[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6572631,"mediaKeyId","3179493-49823478192d5724c9c600456cc4b8b3","parentId",3179493,"title","Committee reviews package of Arts, R&D and Arts & Innovation overlay amendments for Summer Nova site; Union Square council in CBA talks","audioSeconds",7148,"startMs",282000,"endMs",7430000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3179493-49823478192d5724c9c600456cc4b8b3&start=282&end=7430","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3179493-49823478192d5724c9c600456cc4b8b3/thumbnail_282000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6572631/Somerville-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Committee-reviews-package-of-Arts-RD-and-Arts-Innovation-overlay-amendments-for-Summer-Nova-site-Union-Square-council-in-CBA-talks","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6572631-a9d5e3dfa257633670f6ec501aa6eabd/orig.mp4?Expires=1776500997&Signature=SOVgbU82Gz~XHnputtnjasHRym-gpS4CgZ4k4z7f4a7uUgvOcVLAOclXp5hswbaveqerpkkfshCW-u09lmI634hfNR5NYfXl3I6IHtBgaqOQYhqIMa9DwfMraw~wWDcttyzA2LP98h59YJi4OdEB6DASptMK~9sS9Yxa0Rkfln1OTIyWYop6ktL410vGrbj8dVG7Y579bT1BB0dg3xHUafyTAk0gVmnGYmGPkzGNDBAn620Z7lZQvf0xsI8I9rVJQ2upd0BEGNXooxV2UAl2SU7c~KhPvym22OSW68zaB6Fzq6Ce4CEqHlMLToxCNJaeTOLRm32mBNJF7Yjc0A8ajA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Somerville City, MA","date","2025-05-02T06:58:00Z","article","Planning staff reviewed four linked zoning amendments on May 1 that would reshape rules for arts and creative enterprise (ACE) uses, research & development and laboratory uses (R&D), and create an Arts & Innovation (AI) sub‑area MPD overlay to govern redevelopment of the Summer Nova campus.

Dan Bartman, the department representative, summarized the package: edits to ACE would reclassify artist studio, creative studio and certain shared workspaces into a new \"artist studio and creative incubator\" category; artisanal production and arts exhibition uses would be amended to allow retail sales and customary food and beverage (including bakeries); business incubator and coworking uses would be moved into an office category; lab uses would be split into scientific R&D (including biomedical technology), medical/diagnostic labs, and testing/materials labs; and the laboratory building type would be removed from the code and regulated instead as a land use within a commercial building form. Bartman said the proposed Research and Development District would remap part of the Fabrication District (including the Summer Nova complex and buildings occupied by Greentown Labs) so those R&D uses remain permitted without undermining prior investments.

Bartman described two substantive revisions to the R&D proposal received during neighborhood negotiations: lowering the proposed maximum commercial building height from 78 feet to 60 feet to align with the Fabrication District, and language limiting rooftop mechanical screening so rooftop equipment is not fully enclosed unless necessary for weather protection or sound attenuation.

The committee recorded motions to replace the initial drafts with corrected/updated working documents for each of the four items (items 4–7). Each replacement motion was approved by roll call (see actions). After the working documents were replaced, the committee held a lengthy public discussion focused on the Summer Nova site: a representative of the Union Square Neighborhood Council said an agreement in principle on a community benefits agreement (CBA) with Raffi Properties has been reached and will go to a membership vote that requires a two‑thirds majority.

Traffic, parking and mobility management were central to the public and council exchange. Bartman and mobility staff outlined the AI overlay's proposed parking and mobility rules: the sub‑area would cap total motor‑vehicle parking at 750 spaces; planning‑board review would rely on a parking‑demand model to allocate parking across phases; and the master‑plan process would allow the planning board to attach conditions to mitigate on‑ and off‑site vehicle impacts. Mobility management requirements proposed for the district include required mobility plans for master plans, large buildings and large employers; monthly reporting of commercial parking facility utilization; monthly pickup/drop‑off and delivery reporting; quarterly travel‑behavior surveys of residents and employees; and escalating mitigation measures if mode‑share targets are not met. Bartman said the code establishes an initial automobile mode‑share target of 40% or less for a first building (with a 25% target after two years) and a 25% or less mode‑share goal from the outset for other blocks in the sub‑area.

