Gilman Square Plan Implementation

Mayor Ballantyne and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) invite you to join members of Somerville’s Mobility, Engineering, Public Space and Urban Forestry, and Economic Development teams, the Somerville Arts Council, as well as the Gilman Square Civic Advisory Committee, for an update on activity in the Gilman Square area. Topics will include the City’s newly published Flood Mitigation and Water Quality Master Plan, the status of the Community Path, and potential short-term activation of the site in the coming year. Come learn about important happenings in your neighborhood and make your voice heard to better inform City decision-making.

This meeting will be held in English, Spanish, Portuguese, and Haitian Creole. Please share the meeting registration link and fliers with your friends and neighbors!

Link to join: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83497380624
Meeting ID: 834 9738 0624

Meeting fliers can be found here.

March 14th, 2022 Virtual Community Meeting

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development want to hear from you! Join us to learn more about the next steps in redeveloping the City-owned properties in Gilman Square. We also want to hear what’s on your priority list for when the Green Line construction wraps up and the construction yard is redeveloped. Are there particular business types, community spaces, and housing opportunities that you would like to see considered here?

This meeting will be held in English, Spanish, and Portuguese. Please share the meeting registration link and fliers with your friends and neighbors!

Meeting Registration - Zoom

English Flier, Folleto en Español, Panfleto em Português

Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, Ward 1 Councilor Matt McLaughlin, Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, and Ward 3 Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen invite you to a virtual community meeting to discuss the Gilman Square Street Design.

At this meeting, City staff will provide an update on present and future projects in Gilman Square, present the feasibility study for an accessible path from Marshall Street to the Medford Street Bridge and Community Path extension, discuss options for protected bicycle lanes on Medford Street and Pearl Street from the School Street to the Skilton Ave intersections, and gather public feedback.

The meeting will take place virtually on Monday, November 22, at 6:00 p.m. Please register at the following link: https://us06web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_2G3RVgxnTgqqGTYWfm8bnw.

To join by phone:

• One tap mobile: US: +13126266799,,83933547005# or +16465588656,,83933547005#
• Or dial a number based on your current location and use the Webinar ID
  • US: +1 312 626 6799 or +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 346 248 7799 or +1 720 707 2699 or +1 253 215 8782
  • Webinar ID: 839 3354 7005

For any questions, please email transportation@somervillema.gov.

Interpretation into Spanish, Portuguese, Haitian Kreyol, or Nepali may be available upon advance request by contacting the SomerViva Office of Immigrant Affairs at somerviva@somervillema.gov or calling 311 at 617-666-3311.

Persons with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication (i.e., CART, ASL), written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures in order to access the programs, activities, and meetings of the City of Somerville should please contact Nancy Bacci at 617-625-6600 x 2250 or nbacci@somervillema.gov.

It’s been a little while, but we are excited to share some updates about the Gilman Square Plan Implementation here and in person tomorrow at the Gilman Square Neighborhood Associations’ Block Partay.

The Zoning Feasibility and Massing Study Synthesis Report was completed recently and is available on the website. At this point the Economic Development division will be taking the reins from Planning, Preservation, and Zoning team to move the redevelopment project forward to the next stage. Rachel Nadkarni, Senior Planner – Urban Revitalization Specialist, will be the new point of contact.

A common question during the June public meeting was about the economics of these proposals. The City has engaged HR&A Advisors to conduct a market study to dig into the economic feasibility of the building types explored during the zoning feasibility phase and provide input to the developer selection process. Their process will be tied to the next public meeting series in the coming months.

As a first step in preparing for the next round of meetings, the City will be forming a Civic Advisory Committee. This committee will bring together a diverse group of Gilman Square neighborhood leaders and connectors and will be tasked with helping bring as many voices into the process as possible and to synthesize community feedback. More information will be distributed in November.

We are looking forward to connecting with all of you in this next phase and hope to see many of you at the Block Partay tomorrow.

Following the conclusion of the second community meeting for the Zoning Feasibility & Massing Study, Staff synthesized the feedback received from community members throughout the process into a brief report. That report can be found here. In addition to providing an overview of the process and results of this effort, it also identifies the next step for continuing implementation of the Gilman Square Station Area Plan.

The Economic Development Division is working to move forward with implementation of the Station Area Plan and will continue to collaborate with the community to achieve the goals identified in that plan.

Thank you to the approximately 40 people who joined us for the City’s virtual community meeting on June 2. We would also like to thank Councilors Clingan, Ewen-Campen, and McLaughlin for attending.

This was the second of two meetings that the City held as part of the Gilman Square Implementation Update: Zoning Feasibility & Massing Study. The City’s consultant for this project, NBBJ, presented on the work they’ve been doing to incorporate feedback from the March 10th meeting and the related SomerVoice survey regarding the design schemes presented at that meeting. They presented the result of that work as three 3-D massing diagrams showing what potential buildings could look like on the site.

You can watch the video recording of the meeting here and view the slides here.

Thank you to the approximately 70 people who joined us for the City’s virtual community meeting on March 10. We would like to thank Councilors Clingan, Ewen-Campen, McLaughlin, Niedergang, and Strezo for attending.

This was the first of two meetings that the City will hold as part of the Gilman Square Implementation Update: Zoning Feasibility & Massing Study. The City’s consultant for this project, NBBJ, presented on the work they’ve been doing to explore different designs to achieve the goals of past planning work done in Gilman Square while accounting for zoning requirements and recent changes in nearby projects including the Gilman Square Station design, the Central Hill Campus Plan, and the redesign of Medford Street.

You can watch the video recording of the meeting here and view the slides here.

We will be posting a survey to gather additional feedback soon. If you registered for the meeting or have signed up for through SomerVoice updates on this project you will receive an email notifying you when the survey is available.

This feedback will be valuable as we work through refining the designs presented at the March 10th meeting and developing massing diagrams of the preferred options.

On Wednesday, October 7, the Ward Councilors, Gilman Square Neighborhood Association (GSNA) and City staff hosted a virtual meeting to share updates on the conceptual streetscape designs and roadway improvements. This included the unveiling of an updated "20% Design. In addition, staff discussed how to implement the development goals of the Neighborhood Plan to "Bring Back the Square." The slides are available here, and a recording will be posted shortly.

Residents are encouraged to provide feedback:

• Survey about the intersection design: Let us know what you think about the revised intersection design.
• Amenities in Gilman Square: We've added the many great ideas we've heard about what amenities you would like in your neighborhood. Add your own, or comment on the ones that have already been shared.