The city is looking into the many issues associated with antiquated substation facilities, such as the one in Union Square, and the growing electrical needs of the community. — Photo courtesy of Google Street View

By Jim Clark

A resolution was put forward at the latest regular meeting of the Somerville City Council requesting that the Directors of Infrastructure and Asset Management, Engineering, Public Works, and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, along with any other appropriate departments, work to develop a binding, equitable, citywide Electrical Infrastructure Master Plan to guide the location and design of electrical substations and other infrastructure.

Initial sponsor of the resolution, Ward 3 City Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen, said of the initiative, “So this is unquestionably one of the most boring sounding resolutions I’ve ever submitted. We’ve got the names of three departments … comprehensive … infrastructure. So, I’m going to try to convince everybody that this is actually extremely important, and that this is a way to right a bunch of historical and future mistakes.”

Ewen-Campen went on to point out that there is an enormous electrical substation in the heart of Union Square and that it is the first thing that people are going to see as they get off the Green Line. It is also one of the most prominently located substations in the city. “Right now, Eversource is seeking a special permit to expand that substation, to further fortify it, largely to serve the new commercial developments in the Union Square – Boynton Yards,” Ewen-Campen explained. “So, you don’t need to be a master urban planner to understand that this is a disaster of urban planning, the existence of this in its location.”

Ewen-Campen emphasized that the substation is in the heart of Union Square and that it looks like a “decrepit, rusting, hulking, fenced off piece of infrastructure that hasn’t been touched since 1940. That’s what it looks like.”

“So, here’s the thing,” Ewen-Campen continued. “In order to reach our fossil fuel goals we absolutely need to increase our electrical capacity at the local level. We need to do that at a huge scale. We want every house in the city to be heated by electrical heat pumps and cooled by electrical heat pumps.”

Ewen-Campen pointed out that we want more electrical capacity, but because of the way the city interacts with state utilities there is constant battling in one-offs on individual locations. “This is obviously not specific to Somerville.” Ewen-Campen said. “We’re seeing fights in East Boston. We’re seeing fights in Cambridge. In every community there are often fights about substations, and there is a long history of them being sited in inappropriate locations for a variety of reasons.”

The solution that has emerged, according to Ewen-Campen, is to get Eversource and the community, as well as various members of the administration and possibly others to work together on a citywide plan that is equitable.

“I, for one, hope that it involves moving this particular substation somewhere underground, far away from abutters and centers of city squares,” Ewen-Campen said. “But it’s not specific to this location. This needs to be a citywide plan.”

“I am heartened to say that the administration has signaled that they are very supportive of this and, in fact, the representatives of Eversource have said that they are kind of at least seemingly onboard with that. I very much hope that is the case,” Ewen-Campen said.

The Councilor expressed hope that the matter could be sent to the Land Use Committee for further study and conversation. “It’s clearly extremely complicated and it’s going to need a lot of expertise, so that we are not constantly having these kind of one-off skirmishes and battles at individual locations,” said Ewen-Campen.

After Ewen-Campen’s presentation, Ward 5 City Councilor Beatriz Gómez Mouakad stated, “I just want to say this order is brilliant, not boring,” and signed on as a co-sponsor of the resolution.

Ward 4 City Councilor Jesse Clingan also signed on and in a moment of levity added, “I’d like to suggest something like ‘SomerBuzz’ or like ‘SomerSizzle’ or something. You know, we gotta give it a name.”

City Councilors Charlotte Kelly, Willie Burnley Jr., and Jake Wilson also signed on to the resolution which was then passed and referred to the Land Use Committee.

The full text of the resolution reads as follows:

WHEREAS: Reaching our climate goals will require an enormous increase in the capacity of our local electrical grid, yet today we lack a comprehensive plan for the location of such infrastructure, leading to a piece-meal, case-by-case expansion strategy; and

WHEREAS: As one relevant example, Eversource is currently seeking to expand the existing electrical substation in Union Square; and

WHEREAS: The unfortunate, poorly planned location of this substation and its dilapidated state is a lost opportunity for the heart of Union Square, and

WHEREAS: The Union Square substation will ultimately need to be moved in order facilitate the extension of the Green Line to Porter, and this relocation will require long-term planning and coordination; and

WHEREAS: Neighboring municipalities have found creative solutions to place electrical equipment underground, coordinated with the large-scale commercial developments that particularly require the expansion of these facilities;

WHEREAS: Somerville is dedicated to equitable citywide planning, to ensure that the impacts of such infrastructure do not fall disproportionately on certain neighborhoods; NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT

RESOLVED: That the Director of Infrastructure and Asset Management, the Director of Engineering, the Commissioner of Public Works, the Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, along with any other appropriate departments, work with Eversource and any other relevant utilities to create a mid- and long-term comprehensive plan for the location of our growing electrical infrastructure.