Brad Rossen, the city mobility director, described the approach as \"creative\" and said standard traffic and multimodal analyses would be required during later permitting: baseline counts, background growth assumptions, and project‑trip modeling would be required for a master plan application and for subsequent site plans. Bartman said the master‑plan special permit is discretionary and that the planning board could deny the permit or condition successive phases if cumulative impacts require mitigation; that discretion was cited repeatedly by councilors as a key enforcement tool if mobilty or other impacts prove worse than projected.

Committee members raised questions about civic/open space, building massing and floorplate constraints, the feasibility of delivering promised community uses (for example, an expanded community center), and whether the city has sufficient infrastructure capacity. Staff responded that they had asked engineering to check sewer and water capacity and that, for now, engineering had not flagged capacity constraints for the scale proposed.

Why it matters: the amendments together would change where arts, incubators, labs, and commercial‑R&D uses are permitted in Somerville and would establish a regulatory framework for the long‑discussed redevelopment of the Summer Nova campus. The package proposes new tools — strict mobility reporting and a capped parking bank — intended to limit car trips associated with a high‑capacity redevelopment adjacent to rail and transit corridors.

Outcome: the committee voted to replace the four amendment drafts with corrected/updated working documents (roll calls recorded). The committee then left the package in committee for further review and for neighborhood votes on the community benefits agreement (the Union Square Neighborhood Council expected its membership vote in late May). The committee chair said the items will return for further discussion; no zoning text was adopted at this meeting.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Somerville City, MA - Land Use - 2025-05-01 - May 02, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Planning staff presented four interrelated zoning amendments (Arts & Creative Enterprise, research & development/laboratory uses, and an Arts & Innovation overlay) aimed at regulating redevelopment of the Summer Nova campus; working drafts were replaced with corrected documents and the package remained in committee for further review.","taxTitle","Somerville City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts","taxId",4564,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6572636,"Land use committee backs rezoning of Medford Street parcels for 100% affordable housing",118,167000,285000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3179493-49823478192d5724c9c600456cc4b8b3&start=167&end=285","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3179493-49823478192d5724c9c600456cc4b8b3/thumbnail_167000.jpg","/articles/6572636/Somerville-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Land-use-committee-backs-rezoning-of-Medford-Street-parcels-for-100-affordable-housing","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6572636-9e78449d6943819cf814a548c22f110f/orig.mp4?Expires=1776500997&Signature=cOjK~QjoZHD2bx86htRJflGzXhVXjyvuwqJkocHFLth1C~N5Vd7KP-bg0F5K9Gc6aHbRXmjfOkSl7ilD4kNFKg2BY2e9u4Nznv03UA-neYTb-3JchW6ZQQSkBeIKmlIaGxIySVPSY8lJW5~Bnd5Hjbtgt1LdwE4-ZOtEYOdaE2Bz5avOCJtkWAwxgAtb8SjrAYoesF-AYDWE7mGtlCfvDYaKkFOJmFbOUC4ff8VhTg9AjmsA4kKlpC3Zh2HunA0rUcmJFLCBorFBZ7Dx08jdeJ~OyYrtLCBcr3r2-MqgEWlmHFiIYYhWz-lriqha4kVFAqmh79oL9nXY0SLWl-1zxw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Land Use Committee recommended approval on May 1 of a zoning map amendment to change the zoning for 295–297 Medford Street and 93 Walnut Street from Mid‑Rise 3 to Mid‑Rise 4 to accommodate a proposed affordable housing project.

A committee member announced a recusal on the item and left the meeting, citing a volunteer position with the Somerville Community Land Trust and noting the trust is a party to a proposed project on the site. The clerk then read the petition (Item 9, 25‑0269) and the committee received no substantive public debate before a motion to approve was made.

