90 Washington Street Redevelopment

Project Overview

90 Washington Street is owned by the City of Somerville's Redevelopment Authority (SRA). The City of Somerville supported the Somerville Redevelopment Authority’s eminent domain taking of 90 Washington Street in 2019 during the prior administration. The goal was to convert the derelict site that was home to a vacant commercial strip to a new civic site housing police headquarters, the Engine 3 fire station, and a new base for E911 Emergency Telecommunications services. But the acquisition cost skyrocketed after a legal battle.

The original cost paid for the land was $8.78 million, but a court ruling increased it to $35.3 million plus interest, bringing the total to approximately $39M. This significant increase was due to the jury determining the property's value based on its potential for high-value lab building development, rather than its value under existing zoning.

The City by way of the SRA is now facing a significant, unplanned financial cost. To cover the increased payment now owed the property owner, the City will issue a short-term bond and apply other funds on behalf of the SRA. The City will work closely with the City Council and the Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) to rezone the property and prepare the full property for sale.

Proceeds from the sale will be used to offset the payment owed for the property. Initial steps for sale have already begun and can be reviewed at voice.somervillema.gov/90washington_redevelopment.

The City will also be exploring interim needs and options for the Fire and Police Departments, including maintenance investments and appropriate upgrades to existing facilities in the shorter term, and exploration of new planning options for the long term.

90 Washington Street was home to the popular Cobble Hill Plaza shopping center, which occupied the site from 1982-2016. Closed for development into an apartment building by the former owner, the businesses in the Plaza were a vital amenity for local residents of the Washington Street corridor. Fortunately, 90 Washington Street is large enough (4 acres) to accommodate a substantial amount of new, transit-friendly mixed-use development with ground floor commercial space and upper story residential space, along with green spaces and civic areas.

The City will now prioritize the sale of the property for private development, focusing on mixed-use residential development with ground floor retail space–including both affordable and market rate units–that aligns with the community vision outlined by the 90 Washington Street Civic Advisory Committee. Staff will also explore the possibility of integrating Engine 3 into private development, an approach that faces hurdles but could follow the private-public model used to build Somerville’s new Assembly Row Fire Station, which is expected to open this spring.

Project Site

The 90 Washington Street site is a 4 acre site a stones throw from the East Somerville GLX station. Based on good urban design principles and PSB project requirements, the site has been subdivided into four areas: the new realignment of New Washington Street, the Washington Street Redevelopment Parcels (Parcels A & C), and the PSB project site, most likely to be on Parcel B. New Washington Street is proposed to be moved west to line up with Franklin Street, providing a safer intersection with Washington Street that can accommodate a traffic signal that can permit emergency vehicles to quickly access both roadways.