The Public Input Meeting held by City of Somerville and the City of Medford last month gave the public an opportunity to learn more about the area planning project.

By Jim Clark

On Monday, March 25, a Public Input Meeting on the Area Plan for the Broadway Corridor, in partnership with the City of Somerville and the City of Medford, was held at Premiere on Broadway in Somerville. The meeting included a short presentation and public input.

According to area planners, the plan aims to address challenges related to split parcels and conflicting zoning regulations along the corridor, particularly after the opening of two MBTA Green Line Extension T stations in 2023. The plan intends to establish a unified urban design vision for the Broadway Corridor, recommending zoning and policy changes to streamline and coordinate regulations between the two cities.

The meeting led off with Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne welcoming the attendees and staff from both Somerville and Medford, thanking them for their participation.

Next, Somerville Director of Planning and Zoning Sarah Lewis introduced lead consultant Jeff Davis, of the Horsley Witten Group, who conducted the presentation.

The Horsley Witten Group (HW) is a full-service planning, science, and engineering firm with decades of experience in developing polices, plans, and regulations for government agencies.

Davis began the presentation by going over what the project is trying to accomplish. The study area includes about a 1-mile stretch of Broadway where properties on the north side of the street are split between the two cities.

The main impetus for the study stems from the fact that there are two sets of rules for properties split between the two cities. It can be confusing and time consuming to make changes to these properties. The new Green Line stations make this an underutilized corridor for transit-oriented development. SomerVision 2040 and the Medford Comprehensive Plan both envision this corridor for more mixed-use development. Existing zoning in both cities allows for a mix of uses in 3-4 story (or taller) buildings, but most buildings today are only 2-2½ stories and mixed-use is limited. There is a mismatch between the cities’ vision/zoning and what exists on the corridor today.

Davis went over the current zoning features, pointing out the areas of alignment and the areas of conflict.

In January of this year, residents and business owners from Medford and Somerville gathered to discuss what aspects of the corridor need to be protected/preserved, strengthened, or transformed. Subsequently, city planning staff have interviewed stakeholders including business owners along the corridor and other city department staff.

Among the key takeaways from these discussions were concerns over improved safety for walkers and bicyclists, traffic calming; smoother roadway, parking, bus lane, and bike lane configuration; better configuration for loading; communications between the cities and businesses; more public input about changes to the public realm; improved infrastructure (water/sewer/streets); improved placemaking and wayfinding between commercial hubs; and improved open space, including programming.

Key takeaways from the Kickoff Public Meeting and Online Survey included building of taller, mixed-use residential units, particularly near transit stations; encouraging redevelopment of vacant and dilapidated spaces, expanding where commercial uses are allowed, connecting Ball/Magoun nodes; increasing affordable housing requirements; improving infrastructure and attracting key services needed to support more population density (grocery, day care, etc.); making the public realm greener and more inviting (outdoor dining, street trees); exploring areas for pedestrian/bike-only zones (if not on Broadway, on side streets).

Key Takeaways from business interviews showed that many were happy with current conditions, good location, lots of foot traffic, safe, functions well, business is thriving. Some feel the area does not have enough visibility. Not enough parking (some would reduce auto travel lanes others would reduce bike/bus lanes to accommodate more parking); Magoun and Ball Squares feel separated, need to be better connected; better communication between cities and businesses; want for more businesses in the area to attract more people; better sidewalks and a more attractive public realm; a few had strong feelings on building height – most comfortable with 4 or 4+ stories.

After Davis’ presentation, those in attendance, as well as those participating online, discussed the issues among themselves and then were provided with an opportunity to voice their ideas and concerns openly during the meeting.

On Wednesday, March 27, a public feedback results presentation was delivered by Davis. The meeting video can be accessed at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zMaB1-AB1_o&t=3575s.