Assembly Square

The key issue is allowing a larger supermarket in Assembly Square at a location that should be dedicated to high-rise office and R&D space.More…

Agenda includes an update on the construction of the Riverfront park at Assembly Square. More…

The Green Line Extension and Assembly Square T-Stop may be at risk if inadequate funding is provided. Make your views known. More…

Trains carrying large amounts of flammable alcohol would pass through Somerville, including Porter Square, Brickbottom, East Broadway, and Assembly Square. More…

Agenda includes two buildings on block 2 of Assembly Square. One is a food-service building and the other is a mixed-use building with retail and office uses. More…

If a grocery store is built at the IKEA site, it should be on the first floor of a multi-story, high-value R&D building, otherwise the location is underutilized.

Federal Realty has acquired the IKEA site and is considering placing a grocery there. We need to preserve upper-story R&D space at the site as well as choose a good grocer.

Rutherford Avenue and Sullivan Square are just over the Somerville line in Boston. Somervillians who use the Sullivan Square T-Stop should come to the meeting and participate.

Agenda includes a public hearing on an amendment to the Order of Conditions for the stormwater connections of block 2A of Assembly Row and a Notice of Intent for interim parking lots at blocks 5 and 6 of Assembly Row.

Interviews with Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone and Revolution President Brian Bilello, as well as reports from other media outlets, reveal that the Krafts and the City are talking about building a 20,000- to 25,000-seat soccer-specific stadium in As…

Agenda includes resolving two continued Special Permits for parking in Assembly Square.

Agenda will likely include parking lots in Assembly Square in addition to routine cases.

Key issues are responding to IKEA’s withdrawal from Assembly Square and monitoring the City’s progress with the Comprehensive Plan.

The MBTA and the MassDOT are holding their board meeting in Somerville City Hall. Agenda likely includes the Green Line Extension and the Assembly Square Orange Line T-Stop.

Agenda includes report on whether covenants with IKEA and FRIT apply to future purchasers of the IKEA site at Assembly Square. Approval of Union Square Revitalization Plan.

Agenda includes routine modifications and demolitions, the proposed guidelines changes, and the Assembly Row Historic Enhancement Project.

I’ve never met an IKEA representative I didn’t like. In negotiations they were honorable, and as companions they were enjoyable. But despite their many virtues, I’m glad they won’t be building a store in Somerville.

Agenda likely includes a Special Permit for parking lots in Assembly Square blocks 5 and 6 to serve retail in blocks 1, 3, 4.

Agenda includes the Assembly Square riverfront park along the Mystic between Rt. 28 and the Winter Hill Yacht Club.

Construction is underway at Assembly Row, Somerville’s great hope for economic development. The path to this point has been winding.

What will the way forward bring?

Agenda includes changes to the Assembly Row Special Permits requesting more parking spaces for blocks 4, 5, 6.

Agenda includes the Assembly Square 2002 Revitalization Plan, the Union Square Revitalization Plan, and the proposed SRA website.

Public notice includes a hearing on activities to remove the invasive water chestnut plant in the Mystic River.

Assembly Row and Assembly Square T-Stop development has started. It’s time to move ahead with the Transportation Mitigation Plan.

Managing neighborhood impacts is necessary for the success of the Assembly Square T-Stop project.

Agenda includes the acquisition of 258 Somerville Ave., the status of Assembly Square and Union Square, and the creation of a web page for the SRA.

Ceremony marks the start of retail/residential construction of Phase I of the Assembly Square mixed-use development.

The ResiStat meetings provide an opportunity for citizens to hear what the city government is doing and for the city government to hear citizen’s concerns.

In the voting, 89 percent said yes, the Mayor should prioritize local hiring.

Almost six years after the city made its initial push to attract life science businesses, the industry has seen little growth in Somerville. Can we expect it soon?

Agenda includes Assembly Square Order of Conditions (OOC) for changes to Block 3 and to Shore Drive in Ten Hills.

The CIP includes the Green Line Extension and the Assembly Square T-Stop.

This is the regular meeting of the Mystic River Watershed Steering Committee. This committee, sponsored by the Federal EPA, works to improve water quality and environmental conditions in the Mystic River watershed. Agenda not available (12/4/11).

The Mystic Riverfront Park upgrades are a big part of the improvements to Assembly Square resulting from the Assembly Square PUD.

Agenda includes the acquisition of 258 Somerville Ave. and updates on Assembly Square and Union Square. Note: the Somerville Redevelopment Authority does not have a web page.

