Assembly Square Infill and Small Developments | Somerville

Perhaps I don't have enough clout on this forum to say so, but I will anyway. This place is close to 50 years away from what it will be. You have North Point being developed, the Green Line being extended, Sullivan Square and then the rest of the stupid Assembly Mall being demolished and a regular street grid being established. Never mind river crossing upgrades, the casino, and hey, let's consider whether or not the gosh darn ocean is going to rise. This is going to be a VASTLY different place in 20-30, if not 50 years.

I think this a good start.
 
I dont think anybody thinks that assembly is a failure. People are just underwhelmed, but its still very successful and I have never heard any complaints by regular people. It definitely will get better with time, but its already off to a very good start.

I dont think the seaport comparisons stack up because they are 2 completely different ideas. Assembly is a new downtown for an entire city. The seaport is barely filled in and its an extension of downtown. In my opinion both are coming along nicely and will be just fine. The seaport has bigger problems though with transit, but Im a firm believe that once the M parcels and pier 4 are complete this is going to be a very nice neighborhood. 1 Seaport square isnt even done yet and people are bashing it. Lets wait and see what the final product turns into because it may be a huge success.
 
Cortes said:
Perhaps I don't have enough clout on this forum to say so, but I will anyway. This place is close to 50 years away from what it will be. You have North Point being developed, the Green Line being extended, Sullivan Square and then the rest of the stupid Assembly Mall being demolished and a regular street grid being established. Never mind river crossing upgrades, the casino, and hey, let's consider whether or not the gosh darn ocean is going to rise. This is going to be a VASTLY different place in 20-30, if not 50 years.

I think this a good start.
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The problem with your 50 year theory is it helps to build a solid foundation first. Which would have been rapid transit to the area.

In 50 Years Biotech could consolidate or possibly blowout. It will definitely evolve. I'm just not sure the current developments in the Seaport will evolve.

Do you remember the old warehouses in Cambridge, Lynn, Fitchburgh were all the shoe factories went bankrupt and the warehouses sat for decades abandon?

The build-out in Seaport is a risk for the city of Boston in this area. This could fall like a domino if Biotech Blewout or a massive consolidation happened in the industry. And companies decided to scurry for cheaper rents back to Cambridge. I'm not saying this would happen but who would fill those Biotech Buildings if they became vacant? Not Ropes & Gray or the Financial Industry,

The Fallon buildings would need to be occupied by BLUE CHIPS to afford to maintain those types of buildings.
I like this comment "The monolithic superblocks" as datadyne claims:

Fallon and the City of Boston, BRA followed the Kendall Square Model which might not pan out the same for Boston in 50 years.

My point on Assembly Vs Seaport
Assembly is much more vibrant and active: More fun.
Seaport sucks--Remy's, LTK, Legals Roof Deck, NO ENERGY in this area at all except TRAFFIC and whole lot of walking to nothing.
Assembly Instant MBTA access right into the core of the fun.

Assembly was a good development: I'm not saying EPIC but it does feel like a movie studio.

The city & state should have built a stronger Transit Infrastructure in this area then build off that. BIG MISTAKES in the Long-term that are very costly for Boston concerning the Seaport Development.
 
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^ the seaport is like 20% built and its scattered because its not a masterplan from 1 developer. I think we all need to relax on the seaport for 5 years, and then reassess.
 
stick n move said:
^ the seaport is like 20% built and its scattered because its not a masterplan from 1 developer. I think we all need to relax on the seaport for 5 years, and then reassess.
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Exactly

Once again Riff is firing without aiming

A lot needs to be done in the Seaport / Innovation / ... --- and over the next decade a lot will be done --- its still essentially an enormous construction site

Yet roll back just 10 years and you can see how much -- almost amazing progress has happened in the district which is now in the process of expanding its boundaries as more and more developers start to get involved

