Curtatone, critics still at odds over speed, direction of development

The plan to develop Assembly Square with 'big box' retailers will be pushed forward despite criticisms, new Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone said after a Board of Alderman meeting last week.

Assembly Square is Somerville's largest undeveloped waterfront property. It spans 145 acres and 3/4 miles of the Mystic River and is currently home to a few stores, including a Home Depot.

Curtatone said that development in the area will bring millions of dollars in revenue that can be used to lower the taxes of private citizens. He also hopes it will convince the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority (MBTA) to extend the Orange Line to the area, which is currently considered a "medium priority" concern in the MBTA's 25-year plan.

The mayor said he wants to make Assembly Square "the most unique development area in the region," and that the city is "primed to move forward, but we have to unlock investment now."

Curtatone chose to hire the Cecil Group to draw up a plan of development for the site, the urban design company that formulated the original plan in 2000. "We want to make sure whatever we do is consistent with our long-term goals," he said.

Steven Cecil, Principal of the Cecil Group, said at the meeting that he was ready to "offer services, information, and creative ideas, but, most of all, great choices in the months ahead as you choose the best path for development."

The Cecil Group's 2000 plan for Assembly Square listed "fundamental criteria for future 'big box' development proposals." These include ensuring "parallel development" of a "mixed use," pedestrian-friendly area, and preserving the current traffic capacity in the area and even creating new traffic capacity.

The first step Curtatone is taking is to rezone the area to loosen restrictions on businesses trying to invest in the development. The zoning simply "puts out the rules of the game for developers," he said.

But critic Bill Shelton, president of the Mystic View Task Force (MVTF), said that the current zoning proposal violates the 'fundamental criteria' outlined in Cecil's report, which would ensure that the Square be developed into more than just a strip mall.

Shelton is unsure what Curtatone's final goal for the square really is. "If the mayor is coming back to [the Cecil Group] now, he would have to explain what's changed," he said.

The MVTF opposed prior actions for the development of Assembly Square because of their special emphasis on the introduction of "big box" retail stores, such as IKEA and Home Depot, into the section of the development project to be called the Assembly Square Mall.

Instead, MVTF favors a totally "mixed-use" vision of the development, which would include residences, increased transportation, and high-value developments like offices. The MVTF also encourages community involvement in planning, instead of hurrying development.

Mark Horan, Curtatone's spokesman, said that the apparent move towards a big box development is only a way of "jumpstarting" the process. "The only way to get activity [to the rest of Assembly Square] is to get activity in the mall," Horan said.

The plan can only be passed after both the city Planning Board and the Board of Aldermen agree to it. Denise Provost, President of the Board of Aldermen, said that the mayor seemed to have enough votes in place to pass the plan. What that plan will be, however, is still up in the air, as Provost said that the proposal is a "moving target," and it is very likely that it will continue to change.

Curtatone's plans for Assembly Square were strongly opposed by his opponent in last fall's mayoral race, Tony LaFuente, who advocated a slower process in which the city, businesses, and private citizens would be equally involved.

However, Curtatone said his victory in the race showed the public's feelings on the issue. "People knew they need strong leadership to move this plan forward, and I have always been decisive," he said.

With Curtatone attempting to rezone the area, the MVTF continues to be a strong force on the issue. "Reports on big boxes in other cities show that they lose money for the cities they're in," Shelton said. He said that these large retailers will not attract the MBTA to Assembly Square as much as high-value businesses would.

A cohesive public stance on the issue has been difficult to obtain. Curtatone scheduled a public hearing on the proposal for Dec. 23, 2003. He intended to hold a vote on the issue then, but because 64 of the hundreds of citizens in attendance spoke out against the rezoning, no voting took place. The Somerville Journal called the hearing a "brouhaha."

Curtatone saw this as "healthy debate," rather than a serious setback. "We all agree where we want to head; we are just debating on how we want to get moving," he said.

Development of the area has become even more important now that the unused area has become a magnet for drug-related crime. According to the Journal, there have been over 20 drug related arrests in the past month in Assembly Square.

Curtatone intends to get "the highest and best use of the land." For now, he said. The city is "working with developers about how we should move forward."