Michigander in Mass

Help defeat cancer

2008-07-01T13:46:00.000-04:00

Back in December, I shared the story of my cousin's fight with cancer on this blog. This year, my wife will be riding in the Pan Mass Challenge to keep Brad's fight, one that he personally lost, alive.

The Pan-Massachusetts Challenge raises money for life-saving cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through an annual bike-a-thon that crosses the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Since its founding in 1980, the PMC has successfully melded support from committed cyclists, volunteers, corporate sponsors and individual contributors.

Mailin is riding for Team Novartis, and her company sponsor is matching any contribution of $25 or higher made through their team. You can click here to make sure your donation gets matched. Even if you can't contribute $25, any amount would be appreciated!

Thank you!

In Loving Memory of Brad Van Hoosear (1970-2007)

2007-12-05T22:35:00.000-05:00

In Loving Memory of Brad Van Hoosear (1970-2007)
Photo Copyright (c) Kay Phelan, uploaded by tvanhoosear

Thanks again for all the support I got yesterday and today as I find a way to deal with the death of my cousin Brad of cancer at 37. I was planning on another series of Twitter posts (I’m at http://twitter.com/vanhoosear) today, but I don’t want to overwhelm folks. So I decided I’d put a post up here, on a personal blog that is very sadly underutilized (and in any case usually dedicated to urban development and our town of Somerville, Mass.). You can read my PR-focused posts on the Tech PR Gems blog at http://topazpartners.blogspot.com/. This just didn’t seem appropriate for that blog.

Here are some more facts about pancreatic cancer, many from Brad’s mother, who has been at Brad’s side throughout his terrible ordeal.

In 2007, The National Cancer Institute estimates 37,170 new cases of pancreatic cancer and 33,370 deaths in USA. Most people diagnosed with pancreatic cancer will have passed away by the end of the first year. Americans are twice as likely to be affected by pancreatic cancer that Europeans, for reasons unknown.

The symptoms of pancreatic cancer, according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreatic_cancer, but verified elsewhere) include pain in the upper abdomen that typically radiates to the back and is relieved by leaning forward, loss of appetite, significant weight loss and jaundice. By the time you feel the pain from pancreatic cancer, however, it's likely already beyond most typical cancer treatments currently available.

Furthermore, there are currently no non-intrusive, conclusive tests for pancreatic cancer beyond magnetic and sonic imaging that can pick up cancer masses, but which typically are only authorized after symptoms appear, when it’s already too late.

There are some known risk factors for the disease (the Wikipedia article lists several), and a few preventative measures, including quitting smoking, taking vitamin D, and eating foods rich in vitamins B12, B6 and folate.

The incidence of pancreatic cancer increases with age; most people are between 60 and 80 when they receive the diagnosis. Brad was 37. He was so young that, even though his symptoms were exactly those of the cancer, he was misdiagnosed because of his age. The doctor even said “If you were 60, I’d say you had pancreatic cancer.” Well, he did. But even if he had been diagnosed, it would’ve been too late.

There are people actively looking into ways to new treatment options. One such person is Michelle Calabretta, Ph.D., who blogs about her research at http://drmiggy.wordpress.com/ (she’s also on Twitter at http://twitter.com/drmiggy), but there are many others—you can read her blog for lots of good information and links to all kinds of cancer research, not just pancreatic.

In the U.S., pancreatic cancer is 9th or 10th most commonly diagnosed cancer (depending on gender), but the fourth leading cause of cancer death in men and women. The median survival period from the time of diagnosis until demise is arguably the worst of any of the cancers. The median survival for untreated advanced cancer of the pancreas is about 3 1/2 months; with good treatment this increases to about six months. Brad fought the disease for a year and a half—his youth and strength of spirit carried him.

I knew very little about this disease when Brad was first diagnosed. Quickly, however, I learned that a coworker’s cousin had dies of it. When I tweeted about it yesterday (http://twitter.com/vanhoosear), more cases came out of the woodwork. In my network of 300+ Twitter followers, six wrote back saying they had lost a friend, acquaintance or family member to this disease! (Dozens more shared sympathy and support, for which I am very thankful, as is Brad’s direct family, with whom I shared this groundswell of support.)

A diagnosis of pancreatic cancer is a death sentence. There is no cure, few treatment options, and the 5 year survival rate is less than 5%. Despite this high mortality rate, the federal government spends woefully little money on pancreatic cancer research. It’s a very painful way to die, few treatments exist, and no cures.

The National Cancer Institute’s cancer research budget was $4.824 billion in 2004, an estimated $52.7 million of which was devoted to pancreatic cancer (1% of the budget for the fourth leading cause of cancer death in men and women). Research spending per pancreatic cancer patient is $1,145, the lowest of any leading cancer.

There are things you can do to help change this!

First, learn more about the disease. Start here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreatic_cancer and http://tinyurl.com/24p83b.

Next, tell your friends and family about the disease, especially if they match a lot of the predisposing factors outlined in Wikipedia.

Remember that November is Pancreatic Cancer Awareness Month. Buy a purple ribbon pin to show your support: http://tinyurl.com/2964gg.

If cancer has affected you personally, tell people about it. I’ve found the experience very fulfilling and comforting.

Finally, consider supporting awareness and research into treating this terrible disease. There are many causes out there. These are just a few:

American Cancer Society: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/DON/DON_0.asp
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN): http://www.pancan.org/
Pancreatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland: http://www.pancsoc.org.uk/
Johns Hopkins Sol Goldman Pancreatic Cancer Research Center: http://pathology.jhu.edu/pancreas/
Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research: http://www.lustgarten.org/

My dear cousin left behind a very rich life, despite its shortness, wonderful memories for his friends and family (including myself), and one final, incredible gift. Brad’s final legacy was to donate his cancerous tissue to Dr. Iacobuzio-Donahue's research department at Johns Hopkins University in the effort to help find a cure for this dreaded disease.

If you knew Brad, or have been moved by this particular case, please consider making a memorial donation directly to the work of Dr. Iacobuzio-Donahue in Brad's honor:

"GI Medical Donation Program"
c/o Christine Iacobuzio-Donahue, MD, PhD
Dept of Pathology Johns Hopkins University
1550 Orleans Street, CRB II, Room 343
Baltimore, MD 21231
(410) 955-9132

Please include your name and address, and note that your donation is being made in memory of Bradley Van Hoosear.

Brad, thank you. You’ve inspired friends, family, and now hundreds of people online to think about pancreatic cancer, moving us one important step closer to treating, preventing and someday curing this terrible cancer.

You will be missed!

Technorati Tags: cancer, pancreaticcancer, pancan, NationalCancerInstitute, AmericanCancerSociety Lustgarten, JohnsHopkins

East Somerville doesn't need more park space!

2006-10-25T12:35:00.000-04:00

At least, that seems to be the opinion of the Mayor. When Somerville's dog owners brought the vacant land in the Inner Belt Park to the city's attention, the response was to consider it another revenue source to be sold off and taxed.

The mayor's office has proposed the site be made available for potential sale.

East Somerville is in drastic need for more park space. Although this parcel is not right next to a residential area, it is very close to the proposed Green Line Washington Street station would be, and to the Community Path once it's finally completed and linking up Somerville with Boston and Cambridge's North Point.

Wouldn't it be nice to have a little more greenery in East Somerville?

For more information, check out the SomDog site.

Assembly Square: YES, we CAN all get along!

2006-10-17T13:09:00.000-04:00

A deal that would allow future Assembly Square development to continue without legal opposition has been reached by the city, developer Federal Realty, home furnishings retailer Ikea and grassroots group the Mystic View Task Force.

Full story at The Somerville News.

One highlight: according to Wig Zamore:

Federal and IKEA will contribute $15 million toward the design, engineering and construction of a new MBTA Orannge T-stop at Assembly Square. In addition to the $25 million earmark secured by Congressman Capuano, this unprecedented contribution will enable accelerated provision of high speed transit to Assembly Square. IKEA will be located very close to the new T-stop and will assist with affordable home delivery to customers who come on the T. IKEA will also provide packaging designed to assist customers who might want to take their purchased goods home via public transit. Somerville's store will be the first truly transit-oriented IKEA in North America.

Also good to note (again from Wig):

The Open Space plan for Assembly Square includes additions to Mystic River park land, new public open space dotted throughout Assembly Square and extensive use of green roofs and/or rooftop "amentity" decks. Federal will plan and build (or improve) three important bike and Pedestrian Links to other Somerville neighborhoods - under Route 28 to Ten Hills, under the MBTA rail lines to Draw 7 Park, to Sullivan Square via Lombardi Street - and will also provide a Bike Path through the length of Assembly Square to facilitate alterrnative access. Federal will also plan and advocate for the following additional four Pedestrian Connections: from Foley Street to Foss Park, to the States Avenues section of East Somerville, across the Amelia Earhart dam, and along the waterfront from Assembly Square to Ryan Park in Charlestown. MVTF will be able to advocate for additional open space and pedestrain improvements during the public entitlement process.

Assembly Square sees green for Orange

2006-10-03T12:59:00.000-04:00

I like the way I put it better than B&S: Plans for an Assembly Square Orange Line stop moved ahead recently with the approval for $25 million to design and build the station.

As the Green Line extension plans continue, this means Somerville is another step closer to transportation equity.

New Mass bike maps in the works

2006-10-03T09:37:00.000-04:00

Mass EOT is offering up new state bike maps for review and input before they get finalized. The page includes comment forms and instructions.

Panic at Porter?

2006-09-15T09:42:00.000-04:00

It’s the deepest in the MBTA’s roster of stations - 12 stories below ground - and it could be a recipe for disaster.

If a terrorist struck the Porter Square T station, passengers might just be out of luck.

Full Story: http://www.townonline.com/somerville/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=573848

It's all about connections!

2006-06-14T09:14:00.000-04:00

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!

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

Assembly Square: Thursday Hearing is Critical!

2006-06-13T17:01:00.000-04:00

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, lets 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

The T vs the Railfan

2006-06-13T16:54:00.000-04:00

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.

Assembly Square: History and perspective

2006-04-17T14:37:00.000-04:00

Sorry for the break... Too many blogs. There's a good three-part series on Assembly Square in the Somerville News. Part 1 seems to have disappeared, but parts 2 and 3 are still available.

Part four has also been posted.

Assembly Square Illegal?

2006-03-13T15:06:00.000-05:00

From The Somerville News: "The zoning changes that has allowed a new Assembly Square mall to be built has been deemed illegal by a Massachusetts judge, said Lawrence Paolella of the Mystic View Task Force (MVTF) today." [The decision was apparently released on March 7.]

Bostonians on Detroit

2006-02-01T18:50:00.000-05:00

Read what one Bostonian is saying about Detroit as he spends time there prepping for the Super Bowl.

Green Line extension faces delays

2006-01-31T15:52:00.000-05:00

The Green Line extension to Somerville was introduced in the 1990s as a remediation project after the Big Dig’s far-reaching negative impacts on the already substandard air quality. Since then Somerville officials have grown frustrated with the state’s foot-dragging.

A letter from Fred Salvucci

2006-01-25T21:03:00.000-05:00

This appeared in the Boston Globe I think:

Finishing the Big Dig
By Fred Salvucci - January 25, 2006

AS THE highway elements of the Big Dig near completion this month, we need to recognize that the job is only half done. Yet the state is considering changing course and walking away from the commitment to continuous improvement of affordable transit that was assumed in the Big Dig traffic and environmental projections and promised through four gubernatorial administrations as conditions of the Big Dig construction.

With construction fatigue setting in and Big Dig bashing fashionable, it's worth stopping to ask the basic questions: What if we hadn't done it? What happens if we don't complete the job? What if we'd listened to the critics and professional complainers in the first place?

Boston life would be very different. By this point, a reconstruction and repair would have been completed on the elevated Central Artery.

We would have incurred billions in cost for that inevitable repair, had massive traffic headaches without the use of the road during construction, and we'd have:

No Ted Williams Tunnel.

No Zakim/Bunker Hill Bridge.

Interstate 93 in Boston would still be the most overloaded link of highway on the entire US Interstate system.

The more than $5 billion of federal highway funds that gave the Massachusetts economy a huge boost in the 1990s would have gone to other states, and with it, thousands of construction jobs.

The South Boston Waterfront District -- today the most attractive smart growth opportunity in the United States -- would be the same inaccessible jumble of abandoned rail yards and parking lots we had 20 years ago.

Instead of planning for the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, the Fitzgerald Expressway would still be an ugly elevated road through the North End.

The region's economy would be choking, along with the air, as gridlock of up to 14 hours a day frustrated the movement of goods, services, and employees.

Not all Big Dig criticism is wrong, but criticism should be considered like the label on the cereal package: measured by weight, not by volume. For example, the worst leak, a mistake caused by contractor error and failure of oversight, was corrected and paid for by the contractor, not the taxpayer. But the focus on the highly visual leak distracts attention from the much more important failure of the state to keep pace with the improvements to public transportation that were part of the original plan.

