Union Place project wraps up phase 3

By Catherine Rogers

  The Union Place development team is moving closer to making Union Square a destination point and helping Somerville shake off its infamous reputation for stalled developments.
  Located on Norfolk Street off Webster Avenue within walking distance from Union Square, Union Place spans two acres of land designated for use by residents and small-business owners.
  ‚ÄúEventually, Union Place and Webster Ave. might be a gateway to the city,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúThere is no reason why Union Square can‚Äôt become a thrilling center of urban activity,‚Äù said the site‚Äôs developer David Aposhian.

  At a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Dec. 10, Wainwright Bank & Trust Co. announced a loan of $3.5 million to the Somerville Housing Group Trust for Union Place. The project is the first city-approved Planned Unit Development (PUD).
  The money will pay for construction and the soft costs ‚Äì architectural design and planning ‚Äì for the project that, according to the developers, is halfway finished.
  ‚ÄúWe took a shot in an area that no one wanted to consider,‚Äù said Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston.
   Aposhian agreed that building Union Place was a risk worth taking. He said their efforts have increased local property values and contributed to available affordable housing, but also the future of Union Square is looking bright.   
   Developers Aposhian and Margo Grossberg, of the Somerville Housing Group, have worked since 2000 to construct the 35-unit building as a ‚Äúpedestrian paradise‚Äù featuring open space and a foot-travel-friendly layout.

   ‚ÄúThe PUD process allows a more drawn-out, intellectual, free-range conversation to occur between the community, the government and the developers,‚Äù said Aposhian.

     A successful PUD centers on an awareness of the location‚Äôs geographical context and preservation of open space, environmental, and historical assets, he said.
    The requirements for a PUD are exhaustive, including criteria ranging from spatial regulations to the shadows cast by tall buildings: 50 percent of the land be classified as open space, and a non-residential building cannot put another building in the shade during mid-day hours.

    Union Place was also subject to the affordable housing concerns that the PUDs address. The developers exceeded the minimum of 12 percent affordable units by 6 percent.

    ‚ÄúUsually developers just do the minimum, but [Aposhian and Grossberg] have gone above and beyond,‚Äù said Heuston.

     The benefits to adhering to ‚Äì or surpassing ‚Äì these stringent regulations are clear: ultimately, the new developments will attract consumers and residents to Union Square, while beginning to lose Somerville and Boston‚Äôs infamous reputation for stalled development projects.

      Aposhian said, ‚ÄúBoston is the poster-child for how cities don‚Äôt get things done efficiently because of tribal warfare.‚Äù