Agenda includes an update on the Order of Conditions for Assembly Square and a new fence for the Bike Path Community Garden.

It is very important that the public catch up with the Assembly Square T-stop project progress and decisions.

Agenda includes Assembly Square Blocks 1 and 4 and sewer and drain work in Ten Hills. This work helps fulfill the financial conditions needed for the success of the Assembly Square DIF and iCubed programs.

Melissa Hoffer of the Conservation Law Foundation will speak on the role of legal advocacy in environmental protection and restoration.

Agenda includes a special permit for dry boat storage at 74 Foley Street in Assembly Square, possibly for boats from the Winter Hill Yacht Club.

Agenda includes Assembly Square Block 3, a Special Permit for two levels of retail and restaurant, including a 12-screen cinema, with residential above. This development helps fulfil the financial conditions needed for the success of the Assembly Square DIF and iCubed programs.

The Surface Option presented accommodates traffic from the redevelopment of Assembly Square in Somerville (IKEA). We should support it.

Agenda includes public hearings on proposed developments at Blocks 1 and 4 of Assembly Square. These developments help fulfill the financial conditions needed for the success of the Assembly Square DIF and iCubed programs.

Agenda likely includes Assembly Square mixed use buildings on Block 3, including a cinema. These proposals help fulfill the financial conditions needed for the success of the Assembly Square DIF and iCubed programs.

Agenda will likely include the Avalon Bay developments at Blocks, 1, 3, and 4 and may include prospects for further development.

We will present a summary of the City’s almost finished Comprehensive Plan, followed by discussion. The plan is the product of over two years of work by the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee.

Agenda likely includes Assembly Square mixed use buildings on Block 3, including a cinema. These proposals help fulfill the financial conditions needed for the success of the Assembly Square DIF and iCubed programs.

The latest robocall announced the 4th Annual Riverfest, Saturday, 9/17, featuring “fireworks, entertainment, food and family activities” for Somerville residents. The familiar and friendly voice of Jackie Rossetti encouraged residents to participate. The latter part…

The Boston MPO is a Federally-mandated organization responsible for conducting transportation planning for the Boston region. Among other documents, it produces a yearly Transportation Improvement Plan (TIP), which allocates funding for transportation improvements. A project must be included in the TIP to receive Federal funds. The Green Line Extension has been omitted from the 2012-2015 TIP. As a result, Massachusetts is in danger of losing its Federal transportation funding.

Agenda includes Assembly Square mixed use buildings on Blocks 1, 3, and 4, including a cinema. These proposals help fulfill the financial conditions needed for the success of the Assembly Square DIF and iCubed programs.

The agenda should include removing a loading area from the Block 10 restaurant at 133 Middlesex Avenue in Assembly Square.

MAPC is working with neighboring communities to create a network of safe walking routes to connect neighborhoods with the lower Mystic River, Chelsea Creek, Mill Creek, and the Malden River. You can help.

The agenda includes removing a loading area from the Block 10 restaurant at 133 Middlesex Avenue in Assembly Square.

Check out the conceptual proposals and make your views known. Written comments submitted will be posted on the DCR website.

According to articles in the Boston Globe, Somerville Journal, Somerville Patch, and Boston Herald this week, WalMart wants to open “a grocery store” at the site of the defunct Circuit City next to Home Depot…

This is a good chance for Somerville residents to help improve our river frontage in Assembly Square.

The following email was sent to me as a subscriber to Change.org. I have forwarded the body of the notice, and you will find the link to the online petition in the text of the story. It brings to mind the maxim that if it sounds too good to be true (as with the detente reached by parties to  Assembly Sq. development/IKEA), it probably is.…

The agenda includes a (continued) public hearing for final approval of the PUD for Assembly Square Block 10 and a hearing for constructing a restaurant on the site. The 378-390 Somerville Avenue hearing is being continued to July 14.

The agenda includes a (continued) public hearing for final approval of the PUD for Assembly Square Block 10 and also a hearing for constructing a restaurant in Assembly Square.

Among other business, the agenda includes reviewing the PUD for Assembly Square Block 10 and a proposed restaurant in Assembly Square.

The agenda includes a public hearing for final approval of the PUD for Assembly Square Block 10 and also a hearing for constructing a restaurant in Assembly Square.

This is one of the final hurdles for the long-awaited Orange Line T-Stop at Assembly Square. Please support this development. A T-Stop at Assembly Square will unlock the potential of the site and make possible what Somerville has wanted for more than a decade.

