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Friday, August 19, 2011

Your Vision For Magoun Square...



Magoun Square 2011

Hopefully soon, the business owners, elected/city officials, and genuinely concerned residents will reconvene in Magoun Square to discuss OSPCD's report and brainstorm ideas on business-building initiatives for the newly renovated connection of Broadway and Medford Street.

I wanted to take this opportunity to pose the question to my readers:
  • What is your vision for Magoun Square?
  • What would you like to see?
  • What is successful and what could use some improvement?
Looking at this from a different perspective:
  • What do you think the new residents of Maxwell's Green would like?
  • What would bring T riders off of the Green Line for a night in Magoun Square?
Email me or comment your thoughts and visions for a follow-up article that will compile all of your suggestions. Please note that you can make them anonymously or have your name attached. Also, you don't have to be a resident of Ward 5 or even Somerville to offer an opinion.

9 comments:

KelseyRoth said...

I think something Magoun Square desperately needs is daytime business, either more consistent retail business or more 9-5 office business. I would love to see the building on the corner of Medford and Broadway be turned into a shared office space similar to Design Annex in Union Square but no necessarily limited to design companies.

What I think might be limiting this is available daytime parking. If more daytime business were to move into Magoun Square, where would they park?

I think the other problem I see is a lack of standards for business fronts. There doesn't seem to be any requirement for signage. Just putting a banner over the old sign isn't good enough. I also think businesses need to be more responsible for the sidewalk areas in front of their business. Clean up the trash and shovel in the winter for heaven's sake.

Anonymous said...

- make the CVS parking lot at Broadway a 1-way entrance only to get rid of game of chicken between those exiting CVS and those on Dexter St. CVS would exit onto Medford St only.
- reclaim the 9 +/- parking spaces next to CVS's brick paved area at the entrance mentioned in the item above and turn it into a larger public space so that Magoun Square has public area on par with Davis Square.
- Move the check cashing place. It is in a beautiful building that deserves a tenant more fitting for such a high-exposure building in a classy square.
- expand Old Magoun's Saloon... it is frequently packed. Love that place! Make sure Old Magoun's, Lil' Vinny's, and Wangs never leave.
- add more trash barrels. At least one at each corner, plus one each side of the street a block away from the square on each street that leads away from the square (with big signs on them that say "put your Dunkin Donuts cups and scratch lottery tickets in here, not in the yards of residents")
- exterminate the rat infestation
- facade renovations, especially the 1970's facades for the whole strip from the liquor store to On the Hill Tavern.
- hurry up with the bike path extension from Cedar to Lowell... add bike racks near the square.

Anonymous said...

OK, let's take a step back. When are the road renovations going to be completed? Nothing has been done this year (other than fixing the bent lighted post at Dunkin Donuts). In June, the city had a hand-wavy answer on the ResiStat blog about how "everything had to be just right" but didn't say what was lacking and when it will be fixed. Still no lane markings, turn-prohibition signs (U-turn), and a blinking light at Lowell St.

Todd H. said...

The new stoplight at Lowell is STILL doing nothing but blinking? Wow, the city is really on the ball....

Ron Newman said...

Live music brings people to Union and Davis squares, so how about Magoun? Also, Magoun needs a festival like other parts of the city already have. Close off Medford Street for a day and celebrate the neigborhood.

Is there a business association for Magoun? If not, there should be.

Rachel said...

I think that both residents and visitors would enjoy the following:
- coffee house / cafe
- gym
- co-working place - to bring in 9-5 business
- more greenspace / outdoor seating
- business that provides some sort of activity (bowling, theater, arcade…)
- bike racks

I think neighborhood events like a block party would be a good opportunity to promote the businesses and bring neighbors together.

Do we have a business group and / or neighbor association?

Anonymous said...

There is no valid association that takes both resident and business needs into consideration and speaks on behalf of what is needed in the square.

Anonymous said...

I think that Magoun Sq needs a focus point - a reason to come to Magoun Sq; How about providing a grant and license for a bar with a rooftop deck? Either give Magouns a cheap loan to do it or else the upstairs of the building in the picture could have a deck above the buildings on medford st. If the city pre approved plans for a rooftop deck, that space would be quickly filled....It would take a bit of work but would be a great attraction

Anonymous said...

Someone (above) recommended making the CVS parking lot one-way (entering only)----and all vehicles made to exit the subject lot only via Medford Street.

"No WAY---ONE WAY"..... forcing vehicles to exit CVS on to Medford Street only.

Talk about "playing chicken" Just TRY to make a left turn, going west or north, on to Medford Street from the CVS parking lot....with vehicles backed up on Medford Street, at the west/north bound lights.....and east bound traffic coming---with a green arrow, on your left.

And because of the curved topography those vehicles coming at you, eastbound, on a right turn green arrow @ Dunkin Donuts, cannot be seen until they are practically on you. Even making a right turn, eastbound, at that point, on to Medford Street, is a hazard.

And as someone else mentioned:
when, in hell, are the new lights at Medford and Lowell Streets going to be turned to "FULL" lights.
Currently (blinking) they are absolutely useless for the purpose originally intended... viz: allowing vehicles wanting west out of Lowell Street to access Medford Street ON A FULL GREEN LIGHT.

And when those drivers wanting west out of Lowell cannot "get in"...vehicles behind them wanting to enter Medford Street eastbound are also backed up on lowell.