Bucolic greenery and serene tranquility such as is depicted here could be in the offing for Assembly Row.

Public to DCR:
keep it natural
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By Andrew Firestone

The debate of Somerville’s last refuge of natural green arose this past Wednesday, July 20, when community members met with representatives from the Department of Conservation and Recreation to discuss new development for the Mystic River Park. The Mystic River Park will undergo a major renovation during the first phase of the Assembly Square development, aided by one million dollars of funds from the Federal Realty Investment Trust for mitigation.

During these initial planning phases, community members were adamant that the area not lose its natural charm to the vast urban development set to take place. The 6.3 acre park, which will have 1.8 acres added onto it during the construction, is slated to become an attractive, mixed-use park with waterfront vistas along the banks of the Mystic River. Currently, the water quality of this river has been named as suspect, with the last grading earning a ‘D-‘ by the Environmental Protection Agency. However, with the sewage dumping being mitigated, and the rise of the proposed shopping/ residential zone, this will only change for the better, said DCR Director of Recreational Facilities Dan Driscoll.

With the plans presented by John Copley of Copley Wolff design group, the company that is also currently renovating the Boston Common Frog Pond, the question was simple; should the park be a more natural area, a more urban “plaza” area, or just a plain park area. From those who attended the community meeting at the Mystic River Yachting club, the choice was simple.

“This is Somerville’s accidental natural area that is going to be lost to development,” said Mystic River Watershed Association member Michael Fager, who said he was mourning the eventual destruction of the many habitats for birds and other animals, due to the encroaching development. Other members agreed, saying that a more naturalist setting would be marred by the sight of stores from the park, like the Christmas Tree Shop, among others. They asked for less concrete and more trees.

“The project is clearly massive in scale, it’s ambitious, it’s really exciting,” said Driscoll of the DCR. “It’s a transformation of an area of this part of the river, and the City of Somerville in particular, that has really been a wasteland for quite some time.”

Driscoll said that other considerations such as lighting and visibility will be taken care of by the city. The area has been known to be the site of violent crimes, mostly due to its distance from residential and other more heavily trafficked zones at late hours. The City of Somerville is currently taking part in redesigning the underpass over Wellington St., and thus mitigating any kind of violent crimes that take place there. Driscoll also said that increased use of the area through homes and business set to be developed at the massive Assembly Square development will also contribute to eradicating crime in the area.

Ideally, the park will be a conduit for MBTA transit users, residents, and shoppers to enjoy along the banks of the Mystic River. Proposed amenities include an amphitheater, statues, and more arboreal space.

Public comments will be accepted by the DCR until August 20. The renovation is slated to begin in 2013, right after the beginning of the first phase of FRITs development of the Assembly Row project. The next public meeting will take place in September, followed by a 30-day public comment period.