1 00:00:26,200 --> 00:00:30,999 2 00:00:40,010 --> 00:00:42,010 Somerville is the most densely populated 3 00:00:42,500 --> 00:00:46,840 community in the state. The history of the project goes all the way back to the nineteen sixties 4 00:00:46,879 --> 00:00:49,029 It's not just about getting from point A to point B 5 00:00:49,460 --> 00:00:52,720 We also have an opportunity to unlock so many things that we've never able to achieve 6 00:00:53,329 --> 00:00:59,768 It is going to be using existing rail rights-of-way. Contributing to improved air quality and 7 00:01:00,680 --> 00:01:02,329 reducing 8 00:01:02,329 --> 00:01:10,118 traffic congestion. Many other people in Somerville are concerned that we retain our diversity as we benefit from the Green Line 9 00:01:25,280 --> 00:01:27,620 I'm Margaret Singer and I'm a photographer 10 00:01:27,620 --> 00:01:32,300 I was looking to buy, what, maybe like 6 months ago, 11 00:01:32,300 --> 00:01:36,320 had a lot of money saved up and I wanted to get a loft space 12 00:01:36,320 --> 00:01:41,199 so we were looking sort of all over Boston. I didn't know yet about the Green Line project 13 00:01:41,200 --> 00:01:43,200 but I decided to go for it anyway 14 00:01:44,180 --> 00:01:46,180 Bought it, and then found out about 15 00:01:46,340 --> 00:01:49,680 Green Line coming at the end of the street and I was very, very, very happy 16 00:01:49,880 --> 00:01:53,300 My name is Michael Degagney and I work in Cambridge at 17 00:01:53,970 --> 00:01:55,650 a technology research company 18 00:01:55,650 --> 00:01:57,650 Actually live in Somerville about a mile away 19 00:01:58,110 --> 00:02:02,720 It was close enough by all of the major companies and the research companies that are in the area in Boston 20 00:02:02,850 --> 00:02:06,289 But it wasn't the high price of looking in Boston or Cambridge 21 00:02:06,740 --> 00:02:16,519 My name is Irene Brevis, and I am a real estate agent in Somerville. So I've been working for my father since I was 13, which is a long time 22 00:02:16,520 --> 00:02:24,860 When I first started working here, people would say things like calling Somerville "Slumerville" and things that I found offensive 23 00:02:24,860 --> 00:02:29,640 But we used to have rent control, so I've seen a lot of changes as far as the real estate market's concerned. 24 00:02:29,780 --> 00:02:35,940 Name is Maria. I live in Somerville, in East Somerville 25 00:02:50,750 --> 00:02:53,380 The two new Green Line branches 26 00:02:54,710 --> 00:02:57,460 will diverge so on the shorter branch 27 00:02:58,220 --> 00:03:04,089 coming up from Lechmere to Union Square, there's currently only proposed to be the Union Square stop 28 00:03:04,100 --> 00:03:09,579 The longer branch is going to go up along the lower line through Somerville and into Medford 29 00:03:09,580 --> 00:03:17,050 The first stop will be a new stop at Brick Bottom inner belt, the next stop after Brick Bottom 30 00:03:17,360 --> 00:03:18,530 will be 31 00:03:18,530 --> 00:03:20,330 Gilman Square, Lowell Street 32 00:03:20,330 --> 00:03:21,590 Ball Square 33 00:03:21,590 --> 00:03:28,929 College Avenue on kind of the north side of the Tufts campus and then the last stop on that line will be out at route 34 00:03:29,030 --> 00:03:31,030 16 35 00:03:35,840 --> 00:03:37,840 All of these streets are 36 00:03:38,930 --> 00:03:40,930 Somerville and 37 00:03:41,510 --> 00:03:44,619 The only thing that's been missing from this neighborhood is really, you know 38 00:03:47,570 --> 00:03:53,799 transportation. Once the Green Line comes in it'll be that much more convenient for people to travel and probably bring more people in as well 39 00:04:02,269 --> 00:04:08,829 I wanted to get rid of my car anyways, and moving Somerville allowed me to do that. So, I'm actually carless, I walk everywhere 40 00:04:08,829 --> 00:04:14,380 I rely heavily on public transportation. It'll be easier for people to go to and from and to take public transportation 41 00:04:14,840 --> 00:04:19,180 Just over the other side is where they're gonna supposed to put a Green Line stop right there 42 00:04:19,180 --> 00:04:22,200 It's really at the end of that street that we just turned down 43 00:04:22,210 --> 00:04:25,510 So that's a big difference for anyone who owns houses in this area. 44 00:04:25,510 --> 00:04:29,500 It's gonna be really close to here, yeah, I'm really excited 45 00:04:29,500 --> 00:04:37,760 I'll use it, I mean I love public transportation, it's just not really, it's just not accessible over here. 46 00:04:37,760 --> 00:04:40,320 The other places I've lived it's been much much easier. 