At the same time that the State's Executive Office of Transportation is holding public meetings on the actual construction of the lines, four local community organizations have been holding meetings to help Somervillians adjust to the idea of seven new train stops. These four local organizations are known collectively as the Community Corridor Planning, a non-profit coalition made up of Groundwork Somerville, Somerville Community Health Agenda, Somerville Community Corporation and STEP. "We have been working for eight months and have been holding meetings," says Jennifer Lawrence of Groundwork Somerville in last Wednesday's meeting. The CCP has nothing to do with the actual stations; their concern is instead with the half-mile radius outside each station, making sure that it has sufficient splendor and appeal for residents, those traveling through, and possible new local businesses. Much of this meeting was interactive; mirroring what is done in a classroom, with group exercises and a big paper pad in place of a blackboard.

Abi Vladeck, a summer intern at SCC and Active Citizenship Summer Fellow through Tufts' Tisch College introduced the group exercise portion of meeting, saying "…imagine that it's, let's say, ten years from now," instructing the residents in attendance to use all their pertinent senses to "envision yourself on this path." People heard trolley screeches and cell phones, saw bike lanes and blue skies, and smelled coffee and donuts from nearby bakeries. "And there's going to be more college students," added Manish Lama of East Somerville. Jorge Castillo works in Somerville and is concerned about the local businesses when the new stations open. "It will probably be good for big business," he says during the group exercises portion of the meeting. Still others contend that the opening of the new stations will be beneficial to locally run businesses. Jennifer Lawrence of Groundwork Somerville said this kind of discussion is helpful because it makes certain that "…they [the State] take us into consideration – the businesses, the parents, the students," saying also that meetings like this one make us more certain "…how it [the Green Line extension] will affect everyone's lives."