Arts at the Armory - Support Needed for March 4 Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting

[fefie.livejournal.com]

Arts at the Armory is seeking changes to its existing Special Permit to allow daytime use of the building for its programs and special events in the performance hall and the cafe - including concurrent events. The meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 4 at 6 PM in the Aldermanic Chambers, 2nd Floor of Somerville City Hall located at 93 Highland Avenue.

If the Zoning Board of Appeals grants our request, it would allow us to host matinee performances for theater, dance and music as well as offer open studios, lectures, conferences and other events of community interest in the performance hall and cafe.

Your support is needed at this meeting! If you cannot attend, please send an e-mail of support to the Zoning Board of Appeals in care of Madeleine Masters at mmasters@somervillema.gov.

Questions?
Contact Debra McLaughlin or Susan Fiedler at 617.718.2191 or email us at info@artsatthearmory.org

Comments

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

Well, the non-noise-related issues make more sense to be as objections in this case than the noise. After all, whatever daytime noise there is won't be as annoying as nighttime, right? And it does seem like a ton of mitigation has been done.

I'm also confused by things being scheduled without the permit and agree with the commenter above that that in itself is not an argument. But I'm also unclear on how being open for matinees makes it more like a nightclub. However, having been to meetings for various variances, I know how neighbors can get, and frankly, a lot of the time, I feel like the Powers That Be pretty much ignore us, so I'd imagine those neighbors might feel similarly.

(OTOH, my last experience involved something that *nobody* at the meeting except the developer was in favor of, but the Alderman presumably went and voted for it anyway since it's happening.)

[ron_newman]

Alderman vote for changes in the zoning ordinance and map, but they don't vote on special permits or variances. Those are the purview of the Zoning Board of Appeals, with some advice from the Planning Board.

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

Hmm. A few years back when I lived on Highland, I seem to recall a variance for a building project proposal near my home going to the aldermen after the zoning board of appeals basically ignored the concerns of everyone involved, both builders and neighbors alike. So I'm not sure you're correct that the aldermen don't ever vote on such things.

My experience at the time with that other project was that the bureaucrats involved had basically made up their minds in advance; one of them even told me outright, before public comment began, what the decision was going to be and what their criteria were, and it had nothing to do with anything either the builder or the neighbors cared about. (Specifically, I was told that if it had a brick facade it would be approved, and if not it would not, and that the board did not care about the size or parking concerns likely to be raised by the neighbors.) So, I have no trust of the zoning boards in this town to listen to anything anyone says in public comment.

[ron_newman]

Which project was this? (I'm trying to picture where a new building is on Highland Avenue.) And what did the aldermen do?

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

The project got shot down after the mayor (Dorothy Kelly Gay at the time) apparently got involved when she heard how upset the neighbors were. The variance got denied, and the building never got built, thank goodness.

What was striking to me was that the neighbors had some very legitimate concerns, namely the size of the building, its appearance not fitting in with the character of the neighborhood (it was going to look like a big white borg cube in the middle of a neighborhood of clapboard victorians), the submitted plans having some major problems which ensured that the completed building would not be what was being approved (there were staircases that went nowhere, for example), and parking (the neighborhood already had a real problem and they were proposing a building that would make it much worse). But, all the bureaucrats cared about was brick, brick, brick. If they got their brick, the builder would get his permit. (Fortunately, I don't think he ever figured this out.) But NOBODY wanted brick but the bureaucrats. The builder didn't want to use it, and the neighbors didn't want another brick monstrosity. It was just a complete disconnect between what the neighbors wanted, and what the city cared about.

I will admit, a few of the neighbors were being irrational. They complained so bitterly about anything the builder proposed that he finally asked them what on earth they would in fact not object to him putting on the land, and they didn't actually have an answer. I understand that city employees see people like that every day and consequently learn to take some neighbor objections with a grain of salt. However, many of us, myself included, were prepared to give our blessing to a smaller, more decorous version of the project with more realistic parking space, and said so, but the city employees didn't seem to care what we had to say.

[ron_newman]

Thanks for your reply. Where were they planning to build this, and what would they have had to tear down?

[tfarrell.livejournal.com]

It was the former "diamond club" building at Highland and Cherry.

I believe the building now contains a real estate office and a preschool.

[ron_newman]

The real estate office (Coldwell Banker) closed, and most of the building is now vacant and for lease.

[fefie.livejournal.com]

I'm wondering where this was too.

The only other recent building controversy I know about in this area is (not on Highland) the big condo on the community path at Willow where the developer built the roofline much higher than was allowed. (Anyone here know the end of that story? What kind of mitigation was worked out?)

At the time the Armory change-of-use conditions were being negotiated in the neighborhood, the negotiation of nearby MaxPak/KSS with its neighbors was also in full swing.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

You're right, sorry. But the meetings were hosted by the Alderman who was to report back to the Zoning board with a recommendation. It felt like the only purpose was to give people a place to rant pointlessly.

[ron_newman]

That's not good. Which project is this?