Gov. Patrick announced today the state will use $65 million in state bonds and federal stimulus funds to help build a new retail, office and condo development called Assembly on the Mystic.
The first phase of the project involves construction of an Ikea:
A large, multi-phase project to be completed over several years, the Assembly Square project will ultimately result in 1.75 million square feet of office space, 1.15 million square feet of retail space including a new hotel, 2,100 rental and ownership condominium housing units and a new MBTA Orange line stop. The project promises to significantly expand the state and city’s tax bases and create such public benefits as new waterfront parks, open spaces and bike and pedestrian paths linking the existing neighborhoods with the new development.
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Comments
I thought that project was
By neilv
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 3:09pm
I thought that project was proceeding before and without the stimulus funds. Had it gotten stalled?
This is not accurate
By Ron Newman
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 3:16pm
1) IKEA is in Stoughton, not Avon.
2) The 'failed mall' has already been turned into a strip shopping center which seems to be thriving with no vacancies. It will remain in place. The redevelopment project is for the remainder of Assembly Square, most of which is now vacant land.
Changed, with a caveat
By adamg
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 3:24pm
Technically, you can drive to Avon to get to the Ikea, since it's right on the town line and you go through that road where Jordan's is, in Avon, to get to it.
Why do that???
By SwirlyGrrl
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 4:22pm
That's crazy - much better to get off at 139 West and take Ikea Way direct to the store.
The other way is if you want to gnash your teeth or tear your hair out.
Well, let's say, just hypothetically ...
By adamg
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 4:24pm
You have no idea Stoughton is right next to Avon, and you're heading to Avon because you need to get something at the Namco pool store, which is on that access road, or whatever it is, and then you notice all the signs for Ikea ...
Strip shopping mall
By anon
Tue, 07/21/2009 - 4:33am
I thought they had banned strippers in Somerville. Now they have a whole mall full of them?
So...
By Will LaTulippe
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 3:25pm
...do I get a free couch at Ikea because I'm paying for their store, or is this one of these things where they take money that I earned and hand it to a corporation, like they did with the health insurance law?
Free couch? Nah,
By roadman
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 3:29pm
but I'll take a free condo.
Good luck
By Michael
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 3:52pm
getting that couch home on your bike.
You're not paying for their
By NotWhitey
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 4:00pm
You're not paying for their store. You're paying for a new T stop and road and park improvements that will make the store and other businesses a good location. Which will produce jobs, which will produce tax income and a multiplier effect, which closes the loop.
If it was so great Ikea should have done it
By EM Painter
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 6:02pm
It is was a good location Ikea would have paid for it themselves.
Not about Ikea
By anon
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 4:07pm
Ever ride the orange line north of the city? There is a VERY LONG stretch of rail between Sullivan and Wellington. In the middle of that, there is a thriving shopping area that serves pretty much all of inner city and suburban north areas.
That VERY LONG stretch is accessible by transit IF:
you take a bus that goes there occasionally, if the driver remembers to do that part of the route
you walk the mile or so in a nasty area from Sullivan
Meanwhile, the train goes by at regular intervals, headed into the city or to Malden.
Ikea? Well, that isn't the major piece of it. In fact, isn't Ikea ponying up some of the cash? This is about getting to a place to buy clothing and housewares and electronics, etc. of the every day sort at KMart and TJ Maxx.
No ...
By SwirlyGrrl
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 4:18pm
You can give Ingvar K a big kiss as IKEA is kicking in $15 MILLION DOLLARS for the T Station part of the development.
More information
how much is the station going to cost us?
By anon
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 4:19pm
...because if it wasn't for the stores, we wouldn't need to spend the money. Broken window fallacy, anyone?
And you know what? Another T stop is just more time out of the lives of millions and millions of commuters for the next decade or two...
Agreed!
By Colin
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 4:40pm
Indeed. I believe our next step is to remove every T stop except the ones I need to use. It will make my commute much swifter!
Oh, I can see it now.
By Trixie
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 4:06pm
I'm sure people other than myself have gotten some good entertainment watching people at IKEA push, shove, twist, tie, etc, all of their purchses into their cars... I now have a vision of that exact same thing, only on the orange line.
Awesome
By neilv
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 4:21pm
If the IKEA and T station happen, I will be one of those people balancing a flat-pack of pretty birch veneer in an ugly Orange Line car.
Assembly Square IKEA
By SwirlyGrrl
Mon, 07/20/2009 - 4:25pm
It does make sense ... after spending the weekend assembling bedroom furniture in a square room for our resident IKEAphile's newly redone bedroom (aka the ManBoy Cave).
Said ManBoy is hoping that it opens around the time he is old enough to work.