Do you believe in the future of Union Square?

[Katie Gradowski]

If so, please come and show your support at two public hearings this week on Union Square redevelopment

Union Square Re-Zoning Meeting - Land Use Committee, Board of Aldermen

Tue, March 7, 6pm – 8pm 
Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143, USA (map) 
City Hall, Aldermanic Chambers 
93 Highland Ave 

Somerville Redevelopment Authority - Public Hearing on Master Land Disposition Agreement with US2
Wed, March 8, 5:30pm – 7:30pm 
Somerville City Hall, 93 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA 02143, USA (map) 

What's going on in Union Square?

As many of you know US2 -- the master developer in Union Square -- has been working hard to push forward their development in Union Square.  Many of us have been working hard to make sure that this development includes equitable guarantees for ALL Somerville residents, including a community benefits agreement and a commitment to building commercial first in order to grow the city's tax base to pay for longer-term benefits. 

On TUESDAY, the Board of Aldermen is reviewing the updated zoning proposal for Union Square, drafted specifically to create a new permitting category to allow US2's development to go forward.  Zoning didn't pass the first time in large part due to a number of unanswered questions about the cost of infrastructure, the structure of the community benefits package, and US2's commitment to commercial first. 

On WEDNESDAY, the SRA is holding a public meeting to discuss  the master land disposition agreement (MLDA), which would authorize sale of the first of the D parcels to US2.  This effectively gets the ball rolling and comes ahead of the completed zoning review, and if passed as is, will transfer title with no meaningful guarantees of community benefits OR the timeline for building commercial in Union Square.  It was very surprising to see this introduced as such. 

I urge you to come to Tuesday's hearing and ask the BOA *not* to approve zoning until these questions are answered!   Likewise, I urge you to come to Wednesday's SRA hearing and ask them *not* to approve the MLDA until this review is complete. Here is some relevant information.

• One of the things that will be discussed on Tuesday is Alderman Bill White's 68% minimum mixed use ration, which would guarantee that a substantial portion of US2's development is prioritizes commercial space -- job-creating space that will grow the city's tax base -- vs. luxury residential development. This is an important amendment!  I urge you to support it on Tuesday. 

• US2 says they want these things and on the surface their proposal sounds great (see attached), but this is critical to understand:  The MLDA currently includes no written guarantees that this vaunted commercial space will actually be built on schedule.  If the sale goes through before zoning is passed, it may very well supersede any zoning the BOA puts in place and render the BOA's review moot.  It may also render this amendment moot.

• The MLDA was originally supposed to include a commitment from the developer to negotiating community benefits.  In its current form, it includes no such thing.   Likewise, the MLDA includes no provisions to guarantee that the D2 block will be held to future zoning changes.  This may well render the BOA's review moot for the D2 property, and would allow US2 to lead with high-end luxury residential over the express objections of the community.  

US2 was hired to build commercial and has promised time and again to guarantee a meaningful community benefits package for Union Square residents. They have said over and over again that they will do these things, yet they are trying to rush the sale of first parcel without *any* meaningful commitment to either.  The Board of Aldermen has been doing an incredible job of holding the line and doing due diligence in trying to get these financial questions answered.  They are rightly concerned -- as are many who have been watching this debate closely -- that the city is being asked to take on significant financial risk without securing matched commitments from the developer. 

Union Square Zoning and the SRA's Master Land Disposition Agreement

If you're concerned about skyrocketing tax rates -- if you care about community benefits -- if you are committed to development without displacement - THIS IS IMPORTANT. 

Please send a letter TODAY to the SRA asking them to hold off on approving the MLDA for D2 in Union Square until the Board of Aldermen has an opportunity to do a meaningful review. You can fill out this form or write a letter to the SRA directly to Emily Hedeman, ehedeman@somervillema.gov. Email is better, but you can do both. If you're doing email, please cc the Board of Aldermen so they can hear from you directly. The SRA is under no obligation to hold off on the sale, but significant public input might sway them in this regard.

Petition the SRA to hold off on the MDLA agreement

Come to the March 7 public hearing with the BOA 

Come to the March 8 public hearing with the SRA

This is going out to my entire contact list.  Apologies if it's not relevant.

Thank you all, and please share widely!

All best,

Katie

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Union Square Station Associates <in...@unionsquarestationassociates.com>
Date: Fri, Mar 3, 2017 at 9:18 AM
Subject: Do you believe in the future of Union Square?
To: Katie Gradowski <katie.g...@gmail.com>

Katie -- Earlier this week, the Somerville Chamber of Commerce hosted a panel event entitled The Next Innovation Center: Why Not Somerville?. Over one hundred community stakeholders joined the Chamber in an intriguing discussion as to how Somerville can capitalize on the current market environment to realize its goals of becoming a regional jobs and innovation center. The message outlined by the experts was clear.  There is a significant commercial property expansion happening in the Boston metro area that is enabling economic development in many locations outside of Kendall Square and Downtown Boston. Somerville has many of the ingredients to lure innovation tenants to the Square but these tenants are seeking permitted sites and predictable timelines. Next week, the Board of Aldermen has scheduled the only public hearing for members of the public to express their support for new zoning in Union Square. The zoning that the City has presented is the implementation of the Union Square Neighborhood Plan. It is designed to foster an innovation ecosystem, create jobs, and address ongoing quality of life issues like traffic and infrastructure, all while maintaining the unique character of the Square. Would you please consider attending and speaking in favor of moving forward? Date:        Tuesday, March 7 Time:        6:00 PM Location:  Somerville City Hall Aldermanic Chambers, 93 Highland Avenue If you’re unable to attend but would like to express your support, please e-mail your comments to the Board of Aldermen at boardofaldermen@somervillema.gov, the Planning Department at plan...@somervillema.gov and the City Clerk at city...@somervillema.gov. This is a critical moment in making Union Square an even better place to live, work and play, while realizing our community goals. Adopting the zoning overlay is an important step in beginning the development planning and implementation process.   Greg Karczewski President Union Square Station Associates -=-=- Union Square Station Associates · United States This email was sent to katie.g...@gmail.com. To stop receiving emails, click here. -=-=- Created with NationBuilder, software for leaders.

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