The Somerville Surge

Whitey traveling to court
A Boston Herald image

 – News about Quincy from Quincy Quarry News.

The Somerville Surge!

Once better known as Slumerville and the home of the Winter Hill Gang, Somerville is enjoying real estate redevelopment boom that is drawing respected developers, major companies, restaurants, retail businesses, a state of the art cineplex, and new residents.

Somerville has also managed to retain its local community hospital!

Somerville, the home of Fluff!
Image via Wikipedia

Somerville’s largest developments – Assembly Row, Union Square’s redevelopment and Boynton Yards – are thoughtful mixed-use developments which are truly transportation-oriented, people-friendly as well as respectful of the existing residents, long ongoing cultural events, businesses, local products, and public amenities which are what help make Somerville Somerville as opposed to an upscale Arlington 2.0 wannabe.

Even more impressive is how well-organized locals who have long sought to protect the nature of Somerville have had considerable and positive input on Somerville’s redevelopment.

To learn more about Somerville’s renaissance, check out the following latest Bldup podcast of an ongoing series which features the making of a renewed Somerville.

A City on the Move …
An iconic Quincy Quarry News file photo

For those who may recall, the now defunct developer Street-Works had helped design the now-hopping and exciting Assembly Row redevelopment and that Assembly Row was a de facto beta test of Street-Works’ plan for Quincy Center.

Unfortunately, Street-Works crashed and burned in the wake of the Crash of 2008 and then Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch all but unilaterally opted to instead litter many neighborhoods of Quincy with out-sized and stick-built new apartment buildings and some condominium projects.

The Quincy Way!
A Quincy Quarry meme

That and how many of these projects have often been built or planned to be built by connected developers who are often surely but coincidentally very generous contributors to Mayor Koch’s campaign fund as well as probably also various of his so-called charities and a few arguable seekings of dispensations.

After all, anyone with but minimal undertaking of A City Under The Influence, has long been more often than not been the real Quincy Way.

At least until the courts step up to the plate, that is.

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