ZBA approves Roche Bros. food market, defers action on Crunch Gym

[ron_newman]

The Zoning Board of Appeals tonight unanimously approved Roche Bros' proposal for a Brothers Marketplace food store on the first floor of 240 Elm Street, which housed a Social Security office until 2010.

They didn't seem so happy with the proposed Crunch Gym on the second floor, raising questions about how much additional traffic and parking demand the gym would bring to Davis Square. They deferred action on this until their next meeting on November 19.

Comments

[she-of-emeralds.livejournal.com]

Where exactly on Elm St. is this? (I don't know the street numbers, just the landmarks.)

[teko.livejournal.com]

You can click here (http://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/documents/2014_1015-240ELMPlansChesterStUpdateElevation.pdf) to see the approved floorplan and outside elevations from the meeting.

[keithn.livejournal.com]

The zoning board is a complete farce. It's all about approving businesses that have connections and disapproving ones that don't, and the justifications given are nothing but transparent pretext.

"Questions about how much additional traffic and parking demand" the gym would bring to the area? Really? And the supermarket won't create this issue? Do you want to put something there that nobody will want to go to? Did you forget that Davis Square has T access?

And weren't these the same people questioning whether the gym could bring in enough customers to even stay in business? And they're worried that it will create too much traffic at the same time?

This is embarrassing for the city of Somerville. I wish we had a real choice when elections come around.

[gruene.livejournal.com]

Someone forgot to tell Crunch to donate to the Mayor's campaign fund, it looks like.

[ronhaha108.livejournal.com]

Was there any mention of what's going into the old McDonalds at the ZBA?

[miss-chance.livejournal.com]

Do you know if the Roche Bros. plan is contingent on them getting the Crunch Gym business for the other half (other floor) of the building? If the gym doesn't go through, do we lose the market, too? Or are they totally separate?