Assessing Major Urban Redevelopment Conflict in Somerville, MA

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CBI Practitioners:

Patrick Field
Lawrence Susskind
Merrick Hoben
Stacie Nicole Smith

Clients:

 

The Assembly Square Conflict Assessment is an inquiry by CBI into the possibility of a successful mediated process among a broad range of stakeholders. Assembly Square, located in east Somerville, Massachusetts, is a 145 acre lot that is divided into several parcels. It is located within several miles of downtown Boston, and adjacent to current subway and commuter rail lines. The decade-long conflict over what sort of development should occur at the site centers around questions of what would be most valuable for the city and for individual developers.

In April of 2003, the City of Somerville asked CBI to conduct an impartial assessment of the issues surrounding the proposed development of the Assembly Square site in east Somerville. The Assembly Square Limited Partnership (ASLP), IKEA, and the Mystic View Task Force agreed to participate in the assessment and to help fund the effort.

The assessment was based on confidential, voluntary interviews with forty-six (46) individuals conducted between May 15 and June 19, 2003. In the interviews, CBI staff asked stakeholders questions about:

  • their current perspective regarding the future of the site;
  • their long-term vision for the site; and,
  • the challenges, barriers, and opportunities to reaching a shared approach to development that might end litigation, provide certainty, and increase benefits to all parties.

 

The role of the assessment was to provide accurate, impartial analysis of the situation in order to assist stakeholders in determining whether a consensus building effort might meet their interests and have a reasonable chance of success.

 

Findings Summary
From our interviews we learned that there is common ground among the key stakeholder groups on some key issues, including:

  • the long-term, mixed-use vision for the site;
  • the need for infrastructure development, especially the need for public transit (the Orange Line T stop);
  • the need for open space, park land, and pedestrian and bicycle friendly access to and within the site; and,
  • the understanding that it will take many years to realize the long-term vision.

 

The main conflict we found was over the parties’ beliefs and expectations with regard to the best way of meeting short-term needs in a way that will move toward the long-term vision. It will be crucial for parties to be able to work out how short-term financial needs can be met as the first step towards achieving the long-term vision, as well as how to phase overall development between now and 30 years from now in a way that is economically feasible.

CBI identified six action items for the Assembly Square stakeholders to pursue:

  1. Establish a process of problem solving and promote a climate of mutual respect rather than criticism, recriminations, and mutual distrust.
  2. Refine and confirm the long-term vision for the site.
  3. Jointly conceptualize the site as a whole and identify practical development options that meet parties’ key interests for the entire site through a mutually acceptable strategy for phasing development on the site.
  4. Ensure funding strategies for public infrastructure development, especially public transit, as a key to the site’s long-term potential.
  5. Analyze and mitigate the traffic and environmental impacts of the development options in aggregate.
  6. Ensure community benefits are obtained.

On August 1, 2003, CBI convened the key stakeholder groups (i.e., City of Somerville, Assembly Square Limited Partnership, Mystic View Task Force, IKEA, and the Commonwealth of Massachusetts), to determine whether or not the parties were ready to mediate on the future of Assembly Square.

Recommendations
Based on our interviews and discussions with the key stakeholder groups both separately and together, CBI determined that, at that point of time, mediation would not be productive. We concluded that, even though there appeared to be general agreement on the long-term vision for Assembly Square, there were substantial gaps in the parties’ beliefs and expectations with regard to the best way of meeting short-term needs in a way that would move toward the long-term vision.

We do believe, however, that there is room for collaboration among the stakeholders in the future and hope that our Conflict Assessment and the discussions that have taken place over the past few months have been helpful. We also hope that the parties find various means to keep talking with each other about their interests and goals.

CBI released the final Assembly Square conflict assessment on August 25, 2003, which is now a public document.

 

For more information on this case, please contact Managing Director Patrick Field.