As Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone hosted a ground-breaking yesterday for what he has called the "best brand-new neighborhood on the Eastern Seaboard," one thought must surely have overshadowed the proceedings: Will Ikea be a part of it? The Assembly Row project is to have 2,050 housing units; a 200-room hotel; 1.75 million square feet of office space; 830,000 square feet of retail; and an Orange Line station. All atop an old Ford plant—get off my lawn, indeed.
Ikea has been penciled in for next to it all (see map above), right across what has been tentatively declared "Ikea Way." So... Is that still happening? Yes, according to a spokesman for the Swedish furniture company, which has the O.K. to build, though no construction timetable yet. As for whether future Ikea shoppers should be transporting their boxy wares back home via the Orange Line, the MBTA trusts you, dear reader. Per Metro's Steve Annear:
MBTA officials don't seem concerned about the prospect of passengers piling on public transit with oversized boxes, however. "We trust that our customers will exercise good judgment in deciding whether a subway car is the proper mode of transport for their purchases," said Joe Pesaturo, spokesman for the MBTA.
Pesaturo said the T "looks forward to providing service to everyone who chooses to live and shop around the new Orange Line station."
Transit-oriented development: It's here, it's near, get used to it. Somerville, in fact, is in the lead on it.
· Breaking Ground on Assembly Row [Metro]
· Ikea Slow to Furnish Assembly Square [Herald]
· Somerville's 'Best Brand-New Neighborhood' In Eastern U.S. [Curbed Boston]
· Somerville's Downward-Facing Doghouse and Hub's Apt. Future [Curbed Boston]