Along comes a big assurance that SomerVision is not a mirage. State and local officials, including Governor Deval Patrick, state Transportation Secretary Richard Davey and Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone, are expected to make a big announcement on Tuesday afternoon near the Target off Union Square. The news? Phase I of the Green Line extension through Somerville will get under way. That phase includes demolishing an MBTA-owned building at 21 Water Street in East Cambridge for the extension of tracks from the Lechemere Station; and the reconstruction of two railroad bridges, on Harvard and Medford streets, to accommodate the fresh route.
In the spring, Somerville released the final version of its 20-year master plan, called SomerVision. It called for, among other things, 6,000 new housing units (1,200 of which were to be permanently affordable) and 125 acres of new open space. A lot of the new development, however, hinges on the completion of a long-hoped-for, long-delayed extension of the Green Line beyond Lechemere, to Union Square and into Medford. In fact, Somerville wants as much as 85 percent of its new development to be along these stops, creating new nexuses of activity. It may be as late as 2020 before it's all done, but it's starting to happen. Whether this brings the hipsters is a whole other story.
· Green Line Extension Project Gets Kickoff Tuesday in Somerville [Day]
· SomerVision Sees 6,000 New Homes, Lots of Green Line Riders [Curbed Boston]
· Somerville to Board Tech Train as Mayor Praises 'Hipsters' [Curbed Boston]
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