Boston-based coworking space provider Workbar will open a new location at 31 Union Square in Somerville this summer.
The 2,500-square-foot shared workspace will be located in the former Elegant Furniture location. The facility will include coworking space, conference and meeting rooms, event space, secure wifi and social and educational programming. Construction will begin following final design and permitting, said Greg Karczewski, president of Union Square master developer US2.
“We surveyed the market in terms of different coworking operators and the more we got to know about Workbar, the more we thought they’d be a great fit,” said Karczewski, who has been using Workbar’s location in Cambridge’s Central Square as a workspace. “They’re a local Boston story and they’re one of the larger coworking providers, and they’ve built a great community space.”
US2 leased the 31 Union Square storefront last fall and plans to open its local headquarters in the space, as well. Construction will begin following final design and permitting, with an August opening anticipated.
Workbar has locations in Boston and Cambridge and a network of partner spaces throughout eastern Massachusetts, serving more than 800 members from over 400 businesses.
“Our partnership with US2 will allow us to extend the Workbar network of coworking spaces to Somerville, providing local startups, small businesses and remote professionals the ability to grow their enterprises and collaborate with other entrepreneurs,” Bill Jacobson, founder and CEO of Workbar, said in a statement.
US2, a partnership of Chicago-based Magellan Development and Mesirow Financial, was selected last year by the city of Somerville to redevelop seven parcels in Union Square where up to 2.3 million square feet of commercial and residential space is planned.
In April, US2 dropped its plans to fast-track development of 500 apartments on two parcels near Union Square station on the future MBTA Green Line Extension. It has restarted a community planning process on all seven parcels in the neighborhood and hopes to complete a comprehensive neighborhood plan this fall, Karczewski said. Construction could begin as soon as mid-2016.
US2 will host an open house and presentation on its current redevelopment approach at 6:30 p.m. on June 24 at 237 Washington St., the former post office building.
