In the past month, in accordance with their construction schedule and the covenant signed with Somerville, a curb cut and replacement of the retaining wall with Jersey Barriers has opened the project to Lowell Street which will, upon completion, accommodate 2/3 of the residents to enter and exit Maxwell’s Green. The remaining 1/3 will exit via Clyde Street.
Residents brought up concerns about the amount of traffic, visibility issues when approaching the Lowell Street Bridge, and how winter weather conditions could impact drivers to city and elected officials at the VNA on Tuesday night.
It was explained that the State granted the curb cut to the developers of Maxwell’s Green and that both the Director of Traffic and Parking along with the Traffic Engineer will monitor the driveway and make necessary recommendations.
Maxwell’s Green is a 199-unit housing complex comprised of 15 townhouses and 184 luxury apartments complimented by the extension of the Community Path from Cedar to Lowell and, hopefully, a Green Line station at the Lowell Street Bridge.
4 comments:
Seriously, what recommendations are T&P going to make at this stage? That they not cut into the side of a taxpayer funded bridge? Ooops, that horse has left the barn. It's not as if Lowell Street doesn't already have it's well documented issues with traffic, trucking and people from the VNA trying to get to Magoun Square without getting killed, let's add more traffic to the equation. Brilliant. That's some foresight right there.
Oh, and let's not forget that the state gave Maxwell's Green's developers, PRIVATE developers at that, a $490K grant of your tax dollars to construct this exercise in world-class civil engineering. Other than the aforementioned nitpicking, though, I think it's a wonderful idea.
At this point in the development what's the big deal!?!?
Everything needed to be critiqued, and needed to be said, by all parties concerned, on both sides, has been "out there" since day one and years into the talking stage; and into the first day and beyond the first heavy demo machines arrived ar the site to tear down the old manufacturing buildings and begin the build-up and plan development---including the "cut" into the Lowell Street bridge.
Nothiong new or different in that regard as the various phases of the development evolve.
Only one thing comes to mind----as being "different"----in my opinion.
I, and interested others, understood that the exit/entrance to the deveopment via the Lowell Street bridge, was going to accomodate one-half the residents, not two-thirds. 50/50 with Clyde/Murdock/Warwick/Cedar Streets.
That there was going be a physical barrier within the complex that would not allow the east side residents of the barrier to exit/enter from Cedar Street; and not allow the west side residents of the barrier to exit/enter from
Lowell Street.
As for enhanced traffic volume, what else is new in Somerville, and generally everywhere else these days.
Long time residents will remember when 18-wheeler trailer trucks, and box trucks were a common occurrence 24 hours a day on neighborhood streets servicing the box company and the root beer company; plus the employees vehicles coming and going, both facilities.
Then there was the "clanging" railroad freight cars delivering raw materials and loading finished product at the cardboard box company---days and nights.
That freight railroad, now the bike path, also delivered coal from the Pennsylvania coal mines to Faulkner Brothers Oil Company on Alpine Street Who in addition to selling fuel oil also sold coal to private homes and businesses.
Then throw in The Continental Baking Company, where the VNA now stands, and their fleet of trucks delivering product----Wonder Bread, cupcakes, etc., to neighborhood stores; and the noise from their 24-hour baking equipment.
Plus, trucks delivering raw materials to that baking fscility at all hours of the day and night.
Talk about traffic and noise at all hours of the day and nights....Maxwell Green would of been welcomed in those days.
anonymous certainly puts things in perspective.
This driveway can only be good for the neighborhood, as it will provide an additional pedestrian and bicycle connection from Lowell Street to the Community Path. It will also help feed pedestrians to the new Lowell Street Green Line station from the Clyde-Murdock area.
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