Committee discussion was brief. A committee member described the site as \"literally a hole in the ground\" and said they were \"elated to know that this is gonna be a 100% affordable housing development, by public transit.\" That member moved to approve the amendment; Councilor Wilson was recorded as the mover. The roll call recorded three votes in favor and no recorded oppositions; the motion was recommended to be approved and will proceed to the full council for final action.

Why it matters: the change would raise the allowed density at a transit‑served site and — according to testimony on the record — enable an all‑affordable housing proposal on a parcel that advocates said has been stalled for years. The committee recorded a formal recusal and limited discussion, so remaining approvals required before construction are expected to include planning‑board level and permitting steps for any development that follows adoption of the zoning change.

What happens next: as with other zoning map amendments, the committee recommendation will be forwarded to the full Somerville City Council for a final vote. If the council adopts the rezoning, subsequent permitting and any master‑plan or site‑plan approvals required for a multi‑building development would follow.","The Somerville City Land Use Committee voted to recommend rezoning two Medford Street parcels and one Walnut Street parcel to a denser mid-rise category to allow a proposed 100% affordable housing project; a councilor recused themself from discussion because of a role with the Somerville Community Land Trust.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6572622,"Planning staff reports 2,100+ net new units since 2019 zoning update; Central Broadway zoning study proposes MR‑6 and intermunicipal coordination",1532,7778000,9310000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3179493-49823478192d5724c9c600456cc4b8b3&start=7778&end=9310","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3179493-49823478192d5724c9c600456cc4b8b3/thumbnail_7778000.jpg","/articles/6572622/Somerville-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Planning-staff-reports-2100-net-new-units-since-2019-zoning-update-Central-Broadway-zoning-study-proposes-MR6-and-intermunicipal-coordination","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6572622-028d76ba01a3806808e54775d4ef54aa/orig.mp4?Expires=1776500997&Signature=hGuzlewyiTHtG~0Kq~kheeEkaQT8AzIR3B9SIttinGxueNlALwb23SAgjmQvMLd7JDlAKado~Adl0GaLZQGefd5jTg-47GsYs6jAJ0KpRaGltUr3P37cg3vcccDOryVRNjz9McCyccqyvnwfSuddEakAreJ1~c9vSDjWLfrYW19wILXfljAp~bb~ycgdQBv8KLVkhzKrLCAc6QAL5xIVXvN6dczwdQ5xb44CqVSVUiCEdsxjVmFSGul8zo3je5ZnavUySKKUa1EOkW8Mui0qBrDFHpWUApk81T8qkReZwsF1SFBQ58Qf8V8ws0KbYpuJph~qTC09Ehb31gjfxXkY-w__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Somerville planning staff provided an update on transit‑oriented development (TOD) and post‑2019 permit activity at the May 1 Land Use Committee meeting and presented a separate Central Broadway corridor zoning study that recommends coordinated upzoning and regulatory fixes for parcels split between Somerville and Medford.

Samantha Carr, legislative analyst, summarized permit data since the 2019 comprehensive zoning update: the city recorded a peak volume of permits in 2021 and staff counted \"the total coming to slightly over 2,100 units since December 2019.\" Most permitting activity by count has taken place in the Neighborhood Residential (NR) district (about 83% of permits), with smaller percentages in Urban Residential (UR) and Mid‑Rise districts. Carr cautioned the committee that the permits dataset includes many categories (repairs, renovations and new building permits) and that the raw permit count does not map one‑to‑one to net new units without additional processing; staff offered to provide a district‑level breakdown of net new units for the committee at a future meeting.

Separately, city staff and consultants presented the Central Broadway Corridor Zoning Study. The study examined 30–36 parcels along Broadway (the north side) and recommended harmonizing Somerville and Medford zoning where parcels straddle the municipal boundary, adjusting pedestrian‑street frontage requirements to reduce the likelihood of vacant ground‑floor storefronts, and testing targeted increases in permitted height and density. The study's preferred Somerville recommendation is to upzone key parcels to Mid‑Rise 6 with reduced pedestrian‑streets frontage; it also recommends joint pre‑submittal and neighborhood meetings and a memorandum of understanding with Medford to coordinate permitting. The study includes massing diagrams and visualizations at 4 and 6 stories to help illustrate outcomes for different choices.

