Union Square Plaza and Streetscapes
Somerville’s Union Square is the social, cultural and spatial heart of the neighborhood. It is the city’s oldest commercial district as well as the historically significant location of a Union soldier recruiting station during the Civil War. It sits just below the site of the raising of the first American flag, the Grand Union Flag, on Prospect Hill during the American War for Independence. With a network of travel corridors leading to it, the plaza is the hub of Union Square, and the site of many festivals, events, and public activities. It is a square that has experienced waves ofContinue reading
Somerville’s Union Square is the social, cultural and spatial heart of the neighborhood. It is the city’s oldest commercial district as well as the historically significant location of a Union soldier recruiting station during the Civil War. It sits just below the site of the raising of the first American flag, the Grand Union Flag, on Prospect Hill during the American War for Independence. With a network of travel corridors leading to it, the plaza is the hub of Union Square, and the site of many festivals, events, and public activities. It is a square that has experienced waves of growth and decline and is positioned for a new phase of transformation.
The present configuration of Union Square Plaza took shape in the 1960’s when Washington Street was rerouted, and vehicles were removed from the central space. The reclaimed roadway space allowed for gatherings and events of all types. The Union Square streetscape and plaza project will expand on the work from the 60's to increase the plaza in order to become a distinguished civic plaza space and complete the adjoining streetscapes. This project aims to tackle the following questions and goals as well as bring forward new ideas:
• What is the right balance between travel lanes and plaza?
• How can the plaza design anchor a neighborhood while simultaneously embrace the future design of the D1, D5, D6 and D7 Parcels?
• The plaza shall accommodate a variety of gathering in both sun and shade, permanent and temporary, static and active.
• The design shall protect all people and make them feel safe at all times of the day throughout the year.
• Clearly articulate a design position for embracing, modifying, enhancing, or eliminating site features and seasonal programming of the plaza as it exists today, such as existing trees, existing parking, existing Arts Council installations, outdoor dining, markets and festivals.
• Utility design shall further the City’s goals of rehabilitating existing subsurface infrastructure, completing sewer separation, and better managing stormwater through the innovative use of Green Stormwater Infrastructure.
• The design shall celebrate and respect Union Square monuments and neighborhood history
• The design approach shall establish a construction narrative to identify the order of construction phasing to deliver a new plaza space. The complete narrative should consider traditional construction planning as well as implementing temporary tactical urbanism methods to keep our public spaces active during the full transformation.
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Follow Project
Videos
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Click here to play video VIDEO - 2022 March 21 Union Square Plaza & Streets Digital Meeting Recording of the 2022 March 21 Union Square Plaza & Streets digital meeting.
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Click here to play video VIDEO - 2021 October 20 Union Square Plaza and Street Digital Meeting Recording of the 2021 October 20 Union Square Plaza & Streets digital meeting.
Key Dates
Project Timeline
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Pre-Design
Union Square Plaza and Streetscapes has finished this stageCOMPLETED PHASE
During pre-design the team is reviewing planning documents, developing the community outreach strategy, and soliciting early community aspirations and vision for Union Square plaza and streetscapes through pop-ups and focus groups.
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Concept Design
Union Square Plaza and Streetscapes has finished this stageCURRENT PHASE:
During the concept design phase the team will develop design alternatives for the plaza and streetscapes of Union Square. Community feedback will be collected to refine the designs for further development in the 25% design phase.
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25% Design
Union Square Plaza and Streetscapes is currently at this stageDuring the 25% design phase the team will advance the technical design and develop a construction phasing plan. The 25% design locks in the critical pieces of the plaza and streetscape project to move into technical construction documents and preparation for construction bidding.
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Phasing and 100% Technical Design Drawings for Project 1 - (TBD)
this is an upcoming stage for Union Square Plaza and StreetscapesDuring this phase, one or more areas within the Union Square neighborhood will be further developed to a technical set of construction documents that can be put out to bid as Project 1. This phase may take one or more years prior to start of construction. Subsequent Projects 2-5+ will be determined.
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Project 1 Construction Start - (TBD)
this is an upcoming stage for Union Square Plaza and StreetscapesTBD, no construction is scheduled for the next two years.
Union Square Streets and Plaza Documents
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20220521PlazaConceptPopUpBoards-sm.pdf (2.95 MB) (pdf)
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20220321UnionSquareSLIDES-FINAL.pdf (10.1 MB) (pdf)
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20211020UnionSquareMeetingSLIDES.pdf (25.1 MB) (pdf)
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Design Consulting Team Existing Conditions Report (14.4 MB) (pdf)
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Design Consulting Team Existing Document Review (122 KB) (pdf)
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Neighborhood Meeting Flyers
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USQ Neighborhood Meetings Flyer Spring (English) (219 KB) (pdf)
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USQ Neighborhood Meetings Flyer Spring (Portuguese) (222 KB) (pdf)
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USQ Neighborhood Meetings Flyer Spring (Haitian Kreyol) (219 KB) (pdf)
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USQ Neighborhood Meetings Flyer Spring (Nepali) (252 KB) (pdf)
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USQ Neighborhood Meetings Flyer Spring (Spanish) (220 KB) (pdf)
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Who's Listening
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CK
Email ckirk@somervillema.gov -
VA