47 00:04:40,400 --> 00:04:45,960 I ended up trying to do the long commute and I was commuting about four hours back and forth total commute inside outside of the city 48 00:05:03,560 --> 00:05:07,960 I think I'd drive a lot less for local things if I could go to 49 00:05:08,240 --> 00:05:15,009 Coffee shops or grocery shopping or hang out with friends, you know locally, I'd love to not use my car at all 50 00:05:39,700 --> 00:05:47,560 The city was dominated by rail lines. The whole geography of the city was was arranged around rail lines 51 00:05:47,780 --> 00:05:55,859 We used to take the trolley to go to Davis Square, to Union Square 52 00:05:55,960 --> 00:06:02,299 Well we go into Boston. We had 17 rail or trolley stops here about a half a century ago 53 00:06:02,310 --> 00:06:08,610 and then we those were taken away and today we have one pure transit node in Davis Square. Which means that 54 00:06:08,860 --> 00:06:11,999 for most of the folks in the city 55 00:06:13,300 --> 00:06:19,500 You need to take a bus or walk a mile or more to the west in order to travel east 56 00:06:19,720 --> 00:06:28,400 Somerville has very high dependency on public transportation but we don't have very good public transportation 57 00:06:28,540 --> 00:06:36,160 The buses that feed the trains are fine but if you use a bus for a major commute it's kinda.... 58 00:06:36,800 --> 00:06:39,760 The trains have their own right of way, they don't mess up traffic as bad 59 00:06:40,000 --> 00:06:45,340 Buses are slow, they're pulling over, cars are trying to get around them. You need both 60 00:06:45,340 --> 00:06:53,919 Because our streets are narrow and small and crowded people have to depend on less quality service 61 00:06:54,100 --> 00:07:01,120 Many people that I serve use public transportation, sometimes they have to take two buses 62 00:07:01,760 --> 00:07:03,760 Sometimes they have to take 1 train, 63 00:07:04,190 --> 00:07:05,210 two buses 64 00:07:05,210 --> 00:07:08,138 It's kind of hard for them to come here 65 00:07:08,260 --> 00:07:14,080 One of the fact's that we don't have the T means people need to take the buses or the buses isn't available and they need to take cabs here. 66 00:07:14,080 --> 00:07:20,320 It's been difficult for us to have people come consistently because of transportation issues 67 00:07:20,320 --> 00:07:22,659 So I think with the Green Line extension 68 00:07:22,820 --> 00:07:28,839 It'll make things a lot better for us in terms of finding consistent volunteers and interns to help us out throughout the year 69 00:07:29,240 --> 00:07:31,450 people move around a lot whether it's 70 00:07:32,060 --> 00:07:34,630 people coming to work and going home from work or 71 00:07:35,270 --> 00:07:37,359 students getting to internships or 72 00:07:37,940 --> 00:07:44,109 Volunteer positions. Any public transportation that creates new access from the campus 73 00:07:44,570 --> 00:07:49,029 Into Boston, to other parts of Somerville is really a plus 74 00:07:49,100 --> 00:07:51,850 We go through a lot right now just to get kids to the 75 00:07:52,070 --> 00:07:56,979 Different programs that we're doing with different activities that we have but with the Green Line coming we can get around the city 76 00:08:14,340 --> 00:08:18,140 Before they get the Greenline you have to figure out the parking 77 00:08:18,720 --> 00:08:21,950 First because we can have a lotta traffic and there's no parking available 78 00:08:22,230 --> 00:08:27,020 We not only so many parking around here if the train line there 79 00:08:27,020 --> 00:08:30,219 I think it'd help. And the fact that the T stop is coming 80 00:08:30,320 --> 00:08:35,020 it should take some of the pressure off of the the parking woes that are that are here in the square. 