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Committee refers Eversource grant-of-location for Warwick Street conduit to full council after abutter concerns
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Summary
The Licenses and Permits Committee voted 3–0 to send Eversource’s grant-of-location request to the full City Council without a committee recommendation after discussion about existing pole equipment and abutter requests to tidy up visible risers; Eversource said two risers are needed for primary and standby transformer service and the conduit will be run underground for about 38 feet to 16 Warwick St.
The Somerville Licenses and Permits Committee voted to refer Eversource’s grant-of-location request for underground conduit on Warwick Street to the full City Council without a committee recommendation, after council members raised concerns about visible equipment on the pole and asked staff to follow up with the abutter.
Chair Ward 7 City Councilor Emily Hart introduced item ID 25-1754. Hannah Cooper, appearing for Eversource, said the company seeks authority to install about 38 feet of conduit from utility pole 35703 to a pickup at 16 Warwick Street and that the conduit will be run underground. Cooper told the committee Eversource owns two risers on the pole — one for the transformer—s primary feed and a spare for redundancy — and said both risers must remain available; a third riser on the pole is owned by another company.
Councilor Davis relayed constituent concerns about the pole—s cluttered appearance and asked whether the committee could condition approval on tidying up any abandoned or out-of-service lines. Clerk Poteer and other members noted the committee can reasonably require worksite cleanup for permitted work that the applicant controls but cannot compel action on lines owned by other utilities; Clerk Poteer also cautioned that any material change to the approved plans would require resubmission and engineering review. Councilor Wheeler suggested staff follow up with the abutter to explain the scope of the work before the council acts.
To preserve flexibility while staff sought further clarification, Councilor Davis moved to send the item to the full City Council without a committee recommendation. The committee approved the referral by roll call (Davis: yes; Wheeler: yes; Hart: yes). The committee also noted there is no immediate time pressure for the work: Cooper said the conduit installation was intended to serve an accessory dwelling unit and is likely to take place in the spring when conditions permit.
The referral places the request on the full City Council—s agenda so the council can consider any conditions or take final action after staff reaches out to the abutter and engineering staff.
