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O-20

IN CITY COUNCIL

August 2, 2010

COUNCILLOR CHEUNG

VICE MAYOR DAVIS

COUNCILLOR DECKER

COUNCILLOR KELLEY

MAYOR MAHER

COUNCILLOR REEVES

COUNCILLOR SEIDEL

COUNCILLOR SIMMONS

COUNCILLOR TOOMEY

WHEREAS:
Massachusetts Department of Transportation and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority proposed the extension of the Green Line beyond Lechmere Station into Somerville and Medford; and



WHEREAS: As part of this proposal, Lechmere Station would relocate to the east side of the Monsignor O'Brien Highway; and



WHEREAS:
Although extending the Green Line will increase mobility, encourage public transit usage and improve regional air quality, the MassDOT plan does not take into account the effects of this project on Cambridge; and



WHEREAS: The proposed relocation of Lechmere Station is inconvenient and will introduce many riders of both train and bus lines to the dangers of crossing a 6-7 lane highway on a daily basis. It also discourages prospective consumers from shopping at the Cambridgeside Galleria and increasingly alienates East Cambridge residents from public transportation; and



WHEREAS:
Additionally, the MassDot design for the new Lechmere Station does not include an entrance oriented towards the south (i.e. the direction where most of the station's ridership will be headed to and from) nor does it include a proper bus drop-off and queuing area for commuters. In its current form the Lechmere design also does not include an enclosed lobby to protect commuters from inclement weather, a convenience that every other proposed station except ours includes; and

WHEREAS:
It is important to remember that the green line extension project is not just another public works project, but an opportunity to revitalize the neighborhood of East Cambridge; and



WHEREAS:
The way in which MassDOT approaches infrastructure projects needs to be reevaluated. They can not continue to devise massive public works projects without incorporating the potential for community and economic development. There needs to be a shift in focus from simply worrying about traffic mitigation to whether the area around a T station is provided with the opportunity to bloom. T stations are integral parts of a neighborhood and have the potential to become economic hubs as well. The Green Line Extension project offers us the chance to redevelop Lechmere Square as a major gateway to Cambridge; now therefore be it



ORDERED:
That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the appropriate department heads to draft our own station plan and to work with the East Cambridge community and neighborhood groups to advocate for the inclusion of Cambridge needs in the final MassDot green line extension plan.