![]() ![]() IKEA had originally purchased riverfront property on the That’s why the City will exercise its authority under theĭistrict zoning to ensure that any buyer of the IKEA site will develop uses even more consistent with our zoning regulations than the IKEA big box would have been.” Retailers, restaurant and entertainment businesses, office and residential developers who understand the benefits of that model are going to be very interested in this site. “A modified big-box IKEA store would have been successful here, but the local factors all continue to work in favor of the mixed-use, multimodal model that is already taking shape at “IKEA operates on a global scale and a business plan may look very different in Stockholm than it does in the Somerville store”, adding that IKEA “will begin considering other non-IKEA options for the land, with the intent of selling it.” Somerville) is not needed for the foreseeable future.” The letter continued, “We cannot commit to a timeframe for building a real estate manager, Doug Greenholz, explained that IKEA had concluded “that the immediate needs of our Boston-area customers are being served effectively by the existing Stoughton store and that a second Boston-area location (including one in The July 19th letter from IKEA, signed by the company’s U.S. “Assembly Row is moving forward and in fact, has gained significant momentum over the past year – a T Stop is under construction, residential and retail building foundations are forming and preparation for the waterfront park redevelopment has already begun”. They have been a great partner,” said Don Briggs, President Federal Realty Boston. “It is regretful that IKEA will not be able to take advantage of this great location. We’re sorry to lose IKEA as a partner, and they’ve been very responsible landholders, but frankly, I think we’re going to end up with something even better.” “We anticipate that there will be considerable interest in this prime parcel, which will now be developed in accordance with the same transit-oriented, mixed-use, smart-growth principles that characterize Federal Realty’s approach at Assembly Row and – more important – that reflect our community’s vision of the way the entire district should be developed. Mayor Curtatone indicated that IKEA would have little difficulty finding a buyer for their 12-acre site, which is adjacent to the MBTA’s Assembly Square Orange Line station and Federal Realty’s 45 -acre Assembly Row development, both of which are already under construction. Curtatone announced today that he had received a letter from officials at international furniture retailer IKEA informing him that they have decided not to proceed with construction at “Years ago, we could have settled for big box stores in a sea of parking, but with Assembly Row we instead created jobs, housing, transit, and water access, and a whole neighborhood.SOMERVILLE –Mayor Joseph A. “I’m so proud of the vision and the tenacity of this community,” he said. That eventually gave way to the now-shuttered Assembly Square Mall, and the vast mixed-use complex now under construction on part of the area. Of course, as Curtatone noted, Assembly has been a long-term redevelopment play for decades, really ever since the auto plant that gave the area its name closed in the 1950s. Other sites, such as the 12 acres occupied by a very busy Home Depot on Mystic Avenue, are likely longer-term redevelopment opportunities, city officials said. Those big players took part in the planning process and, in some cases, have already filed proposals that are before the city. Assembly Row developer Federal Realty Investment Trust, for instance, owns the strip of big-box stores known as Assembly Marketplace. Much of that property is owned by a handful of large landowners. It also carves the area into four distinct districts - along with the already built-out Assembly Row complex - each with their own look and feel, from small-scale buildings in what’s now an industrial corner where Somerville borders Charlestown to a “research corridor” lining Middlesex Ave along I-93. It outlines five main goals - or “big ideas” - that include better connecting the area to the rest of Somerville, improving walkability and transit access, environmental sustainability, and boosting the city’s tax base. 2020 with a series of virtual public meetings that attracted input from many people who live and work in the quickly-developing Assembly Row neighborhood, city officials said. “ is designed to meet both our big goals like greenhouse gas reduction, housing, and economic growth, and our goals for improving daily life like more green space, healthy mobility options, and civic spaces that build community.” “The new Assembly Square neighborhood plan is set to lead the way on sustainable, walkable, bikeable urban development,” said Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, in a statement.
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