Stand up for Davis Sq. - Say NO to national franchises and help keep Davis Sq. uniquely independent!

[save-davis-sq.livejournal.com]

The time has come to stand up for Davis Square and to say NO to the national franchises that are slowly taking over the square.  Davis Square is a thriving neighborhood because of the diverse and independent mix of businesses that have invested in the community.  Unfortunately this uniqueness is at risk because the multi-national franchises are starting to flex their muscles and push out the locals.  We have a Dunkins, McDonalds, Starbucks, CVS, Orange Leaf, and now the latest entry is Pinkberry, which has a Special Permit application for 263 Elm Street before the Somerville Zoning Board.  Pinkberry is applying for special permits to open a "Fast food establishment" as well as a special permit for relief from the required parking.  According to the planning staff report, In special permit applicaions for fast-order, take-out or automobile oriented food establishments, there shall be establishment of a need for such a facility in the neighborhood or in the City, and impacts on traffic circulation, parking and visual, physical, or historical characteristics of the particular location shall not be detrimental.  The Pinkberry application will negatively impact the square as they will not be providing the (6) parking spaces the change of use requires and moreover, there is no "need" for such a facility in the square with (3) shops (JP Licks, Orange Leaf, iYO cafe) with the same use all located within two blocks from each other.  A diverse retail mix makes for a stronger community.  Perhaps a flower shop or gift store?  We also have to ask ourselves if we want Davis Square to go by the way of Harvard Square and turn into a glorified urban mall?   If you want to help preserve the uniqueness that is Davis Square then it is time to make your voice heard.   Here are a few ways: (trying all 4 would be the loudest)

1: Attend the Zoning Board of Appeals Hearing in person and speak your mind 

Wednesday, November 7th, 2012, 06:00 PM

City Hall - Aldermanic Chamber
93 Higland Avenue
Somerville, MA 02143

and/or

2. Call or send an email to the board by contacting the ZBA adminisrator: 

Dawn Pereira
617-625-6600 x2533
DPereira@somervillema.gov

and/or

3.  Contact the local alderman Rebekah Gewirtz

Rebekah.gewirtz@gmail.com
617.718.0792

and/or

4. Sign the online petition

http://www.change.org/petitions/somerville-ma-zoning-board-of-appeals-deny-the-special-permit-application-for-pinkberry-in-davis-square

This is the first step.  Please help start the public conversation on what kind of community we want Davis Square to be in the future.

Comments

[ron_newman]

The parking-space requirement actually should be abolished entirely, given the storefront's proximity to the Red Line and numerous buses. The city is taking a second look at this type of zoning requirement citywide.

Also, I think Pinkberry is likely to fail, by being the last of the fro-yo places to open, and by opening in the wintertime.

[tim-sackton.livejournal.com]

I agree with Ron, the parking requirement in this case is silly, so to deny the application on the grounds that Pinkberry is not providing the required parking would make no sense. If we want the chains to leave Davis, a better approach is to simply not patronize them. I intend to continue eating at iYo when Pinkberry and Orange Leaf open, and if everyone does the same the chains will fail.

Plus, Davis already has several gift stores (Magpie, Davis Squared, and Stellabella if you want to include toys in that category), and a great flower shop (Nellie's Wildflowers). At least Davis Squared seems to be doing fine, as they are planning on opening a second store in Arlington (Arlington Centered).

[teko.livejournal.com]

On the plus side, if Pinkberry does fail, they will have at least overhauled the existing space, which likely hadn't changed in decades. Maybe that'll encourage someone else to take it over and give Davis Square something besides another fro-yo spot.

[sd210.livejournal.com]

Augh, enough! Let the market speak for itself.

If you don't like Pinkberry, don't eat there, but why rain on someone's dream of opening a business? Pinkberry franchises are independently owned and operated. They hire locally and pay local taxes. Individuals invest a lot of their money to license the name, but at the end of the day it is a local business that has an investment in our neighborhood. There is no "flexing of national muscle," or "pushing out locals" as you so claim (it is not owned by the large "Pinkberry" corporation, which simply licenses its brand name). Who exactly is being pushed out here? This is a free country and people should be able to open a legal business such as an frozen yogurt shop as they see fit. If it is not a good fit, the market will take care of it.

Also, some of the beloved local and "independent" business around here are nothing but chains in disguise. For example, the "artsy and independent" Kendall Square Theatre is a freaking national chain! There is nothing art house about it. Give me a break! If you want another gift shop or flower shop, open one up. Don't rain on someone else's small business.

I'm guessing this was written by someone with a vested interest in one of the nearby competitiors.

