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Millers Crossing
Millers Crossing
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Other Projects by map-lab, inc.
Millers Crossing
Firm
Brickbottom,
once upon a time the location at the bottom of a peninsula, which was
at the center of brick making along the muddy edge of the Millers
River. The river flowing on its way to the sea formed a soft edge
that defined Brickbottom’s border. Today, the only remnant of
that bygone era is the name given to a strip of earth bound by a
different kind of Miller River, the vehicular variety. The edge is
still there, but it is no longer soft and unlike its predecessor it
makes it a bit trickier to cross to the other side. What was once at
the center of things has now been pushed to the edge. This design
team proposes to transform the urban fabric within and around the
study area from one bound by hard edges to one that is at the center
of urban regeneration. Central to the conceptual premise of the
proposal is a present day Millers Crossing.In its
current configuration, the section of Route 28 along the Fellsway has
been laid out in the form of a parkway whose definition is eroded as
it approaches the Intersection with Route 16, just to the north of
the Assembly Square area. After that the right-of-way is bound by
marginal and sparse development up until the Winter Hill
intersection, beyond which the density of the urban fabric increases,
albeit at the cost of creating a hard and fragmented edge that caters
primarily to road infrastructure and does not engage the neighborhood
it traverses. This adverse condition is exacerbated beyond as the
right-of-way is raised on a viaduct so as to negotiate intervening
railway tracks – at the Medford Street intersection and at Twin
Cities Plaza – and a busy vehicular intersection – at Washington
Street.Millers
Crossing then is about the substitution of the Route 28 viaduct by a
realigned surface artery, which will extend from the Fellsway
junction with Interstate 93 to the north, across the Mystic River
waterway at Assembly Square, all the way to its southern terminus in
East Cambridge at the crossroads with Memorial Drive. The strategy
behind this initiative is threefold:
Firstly,
to remove the hard visual and physical barrier that turns Brickbottom
into an enclaved community by transferring the right-of way from the
viaduct to terra firma. While this operation is in progress, traffic
can be rerouted to the adjacent side streets, making use of the
existing ramps where Route 28 bridges above the railroad tracks. Once
this is achieved, increased connectivity between Brickbottom and the
surrounding neighborhoods becomes possible through the use of grade
level connections. Existing streets and feeder roads will be extended
into the Brickbottom fabric and beyond. At two strategic locations
streets are going to cross the proposed Green Line extension
right-of-way. The first instance will occur at the easterly extension
of Somerville Avenue, through the northern part of the site, merging
with New Washington Street beyond. In the second instance, a crossing
is envisioned across Route 28 at the southern tip of the site, past a
proposed T-Station at the nexus of the Brickbottom and Northpoint
developments to connect the Twin Cities Plaza area to Innerbelt Road.
Moreover, the sectional difference between the Brickbottom site and
the Green Line Extension right-of-way will be addressed by the
buildings erected along that edge. These will have entries along both
Chestnut Street and Joy Street to the southwest and a reconstructed
and landscaped right-of-way to the northeast. Interior stairs within
buildings or exterior steps between adjacent buildings will allow
pedestrians to negotiate the grade change. Both these measures
mentioned above are important in making services and amenities
readily accessible to the Brickbottom neighborhood and in opening up
the way for redevelopment of the post industrial zone to the east.Secondly,
to facilitate the molding of new-found land into developable parcels
that make the highest and best use of their strategic location,
through the creative re-stitching of the urban fabric. Key to this
goal is the subsequent realignment of Route 28 south of the
Washington Street Intersection to produce a more direct route that
enhances traffic flow, while curtailing seizure of private and public
property to a minimum. At this stage of the proposed phasing for the
development of the site, the idea for the creation of a land bank for
affected parties can be put forth. This entity could potentially
undertake the equitable transfer of the development rights for some
of the existing uses to be relocated to alternative sites, while
swapping parcels with uses that are complementary to the values and
needs of Brickbottom as a vibrant mixed-use community. The emerging
parcels are designed and zoned so as to accommodate different scales
of development and density with an eye to both complementing and
enhancing the existing fragmented residential fabric as well as with
producing a more intense mixed-use edge along the new boulevard, in
line with its newly created centrality and increased accessibility.
