The results of months of negotiations by a Somerville neighborhood group and the developer of the Somernova business complex will be presented Wednesday, but a third group is already aiming to complicate the meeting and ensure other concerns are heard.
A group of neighbors on Sunday issued a “call to action for our neighbors to speak out against Rafi Properties’ drastic changes” at the Wednesday meeting where expected community benefits will be presented. The group includes state Sen. Pat Jehlen, whose district includes Somerville and Medford and parts of Cambridge and Winchester.
“We as close neighbors and direct abutters need to make our voices hear to both USNC and Rafi Properties at this critical step in the negotiating process,” the neighbors say.
The project, in Ward 2 along Somerville Avenue between Porter and Union squares, is a scaled-back plan, now for 1.6 million square feet instead of the original proposed 1.9 million square feet and adding 100 homes – 20 of them affordable – as well as dedicated arts and music space while subtracting some car parking and building height. The original plan had no housing.
While big developments are expected to arrive with public benefits meant to make up for social, environmental or economic impacts – jobs and community spaces are common concessions – community benefits are legally binding agreements that stand apart by being specifically for the immediately affected area, not the whole city. Somernova owners Rafi Properties and the Union Square Neighborhood Council have been meeting since July and held two summits in March to get feedback. In addition, “hundreds of community conversations and listening sessions have informed the the council’s and Rafi Properties’ discussions,” the two groups said in a Friday email.
They will present a progress update on their work toward a “consensus around community benefits that best represent the community’s vision for their neighborhood and can be implemented through the future campus expansion,” the groups said.
The community feedback was “invaluable in shaping the CBA negotiations,” said Kristin Phelan, vice president of real estate development for Rafi Properties. Emily Doran, a member of the Union Square Neighborhood Council negotiating team, said that during the Wednesday presentation, “we look forward to the opportunity to hear from participants.”
The question is whether there is a package of community benefits that will win over Jehlen and fellow neighbors, easing the way for a Union Square Neighborhood Council vote and separate City Council vote on zoning.
Jehlen and others in the group – there were nine additional signers – say they worry over proposed building heights exceeding 200 feet, when current zoning is for 60 feet plus a floor of mechanicals such as air conditioning and heating; and the addition of 4,000 workers filling “tough tech” lab buildings in an area they call “underserved by public transportation.”
The city’s Urban Design Commission, meanwhile, said after an Aug. 25 meeting that its members worried that Somernova changes “will set an increased-density precedent for surrounding properties along this entire corridor” and that plans lack adequate open space while putting surrounding areas in shadow.
The group writing Sunday indicated agreement with the commission: “We are in full support of the creation of a community center and expanding artist space, but we do not believe that we need to concede such scale to Rafi Properties,” said Jehlen and co-signers Emily Bailleur, Cameron Fischer, Paula Garbarino, David Guss, Michael Raskin, Jess Spear, Michael Steele, Camille Stubbe and Kate Wheeler.
- The Union Square Neighborhood Council and Rafi Properties announce details for a community benefits agreement from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Albert F. Argenziano School, 290 Washington St., Ward 2, Somerville, or via Zoom videoconferencing. Interpretation will be available in Haitian Creole, Portuguese and Spanish in-person and online.
This post was updated to correct that the groups are only working toward a consensus around the project.
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I support the Somernova project as a thoughtful step toward responsible urban development in Somerville. The revised plan adds 100 homes (20 affordable). It includes arts, community, and music spaces, addressing housing needs and fostering local culture.
The months of dialog and collaboration exemplify inclusive urban planning, aligning the project with community priorities.
Somernova has the potential to revitalize the area, creating opportunities for housing, jobs, and cultural growth. It will benefit the community at large.
Arguably, the development can be revitalizing without being so very large. But city planners are working on the zoning and what will be allowed. For now, as we learned at the meeting, there’s no specific design or plan to discuss, and the masses and sizes of buildings were off the table. USNC and the developer have agreed that housing is desirable. So there will be some. During the meeting, a Somernova representative said they need to see ‘what the development can offer’ before specifying housing.