Until the greater Assembly area starts to have the diversity of developers involved that are working in the Seaport area -- Assembly will look as some sort of Lego project [pun] since its all essentially the work of one team
 
Haha biotech is not going to "blowout". It is one of the fastest growing industries and with some of the biggest venture backing. Also, in the immediate seaport area (not innovation building), there are more law firms than major biotech firms.
 
falcon42 said:
Haha biotech is not going to "blowout". It is one of the fastest growing industries and with some of the biggest venture backing.
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Im just going to leave this here..... (...along with 'multimedia', 'fiber optics', and'.com retail')
 
CSTH said:
Im just going to leave this here..... (...along with 'multimedia', 'fiber optics', and'.com retail')
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Know your facts.

28% of all biotech VC $$$ in the entire US go to MA companies ($2.1 billion). In 2006, there was less than $1bil invested in MA biotech.

Employment in the industry has grown 37% over the last 10 years in MA alone.

7 of the top 15 NIH funded hospitals/labs are located in....MA

The highest bipharma manufacturing growth over the last 10 years (33.6%) belongs to who....MA

So yes, a blowout is imminent! Better start marketing those spaces in the Seaport!
 
Indeed - I work in the industry and I know the facts.

There's something like Murphy's law that says 'any trend that can't go on forever, won't". That's all I'm saying.

Anyway I'm happy to drop the issue so we can get back on topic.
 
stick n move said:
^ the seaport is like 20% built and its scattered because its not a masterplan from 1 developer. I think we all need to relax on the seaport for 5 years, and then reassess.
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Even if Seaport becomes successful it Fails. This area is in a NO WIN situation:
Traffic will be unbearable in the future in this area
Very bad planning from the state, city, BRA, MBTA management. Especially with all the Taxpayers money getting sucked into this area. This was an EPIC sham.
The only real access to Seaport would be by BOAT to get to one point or another.. There is no real instant access to the CORE of the Seaport.

At this point they probably should build sometype of Skyrail or Monorail over the water to connect to the Piers for the Foot traffic. I just think after the BIG DIG our officials are scared to propose anything that is built above.


falcon42 said:
Haha biotech is not going to "blowout". It is one of the fastest growing industries and with some of the biggest venture backing. Also, in the immediate seaport area (not innovation building), there are more law firms than major biotech firms.
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Now I know we hit a TOP in the market. Sell everything.

Do you remember how fast the booming TELECOM got eaten up?
 
atlantaden said:
Comparing the master plan of the Seaport to that of Assembly Square seems a bit unfair. Considering the price of the land in the Seaport and the size of the parcels and the area of the Seaport itself, would it even have been possible to have anything like Assembly Square. We have architects here, I'd like to hear if it would have been possible.
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Nope. Likely not. The only way to get what Assembly is trying to do is to "fake" the density buy creating what seems like multi-tenant blocks but really is just a superblock. Any new-ish development like Northpoint, Kendall Area, or Seaport in which the real estate is so expensive can only support the ROI that a superblock can afford. Seaport is a fait accompli in that way. Is what is was always going to be given the conditions.

cca
 
cca said:
Nope. Likely not. The only way to get what Assembly is trying to do is to "fake" the density buy creating what seems like multi-tenant blocks but really is just a superblock...
cca
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Wait, but is this a bug or a feature? i.e. building something that 'looks' like a superblock to a bank and to the register of deeds but also 'looks' like a multi-tenant 'urban' area to everyone else seems to be the 'secret sauce' that everyone is so excited about.

Yes, the ground-level experience is fake in a disney way (/hyperreal in a baudrillard way), but the density is real in a real way (just as the pedestrian experience is also pleasant in a pleasant way, and the rapid transit is rapid...)...right?
 
CSTH said:
Wait, but is this a bug or a feature? i.e. building something that 'looks' like a superblock to a bank and to the register of deeds but also 'looks' like a multi-tenant 'urban' area to everyone else seems to be the 'secret sauce' that everyone is so excited about.