Over 35 years ago, after major public debate and discussion, Governor Francis W. Sargent initiated a new direction in urban transportation, relying primarily on the improvement of public transportation, the environment, and the quality of life in urban neighborhoods and downtown. The premise was that Boston should break from the national path exemplified by Los Angeles, Phoenix, and Detroit and embrace our own legacy of high urban density complemented by the Olmsted park system and served by public transportation. Further, to recognize that, given the near impossibility of expanding highway capacity in our densely settled region, we must focus on improving public transportation as the most effective way to counter the growing roadway congestion and support economic growth.

The one major strategic highway investment to be considered was the replacement of the aging and ugly elevated Central Artery with a depressed road, permitting the city to create both more reliable travel and an improved environment, and the addition of a new tunnel to Logan. This balanced strategy has been the basis of over 30 years of massive investment in infrastructure renewal, the most recent component of which has been the Big Dig. Has it been working?

Looking at the dramatic change in the Boston skyline from 1970 to the present suggests that the transportation strategy has accompanied a massive revitalization of the city's economy. But what about today and tomorrow?

What are these uncompleted transit commitments, how important are they, and how much foot-dragging has there been? To name three initiatives critical to the emerging life sciences economy:

The Blue-Red Connector. This short extension of the Blue Line from Bowdoin to Charles Street would provide people from East Boston, Revere, and Winthrop direct access to the Massachusetts General Hospital and the Red Line, improve system connections to the Green and Orange Lines, and reduce crowding at Park Street and on the Red and Green Lines. Part of the MBTA's ''Ten Year Plan" since the 1980s, this is now proposed to be postponed indefinitely.

The Urban Ring. Envisioned to improve public transportation access around the downtown, serving the most vibrant cluster of university/hospital/research in the world and the state's most rapidly growing sub-center, stretching from BU Medical, Roxbury, Longwood Medical, Boston University, Harvard's Allston initiative, MIT/Kendall Square, Lechmere, Somerville, Everett, and Chelsea, Logan, and the South Boston Waterfront District. By now, the MBTA was supposed to have implemented ''Phase I" (improved bus service), but these ''improved services" come once every 25 minutes, so infrequently that the public doesn't use them. Notwithstanding the fact that Representative Michael E. Capuano secured $500 million in federal money to study a tunnel under Longwood Avenue, the state now proposes a 2019 timetable for the Urban Ring.

The ''Inland Route." Improved rail service to Worcester, Springfield, and on to New York was supposed to get serious attention in 1991 to jump-start the Springfield and Worcester economy, but nothing happened. Fortunately, it has recently been receiving renewed support from newly appointed state Transportation Secretary John Cogliano, but there is still no timetable.

Underlying the physical improvements was a commitment to keep transit fares affordable, rising at less than the rate of inflation, and to implement stricter parking restrictions in central areas, to reduce excessive auto use.

There's much more. The state is slipping on the timetable to extend the Green Line to Somerville, expand the Orange Line fleet, complete the Silver Line, and expand the bus fleet.

What if we don't finish the job? The consequences would be:

Great difficulty in implementing any significant projects. Who, in the future, would trust mitigation commitments in a complex project if the state fails to deliver the necessary complementary transit projects it committed to as a condition of securing approval for the Big Dig, after the highway work is complete? How can the private sector be expected to invest in ''smart growth" if the state reneges on the transit improvements it has promised continuously over the past 15 years?

We will see the reemergence of traffic congestion that will strangle our economic growth, and air quality will worsen.

We will lose billions in federal funds, and thousands of construction jobs.

Criticisms notwithstanding, the Big Dig was a good idea. So are the transit commitments that were essential to our environmental permits, and to our balanced strategy. At great expense, construction disruption, and engineering and construction ingenuity, the Big Dig has placed us within striking distance of a sustained smart growth strategy for economic development with improved environmental quality. We should finish the job by implementing the transit commitments and expanding affordable transit.

Jan 28, Feb. 25 - "Rethinking Urban Transportation"

2006-01-21T16:50:00.000-05:00

You are invited to a free citizens Forum at the Museum of Science entitled
"Rethinking Urban Transportation". Choose either date.

Co-sponsored by LivableStreets Alliance.

RETHINKING URBAN TRANSPORTATION A FREE FORUM AT THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE

Saturday, January 28
2:00 - 5:00 pm

Saturday, February 25
2:00 - 5:00 pm

. Is your commute exhausting?
. Do you wish the subway went more places?
. Is traffic getting worse?
. Are you paying too much for gas?
. Is parking becoming hard to find?

What will transportation in Boston look like in 20 years?

Join others in your community in a thoughtful and lively forum. In this three-hour session we'll hear from professionals about technologies and programs that have the power to revolutionize the way we travel in the city. Group activities will help us assess our priorities and explore the future in an informal and collaborative setting.

RSVP: forumrsvp@mos.org, 617-589-4250
Location: Museum of Science, Boston
Registration: limited to 60
Refreshments: provided

http://www.livablestreets.info for more information.

Forum is funded by the National Institute of Standards and Technology, a non-regulatory federal agency within the U.S. Commerce Department's Technology Administration.

LivableStreets Alliance (LSA) is a non-profit organization advocating for a comprehensive transportation network that improves the quality of urban life in Boston. LSA takes a big-picture, collaborative approach to the city's transportation challenges and opportunities, supporting transit, biking, and walking. We are committed to transportation that is safe, reliable, and sustainable - one able to accommodate all groups, including children, the elderly, the underserved, and the handicapped.

LivableStreets Alliance is guided by the belief that strong, diverse, and equitable urban transportation options have the power to make Boston a more vibrant and dynamic city.

While Green Line slows down, NorthPoint speeds up

2006-01-13T16:43:00.000-05:00

From the Herald (looks like it got munged a bit--sorry):

Backers of the massive $2 billion NorthPoint project are speeding up plans to build a new Lechmere T station in an effort to boost future condo and office sales at the East Cambridge development site. The move to start construction as early as next year -- rather than in 2010 or 2011 -- could also accelerate plans to eventually extend the Green Line into Somerville and West Medford.

[...]

Developers will build a new T station east of O' Brien Highway, where they're now constructing the first two condo buildings within the planned transportation-friendly NorthPoint.

NorthPoint will pick up most of the expected $35 million cost to build a new station - which will include space for trolleys, buses, parking and retail. Once finished, developers would take over the old T site and redevelop it.

A project director at Spaulding & Slye said a new T station had always been planned as NorthPoint's "front door.

The most recent plans had called for construction of a new station in 2010 or 2011 "at the outside." Now it looks like construction may start within 18 months.

Developers are starting work on designs for the station and nearby roadwork.

A new T station will make the entire project -- which could eventually have 5 million square feet of housing, office and retail space -- more attractive, she said.

T eyes revamp of confusing fare system

2006-01-08T20:48:00.000-05:00

Now that the MBTA has named its new-fangled cashless card system for a folk hero -- Charlie who couldn't get off an old MTA train for lack of a prehistoric ''exit fare" -- you would have thought that the T had eliminated such a strange practice long ago. Wouldn't you?

Full story on Boston.com.

Curtatone's focus for next term

2006-01-05T19:49:00.000-05:00

No rampant political rhetoric, no feisty jabs and no grandiose plans colored Mayor Joe Curtatone’s inauguration speech Monday. Just the facts, ma’am.

Full Story: Somerville Journal via Town Online.

Phoenix on Transit developments

2006-01-05T16:52:00.000-05:00

The T: we love to hate it; we hate to take it; we take it everywhere. The nation’s first subway system has inspired songs ("The MTA Song" [Charlie on the MTA], "T DJ," and "Fuck the T"), Web sites (http://www.badtransit.com/, transportavenger.blogspot.com), and a general appreciation of functioning escalators. Over the next 10 years, the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) will present us with more to sing about, and more to gripe about — from operational changes in how we pay our fares and what kinds of trains we ride (See "More Cards and Cars"), to the completion of long-planned system-wide expansions that could increase daily MBTA ridership and help the struggling agency climb out of debt, while improving both our public health and our transit experiences.

Full Story: The Boston Phoenix

2005-12-30T21:43:00.000-05:00

Expanding T's ridership
December 30, 2005

IN "WILL Foy Save the T?" (op ed, Dec. 23) Charles D. Chieppo criticized the T's proposed expansion of the Green Line to Somerville and Medford. Citing questionable data, Chieppo implies that transit expansion is a luxury we can't afford. Just the opposite is true: Improved transit is one of the best investments the state can make. A Green Line extension will expand the T's ridership while spurring commercial and residential development that will, in turn, bolster state revenues. Even motorists will benefit by a diversion of commuters from overburdened roadways to rapid transit.

Chieppo would have us believe that this transportation enhancement would come at the expense of existing T service or might cause cuts in state funding for education and health programs. The truth is that the investment in these transit projects has always been factored into the state budget (not the MBTA's).

Instead of erecting false arguments that pit one crucial state investment against another, Governor Romney and other leaders could show real courage by beginning a dialogue about how best to get these transit projects moving.

JOSEPH A. CURTATONE
Mayor
City of Somerville

STEP Green Line interactive map

2005-12-29T21:34:00.000-05:00

From: Steve Mulder

Hi all -

A new interactive map has been added to the STEP web site that
explores where the new Green Line stops might be located. The stops
aren't decided yet, but the sooner we start discussing this critical
issue, the better.

Where do you think the stops should be?

http://www.somervillestep.org/map/

steve

Somerville leaders protest transit plans

2005-12-22T16:36:00.000-05:00

State Senator Jarrett T. Barrios and Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone criticized the state Department of Environmental Protection yesterday for proposing to push back the deadline for extending the MBTA's Green Line to Medford by three years and adding new regulations that would allow the state to delay this and other projects an additional three years if needed.

Full story on Boston.com.

Cambridge: Big box indulgencies

2005-12-21T13:45:00.000-05:00

A bookstore in Cambridge took a lesson from history and has begun selling big book box indulgencies for folks who may feel a little guilty for not buying from their local, independent bookseller.

The 1913 Massacre

2005-12-21T13:37:00.000-05:00

Interesting Michigan-related MetaFilter post today: The 1913 Massacre.

Somerville: Work still needed to keep Green Line on track

2005-12-19T11:45:00.000-05:00

Massachusetts DEP extended the deadline for written public comments on the Ozone SIP Transit Commitments, including the Green Line extensions to Somerville and Medford.

The public hearings will still take place on Wednesday, December 21st at DEP, which is located at the center of Downtown Crossing in Boston, at both 10 AM and 6 PM. DEP at One Winter Street is easily reached via either the Red or Orange Lines and is also a short walk from the Green Line at Park.

Additonal comments on the DEP Hearing appear below, but first a few words on the four steps, toward Green Line entitlement, remaining over the next nine months:

Following these important December 21st hearings, DEP will produce a final draft of proposed changes to the State Implementation Plan language and forward that to US EPA for their consideration. Additional steps necessary this year, if the Somerville Green Line is to stay On Track, include incorporation of the project in the next Boston MPO Regional Transportation Plan and designation by the Massachusetts Legislature of a real financial source for transit expansion projects. The SIP is a legal agreement between EPA and Massachusetts derived from the state's "non-attainment" status under the Clean Air Act.

By Federal regulation, SIP transportation projects must take priority over most other projects in the Boston MPO Regional Transportation Plan. Also by Federal regulation, major projects in the Boston MPO Regional Transportation Plan must have real financial sources. Failure on either count would put huge Federal transportation dollars that will otherwise flow to Massachusetts at risk. As a result of Clean Air Act failures, Atlanta's Federal transportation funding was cut-off several years ago. More recently, San Francisco and Baltimore / Washington transportation funding has been put at risk.

To recap, the following steps are needed in the next nine months to keep the Green Line and (other SIP transportation projects) ON TRACK:

1. DEP acceptance of the proposed projects.
HEARINGS December 21st, 2005.
Written comments by January 17th, 2006.

2. EPA acceptance of revised SIP regulations.
Comment period in early 2006.

3. Inclusion in the Boston MPO Regional Transportation Plan (RTP).
Comment period in June 2006.

4. Definition of a state transit expansion funding source.
By date of submittal of MPO RTP to Federal agencies.

With regard to the proposed SIP regulation changes that are now in a critical DEP public comment period, Somerville citizens should also be aware:

1. That EOT and DEP are proposing that there be a three year delay in the Green Line implementation date - moving the deadline from 2011 to 2014. At the very least a realistic and aggressive "critical path" outline should be produced before any delay is accepted.

2. That EOT and DEP have not proposed any mitigation for the possible delay in transit implementation. In the past there has always been an expectation of full environmental mitigation - i.e., temporary corridor air quality improvements - for any delays in meeting the SIP obligations.

