Michigander in Mass

Bravo! Redevelopment has begun at Assembly Square. The old Building 19 store is out, and Christmas Tree Shops is on its way in. And after all, with the light show that Somerville puts on during the holidays, what better place for the shop. What would be nicer is the arrival of Ikea, which may still happen.

But redevelopment of Assembly Square has been mired in lawsuits, threats and bureaucracy. Curtatone is a take-charge Mayor, and is trying to push what may be a windfall for the city, but may not.

Trying to figure out why in earth someone would object to cleaning up this underused corridor of Somerville? I sure as hell have been. This Conflict Assessment is a good starting point for understanding the concerns of groups like the MVTF.

I still don't understand all of these concerns, but I guess three major ones are traffic, revenues and environment. Traffic I understand. I'm already an angry driver when I'm coming down Mt. Vernon Street and trying to cross Broadway to get to Mystic Ave. and Rte. 28. Traffic at that intersection, which would be a major artery feeding the new Assembly Square, is already bad. All the drivers opposite me think that the green light is an exclusive left turn signal, and because the major Sullivan Square intersections don't empty quickly enough, traffic is already backed up on Broadway heading into Sullivan. The result? Even though there are only two or three cars trying to cross Broadway from Mt. Vernon St., it still might take two light cycles and several horn toots to make it.

Revenue I can also understand. There are more profitable uses of the land, surely, than a "big box" store like Ikea or Home Depot. But as far as I know, the proposal includes residential buildings as well, so there's some more income. And it's dense residential use that will get the Orange Line stop that people want, not just big box stores. The developers' latest plans accomodate more mixed use (and don't accomodate a new Home Depot), and that's better. But...

Then there's the whole environment thing. And this is really where the MVTF gets most of its power. And this is also where I tend to be slightly more sympathetic to their tactics than many. For instance, even the latest "Main Street" idea looks like one big--however tree-lined--parking lot. Mind you it's a nice-looking parking lot, but a parking lot nonetheless. Of course, MVTF detractors would say it's already a parking lot, and a crappy-looking one. But there are other issues...

We're talking about development that is very close to an important marine resource. We're also talking about a city with the smallest park space per resident in the area. I don't want anything going in to Somerville that will make people angrier than they already are!

So with all this said, where do I fall in the debate? Well, as you'll see, I'm making my mind up as I go along. I'll try to present both sides to the case in this blog, weigh the evidence, and come to my own conclusions.

My conclusion here is that some good faith progress has to be permitted the developers, or they will pull back. The Zoning Board's unanimous decision to approve the grounbreaking for the Christmas Tree Shop is the right thing to do. It keeps Ikea on the hook, dangling a carrot in front of them and keeps hope alive.

Ensuring that the Ikea development plans accomodate the needs of Somerville residents as well as the out-of-towners is very important. This is a real gateway to our community, so it must be carefully integrated with the East Somerville communities and provide sufficient green space, pedestrian and bike access. MVTF is right to call this into question--all development is not good development.

As to their tactics, well, I withold judgement. If, as the MVTF claims, Home Depot refused to meet the environmental requirements put forth by regulations, then their actions were probably warranted. But Curtatone's got to find some new revenues somewhere, and what better place to start?

I was a big fan of Ikea when I first moved here--thinking that any kind of development would increase my home value (because let's face it, that's a major reason why I care--though I am, as a dear old friend put it, pretty liberal in my environmental and political leanings). But after experiencing some of the traffic on Broadway and McGrath Hwy., I'm a bit more cautious. Right now there are essentially only three, maybe four entrances to the whole complex as I recall. Traffic on Mystic Ave., Broadway, Sullivan Square and McGrath Hwy. will definitely be significantly impacted by any successful development effort, so actions need to be taken to mitigate this.

In terms of the environment: Make sure the design includes enough green space, pedestrian access, bike access and "leisure space" as possible. Make sure we're meeting regulations governing development near the Mystic River. And remember that the Bike to the Sea route connects up with the Somerville Community Path through the Amelia Earhart Dam and... yes, Assembly Square!