USQ, the city’s $2 billion, 17-acre mixed-use development, topped off on three towers

Somerville, MA USQ, the city’s $2 billion, 17-acre mixed-use, transit-oriented development, topped off on three towers located at 10-50 Prospect St. US2, the development team, along with Gilbane Building Company and Cranshaw Construction celebrated the construction milestones that are changing the city’s skyline.

10 - 50 Prospect St. sits upon a four-acre lot and comprises three mixed-used buildings that directly neighbor the new Green Line Extension, Union Sq. Station. Each building is targeting a spring, 2023 opening

“This past year has been marked by so many milestones. It was only last July when we broke ground on 10-50 Prospect St., and now the site is adjacent to the new and already bustling Union Sq. Station stop on Green Line Extension. These milestones, including the topping off of these towers, fill us with immense gratitude for our partners and for the city of Somerville. It also energizes and inspires us as we welcome the next exciting phases of USQ. 10-50 Prospect St. are integral to USQ’s role as the newest destination within the Boston-Cambridge innovation economy and will expand the neighborhood’s vibrant residential community,” said Greg Karczewski, president of US2.

10 Prospect St., is a new lab and innovation building at the heart of the project, and is the first step in re-establishing Union Sq. as a regional employment district. Located at the southeast corner of Somerville Av. and Prospect St., 10 Prospect St. will add more than 500 permanent life-science jobs, daytime foot-traffic for area business, and economic mobility opportunities for local residents, enhancing Somerville’s already impressive professional base. The seven-story life sciences and innovation building will boast a 194,000 s/f lab-ready facility that will provide a world-class environment for the next new scientific discoveries.

With a build-out by Gilbane Building Company, 10 Prospect St. has 150 trade partners on site. To date, over 4,500 cubic yards of concrete have been placed and over 2,000 tons of structural steel have been erected. The building is designed by Boston and New York City based architecture firm SGA. 10 Prospect St. will be U.S. Green Building Council LEED Gold certified and Wired Score Platinum certified.

Through 20 Prospect St., a mid-rise tower, and 50 Prospect St., a 25-story tower, USQ offers 450 apartment units. These units will attract residents who appreciate the cultural richness of Union Sq., its budding innovation economy, and its proximity to public transportation. Cranshaw Construction leads the residential construction on these parcels with 200 trade workers on site. Höweler & Yoon served as Design Architect and bKL Architecture as Architect of Record.

Notably, 20-50 Prospect St. make history as the largest singular delivery of inclusionary housing in Somerville, devoting 90 of its 450 units to permanently affordable housing across three different income tiers. Additionally, $1.5 million will be contributed to Somerville’s Affordable Housing Trust Fund for other Somerville housing needs.

USQ, a 2.7 million square foot development, is central to Somerville’s growth plans, delivering on the community-led “SomerVision” plan by increasing jobs, housing, open space and transit. The project is being implemented in collaboration with the Somerville Redevelopment Authority and is part of a M.G.L. Chapter 121B Urban Renewal Plan (i.e., the Union Square Revitalization Plan). In total, USQ comprises of 1.4 million s/f of new lab and office space; 1,000 residences, including 200 permanently affordable units; 4 acres of parks and open space; 12 new, multi-purpose civic open spaces, including 3 neighborhood parks; 140,000 s/f of retail; 112,000 s/f of arts and creative space; and 175 hotel rooms. Transit is an equally transformative and integral component to USQ – Union Square Station on the new Green Line Extension opened in March, 2022, creating invaluable accessibility to and from the neighborhood, shuttling passengers from Union Square Station to North Station in less than ten minutes.