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.