Months before Somerville's Strategic
Planning Committee will begin the design process, the concerns of local
residents are being collected and will be presented to the City in the
next year. Mary Regan, of the SCC, spoke of her dialogue with residents
around the city, saying "I've had both positive and negative reactions
to the plans, but most people seem to see it as a chance to promote
healthier living and better access to transportation." At the July 14th
meeting outside of Ball Square, excitement was tempered by the worries
of residents who fear that the tight-knit ambiance of their
neighborhood could be compromised.

Bill Finnegan, a
neighborhood resident, worries most about parking implications. As
Somerville residents can park anywhere within the city, he envisions
commuters parking nearby the station, on their way into work in the
city. There won't be a commuter parking lot, Regan assured, but an
increase in traffic in the area is all but guaranteed. Another concern
of vital importance to those gathered was the preservation of the
existing small businesses in the area. Amy Thibeault, the co-owner of
one such business, True Grounds, is cautiously excited about the future
of the neighborhood. "I think it'll help business tremendously since
there will be much more of the Monday through Friday hustle and
bustle." On the other hand, she added, "There will be more of a threat
of gentrification."

In each location, from the neighborhood
surrounding the Lowell Street stop to College Avenue, general themes
have arisen to indicate the priorities of Somerville's residents. "The
common points," Regan said, "are wanting to make sure there is good
access to stations, a minimal effect on parking and a desire to protect
small businesses and low income housing."

Having seen the
monumental changes that have occurred since the Red Line was installed
in Davis in the '80s, Somervillians are all too aware of the potential
for gentrification, as well as for economic rebirth, through a healthy
transportation system. They have waited for thirty years for the Green
Line–and will wait another five before it is completed. With its
impending arrival, organizations like Groundwork Somerville and STEP,
local businesses and residents are trying to ensure sure that, after
all these years spent hypothesizing, it is everything they had hoped
for.