Union Square Somerville Infill and Small Developments

erom said:
There are something like 12 gas stations within a mile radius, I think it'll be fine.

(You do need some gas stations in a city... but we could do with a heck of a lot less of them.)
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If local cities are serous about meeting their carbon cutting goals there should be an active and thought out plan to strategically eliminate gas stations balanced with needs of communities (ie don't close all of them in one neighborhood first) replacing them with badly needed housing, parks, work space and generally building out a transit system that facilitates genuine accessibility to every part of the city without a car. We might need gas stations as it is but stated goals are not to keep it as is, and we should be meeting or preferably exceeding those goals.
 
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Gas stations aren't public utilities. And they aren't a blight. They are privately owned businesses. If there were an unmet local need for gasoline, at some point a new gas station would open. Gas stations around Somerville are closing because owners see the land as more valuable on the open market than continuing to operate as gas stations.
 
Steel going up at 71 Bow St for the Passive House condos, 5 (or 6?) stories.

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kjdonovan said:
Gas stations aren't public utilities. And they aren't a blight. They are privately owned businesses. If there were an unmet local need for gasoline, at some point a new gas station would open. Gas stations around Somerville are closing because owners see the land as more valuable on the open market than continuing to operate as gas stations.
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Basically all the towns around here heavily restrict the number of liquor licenses they allow. Even with weed legal the location and means of sale is highly restricted. There is also an on going drug war in this state and country. I don't particularly support these things, but the point is that there is already established a principle that sale of certain substances is not a guaranteed right. If the state is going to restrict the number and location of certain businesses, this seems like a prime candidate. Private transport amounts to most of the emissions in the state. Climate change is a serious and growing threat locally and globally, not in the future but already.
 
You have some salient points, but I think the discussion of public vs private transport should move over to the public policy forum.
 
Anyone have a good sense of how land is valued is Somerville?

I ask mostly out of curiosity, but also I’m perplexed as to why, on a per sqft basis, commercial property land value is 2-3x lower than residential land values. See my examples below, a mostly random sample of properties around Union Square. I see no consistency or pattern across use, size, or location, other than that residential land is almost always higher per sqft.

I posed this question to JT Scott, the Ward 2 council member, and even he was stumped. He was going to reach out to the assessor’s office.

Commercial Properties $$/SQFT
2 Union Sq (Urban Axes)
land value: $1,061,400
lot size: 15,681 sqft
= $67.89/sqft

45 Union Sq (Reliable Mkt)
land value: $648,300
lot size: 6970 sqft
= $93.01/sqft

35 Prospect (CrossFit gym)
land value: $467,400
lot size: 8276 sqft
= $56.48/sqft

255 Washington (Bronwyn)
land value: $969,900
lot size: 13,500 sqft
=$71.84/sqft

304 Somerville (Liberty Cannabis)
land value: $604,000
lot size: 6,100 sqft
= $99/sqft

460 Somerville (Extra Storage)
land value: 1,755,200
lot size: 57,433
= $31/sqft

519 Somerville (Dunkin)
land value: $972,300
lot size: 13,512 sqft
= $72/sqft

519 Somerville (Naveo)
land value: 702,100
lot size: 15,264 sqft
= $46/sqft

11 Stone (parking lot behind Barristers Hall)
Land value: $240,000
lot size: 5,118 sqft
= $47/sqft

11 Bow St (Bloc 11)
land value: $607,700
lot size: 6,200 sqft
= $98/sqft

Residential Properties $$/SQFT
5 Park Pl (single family)
land value: $450,300
lot size: 2,178 sqft
=$206.75/sqft

15 Loring (single family)
land value: $494,800
lot size: 2803 sqft
=$176/sqft

269 Washington (2 family)
land value: $475,600
lot size: 3,920 sqft
=$121.33/sqft

24 Central (3 family)
land value: 646,900
lot size: 6435 sqft
= $101/sqft

15 Laurel (6 family bldg)
land value: $650,800
lot size: 3626 sqft
= $179/sqft
 
Dr. Rosen Rosen said:
Anyone have a good sense of how land is valued is Somerville?

I ask mostly out of curiosity, but also I’m perplexed as to why, on a per sqft basis, commercial property land value is 2-3x lower than residential land values. See my examples below, a mostly random sample of properties around Union Square. I see no consistency or pattern across use, size, or location, other than that residential land is almost always higher per sqft.

I posed this question to JT Scott, the Ward 2 council member, and even he was stumped. He was going to reach out to the assessor’s office.

Commercial Properties $$/SQFT
2 Union Sq (Urban Axes)
land value: $1,061,400
lot size: 15,681 sqft
= $67.89/sqft

45 Union Sq (Reliable Mkt)
land value: $648,300
lot size: 6970 sqft
= $93.01/sqft

35 Prospect (CrossFit gym)
land value: $467,400
lot size: 8276 sqft
= $56.48/sqft

255 Washington (Bronwyn)
land value: $969,900
lot size: 13,500 sqft
=$71.84/sqft

304 Somerville (Liberty Cannabis)
land value: $604,000
lot size: 6,100 sqft
= $99/sqft

460 Somerville (Extra Storage)
land value: 1,755,200
lot size: 57,433
= $31/sqft

519 Somerville (Dunkin)
land value: $972,300
lot size: 13,512 sqft
= $72/sqft

519 Somerville (Naveo)
land value: 702,100
lot size: 15,264 sqft
= $46/sqft

11 Stone (parking lot behind Barristers Hall)
Land value: $240,000
lot size: 5,118 sqft
= $47/sqft

11 Bow St (Bloc 11)
land value: $607,700
lot size: 6,200 sqft
= $98/sqft

Residential Properties $$/SQFT
5 Park Pl (single family)
land value: $450,300
lot size: 2,178 sqft
=$206.75/sqft

15 Loring (single family)
land value: $494,800
lot size: 2803 sqft
=$176/sqft

269 Washington (2 family)
land value: $475,600
lot size: 3,920 sqft
=$121.33/sqft

24 Central (3 family)
land value: 646,900
lot size: 6435 sqft
= $101/sqft

15 Laurel (6 family bldg)
land value: $650,800
lot size: 3626 sqft
= $179/sqft
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weird, thanks for investigating! let us know what you find.
 
This is a guess so take it as such: For residential properties, people want their value high for financial reasons, and the city delivers, usually appraising properties at whatever the purchase price was regardless of the actual state of the property. (I bought a while back and remember being really nervous waiting for the approval to come in, and being relieved they just used my purchase price). Maybe commercial properties don't have the same sort of political effect putting it's thumb on the scale?
 
Back on track with the steel at Bow St Passive House condos. Anyone know why they took the steel down a couple months back??

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