Assembly Square Infill and Small Developments | Somerville

[Boston02124]

 

[DigitalSciGuy]

There's more than a whiff of Celebration/Seaside-ish type development here. It may not be the best comparison as they are decidedly suburban but the sense of artifice is the same. A degree of this is probably unavoidable when starting from scratch and hopefully the rest of the Assembly buildout mitigates a lot of it. The weakest architecture here, not surprisingly, is the old-timey stuff. The attempt at a yesteryear look only reinforces a theme park atmosphere.

Absolutely. I really do appreciate the neighbourhood that's growing here and it's becoming a really dynamic place as more storefronts open up, but it still falls into this uncanny valley of urban design that's trying too hard to exude authenticity. The renders of the other buildings don't make me too hopeful that it'll feel any less like an upscale outdoor mall, like what WS Development has tried to pull off with The Street.

If not for the street-level design, will the sheer height/mass of the 3 additional buildings mitigate the Downtown Disney-feel? I so want to believe that this can feel something other than artificial...

 

[atlantaden]

Obviously the people love being here according to Davem, the place is packed to the gills every night. That's a bad thing? And so what if the place has a "whiff of Celebration or Seaside". People spend literally thousands of dollars to visit (and live in) these places along with visiting Disney's Main Street and Downtown Disney, etc. Many people wish to escape their usual environment for a few hours in surroundings that are pleasant, with architecture, in some cases, that provides a glimpse of a long past century. Seems like the architects got it right, the place is attractive, festive, and comfortable. And most importantly, it's packed! Isn't that one of the roles of good architecture? To provide a place that the public wishes to be?

 

[George_Apley]

Again, for those calling this "artificial", what sort of master-developer driven redevelopment would you rather see? Is what you see as "artificial" it inherent to this sort of development, or do you think a more "real" feel could have been accomplished better in this case?

 

[statler]

I think people are hoping for a new North End or Back Bay. Sadly, that's never going to happen. If I'm wrong and other places are building those types of 'organic' neighborhoods, I'd love to learn about them.

 

[Peterborough]

Living there I personally think the artificial-ness comes from

a) the lack of height differences between buildings
b) giant parking lots
c) lack of a pharmacy/grocery store

All of those will be fixed over the next 2-3 years. Would've been nicer if the 4 core buildings that already exist had a little bit of height disparity but can't do much about that.

 

[DigitalSciGuy]

Living there I personally think the artificial-ness comes from

a) the lack of height differences between buildings
b) giant parking lots
c) lack of a pharmacy/grocery store

All of those will be fixed over the next 2-3 years. Would've been nicer if the 4 core buildings that already exist had a little bit of height disparity but can't do much about that.

Yeah, I think this might be it. And don't get me wrong, I love going there if only for the things that are there - that's why people are there, not necessarily as a vote to the place evoking peaceful feelings about cute downtowns or successful artificial authenticity. I spend money at David's Tea for the tea inside, not for whatever knick-knack paddywhack old timey decor they might put outside or on the building to make it look like some Martha Stewart remix of the North End, but spending money there is not a direct vote for how positively whatever architectural flourishes might make me feel.

I was again hoping to elicit a more constructive dialogue about what the new buildings might bring to abate the off-putting artificiality, but maybe I've not spent enough time here to get what you folks will and will not go off on...

And yeah, truthfully, I'm not sure if I'm necessarily looking for a facsimile of the North End so much as something that doesn't feel like it's trying so hard to feel authentic? Yeah, maybe on the other end, you have completely flat, undetailed modern facades that get billed as not having character. But there's got to be some successful examples out there that sit on one or the other side of the uncanny valley. Yeah, maybe the only real way to remedy this is with more variety in building height along the street wall, as is coming in the two adjacent buildings.

 

[Arlington]

If "has a supermarket" is the test for "authentic " (vs artificial), then the North End and Harvard Square would have to be ranked "artificial" too.

