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Massachusetts Route 128 Impact Study
A. J. BONE, Associate Professor of Transportation Engineering, and
MARTIN WOHL, Instructor in Civil Engineering, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
This paper summarizes the major findings of the study,
and analyzes the influence of the highway on adjacent
land use. The impact of land use changes on the com-
munities along the highway and on the metropolitan area
also are ejqjlored. The effect on Route 128 of the traffic
generated at new industrial plants is evaluated.
The methodology used in the study is critically exam-
ined and suggestions are made for improvements in i m -
pact study techniques, and for further areas of needed
research.
# T H E PURPOSE of the Massachusetts Route 128 Impact Study was to investigate land
use changes that have taken place along Route 128, the basic factors underlying such
changes, and the traffic generation characteristics of the industrial development adjoin-
ing the highway. In addition, an attempt was made to evaluate the impact of this devel-
opment and its traffic on Route 128 and on the metropolitan area. The work was spon-
sored by the Massachusetts Department of Public Works with the cooperation of the
United States Bureau of Public Roads.
This report deals with some of the principal findings of the industrial and residential
development surveys, and discusses the methodology used. It supplements an earlier
report on industrial development Q ). The traffic phase of the study is presented in a
separate paper ( 2 ).
The Route 128 study was authorized in the summer of 1956. Work started on pilot
studies in the fall of 1956. Hie industrial and employee travel pattern surveys were
conducted in the summer of 1957 and represent the status of industrial development as
of September 1957. The residential survey and analysis of employee traffic patterns
and origins and destinations of Route 128 traffic were made in the summer of 1958.
During the writing of the report, certain statistics were brought up to September 1958.
The full industrial and residential development of properties aloi^ Route 128 has by
no means been attained. In fact, in many areas it has just started or has yet to start.
The study, therefore, cannot be more than a progress report of what the ultimate i m -
pact of the highway will be.
DESCRIPTION OF ROUTE 128
Route 128 is a limited-access, divided 4- and 6-lane circumferential highway extend-
ing for about 60 miles around metropolitan Boston. Since the ocean lies to the east of
the city, the highway actually describes a semi-circle on the western side about 10
miles from the central business district. The highway has been constructed in stages
since 1933. The most important central link was completed in 1951 providing for the
f i r s t time a continuous, high-speed route around the city with frequent interchanges at
important radial highways. The major development aloi^ the highway dates from this
year. Further improvements have been made and are still in progress at the southerly
end of the route.
Traffic volumes range from 40,000 to 50,000 vehicles per day, in the middle section
of the road, and are less on the two ends. The construction and land costs for the 57
miles completed to September 1957 was about $62,500,000.
UNIQUE CHARACTER OF ROUTE 128
By locating Route 128 in vacant land just outside existing developed areas, i t was
possible to meet most engineering requirements, bypass the centers of towns surrounding
Boston, keep land costs low and avoid disturbing home owners. As a circumferential high-
way, the route cut across large sectors of imdeveloped land between older radial highways.
Both the timing and location of the highway were ideal for opening up land nec-
essary to satisfy the outward (or suburban) movement of people and industry which
took place in the post-war period. The highway gave access to low-priced land in
areas on the edge of the metropolitan labor market, not too far from the core of the
city and yet close to attractive suburbs. At the same time many in-town businesses
were expanding to the point where they could no longer operate efficiently in ob-
solete buildings on cramped sites. Developers took advantage of this situation and
promoted the development of Route 128 industrial sites. In considering the phenom-
enon of Route 128 these factors should be taken into account.
T O G L O U C E S T E R
B U R L I N G T O N
W E S T O N B O S T O N
C - 3 7
NEW E N G L A N D APPROXIMATE^ SCALE I N D U S T R I A L C E N T E R
W E L L E S L E Y
^ ^ ^ N E E O H A «
Q U I N I L T O N W E S T W O O D B R f t l N T R E E
V R A N D O L P H (
\ N O R W O O D
A R E A S O F C O N C E N T R A T E D I N D U S T R I A L D E V E L O P M E N T C B D^ B O S T O N^
I N D U S T R I A L L O C A T I O N G R O U P S C O V E R E D IN S T U D Y - S E P T , 1 9 5 7
Figure 1. Layout of Route 128 showing areas of i n d u s t r i a l development.
INDUSTRIAL SURVEY
This survey included new industries located roughly within a mile of Route 128
between Route l A in Beverly (north of Boston) to Route 138 in Canton(south of Boston),
a length of about 55 miles (Fig. 1). Most of the plants were near enough to the route
to be clearly visible from i t.
Advance letters were sent to the management of each plant to be surveyed and inter-
views arranged. A management questionnaire (1) was designed to obtain information
regarding investment in plant, number of employees, former location, parking facil-
ities, etc., the second part asked qualitative questions, such as factors considered in
choosing location on Route 128, other sites considered, labor procurement problems,
and benefits expected and received.
During the summer of 1957, contacts were made with 99 plants and complete data
obtained from 96.
RESULTS AND ANALYSIS OF INDUSTRIAL SURVEY
Separation of Industries by Type and Location
For analysis purposes, industries were divided into four types: (a) distribution,
(b) production, (c) research and development, and (d) service. Geographically, they
were separated into seven locational areas, as shown in Figure 1.
The group of plants in the Needham-Newton area were separated into three units to
preserve the identities of the New Ei^land Industrial Center (NEIC) and the Newton
Industrial Center, leaving other Needham plants in a third group. By separating the
industries into locational groups it is possible to isolate some of the regional factors
influencing choice of site, employee travel patterns, shifts in employee residences,
etc. Some of the basic statistics obtained from Route 128 industries are shown in
Table 1.
