Somerville Receives $500K For Water, Sewer Improvements

SOMERVILLE, MA – The Baker-Polito administration on Friday announced a $500,000 MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant for water and sewer improvements in the Boynton Yards area. The project will modernize a failing 140-year-old sewer system and enable separated stormwater and sewer service to support the redevelopment of Boynton Yards, which will be served by the Green Line Extension.

The MassWorks project will enable the construction of five mixed-use buildings on the site.

The $950 million private development will create approximately 425 apartments, of which 20 percent will be affordable, 426,911 square feet of office space, 112,250 square feet of research and development space and 30,478 square feet of retail.

"Our administration is committed to investing in programs like MassWorks that support local infrastructure and play a critical role in strengthening businesses and the communities that surround them," Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement. "MassWorks is one of this administration’s many initiatives that enable local communities to tap into private investment and accelerate local economic growth across the Commonwealth."

Boynton Yards will be built in two phases. The first phase of the project will construct two buildings – a 139,000 square-foot office building and a 235,000 square-foot lab building – and include a parking garage under Building 2 with an estimated 300 parking spaces.

"In Somerville, our environmental and economic agendas both hinge on the ability to modernize century-old sewer and stormwater facilities," Mayor Joseph Curtatone said in a statement. "We are extremely thankful to the Baker-Polito Administration and to Secretary Ash for this $500,000 grant. Their consistent commitment to municipal partnerships like the MassWorks program support Somerville in our efforts to promote sustainable and equitable models of growth, such as tackling legacy issues in our Boynton Yards district."

Since 2015, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded close to $275 million in MassWorks grants to support 138 projects in 106 communities. MassWorks funding has been critical to the addition of over 2 million square feet of commercial/retail space, approximately 10,000 full and part time jobs, more than 7,000 immediate housing units, at least 7,000 square feet of new public space and 1,200 new hotel rooms.

Through the 2018 MassWorks round, the Administration will award more than $82 million in new grants for 40 projects that intend to leverage $2.9 billion in private investment, and drive an anticipated 4,000 units of new housing and more than 9,000 full time jobs. Thirty-seven communities across the Commonwealth will benefit from this round’s investments.

Gov. Baker signed economic development legislation in August that includes substantial new funding for municipalities, including another $250 million for MassWorks awards. The legislation builds on the Baker-Polito Administration’s work to partner with communities to catalyze economic development and create new opportunities for residents across the Commonwealth, including the 2016 Job Creation and Workforce Development act, which authorized $1 billion to support economic development efforts across the state.

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