 

[Justin7]

If "has a supermarket" is the test for "authentic " (vs artificial), then the North End and Harvard Square would have to be ranked "artificial" too.

^Replace supermarket with "somewhere to buy groceries."

Still a bit of an oversimplification, but I think these things are important.

 

[davem]

I typically tell people I live in The Real World: Disney. The giraffe and AVAs loby reinforce that. It's freaking weird, but its also really, really nice. Another of my friends says it reminds her of new developments in Maryland, which I totally get.

As for groceries, the K-Mart is getting better at keeping its "dairy" cooler stocked (milk, eggs, butter), and they have a few aisles of really really basic food. The walk to stop and shop isn't too bad either, despite the route under 93 being really gross.

 

[Ruairi]

The walk to stop and shop isn't too bad either, despite the route under 93 being really gross.

I know it's been covered here before but I can't fathom why the developer or the city haven't made any effort with this?

One of the other things that niggle at me about Assembly is the way JP licks backs on to a street. The concrete wall with the weird signs on it. kind of makes the street with the pizza place on it more like an alley. no idea how they couldn't figure out a better solution to this.

 

[Brad Plaid]

Maybe part of the unrealness of this place is it's unnatural sterileness. Not even a casual amount of litter on the sidewalks and certainly nothing like a homeless person pushing a shopping cart down the street. It's been made safe for the middle class and their kids who in general seem to prefer a predictable, themed urban experience rather than the real thing, Central Square it is not. Not saying that wanting this is "wrong" but all in all it's too Stepford Wives for me.

 

[Shepard]

Until the entire entire area between the tracks, 93 and 28 is Assemblified (bye-bye Staples, K-Mart, TJ Maxx, Home Depot, and all the attendant parking lots) it will always feel artificial to me. I know that's not fair. I know that you shouldn't judge something that's not at full-build as if it were. But still, I can't shake the feeling of being in an artificial oasis across a desolate parking lot from a sea of Big Box.

The good news is that I think it will happen. Possibly as soon as within 10 years, if the market stays hot.

The other thing about Assembly I can't shake is the slimy corporate veneer of AVA. Why can't they just manage apartments? Why do they need to be an in-your-face lifestyle brand? AVA is like the Sweetgreen of real estate.

The walk to stop and shop isn't too bad either, despite the route under 93 being really gross.

It looks like there's a pedestrian underpass from the back of K-Mart (by the Dunkin' sign) to the back of S&S. Is that what you're referring to?

 

[davem]

It looks like there's a pedestrian underpass from the back of K-Mart (by the Dunkin' sign) to the back of S&S. Is that what you're referring to?

Yeah, this: https://www.google.com/maps/@42.392...4!1sR6rYgwDGV5spoZ0lyWCCVA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

With it being a holiday week I'm only working like two days, so I've had lots of picture and wandering time. It's actually kind of slow today, I assume everyones out of town.

Weekly concert set up:

The street next to the back of JP Licks is actually a pretty sucessful shared street. Cars or the most part stay off it, and people walk right in the middle. They close it to traffic on weekends.

Morning coffee:

I'm glad they are putting our juvenile prison population to good use:

(I actually let out a laugh at these daycare kids all in orange shirts behind a chain link fence)

Next building is going here (condos, IIRC):

Partners. The hole in the middle (that lines up with Assembly Row) and the few breaks in the facade actually do help break up how freaking big this thing is going to be.

Where the water tower was. They must have dragged the top and bottom somewhere else, the rusty steel are the legs. The whole dirt patch is going to be a pedestrian plaza at full build:

One from the roof (aka my sun deck):

 

[whighlander]

Maybe part of the unrealness of this place is it's unnatural sterileness. Not even a casual amount of litter on the sidewalks and certainly nothing like a homeless person pushing a shopping cart down the street. It's been made safe for the middle class and their kids who in general seem to prefer a predictable, themed urban experience rather than the real thing, Central Square it is not. Not saying that wanting this is "wrong" but all in all it's too Stepford Wives for me.