81 00:08:35,360 --> 00:08:39,500 A trend that has occurred over the last five decades. I'd submit really 82 00:08:40,080 --> 00:08:45,919 Brought in more cars and trucks and vehicle traffic. On a winter morning during rush hour 83 00:08:46,650 --> 00:08:48,180 There are about a hundred 84 00:08:48,180 --> 00:08:49,229 thousand 85 00:08:49,230 --> 00:08:56,510 air pollution particles per cubic centimeter of air. So cubic centimeters about the size of a small sugar cube. 86 00:08:56,640 --> 00:09:02,929 In the neighborhoods closest to interstate 93 there are about a hundred thousand particles per cubic centimeter 87 00:09:03,690 --> 00:09:05,840 Every breath you take when you're at rest 88 00:09:06,810 --> 00:09:10,130 involves inhalation of about five hundred cubic centimeters 89 00:09:10,290 --> 00:09:15,770 So if you have a hundred thousand particles per cubic centimeter, they start to add up. So you're talking about 90 00:09:16,410 --> 00:09:18,410 up to a billion particles 91 00:09:18,990 --> 00:09:20,990 per minute of 92 00:09:21,090 --> 00:09:23,329 Inhalation. Now most those particles never leave 93 00:09:26,500 --> 00:09:29,369 There should be less cars, you know, I 94 00:09:30,130 --> 00:09:31,689 don't have 95 00:09:31,690 --> 00:09:38,579 Problem giving that up. We have the most commuter traffic though both on the highways and in the diesel rail corridor we have 96 00:09:39,310 --> 00:09:41,310 multiple lines 97 00:09:41,560 --> 00:09:43,359 running through 98 00:09:43,360 --> 00:09:49,349 50,000 diesel commuter rails coming through Somerville per year far more than any other city 99 00:09:49,680 --> 00:09:51,680 per square mile of land area 100 00:09:55,120 --> 00:09:57,640 We got the diesel fumes, the noise, and no stop 101 00:09:57,960 --> 00:10:03,680 The city itself is an environmental injustice in that sense in that, you know all of this 102 00:10:04,420 --> 00:10:11,130 Transit goes through but does not stop here. We're looking for the practical ways of helping people deal with that so they can have 103 00:10:11,650 --> 00:10:17,939 Absolutely normal healthy lives here. I hope that they include some green space because that's what we really need around 104 00:10:17,940 --> 00:10:21,119 Here is a little green space. It's so much traffic 105 00:10:21,120 --> 00:10:26,489 It's crazy the extension of the community path, you know from Cedar Street all the way to Boston 106 00:10:27,190 --> 00:10:31,709 Is something we're really excited about as well and that goes hand-in-hand with the Green Line extension project 107 00:10:31,709 --> 00:10:41,760 We've proven with the Red Line to Davis Square that people will use a convenient, safe, attractive pedestrian bikeway to get to transit 108 00:10:41,920 --> 00:10:47,020 And if we can do that for the Green Line, we will definitely reduce some of the cars in the city 109 00:10:47,260 --> 00:10:54,520 Other than 15% of the city, 85% will be within a half mile of a major transit node and that's a big change. 110 00:11:01,060 --> 00:11:05,420 The city is like the last beachhead right these little communities that haven't been touched by 111 00:11:05,650 --> 00:11:09,990 The transit lines or big corporations because they're not yet profitable, right? 112 00:11:09,990 --> 00:11:20,140 I like, there's sort of an excitement about Union Square, in this up-and-coming way. Especially with the Green Line coming in, there's just more, commercial energy. 113 00:11:20,260 --> 00:11:23,670 It hasn't really been affected by the overflow of corporate America 114 00:11:23,670 --> 00:11:27,478 You have Brazilian markets you have, you know Western Union 115 00:11:27,480 --> 00:11:33,750 You don't see Western Union in any of the Green Line areas where it's heavily developed you have local restaurants 116 00:11:33,750 --> 00:11:39,700 I am really excited about being a part of small businesses. 