doesn’t have a DEP file number yet, the commission voted to continue discussion about the plans at their March 12 meeting.
In other business, the commission:
- Voted to allow Algonquin Gas Transmission LLC to relocate nearly 2,000 feet of natural gas piping on Tower Road. The piping will connect to the existing Algonquin Meter Station in that area.
- Decided to continue the discussion of site improvements at the Waltham Watch Factory apartment complex per the applicant’s request. The project plans are currently awaiting comments from the city engineering department.
- Voted to allow the repaving of the parking lot at 130 Second Ave. along with the installation of bioretention swales and rain gardens to catch run-off water from the pavement.
- Discussed a preliminary plan for managing the forest at Stonehurst, the Robert Treat Paine Estate. Money from a 2021 Community Preservation Commission grant is being used to fund the planning and execution of the forest management project. The commissioners decided to consult with former commission chair Phil Moser to decide next steps, as he was involved in creating the plans.
- Elected Doyle as Commission Chair and commissioner Lisa Limonciello as Commission Vice Chair. Dufromont will remain secretary. The CPC delegate position was passed on from Doyle to Fitzgerald, who will serve as the liaison between the two commissions.
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Bentley University wants to build a sidewalk next to the access road between its lower campus and Linden Street, good, but there are related issues.
A gate blocked the access road until last fall, when the access road was made one-way toward Linden Street. This change allows shuttle buses to serve the dorms on Linden Street which Bentley has converted from apartments. The buses can return via Linden Street and Beaver Street.
Lost in the shuffle are bicyclists and e-bikers, including dorm residents, who will either ride the long way around on Linden and Beaver, or more likely, ride opposite traffic on the one-way access road. That road now has spaces for parked cars the left side, hiding their drivers and opposite-direction bicyclists from each other. The proposed parallel sidewalk is inadequate and unsafe for shared bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
The Conservation Commission might consider widening the sidewalk, or placing it on the opposite side of the access road, more convenient to parking spots on that side that would allow a contraflow bike lane on the roadway.
The Traffic Commission has approved Bentley University’s related request for a crosswalk on Linden Street (see https://walthamtimes.org/2026/02/22/traffic-commission-in-brief-electric-vehicle-charging-spots-fees-to-be-lowered/), but motorist speeds and risks to pedestrians on Linden Street remain a concern which might be addressed by modifications to the nearby intersection with Waverly Oaks Road and other traffic-calming measures.