MASTER PLAN PAINTED ACCURATE PICTURE

Nestled away in a corner of the local history room at the Burlington Public Library is a copy of the 1965 master plan report completed for Burlington by Atwood & Blackwell.

While there don’t seem to be many surprises in the report, the researchers certainly pegged Burlington’s transformation from a small agricultural community to a center of industrial and commercial development. This peek back 42 years seems to re-enforce today’s concerns about continuing development and the impact that will have on quality of life issues here.

The Atwood & Blackwell planners found that between 1945 and 1965, Burlington transformed itself from “casual farming,” to intensive one-family metropolitan suburban living. They wrote that the change happened rapidly and “with almost no sense of overall community design.”

After World War II, the planners wrote, Burlington experienced rapid population growth. For example, in 1950, the density was 270 persons per square mile; in 1960, it was 1090 per square mile.

The town’s census figures are even more telling. In 1950, the town counted 3211 residents; five years later, the population was 5600. Five years later, in 1960, the population more than doubled, to 12,850. Today’s population is 23,000.

Both the Atwood & Blackwell planners in 1965, and local historic preservationist John Goff in 1998 wrote that the completion of Rte. 128 about 1950 was a major factor in the population growth spurt here. In addition, people not only wanted to live in what was becoming suburbia, but also wanted to be close to the city, and roadways like Rte. 128 and Rte. 3 helped them achieve that.

In Burlington, there was another possible reason for the town’s population growth. According to the late town historian, John E. Fogelberg, prior to the Depression, people in nearby cities like Cambridge and Somerville bought small lots and built summer cabins here. During and after the Depression, many of them moved here permanently because it was the only kind of housing they could afford.

Even as the town grew through the 1950s and early 1960s, the Atwood & Blackwell researchers wrote that in 1964, the town’s “rural appearance was still evident,” and Burlington was “principally a rolling, wooded residential Boston suburb.”

But, they wrote, the transportation corridor created by routes 3 and 128, and Middlesex Turnpike would definitely contribute to changes in the town. In 1965, they wrote, “in the next 10-20 years, the planners believe several hundred acres of land (along these roadways) will become industrially or commercially occupied.” In fact, they cited the following 1964 figures: the town had 2200 acres of committed land; it had 3800 acres of uncommitted or open land, which contributed to its rural flavor, but also was quite likely ripe for development.

Emphasizing that Burlington “is extremely well located for further industrial and commercial expansion,” they predicted “the margins of industry and of homes are rapidly approaching one another.”

Based on data from Fogelberg’s history and from town reports, Atwood & Blackwell’s predictions began to materialize, from the late 1950s on. For example, in 1957, there was Northwest Industrial Park; in 1963, Northeastern University; and in 1968, the Burlington Mall and the start of New England Executive Park (NEEP).

In the 1967 town report, officials wrote regarding NEEP, “News of a planned executive park occurred in the fall which was a widely welcomed addition to the economy.” And, in the 1968 town report, the planning board commented on NEEP, “The completion of (NEEP) should enhance the tax situation as well as the overall picture of the area.”

Data from the building inspector for the years 1967-1972 also highlight the amount of growth in Burlington. For example, in 1967, there were 98 new dwelling permits, 29 new business permits and 20 new office permits. In 1968, there were 159 new dwelling permits, 16 new business permits, and 14 new office permits. Also, in 1968, reflecting the opening of the Burlington Mall, there were 44 new retail permits.

In contrast, in 2005, there were 55 new dwelling permits and 14 new commercial permits. In 2006, there were 59 new dwelling permits and eight new commercial permits.

This is certainly just a snapshot of how Burlington grew to what it is today. If nothing else, though, the Atwood & Blackwell report and the data from town reports provide historical perspective on where Burlington goes from here.

Submitted by Judy Wasserman for the Burlington Historical Commission, February, 2008

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