117 00:11:39,720 --> 00:11:45,880 My chances of having an art gallery that gets seen are much higher if there's public transportation at the end of the street 118 00:11:46,080 --> 00:11:52,320 When you run something through there it almost creates like a beacon, you know, like smoke signal for companies to be like 119 00:11:52,320 --> 00:11:56,459 Okay, now that this is actually a place that we can put a company in there 120 00:11:56,460 --> 00:11:59,060 There's definitely room for business growth here 121 00:11:59,140 --> 00:12:03,980 And I think that the Green Line will certainly be a catalyst for that 122 00:12:11,140 --> 00:12:15,720 Over the next 5, 10, 15 years, I think there's gonna be tremendous growth in this area 123 00:12:24,310 --> 00:12:27,989 So what's the disconnect there that this community isn't economically benefiting. 124 00:12:28,330 --> 00:12:35,999 The MBTA is probably I think it's the largest landowner in Somerville and they pay no taxes. When you get the transit 125 00:12:36,760 --> 00:12:39,119 It'll help bring in a work week 126 00:12:39,820 --> 00:12:47,440 Population. During the day the population of the city goes down with only the most densely populated city when we put our heads on our pillows. 127 00:12:47,640 --> 00:12:49,640 That is what 128 00:12:50,200 --> 00:12:55,680 businesses that are looking at possibly moving to Somerville will be watching. They're gonna be watching for 129 00:12:56,200 --> 00:13:02,730 heightened density, so they know whether or not it's going to create the marketplace that they need to locate here. Become more of a model of 130 00:13:02,860 --> 00:13:04,860 transit oriented development and 131 00:13:05,530 --> 00:13:09,749 Enable us, which will enable us to unlock the potential Smart Growth projects to call it a community 132 00:13:09,760 --> 00:13:14,700 So if Somerville can take what little bit of land we have and develop it to its maximum potential 133 00:13:15,280 --> 00:13:20,819 that's going to be millions of dollars that the state doesn't have to give us so it's almost like you're gonna get something back for 134 00:13:20,820 --> 00:13:22,820 all this 135 00:13:26,590 --> 00:13:30,540 The proximity to Harvard Square, the proximity to downtown Boston, to I-93 136 00:13:30,810 --> 00:13:33,689 I thought it had good long-term potential down here and 137 00:13:34,120 --> 00:13:37,560 An opportunity came up to buy a building and start a business and that's what I did 138 00:13:37,560 --> 00:13:44,040 We thought it would be a good location for a Haitian business. Plus we have a 139 00:13:44,740 --> 00:13:51,000 Money transfer place right down the street from us so we figured would get a lot of you know Haitians passing by 140 00:13:51,670 --> 00:13:57,089 Somerville was at the top of our list because it has a very large and vibrant arts community. 141 00:13:57,730 --> 00:14:02,819 There's a lot of Brazilians, Spanish and Haitian people in the area and this is like my principal 142 00:14:03,610 --> 00:14:08,099 customers. My family grew up in Somerville and my mom used to go to Lyndell's bakery every Saturday 143 00:14:08,100 --> 00:14:10,469 So when I found out it was for sale in 144 00:14:11,440 --> 00:14:13,440 2000 I wanted to buy it 145 00:14:16,520 --> 00:14:22,500 That was actually one of the selling points for us, when we heard that the Green Line was going to be coming in across the street 146 00:14:22,700 --> 00:14:26,840 We knew that that would increase sales and gives the restaurant more potential. 147 00:14:27,060 --> 00:14:30,839 The Green Line will become a lifeline of our future economic prosperity 148 00:14:30,840 --> 00:14:36,860 It'll be great, actually, especially with the stop right across the street, people will be able to come in and pick up dinner to go 149 00:14:37,000 --> 00:14:41,580 or sit and have a nice meal or a drink after a long day 150 00:14:41,580 --> 00:14:45,800 I think it's going to be really good for business because a lot of people are just going to do stop and go 151 00:14:45,940 --> 00:14:51,820 I mean, I'm gonna have to probably just make up a bunch of sandwiches and coffee and have stuff ready to go quicker, don't cook everything to order 152 00:14:52,020 --> 00:14:58,000 I think it's gonna generate some more traffic frankly for Ball Square. Ball Square has some very good 153 00:14:58,720 --> 00:15:00,279 eating establishments 154 00:15:00,279 --> 