12/12/19 SRA Meeting (rough notes, annotations) Reply

by • Comprehensive Plan, Contact Info, Growth Districts, Projects, Station area plans

12/12/19 SRA Meeting (rough notes, annotations)

Meeting moved to classroom due to conflict in “Southwestern Room”
Phil, Bill, Ilona, Ewen, Patrick, Emily
Eileen, Staff

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Click to access SRA%20Meeting%20Notice%20&%20Agenda%2012.12.19.pdf

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Nov. minutes
Approval vote, Emily abstained

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Click to access SRA%20Meeting%20Minutes%2011%2014%2019.pdf

]

Assembly Square
Hotel opening with Valet parking
K mart is closed. FRIT working on temp tenants with 3-5 year lease

Union Square
Working on closing docs
Boynton Yards title issue DLJ
Own lots 4 and 5
Wants letter of agreement. Don’t want it to be locked into parking lot till 2035. Want it to be office and lab.
You suggested we update agreement with right of reversion if we don’t do the development and approval of sales. Difficult requirements for us. Constructing first building. Total build out 1.4M s.f., mixed use with lab. Plan endorsed by planning staff, consistent with Boynton Yards Plan recently submitted.
Want you to remove those requirements. Agreeing to deed over 15K s.f. For storm water run off tank for Boynton Yards.
Take south street farm to on top of the tank.
Q: who takes care of tank?
A: city owns that place. Plan to move the farm, area to be park.
Q: investing in what infrastructure? Roads, below grade, water sewer electrical.
A: working with planning staff and other Boynton Yards owners to jointly finance infrastructure. We to contribute about 52F s.f. to open space.
Q: what form will agreement be?
A: series of covenants.
Gage: who submitted schematic plan? Don’t know where buildings are.
A: at 101 South St. under construction. Next to it is combination of blocks 4 and 5. Second building next to civic space. 500 units will be small (1000 s.f.).
Q: have you met with U. S. Neighborhood Council? Is neighborhood watchdog. No agreement?
A: met with them. Have permits. Doing job as union job, local employees. Met over a year ago. About $6M in benefits.
Q: does Neighborhood Council have jurisdiction. Need agreement with neighborhood watchdog.
A: Didn’t know we were obligated to deal with the neighborhood council .
Ewen: councilor supports this. Neighborhood specific to US. You will need to work with them.
A: nothing to talk about yet.
Next point is when they submit their master plan.
Gage: meet them sooner not later.
Emily: three issues.
Broke ground on first lab space
Voted to approve title issue.
If condition met, will also agree to removing right of reversion if they don’t do the development and approval of sales.
Renewal of contract with city approved

90 Washington St.
Fire truck stationed there. Offered contract for demolition. Working on capital manager hiring.
Litigation: favorable decision on our ability to take property based on demo project plan. Decision being appealed to appeals court and may go up to SJC. Could be years. Don’t have to pay interest on our taking.
Cobble Hill owners appealing to Supreme Court.

Winter Hill
Dec. 17 community’s meeting about urban renewal and neighborhood plan.
With demo plan, can only eliminate blighted parcel.

Public Comment Period
Jed Schwartz: was this a competitive bid project?
A: don’t have to answer, but was private, no land taking

Dahlbacka: was reversion and sale control removed?
A: don’t have to answer, but reversion will be removed when they get their permits.

Next Meeting
Look at projects online and comment on them Somervoice.gov.

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https://somervoice.somervillema.gov/
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Next meeting, Jan. 16 at Somerville Library auditorium.
Third Thursday of month.
Try Feb. 20, Mar. 19.

