Union Square D2.1 | 10 Prospect Street | Somerville

Window frames going in the massive concrete panels. Getting a vibe of industrial re-use aesthetics.

Also nice to see some brick on the ground floor of the lab. Hopefully more brick than in just those two spots..

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That second to last picture: A cleaned-up Union Square with new lab building and high rise in the background with a woman getting out of her double-parked Range Rover. Very different than the Slummerville I remember from the 80's and 90's.
 
#bancars said:
www.cambridgeday.com

Developer at Somerville's Union Square project misses targets around local hires and diversity

Master developer US2 continues to miss hiring targets for the Union Square Revitalization Project, but the Somerville City Council lacks relevant workforce data, leaving the all-volunteer Union Square Neighborhood Council to hold developers accountable.
www.cambridgeday.com www.cambridgeday.com
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I've long been curious as to why the city chose to delegate the negotiation of a Community Benefits Agreement to an all-volunteer community organization with no budget and no legal support? Also, why the city of Somerville chose to award the master developer agreement first, and then let its Union Square Neighborhood Council try to negotiate a CBA. What leverage exists for USNC when the developer is already in the process of building? (Someone at the city told me that the leverage that exists is that the developer will be building multiple buildings, and the city could make future permits difficult…)

All in all, it seems that the city gave away most of its leverage. I'm confused as to why the city would insist on delegating a complex legal negotiation to a small group of self-nominated volunteers (who won a non-municipal "election" that was privately run with limited participation).

I'm also confused as to why the city chose to award the master developer contract to the organization that was not the one preferred by the very long and public community process! But that's water over the dam at this point.

I'm more interested in figuring out how we can write CBAs going forward that are measurable and enforceable.
 
I’m seriously starting to think that DD is behind this whole development. You really couldn’t have matched the brand colors any better. Even the bright magenta color with those vertical metal fins.

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Some new views too:


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Not sure if it's been mentioned on here yet, but this is commonly being referred to as the bacon building on Facebook and Reddit (at least a few times). I kinda like the nickname, and enjoy the pop of color in the sky on a grey day like today..
 
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