"Somerville may change zoning to oppose Yard 8 plan" Zoning changes proposed by Somerville's Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) would effectively block the state's controversial proposal to place a Green Line rail yard in the Brickbottom area while opening a section on the city's border with Cambridge to an alternative plan.
A new report released by Massachusetts Smart Growth Alliance, the MASSPIRG Education Fund, and Transportation for America demonstrates that while demand for public transportation is on the rise, funding for transit across America is vulnerable and insufficient. In 2008, public transportation ridership rose 4 percent, with the largest number of trips taken since 1956, while the total number of miles driven…
Topics included the CAFEH study and Green Line updates (including maintenance facility). Meeting notes (PDF)
"Gilman Square community meeting sparks interest, concerns" Residents were happy to discuss their hopes and fears about the implementation of the proposed stop: keeping businesses local, ensuring that low and moderate income residents wouldn't be shoved out by insidious rent increases, maintaining the local character, improving car traffic and pedestrian conditions, ensuring planning for green spaces, public safety, and reserving new…
"Green Line meeting: Residents envision growth, but fear pushing out the immigrant population"
Somerville News: "Transportation Finance and Reform - Part 1 " Although EOT says that it is still "committed" to building the Green Line extension to Route 16, its official plans call for a scaled-back project, and is conditioned on federal grant funding.
Somerville Journal: "State scrambles to meet Green Line commitments this year" âThe state is a strong candidate for federal funding,â said Wig Zamore from STEP, who has long been an advocate of the Green Line extension to Somerville and Medford. âThe state has had 30 years to figure this out and is running out of rope. I am hopeful it will…
"The Green Line Extension conversation comes to Union Square" Representatives from Save Our Somerville, Tufts University, STEP, and residents from Union Square and neighboring areas of Somerville came together to discuss what this change will mean for Union Square.
The following letter was sent to Joseph Cosgrove, Director of Planning/Development at the MBTA
Dear Mr. Cosgrove:
We would like to take this opportunity to provide a number of comments and suggestions regarding the Assembly Square Station design, as presented to the public on June 29, 2009.
First and foremost, we would like to thank the MBTA for their collaboration with Federal Realty, IKEA, and the City of Somerville to make this project happen. Providing a new MBTA station on the Orange Line at Assembly Square will have a profound positive effect on how development and growth in this area takes place.
In June, STEP sent a letter to Transportation Secretary Aloisi about our concerns with the proposed location of the Green Line maintenance facility in Yard 8. Steve Woelfel has responded to that letter, but our concerns about the operation of the Green Line extensions in relation to the maintenance facility locations has still not been addressed. Download and read his letter…