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The Tufts Daily
Where you read it first | Friday, March 29, 2024

Residents discuss hopes for Green Line extension

    As the Green Line extension project picks up steam, some Somerville residents are worried about its possible effects on environmental and affordable-housing efforts in the city.
    Over 100 people attended a highly interactive meeting last night to discuss the future of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's (MBTA) project to expand the T line into Somerville and Medford.
    The Community Corridor Planning (CCP) coalition held the open meeting at the Albert F. Argenziano School in Somerville.
    Coordinators from the coalition, a partnership of four nonprofits, divided attendees into groups according to each person's closest proposed T station. Each group talked independently about goals for the Green Line extension, then chose themes to discuss with the entire gathering.
    Scheduled to be nearly completed by 2014, the MBTA project will extend the existing Green Line past its current terminus at Lechmere Station into Somerville and Medford. In the works for over 15 years, extension plans now call for seven new T stops, including one at the intersection of Boston Avenue and College Avenue, adjacent to the Tufts campus.
    The primary purpose of the meeting was to vote on a set of principles — priorities that attendees agreed must result from the Green Line extension.
    Each member in the small groups voted for five priorities from a predetermined list and wrote in any other concerns they may have had.
    Some residents voiced concerns about the lack of adequate bus connections in their areas. Another aired her frustration with the ban on carrying bicycles on Green Line train cars.
    CCP members tallied the votes just after 8 p.m. In addition to keeping Somerville affordable and improving environmental conditions, "winning" priorities also included working to create more local jobs and increasing commercial and economic development.
    The audience inside the nearly full multipurpose room of the Argenziano School was diverse, in terms of both age and race. Translators were on hand to provide Spanish and Portuguese interpretations.
    Mary Regan is a member of the Somerville Community Corporation (SCC), which is a CCP partner organization focusing on affordable housing development. She explained that the translators represented part of a concerted effort to "lower the obstacles to participation" that many lower-income and immigrant residents face.
    "We're always striving to get more [diverse representation]," Regan told the Daily. "We try to make our meetings as accessible as possible."
    Addressing the audience from the podium, Regan emphasized the importance of civic participation.
    "When community members get involved, the outcomes are more likely to reflect what they need and want," she said. Regan cited examples of community input and involvement on recent transit projects in Berlin, Germany and the San Francisco Bay Area.
    Fred Berman, a Somerville resident and SCC board member, cautioned that while the Green Line could have a major positive impact, it brings potential risks.
    "The Green Line could be a blessing, but it could also wipe out traditional Somerville," particularly if new stations cause population displacement, Berman said. "We want to do everything we can to make it … positive."
    Berman stressed the importance of community meetings and discussions like last night's. "Public participation is important," he said. "If people don't get involved, their opinions don't get counted."
    Regan said that with the principles established, the CCP is now looking to form advising groups to "flesh out" the voted-upon priorities and explore how they can be implemented.
    Debi Levine, a Cambridge resident, said she came to the meeting because she was "very interested" in the project.
    "I believe in public transportation," Levine told the Daily. "I believe that improving the environment for some means improving it for all of us."
    Levine added that she is looking forward to the Green Line extension for more personal reasons, too. "It's just going to make it easier to get around," she said.