Assembly Square Infill and Small Developments | Somerville

Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

czsz said:
So it's Station Landing, Phase II. Except there's a river between it and Phase I.

Hooray for the northern Orange Line TOD archipelago. Note that living here carless will be almost impossible, though, given the smallness and isolation of the development. The transit link really only takes cars off the road that are commuting, not those performing other tasks (who that lives here is going to depend on taking the OL for everything not included in this little enclave?)
Click to expand...

CZ -- So

The goal of Transit Oriented Development is not to force people to live car-less -- its to let people chose to live with easy access to transit and enable them to have a different type of lifestyle than the traditional pure urban or suburban

Note that few who will take advantage of walk-up to Assembly Sq. Station are driving now -- so few cars will be displaced -- most of the people who will use the Orange Line at Assembly Sq. are not yet living in the immediate area. They might alredy be living:
a) in Cambridge and walking to class or lab as a student
b) in some suburb and driving on Rt-128 to a suburban office / lab complex
c) still outside the Greater Boston Area -- yet to be hired and move
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

From what I can tell, most of the Ames Envelope buildings have been quickly reused for other industrial and commercial purposes. Tearing any of them (or similar industrial buildings elsewhere in Somerville) down for parking lots would be a travesty and a great misuse of our scarce land.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

AdamBC said:
OOzzD.jpg
Click to expand...


http://www.bizjournals.com/boston/real_estate/2012/07/ikea-store-somerville-assembly-square.html

After months of reports questioning whether IKEA would finally build at all on Somerville's Assembly Square, the company has formally backed out of the development, according to a report.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

That graphic pretty much sums it up.

It probably would have been a kink in the long term urbanization of this area, though.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

This can be traced pretty directly to NIMBY douchebaggery from the denizens of Somerville. They forced so many conditions on the permit from every possible interest group that this never would have been viable. Everybody wanted a piece and now they have nothing.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

I guess they were too fearful of the Allston furniture district.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

Seems like the mayor is not that broken up about the cancelletion. In fact he seems to be headed for an expansion of what they have going with Assembly Row. The Assembly Row developer seems to be open to bid for the 12 acres Ikea will put up for sale. I think it's a much better use for the land. We don't need another big box. I hope they can keep Wal Mart out.
This is the globe article.
http://www.boston.com/businessupdat...ville-store/PfHS9vViEaT8p5rcBmWuxO/story.html
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

Although an IKEA would be useful, I would prefer an assembly sq. extension of housing and mixed use. For its flaws, its still better than a big box store.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

BeeLine said:
Seems like the mayor is not that broken up about the cancelletion. In fact he seems to be headed for an expansion of what they have going with Assembly Row. The Assembly Row developer seems to be open to bid for the 12 acres Ikea will put up for sale. I think it's a much better use for the land. We don't need another big box. I hope they can keep Wal Mart out.
This is the globe article.
http://www.boston.com/businessupdat...ville-store/PfHS9vViEaT8p5rcBmWuxO/story.html
Click to expand...

I agree with the Mayor. 15 years ago, the site had nothing better going for it than a possible IKEA (no shoreline park, no transit...just a post-industrial brownfield). But by now, with the T coming, it is much more suited to "downtown" uses. IKEA doesn't need "downtown" stores...they're quite happy in industrial areas and in the middle of nowhere. If transit access were critical for success, they'd have built even the Stoughton store by commuter rail (but didn't). At this point, IKEA will make a tidy profit selling the lot to someone with "better and higher" uses.

Roughly speaking, College kids buy "big" furniture once for 4 years, once upon graduation, and then make a couple of "stock up" and refresher trips...not a big generator of transit trips. We can dream of IKEA trips by transit, but the reality is it was always going to be a road-clogger and not a transit-compatible use.

And IKEA is satisfied that its customers are driving to Stoughton just fine. IKEAs apparently don't need to be any "closer in" than they are, say, in Greenbelt MD, and Elizabeth NJ (neither of which have transit).

Meanwhile apartment and office users in a transit-oriented development make 1 round trip *every day*...building apartments and offices for them at an Orange Line stop really makes much more sense.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

Can they rebuild Goodtimes now?
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

Semass: Ikea is not building anywhere in the US this year or next. They've had the permit to build in Assembly Square since 2009, with all of their plans fully approved.