This is one of the final hurdles for the boardwalk under the Wellington Bridge where Rt. 28 passes over the Mystic River at Assembly Square. Please support this development. Lack of a safe, convenient path under Rt. 28 has severed 10 Hills from Assembly Square for a long time.

The agenda includes as item #8 (“Request of MassDOT Legal and Planning Departments to authorize the execution of a Public Funding Agreement for the construction of the Assembly Square Station on the Orange Line”).

This is the final discussion and vote on the DIF bond issue. The City should issue these bonds only with a signed commitment to the “best effort” of Federal Realty to bring R&D/office into Assembly Square.

The agenda is to discuss the Assembly Row Bond issue and a petition by 60 Somerville residents to ensure that development financed by the Assembly Row DIF yield jobs for Somerville residents.

This is a presentation and panel discussion on how to finance public transportation in Massachusetts. Paying for public transportation has proved a critical problem in the current economic and political environment.

The Committee is calling this meeting to further discuss the Assembly Row DIF Bond issue. If Assembly Row is not developed to produce a high enough tax base, the city could end up repaying this bond from general funds.

This is a continuation of the 3/31/11 Assembly Row DIF Bond hearing. If Assembly Row is not developed to produce a high enough tax base, the city could end up repaying this bond from general funds.

Convened to discuss the Assembly Row DIF Bond proposal. If Assembly Row is not developed to produce a high enough tax base, the city could end up repaying this bond from general funds.

This is a public meeting of the Somerville Conservation Commission to review and accept the MBTA Assembly Square Station Order of Conditions.

Among other business, this meeting will hold a public hearing on the Special Permit with Site Plan Review for the Assembly Square self-storage facility, 50 Middlesex Avenue.

Among other business, this meeting will deal with the proposed self-storage facility at 50 Middlesex Ave. in Assembly Square.

If Assembly Row is not developed to produce a high enough tax base, the city could end up repaying this bond from general funds.

The master plan for the self-storage facility at 50 Middlesex Avenue in Assembly Square is to be presented.

Among other business, this meeting will deal with the proposed self-storage facility at 50 Middlesex Ave. in Assembly Square, and with changes to the design of 100 Temple St. (St. Polycarp Redevelopment).

The Governing Body determines how much of the tax increment from DIF districts is used for district improvements and how much is returned to the city general fund.

Every development in Somerville should contribute to meeting our environmental goals. Assembly Square should not be exempted.

Following Alderman White’s assurance that the Board was only voting for the DIF and not on the actual bonds to fund the DIF, the Somerville Board of Aldermen voted 9-1 (Alderman Gewirtz dissented; Alderman Trane recused himself) to move the proposed Assembly Square DIF to the full Board for a vote at the Special Meeting scheduled for this Thursday.  …

If implemented as planned, this DIF will very likely result in developments that only cover debt service on the DIF bonds themselves. The rest of Somerville will pay for the city services required by those developments.

If implemented incorrectly, self-storage in Assembly Square could discourage higher-value uses, which we need more than ever now that infrastructure and Orange Line funding have gone away.

The Mystic View Task Force has sent a letter to the City urging delay in voting on the proposed Assembly Row DIF. While we believe that a DIF may be the best available mechanism for moving forward on Assembly Square development, we are concerned that the proposed DIF puts a disproportionate share of risk on the City and fails to adequately hold the developer accountable. Please join us at Tuesday’s Finance Committee meeting (Nov. 30 at 7pm at City Hall) to support our call for a delay in the decision on the DIF to allow time for adequate analysis and the opportunity to negotiate a better proposal.

There is now a $63 M gap in infrastructure funding for Assembly Square. The Orange Line T-Stop and the rest of the development is in jeopardy unless we close the gap by a combination of stopgap funding and a $25 M DIF in Assembly Square.

Under the proposed DIF, increases in Assembly Square tax revenue would be diverted to pay for the infrastructure. If tax revenues were inadequate, the taxpayers would foot the bill.

Large Retail Cluster Parking: Proposal is to double the parking requirement for large retail (> 25,000 s.f.). Staff believes that because Somerville has little parking available, the effect will be to discourage suburban format in Somerville. Developers would have to build parking garages, which is expensive.

The agenda includes the following:

* Change to the zoning ordinance to allow self-storage in Assembly Square
* Changes to the zoning ordinance to revise the procedures for reviewing Special Permits, Special Permits with Site Plan Approval, and variances
* Changes to the zoning ordinance to revise the parking requirements for large scale retail
* Change to the zoning ordinance to allow Historic Carriage House as a use in certain districts
* Special permit to allow Federal Realty to exceed signage size requirements in Assembly Square.

