$1B Union Square Redevelopment Set To Begin In 2018

SOMERVILLE, MA – The Union Square redevelopment project recently passed two key benchmarks as it approaches the start of construction next year. Developer Union Square Station Associations (US2) received approval from the Somerville Planning Board for its Coordinated Development Plan, and the Somerville Board of Aldermen gave the go-ahead to District Improvement Financing for Union Square.

The Coordinated Development Plan (CDP) is the blueprint by which new commercial, housing, open and green space will be build. At full build-out, the 2.4 million-square-foot mixed-use neighborhood will include 1.4 million square feet of new work space and create 5,000 new jobs, in addition to 4,000 construction jobs and millions in job linkage payments to support local development initiatives, according to US2.

The project is expected to generate $11.3 million in annual tax revenue through commercial development, the company added. US2 will also contribute $5.5 million to the Green Line extension project.

With approval of the CDP, design review of the first phase of the project can now begin.

District Improvement Financing (DIF) allows key infrastructure upgrades to be made to the area to complement the redevelopment plan.

"The Somerville Planning Board and Board of Aldermen have secured a bright future for Union Square," Mayor Joseph Curtatone said in a release. "This is one more step in the progress we’ve made towards creating the employment center that we’ve been envisioning for so long, and additional housing options, including affordable units, that we are working as a region to increase."

Construction is set to begin on the first development phase, a mix of commercial and residential uses, in 2018.

"Votes to approve the DIF and the CDP are the culmination of decades of careful planning by residents, stakeholders, business and the city and will spark the creation of an employment center in Union Square," Greg Karczewski, president of US2, said in a statement. "We are proud to be creating a true economic hub and place where startups and entrepreneurs can grow, families can work and live and residents can enjoy new amenities and more open space. We look forward to working together to make that collective vision a reality."

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