Assembly Square Infill and Small Developments | Somerville

stick n move said:
Whats the reason they put the garages above ground in Assembly?
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Probably because of the water table. Having to constantly pump out water to prevent people's cars from being submerged in water seems less than ideal.
 
The land is also a former industrial site. I expect that minimizing the excavation and remediation would impact the foundation choices.
 
Jouhou's and RandomWalk's reasons seem to work together to favor above ground structured parking:
1) Brownfield site, assume toxics under there
2) Water table, structured parking below ground is long-term expensive
3) Expense: above ground is cheaper if you have the space
4) For now they have the space above ground, and a rail line they could "turn their back on"

IIRC they said that as the neighborhood gets more transit-oriented,* they like that they've left themselves the option of asking the city to adjust the parking minimums downward and tear down (some of) the parking and build infill residential/commercial/retail

*...as tastes change, as commuting patterns shift, as the Orange Line gets transformed, as the area becomes "worth paying" for parking (or the hassle of validating), as other nodes densify, if the Urban Ring BRT/LRV gets routed through....
 
I recall reading something a while ago about the parking garages being designed in such a way for future conversion to office space once parking demand dips, either by autonomous cars or transit improvements/shifts in commuting patterns. I thought it was Audi that was testing this, but I can only find their automated parking lot concept for Somerville online. I tried a quick search, and could only find an Amazon HQ2 proposal for Assembly Square that mentioned block 21 has been designed in the same manner.
 
To be honest, I'll be very surprised if the garages are ever converted to something else. Too many people go to Assembly from places that aren't Orange Line adjacent and the T will probably never be the main mode for visitors. Folks from Medford and Somerville will almost always drive there if they can because the Orange Line doesn't serve adjacent communities (Wellington doesn't count because it's in view across the river), and bus coverage will be sloppy because of Assembly's awkward geography. 93 and 28 will continue to be major feeders for visitors to Assembly, and they're going to be coming in cars. At what point would the owner decide to axe garage space? They can just keep raising prices and milk the visitors for a long time to come.

*Maybe* if Orange goes to Reading and gets a park & ride at Quannapowitt and Green Urban Rings from Kendall through Sullivan and Assembly on its way to Encore and Chelsea... maybe.
 
Here's hoping that we emulate Portland Oregon and build a LRV/BRT/Bike/Ped bridge for the Urban Ring whose southern landing is at Assembly (and other end at Casino or Wellington)
 
Arlington said:
Here's hoping that we emulate Portland Oregon and build a LRV/BRT/Bike/Ped bridge for the Urban Ring whose southern landing is at Assembly (and other end at Casino or Wellington)
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Agreed. Would probably be to the Casino because there's nowhere for LRV to easily go via Wellington unless you're really blowing up Rte 16.
 
Arlington said:
...as the area becomes "worth paying" for parking (or the hassle of validating)....
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Just for the record, and for those who didn't already know, parking in the garages at Assembly is no longer totally free. You have to scan a credit card on entry and exit, the first few hours (maybe 2 or 3?) are free, and beyond that the price of parking escalates. It's currently cheap enough that it won't really deter visitors shopping, but also expensive enough that it makes treating those garages as a park-and-ride not super appealing.

Now that the system is set up, it'll be no effort at all to adjust prices going forward.

George_Apley said:
To be honest, I'll be very surprised if the garages are ever converted to something else. Too many people go to Assembly from places that aren't Orange Line adjacent and the T will probably never be the main mode for visitors. Folks from Medford and Somerville will almost always drive there if they can because the Orange Line doesn't serve adjacent communities (Wellington doesn't count because it's in view across the river), and bus coverage will be sloppy because of Assembly's awkward geography. 93 and 28 will continue to be major feeders for visitors to Assembly, and they're going to be coming in cars. At what point would the owner decide to axe garage space? They can just keep raising prices and milk the visitors for a long time to come.
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Yes, this. Assembly is super transit accessible from the Orange Line Corridor but transit inaccessible from just about everywhere else. Plus a lot of Assembly is more of an "off-peak" destination, and even people who commute purely by transit are more likely to travel by car in their leisure time.

If we do get to a day when travel to Assembly requires less parking, then it will likely make sense to keep the existing garages as is and just include less parking in future projects (e.g., all the buildings that will eventually go up on all the surface lots).
 
JumboBuc said:
Just for the record, and for those who didn't already know, parking in the garages at Assembly is no longer totally free. You have to scan a credit card on entry and exit, the first few hours (maybe 2 or 3?) are free, and beyond that the price of parking escalates. It's currently cheap enough that it won't really deter visitors shopping, but also expensive enough that it makes treating those garages as a park-and-ride not super appealing.

Now that the system is set up, it'll be no effort at all to adjust prices going forward.



Yes, this. Assembly is super transit accessible from the Orange Line Corridor but transit inaccessible from just about everywhere else. Plus a lot of Assembly is more of an "off-peak" destination, and even people who commute purely by transit are more likely to travel by car in their leisure time.

