Task Force debates pros and cons of future establishment

By Jack Nicas 

The city has officially initiated the process of obtaining a hotel in Davis Square, Rob May, Somerville’s Strategic Planning and Community Development Director, said at the Davis Square Task Force meeting on Monday.

Monica Lamboy, Executive Director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, said two phases must take place before a developer can be selected. The first is a request for qualifications, which determines if the developer has the means to carry out such a project, reducing the pool to three candidates. The second is a request for proposals, which involves the remaining developers sending detailed proposals on their project, including square footage and conceptual drawings, she said.

Lamboy said a technical advisory committee, consisting of city staff, two residents and one alderman-at-large would then evaluate the proposals and make a selection. May said that selection would be known by late spring or early summer of next year.

The city does have limitations on the project, including replacing lost public parking and providing all parking for the hotel and any ancillary business that comes with it, May said.

Parking is a central aspect to the limitations because the three possible hotel destinations are municipal parking lots: the Day Street Parking Lot, the Grove Street Parking Lot and the Buena Vista Garage at 56A Holland Street.

Per state law, the city is currently waiting for an appraisal on the locations before issuing the request for qualifications, May said.

May said Pinnacle, a group that analyzed demand in Somerville in 2006, ‚Äúidentified a demand for 100 rooms in Davis Square;‚Äù however, that doesn’t mean the city is looking for a 100-room hotel, he said.

Lamboy said the hotel must adhere to the existing zoning ordinance, which states the building must remain under 50 feet with no more than four stories.

Task force members spoke in favor of the building limits at Monday’s meeting, but were worried about the continued gentrification of Davis Square.

Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz said, ‚ÄúI don’t think it’s a good idea to stop development if it’s going to make a place more desirable.‚Äù

Lee Auspitz, a Somerville resident, raised the point that the Buena Vista Garage had been taken by eminent domain for public purposes and now it may be sold to private developers. He also worried about the parallels between the city’s quest for tax revenue with the Summer Street Shaft and now the hotel.

Ron Newman, another Somerville resident, wondered about the new location of the displaced Davis Square Farmer’s Market if the Day Street lot is chosen.

May said the city had not studied the situation, but that they were committed to retaining the market.
“Ultimately a high priority for the city is to find ways to bring additional activity into the square,” May said. “[The hotel] will bring additional daytime shoppers and crucial foot traffic to our store fronts.”