Wood Partners has been selected by the Somerville Redevelopment Authority to serve as the developer of the 90 Washington Street property. — Rendering courtesy of Wood Partners

By Regina Arana

The Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) voted Monday night to move forward with Wood Partners for 90 Washington Street. That’s the four-acre parcel near the East Somerville MBTA station that’s been up for grabs since January.

However, it was not a done deal walking in. Wood Partners was one of two firms in the running. The other one, North River Partners, dropped out at the end of June, saying they could not meet the project’s goals while still delivering the returns their investors wanted. So, by the time the SRA board took it up, Wood Partners was the only proposal left on the table.

“Certainly, I’m disappointed that they did not have two to choose from,” said Ben Demer, a Senior Planner with the city’s Economic Development Division, describing the reaction from the 90 Washington Street Civic Advisory Committee.

Still, there was plenty to like in Wood Partners’ updated plan. They bumped the unit count from 324 to 418 and cut parking nearly in half, down from 398 above-ground spaces to 244 underground. They also shifted retail toward a plaza on the northwest side of the site and kept access open to the western side of Cobble Hill Apartments’ Building 84, which residents there rely on for fire and trash access.

But not everyone is satisfied. All 418 units are rentals, with no ownership units, which some committee members wanted. Others are questioning the roughly 20,000 square feet set aside for residential amenities, wondering if some of that ground-floor space should go to retail or community use instead.

The City Council had its own gripes when it reviewed the plan last Thursday. Ward One Councilor Matthew McLaughlin, whose district covers the site, asked for more greenery along the Cobble Hill border and flagged concerns about Building 2, the smaller piece of the project that sits close to the Jaclyn Cusick Apartments. Ward Two City Councilor J.T. Scott wanted the opposite: more height and density overall.

SRA board member Ben Wheeler, who sat in on the council meeting, told the board the mood there was more negative than he expected. He traced a lot of it back to losing a competing proposal that included a housing tower, plus lingering questions about whether the original RFP should have made clear from the start that high-rise development would be welcome on the site.

Residents showed up to the meeting too. Jacqueline Pilitary, who lives on Mansfield Street, asked the board to rethink a plan detail that would clear mature pine trees for an access road. She pointed to the trees’ role in filtering air pollution from nearby McGrath Highway, especially for Cobble Hill residents, and called out the irony: the city hands out grants elsewhere in East Somerville to rip up pavement and add green space, then approves a project doing the exact opposite.

Board Chair Phil Ergolini admitted the process hasn’t been smooth, pointing to how few developers even showed interest in the site to begin with. He also made clear that Monday’s vote is not the finish line.

“This is not the last touch point,” Demer told the board. Now that Wood Partners is designated, both sides negotiate for 90 days on formal agreements, and the developer puts down an initial $50,000 deposit. After that, the city and Wood Partners still have to work out a land disposition agreement — which needs its own City Council vote before rezoning and permitting can even start. Board members said they’ll keep chipping away at issues like the Building 2 footprint and the Cobble Hill greenery during that stretch, working closely with the ward councilor.