[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-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],{"_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",6555824,"mediaKeyId","3338951-e10929971558d421d17e0bbb4d8c8188","parentId",3338951,"title","Council committee recommends Somerville zoning map change for Summer Nova site; widespread concern about traffic and construction mitigation","audioSeconds",3264,"startMs",809000,"endMs",4073000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3338951-e10929971558d421d17e0bbb4d8c8188&start=809&end=4073","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3338951-e10929971558d421d17e0bbb4d8c8188/thumbnail_809000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6555824/Somerville-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Council-committee-recommends-Somerville-zoning-map-change-for-Summer-Nova-site-widespread-concern-about-traffic-and-construction-mitigation","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6555824-4292451e5f0335d49305354df08ecc5e/orig.mp4?Expires=1775418078&Signature=joanntNBMU8~4tWzE8~DGlKF6fwW8Nd9cUjSI1qKGHfYTn58FfAOGTiJ3Slnl84tf2pAAdzJiOoR7RyBAdp2L~hPv0IFcvYOYaVUuKbtk9UrIU7eHLmvYcqFmHj9ScPcx8FrSTpiPXE~q0Egh-SZ-EpDlnxdZRhkD0FcmVlpwOsNC7bz92NEI75RH9kdXJjppwQRaLCwCWQCPnHqtvtg4j1XSi-Kb096MHYsq3OfbDV583jLA4FSvugdoY5OOLW2ZNYYLBKcrV3-BvIOQYstPj7zBSPkJE6dBtqxhcbOYMHGsBJXJkWoKbwaoR4WVaF9lbx~ErxFhYYyoZd2jfU9kw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Somerville City, MA","date","2025-05-16T08:49:00Z","article","The Somerville City Council Land Use Committee recommended approval on a zoning map amendment for parcels at 11 Horace Street, 5–7, 9–13 and 15 Ward Street, and 15 and 21 South Street that would change the parcels’ zoning from Mid‑Rise 4 to Mid‑Rise 6 (agenda item 24‑1584). Councilor Ewen Kampen moved to recommend approval and the committee voted by roll call: Councilor Davis, Councilor Saeed, Councilor Wilson, Councilor Ewen Kampen and Councilor McLaughlin all voted yes; the motion was recorded “as recommended to be approved.”

Developers and city staff used a slide deck of massing visualizations to compare the current research‑and‑development (R&D) base zoning with the proposed Arts and Innovation (AI) overlay. Russ Preston, presenting for the applicant, walked committee members through multiple camera views showing “worst‑case” massing and penthouse conditions under both scenarios and described the AI overlay’s intent to create arcaded sidewalks, stepbacks on upper floors and a mix of building types including general/residential buildings and R&D buildings.

Committee members repeatedly raised transportation and construction concerns. Multiple councilors asked for clearer, data‑driven descriptions of how new employees, residents and deliveries would access the site without increasing neighborhood congestion. Preston said the proponent has “a massive mobility management component” and plans shuttle, bike and last‑mile measures and committed to sharing materials; he added the team will produce a master‑plan package and a Phase‑1 package with traffic analysis and mitigation when master planning commences after zoning.

City staff reiterated the usual regulatory steps. Director Rawson (planning staff) and Brian Postawait, the city’s director of engineering, described the city’s standard requirements: proponents must submit traffic impact studies, construction management plans and traffic management plans for staff review. Postawait said, “We do that due through 2 key plans. 1 is a construction management plan, and the second is a traffic management plan,” and explained the city’s review and monitoring practice, including periodic resubmission and weekly field monitoring for complicated projects.

Specific technical points discussed included: the AI overlay anticipates arcaded sidewalks that can provide a 12‑ to 14‑foot covered walking zone where necessary; columns are shown around 3 feet wide with an additional planting/multi‑use strip of roughly 3–5 feet, producing a curb‑to‑storefront public‑realm width of about 18–20 feet in some renderings; and a referenced upper‑floor height limit of about 200 feet on one block in the renderings. Councilors pressed for an explicit presentation on projected trip origins, shuttle routing, shuttle fleet and frequency, expected peak‑hour delays and where delivery/truck staging would occur. Several councilors requested a follow‑up meeting with mobility and engineering staff to review concrete mitigation measures prior to any final vote on overlay items.

