Somerville Exploring Potential Public-Private Partnership Approach to Help Achieve Economic Development Goals

SOMERVILLE – The City of Somerville’s ambitious 20-year SomerVision plan aims to realize numerous community-driven goals, and to help realize those public aims, the City is looking to public-private partnerships, known as P3’s, as a potential tool. To start the process, the City, in coordination with a team of consultants from the firm of Burns & Levinson, presented a range of capital projects and innovation infrastructure priorities to government officials and potential private partners at the City-hosted July 20th  P3 Showcase at Partners Healthcare in Somerville. 

The group of international attendees, which included Somerville, State, and Boston officials, as well as leading P3 players from a variety of industries, gathered to focus on long-term investment, development, and management of public infrastructure. They heard from community and university partners as well as City representatives regarding project possibilities ranging from existing site transformations, new public safety infrastructure, and university housing upgrades as well as sustainability and clean tech opportunities. 

P3 project delivery is gaining popularity among municipalities nationally as infrastructure needs outpace traditional funding. Private-sector innovation and financial assistance is being leveraged to help fill the gap. But unlike many jurisdictions across the United States, P3 is generally not readily available in Massachusetts to state and municipal project owners—unless authorized by special legislation. More than a dozen cities and towns across the Commonwealth have received special legislative authority to deliver critical water infrastructure projects using alternative delivery methods. The City would need to be granted similar special legislative authority to proceed with P3 projects.

 “Infrastructure and capital project investments are essential to foster much-needed job and housing creation, developing a more robust local economy, and provide residents with new opportunities,” said Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone. “We’ve often sought new ideas and innovative approaches to the City’s infrastructure needs and have seen tremendous success from partnerships that leverage private investment such as those in Assembly and Union Squares. Somerville stands ready to work with local and state officials to explore a new generation of public-private partnerships to help us deliver successful public infrastructure projects.”

As part of the showcase, the City hosted one-on-one informational meetings with five interested firms, which allowed for deeper exploration of P3 possibilities and invaluable feedback. Prior to the showcase, qualified firms were given the chance to request the one-on-one meetings by submitting a timely response to the City’s Request for Information (RFI).

“The P3 Showcase provided truly insightful feedback from experts in various fields on factors to consider before we shape our future projects,” said Somerville’s Director of Economic Development Thomas Galligani. “A key takeaway for us from the Showcase is that to gain the maximum public benefit from potential private partnerships, tapping into private sector creativity and expertise early in the process will provide the greatest opportunities to effectively harness private investment to deliver our community’s economic development goals.”

 “A successful P3 program requires vision, due diligence, and transparency, all of which Mayor Curtatone and the City exhibited during the successful P3 Showcase,” said Matthew G. Feher, counsel at Burns & Levinson, a multi-practice Boston law firm that participated in the showcase. “We are honored to have been a part of the team and look forward to working with the City to identify P3 possibilities and potentially implement its P3 program, in order to meet its legacy capital asset and infrastructure challenges.” 

More information about the Somerville Public-Private Partnership Showcase, including a presentation slides and a full video of the event, can be found at www.somervillema.gov/P3. 

About Burns & Levinson:

Burns & Levinson provides high-level, client-centric, results-oriented legal services to regional, national, and international clients. A full-service law firm, with more than 125 lawyers in Boston, Providence, and other regional offices, Burns’ areas of expertise include: design/construction, public finance, municipal law, public infrastructure, government relations, business law, business litigation, divorce/family law, venture capital/emerging companies, employment, estate planning, intellectual property, M&A/private equity, probate/trust litigation, and real estate. The firm’s infrastructure & P3 practice group leverages its decades of collective experience to assist public- and private-sector clients successfully procure, finance, and deliver projects in a complex, highly regulated environment. Burns partners with clients to solve their business and personal legal issues in a collaborative, creative, and cost-effective way. For more information, visit Burns & Levinson at www.burnslev.com.

City of Somerville contact:
Kacey Brister
Public Information Officer
(617) 625-6600 ext. 2620
kbrister@somervillema.gov

Burns & Levinson contact:
Kristen Weller
Chief Marketing and Business Development Officer
617-345-3555
kweller@burnslev.com