TABLE 2
PERCENTAGE DISTRIBUTION OF INVESTMENT, EMPLOYMENT, AND NUMBER OF
PLANTS BY TYPE OF INDUSTRY ON ROUTE 128
Type of Industry
Percent of
Investment
Percent of
Employment
Percent of
Number of Plants
Distribution 21.1 11.7 43.
Production 65.8 72.6 40.
Research & Development 9.2 12.7 9.
Service 3.9 3.0 6.
A l l Types 100.0^ 100.0^ 100.
In making comparisons by types of industry or by locational groups, use is made of
percent of investment and percent of employment in the plants involved. In this way,
the magnitude of operations involved is revealed more significantly than by considering
number of plants alone. For example, in Table 2, distribution type industries comprise
43.7 percent of total number of plants but account for only 11.7 percent of employment
and 21.1 percent of investment. It is evident that comparisons based on number of
plants would give a distorted picture of the true relationships.
Investment, Employment and Other Characteristics of Route 128 Plants
The capital investment in the 96 plants in operation on Route 128 by September 1957
amounted to $85,000,000 and the employment to 17,000 persons. Plants completed or
imder construction since that date have an estimated investment of $52,000,000 and
employment of 10,500. Approximately 60 percent of this additional development was
completed by September 1958.
Table 1 shows the distribution of total investment, en9)loyment and number of plants
in each of the seven locational areas, with a further separation by type of industry. The
locational areas are identified in Figure 1.
Three of the industrial location groups are immediately adjacent to each other and
are served by the same Route 128 interchange (Highland A v e. ). They are Location
Areas 4, 5 and 6 (NEIC, Newton and Needham). These three groups when combined
represent about one-third of the Route 128 investment and about one-quarter of the em-
ployment. When the adjoinging Location Area 3 (Waltham) to the north is added, one-
half of both investment and employment is included. It is significant that these areas
of such large concentration of industry are centrally located on Route 128, close to
major radial highway Routes 9 and 20, and to the Massachusetts Turnpike. Iliese three
highways carry the major flow of traffic from Boston to the west and south.
TABLE 3
INVESTMENT AND EMPLOYMENT AT NEW ROUTE 128
COMPANIES BY CLASSIFICATION AND TYPE OF INDUSTRY^
Investment Classification Type of Industry (^) Total Distribution Production (^) R. b D. 8 Service Total •'New' Industries "New" Branch Plants Relocated Industries Relocated Branch Plants*
$ 110, 1,329, 7,118, 9, 447, 883
$ 846, 14,268, 31,077, 9,915, 190
$1,155, 1, 099, 357 3,284, 2, 285,
$ 0 950, 000 2, 208, 159 165, 000
$ 2, 111, 17,647, 43, 688', 374 21,813, Total Investment $18,006, 151 $S6, 107, 730 $7, 824,142 $3,323,159 $85,261, 182 Percent of Total Investment 21. 1 65. 8 9.2 3.9 100. 0
Employment Classification Type of Industry (^) Total Distribution Production (^) R. ti D. a Service Total "New" Industries "New" Branch Plants Relocated Industries Relocated Branch Plants
20 84 893 1,
54 2, 6, 2,
500 130 646 900
0 9 494 8
574 3, 120 8, 633 4, Total Employment 2,002 12,387 2, 176 511 17, Percent of Employment 11. 7 72.6 12.7 3.0 100. 0
Percent Investment Classification Type of Industry Distribution Production (^) R. b D.2 Service Total "New" Industries (^) 0.6 1.5 14. 8 0 2. "New" Branch Plants 7.4 (^) 25.4 14. 1 (^) 28.6 20. 7 Relocated Industries 39.-5 55.4 (^) 41.9 66.4 51. Relocated Branch Plants 52.5 17.7 (^29) .2 5. 0 25. 6 Total 100.0 100.0 100.0 100. 0 (^) 100.
Percent Employment Classification Type of Industry Distribution Production (^) R. b D.S Service Total "New" Industries 1.0 0. 4 23. 0 (^0) 3. "New" Branch Plants 4.2 23.4 6.0 (^) 1.8 18. Relocated Industries 44. 6 53.3 29.7 (^) 96.6 50. Relocated Branch Plants 50.2 (^) 22.9 41.3 1.6 27. Total 100.0 100. 0 100.0 100.0 100.
' Based on 96 new plants i n operation along Route 128 in
September 1957 of which 77 were relocated.
' Research and Development.
(1) 54 percent expanding and wanting more space and/or facilities.
(2) 25 percent displaced by public improvements (highway and garages).
(3) 14 percent displaced by private parties.
(4) 7 percent old space too e:g)ensive for their operations.
Information on site selection factors considered by companies now on Route 128
(presented in a later section) shows that a major factor influencing their choice of site
was need of land for expansion and for increased operational efficiency. Hence it ap-
pears that some of the motives behind the companies which filled the vacancies left by
Route 128 industries were much the same as those which brought the vacating industries
to Route 128.
Estimate of Investment and Employment Opportunities Added in Metropolitan Boston
Area by Route 128 Plants
As pointed out in "Determination of Net Gains tothe Metropolitan Area Contributed
by the Route 128 Industrial Development" the investment and jobs provided by new
Route 128 companies doing business for the first time represents a gain not only to the
Route 128 locality, but also to the Boston Metropolitan Area. From Table 3 an invest-
ment is found of about $20,000,000 in new plants and an employment of 3,700.
