SAV-MOR Site Lab Building | 15 McGrath Highway | Somerville

Equilibria

Senior Member
Joined
May 6, 2007
Messages
6,806
Reaction score
7,585
RandomWalk referenced this on the Kendall infill thread. Here's the drawings they've produced. No actual exterior renders, but you can guess at it.


Interesting thing about this site is that it's not particularly accessible by train or bike. More than a quarter-mile on McGrath (awful) from Lechmere, and the community path is up on a viaduct behind it, so you'd have to ride on McGrath to get there.

1601389584016.png

1601389618789.png

1601389636838.png
 
Last edited:
Wow...end of an era.

Too bad they couldn't have integrated the old Tropical Fish and Reptile store into a ground floor retail suite. :p
 
McGrath will get easier to walk from either E.Som or Lechmere, and is actually (near) where I see people get off the Lechmere buses today to walk across to some tech jobs in the Galileo way area
 
The adjacent car wash site is still supposed to be redeveloped, but I think it got stuck with COVID-induced financing issues. When those are done, the Genoa Nut building is going to stick out like a sore thumb.
 
The adjacent car wash site is still supposed to be redeveloped, but I think it got stuck with COVID-induced financing issues. When those are done, the Genoa Nut building is going to stick out like a sore thumb.

Those auto sound/security system and legal services buildings across the street aren't too spiffy, either.
 
Where did those cut away renderings come from?
 
Man - that property line is right at the point where it would match Rufo Road as a grid connection to Morgan Ave under the GLX to Cambridge Crossing. No way to "Master Plan" in a connection this late?


1601564260698.png
 
Man - that property line is right at the point where it would match Rufo Road as a grid connection to Morgan Ave under the GLX to Cambridge Crossing. No way to "Master Plan" in a connection this late?

I'd love to see that too, but I wonder if the GLX supports rule it out. Can't put that on this developer (and their planned driveway could theoretically be repurposed as a public way later - I don't think the actual building will be in the way).
 
Man - that property line is right at the point where it would match Rufo Road as a grid connection to Morgan Ave under the GLX to Cambridge Crossing. No way to "Master Plan" in a connection this late?


View attachment 7547

let's get rid of mickey deez :)

To be honest, I think that wholeRufo/MCgrath-Obrien thing could be dramatically changed in an infra project in the relatively near future.

I also wonder about the CP connection to McGrath/Obrien and the eventual Grand Junction path.
 
Wait. This is a hardship variance.

Is there not a further planning approval needed given the use at the site? Or was that already secured?
 
My understanding is that given that this is a High Rise District, Lab/Research & Development uses are allowed by right, with no permit required for that use.

However, I definitely don't understand the process 100%.
 

Back
Top