3. That the proposed SIP language would allow much easier substitutions for SIP transit projects in the future, as long as they met air quality goals in Boston, Cambridge, Medford or Somerville. The Green Line could be replaced by the Urban Ring, new transit to Harvard's Allston campus or another project.

In the past, the Ozone SIP Transit obligations have always had very strict substitution conditions, requiring proof of "infeasibility", and substitutions have been required to be located in the corridors that would have been served by the original project.

It is critical that Somerville citizens turn-out once again at the DEP Hearings to keep the Green Line ON TRACK and continue to respect other advocates.

STEP will be providing some suggested speaking points shortly, but Somerville citizens own words have done a remarkable job of advocacy in the past year. If you continue to speak thoughtfully and from your own hearts, we will do just fine. It is important that EOT and DEP hear our thanks for their consideration and our pledge to make the Green Line extensions work superbly for the Somerville community. The Green Line is a major step toward cleaner air and better service.

Somerville has borne an enormous environmental and public health burden from regional commuter trips on the highways and railways through our neighborhoods. We are the only community in the state with over 200,000 vehicle miles traveled per day per square mile. We are the only community in the state with 15,000 diesel train trips per year per square mile. Over 90% of the commuters on I93, Route 28, Route 38 and the six diesel rails cutting through do not live or work in Somerville.

Despite our local grievances and needs, in our past testimony we have been very respectful of the transportation aspirations of the other communities involved, especially those from Jamaica Plain and those in favor of the Red and Blue Line connection. At DEP on Wednesday, December 21st, we need to maintain that practice even as we continue our local advocacy. Somerville and the region should be evolving together toward a healthier transportation system that broadly serves both quality of life and economic opportunity.

Regards, Wig Zamore

**********

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS

DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION

BUREAU OF WASTE PREVENTION

DIVISION OF CONSUMER AND TRANSPORTATION PROGRAMS

NOTICE OF EXTENSION OF PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD

Notice is hereby given that the Department of Environmental Protection, under its authority pursuant to M.G.L. Chapter 111, Sections 142A through 142M, and in conformance with M.G.L. Chapter 30A, will extend the public comment period on amendments to 310 CMR 7.36, Transit System Improvements, from January 3, 2006 to January 17, 2006. The purpose of the public hearing is to solicit comments on proposed amendments to 310 CMR 7.36. The proposed amendments were requested by the Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) and include substitute projects for the three remaining transit projects required as air quality mitigation measures for the Central Artery/Third Harbor Tunnel project. The proposed amendments also modify the procedures in the regulation to delay and substitute transit projects.

As indicated in a previous notice, public hearings will be conducted to receive public comment, both oral and written, on the proposed regulation.

On: Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - 10:00 am and

Wednesday, December 21, 2005 - 6:00 pm

At: Washington Street Conference Center, 2nd Floor, Rooms A, B, & C

Department of Environmental Protection

One Winter Street

Boston, Massachusetts 02108

The public hearing site is wheelchair accessible. This information is available in alternative format upon request by contacting Donald M. Gomes, DEP's ADA coordinator, at (617) 556-1057. TDD Service 1-800-298-2207, One Winter Street, Boston, MA 02108.

Testimony may be presented orally and/or in writing at the public hearing. Following the hearing, written testimony will be accepted until 5:00 p.m. on January 17, 2006. The Department requests that written testimony be submitted electronically via e-mail to: christine.kirby@state.ma.us. Written testimony may also be sent to: Christine Kirby, Department of Environmental Protection, Bureau of Waste Prevention, One Winter Street, 10th Floor, Boston, MA 02108.

Copies of the regulation and background document will be available for inspection during normal business hours at the Department of Environmental Protection, One Winter Street, Boston, MA. In addition, these documents will be available on DEP's website at: http://www.mass.gov/dep/air/laws/regulati.htm#proposed and

http://www.mass.gov/dep/public/publiche.htm.

By order of the Department.

Robert W. Golledge, Jr., Commissioner

Lowell Street bridge OK for Green Line (but SCP?)

2005-12-19T11:02:00.000-05:00

According to eyewitness reports, The Lowell Street bridge looks to be conforming with any Green Line extension plans:

We saw the first of the beams set in place spanning the New Hampshire main Line ('Lowell Line") earlier this evening. I just heard the truck descending Lowell Street out back with two more of the concrete beams. During Q&A this evening at the VNA meeting sponsored by Sen. Patricia Jehlen it was determined that there would, indeed, be sufficient room for 4 tracks under the bridge. The current configuration has a "false abutment" on the south side. This serves no structural purpose and can be removed to facilitate widening of the R-O-W.

What about the Somerville Community Path?

MBTA Rider Oversight Committee Meeting Today

2005-12-19T10:40:00.000-05:00

From STEP Member Wig Zamore:

There are three agenda items at next Monday's MBTA Rider Oversight Committee Meeting which relate to the Green Line and Lechmere. General Manager Daniel Grabauskas will attend the meeting.

A public comment period occurs at 4:30 PM to start the meeting, as happens at the ROC every month. There is another public comment period to end the meeting but the GM will be gone and the agenda items will be past.

Although many of us will focus our energy next week on Wednesday's Ozone SIP Transit Commitments Hearings at DEP, it would be nice to have one or two Lechmere Green Line riders available to comment to the ROC.

Regards, Wig Zamore

**********

MBTA Rider Oversight Committee Meeting

Monday, December 19, 2005

10 Park Plaza, Conference Room 1, 2, and 3

Boston, Massachusetts

4:30 PM to 6:30 PM

Welcome and Call Meeting to Order

Public Comment Period

Acceptance of Minutes of 11/21/05

Manager/Secretary's Report

Report from General Manager Grabauskas

· Vertical Transportation;

· Big Dig Mitigation Project Changes;

· Green Line to Somerville [Lechmere] up and running, but slow - why; and

· Update on Green Line Car Purchases.

Reports of Standing Committees and Discussion

Capital Improvements - K. Wepsic

Marketing Communications & Operations - V. Haddix

Finance - C. Bench

Public Comment Period

Adjournment

Green Line orders more cars

2005-12-19T10:30:00.000-05:00

Perhaps spurred by the knowledge of a soon (in geologic, er, bureaucratic time)-to-be-expanded Green Line (to West Medford), the MBTA will add 85 trolleys beginning in 2007, it was announced recently.

The Boston Globe had a more in-depth story, some of which is extracted below:

Under the agreement, [trolley manufacturer] Ansaldobreda will receive increasing amounts of the remaining money in the contract only if each trolley is able to meet an increasing ''miles between failures" goal, up to the T's system standard of 9,300 miles. The new deal keeps the one-year warranty on the trolleys.

But Carrie Russell, staff attorney with the Conservation Law Foundation, which has monitored the controversial trolley purchase, said she is still skeptical about the Breda cars.

"The T needs to stop throwing good money after bad investments," she said yesterday.

A year ago, Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority officials called its Breda cars one of the worst purchases in the agency's history and talked of ordering new trolleys from another manufacturer. Despite a derailment problem that had been fixed, the cars were breaking down at three times the normal rate for subway vehicles. Water was getting into the trolleys' coupling systems, air conditioning and heating systems leaked or failed to work, and doors stayed partially open, keeping the trains from moving.

"We bought a lemon," Michael H. Mulhern, then the T's then-general manager, said last December.

Now, of the 185 cars in the Green Line fleet, 55 were scheduled to be retired five years ago but have had to remain in service despite more frequent breakdowns. As a result, the T sometimes has to run fewer than the 136 trolleys it needs during rush hour. The Green Line's lack of low-floor vehicles accessible to the disabled further slows service, because drivers had to get out and use special lifts for passengers in wheelchairs.

T officials said they have spent nearly $750,000 to retrofit and test 10 of the Breda cars to fix problems. So far, officials say, the fixes have worked, with the test cars showing a three-fold improvement in reliability. The T will not recoup that money.

The T plans to spend another $2.4 million to make the Breda cars able to connect with non-Breda cars in the Green Line fleet.

About 40 of the T's 47 existing Bredas are operating on the B branch, and T officials plan to expand their use to the C branch in the next three weeks. Ten of them have already been retrofitted and the others will be. After track repairs and improvements, revamped Bredas will head to the E branch by late fall 2006 and the D branch after that, officials said.

As track work commences on the Green Line, T officials plan to lift speed restrictions at nine locations between now and 2008. Two speed restrictions were lifted yesterday on the D branch near the stops at Brookline Village and Brookline Hills, where recent track work allowed speeds to increase from 10 miles per hour to 25 miles per hour.

Green Line: No time to rest on laurels

2005-12-13T16:27:00.000-05:00

THE SOMERVILLE GREEN LINE IS NOT A DONE DEAL YET

IMMEDIATE ACTION IS NEEDED BY SOMERVILLE RESIDENTS TO KEEP THE GREEN
LINE EXTENSIONS ON TRACK

Please attend one of the Department of Environmental Protection (DEP)
Public Hearings on Wednesday December 21st and/or send written
comments by January 17th to ensure that the Green Line Extensions move
forward as soon as possible.

Hearings: Wednesday, December 21st at 10 AM or 6 PM
at the DEP Offices, One Winter Street, 2nd Floor, at Downtown Crossing
in Boston.Easily reached by Red & Orange Lines or a short walk from
Green Line at Park.

In May 2005 the state agreed to extend the Green Line along two
branches - one to Union Square and another in the Lowell Line
right-of-way through Somerville to Medford - as part of its Transit
Commitments obligation under the Ozone State Implementation Plan
(SIP). But the Ozone SIP must be formally modified by Massachusetts
DEP to include these projects and then be accepted by US EPA before
they will be on track.

The DEP hearings seek to know if the public supports proposed changes
in the regulations.

Written comments will also be accepted at DEP until January 17th, 2006:

Submit via Email to: christine.kirby@state.ma.us
Send via US Mail to: Christine Kirby, Department of Environmental
Protection, Bureau of Waste Prevention, One Winter Street, 10th Floor,
Boston, MA 02108.

After the DEP Hearings, what happens next in 2006â€¦

â€¢ DEP will prepare a final draft of proposed changes to the
State
Implementation Plan and submit it to the US Environmental Protection
Administration (EPA) for their approval.

â€¢ EPA must review and accept the revised SIP regulations. There
will
be a written public comment period in early 2006 although there may
not be a hearing.

â€¢ The Green Line Extensions must be included in the next Boston
Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Regional Transportation Plan
(RTP) â€" comments in early Summer 2006.

â€¢ A real financing plan must be developed by the Massachusetts
Legislature for the SIP Transit Commitments by date of submittal of
the MPO RTP to Federal agencies in late Summer 2006.

More Ozone SIP Details and Suggested Speaking Points on the Flip Side
ïƒ¨

MORE DETAILED EXPLANATION OF THE OZONE SIP. The Ozone SIP is a set of
state regulations that are also a legal agreement between EPA and
Massachusetts resulting from the state's "non-attainment" status under
the Clean Air Act. This simply means the state is legally committed to
building more public transit to alleviate poor air quality in this
region. The Green Line Extensions will help prevent future
transportation pollution at a level that satisfies the remaining
Transit Commitments. Preventing future air pollution in Somerville
that leads to regional ozone formation is especially appropriate
because we have long been overrun by commuters, and severely
underserved by clean and convenient public transit.

SOMERVILLE'S CONGESTION AND HEALTH BURDENS. With I93, Route 28, Route
38, the five northern commuter rail lines and AMTRAK all passing
through Somerville, we are uniquely burdened. Over 90% of the
travelers on these highways and trains neither live nor work here.
Somerville is the only community in Massachusetts with over 200,000
vehicle miles driven per day per square mile of land area. We are the
only community with 15,000 diesel trains per square mile per year.
Our high heart attack and lung cancer deaths have been a terrible
consequence of the regional commuter burdens imposed on our
neighborhoods. From 1996 through 2000, Somerville had 36% higher lung
cancer and heart attack mortality rates than the state as a whole even
though a 2002 survey showed lower than average smoking rates. Over
these five years Somerville had 145 excess deaths from these two
leading causes. During the same period, we had 25 traffic fatalities
(total), 25 suicides (total) and only two murders. Air pollution from
regional transportation is the most serious public health problem in
Somerville.

SOMERVILLE IS AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE COMMUNITY. With the highest
ratio of multi-family to single family housing in the state, the
second highest concentration of immigrants after Chelsea and roughly
5,000 carless citizens per square mile, healthier transportation would
immediately help many of our residents get to their schools and jobs
more easily. In the longer term it would become the foundation for
new mixed income housing and new economic development opportunities
for our diverse population.

NEW SIP PROJECT DETAILS. DEP has proposed new language which would
make the two Somerville Green Line branches a top transportation
priority and includes both within the regulations. DEP is also
proposing, at the same time, to commit the state to additional
investments in new stations along the Fairmont Commuter Rail Line in
Roxbury, and to build 1000 new parking spaces at MBTA stations (which
may be in the suburbs). The proposed Ozone SIP language would drop
the restoration of the Arborway Green Line to Jamaica Plain and also
the connection of the Red and Blue Lines. We must be very grateful
for and support inclusion of both Green Line Extensions in the revised
Ozone SIP. But we should not undermine the transit aspirations of any
other community.

