US2 KICKS OFF "100 DAYS OF ENGAGEMENT"

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Somerville, MA, Sept. 9, 2014 – With catered food, a local band, a “Lego station” for kids and a drone that delivered felt-tipped pens, on August 19 developer US2 kicked off what it called “100 Days of Engagement.”

Union Square Station Associates (US2), the developer chosen by the city to develop six parcels around the Square, hosted the party, which also included music by Black Marmot and giant dry erase boards where visitors were invited to write down what they would like to see in the future.

Men, women and children wrote phrases like “more green space,” “ethnic food markets,” “Ricky’s Flower Market,” and “support small local businesses.” Someone had written, “40% of housing should be affordable,” which someone else crossed out, replacing it with: “100%.”

Greg Karczewski, president of US2, promised everyone present that his firm would “continue the engagement that we’ve done in the community, in the area, to hear your feedback and to include all your individual perspectives” as it begins a master planning process to be carried out with City Hall and the Community Advisory Committee (CAC).

Karczewski told Somerville Neighborhood News that he and his colleagues wanted to discuss “the trade-offs required” when balancing “job-creation, housing, independent retailers, [and] all the issues that are important to the development.”

“There’s a tremendous opportunity here to address a lot of those needs and we just need to work with the community to figure out what’s most important and to figure out where the highest priorities are,” he said.

One of the next steps will be to negotiate a “Community Benefits Agreement,” Karczewski said, adding that it would be crafted “as part of the broader plan that’s being constructed” with the CAC and City Hall. Some of those present however, like members of the Union United Coalition, said they wanted to also be included in those discussions.

The Community Benefits Agreement is a ways off, according to Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone, who gave a rousing speech and received pens from a drone so that he could write his vision for the Square on one of the boards.

“Today is the first launch of a very long, and fruitful, and successful relationship, with the city, the community and our partner,” he said.