City of Brockton
Downtown Development Initiatives
 

Trial Court

(215 Main Street)

Construction is underway on a new courthouse at the corner of Main and West Elm Street. The $35 million project will be completed by year’s end.

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

Legion Parkway/Main Street Reconstruction Legion Parkway and part of Main Street have recently been reconstructed to improve the downtown area. Funding for the project was provided through a Public Works Economic Development (PWED) grant from the Executive Office of Transportation and Construction. The scope of the project included the reconstruction of Main Street from Belmont Street to Pleasant Street and the reconstruction of Legion Parkway. It also included sidewalk reconstruction, modifications to storm drainage systems and new street lighting. The project has complimented the recent downtown construction.

 

 

 
 
 

BAT Intermodal

(10 Commercial Street)
In 1998 the City constructed a new Intermodal Transportation Terminal on the corner of Court and Commercial Street. The new facility is within convenient walking distance of the downtown commuter rail station. This offers commuter rail passengers easy access to all parts of Brockton by linking the two forms of transportation. The project, which serves approximately 8,000 riders a day, was constructed at a cost of $3 million.

 

 

 

Public Library Expansion

An expansion of the Main Street branch of the Brockton Public Library has been proposed. The 25,000 square foot addition will be constructed on the land which housed the former unemployment office. The site abuts the Salisbury Plain River.
 
 
 
 
 
 

  White Avenue and Montello

Street Land Acquisition

As part of Brockton's "Greening the Salisbury" project, the City has acquired a 40,577 square foot lot on the corner of White Avenue and Montello Street through an Urban Self Help Grant. The purpose of the acquisition is to develop the site into a passive recreation area, adding valuable green space to the downtown. The project will also link other downtown initiatives currently underway. This is the first of several planned acquisitions by the City to create a river walk and trail system adjacent to the Salisbury River Plain.
 
 

Downtown Village

The City of Brockton received a grant from the Massachusetts Cultural Council to hire renowned urban artist Patricia Johanson. She has designed an urban village complete with a footpath along the Salisbury River. She is also working on creating a "living museum" based on the life of Rocky Marciano.

 

 

 
 
 

Council on Aging

The City of Brockton plans to construct a 10,500 square foot headquarters for the Council on Aging on Father Kenney Way. The estimated completion date for the $1.2 million facility is May 2000. The site abuts the Salisbury Plain River.

 

 

21st Century Corp.

(221 Main Street)

The building was constructed in 1908 as the Peoples Savings Bank and contains three floors totaling 7,801 square feet of space. The building was vacated in 1997 by the People’s Savings Bank and donated to the 21st Century Corporation, which serves as the City’s Economic Development Headquarters, in 1998.
 
 
 
 
 

Genova Building

(214 Main Street)

The building, also known as Crescent Block, was built in 1886. It contains three stories and 34,340 square feet of commercial space. The City is currently assisting the owner with redevelopment plans as a potential location for a college facility in the downtown

 

 

 

 

 

Elmcourt Hotel

(31 West Elm Street)

Formerly the Hotel Bryant, the building was constructed in 1906. In 1995, Hotel Bryant received a special tax assessment and was approved as a certified project from the City and State. The building, which is located across from the trial court, was renovated to include conference and restaurant facilities.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Bessie Baker Lot

57 Main Street

The 18,778 square foot lot is located on the corner of Main Street and Legion Parkway. It was the site of the Bessie Baker building prior to its demolition in 1998. Once a tenant is found, a 30,000 square foot office building will be constructed accordingly with an attached parking facility. It is considered a cornerstone lot for downtown Brockton with its high visibility along Main Street. This represents significant development for the downtown area.

 

 

Former BAT Terminal

Now owned by the City of Brockton, the site is strategically located near the intersection of Belmont and Main Street, and across the street from the City's parking garage on Crescent Street. The City is currently considering several redevelopment opportunities for the property, such as a Farmer’s Market or a Pedestrian Connection linking the new library and City Hall. The project would compliment other downtown projects such as the Main Street library expansion and the land acquisition on White Avenue and Montello Street.

 

 

 

Protentis Plaza

Located across from the new Trial Court, Protentis Plaza now includes the Plaza Pharmacy, the first drugstore to locate on Main Street in 10 years. It opened its doors in April 1998 as a direct result of the downtown’s economic resurgence.

 
 

 

 
Brockton Neighborhood Health Center
The Brockton Neighborhood Health Center received Tax Increment Financing. It is the fastest growing urban Health Center in the state and second fastest in the country. It will soon be expanding.

 

 

The Rocky Marciano Trail

The City of Brockton, in conjunction with the National Park Service and the Massachusetts DEM, is in the process of developing the Rocky Marciano Trail. The trail will be a citywide network of walking, biking, and hiking routes that celebrates Brockton’s heritage through the telling of Rocky Marciano’s story. Over the nest year the project goals include: Design and implementation of interpretive wayside exhibits and a creative trail-marking system that integrates walking, biking and hiking routes into a unified network; organization of the Rocky Marciano trail team, a new Brockton trail-building youth group; a map/poster celebrating the opening of the Rocky Trail. Funding from a DEM Greenways grant will help to accomplish some of the project goals.

The project originated from the work of environmental artist Patricia Johanson. The development of the trail system will compliment open space acquisition efforts. The Salisbury Greenway will focus on developing a walking trail along the banks of Salisbury Brook and Salisbury Plain River. The project will add valuable open space in downtown Brockton and increase access to the hidden resources.

 

New Elementary School

The City of Brockton proposes to construct a new 95,600 square foot, 800-pupil elementary school at the corner of Belmont Street and Warren Avenue. The site is traversed by the Salisbury Brook and will include passive recreation on both sides of the stream.

The proposed school will be constructed through the assembly of several blighted, deteriorated properties and will serve as a new gateway into downtown.