TABLE 4
UTILIZATION OF IN-TOWN SITES FORMERLY OCCUPIED BY COMPANIES NOW
LOCATED ON ROUTE 128
BEFORE AFTER
Companies Moved Route 128 Companies
fo-Town Site Characteristics to Route 128 Vacated Sites
Number of Sites Occupied 32 25
Number of Firms Occupying Sites 25 61
Assessed Valuation $16,299,000 $14,602,
Total Employment 2701 2028
Total Sq Ft Floor Space Used 1,089,000 696,960 ^
Avg. Floor Sipace per Company 41,900 11,
Avg. Floor ^ace per Employee 279 342
Avg. Employees per Company 150 33
^Only 1,045, 550 sq f t available for use due to demolition.
The capital investment and employment at relocated plants from Table 3 amounts to
about $65, 500,000 and 13,382 persons. This investment and employment represents
a gain to the Route 128 locality, but only the increase over subsequent investment and
employment at vacated sites is a gain to the metropolitan area.
Assessed valuation and employment both have dropped at the former sites of relocat-
ed companies since these firms have moved to Route 128 (Table 4 ). Part of this de-
crease or loss was due to demolition of buildings for public purposes. The exact
amount of this demolition loss in valuation and employment is not known. H one assumes
it to be proportional to the 4 percent of floor space removed, then a demolition loss of
$16,299,000 X 0.04 = $652,000 in valuation and 3,701 x 0.04 = 148 in employment is
found. The net loss at the in-town sites due to the relocation of firms to Route 128 was
therefore $16,299,000 - 652,000 -14,602,000 = $1,045,000 in assessed valuation and
3,701 -148 - 2,028 =1, 525 in employment.
Some of the characteristics of the 25 firms who relocated on Route 128 are compared
with data from 70 of the relocated firms on the highway in Table 5.
The 25 company sample has characteristics similar to those of the 70 relocated
f i r m s (which include the 25) with respect to average company investment, employment
and building area, indicating the possibility of a representative sample. However, i t
was also found that the percent of increase in employment for the 25 f i r m s before and
a f t e r relocating was substantially lower than that f o r the 70 f i r m group of relocated companies. T h e r e f o r e , any e s t i m a t e s of net gain of employment contributed to the a r e a by relocated companies based on the 25 company sample w i l l tend to be on the conservative s i d e.
The value of the Route 128 industry w a s obtained in t e r m s of c a p i t a l investiment r a t h e r than a s s e s s e d valuation a s the a s s e s s m e n t p o l i c i e s of the metropolitan a r e a towns v a r y c o n s i d e r a b l y. A l s o , the in-town p o l i c y v a r i e s , the valuations u s u a l l y being a l a r g e r proportion of investment f o r i n d u s t r i a l and c o m m e r c i a l p r o p e r t i e s than f o r r e s i d e n c e s. F o r the purpose of t h i s a n a l y s i s it i s a s s u m e d that the $ 1 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 a s s e s - sed valuation l o s s at the in-town p r o p e r t i e s vacated by 25 relocated Route 128 f i r m s r e p r e s e n t s 50 percent of the investment. On t h i s b a s i s the l o s s i n investment would be
T A B L E 5
E M P I X ) Y M E N T A N D I N V E S T M E N T C H A R A C T E R I S T I C S O F 25 R O U T E 128 C O M P A N I E S F O R M E R L Y L O C A T E D I N - T O W N A N D C O M P A R I S O N W I T H 70 R E L O C A T E D R O U T E 128 C O M P A N I E S S U R V E Y E D I N 1957
Number of C o n ^ a n i e s (^25 ) T o t a l Capital Investment $ 2 4 , 9 5 5 , 0 0 0 (^) $ 6 2 , 9 9 0 , 0 0 0 Total Employment (^) 3,810 12, Total Building A r e a ( s q ft) (^) 1 , 6 1 4 , 5 5 0 (^) 3 , 8 5 0 , 9 6 1
A v g. Investment p e r Company $998,193 (^) $899, A v g. Employment p e r Company (^159 ) A v g. Building A r e a p e r Company ( s q ft) (^) 64, 582 55, Avg. Building A r e a p e r E m p l o y e e ( s q ft) (^422 )
about $ 2 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 f o r the 25 relocated plants h a v i i ^ a total investment of $ 2 4 , 9 5 5 , 0 0 0 ( T a b l e 5 ). The net gain to the a r e a f o r t h i s 25 plant sanqjle then b e c o m e s about $ 2 3 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0. The total investment f o r a l l r e l o c a t e d companies on Route 128 (September 1957) w a s $ 6 5 , 5 0 0 , 0 0 0. When the net gain f o r the 25 f i r m s i s e ^ a n d e d in proportion to the i n - vestment r a t i o , the net gain for a l l r e l o c a t e d companies becomes:
$ 2 3 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 X aslooO^SoO = $ 6 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0.
If this l a s t amount i s f u r t h e r p r o j e c t e d to include plants completed o r under c o n s t r u c - tion s i n c e September 1957, it becomes:
$ 6 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 x^^^^ggg^ggg = $ 9 7 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0.
