The case for Zero New Washington Street

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.

Finance Committee tables Zero New Washington Street

Eight members of the general public attended the Board of Aldermen's Finance Committee meeting yesterday evening to hear the Committee discuss the city-owned open space at Zero New Washington Street. The land is located in the Cobble Hill in East Somerville, behind the Holiday Inn.

Of the five members of the Finance Committee, Alderman at Large William White, Ward Two Alderman Maryann Heuston and Alderman at Large Dennis Sullivan were present and constituted a quorum. Alderman at Large Bruce Desmond, Ward Four Alderman Walter Pero and Ward Six Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz also attended the meeting.

Zero New Washington Street was the second item of business on the agenda. Chairman of the Committee, Alderman Bill White, asked a representative for the Mayor to address the Committee and added that he understood that the Mayor wanted to postpone further discussion while he undertook negotiations with the MBTA. The Mayor's representative confirmed that the Mayor wanted to postpone the discussion.

On March 23 the Board of Aldermen directed the Mayor's request to sell the property to the Finance Committee. Yesterday's Finance Committee meeting was the second one attended by members of the public interested in open space in East Somerville. On April 25, the matter was not discussed because the Committee had not yet received an appraisal from the Mayor's office. On May11, an East Somerville home owner and dog owner submitted to the Board a petition with 359 signatures in support of a park for people and pets at Zero New Washington Street. The Board directed the petition to the Finance Committee, Chairman Bill White notified interested residents on June 24 that the Board of Aldermen received the appraisal for zero Washington Street, and that he would take the up the mayor's request to sell the property at the Finance Committee meeting on Wednesday, July 12.

East Somerville OLRA

The fate of open space at Zero New Washington Street, behind the Holiday Inn in East Somerville, will be deliberated by the Finance Committee, Wednesday evening, July 12, at 7:00 in the second floor Committee Room in City Hall. The meeting is open to the public.

• An East Somerville home owner and dog owner has submitted petition with 359 signatures in support of a park for people and pets at Zero New Washington Street.
• The City's Dog Owners Task Force has been discussing this vacant land on New Washington Street at Innerbelt Road and how to turn it into useable open space since November of 2005. This property is especially attractive as an off-leash recreational area because it is located near, but not in, a residential neighborhood.
• The Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development prepared a map showing eight locations, including the city-owned property at Zero New Washington Street, that are under consideration as potential sites for OLRAs, and this map was submitted to the members of the Board at the Board of Aldermen meeting on November 21, 2005.
• Stan Koty, Commmissioner of Public Works, told the Dog Owners Task Force on February 9, 2006 that he had already made arrangements with NSTAR to install additional lighting on the property.
• As recently as March 9, 2006, Carlene Campbell, the City's liaison to the Dog Owners Task Force told us that the OLRA on New Washington Street was on schedule to open in the Spring at the same time as the one in Nunziato Field. The simultaneous opening of OLRAs in different parts of the city would alleviate both user demand on the Nunziato OLRA and parking concerns in the neighborhood.

At the meeting of the Board of Aldermen on March 23, 2006, the Mayor requested that city-owned property at 0 New Washington Street be declared available for disposition pursuant to Massachusetts General Laws, c. 30B, § 16 (file #180747, cf. item # 117 in the minutes).

• The open space crisis in the City of Somerville is an even greater priority than the fiscal crisis. In a city with two acres of open space for every 1000 residents, the land at New Washington Street is worth more as open space than the $3m at which it has been rumored to be valued.
• Our stewardship of our open spaces today will make much more of a difference than the fiscal crisis of 2006 ten and twenty years from now when our children are deciding whether or not to live in Somerville. When neighborhoods lose open space, there is no additional open space to compensate us for our loss.
• East Somerville is particularly lacking in open space. East Somerville residents still feel that their neighborhood has not been adequately recompensed for the open space that it lost when the Capuano Early Childhood Center was built in Glen Park.

The Finance Committee meeting, Wednesday evening, July 12, at 7:00 in the second floor Committee Room in City Hall, is open to the public. Members of the public ordinarily do not have the opportunity to speak at committee meetings unless they are sponsored by one of the Aldermen on the committee. The more people who attend, however, the more we will be able to impress our elected representatives with our interest in this issue.

Walking in East Somerville

Two thousand yellow footprints mark a walking route in East Somerville, funded by a grant from Active Living by Design with the support of Mayor Curtatone, the Cambridge Health Alliance and Somerville Health Department with assistance from Groundwork Somerville, AmeriCorps*NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps) and East Somerville Neighbors for Change, led by the Somerville Community Corporation.

Chloe, a boxer/akita mix walked the route with her owner and other residents and community organizers, Tuesday evening, June 13. The 1.2-mile loop links the Youth & Senior Center, the East Somerville Health Clinic, East Somerville Community School, Glen Park and Garden, Grace Baptist Church, St. Benedict’s Church and historical buildings.

In addition to community connections, the walking route promotes physical activity: according to Active Living by Design,

the average American can maintain a healthy lifestyle by taking at least 10,000 steps per day. However, many fall short of this goal and need to increase their activity by at least 2,000 steps per day. The new East Somerville Walking Route has 2,000 steps, so that it can serve as a guide for residents who wish to increase their level of physical activity.

Walk participants spoke of meeting weekly to walk in East Somerville. For more information, contact Stephen Winslow, Bicycle and Pedestrian Coordinator for the City of Somerville, at 617-625-6600 x2519.

Update: A Park for People and Pets in East Somerville

Three residents from Ward One, three residents from Ward Two, and one resident from Ward Five attended the Board of Aldermen meeting yesterday evening in support of a petition for a park for people and pets at 0 New Washington Street, behind the Holiday Inn in East Somerville.