Green Line Extension to Medford & Union Sq

Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

I think the main "property value" issues are whether the project will have to take parts of people's back yards by eminent domain. This is already one reason that the project is no longer proposed to continue further north (to West Medford).
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Ok I understand that. And to the people that might loose land, yes that does suck and I can understand their displeasure. And most certainly they should get financially compensated for it and maybe even be allowed to move for free. But with that being said, having a macrolevel view, fuck some dudes swing set.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Ah, spoken like a true renter.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

All I know is I disagree with my neighborhood's (Medford Hillside) complete opposition to a stop near Winthrop Street and Boston Ave. What a perfect stop for Medford Hillside this would be.

I guess my only fear would echo some others. Then everyone discovers the neighborhood, rents and property values go through the roof- ultra-yuppies move in and the neighborhood ain't the neighborhood anymore kids...

My theorem for this: South Boston- 5 years from now "Southie" will be dead and gone and in its place will be a cheaper version of the South End...
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

I'm a little dubious as to the claim that transit lines always change neighborhoods. Davis Square, of courses, is usually the example of a neighborhood that was significantly influenced by a new subway stop, but there are plenty of areas with subway stops that never really seem to change. I think Quincy is a prime example. There are four stops in and around Quincy, but it's more or less stayed the same over time. At the least, you'd have to agree that it's anything but a Yuppie enclave.

I understand people's concerns though, because I guess what the difference between Quincy and Davis Square shows is that it's hard to figure out what will change because of a new station and what will stay the same. It's uncertainty that concerns people the most. For sure, no one really expected Davis Square to turn out the way it did just because of a new station.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

I think you make several good points in your reply. Davis has been a very interesting creature, indeed- the T stop was considered the catalyst of change, of course. I would say that a key component in addition to this is the close proximity to Tufts University, Harvard, MIT, etc. and the relatively quick amount of time the T takes to get to those places as well as Downtown Boston.

Conversely, Quincy is not necessarily close to any major universities/ institutions and thus has a smaller student/ professor population that would generate some of the business you see in Davis Square, etc. Secondly, it's a bit of a hike to get to Downtown Boston, etc.

Nonetheless- I have spoken with a few housing people in the know who say that Quincy will very much eventually be a prime spot for gentrification of some level. Especially Wollaston and Quincy Center. The reasoning was that due to the poor (and somewhat undeserved) reputation of Dorchester/ parts of Dorchester- people being priced out of South Boston may eventually venture further down the red line. Anything near public transit with decent housing stock and the ability to support business is going to end up with some level of yuppie attraction in the future.

Interestingly, I find it amazing people continue to flock to neighborhoods on the green line which is so slow and subpar in service and capacity.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

i'm not that familiar with Quincy, but my feeling is that the difference in the impact of the redline stations has more to do with Davis being more urban than the area around the Quincy stations.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

^ Quincy could be urban too --if they'd get rid of the surface parking lots.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Davis actually has a fair number of surface parking lots, both public (metered) and private. However, they are mostly hidden away from view if you're on a main business street. (Arlington Center and Lexington Center are similar to it in this way.)

The city of Somerville has proposed selling one of its surface lots to a hotel developer.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

ablarc said:
And when they do, it'll be more urban still.
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Then maybe the T will improve bus service to Davis from surrounding areas...

Lord knows- there sure aren't enough buses going up and down Boston Ave. or Broadway. ESPECIALLY nights and weekends.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

State to take over building of T station

By Casey Ross, Globe Staff | August 21, 2008

State transportation leaders, frustrated by delays in the massive NorthPoint development, are taking over the building of a new MBTA station on the Cambridge property - a move necessary to ensure an on-time start to the $550 million extension of the Green Line.

The NorthPoint development team had agreed to build a new $70 million Lechmere Green Line station inside the former rail yards off of Monsignor O'Brien Highway, in exchange for the state's giving them the property at the existing Lechmere Station.

But the two partners in NorthPoint, Boston and Maine Corp. and Cambridge NorthPoint LLC, have been locked in a court fight in Delaware over the pace of the development, financial issues, and the potential sale of the property. A trial ended this week, and a judge is considering a ruling in the case, according to court officials in Delaware.

The fight has led to lengthy delays in the construction of NorthPoint - a minicity that would have 5 million square feet of office, laboratory, retail, residential, and hotel development - as well as to delays in building the MBTA station.

So the state Executive Office of Transportation said it instead will build the new station, and incorporate the project into its massive extension of the Green Line to Medford. This adds a new wrinkle - and potentially millions of dollars in costs - to a transit upgrade that has been promised for years.