OTHER NEW SIP DETAILS ARE NOT SO GOOD. The proposed Ozone SIP
language also has two provisions which are not helpful, though we may
be able to live with them. These draft regulations extend the
deadline for completion of the Green Line Extensions from 2011 to 2014
and make it easier for the MBTA to substitute projects for one another
in the future. The new deadline may be more realistic but should be
justified with a schedule that details the major intermediate steps
necessary for project completion. In the past DEP has required
additional environmental mitigation when clean air obligations are
delayed â€" for example, cleaner buses or more shuttle vans for
seniors.
The new substitution provision would allow any transit project
meeting the clean air goals in Boston, Cambridge, Medford or
Somerville to substitute for the proposed projects, including the
Green Line Extensions.

Additional Ozone SIP Transit Commitment details at:
http://www.mass.gov/dep/air/laws/regulati.htm#catht

Visit our website at somervillestep.org for Green Line and
Somerville transportation news.

Karen Molloy
STEP
www.somervillestep.org

More Union Square development

2005-12-09T16:22:00.000-05:00

Wainwright Bank & Trust Company (Nasdaq: WAIN) provided $3.5 million in financing to the Somerville Housing Group Trust to develop the fourth phase of Union Place, a two acre mixed use development within walking distance of Union Square, Somerville.

Press release: http://biz.yahoo.com/prnews/051209/nef013.html?.v=32

Greenway Conservancy 1/10th of the way there

2005-12-05T14:11:00.000-05:00

They haven't asked me for any money yet--heck, they don't even seem to have a website yet, which is slightly puzzling in this day and age, but the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway Conservancy announced today it has secured pledges of $5.3 million toward its endowment fund to support the greenway that is taking shape where the expressway used to run. This is a tenth of the way toward their ultimate goal of $50 million, and is ahead of the schedule the group must make to keep the process of handing control over to them on track.

The full story is on Boston.com.

NorthPoint's Spaulding & Slye Bought by Chicago Firm

2005-11-29T16:28:00.000-05:00

A real estate conglomerate from Chicago has agreed to buy Boston real estate firm Spaulding & Slye Colliers for at least $150 million. [...] Spaulding & Slye’s big development projects include the first part of the massive NorthPoint campus in Cambridge. Work on the first phase of the project - between the Lechmere and Bunker Hill T stations - started this year and will include the construction of 330 condos in two buildings. The firm also recently developed an eight-story, 160,000-square-foot building for biomedical labs in Boston’s BioSquare off Albany Street.

Full story at the Patriot Ledger.

Watertown's Green Line woes

2005-11-28T15:15:00.000-05:00

I always wondered what happened to the Green Line's "A" line. Well boy could I have used it when I was working in Watertown--as it used to head straight into Watertown Square. You can read all about it on Wikipedia. Why did it close down? Because the government forced the MBTA to deal with American contractors who had no idea how to build a trolley, because the auto companies did a damn good job of killing all forms of passenger rail and the aero companies, well, what the hell are they supposed to know about building light rail vehicles?

I'm beginning to waffle on Assembly

2005-11-28T14:49:00.000-05:00

After watching and reading the news reports about Stoughton traffic, the Assembly Square Ikea store is making me more and more nervous. I bought Mayor Joe's vision for Assembly Square hook line and sinker, but maybe because all the pretty models they built didn't show traffic backed up onto I-93, Rte. 28, Broadway, Sullivan Square, etc. Wig's and the MVTF's arguments (see Wig's comment in the, er, interesting and frank--if mostly anonymous--debate on the Somerville News site) are making more sense to be--I understand them better now. Is this really good for Somerville?

MaxPak development plan reviews: Nov. 29, Dec. 7 & 14th

2005-11-28T14:26:00.000-05:00

From The Somerville News:

The plan to develop the old MaxPak factory site with a building featuring over two hundred condominiums will be discussed over the next three weeks.

Ward 5 Alderman Sean T. O'Donovan will host three public meetings to discuss the project with neighborhood residents on Nov.29, Dec. 7 and Dec. 14 at the Visiting Nurses Association at 259 Lowell Street.

The meetings start at 6:30 pm.

DCR struggling to keep up

2005-11-28T14:15:00.000-05:00

I don't write a lot about parks and outdoorsy things, even though I love them, and even though Somerville lacks them to a terrible degree. But my wife and I walked across the Salt & Pepper Bridge (aka the Longfellow Bridge) a week ago and I really noticed how bad a condition it's in. It's not the only DRC property that's suffering.

Green Line approvals continue

2005-11-21T10:04:00.000-05:00

The green light on the Green Line extension project remains on, but waiting on the opposite street is the return of Arborway service and the Red-Blue connector projects, both stalled. What's good news from Somerville and Medford is not so good for others. And the increase in parking spaces for the Fairmont commuter rail line seems to be a concession to the rich, McMansion-owning taxpayers in the outer burbs. Somerville residents may be able to breathe easier (if it weren't for all the pollution), but we shouldn't rest on our laurels.

First, let's put in a strong show of support for the prioritization of both the connector and Arborway projects. We need to help the other core communities around here.

But next, let's not lose sight of some other priorities for transportation, the first being the Assembly Square Orange Line stop. While this stop would add about two minutes to my short reverse commute to Malden Center every day, it would HELP cut down on traffic a small amount (although how many people will take the T to shop at a store where 90% of the stuff is bigger than a breadbox I don't know).

But then what?

Boston building boom

2005-11-18T10:53:00.000-05:00

Nearly 14,000 residential units, primarily condominiums, are currently in the construction pipeline in Boston, the city's planning agency said yesterday. Though exact comparisons don't exist, officials believe the number of units under development equals or exceeds the building spree of the 1980s. Full story on Boston.com.

What does this mean for Somerville and Cambridge?

Wherefore art thou, Brickbottom?

2005-11-18T10:15:00.000-05:00

As the Brickbottom 18th Open Studios approaches (it's this weekend), I got to thinking: where the Hell is Brickbottom anyway?

It's been in the news recently. This is from a City of Somerville press release from just two days ago:

The Brickbottom District, once a thriving neighborhood that became an early casualty of urban renewal, sits just across the Boston city line, adjacent to the McGrath O’Brien Highway. The area is currently home to a number of small businesses, primarily those engaged in auto repair and auto-related services. There are also several underutilized industrial sites and vacant lots and a trash transfer facility on city-owned land. Mayor Curtatone recently announced that the City had reached a new agreement with Waste Management, Inc. that will relocate the transfer facility within three to five years to a more remote site.

The city is teaming up with the Boston Society of Architects to hold an international urban design ideas competition for the industrial Brickbottom area in East Somerville.

Somerville Mayor's Office of Strategic Planning officially launched the competition ("BrickBottom - EDGE as CENTER") at a session at this week's BuildBoston conference (which by the way has some great tours of the city of you don't mind the price). The BSA and the City of Somerville have invited designers to envision the future of the "pivotal post-industrial area."

From the program:
Urban design schemes for the area will conceptualize the ideas of neighborhood and infrastructure that accompany the redevelopment of large areas of underutilized industrial land. Given the sites current potential for development and future light rail transit connections, coupled with existing physical and economic constraints, the competition asks: what is the future for the BrickBottom District in the contemporary urban context?

I will reiterate some comments Wig Zamore made on the S_T_E_P mailing list:

The Green Line extension, the future form of Route 28 (boulevard or arterial sewer) and the relationship of Brickbottom to Union Square will all undoubtedly be important for designers to consider.

It will also be interesting to see the full extent to which this competition engages the Somerville community and how it treats the land use - transportation - air quality - public health continuum that affects eastern Somerville.

Brickbottom re-development will be post-Assembly Square. Thus how the urban designers deal with the 100,000 trips per day predicted by Federal Realty for Assembly Square may be the single biggest issue they face.

I agree. This distric would be served by the proposed Washington Street Green Line stop on the new Medford extension (where the rails cross Washington Street in the map above). This area suffers from a similar problem to that of Assembly Square: access is relatively limited: for Assembly, it's either Rte. 28 or I-93 (crap, my exit off I-93, exit 28, will be badly impacted by the traffic going to Assembly Square from either direction--I hope most of that traffic is off-peak). The river and rails cut the site off on two sides, at least for auto traffic.

In the case of Brickbottom, it's Rte. 28 again (aka McGrath/Obrien Hwy.), or Washington St. The rail cuts it off from the Innerbelt industrial area.

Some suggestions to help integrate these industrial areas:

1. Connect the Brickbottom area via roads and pedestrian tunnels to both the Innerbelt and Northpoint districts.

2. Enable better and more pedestrian access to Union Square.

3. Visually and physically connect the Washington Street T stop to Brickbottom--ensuring pedestrian traffic.

4a. In addition to the Washington Street stop, add a 'T' station at the junction of all three districts (the lower right corner of the map), with pedestrian access to all three districts and service (potentially) from both the Union Square and Medford spurs. Call it Brickbottom/Innerbelt or some such thing.

4b. If this doesn't fly, at least call the Washington Street station Brickbottom.

Hospital groups sue for Red/Green Line connector

2005-11-17T22:42:00.000-05:00

Partners HealthCare and its affiliate, Massachusetts General Hospital, said yesterday that they intend to sue state officials for not including a connection between the MBTA's Blue and Red lines as part of the state's effort to offset increased air pollution from the Big Dig. Full story on Boston.com.

Has MVTF gone soft?

2005-11-17T16:17:00.000-05:00

After following Somerville development for a whole whopping year, I think I've got a better understanding of the dynamics involved. Hell, I think I understand where the MVTF is coming from. But, still a fan of development when done responsibly, I was pleased to see the recent news of a potential land swap deal that could reignite the stalled project and land Ikea in Somerville, for better or worse.

So first, the land swap, and now, an MVTF founder chomping on an Ikea hot dog? What has the world come to?

What's New, Mr. Magoun?

2005-11-17T14:25:00.000-05:00

Well, Magoun Square new makeover plans are being criticized for not being too different than the old plans, except for the price tag. And it still doesn't address a few key issues. Is the new price worth it?

New England transplant quiz

2005-11-16T11:59:00.000-05:00

Want to sound like a native here in New England? The first thing is to learn the place names. New Englanders love to heah forrinahs pronounce some of our more difficult place names. God help the non-native newscaster or weather-person his first few months here. So, to ease the transition and test just how well you might be able to fit in, here's a quick quiz for you. Maybe I'll make this a series, if it's popular enough.

It's tough to fit in. I just saw a native get ripped to pieces for not pronouncing Tewksbury as authentically as he could (as far as I could tell, it's "TUX-bree", but he says "TOOKS-bree", or "TEWKS-bree" and he grew up there). And that's a relatively easy one. Try these (answers follow). I'll start easy:

1. Chelmsford
2. Medford
3. Berlin
4. Revere
5. Woburn
6. Quincy
7. Concord
8. Norfolk
9. Reading
10. Peabody
11. Dorchester
12. Worcester
13. Leicester
14. Leominster
15. Scituate
16. Billerica
17. Haverhill
18. Cochituate

.
.
.
.
.
.
.

(SCROLL DOWN FOR ANSWERS)

.
.
.
.
.
.

1. Chelmsford: CHEMS-fid (note the typical dropping of the 'ah', er, 'r')
2. Medford: MEH-fid (but 'r's aren't the only thing we drop)
3. Berlin: BER-lynn (we love shifting the syllabic stress)
4. Revere: rih-VEAH (pretend you're at the doctor's office at the end)
5. Woburn: WOO-bin (you'll note we get a little lazy at the end of words)
6. Quincy: QUIN-zee (note the 'z' sound here)
7. Concord: KHAHN-kid (note all the vowel shifting going on heah)
8. Norfolk: NOR-fik (fik the folk)
9. Reading: RED-ing (like the railroad in Monopoly)
10. Peabody: PEE-biddy (remember it as "nobody" or P-diddy or whatever)
11. Dorchester: DAH-chest-ih (or DOT-chest-ih, or just DOT)
12. Worcester: WIST-ah (two syllables -- WUH-stah is also acceptable)
13. Leicester: LEH-stah (um, yeah, right, whatever)
14. Leominster: LEH-min-stah (can you hear the British influence?)
15. Scituate: SIT-chwit (two syllables)
16. Billerica: bill-RICCA (this is just wrong, or a test for "forinahs")
17. Haverhill: HEY-vrill (hey, this is just lazy)
18. Cochituate: cah-CHIH-chwit (hell, I *still* can't pronounce this)

But even the natives will argue over these pronunciations, so take them with a grain of salt. Send me your feedback--I'm not a native obviously. Open the club up to some new folks. We just need the passwords.

