A development process for homes, retail and other uses can move ahead at 90 Washington St. in Somerville’s Inner Belt, the 4-acre parcel that was once the Cobble Hill mall.
The Somerville Redevelopment Authority voted unanimously Monday in favor of moving ahead with Wood Partners, the sole remaining bidder in a six-month process after North River Leerink withdrew its more popular proposal – news that was broken to the City Council on Thursday.
“This is only the beginning stages,” chair Philip Ercolini emphasized. “The final design specifications will certainly include modifications and hopefully improvements.”
Wood Partners has already done a major revamp of its proposal, which was widely appreciated – the original appalled many because its buildings were centered around a 398-space overground central parking garage. That’s now 244 spaces belowground, allowing for three buildings of up to seven stories around a passage and open space. The plan increases the number of homes to 418 from 324, including 84 affordable units. The project proposes 15,000 square feet of retail (with one slot of up to 11,000 square feet for a grocery store) and 7,000 square feet of community space that – being next to the Cobble Hill Apartments meant for residents 62 and up – is likely to house a senior center.
There’s an option for the site is to eliminate a building with 44 apartments in its southeast, closest to the seniors’ homes.
In sharing the revamped project with a civic advisory committee Tuesday and then the City Council, staff found the committee in favor but wanting the site to include homeownership opportunities, economic development planner Ben Demers said. Members also suggested that more of the ground floor could be put toward retail or community space, rather than the roughly 20,000 square feet of residential amenities in the current plan.
Councilors also expressed appreciation for Wood Partners’ changes, but in assessing “the vibe among the councilors,” said Ben Wheeler, a councilor with a seat on the Redevelopment Authority and advisory committee, “I was a little surprised how negative it was.”
“It might be great in Milford. This is top-notch for Norwood. But this is in the heart of Somerville,” councilor JT Scott said Thursday, saying the site’s proposed population density was too low compared with other projects and its access to orange and green MBTA line stations. “Just across the railroad tracks in Brickbottom, there’s folks who want to do 10- to 15-story buildings.”
Though he said he appreciated the work that went into the proposal and was grateful for the improved design, Scott urged still urged the SRA to walk away and see if sending out a second request for bids drew more than than just Woods and Leerink.
The ward’s councilor, Matt LcLaughlin, wasn’t far behind, calling the proposal “better” but raising concern “that we’re going to get rid of green space to build a road.” The optional building seemed shoehorned into the plan at the cost of trees and open space to get closer to the wanted housing count, he said.
Wheeler’s main reservation was also about the lack of a housing tower, but admitted that the request for bids had “a sort of unfortunate ambiguity.”
He was “wishing in retrospect that we had maybe rezoned the lot ahead of the process, or sort of said confidently that high-rise proposals would be accepted and encouraged,” Wheeler said.
The city seized the land for $8.7 million in 2019 for a public safety building, but that led to a lawsuit and judgment that the city must pay the former owners much more. Now the city is trying to recoup a total $35.3 million.
The amount Wood Partners would pay to become developer hasn’t been revealed, but was discussed Thursday in a closed-door session. Scott worried publicly that the offer fell short, as it was described by staff as recouping a “significant portion” of money spent on the taking.
“If I eat three slices of pizza, I have eaten a significant amount of that pizza, so I have to presume this wording is intentional,” Scott said.
After the developer designation agreement with the SRA, the city pays Wood Partners a $50,000 deposit for the project. The sides will spend the next few months negotiating a land disposition agreement that lays out clearer expectations for the development and locks in expectations, Demers said. This period means more chances for the civic advisory committee and City Council to give notes toward an improved design. But even that is not the end.
The land disposition agreement needs to be approved by the developer, Redevelopment Authority and the council. After that council vote, the city works with the development team to rezone the property – and then the Wood Partners team goes through an approval and permitting process expected of any development, Demers said.
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