Next steps: the committee asked staff and the applicant to provide additional detail on mobility, construction logistics and the community benefits agreement at an upcoming meeting; the zoning map amendment for the parcels (agenda item 24‑1584) was recommended for approval by the committee and will be carried forward per council procedures.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Somerville City, MA - Land Use - 2025-05-15 - May 16, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Land Use Committee voted to recommend approval of a zoning map amendment that would rezone several parcels on the Summer Nova campus from Mid‑Rise 4 to Mid‑Rise 6, following developer presentations comparing base R&D zoning and an Arts and Innovation overlay.","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},6555828,"Somerville committee hears plan to add canopy width to tree green-score rules; public hearing left open",652,96000,748000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3338951-e10929971558d421d17e0bbb4d8c8188&start=96&end=748","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3338951-e10929971558d421d17e0bbb4d8c8188/thumbnail_96000.jpg","/articles/6555828/Somerville-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Somerville-committee-hears-plan-to-add-canopy-width-to-tree-green-score-rules-public-hearing-left-open","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6555828-ae61c17cfdc01d8920c9522d48a07b69/orig.mp4?Expires=1775418078&Signature=baYC1nu~rGP3YxX-yopqMygTXaV98jJ3KnIrQA6SH~ifnYO3hfHwFR~0LhBml7ZsVmiKOa5eQgpw5mcISsWgIig8WOHaha-ZP9XnPAusz9w70-RBByiGCfudOeGR5AB5vsJwP8wBXRgzpic~gE9THWoljTBTPSN6pLh03sfI871jwV6pCoMXsaZa7oJuor0MNs0gIeWHwksbNMzIqbE5U55vXZuCUZrKgCNOGy0hX~-KtxwHfoe~3c5qbTimxrdah3Xf~reglJpVCOftcqJIM8pgJSbvgoMy55t-gKazTKRhlajOGp7EqVIM3UrsKPKdI2Qnl8VM2R00c664YON9LA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","A joint meeting of the Somerville City Council Land Use Committee and the Planning Board heard a staff presentation on a proposed amendment to Articles 2 and 10 of the city zoning ordinance that would change how the city’s “green score” counts trees for development projects. Vanessa Buhele, the city’s senior urban forestry and landscape planner, told the committee the change would add a width (canopy) measure so narrow, columnar trees are not counted as large trees when calculating green-score credits.

Buhele said the amendment keeps existing planting-size standards at planting (a tree must be at least 10 feet tall or 2 inches in caliper to count) but would change the definitions used by the green-score table. Under the proposal, a “small tree” would be a woody plant with an expected mature height of less than 30 feet or a mature width of less than 20 feet; a “large tree” would require an expected mature height of 30 feet or more and a mature width of 20 feet or more. The amendment would also add an explicit line for “columnar” (narrow) trees in the green-score table and assign them the same credit as small trees rather than large trees.

City staff said the width is intended to be measured as the canopy at maturity. Planning board member Lynn Richards asked that the code use the term “canopy” in the definition to reduce ambiguity; Buhele and staff agreed the canopy at maturity is the intended measurement. Staff also said they reviewed reliance on plain‑language definitions for “columnar” with the city’s legal team and enforcement staff and are not proposing to add a separate defined term at this time.

The planning board reported no public testimony at the joint hearing. The Land Use Committee opened the public hearing and then closed public testimony for that night; committee members agreed to keep the public hearing open through May 21 and to accept written comments at publiccomments@somervillema.gov. The planning board expects to make a recommendation to the committee when the boards reconvene. No final vote on the ordinance amendments was taken at the meeting.

Next steps: staff will incorporate clarifications discussed at the hearing (including explicit reference to canopy width) and the committee will consider the planning board’s recommendation and any written public comment before taking formal action.","City staff proposed amending Zoning Ordinance Articles 2 and 10 to add a canopy-width test so narrow columnar trees no longer qualify as large-tree green-score credits; planning board offered no public testimony and the council committee left the hearing open until May 21 for additional comment.","actionData","errors"]

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Council committee recommends Somerville zoning map change for Summer Nova site; widespread concern about traffic and construction mitigation

Somerville committee hears plan to add canopy width to tree green-score rules; public hearing left open