The Sturtevant Partnership (a joint venture of Gravestar, Inc., and Taurus New England Investments)
Somerville, Massachusetts
A development proposal to create a mixed-use, transit-oriented urban neighborhood on an underused, former industrial site.
Project Highlights:
- This underdeveloped 145-acre parcel represents one of the last opportunities to build a new district in the core of the Boston region and opens the door to new tax revenue, added housing, and intensified commercial activity without increased traffic for the City of Somerville.
- After securing control of a nine-acre portion of the site, the city issued an RFP for potential developers. Owners of adjacent sites formed The Sturtevant Partnership with a national developer and selected Goody Clancy to draw up a master plan.
Strategy:
Goody Clancy laid out a phased, ten-year plan for comprehensive redevelopment centered around a new rapid transit station to be funded in part by the developers. The proposed master plan creates a cohesive, transit-oriented, and sustainable community, which includes:
- more than 5 million square feet of mixed-use development;
- a restored network of public streets;
- fifteen city blocks;
- seven new public squares;
- more than 1,500 units of new housing;
- connections to the Mystic River and a large park along its banks; and
- a vibrant main square serviced by a new station on the regional rail-transit system.
The plan carefully balances a pedestrian-oriented urban design with the city's need to generate tax revenues from uses—specifically, office space and R&D—that create a variety of jobs but require limited city services. The phasing intentionally builds flexibility into the plan, allowing development to proceed in response to changing market conditions.
The city selected The Sturtevant Partnership as site developer, and the project is currently in the permitting stage.