Dec 2019: Notes from 12.17.19 Winter Hill Meeting

We had about forty-five people brave the terrible winter weather and join us at the Healey School on December 17th at 7pm for a discussion about the Star Market site, including Ward 4 Councilor Jesse Clingan, Ward 4 Councilor Mark Niedergang, Ward 4 School Committee Member Andre Green, and Representative Christine Barber. Staff initially planned on an open-house style meeting, but attendees decided a presentation would be more effective in the moment. Following are the topics we covered.

First, City staff reviewed urban renewal as a method for taking the vacant, blighted Star Market site and redeveloping the property (the history of this conversation is covered here).

Some of the key takeaways (full handout can be downloaded here):

An urban renewal plan is a tool that can help us implement the Winter Hill Neighborhood Plan. It gives the Somerville Redevelopment Authority the power to take blighted property and turn it into something that better fits community needs.
Urban renewal plans are not just about taking property: an urban renewal plan can also encourage property owners to improve their properties and identify other strategies for implementing the Winter Hill Neighborhood Plan.
Any business or household displaced through the taking of property through an urban renewal plan must have their relocation expenses paid for. Any property owner whose property is taken receives a legally-defined fair market value for that property.
An urban renewal plan must be approved by the Somerville Redevelopment Authority, the Somerville Planning Board, the Somerville City Council, and the State’s Department of Housing and Community Development.

An urban renewal plan can include many properties, although the Somerville Redevelopment Authority may not exercise its right to take by eminent domain all of the properties in an urban renewal plan. However, it is a lot of work to add a new property onto an existing urban renewal plan, so staff shared some of the opportunity properties identified in the Neighborhood Plan to gather feedback about which properties might be worth including in the plan. See the posters we created about each site here.

Star Market - This site includes not only the Star Market, but the existing Walgreens, and the two buildings at the corner of Broadway and Temple. The Neighborhood Plan conceptualizes a mixed-use development with housing and commercial space and a half-acre of publicly-accessible open space. (Poster of the site project here.)
Whitcomb Block - This site includes the CareWell Urgent Care, the vacant Walgreens, and the Winter Hill Bank Loan Center. The Neighborhood Plan conceptualizes a mixed-use development with housing and commercial space and a pedestrian walkway through the site to Langmaid Ave.
Brewery Block - This site includes Citizen Bank at Broadway and School Street through Shivalic at Broadway and Marshall St. However, the priority in the Neighborhood Plan is extending Bradford Ave to improve pedestrian circulation in the area and create additional green space and possibly enough space to build two new houses. There is also an opportunity to redevelop the Citizen Bank site and the single-story building, but the Neighborhood Plan suggests leaving the post office building, Winter Hill Brewery building, and multifamily residential building as-is.
Foss Pavement - This is an unusual candidate for inclusion because the City already owns the land in question. Currently, there is a thin strip of green space and pull-in parking alongside Foss on the Broadway side. The Neighborhood Plan envisions revisiting this space to increase the overall green space, add amenities to the park like splash pads and playgrounds, and potentially create a single-story building that could sell food for park users. Putting this site in our plan would help prioritize this effort, but the planning for how to use the site will be conducted as part of the Foss Park planning effort.

We had a lively discussion with participants about the different community priorities (affordable housing, the need for a pharmacy in the neighborhood, affordable commercial space, and preservation of businesses that support the community were some mentioned), and the pros and cons of urban renewal in the neighborhood.

Winter Hill Meeting Votes

We asked participants to vote with dots to indicate their interest in pursuing an urban renewal plan and in which sites should be included. Not everyone present voted, but 88% of those who did supported an urban renewal plan. Star Market, Whitcomb Block, and Foss Pavement were the sites people wanted included. The Brewery Block had more of a split vote, with 54% preferring it not be included.

Finally, participants listed some general comments, ideas, and concerns for staff to keep in mind. Staff has attempted to edit these for clarity, but the original notes are here:

If we are to use eminent domain, I feel that what we build should serve the community with affordable housing, community centers, outdoor civic space and affordable commercial.
We should create a Bow Market type of space for businesses to go while displaced by construction.
Condos are cancerous for this city. Please remember ALL Somerville residents.
Star Market owner parcels only - do not use eminent domain on the two parcels in the Star Market site that have different owners.
Create mixed-income public housing like Clarendon.
I would like to see the bottom floor for civic or non-profit use
Affordable housing and green space
Affordable and accessible housing
Somerville Community Land Trust should put housing on these sites.
What's going on with Circuit City?
Build as much housing as possible
Can formula businesses subsidize arts and community space or affordable commercial for non-profits? Can that be worked in as a contingency for granting a special permit?
Stay focused. You will get most support for star Market. Done is better than perfect.

For those who were unable to attend the meeting, there are plenty of ways to share your input through January. Visit the SomerVoice project page to learn more. This meeting is just the beginning of several weeks of outreach to gather more feedback.