This Wednesday 4/27: Davis Square Somerville By Design Relaunch

[ron_newman]

Davis Square Somerville By Design Relaunch

April 27, 2016
6:00 pm
First Church Somerville UCC
89 College Avenue

We will be relaunching the Somerville by Design in Davis Square on April 27th, 2016. This is the kickoff meeting to review the major topics coming out of the open house: building heights, cooperative management, and the public realm. Gehl Architects, the same firm that helped Somerville conduct the world’s first city-wide Public Space Public Life survey, will be attending to review next steps in planning Davis Square’s public realm.

(I thought someone had already posted this, but I couldn't find it)

Comments

[nomacmac.livejournal.com]

I wasn't able to go to the meeting. Can someone that attended share the highlights?

[lancedavisward6.livejournal.com]

The meeting was, in itself, essentially the highlights of the process that we are re-launching. With the help of Gehl Architects, the first phase will be to look at the "public realm" and consider what could be improved, maintained, etc. The next public event will (probably) be sometime in June. Anyone who was not able to attend but would like to be on the list for mailings, please send a note to planning@somervillema.gov. I'm hopeful that Planning will provide a summary but I also recognize that they all have a great deal of work on their plates so I'll put something together if need be. The short version is:

1. Leverage what was created three years ago but revisit any of it as appropriate.
2. Goal is to identify short, medium, and long-term things that we'd like to see happen in the square. That can include specific things that the city can do as well as a vision that can inform decisions we make in zoning or otherwise, to create an environment in which that vision can be accomplished.
3. Traffic patterns are on the table and if there are ways to think bigger than, perhaps, we did three years ago to address some of the traffic flow issues, we can do that.
4. Streetscapes Initiative is still in the plan but will be implemented with any subsurface infrastructure improvements (fixing ancient storm drains, etc.) that are identified by a review that is planned for this summer. Actual work would then, ideally, take place in 2017.

Happy to answer specific questions to the extent I can!