This is STEP’s regular monthly meeting. At this meeting STEP is likely to discuss:

* Current status of the Green Line Extension
* Current efforts to extend the Green Line to Route 16
* Current status of funding for the Assembly Square Orange Line T-Stop

According to the paper agenda, this meeting will be devoted to Zoning Board of Appeals matters. The Self-Storage change of use ordinance, along with others, will be dealt with at the November 4 public hearing.

This meeting will likely deal with the proposed change of zoning to allow self-storage in the Assembly Square Planned Unit Development. There may be a public hearing in joint session with the Land Use Committee.

The Mystic View Task Force will hold its annual meeting at 1:30 P.M., Saturday, September 25, 2010, at the Third Life Studio, 33 Union Square, Somerville.

A change-of-use ordinance is being submitted to the Board of Aldermen to allow self-storage/wholesale storage in locations in Assembly Square near I-93 and not suitable for better development. I understand that the goal is to allow a developer to place a self-storage facility at the foot of Foley Street, replacing a truck storage facility near the current (poorly-maintained) pedestrian underpass from Assembly Square to the Stop & Shop on Mystic Avenue. The underlying urban design problem is how to use a development in this location to establish a pedestrian-friendly gateway to Assembly Square, given (a) the planned Assembly Square T-Stop at the head of Foley Street and (b) a proposed Foley Street connection under I-93 to East Somerville.

Land use planning is the primary function of municipal government. This ordinance provides an ideal opportunity to observe and participate in the public land use process, from Ordinance to Planning Board special permit.

Public input is needed on accessibility, waterfront and water activities design, and pedestrian and bicycle access along Foley Street.

This meeting was devoted entirely to passing the proposed modifications to the Preliminary Master Plan for Assembly Square. The Planning Staff had asked Federal Realty to generalize the use mix from Office and R&D because Somerville zoning has a very narrow definition of Office use. Federal Realty widened the definition to include all Somerville uses under special permit. The Planning Board stated that in the absence of any opposition, they would waive the reading of the 70 conditions and voted to approve the changes to the PUD. Some citizens present had expected to have a period for written comment before the vote.

This is the fourth in the 8-part Free Webinar Series on Designing for Pedestrian Safety being given by the Federal Highway Administration and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. Pedestrian and bicycle safety is essential to the success of the new Assembly Square roadways and Orange Line T-Stop and around the new Green Line stops.

This is the third in the 8-part Free Webinar Series on Designing for Pedestrian Safety being given by the Federal Highway Administration and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. Pedestrian and bicycle safety is essential to the success of the new Assembly Square roadways and Orange Line T-Stop and around the new Green Line stops.

This is the second in the 8-part Free Webinar Series on Designing for Pedestrian Safety being given by the Federal Highway Administration and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. Pedestrian and bicycle safety is essential to the success of the new Assembly Square roadways and Orange Line T-Stop and around the new Green Line stops.

This is the first in the 8-part Free Webinar Series on Designing for Pedestrian Safety being given by the Federal Highway Administration and the Pedestrian and Bicycle Information Center. Safe pedestrian and bicycle access is essential to the success of the new Assembly Square Orange Line T-Stop and new Green Line stops.

At this meeting we will discuss the progress of the infrastructure improvements, Ch 91 licenses, and a proposed amendment to the Assembly Square Master Plan. This meeting is important because it provides a last chance to weigh into the development process at Assembly Square.

Construction starting right now on roads and infrastructure at and around Assembly Square. IKEA not to start construction until after Spring 2011. Planned improvements to Kensington Ave. pedestrian crossing from Stop & Shop to Assembly Square.

This meeting is important because it deals with ongoing developments at Assembly Square and East Somerville.

This meeting is important because it gives citizens a chance to provide feedback to the City on how things are going in their neighborhoods.

This event is important because it puts interesting parts of Somerville, such as the bank of the Mystic, on display.

Attended meeting. Ald. Gewirtz, Heuston, Pero, Sullivan present. Staff including Monica Lamboy and representative of City Solicitor present. Also Joe Grafton of Somerville Local First, Tom Bent of Chamber of Commerce.

This meeting is important because Somerville’s use of public transit, already high, will increase as the Green Line Extension and Assembly Square Orange Line stop come in.

Attended Planning Board meeting 4/15/10. About 12 citizens attending. Printed agenda marked “Modified”. IKEA waterside permit voided. MaxPac plan changes. Argument over residential density and the tax base. Antennas on residential bldgs provide revenue, but come with safety concerns. Permit streamlining.