One of these things is not like the other

NNEPRA plans to build a 60,000 square foot building in the midst of one of Brunswick’s nicest residential neighborhoods. Outside the neighborhood, surprisingly few have raised much concern about this.

To the contrary, Brunswick town government has supported NNEPRA over effected neighbors openly and vigorously, and several town councilors have gone on record to publicly support the project, even though alternative sites haven’t been fully explored.

One of the most frequent charges is that the neighbors near the Brunswick West site are “NIMBYs” who are selfishly guarding their own interests at the cost of benefits for all. We leave to another post the question of supposed benefits only available at the Brunswick West site; suffice to say that nothing more than rhetoric has surfaced to support them.

For now, let’s look at the idea that Brunswick West is a suitable site for a 60,000 square foot train garage.

Past use, it is claimed, makes it an ideal site. True enough, the Brunswick West site was once a switching yard -- over fifty years ago. Then it stopped being one, when rail seemed to be on the way out. Homes were built on either side of the tracks, and a thriving residential neighborhood developed – one of Brunswick’s quietest and most pleasant. To ensure that neighbors would be able to have a say in the disposition of the railroad strip, zoning ordinances and planning processes were created -- not as a gift or concession, but as a smart matter of public policy. (Remember, zoning is about protecting the value of the entire town. Why would anyone want to risk investing in a home if they could not predict what would happen to adjacent land?)

Fat lot of good those did when NNEPRA flexed in muscle. NNEPRA has no interest in zoning ordinances or local planning rules. NNEPRA doesn’t even intend to comply with federal environmental regulations, if it can help it.

Still, though, Brunswick West residents are told that their neighborhood is suitable for this type of use. Let’s take a closer look.

Here is the Brunswick West neighborhood, at a scale of 200 meters. One can easily see the existing rail strip running just north of Bouchard Drive. Most of the homes on the north side of the street lie within 200 feet of the tracks. Overall, over 100 homes are in the neighborhoods to the north and south of the tracks.

Now let’s take a look at the site of a maintenance and layover facility comparable to the one NNEPRA intends to build here, MBTA’s facility in Pawtucket, RI.

Notice anything different? With four tracks instead of three, it’s a little bigger than the one proposed for Brunswick. Still, it dwarfs the landscape. More importantly, it does not sit amidst residential neighborhoods, but at an industrial facility, near existing rail yards. (This 500m scale image shows more context.)

This Pawtucket facility was built to replace an older one, in Attleboro, Mass. One of the reasons MBTA moved the facility was because for years it had created a constant noise nuisance for residents who lived nearby. Take a quick look at the East Junction site in Attleboro and you’ll understand why. It’s set right in the middle of several -- you guessed it -- residential neighborhoods.

Now flip back to the Brunswick West image. Homes are even closer in Brunswick than they were in Attleboro!

So let me get this straight: MBTA moved a layover facility from a residential neighborhood to an industrial site partly to alleviate residential noise complaints. But NNEPRA wants to move a layover facility from an industrial area (in South Portland) to a residential neighborhood in Brunswick where it will undoubtedly generate noise complaints? In what world does this make any sense?

Here’s what makes sense. Consider placing the facility in Brunswick East. As you can see, there is plenty of room nearby to expand.

An Amtrak layover facility here would not require extensive mitigation, and the property is wide enough to accommodate expansion (which Brunswick West is not). Most importantly, Brunswick East offers the possibility of leveraging multi-modal rail, which is a fancy way of saying that it can accommodate freight traffic as well. That means jobs and revenue for Brunswick.

So take a look at these pictures, and see what they tell you. Something here is dreadfully wrong. Brunswick deserves better. Let’s get this right.