Abandoned Wal-Mart Site Could be Ideal Place for Some Homegrown Economic Development
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Last week, Wal-Mart announced that it is abandoning its plans for Somerville (and Watertown).
This is a huge victory for Somerville. And while Wal-Mart claims that it was strictly a business decision, I'm sure part of their calculus was the growing opposition by small business, environmentalists, labor and many residents to having a Wal-Mart store in our community.
It's particularly significant that this coalition has come together -- and been successful -- around a major development issue in Somerville. But now what? We can't just be negative; our victory obligates us to offer positive alternatives.
We need to use the same energy and determination that we used to beat Wal-Mart to develop our own alternative vision of economic development for the community. Development that is homegrown, green -- and most importantly -- much more inclusive and democratic.
SomerVision -- the comprehensive plan that was endorsed by the Board of Alderman and adopted by the Planning Board – designates the 125 acre Assembly Square as a "Transformational" area where our city will have 8,500 new jobs and 2,500 housing units. Very worthy goals indeed!
Yet, thus far, the vision for the Assembly Sq. has been nothing but corporate: cookie-cutter Avalon Bay housing, Ikea, and chain store retailers with discount stores. Can you imagine anything more sterile and boring? Who would really want to live or work there?
We need to put Somerville back into Assembly Sq.! Along with much more affordable housing (have you seen the rental prices at MaxPac?), it needs a farmers market, studios for artists and musicians, affordable space designated for locally-owned businesses and an incubator for coop businesses and other start-ups integrated into the overall design plan.
Just as importantly, Assembly Square must be a source for the good union jobs our community needs with a significant percentage earmarked for local residents.
The former Circuit City site in Assembly Square might be the perfect place for us to start. It could forever symbolize the turn-around in Somerville's development philosophy that Wal-Mart's withdrawal inaugurated!
Jo
11:15 pm on Tuesday, June 19, 2012
What Somerville needs is more jobs. More income from businesses. Not more little start up businesses that will be closed in a year like we have had throught the city. Just walk around and all you see is space for rent signs from little stores and companies that have failed. We need stores that bring in people to go to restaurants. Shop in stores they know. Most people do not want to shop in little no name stores.
Dan Sullivan
10:49 am on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
When you have chain stores most of the money earned goes back to corporate head quarters and leaves the local economy, never to return. Money earned in a locally owned business gets spent many times within the local economy before it leaves. What is needed is a mix of local and chain. If you walk around Somerville I am sure you will find the vast majority of long standing businesses are local. There are businesses in Davis Sq. that have existed for decades. I can not say that about the big corporates. You will find those same for rent signs in most malls too. Shop local helps your community much more than box stores. the problem is people want a quick fix. They see a big store as a better solution than a hundreds of little ones around the city. I do not see chain stores bringing people into the city. They are all a like. Why travel to shop in a chain store when it is a clone of all the other branches in every other mall. If you want people to travel into Somerville you need to be unique.
Rand Wilson
10:53 am on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Well said!
Matt C
12:05 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
I disagree that the loss of an opportunity to being hundreds of needed new jobs and new tax revenue is a good thing.
The company that was coming in, walmart wasn't at the top of my list in companies I would like to see there but thats neither here nor there. I think that given the choice many people in our community choose to go to the local shop given equivalent services and products (ill goto the sherman cafe, block 11 or diesel cafe any day over starbucks). I hear you on the sterile and boring, but have you ever walked through the wrenthem outlets? the place is always full of people going to nothing but chain stores. There are thousands of jobs and millions in tax revenue flowing to the community.
Ideally we will see a mix of corporate office space, small, medium and large retail space and housing that includes a city/state mandated level of affordable units (300+) that will keep the area buzzing day and night. I think your ideas for a community space that can host markets or outdoor events is a great one and hope it gets included in the plan. The city can provide creative taxing plans to encouraging growth of specific types of companies and interested parties can reach out to organizations that set up incubator offices and encourage them to look to Assembly Sq a new T-accessible area of the city with lots of housing shops and restaurants.
Alex Lessin
2:24 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Things I'd like to see in Somerville:
NY Bagel Store/Jewish-style Delicatessen
Potbelly's
Bowling Ally
Indoor basketball gym
in.gredients zero-package grocery store
Playhouse/art gallery
Rand Wilson
3:37 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Good ideas! I'd add that we need another swimming pool!
David
4:05 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
The "hundreds of new jobs" argument is very old and is not valid. Anyone who repeats this canard is looking at the "benefits" while turning a blind eye to the "costs". In community after community, Walmart has come and yes, they have created hundreds of certain kind of job that has no or minimal benefits, low wages, no or minimal opportunity for advancement. AND MOST IMPORTANT, because people start shopping there instead of at locally owned businesses that might have slightly higher prices, the local businesses LOSE jobs, and families LOSE benefits. Will Walmart create NET jobs or just switcharoo some good jobs for some poor ones? Please, think, and get the whole picture before mouthing the corporate line. Small businesses depend on the community and know they have to give back to it. Can you say that about an international behemoth like Walmart? Can't we learn from other communities' mistakes or do we have to make the same mistakes ourselves?
Matt C
4:45 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
David, Its easy for me to pick a side on this - I have a job and I work is a very different sector so the jobs offered by Walmart or Mckinnons wouldn't be those that i would trying to acquire if i did not.
I am however a shopper - I have some things I would buy at a big box retailer like laundry detergent and I have other things that I prefer to go to a small local shop like Solucao meat market in union sq. I don't know how much Stop&Shop gives back vs. MarketBasket (regional large store chain), Mckinnons (local small business), or Capones (local small chain) - I do know what each provides to me in terms of cost, quality and experience.
I think assuming that the large scale development planned for Assembly Sq. can be undertaken by small or micro businesses is naive. What we can do is identify means to encourage this kind of development. Consider the use of affordable housing targeted at Artist live/work space to drive centers of culture or the market squares we see in Union sq. (swirl and slice/farmers market) or SOWA Market where micro-businesses can have an opportunity to have a space to sell their wares. This is done through thoughtful planning that, despite your dislike of it, is subsidized by large scale local, regional and chain tenants.
anonymous
5:20 pm on Wednesday, June 20, 2012
Let the people who live in the area have some input as to the types of businesses that go into the area. I like the idea of outlets similar to that in Wrentham. I also work for one of the retailers in the area, and one thing I have heard from customers shopping in the area is "there is no place to eat!".