General Meeting. Union Square Neighbors Sunday, June 4, 2017

Transcription

1 General Meeting Union Square Neighbors Sunday, June 4,

2 Union Square Neighbors Neighborhood association Grassroots, all-volunteer, independent Dedicated to helping residents and stakeholders of Union Square shape the future of their community. Founded in 2009, re-established in

3 Spring Hill Central Hill East Somerville Prospect Hill Duck Village Cobble Hill Union Square Brickbottom Mid- Cambridge Lincoln Park Inman Square Boynton Yards Grand Junction 3

4 Agenda 1. Zoning, MLDA, Covenant 2. After Zoning: What s Next? 3. Open Space Planning 4. Infrastructure Updates 5. Neighborhood Council Election 6. USN Election 4

5 Community Based Process MEPA: State Environmental Review CBA: US2 & Neighborhood Council SomerVision (2012) USQ Revitalization Plan (2012) USQ Neighborhood Plan (2016) MLDA Approved (Apr 2017) USQ Zoning (June 2017) Covenant Agreement (June 2017) Coordinated Development Special Permit Phase 1 Site Plan & Design Review Phase 1 Building Permit Planning Board Board of Aldermen Planning Board SRA & US2 Board of Aldermen Mayor & US2 Planning Board Planning Board ISD Neighborhood Meeting(s) Neighborhood Meeting(s) Acronyms: CBA: Community Benefits Agreement ISD: Inpsectional Services Division (City of Somerville) Design Review Design Review MLDA: Master Land Disposition Agreement Committee Committee SRA: Somerville Redevelopment Authority USQ: Union Square US2: Union Square Station Associates (Master Developer) 5

6 Zoning New Union Square zoning first proposed in July 2016 Overlay District Base Zoning Months of review and rewrite by Board of Aldermen USN submitted a petition to mayor, BOA, and SRA with 100 signatures asking for changes to zoning, MLDA, and Covenant Date to watch: June 8 6

7 Goodyear/ Citizens Dunkies Ebi Sushi Mike sauto Buk Kyung Mandarin CrossFit Plaza Old Post Office Ricky s Munro Muffler Public Safety Bldg D Blocks/ Overlay District Auto Shops Gravel lot Royal Hospitality/ Beacon Sales 7

8 Jobs and Housing Jobs 1.38m Square Feet 4,100 office/lab jobs 900 retail/food/etc. jobs 5,000 Total Jobs Other Commercial 20% Housing 920,000 Square Feet 718 Market Rate Units (80%) 180 Affordable Units (20%) 898 Total Units Commercial 60% Commercial: Office & Design Services 40% Residential 40% Residential 40% Jobs: Approximate number of jobs based on 225 sq ft of space per office/lab job and 500 sq ft per retail/food service job Housing: Approximate number of units based on 1,025 sq ft of gross floor space per unit (including hallways and common areas)

9 Jobs 5,000 Permanent Jobs 4,100 office/lab jobs 900 retail/food/etc. jobs 4,000 Construction Jobs Best efforts to hire Somerville residents, veterans Jobs Linkage Fee $1.40 per square foot = $1.96 million (over ~20 years) Current program, Somerville First Source Jobs, provides and training and placement through Somerville Community Corporation. Did You Know? Only 15% of Somerville s residents are employed in the city Jobs: Approximate number of jobs based on 225 sq ft of space per office/lab job and 500 sq ft per retail/food service job

10 Jobs: How soon? One major concern has been how soon would US2 develop commercial buildings? Residential is easier to finance and develop We ve been burned in the past by developers who promised, but never delivered on commercial space.