The investment i n new i n d u s t r i e s and b r a n c h e s originating on Route 128 w a s about $ 2 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 i n September 1957. When this f i g u r e i s p r o j e c t e d to include plants opened o r under construction s i n c e that date, the gain f r o m new i n d u s t r i e s i s :
$ 2 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 x "g'ooq'^OQ = $ 3 2 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0
The net investment gains contributed to the metropolitan a r e a by new and relocated companies a r e totaled and s u m m a r i z e d in T a b l e 7. The employment expansion c h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of 70 relocated conQ)anies ydiich had c o m - plete data before and a f t e r moving to Route 128 a r e s u m m a r i z e d in T a b l e 6. A l l except s e r v i c e companies showed substantial expansion of t h e i r labor f o r c e , the l a r g e s t i n - c r e a s e taking p l a c e i n production and r e s e a r c h and development companies. The net employment gain contributed to the a r e a by the Route 128 companies w i l l be analyzed in the same m a i m e r a s that f o r investment. E a r l i e r the net l o s s in employ- ment at the in-town s i t e s following the relocation of the 25 f i r m sample w a s shown to be 1, 525. The Route 128 employment of these same f i r m s w a s 3,810 ( T a b l e 5 ) , making
T A B L E 7
S U M M A R Y O F E S T I M A T E S O F N E T G A I N O F I N V E S T M E N T A N D E M P L O Y M E N T
O P P O R T U N I T I E S I N T H E M E T R O P O L I T A N A R E A C O N T R I B U T E D B Y T H E
I N D U S T R I A L D E V E L O P M E N T O N R O U T E 128
Net G a i n s to the A r e a Contributed by: Investment Employment 96 P l a n t s Surveyed a s of September 1957 $ 8 0 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0^ 11, 700 P l a n t s Completed o r Under Construction Between Sept. 1957 and Sept. 1958
A l l P l a n t s Completed o r Under Construction a s of September 1958
construction by September 1958, w a s estimated in section "Investment, Employment and Other C h a r a c t e r i s t i c s of Route 128 P l a n t s " a s 27, 500. T h i s r e p r e s e n t s only 2. 7 percent of the m i l l i o n employees in the metropolitan a r e a. The net gain of new job opportunities at Route 128 since 1955, however, r e p r e s e n t s about 6 p e r c e n t of the 200,000 predicted new jobs by 1975. A s i n d u s t r i a l growth continues a l o r ^ Route 128, the impact of that highway on the g r e a t e r Boston employment pattern w i l l become m o r e substantial. The annual o r total investment in new i n d u s t r i a l building in the metropolitan a r e a f o r a l l y e a r s between 1951 and 1957 could not be found. A study by the G r e a t e r Boston C h a m b e r of C o m m e r c e , however, d e r i v e d $ 8 4 , 7 9 0 , 0 0 0 f o r b u s i n e s s development c o m - pleted o r under construction in 1957, and an additional $ 6 1 , 6 9 2 , 0 0 0 authorized ( 4 ). The Route 128 industry included in these f i g u r e s w a s 35 percent and 45 p e r c e n t , r e - spectively. If the two e s t i m a t e s a r e combined, the portion of the development on Route 128 i s 38 p e r c e n t.
B e n e f i t s of I n d u s t r i a l Development to Individual T o w n s. The p r e v i o u s sections estimated the net gains in employment and investment c o n t r i - buted to the metropolitan a r e a by Route 128 industry. That d i s c u s s i o n applied to the development along the entire highway, and not to any s p e c i f i c a r e a. T h i s section i s included to I l l u s t r a t e the impact of i n d u s t r i a l growth on two of the towns adjacent to the route.
The New England I n d u s t r i a l C e n t e r ( N E I C ) in Needham contains approximately 100 a c r e s of land, 93 p e r c e n t of which w a s developed by September 1957. Development i n the c e n t e r s t a r t e d i n 1953 following a zoning change to allow i n d u s t r y. The a s s e s s e d valuation of t h i s property p r e v i o u s to the i n d u s t r i a l activity w a s only $ 1 1 3 , 5 0 0. In 1957 the tax valuation following development of the N E I C w a s $ 5 , 7 2 9 , 300 or a net tax base gain of $ 5 , 6 1 5 , 8 0 0. A t the 1957 tax rate of $52 p e r $ 1 , 0 0 0 of valuation, this valuation gain produced an i n c r e a s e of tax revenue to Needham of $ 2 9 2 , 0 0 0 , o r 9. 6 percent of Needham's total r e a l estate revenue even though this i n d u s t r i a l site includes only 1. percent of the town's land a c r e a g e. F i g u r e 3 shows the trend in a s s e s s e d valuations i n Needham since 1946. The s h a r p r i s e in i n d u s t r i a l v a l u e s s i n c e 1954 i s due to the New England b i d u s t r i a l C e n t e r , and the s m a l l e r r i s e in "other" i n d u s t r i a l property valuation i s due i n p a r t to new i n d u s t r i e s built n e a r Route 128 in the v i c i n i t y of that C e n t e r. The flattening of the trend in tax r a t e (1954-57) i s the r e s u l t of these valuation i n c r e a s e s. It amounts to about $ 5. 0 0 p e r thousand below the p r o j e c t e d 1946-54 t r e n d. H i e significance of t h i s retardation of the u p w a r d tax r a t e trend i s evident when one c o n s i d e r s that the average a s s e s s m e n t on the Needham home owner i s about $ 9 , 0 0 0 and that a savings of $ 5. 0 0 p e r thousand amounts to $ 4 5. 0 0 p e r y e a r.
