Monday, March 4, 2013
"People are right to be afraid of sequestration," Warren said during a tour of Union Square led by Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren toured Somerville's Union Square Monday morning, and she spoke briefly about the "sequestration" deadlock in Washington, saying there's "a minority of the minority that says no way" to compromise, making progress on ending the deadlock difficult. "People are right to be afraid of sequestration," Warren said. "It's a real problem because it's so mindless." "There are many things we can do to get our house in order financially, and the president has put a very balanced approach on the table," the senator said. Warren said, "What you've really got is a core group on the other side [of the political aisle] saying, 'none.' No matter what, we're not closing any corporate loopholes, we're not bringing another dollar into the…
Friday, March 1, 2013
Though a deal seems close, the Post Office has not said who the potential buyer is, said Michael Glavin.
The United States Post Office is close to inking a deal to sell its Union Square building, according to Michael Glavin, director of Somerville's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development. "They think they are very close on making a decision on a sale," Glavin said Thursday night after a Somerville Board of Aldermen meeting. However, the Post Office hasn't said who the potential buyer is. "They did not tell me," Glavin said. The Post Office put the building on the market in spring of 2012 with an asking price of $2.5 million. It announced in 2011 it had plans to sell the building. In an email to Somerville Patch from 2012, Post Office Spokesperson Dennis Tarmey emphasized the Post Office was not planning to close Union Square …
42.37952
-71.09367
United States Postal Service
237 Washington St, Somerville, MA
/articles/post-office-close-to-selling-union-square-building-says-somerville-planning-director
787739
/locations/8914379
Friday, October 12, 2012
The matter sparked another debate about the future of the Green Line in Union Square.
The Somerville Board of Aldermen Thursday authorized an $8 million bond to acquire land and plan for the proposed Union Square Green Line Station. Most of the bond—$6 million of it—would go toward acquiring land, between Prospect Street, Somerville Avenue and Allen Street, for the station and accompanying development. Currently, the site is home to a junkyard, a scrap metal recycling business, a marble and granite business and a plumbing and heating fixture dealer. The city may need to exercise eminent domain powers to acquire some of the parcels. The other $2 million authorized by the bond would fund cleanup, engineering and planning services connected to the site and station. The bond authorization came about a week after the Board of …
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Three aldermen voted against it.
Three aldermen voted against it, but after a long debate Tuesday night, the Somerville Board of Aldermen approved the Union Square Revitalization Plan, which could pave the way for redevelopment in the square over the next 20 years. Now that it's approved by the aldermen, the plan will go before the state's Department of Housing and Community Development, which will have 30 days to make a decision about it. The plan, presented by the mayor's office in August, identifies seven "development blocks" in Union Square that the city hopes to redevelop into, for the most part, office, residential, research and development, and retail space. Most immediately, the city hopes to move forward with an MBTA Green Line station and coinciding development …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
The meeting starts at 7:30 p.m. at City Hall.
The Somerville Board of Aldermen were planning a special meeting Tuesday night to debate the Union Square Revitalization Plan, which was presented by the mayor's office in August. Tuesday's meeting comes less than a week after a previous Board of Aldermen meeting in which three members of the legislative body indicated they would vote against the plan. One of those members, Board of Alderman President Thomas Taylor, ended debate by declaring a "Section 15," which allows any alderman to immediately end discussion of a matter until the next meeting. Tuesday's meeting is scheduled to take place at 7:30 p.m. at Somerville City Hall. Aldermen Debate Over Union Square Plan Leads to Parliamentary Drama Union Square Gym Members Rally Against …
42.38671
-71.09836
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA
/articles/aldermen-to-debate-union-square-revitalization-plan-tuesday
787420
/locations/7944873
Friday, September 28, 2012
Three aldermen indicated they would vote against the Union Square Revitalization Plan.
At least three members of the Somerville Board of Aldermen indicated they would not vote for the Union Square Revitalization Plan that was presented by the mayor's office in August. Alderman At-Large William White, Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz and Ward 3 Alderman Thomas Taylor all spoke against specific aspects of the plan, though not against the broader concept of revitalizing Union square, at the Board of Aldermen meeting Thursday night. At the meeting, aldermen debated the matter with Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone. Then, in what amounted to a dramatic exercise of parliamentary procedure by Somerville standards, Taylor, who serves as president of the Board of Aldermen, abruptly ended the debate by declaring a "Section 15." Section…
42.38671
-71.09836
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave, Somerville, MA
/articles/aldermen-debate-over-union-square-plan-leads-to-parliamentary-drama
787420
/locations/7927862
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Supporters of CrossFit Somerville and others spoke at a public hearing Wednesday about the proposed Union Square Revitalization Plan.
Members of CrossFit Somerville, a gym in Union Square, came out in force Wednesday night to tell members of the Somerville Board of Aldermen they don't want their gym taken by eminent domain. The city has no immediate plans to do so, but the gym's building, 35 Prospect St., is identified as an "acquisition parcel" in the Union Square Revitalization Plan, which the mayor's office released in August. Approximately 15 members of the gym spoke at a public hearing about the revitalization plan held by the Board of Aldermen's Housing and Community Development Committee. Other speakers included individuals representing the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, Union Square Main Streets and Somerville Local First. David Stark, a gym member, talked …
Monday, August 20, 2012
A vintage radiator business, a builder of kitchen countertops, a scrap metal recycling operation and a junk yard are on land destined to be home to an MBTA Green Line station and other development.
Last week, the city released a plan for major redevelopment of Union Square. The first step in that plan is to acquire a "development block," wedged between Prospect Street, Allen Street and Somerville Avenue, that would ultimately be home to Union Square's MBTA Green Line station. It's called the North Prospect Block. In all, the city has identified seven development blocks it wants to develop. That involves acquiring parcels of land, often from private owners. The city already owns a lot of land in the North Prospect Block, and here's a short list of businesses that also own land on that development block, businesses that will likely have to sell or move. A-1 New & Used Plumbing & Heating The owner, Francis Fahey, has been on PBS's "This…
42.37771
-71.09503
Empire Marble & Granite
50 Prospect St, Somerville, MA
/articles/four-businesses-affected-by-the-union-square-revitalization-plan
786592
/locations/7638542
42.37866
-71.094379
A-1 New & Used Plumbing & Heating
30 Prospect St, Somerville, MA
/articles/four-businesses-affected-by-the-union-square-revitalization-plan
787407
/locations/7638543
42.37787
-71.09417
Prospect Iron & Steel and Anestis Metals Corp.
40 Bennett St, Somerville, MA
/articles/four-businesses-affected-by-the-union-square-revitalization-plan
788002
/locations/7638544
Friday, August 17, 2012
The "2012 Union Square Revitalization Plan" calls for the city acquire up to roughly $26 million worth of parcels in Union Square for disposition to developers.
The city has released a plan that would pave the way for major redevelopment of Union Square over the next few decades. The plan designates nearly 117 acres of Union Square as a revitalization district, and it calls for the city to acquire seven key "development blocks"—currently assessed as being worth around $26 million, in total—for future disposition to developers. The development blocks include parcels of property held by approximately 29 different owners, not including those already owned by the city of Somerville and the Somerville Redevelopment Authority. Many of the properties are used for auto repair businesses or warehouse and industrial space, though some are shops and restaurants, and two are homes. You can read the whole …
SomervilleGirl
11:48 am on Saturday, March 9, 2013
Sand Man, Her last comment directed to the public is the best --basically what she is saying, We need to stand united and fight back. more ›