Selling the parcel to Federal Realty is a logical next step. And I wonder if Robert Kraft and the Revolution are paying attention...
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

Oh i forgot about the stadium. This would literally be the perfect place for it. Accessible but also removed just enough so that if say bruce and paul wanted to play til 1 am they wouldn't have to pull the plug.

On that note, I saw the Revolution president on NECN in the spring and he said they would make an announcement soon, don't know though. Kraft seems to have found a way to keep busy. ;)
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

It would be nice to diversify ownership with this opportunity, though it's unlikely I imagine.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

Arlington said:
And IKEA is satisfied that its customers are driving to Stoughton just fine. IKEAs apparently don't need to be any "closer in" than they are, say, in Greenbelt MD, and Elizabeth NJ (neither of which have transit).
Click to expand...

Agree with most of what you've said, although you should know there's an Ikea in Brooklyn now. The store actually pays for a coach bus to pick people up at nearby subway stops, as well as a ferry (!) to connect it with Manhattan by sea.

Of course it's impractical for most people to haul their stuff back by these modes, unless they're buying smaller items (and I'd guess since it's relatively easy to access they get more day trippers and people buying smaller items than the average Ikea). Most people seem to take livery cabs, which do really brisk business there.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

Now we can build something without surrounding it with parking lots. Huzzah!

Perhaps even something that will take advantage of freight rail access. But lets not get too carried away.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

With the loss of IKEA, I was trying to think about ways to bring in a specialty retail draw without sprawling parking lots and Dave & Busters actually came to mind. It could easily be fitted out into the ground/second/third floors of a new building and would be a huge nightlife draw for the district. It would keep people there afterhours along with the movie theater and restaurants. Unlike South Shore Plaza (which is nearly impossible to access on the T), Assembly Square/Row will have superb transit access to get the college students and young families in to drink and play.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

Arlington said:
I agree with the Mayor. 15 years ago, the site had nothing better going for it than a possible IKEA (no shoreline park, no transit...just a post-industrial brownfield). But by now, with the T coming, it is much more suited to "downtown" uses. IKEA doesn't need "downtown" stores...they're quite happy in industrial areas and in the middle of nowhere. If transit access were critical for success, they'd have built even the Stoughton store by commuter rail (but didn't). At this point, IKEA will make a tidy profit selling the lot to someone with "better and higher" uses.

Roughly speaking, College kids buy "big" furniture once for 4 years, once upon graduation, and then make a couple of "stock up" and refresher trips...not a big generator of transit trips. We can dream of IKEA trips by transit, but the reality is it was always going to be a road-clogger and not a transit-compatible use.

And IKEA is satisfied that its customers are driving to Stoughton just fine. IKEAs apparently don't need to be any "closer in" than they are, say, in Greenbelt MD, and Elizabeth NJ (neither of which have transit).

Meanwhile apartment and office users in a transit-oriented development make 1 round trip *every day*...building apartments and offices for them at an Orange Line stop really makes much more sense.
Click to expand...

The New Haven Ikea will be connected to the nearby Train station and surround Transit Network , The Elizabeth Ikea is getting either a Light Metro or Heavy Rail line down the road and the Brooklyn Ikea is connected into the Bus and Ferry network. The Philly Ikea is getting light Rail and streetcars along with Ferry stops in the future...
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

Nexis4jersey said:
The New Haven Ikea will be connected to the nearby Train station and surround Transit Network , The Elizabeth Ikea is getting either a Light Metro or Heavy Rail line down the road and the Brooklyn Ikea is connected into the Bus and Ferry network. The Philly Ikea is getting light Rail and streetcars along with Ferry stops in the future...
Click to expand...

And the Stoughton Ikea will get the state dumping millions into widening 24 to declog the horrible backups at that exit every single weekend.:rolleyes:

Unfortunately it's just far enough away from Stoughton CR station on one side and BAT's Ashmont-Brockton bus on the other side to be in a permanent transit cavity.
 
Re: Assembly Square Redevelopment

So where does this leave the Orange Line stop? Wasn't IKEA paying for it? Sorry if it got mentioned and I'm missing it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top