Patrick looks to jump-start Assembly on the Mystic

By Casey Ross, Globe Staff

Governor Deval Patrick said today the state will spend $65 million to pay for the construction of roads needed to kick start the development of Assembly on the Mystic - a 66-acre mini-city in Somerville that will create up to 12,000 jobs during the next several years.

"This project will put people to work now and in the future, and deliver a host of economic, housing and community benefits to Somerville and the region," Patrick said. "This is what recovery spending is all about."

The effort to boost Assembly on the Mystic in the first in a series of funding commitments expected to help jump start construction of private development across the state. The Patrick administration's strategy is to invest federal stimulus money and other funds to build public roads that will spur additional investment by development firms and other companies.

In the case of Assembly on the Mystic - which will involve construction of 1.15 million square feet of stores, 2,100 housing units, offices, and new Orange Line stop - the administration will devote $50 million in bonding through its so-called I-Cubed program, which creates a partnership between a developer, the state and local officials to pay for road upgrades and other improvements.

The state will also commit another $15 million in federal stimulus funding to help jump start the project. The first phase of the work, expected to accelerate this summer, will include construction of a new access road into the development as well as an IKEA furniture store, and a new park along the waterfront.

Construction of the housing units, the Orange Line station, and new parks and offices will occur over the next several years.