CITY TO SEEK REVISIONS TO ASSEMBLY SQUARE URBAN RENEWAL PLAN

The

proposed changes result from the evolution of the site, beginning with IKEA

announcing in July 2012 that it would not proceed with developing a 12-acre

parcel within Assembly Square. That decision

created the opportunity and the need to reexamine how the City could ensure the

best use for not only the IKEA lot but also for the full 129.2 acres of the urban

renewal district.

Federal

Realty Investment Trust (FRIT) is redeveloping 56.2 acres in the district as

part of the Assembly Row development. The approximately 73 remaining acres

include single-story big box retail stores, a former multi-screen movie theatre,

an office building and several smaller commercial-industrial buildings located

within the urban renewal area.

The

plan change would provide added flexibility in support of mixed use development

on the remaining acreage within the renewal area. It would also identify

infrastructure needs and possible acquisition parcels that were not specified

in either the original 1980 Urban Renewal Plan or the major plan change of

2002.

To

guide this process, the Mayor's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development

has submitted an appropriation request of $500,000 to the Board of Aldermen,

and will be presenting information in support ofr the request during upcoming

meetings of the Finance Committee. That funding would pay for professional

consultants in the areas of planning and design, financial and economic

analysis, infrastructure capacity, engineering, legal and appraisal services.

These combined efforts would be expected to result in proposed plan changes

that would then go before the Somerville Redevelopment Authority and, if

approved by the Redevelopment Authority and the Planning Board, to the Board of

Aldermen for approval before submitting the proposed changes to the state.

Careful

planning now will ensure that future development complements and enhances the

uses already approved and under construction at Assembly Row. Potential changes

to the Urban Renewal Plan would be built upon the vision set forth in the 2002

major plan change, which envisioned "the redevelopment of Assembly Square as a

more urban 'mixed use' area ... (and) projects the continued migration of

industrial uses from the district and a gradual phase-in of mixed use

development, including residential, office, retail and entertainment uses....

These mixed use developments will include significant open spaces to add to the

existing parks along the Mystic

River and some new open spaces

at the heart of the district."

"IKEA

has been a great partner over the years and was instrumental in jump-starting

Assembly Row, but with their decision not to develop the site, we have a better

opportunity to continue transforming Assembly Square into the kind of smart

growth development we want to see," Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said. "With the

first new MBTA station in more than a quarter-century on schedule to open at

Assembly Square next year, and with zoning in place and the major

infrastructure components ready, we are committed to working with community

residents, our elected officials, and all interested parties to set the stage

for the whole of Assembly Square to become a walkable, bikeable,

transit-oriented neighborhood filled with new businesses and homes."

Ward

1 Alderman Maureen Bastardi said, "Assembly Square

holds the greatest potential in Somerville

to create jobs and give our residents tax relief by expanding the city's

commercial tax base. It's exciting to see FRIT's progress so far, and updating

the Urban Renewal Plan takes advantage of this opportunity to keep Assembly

Square moving in the right direction and building the newest, vibrant Ward 1

neighborhood."

Wig Zamore, a founding and active member of both Mystic View Task Force

and Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership wholeheartedly agreed with the

importance of pushing ahead with the full transformation of Assembly

Square.

"The four multi-story, mixed use blocks next to the expanded Mystic River

park and the new Orange Line Station that will be open in 2014 should provide

tremendous momentum for the completion of Assembly Row and the evolution of 21^st

century urban fabric across the rest of Assembly Square,"

Zamore said. "These features, including the new main street with local

retailers and mixed income rental housing, should provide a great foundation

for continued development of mixed use which complements Somerville's

most pressing long term needs. As Somerville has Massachusetts' greatest

shortage of local jobs per square mile relative to resident workers, it is

especially important that we develop an intense and diverse array of new jobs,

including university related research and development, so that a sustainable

live-work balance is restored and then maintained within the community."

The

original Urban Renewal Plan adopted in 1980 sought to guide the transition of

the long-standing industrial and warehouse uses at Assembly

Square to commercial uses such as retail, office and

entertainment. It defined the site as 129.2 acres and identified specific

parcels for the Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) to acquire for

eventual redevelopment by private entities.

With the original 1980 plan set to expire after 20 years,

the City of Somerville undertook a major

effort in 1999 to update the Urban Renewal Plan in a manner that better

reflected changes on the Assembly Square

site, in the Greater Boston economy and in Somerville

itself. That resulted in the 2002 major plan change.

In March of 2004, the Assembly Square Mixed Use District was

adopted as part of the City of Somerville Zoning Code.

Today, with four buildings now under construction by FRIT

and their partners, the promise of Assembly Square

envisioned by the 1980 Urban Renewal Plan and the 2002 Major Plan Change is now

becoming a reality. By the Spring of 2014, hundreds of apartments will be

occupied, with 56 of those units being permanently affordable. Retail shops,

restaurants and a 12-screen AMC movie theater will be in operation. A

100,000-square-foot office building is also currently under construction, and

developers are confident that a major tenant will occupy the building upon

completion.