represents the l o c a t i o n of a company p r i o r to i t s r e l o c a t i o n on Route 128
Figure 2. Fonner locations of cantpanles which moved to Route 12i3 as of September 1937 •
It might be argued that this i n d u s t r i a l site if not rezoned would have been u s e d f o r r e s i d e n t i a l development. On the other hand, some town o f f i c i a l s and land developers felt that the land would have been unsuitable f o r r e s i d e n t i a l usage and would have r e - mained v a c a n t. However, a s s u m i n g that the N E I C land w a s u s e d f o r homes i n p l a c e of industry, the probable gain or l o s s to the town of Needham h a s been estimated in the following m a n n e r. The N E I C land a r e a ( w i t h allowance f o r s t r e e t s ) could contain about 400 housing u n i t s , if the lot s i z e w e r e 10,000 s q f t. U s i n g a tax valuation of 50 percent of an average s a l e s p r i c e of $18,000 p e r house i n 1957, the total r e s i d e n t i a l tax base would be $ 3 , 6 0 0 , 0 0 0. The tax revenue f r o m these i m a g i n a r y r e s i d e n t i a l p r o p e r t i e s at $ p e r $ 1 , 0 0 0 would then be $ 1 8 7 , 0 0 0 , or $105,000 l e s s than the tax revenue f r o m the actual industrial development even when the higher cost of town s e r v i c e s to home- o w n e r s i s neglected. The c o s t s of town s e r v i c e s to the N E I C i s only about $ 2 5 , 0 0 0 p e r y e a r , which without question i s lower than it would be f o r 400 h o m e s. Waltham h a s experienced a s i m i l a r advantage f r o m i t s $ 2 2 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 of new plants along Route 128. P r i o r to the i n d u s t r i a l growth, some of the developed a r e a w a s
activity lagged f o r approximately two y e a r s while the communities along the r o a d c o n - s i d e r e d and adopted the n e c e s s a r y zoning changes to p e r m i t industry. Needham r e - zoned in 1953 to allow f o r the N E I C and Waltham followed in 1954 by rezoning about 300 a c r e s f o r the Waltham Industrial Center and R e s e a r c h P a r k. In the latter p a r t of 1953 construction s t a r t e d i n the N E I C j u s t before and i n a n t i c i - pation of the re-building of old Route 128 south f r o m Route 9. The bulk of the building activity in the center took place in 1954 and 1955 a s the rebuilding of Route 128 n e a r e d completion. It i s important to note that most of the i n d u s t r i a l activity in the nearby Newton I n d u s t r i a l C e n t e r did not take place until reconstruction of old Route 128 w a s w e l l under way. S i m i l a r l y , most of the development i n Dedham ( L o c a t i o n a l A r e a 7) coincided with o r followed the rebuilding of Route 128 through that town. Development in Waltham has been r a p i d since 1954, and h a s been even m o r e active since 1957. The lag in i t s i n i t i a l development was the r e s u l t of l a c k of n e c e s s a r y zoning changes, and m a y have been r e t a r d e d by the l a c k of a d i r e c t interchange with Route 128. T h i s was added at Winter Street late in 1954. The m a j o r activity in Waltham followed that in the N E I C. Since September 1957 an additional $ 5 , 4 8 0 , 0 0 0 of industry h a s been completed o r under construction in Waltham while only $ 1 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 has been added in the N E I C , which was 93 percent f i l l e d in 1957. Other towns along Route 128 have followed Needham and Waltham i n adopting the n e c e s s a r y zoning changes to p e r m i t i n d u s t r i a l land u s e s. Wakefield, f o r example, i n the f a l l of 1956 rezoned two a r e a s , one f o r an i n d u s t r i a l p a r k yet to be developed and the other f o r the site of a recently completed m u l t i - m i l l i o n d o l l a r i n s u r a n c e building. Ja September 1958 Lexington took s i m i l a r action to p e r m i t construction of a proposed $ 1 2 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 office building and r e s e a r c h c e n t e r on Route 128 n e a r the Route 2 i n t e r - change.
Extent of Zoning f o r Bidustry and Relation to Plant Investment
An examination of zoning maps and regulations of the towns along the 5 5 - m i l e length c o v e r e d by the i n d u s t r i a l s u r v e y shows that about 20 m i l e s , o r 21 p e r c e n t of the frontage on the highway, w h i c h includes both s i d e s of the r o a d , i s zoned f o r i n d u s t r i a l o r b u s i - n e s s u s e s. About 5,240 a c r e s have been so zoned within one m i l e of the highway (September 1 9 5 8 ). T a b l e 1 indicates about 1,110 a c r e s occupied by the 96 plants s u r - veyed in September 1957. P l a n t s completed or under construction since that date w i l l bring the total occupied a r e a to roughly 1,800 a c r e s , o r 34 percent of the zoned acreage within one m i l e of the highway. Hence it a p p e a r s that there i s a s yet no shortage of available s i t e s along Route 128, although the c e n t r a l l y located s i t e s a r e being r a p i d l y developed. The greatest concentration of completed i n d u s t r i a l development i s in the N E I C with an investment of $ 1 8 5 , 0 0 0 p e r a c r e , amounting to $ 1 7 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 in 0. 6 3 m i l e of frontage on Route 128. The concentration of investment i s higher in the N E I C than can be e j e c t e d in other a r e a s (except the Newton I n d u s t r i a l C e n t e r ) because the standards f o r land to building r a t i o w e r e substantially lower than in subsequent d e - velopments. The total investment p e r frontage m i l e zoned f o r b u s i n e s s o r i n - dustry along Route 128, including e s t a b - lishments built and under construction a s of September 1958, i s estimated roughly a s $ 7 , 0 0 0 , 0 0 0 p e r m i l e.