Yes, the ground-level experience is fake in a disney way (/hyperreal in a baudrillard way), but the density is real in a real way (just as the pedestrian experience is also pleasant in a pleasant way, and the rapid transit is rapid...)...right?
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Bingo. Superblocks are ok as long as they aesthetically read as separate parcels.
 
CSTH said:
Yes, the ground-level experience is fake in a disney way (/hyperreal in a baudrillard way), but the density is real in a real way (just as the pedestrian experience is also pleasant in a pleasant way, and the rapid transit is rapid...)...right?
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BINGO--- I'm not saying the Development doesn't feel like a Disney theme but that being said the ground level and the core of area works very well.
Very active,
There are traffic issues but that's on people who are driving and they have the option to take the orange line right into the core of the area.

Seaport Core right now is Remys, Legals, LTK, other restaurants. (Which really sucks) That will change to Pier 6 with all there Retail. The question is how do you get there on a Silverline BUS or drive?

Fallon development Fan Pier has been an epic failure for pedestrian traffic. Too many Restuarants spread out all over the place. Huge blocks of wasted walking. Nothing enjoyable

The best thing in the Seaport right now is Envoy Hotel roofdeck & the Barking Crab area that looks back into the Financial District.
 
falcon42 said:
Know your facts.

28% of all biotech VC $$$ in the entire US go to MA companies ($2.1 billion). In 2006, there was less than $1bil invested in MA biotech.

Employment in the industry has grown 37% over the last 10 years in MA alone.

7 of the top 15 NIH funded hospitals/labs are located in....MA

The highest bipharma manufacturing growth over the last 10 years (33.6%) belongs to who....MA

So yes, a blowout is imminent! Better start marketing those spaces in the Seaport!
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There isn't that much biotech in the seaport or in Assembly. You have Vertex and then what? Ginkgo Bioworks and Numares in the ID Building, but the other 30 tenants are not biotech in any way. Acetylon?

There's more startup biotechs in the VDC at U Mass Boston than in all of the Seaport, I don't see how the future of biotech is that relevant to either the Seaport or Assembly Square (other than the health of the general regional economy).
 
entirely anecdotal and in no way substantive (or even verifiable!) bit of info: was just at assembly (american fresh beer garden), was discussing the whole "so, how is this place?" convo going on here with the folks i was with and decided (not me. a friend) to ask the tables surrounding us what they thought. the responses were ALL of the "i like this place (again, the beer garden), but assembly row is ridiculous and looks stupid (i'm applying a sensor here -- "stupid" was not the adjective used by any)" variety. everyone commented on the cookie-cutter, pre-fab, boring, character-less nature of the place. again, not some quantifiable survey or anything, but i'm pretty confident that i'm not alone in thinking the place is a big swing-and-a-miss -- at least with respect to the overall vibe. is it making money? i assume and hope so. will it stick around and get better as the whole thing ages etc? again, i hope so. is it like taking a portion of some suburban mall and inserting it into an otherwise vibrant city without making any effort to integrate with the surrounding neighborhoods? absolutely.
 
chrisbrat said:
is it like taking a portion of some suburban mall and inserting it into an otherwise vibrant city without making any effort to integrate with the surrounding neighborhoods? absolutely.
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Others have made a similar observation but how could this development integrate itself with the surrounding neighborhoods when this particular site, from what I can see on the map, is not really part of any surrounding neighborhood. It's surrounded by parking lots, water, MBTA tracks, roadways...now I'm not familiar with this area but how close is the nearest neighborhood? Can you walk across the street from an established neighborhood and enter into this 'Disneyesque' Assembly Square as so many like to refer to it as.
 
No, it is not really in walking distance to any real neighborhood. They created a new area completely. This was former brownfield wasteland. I don't understand how people thing this should look like it has been here for 100 years. I'd love to see what people think all these new developments should look like. Clearly, in fantasy land, budgets and reality don't exist.
 
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