Medford getting state grant for Green Line study
Boston Globe, by Travis Andersen
10/30/2009
The city is receiving a $150,000 state grant to plan for the Green Line Extension, which could bring three new stops to Medford by 2016.
The city will likely hire a consultant to study construction proposals for all three stops, according to Lauren DiLorenzo, director of community development.
"One hundred and fifty thousand dollars may seem like a lot of money, but it's not when you're looking at zoning and land use studies and working with citizens at meetings," she said. "It gets quite expensive."
Green Line stops at Ball Square and College Avenue are scheduled to open in 2014. A third stop at the intersection of Route 16 and Boston Avenue is tentatively scheduled to open in 2016.
The state may try to clear several properties to make way for the stops, including an office complex on Boston Avenue for the Route 16 station, which would displace about 200 workers. State officials and Green Line supporters claim the list of properties on the chopping block will shrink as the project moves forward.
At this week's City Council meeting, Councilor Stephanie Muccini Burke noted that a state report includes a caveat to allow transit officials to build a parking garage at the Route 16 stop, which many residents oppose, fearing it would bring congestion to the area.
State Representative Carl Sciortino (D-Medford) urged the city to use the planning grant to block the garage.
Councilor Paul Camuso thanked Sciortino for helping to secure the grant.
"That's huge," Camuso said.