Doto Ettimotad
Rout! 128 Ontmd 10 Route I N
Routo 128 Rebuilt Soutli of Roulo 9
I9S0 I9SI I9S2 (^1953 1954 1955 1956) (Sept) (Sept) (Sept)
Pigiire k. Cumulative t o t a l Investment i n New Route 128 plants by year of completion
Explanation of M a j o r F a c t o r s Influencing Route 128 Site Selection In choosing a site on Route 128 each company was influenced by one o r more f a c t o r s , such a s cost of site development, a c c e s s i b i l i t y , space f o r expansion, labor m a r k e t , t a x e s , and environment. One company might c o n s i d e r a given factor more important than another company. In the i n d u s t r i a l s u r v e y it was hoped to b r i n g out the m a j o r f a c t o r s c o n s i d e r e d in o r d e r to provide data c o n c e r n i i ^ the extent of the highway i n f l u - ence on the i n d u s t r i a l growth. When the management questionnaire w a s being p r e p a r e d , consideration was given to attaching "weights" to the different r e p l i e s , such a s by a s k i n g the management to attach a p e r c e n t of importance to each of the site selection f a c t o r s which led them to locate on Route 128, o r to l i s t f a c t o r s in the o r d e r of t h e i r importance. T h e s e methods w e r e d i s c a r d e d a s not l i k e l y to develop a r e l i a b l e degree of distinction between one f a c t o r and another. Instead, it was decided to ask for only m a j o r f a c t o r s , which, if m o r e than one w e r e given, could be c o n s i d e r e d of equal importance. T o help reduce b i a s a l i s t of f a c t o r s w a s not suggested. Instead the o f f i c i a l s being interviewed w e r e a s k e d to volunteer the m a j o r f a c t o r s. E a c h company stated t h e i r m a j o r site selection f a c t o r s i n different w o r d s , so a number of m a j o r f a c t o r s w e r e obtained. A f t e r a p r e l i m i n a r y a n a l y s i s of the interview r e p l i e s , it w a s found that they could be grouped under fifteen headings a s follows:
- L a n d f o r E ^ a n s i o n. — I n c l u d e s availability of enough land f o r both present and future space r e q u i r e m e n t s. T h i s space may be needed f o r enlarged production, m o r e efficient operation in o n e - s t o r y buildings v e r s u s multiple s t o r y buildings, o r a c o m - bination of these f a c t o r s.
- L a b o r M a r k e t. — R e f e r s to labor m a r k e t supply on Route 128 and ability of i n - d u s t r y to a c q u i r e and hold labor f o r c e.
DISTRIBUTION (^) DEVELOPMENT SERVICE
PERCENT OF TOTAL EMPLOYMENT
1 1 1 1 2 323 13 3 E S Z Z ^ 25 5 1 2 6 3 8 S ] IS OC O^7 sa 19 t- e^ S28S3^23 o 9 3 2 S S a 25 10 II ssa ) tz ^ a a o B P g 55 IS S B a n a q 3i 14 SS! 13 rs (^)! 2 (^1 1) (0 (^1) BO 100 PERCENT OF TOTAL INVESTMENT
I Land for Eipaniion Z Lobor Morkal 3 En«loyM A c c t u i b d i t y 4 Cammircial A c c « s i M r t «
FACTORS 5 A n i o c l i v i S I t i 9 " P o c k o t a D t o l " S A d m t n i n f 10 City Cmigaitlaii 7 Parking I I Loaei To>ei R Land C o i l 12 Comnarcial Markil
13 Roilrood Facilitiai 14 Potantial Valut Increase 15 Other
Figure 5. Rating of major factors considered I n s i t e selection by Industries Interviewed on Route 128— Septeaiber 1 9 5 7.
T A B L E 8
P L A N T S I T E S C O N S I D E R E D P R I O R T O L O C A T I N G O N R O U T E 128*
Type of P e r c e n t of Investment P e r c e n t^ of Investment R e p r e s e n t e d by P l a n t s Industry in^ P l a n t s^ for^ Which^ for which^ Other^ Sites w e r e c o n s i d e r e d i n Only R t e. Other (^) Downtown Boston Other R t e. Other M a s s , Outside Liocational 128 Site Sites (^) Boston Suburb 128 Sites C i t i e s M a s s. A r e a C o n s i d e r e d C o n s i d e r e d
Boston (^1) A. T Y P E O F I N D U S T R Y
'distribution 20. 4 (^) 79. 6 2 5. 9 7 9. 5 38. 8 38. 3 (^) 0. 0 " r e d u c t i o n 10. 5 89. 5 8. 1 70. 5 41. 5 27. 1 7. 1 < b D 0. 0 100. 0 (^) 3 2. 9 3 5. 2 50. 2 47. 4 44. 2 ^ M i r v i c e 4. 2 95. 8 4. 7 16. 4 88. 3 0. 0 0. 0 B. L O C A T I O N A L A R E A
. N. of R t e. I 0. 0 100. 0 0. 0 (^) 17.9 0. 0 82. I (^) 0. 0 B u r l i n g t o n 3. 2 96. 8 9.4 6 6. 2 36. 0 15. 4 (^) 0. 0 <. ff a l t h a m 0. 0^ 100. 0 8. 7 68. 0 7 9. 5^ 14. 8 18. 7 •. -JEIC 49. 6 50. 4 58. 9 78. 5 9. 7^ 3. 3^ 0. 0 ' 'ewton 5. 6 94. 4 18. 9 81. 1 42. 3 0. 0 6.
. r^eedham 6 1. 7 38. 3 5. 4 94. 6 69. 0 0. 0 0. 0 '. ^ v i u t h of .-needham 0. 5 (^) 99. 5 11. 4 71. 6 46. 5 (^) 0. 0 20. 6 -•-.LL A R E A S (^) 11. 5 88. 5 (^) 14. 4 66. 6 43. 5 (^) 14. 9 9. 6
r cii
- .a^^ed on 87 c o m p a n i e s r e p r e s e n t i i ^ 92 p e r c e n t of i n d u s t r i a l ... i ' i n v e s t m e n t on Route 128 i n S e p t e m b e r 1 9 5 7.