Oh, and be sure to visit The Wicked Good Guide to Boston English. (UPDATED at 4:16PM)

Keep alert on the MBTA

2005-11-15T09:38:00.000-05:00

I tend to bury myself in a book on my short MBTA ride, but lots of people like listening to their iPods or chatting on the phone. Watch out! Thieves are targeting you!

The downside of Ikea

2005-11-14T08:56:00.000-05:00

Stoughton got slammed with Ikea traffic for the grand opening of their first Massachusetts store:

IKEA crowds snarl region

By Elaine Allegrini and Tim Grace, Enterprise staff writers

STOUGHTON - They built it and the crowds came, but some were turned away Saturday when the parking lot of the state's first IKEA filled up.

State police closed the ramps from Route 24 at Exit 19 mid-day to avoid a traffic backup on the highway because the parking lot was full.

Cars from New Hampshire and other New England states were spotted in the grid-locked traffic around the store that opened Wednesday amid widespread attention.

The highway ramps were opened in late afternoon, but state police on the scene monitored the situation and were prepared to close them again if necessary.

Inside the lot and along Stockwell Drive, the main access road leading to the mega-retailer, town police dealt with a steady stream of accidents Friday and Saturday.

And, for residents in the neighborhoods surrounding the store, traffic made any trip out of the house an all-day adventure.

Stoughton resident James Hannon lives on Turnpike Street, less than a mile from IKEA.

The 30-year-old warehouse worker said his one-mile commute usually takes "about a minute."

But IKEA traffic has stretched that to nearly a half-hour.

"Yesterday I just walked," Hannon said Saturday. "It took me less time.

"I went with my roommate to take his dog to Petco over on Stockwell and it took us almost an hour to get there."

Karen Pike, also of Turnpike Street in Stoughton, said the traffic has cut her off from half of the region.

"I can get out of my driveway if I want to turn right but turn left? Forget about it. It's a nightmare out there," Pike said.

Just south of IKEA on Central Street in Avon, resident Stephen Bolduc said clogged roads have slowed his family to a crawl. "It took my sister half-an-hour, 40 minutes to get home from Stoughton," a trip of less than five miles.

John Purnell, also of Central Street, Avon, said he spent 45 minutes driving the two miles from Route 24 to his home. "It's just amazing," he said.

IKEA did prepare for the crush of traffic before the store's opening, hiring dozens of local police to work traffic details. The store also paid for improvements to Stockwell Drive and paved a second access road, giving the store an exit onto Turnpike Street.

Spokesmen for the store did not release opening day traffic estimates but store openings in Texas and Illinois drew tens of thousands.

Shaping Sustainability: Transnational Visions and Local Dreams: Nov. 17th

2005-11-13T15:45:00.000-05:00

Shaping Sustainability: Transnational Visions and Local Dreams
Please join us on Thursday, November 17, 2005 from 6-9 pm at Tufts University, Lincoln Filene Center, Rabb Room.

6-7 pm Poster Session & Networking Event with light refreshments
7-9 pm Presentations followed by a Moderated Discussion

Presentations will include examples of sustainability initiative Tufts students have been involved with in Australia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Guatemala, and Sweden. From a local perspective, Michael Roach will discuss the goals and action steps of the Sustainable Arlington community initiative.

Sponsored by Tufts Institute for the Environment, University College of Citizenship and Public Service, and the Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning Department.

For more information, contact Jessica Erickson, phone 774.238.0220, email jessica.erickson@tufts.edu.

As Stoughton store opens, Ikea Somerville deal close

2005-11-12T18:48:00.000-05:00

The Boston Globe reported today that "[l]andowners in the Assembly Square area are nearing a deal that could break a seven-year stalemate and bring both a new Ikea furniture store and a mixed-use, transit-friendly development to the banks of the Mystic River."

A land swap betweek Ikea--which owns 17 acres of land bordering the Orange Line and the Mystic River--and the company that owns the Assembly Square mall would "move the Swedish furniture chain away from the prime waterfront land that Ikea opponents and city officials have sought to save for a denser urban riverside redevelopment."

The current Ikea property would be used for dense residential develoment, and Ikea would move closer to I-93, Circuit City and Home Depot (in the stretch of land alongside the Orange Line currently reserved for mixed-use development).

MSGA: Romney's Transportation Plan Needs Work

2005-11-11T11:12:00.000-05:00

From the Metropolitan Area Planning Council's Regional Record e-newsletter:

Smart Growth Alliance to EOT Chief:
20-Year Transportation Plan Needs More Work

The Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance (MSGA), which includes MAPC, has delivered detailed comments on Governor Romney's draft 20-year transportation plan. In a letter to Secretary of Transportation John Cogliano, co-signed by 20 organizations, the Alliance praised the plan for providing "a comprehensive vision that includes all transportation modes," but expressed concern that the plan "lacks clear details regarding implementation."

The Alliance also praised the plan for focusing on two critical needs in the metropolitan Boston region: repairing bridges and expanding public transit. In the state, 547 bridges are considered sub-par, and over 1,000 bridges will reach their fiftieth year during the next decade. Generally, bridges require major repairs after 40 years, which is why the plan devotes $1 billion to bridge repair between now and 2010.

The plan also focuses heavily on public transit, listing the following major projects for development:

SIP Commitments ($769m) – 2008-2013;
Silver Line III ($756m) – 2006-2011;
Urban Ring Phases 1 and 2 ($982m) – 2018 and beyond; and
Blue Line to Lynn ($314m) – 2017-2022.

Three highway projects are also listed in the plan: Interchanges of I-93 and I-95 at Canton and at Reading/Woburn ($52.5m); and Route 3 Add-A-Lane ($180m).

The MSGA raises a number of key problems with the plan, including:

"The plan relies on unrealistic financing expectations, such as success in every federal New Starts application." The letter clearly states that new sources of revenue are necessary to finance the plan, including value capture programs and more state capital spending on MBTA projects.

While praising the plan for suggesting that corridor planning should precede major state investments in highway or transit projects, the Alliance calls upon the state to explain more precisely when corridor planning will be triggered, who will work with municipalities on the plan, and how the plans will be enforced.

The MSGA raises a number of key problems with the plan:

"The plan relies on unrealistic financing expectations, such as success in every federal New Starts application." The letter clearly states that new sources of revenue are necessary to finance the plan, including value capture programs and more state capital spending on MBTA projects.

While praising the plan for suggesting that corridor planning should precede major state investments in highway or transit projects, the Alliance calls upon the state to explain more precisely when corridor planning will be triggered, who will work with municipalities on the plan, and how the plans will be enforced.

Notes: The SIP commitments include the Green Line extension; "New Starts" is a possible source of funding; the corridor planning mentions the state's commitment in the Long Range Plan to financially assist cities and towns in conducing corridor land-use planning in major expansion projects.

Read the full MAPC article

See the Long Range Plan (Click on Long Range Plan)

Lechmere, Science Park to reopen Saturday

2005-11-11T09:54:00.000-05:00

The Green Line's rehabilitated extension to Lechmere will reopen tomorrow, ending nearly 17 months of taking shuttle buses for about 11,000 commuters a day.

Sprawl in Overdrive: Hurdles to Smart Growth (TOMORROW!)

2005-11-08T21:21:00.000-05:00

From: Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston

Dear Colleague,

We would like to remind you about the next event in the Boston 101 Speakers' Series:

Sprawl in Overdrive: Hurdles to Smart Growth
Wednesday, November 9
Noon
Room 301, 3rd floor Taubman Building
15 Eliot Street
John F. Kennedy School of Government

Remarks by
Anthony Flint, Smart Growth Education Director at the Office for Commonwealth Development, former reporter for The Boston Globe

Comments by
Alan Altshuler, Dean of Harvard's Graduate School of Design
The author of the forthcoming book, Developing America: Dispatches from a Suburban Nation discusses the anti-sprawl movement, the backlash against it, and the continuing of dispersal of residential living.

Anthony Flint was a reporter for 16 years at the Boston Globe and a former research fellow at the Graduate School of Design and the Lincoln Land Institute. He will offer a political, cultural and economic analysis of movements such as smart growth, New Urbanism, green building, and why these new ideas are encountering such stiff resistance. This event is co-sponsored by the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston and the Taubman Center for State and Local Government.

Wednesday, November 9 at 12 noon
Room 301, 3rd floor, KSG's Taubman Building
(15 Eliot Street)

Please also join us for the next Boston 101 session co-sponsored by The
Program on Criminal Justice Policy and Management.

Immigration and Crime: Recent Patters and Future Challenges
Monday, November 21
5:00 p.m.
Bell Hall, 5th floor Belfer Building
Corner of JFK and Eliot Streets
John F. Kennedy School of Government

Remarks by
Robert J. Sampson
Henry Ford II Professor of the Social Sciences,
Chairman, Department of Sociology, Harvard University
Co-author (with Jeffrey D. Morenoff, and Stephen Raudenbush) "Social Anatomy of Racial Ethnic Disparities in Violence," American Journal of Public Health (February 2005)

Comments by
Larry Mayes
Chief of Human Services for the City of Boston, who formerly worked with members of Boston's Cape Verdean Community as head of the Log School and as a youth street outreach worker employed by the Ella J. Baker House

Why do black youth in the United States commit violent acts almost twice as often as white or Latino youth? In recently published research based primarily on data from Chicago, Sampson and his colleagues found that the reasons have little to do with individual poverty or inherent racial differences. Rather, four factors-the marital status of a young person's parents, the prevalence of professionals and managers in his or her neighborhood, whether he or she is a first- or second-generation immigrant, and the proportion of other people in the neighborhood who are immigrants-account for most of the differences in violent crime rates for youth. According to Sampson, the findings suggest that the disparity in crime rates "is largely social in nature and therefore amenable to intervention in community rather than individual settings."

At this event, Sampson will discuss this research and its implications for policymakers. Larry Mayes will offer a brief response, reflecting on his own experiences working on these issues in Boston's Cape Verdean community.

This free event is presented by the Rappaport Institute for Greater Boston and the Kennedy School's Program on Criminal Justice Policy and Management.. For more information, contact Polly O'Brien at 617-495-5091 or polly@rappaportinstitute.org.

Monday, November 21 at 5:00 p.m.
Bell Hall, 5th floor, KSG's Belfer Building
(Corner of JFK and Eliot Streets)
David Luberoff
Executive Director

MBTA Capital Investment Plan Public Hearings

2005-11-08T21:18:00.000-05:00

MBTA's FY 2006 - FY 2011 Draft Capital Investment Program (CIP) Public Hearings

The MBTA is preparing to publish its Draft Fiscal Year 2006 - Fiscal Year 2011 Capital Investment Program (CIP). The CIP provides the public with an understanding of the Authority's planned capital expenditures for the current year, as well as a five-year planning horizon, and outlines our future capital investment initiatives. The Draft FY06 - FY11 CIP will be available on the MBTA's website (www.mbta.com) on November 18, 2005.

The MBTA promotes community input to its capital program via public hearings and written comments. The hearings are an opportunity for the communities in our service district to participate in the CIP's development.

Public hearings are scheduled as follows:

1. Memorial Hall Public Library, Andover, MA - November 30th @ 6 - 7:30pm
2. Worcester Public Library - Saxe Room, Worcester, MA - December 1st @ 6 - 7:30 pm
3. Framingham Town Hall - Ablondi Room, Framingham, MA - December 5th @ 6 - 7:30 pm
4. Roxbury Community College - Dance Studio, Roxbury, MA - December 6th @ 6 - 7:30 pm
5. Plouffe School - Cafeteria, Brockton, MA - December 7th @ 6 - 7:30 pm
6. Somerville High School - Cafeteria, Somerville, MA - December 12th @ 6:30 - 8:00 pm
7. North Shore Community College - Lynn Campus - MBTA Conference Room Lynn, MA - December 13th @ 6 - 7:30 pm
8. State Transportation Building, Boston, MA - December 14th @ 5:30pm - 7:00pm

We will give a short (10-minute) presentation at the beginning of each hearing. The remaining time will be set aside for public comment. You may also comment via e-mail at cipinfo@mbta.com or send written comments to:

MBTA
Budget Department
10 Park Plaza
Boston, MA 02116

Should you have any questions with regard to the public hearings, please feel free to contact Charlie Passanisi at (617) 222-3365 or via email at cipinfo@mbta.com.

GREEN CITIES Wednesday, November 16th @ 7:00 pm

2005-11-08T17:00:00.000-05:00

First Parish Church, Church Street, Harvard Square

"Transit oriented development" and "smart growth" are new initiatives in urban design aim to create "green cities." Peter Smith of the Boston Society of Architects discusses these movements with Larissa Brown, chief planner for urban design firm Goody, Clancy, and Kristina Egan , director of the Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance. How is it possible to design urban communities that are economically and environmentally sustainable? How do such communities work? Are they coming to your region soon?

