Somerville Infill and Small Developments

250 ft will be very noticeable from 93. Really in a few years driving in from the north will be a whole new experience. Starting with this and then the towers that will be going up at North point and finally being anchored by the towers going up at North Station. Those North Station area towers will be visible from a ways out. Can't wait!
 
Union Square feels slightly surreal these days. If you didn't know any better you'd think the place was on a downward slope.

Between this site, the demo work going on at the new station location, and the numerous vacant commercial properties in the area (Elegant Furniture, Sherman Cafe, the old Kawasaki store, and a number of properties on the Davis side of Somerville Ave), this is a big calm before the storm.
 
Flip to page 12 of the link I posted for timeline:

RFP Release: 1/7/2015
Pre-Bid Tour: 1/27/2015
Initial Evaluation: 3/16/2015
Mayor Recommendation: 5/15/2015
 
Drove by this building tonight and noticed it's just a pile of rubble. Any clue as to what's supposed to be here? I really hope it's at least five stories of residential with a retail base. Right now it's just a massive open space in the midst of what should be a bustling urban corridor. The large vacant lots next to it don't really help matters.
 
pixelsand8 said:
I really hope it's at least five stories of residential with a retail base. Right now it's just a massive open space in the midst of what should be a bustling urban corridor.
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I and the Somerville city planning office want to shake your hand, sir. This location was a bit of a battle for several years with the developer and the neighbors —lawsuit over obstructed views and "construction noise."

Finally getting going. Not quite five stories, but your standard compromised mixed use, TOD development with groundfloor retail and basement parking. Nothing prize-worthy, but nevertheless the best thing to happen on this intersection in about 100 years: http://www.somervillema.gov/sites/d...s/061213 PROGRESS SET 315 BROADWAY (POST).pdf
 
I biked by a new infill, residential development in Somerville, between Teele and Davis, that seems complete. Dubbed Davis Square Habitat (official website), it has three buildings (39 Elmwood (three units), 41 Elmwood (three units), and 40 Cameron (two units)), for a total of eight new residential units. Plans from 2012. I didn't snap any pictures, but, from Google:

Elmwood Before:
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Elmwood Render:
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Cameron Before:
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Cameron Render:
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It definitely turned out as good or better (!) than the renders. It looks like a nice, luxury infill project similar to many that we've seen in South Boston proper.

This type of infill development in Somerville is encouraging. I like that it replaced nothing of note, and clearly improved upon the neighborhood while adding much needed units. If I had to nitpick, it's that these buildings feel like they face inward, and seem like they hold more units than they do. For example, that last render is of a two-unit building, dare I say: a duplex. Oh well, the development is encouraging, the market is there, and these are fetching big bucks:

Last unit of 41 Elmood (2600 square feet!) on the market for $1.2m.
 
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Does anybody know what the deal with 351(ish) Summer Street is? It's been vacant for years and is turning into a bit of an urban wild. It's just outside of Davis Square, so I have to think it's a valuable piece of land. Is some developer sitting on it, or is an investment company holding it and waiting for the right time to turn a profit?
 
bigeman312 said:
Does anybody know what the deal with 351(ish) Summer Street is? It's been vacant for years and is turning into a bit of an urban wild. It's just outside of Davis Square, so I have to think it's a valuable piece of land. Is some developer sitting on it, or is an investment company holding it and waiting for the right time to turn a profit?
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Maybe ask the homeless guy always hanging out by that massive vent next to the side walk. I don't think it's always the same guy but there is always somebody! Seriously though, this is an interesting question.
 
bigeman312 said:
Does anybody know what the deal with 351(ish) Summer Street is? It's been vacant for years and is turning into a bit of an urban wild. It's just outside of Davis Square, so I have to think it's a valuable piece of land. Is some developer sitting on it, or is an investment company holding it and waiting for the right time to turn a profit?
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I'd always assumed the T owned it and was keeping it due to the vents and emergency exits to the red line directly below. Turns out that the T sold it to a developer in 2002, who planned to build a new VFW post and some housing. The project has been held up due to a number of appeals and formal mediation sessions.

