Some fear 'vision' of Union Square

Worry new look overwhelming

A cyclist on Prospect Street, with dumpster of scrap metal to right. Development plans envision a line of shops channeling traffic to a denser, more urban, more walkable Union Square. (Joanne Rathe/Globe Staff)

A discussion of Somerville gentrification almost always starts with Davis Square, which kept its airy, village-like feel even as a subway stop gradually increased the area's appeal.

Two miles away, economic progress in under-construction Union Square could look radically different.

On June 24, the city introduced a plan to harness the attraction of the future Green Line station, turning an industrial no-man's-land into a forest of buildings, some more than 100 feet tall.

And you thought zoning was dull.

The heart of Union Square won't change radically. Ground zero of the transformation will be Boynton Yards, south of the Fitchburg train tracks. Its current assemblage of low-to-the-ground enterprises - trucking, a moving company, scrap metal dealers - could give way to towers topping off at 135 feet tall.

Moving toward Union Square, heights would gradually decline to 100, 85, and 55 feet. A line of shops would channel traffic from the yards down Prospect Street to a denser and more urban, walkable square, freed of parking requirements that might have inhibited growth, said Monica Lamboy, head of the city's Planning Department. Currently, businesses that want to expand must create new parking or apply for a waiver.

In the city's vision, artists would still live and work in Union Square - unlike, say, New York City's SoHo. An "arts overlay district" over much of the area would offer incentives to create live-work space and other arts uses.

Still, even though the city hammered out the plan with neighborhood advocates before unveiling it, housing and heights drew criticism at a Planning Board meeting that attracted about 80 people despite torrential rain.

No one could consider the controversy a surprise. The Board of Aldermen never approved previous Union Square zoning proposals that were worked on in 2006 and 2007.

"I can't wait to jump on the Green Line," said Matt McLaughlin, 27, wearing a T-shirt from Save Our Somerville, a group concerned about displacement and youth. "Then I say, 'Where am I gonna live?' "

In trying to assess the future of Union Square, many pointed to the experience of Davis Square, whose renaissance has been a mixed blessing.

"We grew up in the Davis Square area; we can't afford to live there now," McLaughlin said.

The improvements there "did come at a cost of losing many long-term, working-class residents," said Matan BenYishay, chairman of the Somerville Community Corporation's Affordable Housing Coalition.

For Boynton Yards, the city proposed to reduce pressure on housing stock by encouraging a lot more stock.

Affordable-housing requirements - which would range from 12.5 to 15 percent of the total housing stock - won't apply to triple-deckers; a building has to have at least eight apartments. That means tall buildings with multiple apartments.

Some, especially members of the Prospect Hill-based group Union Square Neighbors group, proposed to cap construction height at 100 feet.

Despite participating in the focus groups, Stuart Dash stood up to say the new plan "jams too much building in the wrong place."

"I just have a fear of these overwhelming buildings," said Kristen Zecchi, 32, whose neighbors include Mayor Joe Curtatone.

Other attendees expressed concern about the aesthetics. "I think the architecture would be really, really important," said Cecily Miller, 47. "You could really ruin the character of an area."

According to city data, the neighborhood's landmark, Prospect Hill Tower, rises 132 feet above Union Square.

Regulations would dictate tall, thin towers to keep an airy feel. Lamboy planned to convene a design review committee. "We'll probably challenge them: Make the worst building you possibly can under these codes," she said.

In addition, developers could go up to the 135-foot limit only if they met Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design silver standards for eco-friendly design.

Two days after the plan's unveiling, state officials promised the Board of Aldermen that the Green Line was definitely coming to Union Square.

And that means. . .well, who knows?

"Change does come with an investment in transit, and it's better for us to guide it," Lamboy said in an interview.

Meetings will resume Tuesday and continue through the summer.