With infrastructure already in place to service the newly created
parcels and with enhanced mobility provided by the reconfigured
right-of-way of Route 28 and the Green Line Extension, real estate
market forces are anticipated to take over and drive the
redevelopment and regeneration of the target area.Thirdly,
to provide a continuous integrated experience along Route 28 in the
parkway/boulevard tradition as initially conceived by Calvert
Vaux
and Frederick
Law Olmsted
at the beginning of the 20th
century. This is especially important south of the termination of the
Fellsway – the
picturesque arterial which stretches from the Intersection of
Interstate 93 and Route 28 to the Route 16 Intersection. Where the
definition of the arterial south of the aforementioned intersection
and through the target area becomes ambiguous, the proposed treatment
of the right-of-way aims to provide a tight and coherent edge. The
new configuration of Route 28 will be characterized by tree-lined
edges and a planted median, which mediate the scale of the arterial
cross-section in relationship to the adjacent built fabric. The
median, which narrows down at major intersections to provide a lane
for left-hand turns, separates three lanes of traffic that ensure
adequate vehicular capacity and traffic flow. Traffic calming
elements such as neck-downs and a change of paving in the parking
pockets therein provide a secure zone for the proposed bicycle lanes
and pedestrian walkways beyond that. The walkways themselves are of a
generous width that allows collective activity to spill out into the
public domain and to animate street life along the arterial’s edge.
The general character of the right-of-way will be that of a green
corridor, which will connect currently isolated pockets of collective
activity and which will provide a pleasant and secure connection to
the Boston waterfront and Charles River Basin parks. This will not
only benefit the residents of Somerville and Cambridge in the
adjacent communities, but it is also intended to serve the
municipalities of Everett, Malden and Medford further north and
beyond.Additionally, the plan looks to reengage the Millers River watershed to add recreation (open space) and ecological restoration. Somerville has municipal goals for such things as tree canopy coverage increases and storm water collection/aquifer recharge along with very progressive sustainability leadership and climate change legislation. Millers Crossing as a concept looks to push these values forward while providing a construct for viable development in areas of housing needs, manufacturing (i.e. renewable energy components et al), and neighborhood rooted businesses (i.e. smaller-scale retail).
once upon a time the location at the bottom of a peninsula, which was
at the center of brick making along the muddy edge of the Millers
River. The river flowing on its way to the sea formed a soft edge
that defined Brickbottom’s border. Today, the only remnant of
that bygone era is the name given to a strip of earth bound by a
different kind of Miller River, the vehicular variety. The edge is
still there, but it is no longer soft and unlike its predecessor it
makes it a bit trickier to cross to the other side. What was once at
the center of things has now been pushed to the edge. This design
team proposes to transform the urban fabric within and around the
study area from one bound by hard edges to one that is at the center
of urban regeneration. Central to the conceptual premise of the
proposal is a present day Millers Crossing.In its
current configuration, the section of Route 28 along the Fellsway has
been laid out in the form of a parkway whose definition is eroded as
it approaches the Intersection with Route 16, just to the north of
the Assembly Square area. After that the right-of-way is bound by
marginal and sparse development up until the Winter Hill
intersection, beyond which the density of the urban fabric increases,
albeit at the cost of creating a hard and fragmented edge that caters
primarily to road infrastructure and does not engage the neighborhood
it traverses. This adverse condition is exacerbated beyond as the
right-of-way is raised on a viaduct so as to negotiate intervening
railway tracks – at the Medford Street intersection and at Twin
Cities Plaza – and a busy vehicular intersection – at Washington
Street.Millers
Crossing then is about the substitution of the Route 28 viaduct by a
realigned surface artery, which will extend from the Fellsway
junction with Interstate 93 to the north, across the Mystic River
waterway at Assembly Square, all the way to its southern terminus in
East Cambridge at the crossroads with Memorial Drive. The strategy
behind this initiative is threefold:
Firstly,
to remove the hard visual and physical barrier that turns Brickbottom
into an enclaved community by transferring the right-of way from the
viaduct to terra firma. While this operation is in progress, traffic
can be rerouted to the adjacent side streets, making use of the
existing ramps where Route 28 bridges above the railroad tracks. Once
this is achieved, increased connectivity between Brickbottom and the
surrounding neighborhoods becomes possible through the use of grade
level connections. Existing streets and feeder roads will be extended
into the Brickbottom fabric and beyond. At two strategic locations
streets are going to cross the proposed Green Line extension
right-of-way. The first instance will occur at the easterly extension
of Somerville Avenue, through the northern part of the site, merging
with New Washington Street beyond. In the second instance, a crossing
is envisioned across Route 28 at the southern tip of the site, past a
proposed T-Station at the nexus of the Brickbottom and Northpoint
developments to connect the Twin Cities Plaza area to Innerbelt Road.