Source from 2011: http://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/rnd/Summer St 343-351 - SR 8-19-112.pdf
 
I walked 292 Beacon Street yesterday, and it appears to still be stalled. The building has looked like this for years now:

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The developer, Kenn Spera, has a long history of financial problems, and this property has a very seedy past. From 2011:

Somerville to tear down old Pointer Post

It was a hangout for the Winter Hill Gang but now the long abandoned Pointer Post is slated to be a heap of rubble.

A notice posted at City Hall says the building at 292 Beacon St. will be demolished.

Local writer Bobby Martini chronicled his father’s old VFW post in his book "Citizen Somerville: Growing up with the Winter Hill Gang." The property owner – Kenneth J. Spera – is also one of the city’s top 10 tax scofflaws, owing about $76,000 for the building. Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston had asked the city to take action on the property. I guess that means tearing it down.
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Here's what the old "Pointer Post" used to look like:

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I wonder what will become of this property, in a valuable location right on the Cambridge border, a short walk from Mass Ave. It's a shame to see it sit unused for so many years now.
 
Scipio said:
I'd always assumed the T owned it and was keeping it due to the vents and emergency exits to the red line directly below. Turns out that the T sold it to a developer in 2002, who planned to build a new VFW post and some housing. The project has been held up due to a number of appeals and formal mediation sessions.

Source from 2011: http://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/rnd/Summer St 343-351 - SR 8-19-112.pdf
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Thanks! Good investigative work. I hope it gets developed soon.
 
Three bits of news out of a city meeting yesterday relative to Winter Hill.

1) The city is now starting the process to take the 8-year vacant Star Market store on Broadway by eminent domain. This after the owner refused to sell the property for something like $12million. A comprehensive plan for the area is scheduled for release this winter. Process for seizing the property would begin following that plan's release.
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2) City is encouraging anyone who likes dense urban living to come to a public hearing next Thursday, 6pm at City Hall to oppose the following project that wants to move in to the vacant Brunello's lot on Broadway. This is a "doc in a box" outfit as officials call it— basically CVS-esque medical care without the pharmacy. It's ugly and contrary to the neighborhood's plan for the area (see above...coming out this winter...) If you live in town please show up and let officials know you'd rather see the location redeveloped for denser use. They agree but need the public to make the case for them.
Plans here: http://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/Plans (POST)_34.pdf
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3) A new brewpub will be moving into a vacant location diagonally across the street from the Brunello's. Quietly announced last night and isn't in the news yet. It's by a former Harpoon brewer and will have tapas-like bites in addition to beer brewed on premise. ANother ugly building on a promising street, but I won't turn down something like this that will boost foot traffic without acres of parking lots.
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kjdonovan said:
Three bits of news out of a city meeting yesterday relative to Winter Hill.

1) The city is now starting the process to take the 8-year vacant Star Market store on Broadway by eminent domain. This after the owner refused to sell the property for something like $12million. A comprehensive plan for the area is scheduled for release this winter. Process for seizing the property would begin following that plan's release.
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Uggg... I mentioned before about eminent domain and I guess I have to stick to my principles here. I got a feeling my thought would not be popular here as it is a parking lot and a closed supermarket. But the Kelo v. New London was wrong - government shouldn't be able to take land for private development purposes. The development is different as it is a about wanting to see an urban, cooler development rather than a pharmaceutical over a residential neighborhood. But the context of the same powers for private use remains here.

Someone please tell me there's some kind of truly distinctive difference here. Because otherwise it looks like to me government is using its weight over the desire of the private owner. I'm not blindly libertarian, I can agree if the situation was more extreme, like if the owner wanted to put in something like a toxic waste dump (rather than an Ocean State Job Lot) then the government should put it foot down. But to me, this is stopping one direction, trying to dictate what the city wants, when refused, now it's going to use eminent domain.

As much as I want better land use, I don't want cities to dictate owners what can or can't build to this level.
 
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Vacant properties hurt a cities value and can make neighborhoods appear unsafe which can increase crime. Because of this I think that supports eminent domain in that it is for the public good of the community. Also a development like the market basket or the proposed care center are bad for the "health" of an urban area because they make walking less desirable and encourage driving. In an urban area this lowers property values. Yes the city will then have a private development built, but the motivation for seizing the property is based on public good as far as I can tell.
 
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