Project Overview

The Dedham Police are planning to move in October 2022 from the current Police Station to the new Public Safety Building, which is now under construction. As part of the planning for this move, the Select Board and Planning Board created a 20+ person Dedham Square Planning Committee to determine the best reuse options for the Police Station site. After over a year of deliberation of project alternatives supported by design and economic consultant evaluations and numerous civic engagements, including a final meeting with over 170 in attendance, the DSPC made the unanimous recommendation that Dedham should retain ownership of this Police Station site, demolish the current police building and create a "Dedham Square Green" at this key town center parcel. Specific designs for the Dedham Square Green have not yet been made, but the intention is to create a signature public open space that will have resounding economic, civic, open space/environmental and other community benefits.

Location

Located at 600 High Street, the Town's police station was built in 1962. The building is a two-story, brick colonial design with a shingled pitched roof. The building appears to be in good condition at first glance. However, shortcomings of the station were identified as early as 1987 in a report commissioned by the Select Board. Additional studies have cataloged the shortcomings of the 58-year-old facility.

The Keystone Lot, located one block east at 10 Eastern Avenue, offers 138 parking spaces on nearly 1.4 acres of land abutting the Providence Highway. It is the largest single parcel of land currently undeveloped in the Square. Potential redevelopment of the site could generate new growth and property taxes, create new public space, and retain public parking for residential and commercial needs.

Design Findings

The consulting team was a partnership between the architectural firm Gamble Associates and the real estate planning firm Abramson & Associates. 

Gamble Associate made a number of significant design observations and findings.

1. Dedham Square has no identifying building or site.
2. Green space, particularly in the town square core, is limited.
3. The town core has been built out with little thought about preservation of green space and how green spaces can be connected.

 The Dedham Square Planning Committee analyzed variations on these 3 scenarios:

• Sell Parcel, Private Development
• Keep Parcel & All or Some Buildings
• Keep Parcel & Demolish Building

The Committee unanimously voted to endorse that the Police Station lot be reused as a public park or space. The vote was unanimous among those in attendance. 

In the Spring 2021, Urban Designer Don Giard was hired by the Town to provide site analysis, visioning, and landscape design options for the site and offered three difference approaches to address the DSPC’s design goals: 

• Create a dynamic, community gathering space 
• Support economic activity for local businesses 
• Deepen sense of community pride 
• Enhance walkability and connectivity 
• Promote open space and sustainability 

In a virtual community event, Hey Dedham. What’s next for 600 High Street?, Giard presented the community with three “Town Green” design concepts. Each of these included a substantial lawn, park elements, and landscaped areas that included different types of outdoor seating, tables, a public pavilion, a flexible stage area, a pergola, and a fountain. In addition, each concept proposed solutions to address traffic in the area by raising the surface level of Church Street, known as “tabling”, reducing vehicular lane widths, and replacing angled parking with parallel parking. 

Committee Work

The Dedham Square Planning Committee met monthly over a period of more than two years, meeting remotely during the pandemic, to advance a long-term vision study of the police station site and the Keystone parking lot parcels.  

Plan to date

In 2019, the Select Board and the Planning Board reactivated the Dedham Square Planning Committee that had been focused on creating new design guidelines and economic development for the Square. This reactivated group of 20+ representatives of all the neighborhoods and professional capabilities was given the primary charge of making recommendations for the potential reuse of the Police Station and Keystone Parcels. The Town hired Gamble Associates to complete design options for the Police Station sire and Barry Abramson to document the economic feasibility and impact of a variety of development options. Keystone Lot consideration will come later.

The consultant team, with thorough and visionary work assessing at least 10 different redevelopment options, concluded that this site, located at the nexus of Dedham Square's primary streets, presents a great opportunity to provide the Square and Town with a signature public open space. This space could include open space, primarily green open space, that could also include passive recreational space, pop up space for artists, incubating retail space, civic functions, market place stalls and more.

The potential redevelopment of the Police Station site will have many economic and community benefits which, while not lending themselves to reliable estimation, clearly would present compelling improvements to Dedham Square and the Town. 

Timeline

Contact

For more information or volunteer opportunities, please contact Senior Planner, Michelle Tinger, (781) 751-9244.