Michigander in Mass

An article in today's Globe highlighted the shortcomings that our transportation infrastructure. Those shortcomings: a lack of connections, at least when it comes to everyone except drivers. Drivers have plenty of options, especially in Somerville.

When it comes to pedestrians and bicyclists, however, options fall short quickly.

Here's a partial list of incomplete pedestrian, park and cyclist connections in the Greater Boston Area. Please tell me what I'm missing!

• Esplanade (Boston) -> Harborwalk (Boston)
  
• Northpoint Park (Cambridge) -> Nashua Street Park (Boston)
  
• Minuteman Bike Path (Lexington, etc.) -> Boston
  
• Boston Harbor Walk
  
• Somerville, Charlestown and Everett
  
• Minuteman Bike Path -> Central Mass
  
• Winthrop Greenway -> East Boston Greenway
  
• Minuteman Bike Path -> Mystic River
  
• Everett -> Lynn
  
• Ruggles -> Southie
  
• Calais, Maine -> Key West, Florida

I'm sure there are plenty more. MassBike has a good list of proposed projects.

A public hearing is scheduled for this Thursday, June 15th at 6pm, to gather input on the fate of Assembly Square.

Here's a flyer on the event:

Public Hearing on New Zoning for Assembly Square
City Must Fix Illegal Zoning

Thursday, June 15th at 6 P.M. at Somerville City Hall (93 Highland Av.)

Earlier this year, a Mass. Land Court Judge ruled that the Assembly Square Zoning Ordinance illegally violated State laws requiring equal treatment of landowners. In response, the Administration is proposing a stripped-down zoning ordinance, drafted by the developer's attorneys (and filed by Alderman Roche), that would legitimize the permits issued under the tainted Ordinance, and that would essentially waive basic traffic, environmental, and other impact review and mitigation requirements provided for under the existing Somerville Zoning Code, in order to expedite the development of additional big box and boutique retail..

Despite rhetoric about high-density development and "smart growth," the Administration's proposal essentially allows landowners to develop whatever they want - regardless of the adverse impact on Somerville's residents, neighborhood businesses and City finances.

This time, there's a REAL alternative to more of that kind of giveaway:

Aldermen White, Provost and Gewirtz have proposed a zoning amendment that would designate Assembly Square:

• a Transit-Oriented Development District to promote a mix of moderate and high density development with a significant transit ridership, and
• a Smart Growth Zoning District (as defined in Chapter 40R) that would make Somerville eligible for financial and other incentives from the State.

Their proposal needs our support. And it needs teeth: Without specific prescriptions for the desired mix of office, retail, and residential land uses, and without requirements for impact analysis and mitigation, even the most well-intentioned zoning is easily circumvented by developers.

Please, in addition to supporting their proposal, urge adoption of amendments:
(a) requiring developers of every project over 50,000 square feet to submit a professional-caliber transportation, environmental, and public health impact analysis of their development, and a plan for mitigating significant increases in traffic and adverse environmental or public health impacts;
(b) providing for a set-aside of 25-33% of the overall parcel for publicly accessible open space; and
(c) prescribing an overall mix of land uses that maximizes the commercial property taxes generated by the District, and minimizes the use of valuable land for sprawling parking lots and low-rise retail.

This Thursday's hearing may be our last chance to speak out in favor of sensible,
proactive, and fair zoning that promotes real "smart growth":

• Generating the higher level of commercial property tax revenues that Somerville needs to fund City services. Big box retail and sprawling parking does nothing to relieve the tax burden on homeowners, or to lessen dependence on State Aid. Net tax revenue from proposed Assembly Square development isn't even enough to cover the annual cost of bond repayment for the new Lincoln Park School.
• Promoting transit-oriented development that protects the health of East Somerville neighborhoods and leverages an Orange Line T stop. The I-93 / Route 28 /38 Corridor is already choked with 250,000 vehicle trips per day, and can't handle the 50,000-100,000 additional trips projected by the Federal Realty to result from development centered around regional retail. Somerville residents already suffer from elevated heart attack, lung cancer, and asthma rates. And, let’s be real –by exhausting available highway capacity large retail developments will render higher value future development infeasible.
• Integrating Assembly Square with the rest of the City, enhancing access to the Mystic River, and protecting and improving the quality of the adjoining open space.

It's not too late to stand up for sensible development

I've been a big fan of some great MBTA-related railfan sites in the past. Now it looks like they've been cracking down on wanna-be T photogs.