Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

[George_Apley]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Union is not a student square. It's a post-grad and young family square. Maybe you could say it's 'student' in the sense of the grad student diaspora that spreads across neighborhoods because they don't need to be right there on campus. It's not a student square in the way Harvard and Davis are. Maybe it's just me though, I think of "student squares" as being flooded with undergrads, not grad students, who tend to live more like adults than college kids.

 

[pixelsand8]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Maybe you could say it's 'student' in the sense of the grad student diaspora that spreads across neighborhoods because they don't need to be right there on campus. It's not a student square in the way Harvard and Davis are. Maybe it's just me though, I think of "student squares" as being flooded with undergrads, not grad students, who tend to live more like adults than college kids.

Yea I agree with you. I was including "grad students" in my definition of student square. The idea being that those grad students (and thus proximity to universities) is needed to keep the area what it is.

I would disagree though that Davis is a "student square". Yes there are undergrads from Tufts but it feels more diverse in terms of professionals and grad students also living there. I don't feel this way at all in Harvard, which always seems overrun with undergrads and tourists. Walking around the side streets it feels like there are very few apartments that non-students can live in. Everything feels like a dorm or an academic building for Harvard or Lesley. If you go far enough west to be off the campuses you are in historic mansion land of West Cambridge before you see any "normal" apartments. Compare that with Davis Square or even East Cambridge near Kendall where you can find plenty of nearby apartments for young adults.

The other thing is that Tufts campus is completely separate from Davis where Harvard is right in the thick of things.

 

[Matthew]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

I may be biased, but I think the entire Blue Line corridor is a real diamond in the rough that is ripe for gentrication. The blue line is easily the most modern/reliable of the RT lines right now and there has been a lot of rehab going on up and down Bennington Street heading toward Orient Heights. You get a lot of house for your money here, and for all of the talk about the airport nearby - I hardly notice it's presence and most of those homes have or are eligible for the Massport windows, which I hear are quite effective.

There are definitely some intriguing parts of East Boston, but I feel like a lot of potential around the Blue Line is lost because most of the stations besides Maverick are in such terrible locations: surrounded by industrial parcels, highways, nasty roads, or greenspace buffers. It's tough to blame anyone who wouldn't want to cross under the highway and across the wider portions of Bennington.

Then again, I guess that's why it's more affordable.

 

[kjdonovan]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

The strange thing is, there is a distinct change in feel on the other side of the hill, near city hall. You aren't far distance wise but it feels much more downscale than the Union Square/Prospect Hill area. While I still think proximity plays the greater role in this area's gentrification, part of it is psychological. It just feels more connected to "upscale" Cambridge based on the topography and the nicer housing stock.

Yes and no. Just like in San Francisco, nearly all higher end Somerville (and many Cambridge ) neighborhoods--i.e. big mansion-like properties--are on hills, while the valleys have the dense triple decker environments. The most high end street in Somerville is actually in Winter Hill of all places: Browning Street. It is surrounded on either side by a number of streets with large parcel Victorians. Most of the other hills have similar patches of big parcel homes: Prospect Hill has Summit Ave; Spring Hill has Benton Street; Clarendon Hill, of course, has Tufts.

There are some really terrible streets right in Union Square (everything off Somerville Ave near 28 for example). It will be interesting to see if they ever pick up, even with a T stop nearby.

 

[Kahta]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Here's a question for those of you who have been around here longer than I. Does your typical Somerville townie work in downtown Boston, or is it more "man with a van" type jobs / 128 car centric commuters? If its the latter I would understand the pushback more.

Lots of people that drive to work

http://www.city-data.com/#mapOSM?ma...261512756348&mapOSM[s]=work91&mapOSM[fs]=true

High % of people that havent moved

http://www.city-data.com/#mapOSM?ma...44898986816&mapOSM[s]=races96&mapOSM[fs]=true

Definitely a lot of long time residents

http://www.city-data.com/#mapOSM?ma...44898986816&mapOSM[s]=races96&mapOSM[fs]=true

Higher % of people born in state... in many neighborhoods in boston, a majority of residents were born outside of Massachusetts.

http://www.city-data.com/#mapOSM?ma...38497924805&mapOSM[s]=races19&mapOSM[fs]=true

Compared with much of the high-density parts of the Boston area, Somerville has a fairly high % of owner occupied housing.

http://www.city-data.com/#mapOSM?ma...9833374023&mapOSM[s]=blocks82&mapOSM[fs]=true

 

[Scalziand]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

One of my friends lives in Somerville and reverse commutes to Woburn. If the greenline were extended to Anderson, he'd be all over that, but currently he has to drive because going into NS and then taking the Lowel line back out isn't very appealing.

 

[Ron Newman]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

The most high end street in Somerville is actually in Winter Hill of all places: Browning Street.

That's Browning Road. A very nice street, but if you asked most people in Somerville for the "most high end street', the answer you'd probably get is Westwood Road (on Spring Hill, but not quite on the hilltop).

Other especially attractive Somerville streets, not on hills: Highland Road, Powder House Boulevard.

 

[George_Apley]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

One of my friends lives in Somerville and reverse commutes to Woburn. If the greenline were extended to Anderson, he'd be all over that, but currently he has to drive because going into NS and then taking the Lowel line back out isn't very appealing.

Somerville has become a very popular reverse commute location. I do it, as do a number of people I work with. Not many people get a no traffic commute, but people who reverse commute I-93 often do.

