Clarendon Hill Redevelopment | 34 North Street | Somerville

Equilibria

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New layout for the public-private partnership to replace Somerville Public Housing.

The proposal is pretty huge along Alewife Brook Parkway, which would see reconfiguration to eliminate the semi-rotary with Powder House Boulevard.

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It’s also being done as a Chapter 40B comprehensive permit.
 
For what it is and what it's replacing it's perfectly fine and probably the right scale for the area. There are other apartments in the area that rival the height, so not like it's breaking precedent with the rest of residential Somerville. Anything that isn't a 5-over-1 already gets a few extra points in my book.
 
I think it’s a decent project, given the constraints it is operating under.
 
It’s also being done as a Chapter 40B comprehensive permit.

I didn't actually know you could do 40B projects in Somerville, which I believe is over the 40B threshold.

And with the full cooperation of the City...
 
I didn't actually know you could do 40B projects in Somerville, which I believe is over the 40B threshold.

And with the full cooperation of the City...
According to the SHI as of 2017, Somerville stood at 9.7%. Not sure what that looks like in 2020.
 
That's really nice. Much nicer than the ugly brick things that are there now.
I don't get how that slip lane in the reconfigured intersection is supposed to work, though.
 
That's really nice. Much nicer than the ugly brick things that are there now.
I don't get how that slip lane in the reconfigured intersection is supposed to work, though.

It's primarily to provide access to the houses along it, I think.
 
Groundbreaking for Clarendon Hill Phase One Celebrated with Somerville Mayor Ballantyne and Representative Barber

The groundbreaking ceremony marks the first phase of neighborhood revitalization project

“SOMERVILLE, MA – Mayor Katjana Ballantyne, Representative Christine Barber, Preservation of Affordable Housing, Somerville Community Corporation, Somerville Housing Authority, residents, funders and partners today celebrated the groundbreaking for Clarendon Hill Apartments, Phase One.

The comprehensive redevelopment is a collaboration between Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH), Somerville Community Corporation (SCC), Somerville Housing Authority (SHA) and partners to sustain and reinvigorate the Somerville community by building safe and affordable quality homes for current and future residents. Phase One consists of a 168-unit new construction project that will initiate the multi-phase redevelopment on Powder House Boulevard. The development is a one-for-one replacement of the existing 216 affordable public housing units and when complete will provide 591 units of mixed-income housing on the redesigned site…”

https://www.masshousing.com/en/press/2023-05-25_clarendon-hill
 
I just realized from the linked revision narrative above that this is going to be modular, so this one is going to move quickly.
 
They did a good job with the massing here putting the 3 story rowhouses on the side facing the detached housing and the taller buildings toward the road and other towers. This is a good compromise to get some solid height and density while not pissing off the neighbors too much.
 

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