East Broadway could soon get a makeover

By Kimberly Geronimo

Week by week, east Broadway gets closer to receiving its long awaited makeover. Residents met with public officials and consultants at a community meeting on Feb. 13 to voice their suggestions and opinions on possible streetscape revisions to the long-underutilized district.

The idea to redesign Broadway was originally conceived under former mayor Michael Capuano's administration in the 1990s but had floundered because of a lack of funding, according to Ward 1 Alderman William Roche. It had been in the planning process for about five years, he said. Finally, “Mayor [Joseph A.] Curtatone made the commitment and has most of the funding” for a full-scale renovation, he said.

“I'm excited it's finally happening,” he said. “It's important to the people in East Somerville that people are paying attention to us. It's known as the forgotten part of the city and finally people are paying attention and East Somerville is being rejuvenated.”

The plan to redesign the stretch of Broadway running from Cross Street to the Boston city line is being developed through the combined efforts of the mayor's office, Design Consultants, Pressley Associates, architect Kimo Griggs, and urban design consultant Paula Cortes, according to Lisa Lepore, Director of Transportation and Infrastructure from the Mayor's office.

The street design will be funded by Community Development Block Grant Funds provided by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD). A $650,000 grant the city has applied for from HUD can be spent on the Broadway renovation because East Somerville has been designated as a revitalization area by the federal government, said Lepore. But the city will have to look for other resources to fund the actual construction, which will be a multimillion dollar endeavor, she said.

A joint presentation by DCI, Pressley Associates, and Griggs, described the project, which includes widening the sidewalks along east Broadway, ensuring there are curb cuts wherever the sidewalk intersects with the street, improving storefronts, landscaping, installing bike paths, making the road more pedestrian-friendly, and more.

The team presented four slightly different proposals for an improved Broadway. One left the road with the four lanes it has today (two lanes in each direction), while the others reduced it to a two lane street (one lane in each direction) with much wider sidewalks. There were also differences in the meridian and the shape of the street. In particular, the fourth proposal significantly increased the open space in front of the East Branch Somerville Public Library. All of the proposals are available to see at City Hall.

Others present at the meeting also seemed eager for a new and improved Broadway. Steven Chrobak, a nine month resident of Somerville and frequent pedestrian along Broadway, described his current commute along the road. “Going from Sullivan to the park, it's extremely hot - it's such a wide street and the light reflects off the store fronts,” he said.

Carrie Dancy, executive director of East Somerville Main Streets, also said she was unsatisfied with the present state of Broadway. “Currently there's no space for people to gather so it's impossible to build community,” she said. “The sidewalks don't really encourage people to get out. Broadway right now is a long strip without any points that people can identify with.”

An improved streetscape “will be something that unites the area and it will reinvigorate the commercial district,” she said.

She was not the only one ready for change. Broadway is “a little dated, aesthetically it would be an improvement,” said Stephen Martorano, a resident since 1996. He said he was pleased with the plans, but as a driver along Broadway, he did have some reservations about increased traffic, especially with the three proposals that reduced the road to two lanes only.

Antonio Candido, a resident since 1974, shared Martorano's concern. “One lane [in each direction] is ridiculous, it's just going to build up traffic more and more,” he said.

Roche, however, said he was not too worried about this problem. “The rest of the entire city has one lane streets - from here to the top of Winter Hill is the only area where we have two lanes,” he said. “So I think people lose track of the idea that one lane isn't so bad because they're so used to two lanes. One lane slows traffic down, you can't double park, and it discourages cut through traffic,” he said.

Roche was one of several to favor the fourth proposal with increased open space along the library. “I like the wider sidewalks, the emphasis on open spaces, area in front of the library, and one lane,” he said.

Marylin Eastwood, the head of the east branch of the Somerville Public Library, also preferred that proposal. “It makes for a nice community space in front of the library,” she said. She also suggested building a glassed-in cafe in front of the library where people would eat and relax.

Other residents proposed putting fountains along the road and installing the street lights on the meridian so they would not clutter the sidewalks. Consultants and city officials said they hold these meetings to gather input from residents about the project. The next community meeting will be in March, they said.

Comments

[Solh Zendeh]

“The rest of the entire city has one lane streets - from here to the top of Winter Hill is the only area where we have two lanes”...

Roch is right - reducing the lanes is vital to having a nice place to actually walk around. The traffic will be there no matter what you do, and the easier you make it for cars the more they will use it, creating *more* traffic not less.

One thing: Broadway goes back to 2 lanes on the other side of winter hill for a stretch. Does anyone know if they are considering doing the same kind of thing for us as E Somerville? The area from the CVS to the bridge over the tracks outside of Ball is a complete mess and is just miserable to walk around.

A reduction to 1 lane, with an extra turning lane at intersections seems more reasonable than the mess we have now... what is it 1.75 lanes? 2.3? Who knows?

[Solh Zendeh]

Gha, sorry I left out the "e" in RochE.

[Truth Fan]

Sohl,

Your suggestion would make a contribution to humanizing Broadway and calming traffic so that lower Broadway could serve well as a neighborhood square. Unfortunately, once IKEA opens, Broadway will need more like four lanes each way than two, in order to keep Broadway businesses alive. Bill Roche and some of the Planning Board members finally came to understand this, but too late to do much about it.

[Charlie D.]

