Somerville Infill and Small Developments

Equilibria said:
Residential buildings at 346 Somerville Ave:

https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/...le Ave 346 - Preliminary Plans-compressed.pdf
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Just off Union Square (across the street from Bow Market). Exactly where we should be building this scale.

But damn, that's a lot of studios: 77 studios, 20 1-bed, 1 3-bed (yes, I typed that correctly) [edit: no I didn't – it's 3 3-bed units (thanks for reading well, fattony)]. Of course, this is what it's going to take to get decently paid young people to live on their own (vs. splitting a 3-bedroom with 2 craigslist roommates), so it's great.

But I can't help thinking the artist gave up at some point (page A-103)—check out the second-from-the-top right unit:
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I think it is 3 3-bed units for a grand total of 100 units.

This is what I call density. We have literally hundreds of thousands of family sized units already. IMO the real trick is freeing them up for families, more so than building more of them.

I'd love to see a couple projects just like this plopped onto Grove St in Davis Square!
 
put three of these developments on the vacant-for-12(!!!)-years star market lot in winter hill ASAP.
 
oh, i know... it's ridiculous, though. for a giant lot in one of the hottest, most prized real estate plots in america to just sit there, vacant, for over a decade is shameful.
 
chrisbrat said:
oh, i know... it's ridiculous, though. for a giant lot in one of the hottest, most prized real estate plots in america to just sit there, vacant, for over a decade is shameful.
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Sometimes it takes eminent domain get a parcel out of the hands of an owner who cuts off their nose to spite their face (or relatives or mayor or ...).
 
pretty sure they started the process of eminent domain in spring of 2017, but i'm sure the litigation can take years (decades). it's just a bummer -- great spot in a great town and it's just left looking like post-war beruit for no good reason, whatsoever.
 
Peter Quinn is one of two go-to architects for developers building in Somerville.
 
The Somerville West Branch Library addition & renovation is now fully under construction on College Ave just outside Davis Sq.
 
Equilibria said:
In an interesting retail use, 434 McGrath (the new brick one with the rounded corner) is getting a comedy club:

https://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/19.05.22_434 McGrath Hwy_Plan Set.pdf
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Interesting indeed. There's already a brand new comedy club in Union (at Bow Market), so I'm wondering what the demand is for a place like this? For a while, Comedy Clubs were a dying breed around here. I worry about the niche use. But as a guy who goes quiet frequently (and even dabbles w/ the open mic thing), I'm happy to see another one in the area.
 
Equilibria said:
Chimera of a project at 300 Somerville Ave has updated drawings:

https://s3.amazonaws.com/ifa.somerv...e 300 - Plans for June 20 2019-compressed.pdf

It's like they have the front end of a facadectomy and the back end of a repurposed church, and only one of those is actually old...
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This is so much better! I don't see the point in keeping the weird double church in the back, but at least now the portion that fronts the street will look more "downtown" in design.
 
Khalsa designs almost always get better after a run through the DRC.
 
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