Baker-Polito Administration Announces $500,000 MassWorks Award for Somerville

Award addresses legacy sewer issues in Boynton Yards district, paving the way for redevelopment along Green Line Extension

SOMERVILLE– (RealEstateRama) — The Baker-Polito Administration announced a $500,000 MassWorks Infrastructure Program grant for water and sewer improvements for the Boynton Yards area of Somerville.

The project will modernize a failing 140-year-old sewer system and enable separated stormwater and sewer service to support the redevelopment of Boynton Yards, which will be served by the Green Line Extension. The MassWorks project will enable the construction of five mixed-use buildings on the site.

The $950 million private development will create approximately 425 apartments, 20 percent affordable, 426,911 square feet of office space, 112,250 square feet of research and development space, and 30,478 square feet of retail.

“Our Administration is committed to investing in programs like MassWorks that support local infrastructure and play a critical role in strengthening businesses and the communities that surround them,” said Governor Charlie Baker. “MassWorks is one of this Administration’s many initiatives that enable local communities to tap into private investment and accelerate local economic growth across the Commonwealth.”

“We are excited to award $500,000 in MassWorks funding for these important sewer upgrades in Somerville, in support of the redevelopment of Boynton Yards,” said Lt. Governor Karyn Polito. “Governor Baker and I are pleased to continue to make the investments in the public infrastructure our cities and towns need to create sustainable growth.”

“Through the flexibility of MassWorks, we have been able to drive over two million square feet of new commercial space, made possible by listening to individual communities’ needs and by responding with individualized programs that benefit many stakeholders, such as this project in Somerville, which strengthens the infrastructure of the Boynton Yards district and enables commercial and residential expansion along the Green Line Extension,” said Housing and Economic Development Secretary Jay Ash.  “Our office saw another competitive round of MassWorks for 2018 and we are happy to keep the momentum going across the Commonwealth in the year ahead.”

Boynton Yards will be constructed in two phases. The first phase of the project will construct two buildings – a 139,000 square-foot office building and a 235,000 square-foot lab building – and include a parking garage under Building 2 with an estimated 300 parking spaces.

“In Somerville, our environmental and economic agendas both hinge on the ability to modernize century-old sewer and stormwater facilities. We are extremely thankful to the Baker-Polito Administration and to Secretary Ash for this $500,000 grant. Their consistent commitment to municipal partnerships like the MassWorks program support Somerville in our efforts to promote sustainable and equitable models of growth, such as tackling legacy issues in our Boynton Yards district,” said Somerville Mayor Joseph Curatone.

“We’ve seen the harmful impacts of our Commonwealth’s antiquated and failing sewer systems increase in recent years. This funding provides an exciting opportunity to separate sewage and stormwater in this part of Somerville,” said Senator Patricia Jehlen.

“I am delighted that this MassWorks grant will enable Somerville to separate some of its antiquated combined sewer overflows (CSOs) into dedicated sewer and storm water pipes. Nineteen Massachusetts communities still have CSOs in urgent need of separation, in order to end the ongoing contamination of our water with untreated sewage and associated pollutants,” said Representative Denise Provost.

“I am pleased by this commitment to deliver $500,000 in state capital funding to support the modernization of sewer and stormwater infrastructure in Somerville,” said Representative Mike Connolly. “As a first-term legislator and a member of the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures, and State Assets, I have been a supporter of the MassWorks program to fund improvements to public infrastructure across the Commonwealth. Moving forward, I will continue standing with local residents who are organizing to ensure that our public investment in Boynton Yards and the greater Union Square area translates into an increasingly inclusive and vibrant mixed-use neighborhood built around the aspirations and needs of the people who live and work in our community.”

Since 2015, the Baker-Polito Administration has awarded close to $275 million in MassWorks grants to support 138 projects in 106 communities. MassWorks funding has been critical to the addition of over 2 million square feet of commercial/retail space, approximately 10,000 full and part time jobs, more than 7,000 immediate housing units, at least 7,000 square feet of new public space and 1,200 new hotel rooms.

Through the 2018 MassWorks round, the Administration will award more than $82 million in new grants for 40 projects that intend to leverage $2.9 billion in private investment, and drive an anticipated 4,000 units of new housing and more than 9,000 full time jobs. 37 communities across the Commonwealth will benefit from this round’s investments.

Governor Baker signed economic development legislation in August that includes substantial new funding for municipalities, including another $250 million for MassWorks awards. The legislation builds on the Baker-Polito Administration’s work to partner with communities to catalyze economic development and create new opportunities for residents across the Commonwealth, including the 2016 Job Creation and Workforce Development act, which authorized $1 billion to support economic development efforts across the state, including $500 million authorization for MassWorks Infrastructure Program, enhanced tools and the introduction of new strategies for job-readiness efforts.

Learn more about MassWorks at mass.gov.

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