' , ^ be concluded then that the need f o r a c c e s s i b i l i t y , land f o r expansion, labor :long with an attractive site, were the most important f a c t o r s behind the move lies to Route 128. It can be argued that land f o r expansion, ample labor m a r -
. ' i. iiftractive s i t e s could be foimd i n many p a r t s of the metropolitan a r e a. If t h i s >' I hypothesis i s advanced that regional a c c e s s , f r e e of the t r a f f i c congestion so , I : ; • : ' i-town s t r e e t s , w a s the factor that most influenced the i n d u s t r i e s in t h e i r '. 1. lucate on Route 128 in p r e f e r e n c e to other s i t e s.
1 H J .' ' "ns C o n s i d e r e d by Companies B e f o r e Building on Route 128 •A to establishing the effectiveness of Route 128 i n attracting i n d u s t r i e s i n -JO other locations, the management o f f i c i a l s of i n d u s t r i e s were questioned
- • ,. I lie consideration given to other s i t e s before choosing t h e i r Route 128 l o c a - ls. , -arious s i t e s c o n s i d e r e d , both inside and outside of Boston, were segregated - i r i e s a s shown i n Table 8. The investment percentages r e p r e s e n t e d by the .. ; !ch category w e r e entered imder t h e i r appropriate headings. Since many , • .!. ; i-onsidered m o r e than one a r e a , the investment percentage w a s included i n ' ' ne category. Consequently, the s u m of the percentages i n a l l categories n o r e than 100. I.! .-mation i n Table 8 c l e a r l y indicates that the great m a j o r i t y of a l l types of .isidered s i t e s other than Route 128, although half of the i n d u s t r i e s i n l o c a - -. 4 and 6 c o n s i d e r e d only t h e i r Route 128 s i t e. Of those i n d u s t r i e s which , • • I ither s i t e s , most e x p r e s s e d an i n t e r e s t i n suburban Boston o r an alternate ' 1/ 'Cation. The s e r v i c e i n d u s t r i e s gave much more consideration to alternate •>•:••.• yy 'tes than did the other industry t y p e s. T h i s indicates a stronger attraction ... i. - : :'8 by these industry t y p e s. The r e s e a r c h and development type showed a ' : r , - u v • St i n other than Route 128 s i t e s including downtown Boston, other M a s s a -
- .'I I ' j e s and c i t i e s outside of the state.
- .auction type i n d u s t r i e s c o m p r i s i n g 66 p e r c e n t of Route 128 investment and i f employment, gave little consideration to downtown Boston s i t e s , b u t w e r e (fiSted in suburban and alternate Route 128 s i t e s. Apparently this type of
ROUTE I M IN OPERATION
1945 4t 47 4 9 M^ J^1 S^2 »^ S^4 S^ S^ t^ l^9 S^7
Figure 6. Index of assessments on taxable r e a l estate i n Lexington, Mass.—Adjacent Band Area and Control Area ( r e s t of town). industry i s finding out-of-town s i t e s most advantageous f o r i t s operations. Other i n - dustry types, although they actually chose a Route 128 location, gave m o r e c o n s i d e r a - tion to in-town s i t e s , thereby suggesting a l e s s e r d e s i r e to d e c e n t r a l i z e. Considering a l l companies on Route 128, however, the urge to d e c e n t r a l i z e i s e v i - denced by the fact that companies representing 55 p e r c e n t of investment on Route 128 c o n s i d e r e d only a Route 128 location o r another suburban s i t e.
Benefits o r Disadvantages, E3g)ected o r R e a l i z e d by New Companies L o c a t i n g on Route 128
The management o f f i c i a l s of each f i r m were a s k e d what benefits ( o r disadvantages) they expected because of the plant's p r o x i m i t y to Route 128, and what labor p r o c u r e - ment and commuting p r o b l e m s they anticipated. F u r t h e r , they were a s k e d if these benefits were r e a l i z e d , and if they r e c e i v e d other unanticipated advantages because of their p a r t i c u l a r relationship to the highway. In n e a r l y e v e r y c a s e , management p e r s o n n e l stated that the e j e c t e d benefits w e r e c l o s e l y r e l a t e d to the m a j o r f a c t o r s i n t h e i r decision to locate at t h e i r Route 128 s i t e. In other w o r d s , if they chose t h e i r p a r t i c u l a r site because of the n e c e s s i t y f o r b u s i n e s s a c c e s s i b i l i t y , f o r example, they also expected that the route would provide this a d v a n - tage o r benefit. In g e n e r a l , management felt the highway would provide a c c e s s f o r b u s i n e s s p u r p o s e s and employees, and found t h i s to be t r u e. Most of the i n d u s t r i e s did not anticipate labor p r o c u r e m e n t o r retention p r o b l e m s a s they usually chose t h e i r p a r t i c u l a r site with r e - g a r d to known labor m a r k e t s and n e c e s s a r y a c c e s s r e q u i r e m e n t s. G e n e r a l l y they e x - pected a higher quality of labor at the new s i t e. However, those companies who located without r e g a r d to where t h e i r employees l i v e d , o r who employed p r i n c i p a l l y u n s k i l l e d and p a r t - t i m e help s o m e t i m e s found difficulty i n obtaining it at the new Route 128 l o c a - tion. F o r example, s o m e of the i n d u s t r i e s a r e having t h i s p r o b l e m at the N E I C , w h i c h i s not s u r p r i s i n g when one c o n s i d e r s that 47 percent of the old employees at that c e n t e r had to change f r o m public transportation and w a l k i i ^ to automobiles. F o r the most p a r t , i n d u s t r i e s found t h e i r labor p r o c u r e m e n t p r o b l e m s much l e s s difficult than anticipated. Quite often p a s s i n g m o t o r i s t s v o l u n t a r i l y enter a Route 128 industry office seeking employment. On the other hand, those i n d u s t r i e s h i r i n g engi- n e e r s a r e finding s o m e difficulty i n holding them a s these people c a n e a s i l y v i s i t s i m i l a r i n d u s t r i e s along the r o a d during lunch hour and shop around f o r better job opportunities.