[ron_newman]

My understanding is that one company, 'NE Frog Pond LLC', has exclusive rights to franchise Pinkberry in most of New England.

[prunesnprisms.livejournal.com]

It's also true that even if they are nation-wide businesses they employ local people, and they also pay taxes to the city.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

I understand and respect this sentiment (and usually agree with it), but at the same time I personally view chains as a blight to the community. If the citizens of a town do not want chains they should have the right to prevent or regulate them.

[save-davis-sq.livejournal.com]

Depends I guess on how you define "free" but we certainly live in a country that has rules and regulations. In this instance zoning ordinances that control how areas of the city are developed. I have a vested interest in seeing the uniqueness of the square maintained and I do not think a 3rd/4th frozen yogurt store in Davis Square warrants special approval from the ZBA, hence the reason why I posted. I prefer diversity plain and simple and I think a healthy mix of retail, office, restaurant, etc. will make for a better square.

[sd210.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Ron. I just looked that LLC up on the Secretary of the Commonwealth's website and all of the LLC's managers are listed as local folks with local addresses in Cambridge and Boston. It's a MA company - - local, local local.

[ron_newman]

Thanks to you, too. Can you link to the search result, or at least to the search page? I didn't know this was available online.

[svilletheatre.livejournal.com]

For a sense of wider historical perspective, Davis Square has always had major national/local chains. Stop & Shop, Woolworth's, Grant's, Kresge (K-Mart), Brigham's, Osco, Almy's, and more I am no doubt forgetting were found here in the shopping heyday for most of the 20th century. And McDonald's has had a presence on Elm Street since the early 70's (and for a lot of the elderly, it's a popular cheap coffee spot; certainly it is serving a purpose.) There were always mom & pop stores as well, and thankfully today there is a strong local retail (and now restaurant) component. It's very easy for someone fairly recent to the neighborhood to think that we are headed down a path to 'chain dominance' but frankly even in this subdued economy we have an amazing assortment of locally owned businesses in the square compared to 20 years ago, and certainly one that rivals the 50's in terms of vibrancy.

[josephineave.livejournal.com]

Both Bertucci's and Steve's Ice Cream launched their chains from Davis Square.

[ron_newman]

Thanks for the needed historical perspective. More recently, I also recall a Papa Gino's where Starbucks is now. I think that Brigham's was there before that?

Someday, I'd love you to show me (or perhaps a whole 'tour group') where each of those chains used to be located in Davis. McDonald's used to be a couple storefronts west of where it is now. I haven't been here long enough to remember the original Woolworth's, but I do recall them returning for a couple of years with a smaller "Woolworth Express". And I also recall Almy's in the Gorin Building.

[sd210.livejournal.com]

Ron, here is the website for the Sec of the Commonwealth's corporate info search engine:

http://corp.sec.state.ma.us/corp/corpsearch/corpsearchinput.asp

Click on "search by name" then enter name. It comes up and you can see all corporate officers, state of incorporation, all public filings, etc.

Also, I appologize for posting a new comment instead of a "reply," but my computer isn't showing the "prove you are a human" verification to type and click when I try to reply.

[ron_newman]

You are not a member of davis_square, according to your LJ profile. If you join the community, you should no longer have to jump through the "prove you are a human" hoop when posting reply comments.

[mindstalk.livejournal.com]

While I understand aversion to (a) chains and (b) the 4th instance of the same type of business, how is Pinkberry pushing anyone out? Presumably they're moving into a space vacated by a failing business?

I also don't think parking requirements are a good thing, especially for a location right on top of a subway station. City should be zoning for unlimited density to take advantage of the transit. Also don't think the goverment should be picking and choosing businesses to let in; that way lies corruption and rent-seeking.

[ron_newman]

They are moving into a space that was formerly occupied by an insurance agency. I don't know whether that previous business "failed" or not, but it wasn't an especially useful thing to have in a street-level storefront.

It's natural for landlords (commercial or otherwise) to seek rents, preferably high ones. I don't know what that especially has to do with the government "picking and choosing businesses', though.

[geekpixie.livejournal.com]

Also, the point here usually comes down to whether or not the business can provide some other appeasement for the lack of parking. In the case of Boston Burger Company, they had to pay for a new parking space or two, who knows where they are though. People speaking against businesses in this manner simply take up valuable time at a ZBA meeting. The whole point is to see if the business is following all proper zoning laws for the space they've legally leased, not if it's viable, that's the businesses problem, not the problem of the city.