(Sub)urban Exploration

2005-11-08T10:17:00.000-05:00

I've pointed folks in the past to some good "railfan" sites, including one that I helped with some maps. I love this kind of urban exploration. I grew up in a much more suburban setting--Northville (and Plymouth) Michigan.

Northville has been known for many different things over the years, including:

The Water
The Water Wheel
The Maybury Sanatorium
"The Northville Tunnels" (i.e., The Wayne County Training School for Feeble-Minded Children)
"Northville State" (i.e., the Northville Psychiatric Hospital)

Many of these sites made for some good (sub)urban exploration--especially the Training School's tunnels and abandoned buildings. Rule number one for keeping kids out of abandoned buildings and tunnels: don't build a youth league soccer field inside the grounds of an old abandoned mental institution.

I climbed down into one of the tunnels--near where we used to play soccer. Some fool left them open. I walked a short distance, but didn't have a flashlight and didn't want to get killed. But I came back a month or so later to do some more exploring. All the tunnels were sealed off, but some of the buildings were open. I just remember reading reports from kids that were just scattered around the buildings, like somebody left in a hurry, you know? It was really weird getting a peek into people's lives through the eyes of these counselors' reports.

The web site has some sample reports. Thanks to Harley for the link to the "Northville Tunnels."

Transportation-related blogs flourish

2005-11-07T16:23:00.000-05:00

Friday's Herald talked up several transportation-focused blogs in the Boston area--many of them outlets of rage for frustrated T riders. It names them, but doesn't link to them, so here they are, along with an excerpt:

MBTA's Write to the Top Program - "If you have concerns regarding service, select the service below and click on the MBTA official's email link, and he or she will respond."
T-rage - "...because then I'd have to use the T's elevators--also known as VUTS [Vertical Urinal Transport Systems]--and I don't think I could cope."
Life on the Green Line - Okay, I can't find this blog to save my life. Help!
Transport Avenger - "I wish I was a tourist. That way when I didn't hear my interchange listed, I could go to the conductor window and punch him in the mouth."
Bad Transit - "Charlie's back, and he's ticked." (N.B.: Bad Transit is an excellent site and is looking for financial support. You should support them!)

But these aren't the only sites worthy of transportation aficionados. Here's a few more:

Boston, Mass. Rail Pics
MBTA Railfan Page (Pics and Tips)
Railroad.net's MBTA Rail Operations Forum
Center for Urban and Regional Policy at Northeastern University

And here are some apparently abandoned sites:

And some other ways to get involved:

And finally, some other resources:

I'm sure there's more. What have I missed?

The (Original) Lyrics

2005-11-07T16:18:00.000-05:00

"These are the times that try men's souls. In the course of our nation's history the people of Boston have rallied bravely whenever the rights of men have been threatened. Today, a new crisis has arisen. The Metropolitan Transit Authority, better known as the MTA, is attempting to levy a burdensome tax on the population in the form of a subway fare increase. Citizens, hear me out. This could happen to you!!"

Let me tell you the story
Of a man named Charley
On a tragic and fateful day
He put ten cents in his pocket,
Kissed his wife and family
Went to ride on the MTA

Charley handed in his dime
At the Kendall Square Station
And he changed for Jamaica Plain
When he got there the conductor told him,
"One more nickel."
Charley could not get off that train.

Did he ever return,
No he never returned
And his fate is still unlearn'd
He may ride forever
'neath the streets of Boston
He's the man who never returned.

Now all night long
Charley rides through the tunnels
Saying, "What will become of me?
How can I afford to see
My sister in Chelsea
Or my cousin in Roxbury?"

Charley's wife goes down
To the Scollay Square station
Every day at quarter past two
And through the open window
She hands Charley a sandwich
As the train comes rumblin' through.

Did he ever return,
No he never returned
And his fate is still unlearn'd
He may ride forever
'neath the streets of Boston
He's the man who never returned.

As his train rolled on
Through Greater Boston
Charlie looked around and sighed,
"Well, I'm sore and disgusted
And I'm absolutely busted;
I guess this is my last long ride."

Now you citizens of Boston,
Don't you think it's a scandal
That the people have to pay and pay
Vote for Walter A. O'Brien
And fight the fare increase
Get poor Charley off the MTA.

Did he ever return,
No he never returned
And his fate is still unlearn'd
He may ride forever
'neath the streets of Boston
He's the man who never returned

More info at Roofscape Magazine.

Lechmere service to resume (for a while)

2005-11-07T10:16:00.000-05:00

Lechmere sevice will resume on November 12th, according to an MBTA press release. Only the E-Line goes there though. This will be in effect until Lechmere moves across the street.

Think you know Boston?

2005-11-06T16:22:00.000-05:00

Take this test. Then take this one.

More bad environmental news

2005-11-03T18:22:00.000-05:00

More bad environmental news for Somerville: The city is eighth-worst in the state for environmental hazards according to a new report from Daniel Faber, a professor at Northeastern University.

Community Path Clean-Up This Saturday!

2005-11-02T21:06:00.000-05:00

The Friends of the Community Path and the Somerville Dog Owners Group are co-sponsoring a park clean-up on the Community Path, Saturday, November 5, 2005, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm (rain date: November 12).

Here are the details:

+ + + + + + + +

Community Path Clean-Up

co-sponsored by the Friends of the Community Path and the Somerville Dog Owners Group

Date: Saturday, November 5
(Rain Date: Saturday, November 12)

Time: 10:00 AM - 1:00 PM

Meet on the Path between Willow and Cedar At Lexington Park.

For more information contact:

Michele Biscoe, Chairperson
Somerville Dog Owners Group
e-mail: michelebiscoe at somervilledog.com
website: www.somervilledog.com/somdog/

MPO Open House Tuesday, November 15

2005-11-02T19:26:00.000-05:00

The Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization wants to hear your ideas about the future of transportation in the region! The MPO invites you to its Open House on Tuesday, November 15. Two identical sessions will be held: 12-2 PM and 5-7 PM. Please read the attached press release and flyer for details. We hope to see you there!

Stay tuned for details, as soon as I can actually see the attachments... :-/

Christmas Tree Shop opens in Assembly Square

2005-11-02T18:19:00.000-05:00

SOMERVILLE -- The opening of a Christmas Tree Shops in Assembly Square here yesterday was the first tangible sign that a long-stalled vision for an urban village of housing, office, and retail space in the area may be advancing.

The Boston Globe (registration required) has the full story.

Central Artery Environmental Oversight Committee Meeting November 22nd

2005-11-02T13:33:00.000-05:00

Fred will be at this one, which is always a Good Thing...

Central Artery Environmental Oversight Committee

Still Hazy After All These Years:
Fulfilling The Central Artery Project Transit Commitments

November 22, 2005
3:00-5:00 p.m.
Wilmer Cutler Pickering Hale & Dorr
60 State Street, 26th Floor
Boston, Massachusetts

Please RSVP to danwilson1@verizon.net

Kenneth Miller, Deputy Secretary for Planning, Executive Office of Transportation

Fred Salvucci, MIT Center for Transportation and Logistics, former Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation

Peter Shelley, Director, Conservation Law Foundation Massachusetts Advocacy Center

Somerville Environmental Meeting November 3rd, 7pm

2005-10-29T21:40:00.000-04:00

What can Somerville residents and elected officials do to improve air quality, cleanliness of the Mystic River, reduce impact on global warming and increase open space- or address other environmental issues in the city?

Denise Provost invites you to dialog about shaping an environmental agenda for Somerville. Bring your ideas and bring your Somerville friends who may be interested.

When: Thursday, November 3: 7 - 9 PM

Where: 25 Cherry St (near Porter Sq.)

Denise Provost is an alderman-at-large running for re-election on November 8. Campaign contributions are gratefully accepted.

Comments Needed on Mass Long Range Transportation Plan and Environmental Justice Policy

2005-10-23T09:43:00.000-04:00

Date: Sat, 22 Oct 2005 01:45:32 -0400
From: Karen Molloy
Subject: Comments Needed on Mass Long Range Transportation Plan and Environmental Justice Policy

Since the announcement by the state that the Green Line would be extended through Somerville there has not been significant public discussion of major transportation concerns for Somerville residents. However, there are now some important comments you can make that will affect transportation and environmental justice policies for Somerville residents.

Your action and thoughtful comments are needed in the next week regarding important transportation, environmental justice and development decisions that will affect Somerville's future.

1. Comments on Massachusetts' Long Range Transportation Plan must arrive at Executive Office of Transportation (EOT) by Tuesday, October 25th. It is important for Somerville residents to thank the state for attention to our long-delayed Green Line extensions, to request that further delays in planning and financing the Green Line be eliminated, and to respectfully insist that the public health impacts we have long suffered from regional highways and diesel rail be measured and mitigated. (See below for suggested comments.)

See the Long Range Transportation Plan information at:
http://www.eot.state.ma.us/

Send email comments to: longrangeplan.eot@mhd.state.ma.us

Send comments via regular mail to:
John Cogliano, Secretary
The Executive Office of Transportation
10 Park Plaza, Suite 3170
Boston, MA 02116

2. Comments on Massachusetts' Environmental Justice (EJ) Policy must arrive at the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs (EOEA) by Friday, October 28th. This policy is reviewed every three years. Currently EOEA's EJ Policy is directed at lessening the effects of stationary sources of pollution on neighborhoods with significant percentages of minority, low income and immigrant residents. Stationary sources include as power plants, printers, gas stations, hair salons, waste facilities and other local businesses. The EJ Policy does not yet address transportation pollution and related injustices even though they have more devastating impact on health in our communities. Mobile sources of pollution must be included.

View the policy at: http://www.mass.gov/envir/ej/default.htm

Send email comments to: Tony.Chaves@state.ma.us

Send comments via regular mail to:
Tony Chaves, EJ Coordinator
Executive Office of Environmental Affairs
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston, MA 02114

3. There will be an important hearing at the Massachusetts State House on two similar Environmental Justice Bills proposed by Senators Barrios and Wilkerson respectively on Monday, October 24th at 1 PM in Room A-1. Admirably, these bills aim to encourage cleaner communities and local businesses. However, they need immediate amendment to instruct state agencies to work with environmental justice communities to reduce exposures to and harm from transportation related air pollution. Any neighborhood with residents, workers, students or recreation areas within 1000 feet of major roadways, diesel rail corridors, port or airport emissions deserves additional public health protections now. Our EJ communities have already suffered too much.

Look up proposed bills and history using: "Senate Bill 471" for the Barrios EJ Bill "Senate Bill 556" for the Wilkerson EJ Bill House Petition filed by Rep. Sullivan (Fall River)

Send your comments via: http://www.mass.gov/legis/legis.htm

Or, use the following contact information for your legislators:

Senator Patricia Jehlen Tel 617-722-1578
Fax 617-666-9481 Patricia.Jehlen@state.ma.us

Senator Jarret T. Barrios, Tel 617-722-1650
Fax 617- 722-1323 Jarrett.Barrios@state.ma.us

Rep. Carl M. Sciortino, Jr. , Tel 617-722-2014
Rep.CarlSciortino@Hou.State.MA.US

Rep. Timothy J. Toomey, Jr., R. Tel 617-722-2692
Rep.TimothyToomey@hou.state.ma.us

Suggested Talking Points For Somerville Transportation Comments
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1. Progress on the Somerville Green Line extensions has not kept pace
with the schedule laid out by DEP and EOT during the Ozone SIP transit
commitment hearings in late 2004 and early 2005. The specific
financing sources and new Ozone SIP language were expected to be
completed by the end of 2005. What is the story?

2. The draft long range transportation plan calls for the state to
provide funding for "corridor planning" to be undertaken in local
communities. This could have enormous benefit for the land use,
pedestrian and bike planning needed to gain the most benefit from the
Green Line extensions. How might this work and when will it start?

3. New Secretary of Transportation Cogliano states in his cover
letter that the state will focus on making sure that the various
transportation agencies no longer think and act as isolated and
uncoordinated transportation providers. How will EOT implement and
manage this new more multi-modal philosophy?

4. The draft long range plan speaks to a greater commitment to
pedestrian and bike modes than in the past but does not explain who
will take responsibility for these long neglected, but healthier and
more community friendly ways of getting around. Could a new more
recognizable group within EOT help with this?

5. Massachusetts has committed to fund the Ozone SIP transit
projects but the plan lacks robust funding strategies for the full
list of transit expansion projects. A $.10 gas tax increase and/or a
$4 toll into Boston on major highways could fix our bridges, roads and
transit more quickly, as well as supply new transit and more walkable
communities.

6. The draft plan speaks highly of environmental justice and clean
air commitments but gives no details. Since the Boston Transportation
Plan Review and the Clean Air Act of 1970 over a generation ago, a
series of regional transportation and environmental decisions made
without regard to local impacts have caused enormous public health
disparities.