I am also a big fan of making Broadway one lane in each direction instead of two. It's important to the business district and to the neighborhoods that it become an area that is more people-friendly. In addition, the current traffic counts support this lane reduction.

As far as the IKEA impacting traffic, Broadway shouldn't be receiving much of that traffic. The main routes are 28 and 38, which both have entrances to Assembly Square on them.

[Bill Shelton]

Charlie,

I hope that you are right. But I fear that Truth Fan is prophetic. We'll have the answer to this question within two years.

Traffic is like water flow, which follows the course of least resistance. The potential IKEA traffic could fill Broadway, whether it is one lane, two, or three. So I'm with you. let's reduce it to one and encourage the water to find a path of less resistance.

[Imux]

Take Broadway down to one (1) lane!!!???? What are you damp? How stupid can you libs be? If you restrict it - they will NOT come. Most people do not ride bikes and/or walk around a lot. We drive - this is America. I would blow that section open to at least 3 lanes each way and make it a MAJOR roadway. Get more traffic in and you get more revenue in. More revenue in means more commercial taxes in. More commercial taxes in means lower residential property taxes.

Why do I have to do all the thinking for you moonbats?

Solh, I am disappointed in you. I know you got a hair across your @ss against the oil companies, but... dude.... one lane!!!!! You're sliding into the moonbat category.

Tip of the day: A vote for Obama is a vote for Osama.

[Solh Zendeh]

I could give a damn about the oil companies. There is absolutely nothing they or anyone else can do about this fact: we *will* be using less and less oil, because the global discovery of oil peaked forty years ago, and production is peaking as we speak. This is not an eco-wetdream, or political statement of any kind, it is a statement of fact based on the best and most recent data the public has access to.

The market has decided - businesses that require massive car and truck traffic to sustain them are going to fail. We need to arrange our business districts with that fact in mind, or we can watch in horror as big box after big box store closes up and leaves us with empty parking lots, no jobs and high(er) property taxes.

[Kate]

Imux - did you just see that pig fly by your window? I'm in agreement with you. People are not going to stop driving, through there, just because it goes down to one lane. The result is going to be traffic backups and angry drivers -- so much for a nice place to walk around. Also, what is there on Lower Broadway to attract all these pedestrians you're expecting. If you build it, they WILL NOT come. As so many of you posters have written, in the past months -- most of those stores are owned/run by non-native-born Americans. So now, suddenly, you want to patronize that area. Please!

Mess? What mess? The only mess I see on Broadway is from people trying to get through Sullivan Sq. each morning.

I honestly am dumbfounded that such a ridiculous idea has found a foothold.

[Solh Zendeh]

Kate, do you drive through Magoun Square often? Have you ever tried to walk around there?

What I mean by "a mess" is that there are multiple badly marked lanes of traffic that converge into a single lane, then back to multiples, then back to 1 between winter hill and ball square...

And what I mean by "a mess", is that it's a place that is unpleasant to walk, meaning that any store that requires foot traffic will not get casual customers.

This is urban planning at it's most basic: are we going to arrange and scale our business districts around cars or people? The fact is that soon we will have no choice: oil production appears to be peaking and the cost of driving is about to get prohibitively expensive for all the day-to-day errands that people have taken to using their cars for the past 50 years.

I expect that many people will be dumbfounded by what the future of Euro- not dollar-denominated oil is going to look like here in America. And dumbfounded again when the market finally registers the slow steady decline in oil production starting in 5-10 years.

[Ron Newman]

If lower Broadway can be made more pleasant to walk around (for instance, more like Inman Square or Central Square), that can only help attract more customers to the businesses there.

[Imux]

If lower Broadway can be made more pleasant to walk around (for instance, more like Inman Square or Central Square), that can only help attract more customers to the businesses there.

Posted by: Ron Newman | February 25, 2008 at 05:58 PM

Ron, ya think? Ain't happening in this lifetime though. Get used to that area becoming more and more like little brazil. What needs to be done is ICE needs to set up a substation down there.

[Ron Newman]

I don't see how being 'Little Brazil' would discourage people from eating or shopping there. Look how popular Chinatown and the North End (Little Italy) are in Boston. Central, Inman, and Union Squares all have far more ethnic restaurants than strictly 'American' ones.

[Kate]

Imux - Little Latin America would be more like it. (Don't make me list all the Latino businesses by their ethnicity.)

[Imux]

I don't see how being 'Little Brazil' would discourage people from eating or shopping there. Look how popular Chinatown and the North End (Little Italy) are in Boston. Central, Inman, and Union Squares all have far more ethnic restaurants than strictly 'American' ones.

Posted by: Ron Newman | February 25, 2008 at 08:54 PM

Imux - Little Latin America would be more like it. (Don't make me list all the Latino businesses by their ethnicity.)

Posted by: Kate | February 26, 2008 at 01:14 PM

or better yet.... let's call East Somerville what it is now: a criminal and drug haven. It's a cesspool now down there thanks to all the illegals and their criminal activities.

[Ron Newman]

Whatever. Surely you've noticed how popular Mexican food is lately? Walk from Tacos Lupita to Chipotle and you'll pass half a dozen Mexican or psuedo-Mexican places.

Fixed up and marketed well, the east end of Broadway could be an ethnic restaurant row comparable to Moody Street in Waltham. (Which, by the way, is only one lane in each direction.)