The finance committee of the Board of Aldermen has been unable to deliberate either the Mayor's request to sell 0 New Washington Street or our petition to create a park in that open space. At the last Finance Committee meeting, representatives of the Mayor's office told the Committee that the Mayor was negotiating with the MBTA and wished to have the discussion of the matter postponed pending the outcome of the negotiations. The subject of the negotiations with the MBTA have not been made public, but looking at a satellite photo overlayed with the outline of the parcel from the assessor's map provides some fodder for speculation:

The property itself is listed on the assessor's map as 3.35 acres. However, there seems to be a discrepancy between the assessor's map and the actual land use. As you can see on this satellite image from Google Earth, the abutting MBTA property has an access driveway right across the center of the parcel. In addition, the MBTA and other abutters seem to be using the western portion of the property for parking, as well as for a staging area for construction material. Various fences and parking areas on the property indicate this has been going on for some time.

Why is the property a 0 New Washington Street desirable for an OLRA?

1. It is a relatively large space. The property in total is 3.35 acres, but the area discussed as a potential OLRA is smaller - probably about 350 to 400 feet long and 35 to 50 feet wide. The exact dimensions were never delineated, but there is certainly room for an area of up to 24,000 square feet - more than half an acre. And more than twice as large as the Nunziato OLRA.

2. It does not abut any residences directly. The lot is on the edge of the large "Inner Belt" industrial park that comprises the southern half of East Somerville. It is roughly behind the Holiday Inn and the Cobble Hill Apartment complex on Washington Street. Cobble Hill Apartments are the closest residential dwellings: they are across New Washington Street and set well back from their own property line with a large grass berm as an additional buffer. Concerns about noise and neighborhood resistance would not be an issue with this site. Yet it is a short walk from one of the most densely populated residential areas in Somerville - the Cobble Hill neighborhood, just across Washington Street.

3. It is in East Somerville, a neighborhood geographically isolated from the rest of the city by the McGrath Highway and underserved by open space even by Somerville standards.

Why is it important that we have more parks in East Somerville?

This is not about dogs. My dogs, and I love them dearly, would be happier if I was spending more time with them and less time going to Finance Committee meetings. This is about our community. This is about a space for community members to meet and socialize together. East Somerville doesn't have enough of these places. As you can see on this map, there are only 5 "green spaces" east of the McGrath Highway (not counting Draw Seven Park and the Assembly Square area, which is north of I-93 and a whole different neighborhood). Three of the five are paved playgrounds and/or basketball courts. The other two are schoolyards.

When it comes to pedestrian access, East Somerville is isolated. To our west, a 6 lane highway - recently identified as one of the most dangerous pedestrian crossings in the Commonwealth - separates us from the rest of Somerville. On the north & east Interstate 93 isolates us from Boston and the Mystic. To our south lies a giant industrial park, and even further south the MBTA main yard.

East Somerville residents deserve more open space. A park for people and pets in East Somerville would be a community center where neighbors could get together and enjoy the benefits of socializing with each other and exercising our dogs. 0 New Washington Street represents a rare opportunity for the city to improve Somerville's most ethnically and economically diverse neighborhood by the conversion of a vacant lot into a park for people and pets. It would be a shame if this opportunity is squandered for short-term financial concerns.