Ron Newman ([personal profile] ron_newman) wrote in [community profile] davis_square2016-01-16 08:28 am
Entry tags:

"Oath Craft Pizza" proposed to replace Singer sewing machine store

As reported earlier, the Singer sewing machine shop at the corner of Elm and Day streets is moving to West Cambridge.  The new prospective tenant is a 16-seat superfast-order restaurant called Oath Craft Pizza.

Here are the submitted plan and the city planning staff report.  (Though I see only 13 seats in the diagram.)

From the planning report: "This pizza establishment is providing a different kind of experience by using super-efficient ovens to cook craft pizza in 90 seconds. "

They currently have two locations, Nantucket and South Station, but want to grow into a real chain.

Oath Craft Pizza Has Aggressive Growth Plans for Boston, Starting With South Station (Eater.com, 8/11/15)

The smallest pizzeria ever is opening in South Station (Boston Business Journal, 10/22/15)

RE: lack of due diligence by planning staff

[identity profile] teko.livejournal.com 2016-01-19 03:05 pm (UTC)(link)
Quite frankly, I don't even think it's possible to "circle" that area in any meaningful way. Foot traffic defines the kinds of food available in Davis Square, not car traffic. Oath's whole idea is to be a tiny pizza place that turns out super-fast high-quality pizzas. I haven't tried their stuff but the reviews of their other shops are very positive; I think it's great that they're looking at Davis for one of their first community shops. A tiny pizza place has nothing to do with establishing affordable housing, and hey, sure, community service, sounds great.

jlauspitz is theorizing that the city hasn't looked at Oath's menu, their service offerings, or their uniqueness compared to other pizza shops. That's both unfair and born out of paranoia.

Car circle route

[identity profile] jlauspitz.livejournal.com 2016-01-19 10:41 pm (UTC)(link)
The actual car circle route while looking for parking or waiting to pick up a shopper is along Elm to a left on Grove left on Highland left on Elm along the slip.

RE: lack of due diligence by planning staff

[identity profile] jlauspitz.livejournal.com 2016-01-19 11:30 pm (UTC)(link)
"Teko": I'd be more careful about calling people paranoid on line. Some genuinely crazy person might take it amiss.

On the due diligence point: If the staff had systematically compared menus of Davis Square pizza purveyors they would surely have noted it in the public record, because (as you point out) it strengthens the case for their conditional* support of the Special Permit. They would appear to have relied instead on a news clip about Oath's South Station outlet that highlighted the ovens. Livejournal discussion has already gone beyond this.

[*One material condition is that Oath underwrite the cost of four parking meters as a parking/traffic mitigation measure. The meters must accept both coins and credit cards. They obviously have a good lawyer.]

RE: lack of due diligence by planning staff

[identity profile] teko.livejournal.com 2016-01-20 02:46 pm (UTC)(link)
And I would be equally careful about issuing vague threats on Davis Square Livejournal. Please don't do that.

RE: lack of due diligence by planning staff

[identity profile] jlauspitz.livejournal.com 2016-01-20 11:54 pm (UTC)(link)
no threat intended, but certainly a strong rebuke. I don't take kindly to being called a kook and paranoid by people who won't sign their names.

RE: moderator note

[identity profile] jlauspitz.livejournal.com 2016-01-21 12:35 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you.