Route 132 Corridor Report - Cape Cod Commission

Issue 2: Underutilized green spaces and water bodies
Currently, there is an area of well-established green space that coincides
with the intersection of Independence Drive and Route 132 which provides
a brief respite to the commercial development along the corridor.
This more natural character should be continued and widened to reinforce
the transition area between the more heavily developed parts of the
corridor and to introduce the change in uses and forms from Area A to
Area B (see Issue 3 below for a description of these areas). A network of
ponds and waterbodies currently exists in the area but is buried amongst
the commercial development and is poorly maintained and underutilized.
These more natural features, that follow a roughly north/south pattern
cutting through the center of the study area, could be an asset to the area
if appropriately cared for and related to allowed uses. See Figure E for an
illustration of existing/vegetated areas within the study area.
Opportunity 2A: Establish Greenbelt Area and Encourage
Appropriate Uses
Encourage uses that can utilize green space and water bodies as an amenity
and build upon the existing network of greenspace to provide a break
in the development along the corridors. In particular, incentives should
be created to convert outlying parking lots that see little usage into green
space. Additional greenspace adjacent to the intersection of Route 132 and
Independence Drive would help to reinforce the natural character of that
transition area between two unique sections of Route 132. In addition,
there are two natural ponds on the south side of the Cape Cod Mall property
that are currently obscured and overrun with invasive species. These
waterbodies can be better maintained and opened to views and possibly
active use in the future to provide a focal point to this stretch of Route 28.
This could be part of a strategy for better using the southern parking area
of the Cape Cod Mall to attract visitors/customers with a mix of smaller
scale commercial uses centered around newly created green spaces. The
economic development benefits of providing greenways are discussed
further in Section 6 of this report.
Issue 3: Disorganized Character of Route 132
The commercial stretch of Route 132 is approximately 1.5 miles long and
has few organizing principles, resulting in a lack of any coherent character.
The variety of land uses and development forms makes the corridor
appear disorganized, which makes it difficult for users to negotiate.
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september 2010 | route 132 corridor Report