The Turnpike Authority hired a master planner last year, but that didn't succeed at speeding up the design process, which has been a very public process. Representative Joseph Sullivan, co-chairman of the legislature's Commission on Surface Artery Governance and Finance, is quoted as saying, "This is a process that I view continuing over the next decade, in terms of identifying needs and doing the appropriate level of building." Currently, the commission is working on developing a set of guidelines for the design after months of public meetings in which drawings were presented and suggestions were made.

"There have been weekly meetings about this," Mark Desroches, spokesperson for state Senator Robert A. Havern III, tells GlobeSt.com. Havern is co-chairman of the commission. "There are a multitude of ideas and they are still in the brainstorming stage."

Developing a piece of land this size and this valuable--especially the corridor of land which runs from Kneeland Street to Causeway Street along Atlantic Avenue in the heart of the city here--is proving to be daunting to its planners. Suggestions have included fountains, pools, tourist information kiosks, cafes and even a carousel. Planners would also like to see walkways, plazas, benches and other gathering spaces.