Common Brad -- admit it -- you just want the whiff of .... fill in your favorite urban stench

or perhaps you long for the stray bullets pinging off the bricks or sidewalks

Nice and clean are not necessarily incompatible with a "liveable urban space" -- in point of fact the slippery slope leading to urban decay and "West Baltimore-ization" starts somewhere between:
1) the "edginess" of a casual amount of litter on the sidewalks ... [with the occasional] homeless person pushing a shopping cart down the street " and
2) the decidedly unpleasant broken windows and boarded up shops

Assembly just needs some time to get its neighborhood fully "made" -- it wont be another North End, or Back Bay, anymore than JP, Eastie or even Beacon Hill is either

 

[davem]

My phone kinda sucks at night, but I thought these were with sharing anyway

 

[datadyne007]

Hot damn, that is hoppin'. Is there any talk of a tenant for the office building?

 

[davem]

The top floor is mostly occupied.

 

[BeeLine]

https://flic.kr/p/vxi8f1
https://flic.kr/p/vvx2Uu

 

[datadyne007]

The walk to stop and shop isn't too bad either, despite the route under 93 being really gross.

Timely article just popped up...

Redesigning This Somerville Highway Underpass Is More About Function Than Fashion
Nick DeLuca - Staff Writer
07/06/15 @1:52pm in City News

While MassDOT was securing approval for a similar development project that includes public space and greenery beneath a stretch of I-93 through Boston's South End – part of MassDOT's Infra-Space program to revamp areas situated beneath elevated structures – East Somerville Main Streets (ESMS) was garnering support for MassDOT and the City of Somerville to re-imagine the Kensington Underpass per the Infra-Space model.

The truth is ESMS and WalkBoston, who have partnered together for neighborhood walks and various local programming efforts to advocate for smarter pedestrian thruways in the city, are looking at multiple scenarios for how best to revamp the underpass including the Infra-Space endeavor. Infra-Space, it seems, could provide the most fruitful yield.

...

The Kensington Underpass is designed in a way that permits a passerby to enter only after crossing one way of fast-paced Route 38 traffic in one direction. Upon exiting, one must again cross Route 38 traffic this time in the other direction.

There's no stoplight, yield sign or notable warning for zooming cars to be wary of pedestrians and cyclists hoping to cross unscathed save for a single set of blinking lights at each end. This might be enough to secure safe passage if this section of Route 38 wasn't in the midst of an on- and off-ramp.

"Incorporating an arts project while creating safe transportation connections between neighborhoods is a win-win. We're hopeful that improving the street crossing on the approach to the underpass would be a priority as part of the project, too," said Brendan Kearney, Communications Manager at WalkBoston. "Drivers treat this section of the road as an extended acceleration zone before the 93 on-ramp, and don't expect people walking or biking here; re-painted lane lines and a raised crosswalk would go a long way to improving safety for everyone."

...

MassDOT is currently soliciting a Request for Ideas (RFI), for which the City of Somerville offered up thoughts based on discussions its had with ESMS, WalkBoston and others.

"We’ve submitted our Infra-Space nomination form for Kensington underpass, for Broadway under I-93, and for the Gilman Street underpass under McGrath Highway," Daniel DeMaina, City of Somerville Media Manager, told me in an email. "The response from MassDOT to the information we submitted has been positive, and we will be working with the State this summer to advance the process."

The City of Somerville has also contacted Freight Farms, a local startup that allows customers to grow gardens in recycled shipping containers, to possibly set up a few of its farm products to bolster local food production and distribution in the area.

Freight Farms is currently serving the Boston Latin School and Corner Stalk Farms in East Boston to name just a few of its local clients, and is currently working with Somerville as well as Boston and Cambridge for turning under-used spaces, like those beneath highways, into sustainable growing areas.

Full article:
http://bostinno.streetwise.co/2015/...lopment-kensington-underpass-design-proposal/