Tucked-Away Riverfront Park in Assembly Square Slated for Major Renovation

Currently a pleasant but somewhat forgotten, under-used and overgrown strip of green space, Riverfront Park, along the Mystic River next to Assembly Square, is undergoing a major redesign, and it could be completely renovated as early as 2013.

Scenic overlooks of the river, an amphitheater, multi-use pathways, landscaped parkland and naturalistic space that's hospitable to local wildlife are all features being considered as part of renovation plans.

The revamped park, when complete, would become an additional change to the Assembly Square area, which is in the early stages of a major redevelopment as part of the Assembly Row project.

At a public meeting held Wednesday night at the , members of the public met with representatives from the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation, park designers and officials from Assembly Row's developer, , which is funding the park overhaul.

The state park, which is 6.3 acres, runs along the Mystic River between the elevated Orange Line bridge, to the east, and Route 28's Wellington Bridge, to the west.

It is next to the current Assembly Square shopping center. With the ongoing development of Assembly Row, the park would be close to yet more commercial and residential space. A restaurant is planned next to the park.

David Webster, director of development at Federal Realty Investment Trust, said the park would be "a critical amenity to us and our project."

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A nearby open space on the Mystic River, Draw 7 Park, under the elevated Orange Line bridge to the east of Riverfront Park, is expected to be renovated sometime after Riverfront Park.

Early concepts
Plans for the park redesign are in the early stages, and the park designers, Copley Wolff Design Group, sought opinions from the public about what the park should look like.

Some early ideas for the park include three basic concepts: 

1) Naturalistic space, which would rely on natural species of plants and would be a more wild and nature-based park.

2) Urban space, which would include structures, plazas, hard surfaces and things like amphitheaters.

3) Park space, which would be a more traditional park, heavily landscaped and grassy.

It's likely the final park design will include elements of all three concepts. Urban space would provide people an area to sit down and gather; parkland space would give visitors the opportunity to play, and naturalistic space would benefit wildlife.

At Wednesday's meeting, which drew about 50 people, the overwhelming  preference from the public was for more naturalistic space. Somerville has enough urban spaces, seemed to be the consensus.

Improving Mystic River parkland
The cost of renovating the park is currently set at $1 million, to be paid for by Federal Realty Investment Trust as part of mitigation for the Assembly Row development. The developers are also committed to paying $500,000 for the renovation of Draw 7 park nearby.

The park renovation is part of an ongoing effort by the Department of Conservation and Recreation to improve the quality of parkland near the Mystic River, according to Dan Driscoll, the department's director of recreational facilities planning. Driscoll said the Mystic often feels like "the forgotten stepsister" to the Boston area's other two rivers, the Charles and Neponset, but the department has ambitious plans to change that reality.

Timeline
The Department of Conservation and Recreation is soliciting public comments on these early concepts until Aug. 20.

A second public hearing will be held in September, followed by another 30-day public comment period.

A permitting phase for the park redesign will take place from fall 2011 to spring 2012, and the construction phase could take place as early as spring 2012 to 2013.