My business location is up for discussion in this ZBA meeting, and if I can't open this month because someone wanted to get long winded about an issue the city can't even make decisions on, I'll be really, really disappointed. (and I have to deal with the parking issue as well, which I agree is silly, and within a certain range of occupancy/usage should definitely be negated, though it is hard to set those limitations)

[ron_newman]

What is your business location? Do you want people to speak in your support?

[sd210.livejournal.com]

In response to the Post above this one (concerning meet up space), the original poster here ("save-davis-sq") replied that the person should check out iYo because they have private meeting space. I'd bet real money that the instigator of this post and that petition is affiliated with iYo. I'm really disappointed that a local business would try to sabotage another local business via ZBA ambush, but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. I mean, when iYo opened, JP Licks and the Somerville Theatre BOTH served frozen yogurt, but I don't recall seeing those business rush in to block the iYo permits! Sheesh! I think I'll hold off on getting yogurt at iYo for a while... see, the market speaks for itself! And lord knows we have a bounty of frozen yogurt here in David Square.

[ayelle.livejournal.com]

Uh, slow down there partner, a post and a comment by one newly-created LJ username constitutes pretty poor evidence that iYo is somehow "trying to sabotage" other businesses and deserves a boycott. As you yourself said above, if you don't like it, don't eat there... but given how this whole conversation has gone, it's kind of all I can do to keep from accusing you, also a newly-created LJ username, of having "a vested interest in one of the nearby competitiors" and trying to stir up resentment against iYo...

Does this feel like the war of the sock puppets to anybody else?

[sd210.livejournal.com]

Thank you, pierceheart! I couldn't figure out where that info showing my profile creation date was located! I'm a lurker who is absolutely not affiliated with either iYo or Pinkberry. People can think what they want, but I just get tired of seeing such negativity concerning business development in my community.

I also thought it was pretty suspicious that the original poster (ahem, who created his or her profile TODAY) is in one post BASHING Pinkberry and yet in another advocating rental space at iYo. Everyone is free to draw their own conclusions... and I've drawn mine.

[surrealestate.livejournal.com]

I really don't think the OP is a sock puppet. I think they just didn't have an LJ, wanted to post this, so created one. If this was just a sock puppet account, they'd have used their regular one to post the comment in the other entry, to avoid exactly the suspicion you describe. I assumed the person is a fan of iYo and thus familiar with it. Heck, I've only been there once but even I knew they had a meeting room -- I'm pretty sure it was mentioned in an earlier post here in DSLJ.

[sd210.livejournal.com]

Wow, must be one heck of a fan to start a petition and show up at ZBA meetings to protest other frozen yogurt shop openings! I'm impressed that iYo has developed such a rabid following! Good for them - - if that is the case, no one really needs to object to another frozen yogurt shop at the ZBA meeting!

[rosiewoodboat.livejournal.com]

Which is all too bad because actually Pinkberry is quite tasty, and iYo is full of ice crystals.

[mrf-arch.livejournal.com]

Perhaps a flower shop or gift store?

Are you planning to open this theoretical flower shop or gift store yourself? Or just hoping to have that storefront remain vacant for a while since you're opposed to Pinkberry?

This is the first step. Please help start the public conversation on what kind of community we want Davis Square to be in the future.

I vote for "a community with a bit less annoying NIMBYism", myself. I have no idea if Davis can support three frozen yogurt shops. But I see no reason to stop some entrepreneurial soul from finding out.

[sd210.livejournal.com]

Ayalle - thanks for the tip re: the browser issue. I'll give it a shot. It's certainly hard to have a fluid conversation when you can't actually reply!

[bluesauce.livejournal.com]

How about no. How about take your NIMBY hand-wringing elsewhere. How about, Davis Square has survived for a long time with a mix of chains and local places, and it'll be just fine. It really will. It'll all be OK. *pats head* It's OK. I know that it's scary when things change.

[tealegirle.livejournal.com]

Not that this is relevant to the current discussion, or the ZBA hearing, but I personally hope Pinkberry dies and would prefer it not to set up because it's converting a non-food space in D Sq to a food space. Restaurant creep has been notable over the past few years, and I don't think D Sq needs any more food spaces of any description. Particularly since once kitchen mods are made to a space, it's unlikely to revert to a non-food space.

[somgirl4.livejournal.com]

Locals were pushed out years ago and not by national businesses.
Though, McDonalds was there for many years before the fire. A lot of people wanted it to come back and it finally did.
Osco was there for years before it turned into Rite-Aid. There was a Woolworths and many others too.
I would much rather have the businesses you mentioned then more bars or more "yuppie" shops put in.