East Somerville Pin-Up Ideas: 4 – SomervillebyDesign

This is the fourth of multiple posts covering all of the ideas generated at the Somerville by Design: East Somerville Design Charrette that was held September 30 – October 2, 2013. We have numbered all of the images so that it is easier to reference them when providing feedback.

Feedback should be provided using the comments section below to facilitate discussion among the entire community of East Somerville for each idea presented. For any further questions, please contact the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development at 617-625-6600.

CONCEPT 8

This idea focuses on what the project team called “The Somerville Gateway”, an intersection that functions as the an entrance to Somerville for pedestrians coming from the Sullivan Square T Station; drivers from Interstate 93; and drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians from Assembly Square. On the north side of Broadway is a municipal metered parking lot to the east and a successful automobile oriented business known as Broadway Brake to the west. On the south side of Broadway, to the east of Mt Vernon St. is a collection of buildings that includes the popular Mt Vernon Restaurant & Pub. To the west is the successful Boulter Plywood Co.

In 2010 this area of Broadway was up-zoned with a selection of districts that increased the development potential of these properties to take advantage of the close proximity of Sullivan Station and other regional transportation connections nearby. Some of the existing buildings, such as the Mt. Vernon Restaurant, are expected to stay because they are already multi-story, mixed-use buildings. However, each of these parcels could accommodate redevelopment that would contribute a small share of the “enhancement” called for along the commercial corridors of Somerville by the City’s Comprehensive Master Plan: SomerVision.

The series of images below were created to explore transit oriented infill development on these sites. The task at hand was to understand the feasibility of potential redevelopment and test the zoning to identify any problems.