11 Phasing Master Land Use Agreement (SRA & US2) o Requires build-out of D2 first. D2 incudes both residential and commercial buildings Zoning (May 31 draft) (Board of Aldermen) o Allows up to 75% of affordable units on one site to be built on another site within Union Square Overlay District Covenant Agreement (Mayor & US2) o US2 may not begin construction on more residential until it begins construction on second commercial building

12 Commercial & Residential Phasing Legend Commercial (Office/Hotel/Etc.) Commercial/Ground Floor Residential Civic Space Phase 1 Phase 1 (w/ offsite affordable) Potential Comm Phase 2 Bldg Union Sq Plaza SCATV T St. Joe s Webster Avenue Webster Avenue Source: US2, Stantec, Ground as adapted by Union Square Neighbors based on MLDA and Covenant Agreement phasing requirements 12

13 D2 13

14 Housing: Affordable Units Approximately 180 new affordable units =5 x 181 Washington Street = 35 Affordable Units Estimated cost of affordable housing subsidy is $250,000 per unit = $49 million Source: Covenant: Introduction (4 April 2017), OSPCD, City of Somerville presentation to Board of Aldermen, p. 12.

15 Housing: Market Rate Units Approximately 718 new market rate units =24 x 197 Washington Street = 30 Units

16 Housing: Family-Sized Units Zoning (May 31 draft): At least 10% of affordable housing units must have at least 3- bedrooms (18 units) Density bonus : For each additional 5% of affordable units (above required 10%) that have 3-bedrooms, US2 may add a floor to residential tower (up to 3 floors per tower) Implication: If US2 seeks maximum density bonus on both residential towers, 40% of affordable units will be 3-bedroom. (72 units) USN advocated 20% (36 units) of affordable homes and 10% (71 units) of market rate homes be three-bedrooms (with no density bonus).

17 Housing: Homeownership Currently, Union Square is comprised of: o 4,750 (80%) renter households o 1,200 (20%) home owner households USN advocated that US2 maintain this split by selling at least 20% of the newly created residential units o Provides equity-building opportunities to individuals o Encourages community stability While US2 has indicated portions of the development may be promising locations for town-home or condo units and has been willing to set this as a goal, no binding commitment has been made.

18 Zoning for Open Space Previous Drafts At least 15% of land must be Pedestrian Circulation Space (2.2 acres) 1 Included sidewalks, new alleys, etc. (1 acre) Current Draft (May 31) At least 25% of land must be Civic Space (3.6 acres) 17.5% (2.5 acres) must be in form of 2 or more civic spaces including one Neighborhood Park and one Plaza 7.5% (1.1 acres) other public realm improvements (e.g., sidewalks, alleys) OSPCD Civic Space estimate: $5 million 2 Quality Public Space: Quality Public Space: 1.2 acres across D-blocks acres across D-blocks 1. Source: Union Square Zoning Amendment: Meeting #11 (12 April 2017), OSPCD, City of Somerville presentation to Board of Aldermen, pp Source: Covenant: Introduction (4 April 2017), OSPCD, City of Somerville presentation to Board of Aldermen, p. 12.

19 Zoning for Open Space Previous Drafts Minimum size of required Neighborhood Park = 8,000 square feet (0.18 acres) Current Draft (May 31) Minimum size of required Neighborhood Park = 27,000 square feet (0.62 acres) Quincy Street Open Space (0.12 acres) 1 Milk Row Cemetery (0.69 acres) 1 1. Source: Open Space square footage estimates from Union Square Neighborhood Plan (p. 22)

20 Open Space: Public Access Covenant Agreement Neighborhood Park: US2 shall construct and give to the City of Somerville at no cost. The City of Somerville will have full ownership and responsibility for repairs and maintenance. Civic Spaces on D1 and D2: US2 shall construct and give to the City of Somerville at no cost. US2 will have easements for programming, seating and outdoor accessory space adjacent to retail, and maintenance. Zoning (May 31 draft) Must be accessible 24/7, except as follows Nighttime closing permitted b/w 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. for public safety and maintenance with approval by Planning Board

21 Sustainability and Green Space Sustainable Building Standards LEED Gold certifiable: Construction greater than 50,000 square feet of gross floor area LEED Silver certifiable: Construction between 25,000 and 50,000 square feet of gross floor area Cost of LEED standards: Requirements add $13 million in construction costs 1 Green Space Green Space = actual plants and trees! At least 25% of all Civic Space (3.6 acres) must be Green Space (0.9 acre) At least 50% of all Civic Space must meet definition of Green Space or be covered by tree canopy at full maturity (1.8 acres) 1. Source: Covenant: Introduction (4 April 2017), OSPCD, City of Somerville presentation to Board of Aldermen, p. 12.