Moreover, the sectional difference between the Brickbottom site and
the Green Line Extension right-of-way will be addressed by the
buildings erected along that edge. These will have entries along both
Chestnut Street and Joy Street to the southwest and a reconstructed
and landscaped right-of-way to the northeast. Interior stairs within
buildings or exterior steps between adjacent buildings will allow
pedestrians to negotiate the grade change. Both these measures
mentioned above are important in making services and amenities
readily accessible to the Brickbottom neighborhood and in opening up
the way for redevelopment of the post industrial zone to the east.Secondly,
to facilitate the molding of new-found land into developable parcels
that make the highest and best use of their strategic location,
through the creative re-stitching of the urban fabric. Key to this
goal is the subsequent realignment of Route 28 south of the
Washington Street Intersection to produce a more direct route that
enhances traffic flow, while curtailing seizure of private and public
property to a minimum. At this stage of the proposed phasing for the
development of the site, the idea for the creation of a land bank for
affected parties can be put forth. This entity could potentially
undertake the equitable transfer of the development rights for some
of the existing uses to be relocated to alternative sites, while
swapping parcels with uses that are complementary to the values and
needs of Brickbottom as a vibrant mixed-use community. The emerging
parcels are designed and zoned so as to accommodate different scales
of development and density with an eye to both complementing and
enhancing the existing fragmented residential fabric as well as with
producing a more intense mixed-use edge along the new boulevard, in
line with its newly created centrality and increased accessibility.
With infrastructure already in place to service the newly created
parcels and with enhanced mobility provided by the reconfigured
right-of-way of Route 28 and the Green Line Extension, real estate
market forces are anticipated to take over and drive the
redevelopment and regeneration of the target area.Thirdly,
to provide a continuous integrated experience along Route 28 in the
parkway/boulevard tradition as initially conceived by Calvert
Vaux
and Frederick
Law Olmsted
at the beginning of the 20th
century. This is especially important south of the termination of the
Fellsway – the
picturesque arterial which stretches from the Intersection of
Interstate 93 and Route 28 to the Route 16 Intersection. Where the
definition of the arterial south of the aforementioned intersection
and through the target area becomes ambiguous, the proposed treatment
of the right-of-way aims to provide a tight and coherent edge. The
new configuration of Route 28 will be characterized by tree-lined
edges and a planted median, which mediate the scale of the arterial
cross-section in relationship to the adjacent built fabric. The
median, which narrows down at major intersections to provide a lane
for left-hand turns, separates three lanes of traffic that ensure
adequate vehicular capacity and traffic flow. Traffic calming
elements such as neck-downs and a change of paving in the parking
pockets therein provide a secure zone for the proposed bicycle lanes
and pedestrian walkways beyond that. The walkways themselves are of a
generous width that allows collective activity to spill out into the
public domain and to animate street life along the arterial’s edge.
The general character of the right-of-way will be that of a green
corridor, which will connect currently isolated pockets of collective
activity and which will provide a pleasant and secure connection to
the Boston waterfront and Charles River Basin parks. This will not
only benefit the residents of Somerville and Cambridge in the
adjacent communities, but it is also intended to serve the
municipalities of Everett, Malden and Medford further north and
beyond.Additionally, the plan looks to reengage the Millers River watershed to add recreation (open space) and ecological restoration. Somerville has municipal goals for such things as tree canopy coverage increases and storm water collection/aquifer recharge along with very progressive sustainability leadership and climate change legislation. Millers Crossing as a concept looks to push these values forward while providing a construct for viable development in areas of housing needs, manufacturing (i.e. renewable energy components et al), and neighborhood rooted businesses (i.e. smaller-scale retail).
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