Enormous public health damage in Somerville, Chelsea, Everett, Revere,
South Boston, East Boston, Charlestown and many suburban neighborhoods
- all overrun by heavy transportation corridors or nodes serving the
region - resulted from a complete lack of responsible local health
risk assessment and mitigation. No level of government protected our
neighborhoods from harmful transportation impacts.

The final long range transportation plan should include a more
thoughtful assessment of existing disparities in transportation
service, benefits and burdens. It *must* include a more responsible
approach to health risk assessment of regional transportation and
"smart growth" projects or local injustices will certainly grow
larger.

Karen Molloy
Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership (STEP)
www.somervillestep.org

A river runs through it

2005-10-18T19:35:00.000-04:00

An interesting, scholarly article from BC that takes a pro-MVTF look at Somerville development and the Mystic River--calling their effort "Jacobean."

Somerville in top 20 environmentally overburdened communities in Massachusetts

2005-10-17T14:41:00.000-04:00

A new study by Northeastern University shows that environmental racism and injustice are still urgent problems, and Somerville is no exception. Somerville ranked 16th among the top 20 most environmentally overburdened communities in Massachusetts, as measured by the number, size and type of hazardous facilities or sites in the community.

Furthermore, when ranking the concentration of Hazardous waste facilities or sites per square mile, Somerville moved all the way up to 8th place! That means your more likely to be close to a hazardous site than almost any other community in the state.

Home Depot gets its way

2005-10-17T09:12:00.000-04:00

The lane drop on I-93 north in Somerville, by the Home Depot, will stay, according to Mass Transit. Good news for Somerville residents heading north, bad news for everyone else north of us. While you're reading the article, check out the update on Lechmere service. Soon, soon, they say...

Speaking of big box development

2005-10-14T10:56:00.000-04:00

Like I said, I've been all for Ikea in Assembly, but this, along with programs like 30 Days, makes me think twice about it. (Click on "Big Box Mart" for the latest Jib Jab video. Watch the video. Then contribute some money to these guys so they don't end up working at Wal-Mart.)

No parking til 9:30? Who's the brainiac?

2005-10-12T14:32:00.000-04:00

I couldn't believe this. Who's the frigging genious who came up with this idea: "The lots on Congress Street in South Boston -- one with 375 spaces, and one with 200 spaces -- are required to stay closed until 9:30 a.m. on weekdays."

This is supposed to cut down on pollution and encourage public transit? More people either idling waiting for the lot to open or driving around more than usual looking for other spaces. And it hurts business for the folks who own the property.

Nuts! If you're going to encourage public transit, don't do a half-assed job at it. Improve the transit system, don't cripple the driving system. Then get rid of the parking spaces altogether, and develop the property so it's more than just a frigging parking lot (but includes parking).

This is the same kind of warped "supply side" economic logic that says:

1. The drug problem should be fixed by spending all of our money controlling the supply (causing the price to go up and new supply routes to develop), rather than on legalizing the less dangerous drugs (and taxing and regulating them) and treating people for drug problems and prevention programs.

2. Diseases should be treated by killing all bacteria, even the beneficial ones, leaving only a few hearty strains to survive, multiply and eventually kill us off quite effectively.

3. Our oil supply troubles should be addressed by spending billions meddling in the affairs of sovereign foreign states so they're more stable, rather than spending billions to encourage less consumption.

4. The problem with terrorists should be solved by invading foreign nations, revoking some of my freedoms, holding hundreds of potential or suspected terrorists indefinitely without formal charges, and forcing me never to have my handy swiss army knife on me, rather than by more effectively educating people here and abroad.

Supply-side economics has been huge since the 1970s, when economists figured out how to produce economic growth without inflation and--for the most part--how to keep us out of recession a little more effectively. But the heart of supply-side economics--the notion that production or supply is the key to economic prosperity and that consumption or demand is merely a secondary consequence--does not survive long outside the body economic.

Supply-side economics has indeed helped us prosper as a nation. But the idea doesn't translate well outside the macroeconomic sphere. It's a great idea for forming monetary policy, but not for drug policy, health policy, foreign policy, domestic policy, etc.

Magoun Square's future uncertain

2005-10-12T12:20:00.000-04:00

The fate of Magoun Square development and improvement efforts remains uncertain. The city of Somerville has cancelled a $500,000 plan for renovations, and is going back to the drawing board.

Where I stand

2005-10-06T10:32:00.000-04:00

You are a
Social Liberal
(63% permissive)

and an...
Economic Liberal
(33% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Democrat

Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid
Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Fenway development moves forward

2005-10-05T17:28:00.000-04:00

Since the Red Sox disclosed their intention in March to renovate the oldest and smallest ballpark in the major leagues and continue playing at Fenway, pressure to develop the area around the park has intensified. One project seems on its way to approval.

13th Annual Tour de Somerville - October 15

2005-10-05T16:35:00.000-04:00

From: Ron Newman
Subject: See Arts in the 'Ville by bike - Saturday, October 15

It's fall in the city, so Mayor Joseph Curtatone, the Somerville
Bicycle Committee, and the Friends of the Community Path invite you
to the 13th Annual Tour de Somerville on Saturday, October 15, 2005.

Join us on this all-ages fun bike ride as we explore "Arts in the
'Ville", in recognition of the art, galleries, and studios that
populate Somerville. A 4 hour tour of public art will include murals
and sculpture from west to east and back again.

Meet at Seven Hills Park, behind the Somerville Theatre in Davis
Square at 10:00 AM. Refreshments are courtesy of Redbones, home of
the bicycle valet. Helmets are strongly encouraged.

If it rains, we'll postpone the ride to Sunday, October 16, same
time and starting point.

For more information, call 617-625-6600, x2519. Email:
sbc@ci.somerville.ma.us

Clean up the Mystic!

2005-09-29T13:57:00.000-04:00

From: "Nancy Hammett"
Subject: Help us clean up the Mystic - this Saturday!

Our annual fall Coast Sweep cleanup - postponed due to Katrina - is rescheduled for this Sat., Oct. 1st from 9:30 am to noon We will meet at the Winter Hill Yacht Club, behind Assembly Sq. in Somerville. Please join us to help spruce up the parks along the Mystic River shoreline. We will provide gloves, equipment, and light refreshments. You bring your enthusiasm and energy.

The long range forecast is for beautiful weather on Saturday - and what better way to enjoy the outdoors than a community cleanup project! Just in case the forecast is wrong, our rain date is Sunday Oct. 2nd from noon to 3:30 pm. Call and check the voice message at 781-316-3438 if you are unsure about the plans.

Thanks to the City of Somerville (our co-sponsor) and to the Department of Conservation and Recreation and MA Coastal Zone Management for their support.

See below for directions. Call or email the Mystic River Watershed Association if you have questions (781-316-3438 or contact@mysticriver.org).

Thanks!

Nancy

Directions:

From Foley St. in Somerville:

Take Foley St. straight (with KMart and construction for the Christmas Tree Shops on your left and the movie theater on your right) and then curve to the left, past Central Steel. The Winter Hill Yacht Club will be right in front of you, hidden behind Central Steel.

To get to Foley Street:
Foley Street is a major entrance to Assembly Sq. Mall in Somerville. Turn onto Middlesex Ave. from Mystic Avenue (Route 38) headed northwest, or from McGrath Hwy/Fellwsay West (Rte 28) just south of Wellington Bridge (at the turn for the courthouse). Foley Street goes off of Middlesex Ave at the light.

By public transportation:

Take the 90 MBTA bus from Davis Sq. (red line), Wellington Station or Sullivan Square (both on the orange line) - get off at Assembly Sq. Mall.

Or take the 92 MBTA bus from Charlestown or from Sullivan Sq. (orange line) to Assembly Sq. Mall.

Or take the 95 MBTA bus from West Medford, Medford Sq. or Sullivan Sq. (orange line) to the corner of Mystic Ave. and Middlesex Ave.

--
Those looking for a close-up view of the Orange Line T-stop location and the transit that currently goes through the Assembly Square area of Somerville might want to add a little exercise for a very good local cause this weekend - the annual Mystic River clean-up led by MyRWA. The only donation required is a little time and energy. See forwarded message below. Yard 21 behind Good Time Billiards and Central Steel is the proposed Orange Line T-stop location.

$900K earmarked for Somerville Community Path

2005-09-27T07:40:00.000-04:00

This is a letter to the editor that Lynn sent to area newspapers and listservs:

On behalf of the Friends of the Community Path, I wish to publicly thank
Senators Edward Kennedy and John Kerry, and Representative Michael Capuano
for the hard work and success in getting the federal transportation
spending bill [H.R.3 "The Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient
Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users" (SAFETEA-LU)] signed into
law on August 10. The Massachusetts transportation projects supported are
all vitally important, and we are excited about the roughly $40 million of
this multi-year funding allotted for creation and extension of bicycle and
recreational paths around the Commonwealth. The Friends of the Community
Path are delighted that $900,000 has been earmarked for Community Path
extension in Somerville.

The proposed 2=-mile path Community Path extension, from Cedar Street in
Somerville to the Charles River, has great regional significance in that
it will link about 40 miles of continuous path via the Minuteman and
Charles River paths through Bedford, Lexington, Arlington, Cambridge, and
Somerville to Boston, Watertown, and Waltham.

The City of Somerville is negotiating access to the MBTA right-of-way
along the rail corridor, and path design for the next half-mile
"Cedar-to-Central" Streets segment is already in progress. With this
$900,000, the Friends of the Community Path are optimistic that
construction from Cedar-to-Central will begin in 2006.

Through good planning, it is not just possible but beneficial and
essential to comfortably accommodate the rest of the Community Path
extension and the Green Line in the same right of way. We have a vision
of a Community Path, between Central and Medford Streets in Somerville,
akin to Boston's Southwest Corridor along the Orange Line, a design that
creates new open space and parks where there were none - an enormously
needed paradigm in Somerville.

The Community Path is the centerpiece of an "Active Living by Design"
grant awarded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to the City of
Somerville in partnership with Groundwork Somerville. These grants aim to
integrate regular physical activity into our daily routines, in order to
reap health benefits such as promoting psychological well-being,
maintaining healthy weight, and reducing the risk of developing
cardiovascular disease, obesity, diabetes, arthritis, and certain forms of
cancer.

The linkage of this Community Path to others and to metro and commuter
train lines will yield enormous benefit to Massachusetts, as residents and
tourists alike are enticed by scenic, healthy, and fun traveling options.
A network of paths will serve as recreational oases, transportation
corridors, and boons to businesses.

The Friends of the Community Path applaud our congressmen for earmarking
new federal transportation funds for Somerville's Community Path extension
and other state bicycle and recreational projects. We look forward to
furthering our common goals on the Community Path project and beyond.

Sincerely,
Joel Bennett
Lynn Weissman
Friends of the Community Path
Somerville, Massachusetts
www.pathfriends.org

Somerville politics and development

2005-09-22T11:55:00.000-04:00

Good discussion on Ward 5 politics and Somerville development.

What's New in Southie

2005-09-21T10:30:00.000-04:00

Been quiet lately in Somerville, so my attention turns to other areas nearby. Here's what's new in South Boston.

Big Dig real estate gaffe puts transit projects in red

2005-09-21T10:22:00.000-04:00

Big Dig officials significantly overestimated the amount of money that could be raised by selling off the project's Kneeland Street headquarters, creating a hole in their financing plan for the megaproject's final stages, officials disclosed yesterday.

The error has forced project officials to withdraw $67 million from a state transportation fund, money that would otherwise pay for smaller highway and transit projects around Massachusetts.

Full story here. What does this mean for Somerville?

Also, more bad news.

Downtown Crossing makeover: Lipstick on a pig?

2005-09-06T10:47:00.000-04:00

Is $1M enough to clean up Downtown Crossing? Maybe not...

Arborway goes the way of the A line...

2005-08-29T21:29:00.000-04:00

If it doesn't work, stop it. Then let people forget about it. Then erase it, and make it impossible to use again. That's what happened to A line service to Watertown, and that's what is happening to the Arborway as well.

Big Dig progress report

2005-08-29T09:18:00.000-04:00

A good progress report on the Big Dig.

Mayor Joe plays construction worker

2005-08-24T15:27:00.000-04:00

The mayor's been spending a lot of time at the Assembly Square site lately. Just today he was there for the arrival of a couple A/C units for the new building.

Homeless man, or terrorist

2005-08-23T08:46:00.000-04:00

Somerville is in the national news lately, and it's because of terrorism. Not a comforting thought. Is this a plot by the man to bring down the homeless population, or a serious threat? Somerville is awfully close to our local LNG terminal--but I doubt homeless people are able to get close enough to it to be a huge risk to the facility. Then there's the T--doubly discomforting, since I use it.

Mystic River: Where tires go to die

2005-08-22T09:28:00.000-04:00

Good story in the Globe on the pollution in the Mystic and Malden Rivers.