. « ROUTE (^) 28 IN OPERA •ION y
BUI .DINGS - I ^
AND t BUILD NGS
A — LAND
« • — "
Figure 7 - Assessed values i n the adjacent Band Area of Lexington expressed as a per- centage of assessed values i n the entire town.
A pilot study in Needham indicated that considerable time and effort would be r e q u i r e d to obtain r e a l estate data f o r a single town. T o obtain complete data f o r each of the 30 towns along Route 128 w a s beyond the scope of this study. T h e r e f o r e , it w a s decided to concentrate on the towns of Needham and Lexington, each of which h a s about the same population, land a r e a , distance f r o m Boston, and length of Route 128. In Needham, the town c e n t e r l i e s outside the a r c of Route 128; in Lexington, it l i e s i n s i d e. Old Route 128 was f i r s t constructed in Needham in 1933 and l a t e r rebuilt a s a l i m i t e d - a c c e s s high- way in 1955. In Lexington the route w a s f i r s t opened a s a new l i m i t e d - a c c e s s highway in 1951, r e p l a c i n g the old route which p a s s e d through the town c e n t e r.
P r o c e d u r e Two g e n e r a l methods of approach w e r e u s e d in the study of highway influence. In the f i r s t an "adjacent band" a r e a approximately one mile wide and roughly c e n t e r e d on the highway w a s chosen and c o m p a r e d with a "control a r e a. " In Lexington the a ^ a c e n t band a r e a ( 3 , 9 2 2 a c r e s ) w a s c o m p a r e d with the r e s t of the town ( 6 , 6 2 5 a c r e s ) a s a c o n t r o l. In Needham the adjacent band a r e a ( 1 , 1 8 7 a c r e s ) was c o m p a r e d with a control a r e a (952 a c r e s ) located in another p a r t of the town removed f r o m Route 128. In the second method, " a c c e s s distance zones" were set off at O - V i , V 2 - I , and l - V a m i l e s t r a v e l distance f r o m an interchange. T h e s e w e r e c o m p a r e d with each other and also compared a s a group with a "control zone" which in Lexington included a r e a s within the town and o v e r \ % m i l e s road distance f r o m an interchange. In Needham, the c o n - t r o l zone w a s a detached a r e a in the s a m e location a s the control a r e a. In e v e r y c a s e the "zones" included only the land within 250 ft of each side of an e x i s t i i ^ street ( a s of September 1957); that i s , the land built upon o r available f o r building at that t i m e. T h e a c c e s s distance zones obviously i n c r e a s e in a r e a with i n c r e a s i n g distance f r o m an i n t e r - change. In Lexington, f o r example, the n e a r e s t zone contained 262 a c r e s , the next a c r e s , the next 1,353 a c r e s , and the control zone contained 3,243 a c r e s.
The i n d i c a t o r s of r e s i d e n t i a l r e a l estate development which w e r e examined included a s s e s s e d valuations, building ( o r occupancy) p e r m i t s , house d e n s i t i e s and r e a l estate s a l e s. The p e r i o d c o v e r e d by the study w a s 1945 to 1957. In o r d e r to c o m p a r e data for a r e a s of different s i z e , dwelling units w e r e reduced to houses p e r a c r e , and s a l e s data were e x p r e s s e d a s indices based upon average of y e a r s 1948-50 = 100. T h e s e three y e a r s were taken a s representative of the p e r i o d j u s t before the m a j o r Link of Route 128 w a s opened to t r a f f i c.
•M 125
- — R t lUTE 1 IS IN 0 >ERAT ION
CONl ROL « (^) !EA -
— —^
50 51 52 59 55 56 1957
Figure 8. Density of houses—Lexington.
Data w e r e gathered f o r the different types of study a r e a s and control a r e a s in the two towns, and a r e p r e s e n t e d in considerable detail in the f u l l report (6). In this paper only a f e w o f t h e f i n d i i ^ s a r e i l l u s t r a t e d and d i s c u s s e d.
T r e n d s in A s s e s s e d Valuation of R e a l E s t a t e in Lexington Complete a s s e s s e d valuation data f o r r e s i d e n t i a l property w e r e obtained in Lexington f o r e v e r y odd-numbered y e a r f r o m 1945 to 1957. The t r e n d i s i l l u s t r a t e d in F i g u r e 6 by an index graph b a s e d on average of 1948 - 1 9 5 0 =100 ( i n this c a s e 1949 = 1 0 0 ) , The average of these three y e a r s w a s adopted a s representative of conditions before Route 128 w a s built and before it could have had an influence on adjacent land u s e. It w i l l b e noted f r o m F i g u r e 6 that since these base y e a r s , a s s e s s m e n t s in the adjacent band a r e a
ROUTE 128 IN OPERATION
1945 4 i 47 48 49 50 51 52 51 54 SS 56 1957
Figure 9 - Index: Density of houses—Lexington.
