By Rebecca Bakken

The City of Somerville presented new plans for the Gilman Square neighborhood at a meeting on October 7 and is now seeking public input as it moves forward finalizing designs.

At a virtual meeting attended by about 50 residents, city officials presented updated streetscape plans that propose significant changes to the mostly residential neighborhood, which will be home to a new T station next year. 

Officials presented a plan that proposes turning the Medford Street Bridge, which has been closed due to construction since May 2019, into a plaza or open space area. This would permanently close the bridge to through-traffic.

The traffic model suggests that the bridge closure would not affect wait times for drivers moving through the square if traffic signals are adjusted, said Augustin.

Resident Tom Lamar said via Zoom chat at the meeting that the Medford Street bridge plans look great. He said quick-build solutions could be implemented to accommodate outdoor gatherings sooner.

 

City officials said making the neighborhood more accessible to pedestrians and bicyclists is a priority. Between the bridge and School Street, the plan proposes an expanded bike lane and sidewalk and a “green zone” for trees and benches.

The plan includes 8 feet of “flexible zone” at the widest part of Medford Street, Augustin said at the meeting.

The flex zones would allow for pick-up, drop-off, and parking space during peak hours, Augustin said. During the day, these flex zones could also serve bikes and pedestrians.

“Flex zones are new to Somerville,” said Somerville Senior Planner Sunayana Thomas in an interview. “They’re usually used for public socializing, parklets, streeteries, pick-up/drop-off, and function as a multi-use space. The reality is we do need to accommodate for things like quick shopping and visitor parking. But all those discussions still need to be had.”

Gilman Square is unique in that the city owns two large parcels in the relatively small area, so there is opportunity to work with residents and other stakeholders to develop a square that truly serves the community, said Thomas.

“All across the city we’re getting ready for the Green Line stations to open,” said Thomas. “While we’re doing that, we still want development to happen in an equitable way.”

Part of this means creating a housing plan that includes family-friendly rental units, said Thomas.

To prepare for additional housing, the Gilman Square Neighborhood Association (GSNA) filed for, and was granted on October 8, a zoning map change. This change allows for six-story buildings to be developed on two privately owned parcels.

Christine Carlino, a resident and steering committee member of the GSNA, and 15 neighborhood residents filed the request for the zoning map change in June.

She said in an interview after the meeting that the GSNA has had a strong partnership with the city over the past couple of years, working with them to develop the streetscape project.

“We gave a lot of feedback on the plans that had been developed, to help drive the city toward something the folks in our community would respond positively to. That worked well,” said Carlino.

The zoning map change, which passed unanimously in the city council, affects the Good Gas and ABJ sites mapped out in the plan.

The largest parcels, the Mobil and Homans site, include 124,000 square feet of space combined. Potential uses outlined in the Gilman Square neighborhood plan include a 6,000 square-foot commercial space with 78 residential units. It could also include artist and craft manufacturing space.

Carlino said with the zoning map now amended, the Good Gas site could accommodate a 6-floor residential building with ground-floor space for restaurants or retail. She said the priority for the GSNA is making sure people have places to live, work, and play.

“We want to make sure we’re hitting good sustainability goals and that we’re designing a community for the future. Our goals are to bring people together,” said Carlino.

The Gilman Square Station Area Plan was introduced in 2014. Gilman Square will be home to a new T station as part of the ongoing Green Line Extension (GLX) project.

The City of Somerville is seeking feedback on its proposed designs for Gilman Square through October 31. To submit your feedback, please follow this link and take the survey: SomerVoice Survey.