"We're trying to come up with a conceptualization process as to what kind of density project would be most efficient and most attractive to neighbors," Peter Hollands, project director of TeleCom City, tells GlobeSt.com. The idea to develop housing near the project evolved from a study done at Northeastern University supported by a grant from Fannie Mae that examined the impact TeleCom city would have on the area housing market. The study concluded that the area would need 525 more units to accommodate the influx of new employees once TeleCom City was developed.

Everett city planners, says Hollands, suggested that this parcel next to TeleCom City was an "area in transition" and could possibly be used as a site for housing. A team of consultants have started gathering data about the site. "It's an intensive process, trying to understand what might fit there," points out Hollands. Ten different private owners own the site.

One option for TeleCom City is that its boundaries could be extended one block to put the parcel in the TeleCom City project area. The Mystic Valley Development Commission, which was created y the legislature in 1996 to develop TeleCom City, has the power of eminent domain, which would allow the land to be taken by the project. "We hope to talk to businesses and property owners," says Hollands. "Some might be interested in selling or converting the site to other uses, like new housing."