22 D6 Block: Commercial office Public Realm

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26 Shadow at 4 pm on Sept 21 D6 height = 110 feet 26

27 Zoning: Limits height on D6 to 85 feet with an additional 5 feet for limited rooftop mechanicals Implication: Likely precludes a 5-story lab building 27

28 Parking Zoning (May 31 draft) Any increase in the 1,500 cap on the number of parking spaces require a special permit by the Planning Board. As a condition of the special permit, a Mobility Management Association must be constituted to set prices and policies for rent or lease of parking operated as a commercial service. 28

29 US2 cash contributions over life of project Covenant Agreement GLX contribution = $5.5 million Offsite infrastructure = $4.6 million Community Benefits fund = $3.6 million o Spending priorities to be identified by USQ Neighborhood Council Future Phase contribution = $3.5 million Job Linkage = $1.96 million Zoning Housing linkage fee = $6.6 million Source: Covenant: Introduction (4 April 2017), OSPCD, City of Somerville presentation to Board of Aldermen, pp

30 Once upon a time Somerville was awarded an $18 million matching grant in 2012 to construct a $45 million library in Union Square on D1 We passed it up D1: Civic Center Block 30

31 There was also discussion of moving City Hall to Union Square (See USQ Revitalization Plan) 31

32 Somerville Boys & Girls Club in Union Square Sold and later demolished in

33 No Plan for Indoor Civic Space USN advocated amending the Covenant Agreement to include indoor, flexibly programmed space (including a gymnasium) for use by the community on the publicly-owned Civic Center Block (D1). US2 has expressed interest in finding a non-profit tenant who is interested in filling the need, however, US2 has made no written commitment to do so. City has not committed to making this a reality despite USN advocacy and strong community interest. If a requirement is not included in the Covenant Agreement, then maybe in Community Benefits Agreement via Neighborhood Council & US2 D1 Land Disposition Agreement (SRA) Sale of Public Safety Building (requires Board of Aldermen approval) 33

34 Something like this could be nice 34

35 Beware unintended consequences US2 is amendable to pursuing civic users provided the civic users can make the economics work. 35

36 Footnote? And where will police and fire go if not on D1? 36

37 Infrastructure Updates 37

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39 Redbridge Pump Station Project Infrastructure Projects 39

40 Three projects Nunziato Field: Underground Stormwater Storage Tank ($14.6 million, 27 month construction) Somerville Avenue: Sewer separation and streetscape restoration ($50.35million, including $13m state grant, 3-year construction) Redbridge Pump Station: Site of ArtFarm in Brickbottom neighborhood ($19.6m, 2-year construction) Source: Infrastructure Information (27 April 2017), Raiche and King, City of Somerville presentation to Board of Aldermen 40

41 Nunziato Field 41

42 Tank Excavation 42

43 Park Improvements 43

44 Sewer separation and streetscape restoration 44

45 The plan is to bury one of these under Somerville Avenue 45

46 Somerville Ave 46

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48 Conversion of Prospect and Webster to 2-way streets 48

49 Prospect and Webster: 2-way streets Timing of 2-way conversion: After school ends; mid-july or later Remaining work: residual sidewalk & curb ramp work, traffic signals wiring & testing, pavement and lane striping, tweaks to mid-block cross-walk Public Notice: Message boards, police details, robocalls, and other tools will be used in advance and during the transition period. Source: Brad Rawson, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure, City of Somerville, communication, (31 May 2017). 49

50 Get Involved in USN! Membership: Membership in USN is open to any resident, property owner, business owner, or employee who lives or works in the neighborhood geographic area Voting eligibility: Over the age of 16 and has attended at least two meetings of the previous 12 months Leadership: Steering Committee comprised of 4 Officers and up to 11 additional members Elections: Annual election occurs in September; nominations must be submitted 30-days in advance of scheduled election 50