MGNA: Medford Green Line Neighborhood Alliance

Five Medford residents were appointed Monday to the new Green Line Extension Working Group that will assist and advise MassDOT during the next phase of the project.

Doug Carr, Jessica Martin, Julia Prange and Laurel Ruma of Medford were among 18 citizens appointed to the group. City Councilor Fred Dello Russo Jr. also was appointed as a representative of the city.

MassDOT chose the Working Group representatives from more than 100 people who applied in April in response to an invitation from MassDOT and the MBTA.

One of the criteria was that citizens live in close proximity to the proposed stations. Ruma is a Burget Avenue abutter to the College Avenue station, Prange lives in Ball Square, and Martin resides on Main Street in South Medford. Carr is a Boston Avenue resident who lives near the Route 16 station proposed in Phase II of the project. He also was a member of the Beyond Lechmere Northwest Corridor Advisory Group from 2004-05.

The Working Group will advise MassDOT and the MBTA on the design of six new stations proposed for the neighborhoods of Brickbottom, Gilman Square, Lowell Street, Ball Square, College Avenue, and Union Square, as well as the relocation of Lechmere Station.

The Working Group will also provide input on design issues related to the Green Line Extension vehicle support facility and the Community Path project.

Working Group members will review design plans, gather and share local input, and help plan public station design events, which will begin this fall.

The group is expected to begin meeting in July.

The complete list of Working Group members can be found on the Commonwealth’s Transportation Blog.

Note: Todd Kaplan, listed by MassDOT as a Medford representative, actually is a Somerville resident.

A Boston.com article last week began by saying, “Everyone’s speculating and dreaming about When the Green Line Comes — just see the real estate ads.”

So we took a look at those ads, and found that Realtors see the Green Line extension bringing tremendous value to Medford and Somerville neighborhoods that the Green Line will reach.

“Medford remains a strong market and continues to be desirable for first-time home buyers, especially the Hillside neighborhood, where the Green Line Extension will become a reality in the year 2014,” writes The Warren Group, New England’s pre-eminent resource for real estate information and publisher of “Banker & Tradesman.”
Greg DiGiorgio, RE/MAX Realtor, writes that the “Green Line Extension Project will also bring new life to Medford’s Hillside & Tufts Neighborhoods, offering downtown commuters a more direct option into the city rather than bus.“

Realtors are using proximity to the Green Line extension as a prominent selling point, and also the wisdom of purchasing before the extension opens, to take advantage of lower prices now and increased values later.

Here are some samples of some of the ads currently online:

16 Piggott Road, Medford – “Sunsplashed Craftsman Style Bungalow located in Medford’s desirable Hillside Neighborhood. Just a short walk to new proposed Green Line stop. This is truly a beautiful home!”

77 Piggott Road, Medford – “Located in the Tufts University area of Medford 1 Block from the proposed Green line station. Easy commuting access into Cambridge/Boston.”

28 Orchard St., Medford – “Great location close to Tufts University, Whole Foods, the restaurants and shops of the Hillside and the upcoming Green Line Medford T Station.”

618 Boston Ave., Medford – “Walking distance to Tufts, Davis Sq., and stone’s throw to vibrant Ball Square and intended Green Line extension stop!”

11 Rock Hill, Medford. – “Conveniently located 1/4 mile to 93 N /S and Commuter Rail, Whole Foods, and the future Green Line stop.”

28 Albion St., Somerville – “Exceptional two family home on side street just 1/4 mile to the future Green Line T stop on Lowell St and adjacent to the Bike Path extension.”

7 Jacques St., Somerville – “Fabulous Winter Hill location near Foss Park! Buy now, before Green Line extension!”

8 Howe St., Somerville – “Two blocks from proposed Green Line station.”

116 Sycamore St., Somerville – “Also on the proposed future Green Line route!”

70-80 Webster Ave., Somerville – “Loft living steps to future Green Line. Cool and edgy Boston view from this penthouse w/wraparound deck! Be in the know in this up and coming hot spot in town.”

The Massachusetts Department of Transportation has submitted a Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the Green Line Extension project as required by the Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs.

The FEIR responds to specific issues identified by the Secretary in the Green Line Extension Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR), which was filed last fall. Among those are:

+ Additional analysis of other vehicle maintenance and storage facility locations, and the rationale for MassDOT’s new recommendation of the “Option L” location rather than “Yard 8,” which was the recommendation in the DEIR

+    A revised conceptual design of the relocated Lechmere Station, with additional analysis of impact

+   Analysis of the operations and impacts associated with the use of the College Avenue Station as a terminal station for the first phase of the extension

+ Supplemental discussion clarifying air quality modeling procedures employed in support of the project

+    A summary of overall project impacts and mitigation measures

+    Development of a Public Involvement Plan for future community participation

The FEIR also contains all of the comment letters received on the DEIR, with response to all substantive comments.

The FEIR is available on the project website.

Complete reference copies of the FEIR also are available at public libraries and city clerk’s offices in Medford, Somerville and Cambridge.

A public meeting on the FEIR will be held on Wednesday, June 30, at 6 p.m. at the Somerville High School Auditorium, 81 Highland Ave., Somerville. The meeting will provide an opportunity for members of the public, agency representatives, and other project stakeholders to learn about changes to the project and ask questions.

The public comment period for the document will be for 30 days. All comments are due to the Massachusetts Environmental Policy Act (MEPA) Office by July 23, 2010.  All written comments must be submitted to:

Secretary Ian Bowles
Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
MEPA Office, Attn: Holly Johnson, MEPA Analyst
EEA #13886
100 Cambridge Street, Suite 900
Boston MA 02114

Fax: 617-626-1181.  Email:  Holly.S.Johnson@state.ma.us

Comments also may be sent to Katherine Fichter, Office of Transportation Planning, 10 Park Plaza, Room 4150, Boston, MA 02116.