00:15:06,688 It's informally known as the breakfast boulevard . It always attracts more people and you know 155 00:15:06,689 --> 00:15:12,839 they'll be more people passing by more often. So hopefully that'll affect the business in a good way 156 00:15:14,470 --> 00:15:21,089 I think one of the things that will happen, you know, to this area when the Green Line comes in is that there will be more development. It's gonna improve it's gonna be much better 157 00:15:21,089 --> 00:15:22,419 I know it's like a 158 00:15:22,419 --> 00:15:26,939 gonna come a new type of business for the area. Much more upscale. I can see 159 00:15:28,029 --> 00:15:29,739 probably some 160 00:15:29,739 --> 00:15:35,668 chain stores here: a Starbucks, a CVS. And of course it will affect my business 161 00:15:35,669 --> 00:15:38,759 I hope for good. More traffic more 162 00:15:39,399 --> 00:15:41,399 business more money 163 00:15:47,660 --> 00:15:53,499 Change is always gonna happen. I mean if they can get more money for something they will you know, 164 00:15:53,499 --> 00:15:56,228 But I'm assuming yeah rent will go up when there's a Green Line here 165 00:15:56,749 --> 00:15:58,749 for sure, I 166 00:15:59,959 --> 00:16:05,978 Would think. I think a lot of people are gonna cash out on their buildings a lot of the local owners and 167 00:16:06,499 --> 00:16:10,358 Then they're gonna be fixed up and then it's gonna bring in the chain stores 168 00:16:10,359 --> 00:16:12,579 They just lose a lot of charm you lose a lot of feel 169 00:16:14,600 --> 00:16:16,600 But people don't realize that right away, right 170 00:16:16,600 --> 00:16:20,220 I mean, I hope it will be all positive growth 171 00:16:20,220 --> 00:16:24,800 But yea, it just seems like a really complicated... 172 00:16:25,000 --> 00:16:27,860 For me I know that's it's going to be a positive thing 173 00:16:28,040 --> 00:16:29,719 You know, you'll have your 174 00:16:29,720 --> 00:16:35,439 older two and three families with reasonable rents where people have owned them for a long time and then you'll have these brand new 175 00:16:35,629 --> 00:16:38,678 brand new townhouses or developments going up in the area 176 00:16:38,809 --> 00:16:44,559 Where are you gonna have more gentrification and you'll have a professional move in, you know a grad student 177 00:16:45,529 --> 00:16:48,488 Yuppies, Bobo's, whatever the hell you wanna call them are gonna move in there 178 00:16:49,009 --> 00:16:51,938 Because it's so convenient for them to get into the heart of the city and go to work 179 00:16:52,520 --> 00:16:58,000 So what happens to all the people living there before? I don't know. I don't want to run 180 00:16:58,240 --> 00:17:01,680 roughshod over what other people in the area need or want 181 00:17:08,179 --> 00:17:13,839 The other thing is is those small businesses are gonna start being charged the prices that companies like Dunkin Donuts 182 00:17:13,900 --> 00:17:17,559 Qdoba, all those major chain restaurants are willing to pay for 183 00:17:18,170 --> 00:17:21,099 spots that are adjacent to public transportation 184 00:17:27,220 --> 00:17:32,280 And if they don't own the building they're out. They're either gonna pay it or they're out 185 00:17:39,860 --> 00:17:42,179 You see what I'm talking about, like 186 00:17:42,530 --> 00:17:45,489 Reliable market, Brazil insurance, Grace Salon 187 00:17:46,940 --> 00:17:48,260 goners. I dunno 188 00:17:48,260 --> 00:17:50,200 This is my guess, this is my educated 189 00:17:50,200 --> 00:17:53,860 guess. Somerville is really culturally diverse and if you walk to Market Basket 190 00:17:53,860 --> 00:17:56,110 which is right on Somerville Ave you're gonna see 191 00:17:56,179 --> 00:18:02,319 Every walk of life and those people aren't going to be there anymore if rent gets jacked up to the Cambridge town prices 192 00:18:11,820 --> 00:18:16,619 A lot of my neighbors are in a different, you know different situation than I am 193 00:18:19,360 --> 00:18:25,169 People like to be near the Red Line. I suspect when the Green Line's in they're going to want to be near the Green Line 194 00:18:26,320 --> 00:18:28,320 Of course I like a good house 195 00:18:29,260 --> 00:18:31,260 Nice yard 196 00:18:31,420 --> 00:18:33,539 nice view, but you 197 00:18:34,300 --> 00:18:38,999 Think about the convenience. I stay in Somerville. 