Massachusetts town uncovers buried brook, replaces parking lot with wetlands

For decades, a stretch of Mill Brook in Athol, Massachusetts, was hidden beneath asphalt, largely out of sight beneath what had become a downtown parking area. This month, the small central Massachusetts town celebrated a very different landscape: the stream is flowing in the open again, new wetlands surround it and much of the former pavement has been replaced with greenery. The transformation, known as Mill Brook Crossing, was officially completed with a ribbon-cutting ceremony on September 16. Reporting by Streetsblog Massachusetts and the Athol Daily News, along with information from the Massachusetts government, shows how the project turned a heavily paved commercial area into a greener public space designed to address flooding, extreme heat and pedestrian safety.A stream hidden beneath the pavementThe site was formerly known as Lord Pond Plaza, a large commercial area where Mill Brook had been confined underground in a culvert.