Inner Belt development hinges on location of facility

By Jack Nicas

The city is faced with a dilemma: the Green Line extension, supported almost unanimously in the community, may now hinder the city’s largest frontier for development. The state transit office maintains that a new maintenance facility must accompany the long-awaited extension. With the amount of space required for the facility, few options exist outside of the Inner Belt.

At the Aug. 15 Somerville news contributors meeting, Steve Mackey, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, said the facility is slated to cover eight to 12 acres in "the heart of the district;‚Äù a location Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said "could screw up everything‚Äù in the Inner Belt’s future.

The Inner Belt’s location and size make it one of the city’s most compelling areas for potential development, Mackey said. The Kraft Group has reported interest in the district as a possible destination for a major league soccer stadium and Mackey said the district’s commercial development could finally ease the tax burden on Somerville property owners.

‚ÄúIt’s very important that that area is able to capitalize on the Green Line,‚Äù Mackey said. ‚ÄúYou can literally put in millions of square feet of commercial development and thousands of units of housing; you can build a brand new urban mixed-use village over time.‚Äù 

The state’s proposed location is Yard 8 in the Inner Belt. However, the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership – a grassroots group advocating for the extension – has requested the space around the Boston Engine Terminal, in Yard 7, be used.

Mackey said that the engine terminal is located on a 43-acre site and services trains from both North and South Station, despite Somerville lacking any commuter rail stops. He said the area has room for another facility. “You really have to find a way to accommodate the Green Line maintenance facility within 43 acres.”

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone told the Somerville News at the August 8 contributors’ meeting that the city has been analyzing the situation and will discuss possible alternatives with the EOT soon. ‚ÄúWe’re not just going to say we don’t want it,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúWe’ll say tell us how it works and I’ll be able to show them more why it doesn’t work.‚Äù

State officials are currently carrying out its Draft Environmental Impact Report to determine more definite locations for the extension’s stations and maintenance facility. The study is scheduled to be concluded by September, when it will then be submitted to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office and open to public comment.

If the report insists the facility’s location remains in Yard 8, the city is expected to protest. Curtatone said he would tell the state, ‚ÄúIf you’re going to do it, don’t impede our ability to unlock that district.‚Äù