Union Square area residents joined city representatives and design consultants for a discussion about the future development of the region.

By Josie Grove

The old post office building near Union Square hosted a Somerville By Design meeting last Wednesday evening, showing one way old space can have a new use. But the emphasis at that neighborhood planning session was on creating new spaces where old ones no longer work. Over sixty Union Square residents heard presentations from the city and design consultants about the progress of the neighborhood plan.

“The neighborhood plan is an aspirational document,” says Russ Preston of Principle Group, the design consultants working with the city to plan Somerville’s redevelopment. Now, the designers and city planners are approaching a cohesive plan for the neighborhood, which will be finished this fall. Last week’s meeting was the latest in a series where residents expressed what they wanted in the Union Square redevelopment, and designers responded with ideas.

Since the last meeting, residents used an online survey to express their opinions about building height, public spaces, and the division of larger lots. Union Square residents have been vocal about what they want and need from the redevelopment, and Preston is glad to have the residents’ guidance. “This is the lens through which we filter the planning,” said Preston.

Attendees at the meeting offered their suggestions on what they would like to see happen in the Union Square area.

The survey did not reveal a strong consensus from Union Square neighbors on how they see the neighborhood. To find the best way forward, Preston says, “We need to study all options further to get at the environmental, economic, and quality of life benefits.”

What is clear is the need for a more walkable neighborhood, and the desire for more vibrant public life. Preston showed how Union Square could accommodate more parks, and even a plaza as large as Copley Square, as well as less-dramatic improvements to make the streets feel more vital.

“Streets are where public life happens in Somerville,” said Preston. “And the life of the street is really the first floor of buildings.” He emphasized widening the sidewalks to twelve feet to better accommodate pedestrians. “It might seem like a small detail, but widening the sidewalks is really connected to these larger goals we’re trying to establish throughout the process.”

Parsing large lots into smaller pieces would also serve to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. That way, sidewalks could run between buildings to make walking more convenient. “What we’ve tried to do is redesign the existing space to make it more functional,” said Preston.

The plan would prioritize pedestrians over cars, in keeping with the neighborhood’s goals. “Throughout the process, people have been saying we should put the pedestrian first,” said Preston. To that end, the neighborhood plan features wider sidewalks and reconfigured intersections, as well as a new neighborhood path along the T tracks.

Key to a more walkable Somerville is more density, and greater building height. Preston says taller buildings would work in Union Square. “We went through shadow impact studies, and height would be appropriate here.” Some of the concept drawings showed buildings over five stories tall. Preston specified that after the fifth story, the floors would have to be set back to make the building less imposing, with height tapering down to four stories at the edge of the square to blend in with the rest of the neighborhood.

Taller buildings, and their effect on neighborhood character, have been a concern for many Somerville residents, but George Proakis, Somerville’s Director of Planning, defended taller buildings as more in keeping with Somerville’s historic character. He said that Union Square was once ringed with five-story buildings.

Later in the meeting, Carson Bise, of fiscal consulting firm TischlerBise, presented about the impact of redevelopment on the city’s finances. Redevelopment would incur significant expense, including an estimated $23 million for a new public safety building, but Bise says Union Square’s redevelopment will pay off for the city in the long run. “Around year 21, surpluses are around $3 million per year.” Much of this surplus would come from tax revenue collected from new commercial development. Bise is confident about Somerville’s capacity to handle the redevelopment projects ahead, saying the city is well prepared for the challenge, with a strong planning department and fiscal situation.

The plan’s fiscal impact will be clearer when the plan for a new Union Square is finished. “We’re about two-thirds of the way through the neighborhood planning process,” said Preston. A final neighborhood plan will be finished this fall, with more opportunity over the summer for input from neighbors.