Community group meets with developers to push for jobs, improved traffic patterns

By Elijah Adamson

An East Somerville community group met with the Assembly Square developers Wednesday to voice concerns about the plan, asking questions about traffic patterns and the availability of jobs for local residents.

‚ÄúIn Somerville, we hear the reason to do these developments is to clean up the environment, to increase the tax base and create jobs. But then a very small proportion of those jobs ever end up going to local people, and we don’t want to see that happen again,‚Äù said Mary Jo Connelly of the East Somerville Neighbors for Change. ‚ÄúThere’s not a plan; there’s not a commitment; there’s not a mechanism for making it happen.‚Äù

ESNC has lobbied developers Federal Realty Investment Trust and the city for a ‚ÄúFirst Source Local Hiring Agreement‚Äù in Assembly Square. The agreement proposes that the businesses set goals for the number of local residents they employ. It also asks for the establishment of a process for Somerville residents to be trained so that they can be qualified for the jobs. 

Peter Tsourianis, a Somerville resident, said ‚ÄúThe important thing about doing this now is that it sets a good standard, so we can set up everything the best way we can. That doesn’t mean there won’t be any corruption or injustices as we go along, but if we can do the best we can now, it will be in place for whatever the next function will be, whether it’s an office building, or a theater or whatever.‚Äù

Federal Realty has planned approximately 5 million square feet of mixed-use development at Assembly Square, making it one of Massachusetts’ largest mixed-use developments ever. The design includes 1.75 million square feet of office space, 852,000 square feet of retail space, 2,100 residential units, a 200-room hotel and a new MBTA orange line station.  The project will be constructed in phases during a 10 to 15 year span.

   
At Wednesday’s meeting, members of the ESNC expressed concerns regarding the increased traffic that the development may cause in East Somerville, particularly on I-93, Route 28 and Broadway.  David Webster, Director of Operations at Federal Realty, explained that improved pedestrian access through bike paths, walkways and the MBTA station would mitigate some of the increased traffic. He also stressed the importance of an effective signage plan, but admitted that some increase in traffic is inevitable.

In a report to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act Office (MEPA), Federal Realty states:  ‚ÄúOffice buildings in the Project will be massed around the new T station, facilitating rapid transit access for office employees, and thereby reducing traffic impacts and demand for parking.‚Äù Restaurants, entertainment, and retail will also be within walking distance of the train station.