Last Friday, Mayor Wilson, Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, and the City of Somerville kicked off construction for the Shore Drive Greenway at Blessing of the Bay Park.
The project will create a new 12-foot shared-use path along the Mystic River, making it easier and more inviting to move through the park and connect to the waterfront, nearby neighborhoods, transit, jobs, and community resources.
We’re also excited for the landscape to come to life here — with new shade trees, native plantings, and green stormwater infrastructure helping to cool the site, manage stormwater, improve air quality, and create a more comfortable experience along the river.
For Offshoots, this project is especially meaningful because it carries forward many of the ideas at the heart of the Somerville Pollinator Action Plan. That work focused on how cities can better support pollinators through planting design, maintenance practices, habitat connectivity, and small-but-meaningful interventions across the urban landscape.
At Shore Drive, those ideas are moving from research and planning into built public space — adding native plantings, strengthening ecological connections, and creating everyday habitat along one of Somerville’s important waterfront corridors.
We’re grateful to be part of this work with the City of Somerville, Horsley Witten Group, Mystic River Watershed Association, MassDCR, and the broader project team, and we’re looking forward to seeing the Greenway take shape.