198 00:18:39,000 --> 00:18:44,680 You should never buy on speculation, but this is pretty much a sure thing, it's going to happen. 199 00:18:44,680 --> 00:18:50,580 Gentrification is complicated. Um, by which I mean to say, I have complicated feelings about it. 200 00:18:50,700 --> 00:18:55,040 I think that you'll see a big difference once that line goes in. It's just frustrating for me to think about 201 00:18:57,040 --> 00:19:02,399 The idea that all that the whole culture of a neighborhood just disappear right just because you run a transit line through 202 00:19:02,400 --> 00:19:05,680 But that's what happens, like, I don't know that they can, 203 00:19:05,860 --> 00:19:10,199 that there's anything to be done about it, right, isn't that just sort of the pattern of...I don't know... 204 00:19:22,440 --> 00:19:27,409 Here we are, all excited about this and who knows it can go the other way, it could be that you know 205 00:19:27,410 --> 00:19:29,410 the big dog comes in and 206 00:19:29,550 --> 00:19:31,999 takes over it's good guy out 207 00:19:33,630 --> 00:19:35,630 Phenomenon that's 208 00:19:35,880 --> 00:19:37,880 sometimes called gentrification 209 00:19:44,010 --> 00:19:46,589 The cost of living in submitted my increase 210 00:19:47,289 --> 00:19:50,129 Went my increase and also 211 00:19:50,679 --> 00:19:56,069 The call so for how is my increase as people who can afford? 212 00:19:57,159 --> 00:19:58,899 the luxury of 213 00:19:58,899 --> 00:20:01,948 living close to convenient public transportation 214 00:20:02,529 --> 00:20:08,489 Displace people who can't afford that luxury and some of it might become also 215 00:20:09,909 --> 00:20:16,709 more on affordable place for many of our low-income people to meet, you know, a lot of people want to live near 216 00:20:17,500 --> 00:20:19,090 transit nodes 217 00:20:19,090 --> 00:20:21,090 So it's the coming of the Green Line 218 00:20:21,940 --> 00:20:23,940 There's going to be a lot of speculation 219 00:20:24,130 --> 00:20:28,169 People will be buying up the property developers will be buying the property 220 00:20:28,169 --> 00:20:29,620 the Green Line is being 221 00:20:29,620 --> 00:20:35,968 presented to people as as this great thing that's going to help people out and it's not being presented as something that's going to 222 00:20:36,880 --> 00:20:38,939 quite possibly displace people 223 00:20:38,940 --> 00:20:44,909 It would be a very sad thing if people who put up with the inconvenience of living in 224 00:20:46,029 --> 00:20:48,029 Somerville all of these years 225 00:20:49,210 --> 00:20:51,130 Were 226 00:20:51,130 --> 00:20:53,130 stampeded out of the city by 227 00:20:54,360 --> 00:20:58,959 Others who have discovered how convenient it has become 228 00:20:59,260 --> 00:21:07,460 There will be more different kinds of people in Somerville, which could be a good or bad thing, I'm not completely sure 229 00:21:07,460 --> 00:21:13,920 It's a great thing, I ain't saying it isn't, but, I don't see how it's going to improve anything 230 00:21:14,140 --> 00:21:18,580 For want of a better word, I think some gentrification would be perfectly okay 231 00:21:20,400 --> 00:21:23,660 You know, that gets into be a, you know, 232 00:21:23,800 --> 00:21:30,159 a tricky situation. So we will get the gentrification effects as has happened in Davis Square. When I grew up 233 00:21:30,700 --> 00:21:35,340 Davis Square was like not a desirable place to go to. 234 00:21:35,340 --> 00:21:43,020 It was, even just a few years after the Red Line came in, that Davis Square so much better, you could just see things radiate out from that. 235 00:21:43,140 --> 00:21:46,820 If you tried to take the Red Line out of Davis Square you'd have quite an uproar on your hands 236 00:21:46,830 --> 00:21:52,409 But at the same time when I go down to Davis Square now, I feel like I'm an outsider in my own community 237 00:21:52,410 --> 00:22:05,260 Someone could argue - well maybe you shouldn't improve things because people will get forced out, but then you say, do you want to keep things inferior for that reason? 