Why it matters: the presentation provides the committee with baseline permit and unit data after the 2019 zoning reform and a corridor study that offers a template for harmonized, transit‑oriented upzoning that the committee can use in future agenda items and map amendments.

What staff will do next: Carr offered to produce a district‑level unit‑by‑unit breakdown and the study team said it will continue outreach; staff also offered to convene additional public meetings to present study results to residents.","Planning presented permit and unit data since Somerville's 2019 zoning reform and a Central Broadway corridor zoning study recommending targeted upzoning, coordinated permitting with Medford and updated pedestrian‑street guidance; staff offered to provide more granular unit counts by district on request.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6572627,"Committee discharges Horace Ward rezoning request to full council with no recommendation",217,7440000,7657000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3179493-49823478192d5724c9c600456cc4b8b3&start=7440&end=7657","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3179493-49823478192d5724c9c600456cc4b8b3/thumbnail_7440000.jpg","/articles/6572627/Somerville-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Committee-discharges-Horace-Ward-rezoning-request-to-full-council-with-no-recommendation","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6572627-0d1802d9b78b02724586f19e1cdfa154/orig.mp4?Expires=1776500997&Signature=JedlskqcI1M3YF~TQzK24rqTQJ~W-3nX7sXxQR5qZVHdQJu00YC4Sj3MFFeHxs8ES9Uh2eoxCIHD9u3GBtt0Bt3~I7BDmFaAl-NTJY4jCs1zJeTp24QXUpIQPkOpOeVbZ2ttkuJm9jdL3K4y4uA12fAgz2rCvn~JNdvKyA7nUxNaQMcnWfO~oVpMm9w-8bs6mrzacsC6qXY5z9K4QitAyN8atpA3vu~1OIWcyu7UnuxPBN8UWmeq1gq-wWH0d~T16OAZQedXWmJCh-9bLVXc~2vb6s4erhXIWa5PVpVDpBiOOmfBAANQs-CQfw~EWH7HL~hJ3PqeiuUMjnP3LJC2BQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The committee voted on May 1 to discharge a zoning petition affecting properties at 11 Horace Street, 5–7/9–13/15 Moore Street, and 15 and 21 South Street — a request to rezone those parcels from Mid‑Rise 4 to Mid‑Rise 6 — and to send the item to the full City Council with no committee recommendation.

Committee members said they had not received a substantive recommendation from the ward councilor and that neighborhood negotiations between abutters, the ward counselor and the proponents were ongoing. The petitioner representatives presented a concept showing the largest potential commercial building the zoning could allow; councilors flagged concerns about potential speculative zoning value if a rezoning were adopted and the property was later sold.

The committee approved a motion to discharge the petition with no recommendation by roll call (Item ID 204‑1584). The recorded roll call showed four councilors in favor; the item will be placed on the agenda of the next full council meeting so the ward counselor and neighborhood can present their positions to the full body.

Why it matters: approval of a zoning map amendment from MR‑4 to MR‑6 would raise maximum permitted building scale and likely increase land value and development potential. Committee members said that neighborhood negotiation is ongoing; committee action to discharge allows the full council to consider the petition sooner while leaving opportunity for additional public input.","The Land Use Committee voted to discharge a petition to rezone multiple Horace Street and Moore Street parcels from Mid‑Rise 4 to Mid‑Rise 6 and sent the petition to the full City Council without a committee recommendation; the ward councilor and neighborhood are still negotiating with proponents.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Committee reviews package of Arts, R&D and Arts & Innovation overlay amendments for Summer Nova site; Union Square council in CBA talks

Land use committee backs rezoning of Medford Street parcels for 100% affordable housing

Planning staff reports 2,100+ net new units since 2019 zoning update; Central Broadway zoning study proposes MR‑6 and intermunicipal coordination

Committee discharges Horace Ward rezoning request to full council with no recommendation