If we do get to a day when travel to Assembly requires less parking, then it will likely make sense to keep the existing garages as is and just include less parking in future projects (e.g., all the buildings that will eventually go up on all the surface lots).
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Yes that was done mainly because of the abuse of people parking all day and riding into Boston. You may also notice in the outdoor Kmart lot, each space has sensors that monitor how long a car stays, so they can tow if you stay over the limit.

The garages were built mainly from a cost perspective. Check out other projects by the developer down in the mid Atlantic, all above ground.
 
JumboBuc said:
Just for the record, and for those who didn't already know, parking in the garages at Assembly is no longer totally free. You have to scan a credit card on entry and exit, the first few hours (maybe 2 or 3?) are free, and beyond that the price of parking escalates. It's currently cheap enough that it won't really deter visitors shopping, but also expensive enough that it makes treating those garages as a park-and-ride not super appealing.

Now that the system is set up, it'll be no effort at all to adjust prices going forward.
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This has been the case for a few years now. It's free for at least three hours. I think I was charged $2 at some point in the spring. I went for drinks and then saw Avengers: Endgame and it put me over. It's definitely not an expensive parking setup. Though to be fair, I haven't ever tried park there for a day to use the T (I'm a Somerville resident and park on the street near Sullivan if I ever need to do that). I think I saw them advertising $10 all-day parking w/ advance purchase somewhere, but I can't recall. That's not much worse than nearby lots during the weekday. Sullivan is $9 I think.

Yes, this. Assembly is super transit accessible from the Orange Line Corridor but transit inaccessible from just about everywhere else. Plus a lot of Assembly is more of an "off-peak" destination, and even people who commute purely by transit are more likely to travel by car in their leisure time.

If we do get to a day when travel to Assembly requires less parking, then it will likely make sense to keep the existing garages as is and just include less parking in future projects (e.g., all the buildings that will eventually go up on all the surface lots).
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I agree, and that's very much by design. I have only ever used the Orange Line to get there from downtown. If I go to Assembly from home, I drive. It's great that Assembly is transit accessible, but that's more of a benefit for the people who live there. Shoppers/Diners/Visitors are mostly going to drive. Given the location, I don't think they can sustain a healthy retail/dining scene without catering to drivers. This isn't Davis or Union where it's the hub of a larger urban area. It's an outpost.
 
I wish that the 90 bus ran more frequently. That's the only other decent transit to Assembly, and connects to the rest of Somerville.
 
Lrfox said:
Given the location, I don't think they can sustain a healthy retail/dining scene without catering to drivers. This isn't Davis or Union where it's the hub of a larger urban area. It's an outpost.
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Just to think about...
Union Square Households: 6,258
https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/Massachusetts/Somerville/Union-Square/Population

Assembly Square Households today: ~1000 units built + 300 hotel rooms.
There are 850 more opening within the next 2 years. I would count another 500 in Ten Hills. That "Assembly's Edge" would add another hotel and 200 Res tower, but I haven't heard anything new about it in a year...

It might not be a "downtown," but it's bigger than an "outpost" like what they're building up in Woburn or Burlington. Also - I would argue that they WANT it to cater to drivers as well. There is a large crowd that comes in from the suburbs who consider it a "city experience" without actually going downtown.
 
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Vagabond said:
Just to think about...
Union Square Households: 6,258
https://statisticalatlas.com/neighborhood/Massachusetts/Somerville/Union-Square/Population

Assembly Square Households today: ~1000 units built + 300 hotel rooms.
There are 850 more opening within the next 2 years. I would count another 500 in Ten Hills. That "Assembly's Edge" would add another hotel and 200 Res tower, but I haven't heard anything new about it in a year...

It might not be a "downtown," but it's bigger than an "outpost" like what they're building up in Woburn or Burlington. Also - I would argue that they WANT it to cater to drivers as well. There is a large crowd that comes in from the suburbs who consider it a "city experience" without actually going downtown.
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Union and Davis are incorporated into the fabric of Camberville (god I hate that, but it's an efficient portmanteau) in ways that Assembly just isn't, and the businesses and development pattern are much more centered on the neighborhood than Assembly, which is designed as a destination with a neighborhood, rather than a neighborhood that is also a destination. Obviously Assembly has a growing population, but parsing "downtown" vs "outpost" vs something in-between is pedantic. Inasmuch as Assembly is incorporated into its surroundings, it's definitely an outpost in my opinion.

Regardless, we all seem to agree that Assembly both needs and wants drivers to visit the area, and that it's highly unlikely that the existing garages will ever be converted to other uses.
 
cden4 said:
I wish that the 90 bus ran more frequently. That's the only other decent transit to Assembly, and connects to the rest of Somerville.
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Bus frequencies are being improved on the 90 bus starting next week by eliminating Wellington from the route. It didn't do a complete review, but it looks like headways are being reduced by 5-15 mins throughout the day.

Changes to Bus Route 90 | Better Bus Project | MBTA

Official website of the MBTA -- schedules, maps, and fare information for Greater Boston's public transportation system, including subway, commuter rail, bus routes, and boat lines.
www.mbta.com www.mbta.com
 
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