 

[kjdonovan]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

That's Browning Road. A very nice street, but if you asked most people in Somerville for the "most high end street', the answer you'd probably get is Westwood Road (on Spring Hill, but not quite on the hilltop).

Other especially attractive Somerville streets, not on hills: Highland Road, Powder House Boulevard.

The classic Road/Street slip. NB. I love both Highland Road and Powder House Blvd. Always thought Highland Rd. is the most "Americana" road in town.

 

[pixelsand8]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Yes and no. Just like in San Francisco, nearly all higher end Somerville (and many Cambridge ) neighborhoods--i.e. big mansion-like properties--are on hills, while the valleys have the dense triple decker environments. The most high end street in Somerville is actually in Winter Hill of all places: Browning Street. It is surrounded on either side by a number of streets with large parcel Victorians. Most of the other hills have similar patches of big parcel homes: Prospect Hill has Summit Ave; Spring Hill has Benton Street; Clarendon Hill, of course, has Tufts.

There are some really terrible streets right in Union Square (everything off Somerville Ave near 28 for example). It will be interesting to see if they ever pick up, even with a T stop nearby.

"terrible" seems like an unfair characterization. The housing is dense and urban, reminds me of something you might find in Queens. Not pretty, but gets the job done for those who don't have tons of income but want to live close to urban activity.

It's probably a good thing we have areas like this to keep condo-fication from taking over the city.

 

[George_Apley]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

The city plans to add 6,000 housing units to blunt the housing cost rise after GLX. The Metro Area Planning Council study suggests the city needs at least 9,000.

 

[Ron Newman]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

wonder where those are going to go? We don't have a lot of empty land, we don't want to displace productive industrial areas (such as the former American Tube Works and Ames Envelope sites), and tearing down blocks of 1-3 family houses in order to build residential towers is not going to be politically acceptable.

 

[kjdonovan]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Inner Belt, Brickbottom, Boynton Yards, Assembly Square, others?

 

[Arlington]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Inner Belt, Brickbottom, Boynton Yards, Assembly Square, others?

Somerville DPW "compound" on Franey Rd (between Frum Field and the RR tracks at Cedar & Broadway). This is going to be a prime parcel for TOD. Offices should be moved to a multi-story replacement and the yard could be half the size or "under" I-93. It should not be just steps to Ball Sq MBTA.

And Tufts should be similarly encouraged to build student housing and redevelop everything along the tracks from Harvard St / St Clements up to its Field House and "back shops", which will directly abut the College Ave station. (I'm unclear where the Som/Med line is, but it'd be new supply in the right market)

 

[chumbolly]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

This discussion of Union Square housing stock brings me back. In about 2001 I was shopping for my first place. I ended up buying a modest, 1400 sf condo in Davis, but I almost talked my wife into to buying a ridiculously huge Victorian on the side of Prospect Hill. I think it was over 5,000 square feet and except for a couple of minor updates to the kitchen, it was untouched--original wall paper, maybe even some gas light fixtures if I remember correctly. Beautiful woodwork through out(not crap gum wood, but hand-carved oak), stone and tile fireplaces ... room after room of potential. It was priced only about 25% more than the condo I bought. I kept telling my wife the Green Line was coming! But her better judgement prevailed when she convinced me we'd have spent all our money on the house and then be in a never-ending DIY renovation. What could have been....

Prospect Hill is truly one of the very few Somerville neighborhoods with some very good, and varied houses. "Overlooking Union" may one day be a catch phrase in Sotheby's listings.

 

[cbrett]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Apologies if this has already been posted, saw this on twitter today.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vZaXk-DIAsM&feature=youtu.be

 

[Scalziand]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

They don't have rt16 designed yet?

 

[Arlington]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Apologies if this has already been posted, saw this on twitter today.

Its new to me! (I don't think it had been posted here.) Thanks for posting!

They don't have rt16 designed yet?

Because it is "Phase II", Rt16/MVP is only at something like the 30% or 70% Engineering stage--they know just enough to allow them to fully-design College Ave. So they know:

- It will be a center-platform station with a crossover inbound of the station (and no tail tracks "beyond"--'cause that'd take a bridge)
- The tracks will diverge and curve slightly
- They will bend enough to create the space needed between (for a platform) and to be clear of the Lowell Line as it gets on the bridge there.
- The tracks won't curve so much that they wear (or impinge on 196/200 Boston ave)
- They how to "fit" it on the U-Haul site
- how to circulate buses to it

But other than that, they've not elaborated further and nobody's required (for example) to simulate its operation or sound walls.

 

[pixelsand8]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

That's a sexy viaduct, it's too bad though it seems like the sound walls are going to block otherwise awesome views. The community path might still have them though, depending on how it's fenced off, which I couldn't tell from the video. Assuming I'm Google Earthing right, this is what you'd see when crossing over the train just south of Washington St...

Imagine this with the North Station and Govt Center stuff in. And here's the rest of the skyline;

 

[Scipio]

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

That's a sexy viaduct, it's too bad though it seems like the sound walls are going to block otherwise awesome views. The community path might still have them though, depending on how it's fenced off, which I couldn't tell from the video. Assuming I'm Google Earthing right, this is what you'd see when crossing over the train just south of Washington St...

That's certainly something to send in as a comment. I'm no materials expert but googling around a little bit it looks like several companies make transparent sound walls out of acrylic or glass. People are always snapping pictures or even just looking up from their phones as the Red Line goes over the Longfellow, might as well give them another opportunity for a nice view with a small materials change.