The mission of Union Square Main Streets (USMS) is to revitalize the Union Square business district and surrounding neighborhoods through active community collaboration. To promote Union Square’s participation in Somerville’s economic renaissance, USMS worked to build community support for new zoning regulations that would permit increased density in appropriate locations and encourage mixed uses and green building design. CDRC-Boston was contacted to provide a design consultant who could create a visualization of the proposed zoning changes, better allowing community members to understand the proposal and respond to it.

Perkins+Will acted as the primary visualization consultant, working with USMS and the City of Somerville’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD). Perkins+Will created a digital model of the Union Square neighborhood’s topography and buildings. On parcels within the study area, they created models of the proposed new zoning envelopes and basic building masses that met the floor area ration, height and setback requirements of the proposal. To further illustrate the potential outcomes of the zoning, several other volunteer design firms joined with Perkins+Will to create more detailed models and renderings for representative sites within the neighborhood. Additional visualizations by Perkins+Will included shadow studies and illustrations of new view corridors.

The visualizations from volunteer consultants were used at key community meetings and public hearings throughout the zoning amendment review and approval process. Executive Director Mimi Graney of USMS commented, “the visualizing materials have been incredibly helpful in documenting potential impacts, in making thoughtful amendments to the initial proposal, and in communicating the impact of the zoning changes to legislators. The visual resources from CDRC greatly contributed to increased confidence in the zoning proposal effectively educating residents, property owners, city officials and others about the potential impact of the new zoning in numerous areas of concern such as building heights, massing, views from key vistas, shadows and more."

As a result, in mid April, 2009, USMS was successful in winning a unanimous vote from the Somerville Board of Aldermen for their zoning proposal.

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