To MBTA riders sick of announcements: STFU

2005-08-22T09:24:00.000-04:00

John, deal with it. Scott, good point on the delays. But still, deal with it. Thank you.

To what end, the Silver Line

2005-08-19T16:11:00.000-04:00

More fuss about the Silver Line.

Fan Pier sold

2005-08-19T16:04:00.000-04:00

Fan Pier has been sold. Again.

Death of Silver Line Phase III?

2005-08-19T11:49:00.000-04:00

Does this mean the end of Silver Line plans for the MBTA?

Rumor: City of Somerville to sell path

2005-08-10T14:13:00.000-04:00

Someone going by 'Harris' is raising suspicions that the City of Somerville is arranging the sale of at least part of the Somerville Community Path to a private developer. Check out his recent comments here (at the bottom of an old article). A call I put in to Steve Winslow at the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development was not immediately returned. So far, the city seems mum on this.

Update, 1:14PM, Thursday, Aug. 11:
Lucy Warsh, a spokesperson from the Mayor's office, contacted me today. She reaffirmed the city's commitment to the community path, adding that the city was not in the position to sell any parcels, as it did not own any of them--they're leased from the MBTA. She also reinforced one commentor's suspicions that the rumors might have something to do with the Maxpak site which abuts and presumably overlaps with the path.

I've been searching for news releases concerning either the path or the Maxpak site, and have found nothing yet. Thursday was the day, right Mr. Anonymous?

Focus on Assembly Square

2005-08-10T10:06:00.000-04:00

The Somerville Journal last week carried even more news on the recent funding wins. The satellite image on the left (from Google Maps) shows Assembly Square at the top and Sullivan Square at the bottom. Our home is in the bottom left quadrant. Now you know why I care so much...

More bike path funding information

2005-08-08T11:20:00.000-04:00

Here are some details on the paths funded.

Bike paths all the rage with Massachusetts lawmakers

2005-08-08T09:45:00.000-04:00

SOMERVILLE, Mass. – Congress must know a little something about Massachusetts drivers because it has approved about $40 million to create or extend more than a dozen bicycle paths from the Berkshires to Boston.

Full Story: http://nsnlb.us.publicus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050806/NEWS02/108060028/-1/BUSINESS

More funding information

2005-08-05T16:49:00.000-04:00

More information on the recent funding bill and its impact on Somerville and Boston from Wig Zamore:

The newspapers and citizen advocates have been talking about the transportation bill recently passed by Congress but not yet signed by President Bush. Many others have more information than me. I have looked at various versions of the bill since the House passage a week ago but probably still have not found all of its impacts on Somerville. The best way I have found to track the transportation bills is through Thomas on-line. What I have found on several occasions are high priority "earmarks" for the following:

431. Somerville roadway improvements [presumably Somerville Avenue or Beacon Street] - $2,000,000

792. Study and design I-93 / Mystic Ave. Interchange at Assembly Sq. - $500,000

999. Union Square Roadway and Streetscape Improvements - $500,000

2782. Somerville Bicycle Path Improvements - Cedar Street to Central Street - $1,000,000

I have not found but others have reported $5,000,000 for Lechmere station and/or Green Line extension design/engineering work. I have not found but others have reported several million dollars for multi-modal work at Assembly Square. Preliminary engineering is "authorized" for the Blue Line extension to Lynn, the Urban Ring, the North - South Rail Link and the Green Line extensions to Somerville and Medford.

There is also "authorization" for preliminary work on the Assembly Square Orange Line T-stop as well as separate "authorization" of $25,000,000 for the project itself (under Section 5309 of Title 49 of USC) if it is able to proceed through the steps and qualifications of the Secretary of Transportation (FTA), and the planning and programming processes of the Boston MPO (Sections 5303 through 5305), and if it meets the private investment requirements of Section 5306 of Title 49.

Since it was MVTF that first insisted that the Orange Line, and not the Urban Ring, was the key to unlocking value at Assembly Square, MVTF deserves a full share of the credit. Even the early Cecil plans for Assembly Square stressed the Urban Ring before we turned that around. Obviously, Congressman Capuano deserves a lot of credit. See today's Globe article by Tom Palmer....

Assembly Square: One step closer?

2005-08-05T13:29:00.000-04:00

Pulled liberally from two recent news stories in the Globe and the Somerville News:

Somerville's political squabbles over redevelopment of Assembly Square Mall and the rest of a 140-acre site -- bounded by Interstate 93, the Mystic River, and a rail corridor -- have been going on for years. Things may be coming to a head, however.

Earlier this year, Federal Realty Investment Trust of Rockville, Md., bought the mall, as well as rights to develop adjacent underused land, for about $64 million.

Taurus New England Investments Corp. of Boston and Gravestar Inc. of Cambridge had spent six years working with city officials to get the site rezoned and permitted for retail, office, and residential use.

Now, Federal Realty is refurbishing the mall, bringing in tenants like Christmas Tree Shops. But longtime critics of proposals for retail use of the rest of the area -- especially by big-box stores like Ikea, which controls a block adjacent to the mall -- say more shoppers would just bring more cars and congestion to already stuffed roads like Route 28.

In 2004, the City of Somerville signed an agreement with the land's owners requiring them to build a mixed-used neighborhood near the mall. But Bill Shelton, former president of the activist Mystic Valley Task Force, and others fear what is built on a former MBTA site nearest the new station will be too heavily weighted with retail use.

The task force supports transit-related urban development and has filed suits against plans for suburban-style retail uses. Shelton and others want residences and a large dose of office space at Assembly Square, even though today's commercial leasing market is ailing and showing no signs of quick recovery. Without that, they say, there won't be enough foot traffic to support a T stop.

The most effective way to ensure the project’s completion is still a topic of public debate. Hotly contested in the last mayoral race, it remains on the burner for those who are seeking elected office in the city today.

Without major improvements in infrastructure – including a new T stop - there remain a host of uncertainties, said Alderman William A. White.

One major improvement may just happen: the long-discussed Orange Line MBTA stop that has been in most plans for the devlopment.

Twenty-five million dollars set aside for the station at Assembly Square was tucked into the latest transportation funding bill in Washington, and it just could resolve one of Massachusetts' longest-running development battles.

"We're very excited," said Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. "A T stop is the most critical piece to unlocking the full potential of that site." But not everybody is convinced this is the golden hammer pro-development Somervillians are looking for.

US Representative Michael E. Capuano, the Democratic congressman who along with the Commonwealth's US senators was responsible for getting Congress to earmark the funds for a T station, was cautious yesterday.

"This does not guarantee funding," said Capuano, a former Somerville mayor. "If the players muddle along as they've done for years now, this money will be lost." Congress would have to take further action before the authorized money could actually be spent.

Curtatone said the total cost for the station would be $40 million to $50 million.

Capuano said developers, city officials, and groups such as the task force must cooperate to come up with a plan acceptable to all.

A Federal Realty spokesman could not be reached yesterday. But a spokeswoman for former co-owner Gravestar, Natasha Perez, called the money for a new station good news. "This is an exciting opportunity for Somerville and is really going to make Assembly Square pop," she said.

The MBTA has not had a new Orange Line station high on its list of capital projects. "Only recently did the MBTA become aware of this earmark," said Joe Pesaturo, the T's spokesman.

Stephen V. Mackey, president of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, said putting a station at Assembly Square, about a half mile from stations to the north and south, would make spacing of stations on the line consistent with other urban transit stretches. "It opens up the opportunity for nearly a billion dollars of urban, transit-oriented development," he said.

Curtatone said Federal Realty has said it plans to create a new neighborhood, with small block sizes, housing and office uses, boutique-style and other retail shops, cafes, and restaurants.

"They build urban villages," Curtatone said. "That's why they bought the site, that's why they paid so much for it, and they made clear the importance of having an Orange Line stop there."

The Assembly Square Development Study, the plan by the Cecil Group under then-mayor Dorothy A. Kelly Gay, has become the gold standard upon which future development there can be measured.

It outlines a large, mixed-use development with high-density office space, retail and a residential component. It presents a development that at some point in the future will net the city around $40 million in tax revenue. At its core are both the Orange Line station as well as a new I-93 off-ramp.

While Curtatone said he is working closely with the Governor’s Planning Office to ensure the needed construction, a variety of circumstances could bring the entire deal back to square one.

According to the developer’s covenant, the developers are not contractually obligated to build anything specifically. Legal clauses in the covenant allow the negation of the deal outright for reasons of third party litigation.

Alderman Denise Provost has said that in her last meeting with representatives from Federal Realty Investment Trust, the developing powerhouse that bought out the Assembly Square Limited Partnership, FRIT said they were, "re-evaluating the Goody Clancy proposal."

The Goody Clancy proposal was the architectural plan resultant of the Assembly Square Planning Study. It is the project currently in motion, said Mark Horan, the Mayor’s Communications Director.

"The Mayor has always said that the city would be willing to work with the developers on improving the Goody Clancy proposal," said Horan.

Curtatone said that while there are instances where the deal could go flat, the developers are committed to seeing a serious mixed-use development effort go forward and are willing and able to mount the lobbying campaign necessary to win critical funding for the centerpiece improvements in infrastructure.

While FRIT owns the mall building outright, as well as adjacent parcels and the rights to other sites – including yard 21 – without the funding for infrastructure they could legally opt to re-tenant the mall and forfeit their other land holdings to the city for one dollar.

It is the one-dollar deal that Curtatone said is the lynchpin holding FRIT to the site, as they have already paid non-refundable permitting fees, as well as other contractual monetary obligations to the city.

White said that the Board of Aldermen was informed by the city's traffic consultants during the zoning hearings that if the proposed IKEA store goes ahead along with the new power strip at the mall site that is under-way 'at-risk' pending litigation, without those improvements the site will be at full traffic capacity.

"That is why the construction of a new T stop is so important," said White.

White said that the opponents of the zoning say that without the new I-93 off-ramp and Orange Line stop FRIT could decide that the rest of the development just isn’t economically feasible.

White also said that he is encouraged by the purchase of the property by FRIT, as they appear to be in a firmer financial position to follow through with a serious re-development effort.

There is a current lawsuit, spearheaded by the Mystic View Task Force, which takes aim at what some call suspect zoning deals and point to private favoritism.

Curtatone is firm that the zoning does not violate the uniformity principle of Massachusetts General Law Chapter 40 A and claims that the zoning is critical in unlocking future potential.

"No zoning, no T station, no deal," Curtatone said.

The suit is pending a decision.

MBTA and I-93 feasibility studies are initiated, but as of now have not begun.

The Mayor, quoted in his mayoral campaign as saying, "Over my dead body will there be a strip mall at Assembly Square," presides over the development of 'large-footprint' retail development at the old mall site, and still faces many technical hurdles to ensure that the project remains on-pace and on-target.

Curtatone said that while the new power strip is the first phase of development, it would not be the last. The speedy opening of the strip is critical in increasing the number of car trips to the site, making the prospect of state funding for I-93 improvements and a new Orange Line stop more likely, the Mayor said.

Curtatone said the time-line obligations in the developer's covenant will be met and that the individual phases will – while presently only ideas – someday soon become reality.

Certainly, nothing will be finished overnight.

Gina Folia, the current Mystic View Task Force president, said such ideas take time to come to fruition, but that firm groundwork must be laid.

"A land transformation project takes more than 10 years, but within 10 years you can properly set up a land use structure," Folia said.

With the IKEA and the Main Street initiative yet to be realized, the zoning mired in litigation, and the hopes for a new MBTA station and I-93 off-ramp still uncertain, the grasslands at Assembly Square remain un-walked.

What is certain is that if the Mayor is unable to make major headway in terms of firmer commitments from public and private parties soon, there will be someone in the field waving a giant red flag.

There's some commentary going on at the Somerville News site.

Salvucci: Boston gridlock inevitable

2005-08-03T23:17:00.000-04:00

The father of the Big Dig says congestion in Boston is unavoidable.

Northpoint Parcel Sold

2005-07-31T06:49:00.000-04:00

Following news that federal money will help pay for the relocation of the Lechmere MBTA station to the other side of McGrath Highway, Boston Business Journal reported the sale of 22 Water St., a 2.4-acre parcel of land that is part of the North Point Development District in East Cambridge. The property consists of an existing 60,000-square-foot office and warehouse facility located on more than two acres.

Mass. road, rail projects get $5.2b lift in US bill

2005-07-29T09:52:00.000-04:00

From the Boston Globe: WASHINGTON -- Federal tax dollars will help rebuild the Lechmere MBTA station, build a National Park Service visitors' center on the Rose Kennedy Greenway, and fund Back Bay road improvements associated with the expansion of the Museum of Fine Arts, among a wide variety of projects included in a massive highway bill that appears to be headed for approval in Congress this week.

Good transit update

2005-07-25T08:11:00.000-04:00

Yesterday's Boston Globe has a good transit update.

Green Line timeline

2005-07-18T07:42:00.000-04:00

STEP recently published a historically-focused Green Line timeline.