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davis_squareSome notes from Monday's Davis Square Task Force meeting:
CARLI Fence site
This is west of Willow Avenue and north of the bike path, at the end of Newberne Street. A developer has bought it and wants to build a wood-framed, three-story, 40-foot high building containing 12 condominiums -- 6 on the top floor, 4 on the second floor, and 2 on the first floor. Six of the condos would be one-bedroom, the other six two-bedroom. All units would be walk-ups, with no elevators. One condo would be a subsidized affordable unit, to comply with the city's inclusionary zoning ordinance.
There would be 20 parking spaces, some covered on the remainder of the first floor, the rest strung out parallel on a long one-way driveway from Willow Avenue, next to the bike path. Since this site is a 5-minute walk to the Davis Square T station, I suggested cutting the parking spaces back to 12, in order to provide green space along the bike path. (Why does it need more than one space per unit?) However, others in the neighborhood objected to that idea.
The developer originally wanted to build a "more industrial-looking" four-story building with 16 units, but scaled back his plan after meeting with Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz. However, the original plan would have had underground parking and much more green space along the bike path, instead of parking spaces.
He said that his plan conformed to zoning (mostly Residence C, with some open space), with only half of the floor area ratio allowed by the zone. He has not given any thought yet to landscaping (for instance, to screen the parked cars from the bike path), nor to providing an access point from Newberne Street to the bike path.
For more discussion of this proposal, see ryanwanger's post and the blog entry he has linked to.
Antonia's Restaurant and Ten Tables
Krista Kranyak, owner of Ten Tables restaurant in Jamaica Plain, would like to buy Antonia's and turn it into a second Ten Tables location. She has lived in Somerville for 5 1/2 years, a short walk from Davis Square.
Unfortunately, she has found out that Antonia's beer and wine license does not come with the property. Beer and wine licenses cannot be sold. When a business that has a beer and wine license closes, its license reverts to the city. There are two other beer and wine licenses available, but seven restaurants have applied for them, including Alfresco and Martsa on Elm. The Licensing Commission would have to decide which is fairer: giving a license to a brand-new applicant at an existing location, or giving it to an applicant that has been waiting longer for one.
Without a guarantee of a beer and wine license, it's unlikely that she can buy the restaurant. The city has asked the state legislature to grant it ten more such licenses, which would solve the problem entirely, but the legislature has not yet acted on this.
Former Enterprise rent-a-car: The owner, Christos Poutihidis, did not show up for the meeting. Somoene else said that the owner does not want to have another rental car operation, and instead wants to put up a building with commercial use of the first floor and residential use on the second (and possibly more). Mr. Poutihidis also owns the house next door on Cutter Avenue, so it's possible any future development would combine the two lots.
Sacco's Bowl-Haven: Trish Blain didn't have much to report yet. She thought she had a deal to buy Ideal Engine next door, but a member of that family killed the deal. Trish will present her proposal at a public event at Dilboy VFW - Monday night, Feb. 25 at 7 pm.
Dollar Days: Blue Shirt Café is not expanding into this space. Someone said he had heard of seven possible tenants looking at this storefront.
Dover Plaza: A publisher is moving into the space vacated by Share Group. Someone at the meeting saidCandlewood Candlewick Press, which is now located a short walk away on Mass. Ave. in North Cambridge.
Dahn Yoga studio: A women's fashion boutique called Suneri is moving into at least part of the space, according to a sign in the window. There is also still a For Rent sign, so it's possible the space is being subdivided.
Sushi restaurant in former La Contessa space: Should open at the end of February ("which may really mean mid-March"). The storefront renovation required more work than expected, including some environmental cleanup.
Next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, April 14.
CARLI Fence site
This is west of Willow Avenue and north of the bike path, at the end of Newberne Street. A developer has bought it and wants to build a wood-framed, three-story, 40-foot high building containing 12 condominiums -- 6 on the top floor, 4 on the second floor, and 2 on the first floor. Six of the condos would be one-bedroom, the other six two-bedroom. All units would be walk-ups, with no elevators. One condo would be a subsidized affordable unit, to comply with the city's inclusionary zoning ordinance.
There would be 20 parking spaces, some covered on the remainder of the first floor, the rest strung out parallel on a long one-way driveway from Willow Avenue, next to the bike path. Since this site is a 5-minute walk to the Davis Square T station, I suggested cutting the parking spaces back to 12, in order to provide green space along the bike path. (Why does it need more than one space per unit?) However, others in the neighborhood objected to that idea.
The developer originally wanted to build a "more industrial-looking" four-story building with 16 units, but scaled back his plan after meeting with Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz. However, the original plan would have had underground parking and much more green space along the bike path, instead of parking spaces.
He said that his plan conformed to zoning (mostly Residence C, with some open space), with only half of the floor area ratio allowed by the zone. He has not given any thought yet to landscaping (for instance, to screen the parked cars from the bike path), nor to providing an access point from Newberne Street to the bike path.
For more discussion of this proposal, see ryanwanger's post and the blog entry he has linked to.
Antonia's Restaurant and Ten Tables
Krista Kranyak, owner of Ten Tables restaurant in Jamaica Plain, would like to buy Antonia's and turn it into a second Ten Tables location. She has lived in Somerville for 5 1/2 years, a short walk from Davis Square.
Unfortunately, she has found out that Antonia's beer and wine license does not come with the property. Beer and wine licenses cannot be sold. When a business that has a beer and wine license closes, its license reverts to the city. There are two other beer and wine licenses available, but seven restaurants have applied for them, including Alfresco and Martsa on Elm. The Licensing Commission would have to decide which is fairer: giving a license to a brand-new applicant at an existing location, or giving it to an applicant that has been waiting longer for one.
Without a guarantee of a beer and wine license, it's unlikely that she can buy the restaurant. The city has asked the state legislature to grant it ten more such licenses, which would solve the problem entirely, but the legislature has not yet acted on this.
Former Enterprise rent-a-car: The owner, Christos Poutihidis, did not show up for the meeting. Somoene else said that the owner does not want to have another rental car operation, and instead wants to put up a building with commercial use of the first floor and residential use on the second (and possibly more). Mr. Poutihidis also owns the house next door on Cutter Avenue, so it's possible any future development would combine the two lots.
Sacco's Bowl-Haven: Trish Blain didn't have much to report yet. She thought she had a deal to buy Ideal Engine next door, but a member of that family killed the deal. Trish will present her proposal at a public event at Dilboy VFW - Monday night, Feb. 25 at 7 pm.
Dollar Days: Blue Shirt Café is not expanding into this space. Someone said he had heard of seven possible tenants looking at this storefront.
Dover Plaza: A publisher is moving into the space vacated by Share Group. Someone at the meeting said
Dahn Yoga studio: A women's fashion boutique called Suneri is moving into at least part of the space, according to a sign in the window. There is also still a For Rent sign, so it's possible the space is being subdivided.
Sushi restaurant in former La Contessa space: Should open at the end of February ("which may really mean mid-March"). The storefront renovation required more work than expected, including some environmental cleanup.
Next meeting is tentatively scheduled for Monday, April 14.
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no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 03:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2008-02-15 03:32 am (UTC)Were you hoping for another fence company, or some other light industrial?
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Date: 2008-02-15 04:28 am (UTC)