238 00:22:05,500 --> 00:22:07,500 Somerville needs development and 239 00:22:08,020 --> 00:22:13,660 why not upgrade if you can and so I think it's with mixed feelings that 240 00:22:14,200 --> 00:22:18,210 People are thinking about the Green Line. You don't want it at 241 00:22:18,820 --> 00:22:23,370 the cost of people losing their homes and everybody has a right to 242 00:22:23,760 --> 00:22:26,120 Have an affordable place to live. 243 00:22:26,120 --> 00:22:28,540 The people who grew up here can't afford to live here anymore 244 00:22:28,740 --> 00:22:32,660 I see people going to Lynn, I see people going to Malden 245 00:22:32,660 --> 00:22:34,860 I see people going to Everett. 246 00:22:34,860 --> 00:22:36,780 The Haitian or the minority population 247 00:22:36,780 --> 00:22:43,220 I found basically they left Somerville to go allover. What use is a green line for me if I'm living in Fitchburg 248 00:22:43,230 --> 00:22:46,500 But if I'm living I'm somewhere else because I can't afford to live here anymore 249 00:22:46,929 --> 00:22:53,279 Some of these places are relatively close, but if you have children in school, and it's still a major change 250 00:22:53,279 --> 00:22:55,279 You identify the issue 251 00:22:55,710 --> 00:22:58,100 and you work to try to come up with some solutions 252 00:22:59,700 --> 00:23:05,960 Not all of which is building more affordable housing, but making it more possible to keep people in the homes that they have 253 00:23:06,180 --> 00:23:13,080 If you have more wiggle room and your rent increases you can make that fit in your budget. If you don't have any 254 00:23:13,580 --> 00:23:17,280 Wiggle room to begin with and you're spending all of your money already. 255 00:23:17,280 --> 00:23:19,280 You have to make a choice then 256 00:23:19,440 --> 00:23:23,220 Either you have housing or you have to cut corners somewhere else 257 00:23:25,780 --> 00:23:31,020 The big benefits are in mobility, economic development and air quality. 258 00:23:31,020 --> 00:23:35,720 It is environmentally sustainable and also fiscally sustainable 259 00:23:35,720 --> 00:23:40,820 A rich and dense network of transit will really help the population move around here 260 00:23:40,820 --> 00:23:45,740 If the Green Line comes in and we have a lot of new neighbors, that they know who and what this neighborhood is 261 00:23:45,740 --> 00:23:48,800 And that they become folded into the fabric of the neighborhood 262 00:23:48,800 --> 00:23:55,720 I'm hoping the people in the Square don't change. See, that's the thing. It could go either way, I'm hoping for positive. 263 00:23:55,720 --> 00:23:59,160 Preserve the arts community that's here 264 00:23:59,440 --> 00:24:04,110 To be successful, we're gonna need to get a lot of input in a process that is open. That is transparent 265 00:24:04,110 --> 00:24:06,199 That is inclusive and proactive. 266 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:10,020 I do have a sense that you have to get involved 267 00:24:10,200 --> 00:24:12,980 I feel that, I wish more people would feel that way 268 00:24:23,340 --> 00:24:28,919 I like the cultural mix, I feel like there's no other place I'd rather be 269 00:24:31,620 --> 00:24:34,300 Sommerville really allows me to do all things that I want to do 270 00:24:35,610 --> 00:24:41,750 Without having to pay Cambridge prices or Boston prices. Everything's right there. Everything is where I need to be 271 00:24:55,690 --> 00:25:00,390 There's a very strong sense of community here and a pride that I've noticed 272 00:25:01,440 --> 00:25:06,280 That I haven't seen in a lot of other towns and it's continually growing it's continually changing 273 00:25:23,460 --> 00:25:26,100 This is good, I think so, for us 274 00:25:26,560 --> 00:25:31,280 Because Somerville has a lot of 275 00:25:31,280 --> 00:25:36,879 there is a lot of cars in here who take 93, you know 276 00:25:36,880 --> 00:25:42,600 it's crazy, a lot of pollution. But with Green Line, I think so 277 00:25:42,600 --> 00:25:49,020 It's a change for...better, I hope so