Transportation officials yesterday did not answer questions about how much it would cost the state to build a new Lechmere Station, nor would they say if it will affect the timeline. The project was schedules to be completed in 2014.

The station must be moved to place it along the tracks that are being used to extend the Green Line through Somerville to Medford. Currently, that Green Line ends at Lechmere.

"Because of the uncertainty and time delay with the NorthPoint Project, and recognizing the aggressive timeline for completing the Green Line extension, we are incorporating the relocation of Lechmere Station into our project," Adam Hurtubise, a spokesman for the Executive Office of Transportation, said in an e-mailed statement. "We are not precluding the opportunity to work with the selected developer if and when the NorthPoint legal issues . . . are resolved."

In the meantime, residents have begun moving into a pair of buildings recently completed at NorthPoint, said executives involved in the development. The buildings, known as NorthPoint Tango and Sierra, have welcomed their first 25 occupants, said Sue Hawkes, chief executive of Collaborative Cos., which is marketing 329 condominiums on the property.

She said 46 units have been sold in the two buildings. Construction was delayed for a year because of the legal dispute over the development.

"We've sold several units over the past several weeks, in spite of the fact that we're not really even open, which is exciting," she said.

Hawkes said NorthPoint plans to open a sales center this weekend and launch a grand opening for the development after Labor Day.

Casey Ross can be reached at cross@globe.com.
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http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2008/08/21/state_to_take_over_building_of_t_station/
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

I'm sure that the developer's promise to build a $70 million dollar T station along with having to keep almost 25% of it's property maintained as parkland contributed nothing to the problems of the Northpoint developers.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

So I guess the Globe has a new reporter?
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

atlantaden: In return for building the new T station, the developer was to receive, free of charge, the property containing the current T station.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

So now the T can sell said property to offset the $470 mil pricetag.

Wonder if they'll build a 'full' building and rent out the upper floors to make some money as well... Never quite sure why they don't do that everywhere..
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Do they do that anywhere?
Would you rent residential or commercial space maintained by the T?
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

"It's really really great," the sales team lady said, smiling weakly. "Twelve percent sold, only 88 percent to go!"
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

Credit crunch + terrible design can be blamed for that.
 
Re: Green Line to Medford to start in 2011

From today:

Maintenance facility presents obstacle

Inner Belt development hinges on location of facility

By Jack Nicas

The city is faced with a dilemma: the Green Line extension, supported almost unanimously in the community, may now hinder the city's largest frontier for development. The state transit office maintains that a new maintenance facility must accompany the long-awaited extension. With the amount of space required for the facility, few options exist outside of the Inner Belt.

At the Aug. 15 Somerville news contributors meeting, Steve Mackey, CEO of the Chamber of Commerce, said the facility is slated to cover eight to 12 acres in "the heart of the district;? a location Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone said "could screw up everything? in the Inner Belt's future.

The Inner Belt's location and size make it one of the city's most compelling areas for potential development, Mackey said. The Kraft Group has reported interest in the district as a possible destination for a major league soccer stadium and Mackey said the district's commercial development could finally ease the tax burden on Somerville property owners.

?It's very important that that area is able to capitalize on the Green Line,? Mackey said. ?You can literally put in millions of square feet of commercial development and thousands of units of housing; you can build a brand new urban mixed-use village over time.?

The state's proposed location is Yard 8 in the Inner Belt. However, the Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership - a grassroots group advocating for the extension - has requested the space around the Boston Engine Terminal, in Yard 7, be used.

Mackey said that the engine terminal is located on a 43-acre site and services trains from both North and South Station, despite Somerville lacking any commuter rail stops. He said the area has room for another facility. ?You really have to find a way to accommodate the Green Line maintenance facility within 43 acres.?

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone told the Somerville News at the August 8 contributors' meeting that the city has been analyzing the situation and will discuss possible alternatives with the EOT soon. ?We're not just going to say we don't want it,? he said. ?We'll say tell us how it works and I'll be able to show them more why it doesn't work.?

State officials are currently carrying out its Draft Environmental Impact Report to determine more definite locations for the extension's stations and maintenance facility. The study is scheduled to be concluded by September, when it will then be submitted to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act office and open to public comment.

If the report insists the facility's location remains in Yard 8, the city is expected to protest. Curtatone said he would tell the state, ?If you're going to do it, don't impede our ability to unlock that district.?
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LINK

Hmmmm...interesting. While I agree that a Green Line extension out this way is important, it would be a shame to lose such a great spot for development, particularly if it meant that the Krafts would no longer look at the area as a possible suitor for a new soccer stadium. Everything I have read seems to indicate that (despite soccer's lack of popularity in the US) these new soccer stadiums do a lot to help boost smaller local economies.
 
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