Somerville council committee clears updated TIF agreement for 299 Broadway; park easements revised

The Somerville Finance Committee on Tuesday recommended approval of a final Urban Center Housing Tax Increment Financing (UCHIF) agreement for the 299 Broadway redevelopment, and discussed associated public‑space easements and a landscape management plan for Sewell Park and an adjacent pocket park.

The committee voted to recommend approval of the UCHIF agreement after city staff and the developer told members the updated pro forma shows the project still needs the full tax increment exemption to achieve a feasible return. Senior planner Ben Demers said the redevelopment would replace a long‑vacant Star Market site and create 319 units, 136 of which will be deed‑restricted affordable, along with retail space and two public civic spaces. Demers said the developer expects financial closing in September and that the city will record the agreement with the Middlesex South registry of deeds.

The UCHIF program — administered by the state’s Housing and Livable Communities (HLC) office — lets municipalities exempt all or part of the increase in property tax value (the increment) for up to 20 years to support housing production. Demers said the city engaged an independent real‑estate consultant who reviewed updated project financials and recommended locking in the exemption percentage and term now that the project is nearer permits and closing.

Committee members pressed the developer and city staff for detail on related public‑space agreements. Attorney Kathy Lester Selkirk summarized two easements and a single landscape maintenance and management plan that will govern Sewell Park, a pedestrian “muse” connection, and a Broadway pocket park. The agreements grant public access (24/7 for the pedestrian muse, and park‑hours access for the Broadway plaza under the draft language), assign maintenance responsibilities to the property owner until conveyance to the city, and require city approval for changes to civic‑space elements.

Councilor Scott raised concerns about hostile or anti‑homeless design elements in fixed furnishings and asked whether the easement or the landscape plan prohibits such features. Attorney Brett McDonald and project manager Scott Lombardi said the project will seek PSF (parks/streets/fields) approval for detailed landscape and furnishing plans under a Zoning Board of Appeals condition that requires PSF signoff. Lombardi said the development team intends to follow city ordinances for park hours and would accept language to that effect.

After city legal and project representatives agreed to a quick turnaround to change the easement language to conform park hours to city ordinance rather than a sunset cutoff, the administration requested that the two later agenda items covering Sewell Park and the pocket park be withdrawn and refiled with the revised language for the committee’s supplemental agenda. Legislative liaison Kimberly Hutter confirmed the administration would withdraw and refile the items for Thursday’s supplemental agenda so the committee could consider the revised documents.

The committee laid the UCHIF and related items on the table for a single roll‑call recommendation at the end of the meeting; the committee later voted to recommend approval of item 25‑1160 (the UCHIF) along with other items on the table.

The developer and city staff repeatedly emphasized that final park construction documents, including plantings, furniture, bike facilities, trash receptacles and other details, must receive PSF approval before installation. Attorney McDonald pointed to condition 83 of the project’s comprehensive permit, which requires PSF approval of 100% landscape and construction plans.

What’s next: the administration will submit revised easement and landscape plan language to conform park hours to city ordinances; those revised items are expected as supplemental agenda materials for the committee’s upcoming meeting.