The city’s Land-Use Committee postponed a vote on proposed changes at their latest meeting.

By Norah Doyle

On June 5, the Somerville Land-Use Committee met with the Planning Board virtually to discuss proposed changes to the city’s zoning ordinance, many of which would impact Somernova, Somerville’s innovation hub. After nearly four hours of discussion, the committee decided to table the vote and delay their decisions on the changes due to concerns about parking, traffic, and how the surrounding neighborhood would be impacted. The meeting included three different presentations.

Planning Board Presentation

The Planning Board laid out 3 key proposals in their presentation, which was presented by Dan Bartman. The first proposal from the Planning Board was to create a new research and development (R&D) zoning district for research and innovation companies.

The second proposal was to update the Arts and Creative Enterprise (ACE) rules to make them more specific and better define what is actually allowed in the district. The last proposal from the Planning Board was to establish a new Arts and Innovation (AI) overlay district. This is a special area of Somernova that would have different laws regarding height, parking, and civic use.

Bartman explained that changes needed to be made because the current zoning laws do not support how Somernova and similar places operate currently. The proposed changes would avoid the constant need for special permit requests.

Mobility Division Presentation

Presented by members of the Somerville Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development, Brad Rawson (Director of Mobility) and Justin Schreiber (Senior Planner of Mobility), this presentation was intended to explain how the city manages traffic and parking impacts from new developments. In their presentation, they proposed that all large developments must submit a Transportation Impact Study, a Transportation Access Plan, as well as a Mobility Management Plan.

The division also proposed a requirement for new developments like the ones to Somernova, must limit solo car use to no more than 40% of all trips at the opening of the new developments, and should trickle down to 25% as time goes on. This would help encourage people to walk, bike, carpool, and use public transit to get to places like Somernova.

RAFI Properties Developer Presentation

The third presentation was from RAFI Properties, the owner and developer of Somernova. The presentation included an explanation of how the proposed zoning changes would support redevelopment of Somernova, outlining a plan to add 750 parking spots to the Somernova complex in phases. This would include integrating new parking garages with future buildings instead of surface lots. These spaces, however, would only be added if the development meets the aforementioned transportation goals.

RAFI also mentioned a recently approved Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with the Union Square Neighborhood Council, which outlined specific commitments, such as reserving public civic space, supporting arts and cultural programming, as well as promoting local hiring. These commitments will be carried out if the Somernova zoning changes move forward.

Outcome

Despite the three detailed presentations, the committee decided to hold off on voting, stating they felt the proposals needed a fuller picture. They ultimately decided they wanted more time to review individual zoning changes, parking plans, and community agreements, and how they would all fit together before making any large, lasting, and impactful decisions.