Davis Square Lab | 231-249 Elm Street and Grove Street | Somerville

Equilibria

Equilibria

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Narrative: https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/Project Narrative.pdf

Plans: https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/Plan Set_1.pdf

Note that these are actually from April. Not sure why this has happened a couple of times from Somerville today - posting a backlog of stuff. Looks like the stores would have Elm Street addresses and the Lab would be a Grove Street address.

The brick and windows are nice, but I feel like this will read more 1980s than 1880s at street level. And of course you can't replace the authenticity of what's there now, even if you save the Burren.

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Begrudgingly, I admit it could mark a significant aesthetic improvement for the block. The preservation of the entire Burren space (not just the facade) is the obvious win. But it also looks like the space built on top of the Burren will be set back from the street (hopefully enough so that it doesn't look awkward). The storefront to the right of the Burren could use use a facelift, and it looks like this will do that. The remainder of the structures are absolutely replaceable.

My biggest concern is what happens to the existing businesses? These are all vital to the neighborhood. And for all of the Boston area's architectural prowess, Davis has managed to be a bit of an outlier. It's a thriving urban space without a particularly impressive collection of buildings with significant architectural merit. There are some nice buildings (and even more ugly ones), but nothing standout. The strength of the neighborhood has always been the combination of density and the collective mix of businesses that populate it. The new building will retain the density and human scale streetwall, but whether it can replicate the diversity in those storefronts is the big question mark. I don't care if it's the coolest building I've ever seen if those businesses are replaced with a bank, another pharmacy, and a Verizon store.
 
My bias: Davis Sq is sitting atop the Red Line and a bus hub. It should be at least as tall as old Harvard Square (4 stories). And we know from my research in the “How tall?” Thread that energy efficiency peaks at 5 stories

So I’d ask why not 3+2 stories ?
1 retail
2 large floor plate
2 setback floors

Sure, 1+2 is a 50% improvement over the 1+1 that dominates here, but c’mon, many suburban office park landscrapers are 3 stories. Can’t we do better atop heavy rail?
 
Arlington said:
My bias: Davis Sq is sitting atop the Red Line and a bus hub. It should be at least as tall as old Harvard Square (4 stories). And we know from my research in the “How tall?” Thread that energy efficiency peaks at 5 stories

So I’d ask why not 3+2 stories ?
1 retail
2 large floor plate
2 setback floors

Sure, 1+2 is a 50% improvement over the 1+1 that dominates here, but c’mon, many suburban office park landscrapers are 3 stories. Can’t we do better atop heavy rail?
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Combining the last 2 comments, the problem is that increasing the density will also drive out the local business and life. Harvard Square isn't exactly known as a bastion of funky authenticity these days.
 
They're probably going to have people screaming over height already. There were some pretty feisty meetings and online comments when they tried to rezone Davis to allow 6 story buildings in places a few years back.

Props to Somerville that they didn't regress the zoning down to single family zoning based on the feedback they got. /s

I wish this project was along Highland. That area is really dead, whereas this proposal's stretch has a few Davis icons.... I don't think you can recreate Sligo today... And McKinnon's is probably going to go, according to comments from people familiar on Facebook.

Design wise, I'm a little concerned about how smooth that render reads. The slide notes textured and smooth brick, as well as the fluted texturing at the top. I'd like to know more about it. It's looking a little sterile currently.
 
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There was already a fully-packed somewhat contentious community mtg(s) about this project before the pandemic. I’m glad it’s being brought back to life…as a lab. I recall Tommy (Burren owner) was totally supportive of the project back then. Prominent storefronts, great jobs, and timeless quality brickwork will help Davis relevant for decades to come. I recall from the previous proposal a courtyard green public space however. I wonder (hope) if that will make its way back in?

Also, Utile is a very reputable and savvy Boston architecture firm.
 
The Davis Square area towards the former railroad line (current trail) historically had little factories and warehouses, so to me a lab fits in well with the historical vibe of the area.
 
Charlie_mta said:
The Davis Square area towards the former railroad line (current trail) historically had little factories and warehouses, so to me a lab fits in well with the historical vibe of the area.
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Getting off topic but I used to live right by this old tannery factory near Davis, which was eventually converted into residential.
www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com
 
Good project, wrong place (kills too many businesses that are not only thriving but give Davis Sq its personality). I'd prefer to see this not move forward. Go build the lab off 93 in Woburn.
 
itchy said:
Good project, wrong place (kills too many businesses that are not only thriving but give Davis Sq its personality). I'd prefer to see this not move forward. Go build the lab off 93 in Woburn.
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To me, labs are the new factories. Along many stretches of railroads in West Somerville and North Cambridge, when I was a kid in the 1950s, there were small factories and buildings for various small companies scattered around that seemed to blend in fine with adjoining residential streets. .The post WW II suburban model of planning discredited this type of mixed use, instead wanting different land uses assigned to separate destructs, but to me a thriving urban environment should include a mix.
 
Mixed use here will be a huge benefit to the greater community. I welcome better use of a core TOD neighborhood. That said, I hope they'll put the effort in avoid sterilizing the street with uniform storefronts and this flat facade.
 
It is risk of sterilization of the streets is not from the façade or uniformity of the storefronts, it's rents.

All the nicest façade and greatest pain for preserving storefronts does not help when the biggest factor why the most likable businesses exists in a sweet spot of rent prices.

There's a connection between the most liked businesses and the amount of rent the business pays to the landlord. I wish I can articulate it better rather than the typical "high rents means only a bank can afford the spot", but there's definitely a connection and this risk breaking both the inertia that allows the existing businesses to continue to exist in what is now an extremely high value location and raising rent prices to a level that will all-but-eliminate the chances of any successor business to be similarly likable (though plenty profitable).
 
Yea I'll be surprised if Davis survives this project. It could be a beautiful building and it would still suck because its killing a bunch of established and liked businesses.
 
This building will also have a sterilizing effect due to the employees having easy access to parking. The harsh commercial realities of rental lab buildings mean that the tenants won’t come if it were parking-free. However, such a building would force its employees out into the square, if only to commute home via the T.
 
Only 5-6 storefronts in this project, out of like….100 in Davis? This isn’t gonna kill the Sq in my opinion. But yeah, the Burren and Meat Market have history there. But the Burren will remain open all throughout construction, last I understood.

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It's 10 storefronts if you include the Burren, and this is easily along the most active stretch of Davis, with a few local's favorites included, and apart from Kung Fu Tea, they're all local small businesses.

If this has storefronts sitting empty with a 9-5 lab building, the square loses a lot of its life. They've committed to "assisting existing businesses," but they've been very vague so far as to what that means.
 
Dr. Rosen Rosen said:
Only 5-6 storefronts in this project, out of like….100 in Davis? This isn’t gonna kill the Sq in my opinion. But yeah, the Burren and Meat Market have history there. But the Burren will remain open all throughout construction, last I understood.

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It would be great if this lab building, and others, would have ground floor retail. Modify this proposed lab to house on the ground floor the current businesses, or others like them.
 
Charlie_mta said:
It would be great if this lab building, and others, would have ground floor retail. Modify this proposed lab to house on the ground floor the current businesses, or others like them.
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This project does have ground floor retail. I believe the criticism was that it would be too expensive to attract the same type of tenants.
 
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