Memo by Somerville planners cuts lab use in half, ending building once proposed for Porter Square
A rendering of a lab building once proposed for Porter Square at 32-44 White St., Somerville.
A proposal for a four-story building in Porter Square is dead after a planning memo limited how much square footage could be used for its intended purpose: lab space. The developer withdrew the project from consideration before the Thursday meeting of Somerville’s Planning Board.
“While research and development or laboratory uses are permitted by right” in that district, “intensive R&D or laboratory uses were not intended to be the primary uses in commercial buildings,” according to a staff memo dated July 13. The memo suggested that a special permit for roof-mounted mechanical equipment be denied and that the percentage of gross floor area for R&D or labs be “less than 50 percent” forever.
As a result, SGL Development, based in Cambridgeport, found its plan unworkable.
The site at 32-44 White St., abutting the Cambridge border and across from the Porter Square Shopping Center, would have merged separately owned lots into one for construction of a 42,000-square-foot lab building. The site design passed review by the Urban Design Commission, and the Historic Preservation Commission has no objections to demolishing the old buildings – but that’s about where the stamps of approval ended.
“I don’t know what’s next” for the site, but it’s unlikely to include SGL, said the firm’s principal, Adam Siegel, on Monday. “It’ll probably sit vacant for a while. We notified the sellers we were no longer proceeding, and we’re not interested in proceeding with another project.”
The lab building would have replaced Fleming Printing at 40 White St., a squat, cinder block building holding a business identified as permanently closed, and the single-family homes on either side of it: 32 White St., built in 1844 and last sold in 2007 for $450,000; and 44 White St., a rustically wood-walled home built in 1900. (The last exchange of the property recorded by Somerville assessors was for $1 in 2006.)
Thats too bad. Very shortsighted.
Actually, this is a great win for sanity and sensible, truly far-sighted planning. (We have more than enough big lab space in Cambridge and Somerville, do we not? Oh, we need more??) This location would be ideal for housing, with ground floor retail, but none of the people and phoney politicians yapping constantly about “the housing crisis” uttered one peep about this – or any other – alternative during the entire process. (Ho-hum. What else is new…) I commend the planning staff in Somerville for their wisdom and maturity regarding this execrable project. Bravo! I’ve worked to publicize this proposal since I first learned of the plans last August from a woman living in her family home around the corner on Elm Street, in Somerville. When have planning staff in Cambridge *ever* had the wit or courage to do something this smart about a Lab building in Cambridge? Let’s see if Cambridge and Somerville can now work together for something a lot better! James Williamson – Candidate for Cambridge City Council
A 4-story lab building in this location is a disappointing outcome, because what this area deserves is much more than that.
Porter Square, with direct access to the Red Line and commuter rail, has every possibility of becoming a genuine locus of high-density transit-oriented development. What North Station did to transform a parking lot in front of the Garden, we could do with Porter Square Shopping Center — transforming an antiquated shopping center into a hub of housing, hotel, and commercial activity, replacing a parking lot literally on top of some of the best transit connectivity in the area with something that could become a destination for more than a grocery store-anchored strip mall.
Unfortunately, neither Cambridge nor Somerville have put any effort into making that happen. (The unfortunate placement of the town line here makes the effort even more difficult than usual as a matter of planning.) The 4 story lab use proposed on this site isn’t in line with what a bold vision for the future of Porter Square looked like… but neither is a single story print shop.
Somerville and Cambridge should look long and hard into the incentives that they’ve created in this space.
Neither Somerville’s MR4 zoning on White Street nor Cambridge’s BC zoning (limiting development to 2.0 FAR and 55′) align with what a vision for what Porter Square has the opportunity to be, and given this outcome, Somerville and Cambridge planning officials should really work together to put forward reforms to incentivize a plan that they want to say yes to.
(Of course, that’s probably almost entirely a pipe dream on my part, but hey, you’ve got to have dreams, right?)
Chris you’re going to have to remind me; what “bold vision” are you talking about?
“…the best transit connectivity in the area…” Yikes! Really?? “Connecting” to what, exactly…? “Go slow” orders on a collapsing Red Line, and reductions in service twice in just over a year on the 77 Bus Route to Arlington? Wondering if Chris Schmidt – who was reportedly a major figure with the group in Cambridge I like to call, “A Bigger Cambridge (ABC)” – before he recently moved to Somerville – ever actually takes the T. If you do, Chris, could you please tell us which lines and routes you take and how often? No point in arguing with somebody who may well not have even the slightest idea what he’s talking about.[Just another day at the MBTA… https://www.nbcboston.com/news/local/major-delays-on-mbta-red-line-over-fire-department-activity/3097861/ ]
James Williamson Candidate for City Council
p.s. What, by the way, is ABC’s “plan” for fixing the T??