Riverfront Park along the Mystic River is slated for a major upgrade, paid for by the Assembly Row developer.

Riverfront Park gets facelift from Assembly Row project

By Elizabeth Sheeran

A place to stroll or bike along the riverbank under the shade of trees. To look out over the water, watching the sailboats and birds as they come and go. To take in an outdoor concert, have a picnic or toss a Frisbee. You soon won’t have to head to the Esplanade for that kind of a place. It will be right here in Somerville, along the Mystic River.

State planners recently unveiled final designs for transforming Riverfront Park from a little used strip of green, almost forgotten behind the stores and parking lots of Assembly Square, into a waterfront showcase for the new Assembly Row neighborhood. And the plans received high praise from city officials, cyclists, nature lovers, and others on-hand for the presentation.

“It will add a lot of value, especially to the permanent residents in the development, whether they live here or work here. It will also work great for visitors,” said Wig Zamore, a resident who belongs to the Mystic View Task Force.

The new-and-improved six-acre Riverfront Park will stretch along the Somerville shore of the Mystic River between the Route 28 Wellington Bridge and the Orange Line bridge. A new underpass under the Wellington Bridge will connect the park to the riverbank further northwest. To the south and east will be the new Assembly Row commercial and residential district, including a new Orange Line T stop.

Federal Realty Trust, which recently broke ground on the Assembly Row project, will foot the $1 million-plus bill to redesign and expand the existing state-owned park, adding 1.7 new acres in a land swap, and will cover the costs to maintain it. Under the mitigation agreement with the state, the developer will also provide a half-million dollars to upgrade the nearby Draw Seven Park, to the east of the T bridge.

Presenting final plans for the site, Don Driscoll of the state’s Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) said the design team had considered a whole host of public input and requests from earlier meetings, such as preserving as much of the natural environment as possible, limiting urban elements like concrete, and ensuring safe access for cyclists and pedestrians.

In the latest design, a bike path winds through the park, connecting with narrower footpaths that meander in and around trees and other natural features. At the widest section of the park, wooden seats interspersed with greenery combine to form an open-air amphitheater, and the paved plaza of earlier designs has been replaced with an open green space.

The plan preserves 75 percent of existing trees, including all mature trees and those that screen the park from the Assembly Square parking lots. The shoreline is largely untouched, apart from enhancing the best views of the river and removing invasive species. And replacement trees and native plants will be spread throughout the park in a way that promises new colors and wildlife with every new season.

“I think it’s great. I think they did a wonderful job of listening to the public,” said Mystic View member Jane Bestor. She was especially happy the final plan included more green space, saved more trees, and enhanced wildlife habitat. The park is already home to a wide range of bird species, including arctic ducks, red-tail hawks, kingfishers, herons, and a family of swans.

And Bestor is looking forward to the day when she can visit the riverfront more often. “I find it very difficult to get here because I don’t drive, and access has been so terribly difficult,” she said. “It’s easier for me to get to the Charles than for me to bike to the Mystic River in my own community. But all of that’s going to change, so I could actually bike here. I’d love to spend more time here.”

The public will have a chance to comment on the final designs, which are available on the DCR website (under Parklands in the Public Meetings section), through January 5. Work on the park is expected to begin by next spring.