11/14/19 SRA Meeting (rough notes, annotations) Reply

by • Beat Reporter, Commercial Corridors, Comprehensive Plan, Contact Info, Growth Districts, Projects, Station area plans

11/14/19 SRA Meeting (rough notes, annotations)

Ercolini, Gage, Emily, Eileen, Sue, Ewen-Campen

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Click to access SRA%20Meeting%20Notice%20&%20Agenda%2011.14.19%5B2%5D.pdf

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Minutes 10/17/19
Minor corrections, approved

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Click to access sra-meeting-minutes-10-17-19.pdf

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90 Washington St. docs to go on city website

Assembly Square update
K-mart liquidation ends dec. New tenant coming. Flower sculptures to come. Don’t know if connected to grid.
Two job fairs 1st and 2nd Nov.

Union Square update
US2 presentation, Wacheski

Working on D2 implementation; building permits being reviewed, also environmental remediation. In remediation until mid next year.
Closing to come. SRA taking scheduled for tonight. Marketing starting. Signage going up at Webster St.
Coordination with GLX ongoing. Easement agreements being discussed, also elevator design.
Ercolini: what’s brand?
A: web site “discoverusq.com”.

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https://discoverusq.com/
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Targeted at lab users. Connections to Kendall Square etc. Talent available to tenants.
Q: what dependencies with GLX?
A: GLX to be in before us. We be done 2021.
Ben: what types of retail?
A: not advanced that, looking at services, prioritizing local tenants. To sit down with Union Square Main Streets.
Gage: when beginning of construction?
A: 4-6 months of remediation, starting early next year. Midsummer 2020.

Adoption of D2 order of taking
Updated date. In March required combining parcels. Clears title, erases parcel boundaries.
Approved.

90 Washington St.
Request by fire dept to host fire truck during close of bridge. Need it by Dec. 1. Generator, office trailer, tent to house fire truck until 4/20.
Q: can we still demolish plaza?
A: yes, have RFP for demolition. Will remain at grade. Getting place activation organizations. Need public process for activation plan. Building committee (ward councilor, OSPCD, asset management).
Gage: SRA should be on building committees for public safety building and also public/private development.
A: Public safety building doesn’t come under SRA jurisdiction.
Gage: need coordination between projects.
A: OSPCD will be on building committee.
Ercolini: take under advisement. Ben is city councillor.
Gage: reluctant to leave in hands of OSPCD.
A: is this part of our function? Not done demo project before.
Ben: How is lot split to be decided? Very relevant to SRA role. Want to know process.
A: separate projects. Give public portion back to city. OSPCD based on report and discussion with police and fire depts.
Ben: don’t know about SRA in public safety side. Don’t want to preclude future opportunities. Want updates on where process I.
Ercolini: How often?
Ben: public meetings.
A: will give updates at least every month. Building committee like other cities do it. Is a committee for high school project, Rosetti is on committee. Want to put public safety building at back, put public/private uses on side toward T-stop and Washington St. Bring in someone from committee to discuss this issue.
Q: need high level timeline. Want to max height of public safety building to max usable space.

Winter Hill
Last June was community Meeting about Star Market site. Has been vacant for several years. Interest by private developer, demo project, urban renewal. 95% wanted to do something, majority wanted demo project.
Legally safer to do urban renewal. To go back to community, also to ask about other sites.
Web site: somervoice

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https://somervoice.somervillema.gov/
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Ercolini: diff between urban renewal and demo project.
Eileen: demo is outside regs. Generally applies to one parcel.to get other parcels, need urban renewal plan. Supreme Court said that all of parcels don’t have to be blighted to allow taking.

Other business
I commented that their docs should be easily accessible from SRA web site.
Dec. 12, Jan. 16
Adjourn 6:15.

5/31/18 Somerville Redevelopment Authority Meeting Notes Reply

by • Beat Reporter, Commercial Corridors, Development, Growth Districts, Shared, Squares, Station area plans, Urban Planning

US2 has completed closing with USAA. Voted authorization to escrow relocation package for Mr. Francis Fahey, gives person 30 days to move out. Many new stores opening in Assembly Square. Special permit for Assembly’s Edge granted. 5 Middlesex Xmbly before PB next week for master plan. Executive session to discuss litigation: Prospect Iron & Steel, Mr. Fahey. Voted on Prospect Iron & Steel, I do not know result. More…