yesterday's Davis Square Task Force meeting - brief notes

[ron_newman]

I did not take written notes, so this is just from memory:

Michele Biscoe: Som|Dog presentation about off-leash areas on bike path. The organization would like to build one or more small fenced-in off-leash dog runs along the Community Path, similar to the successful one at Nunziato Field near Union Square. Possible locations are Lexington Park, Cedar Street, or Willow Avenue.

Sara Rosenfeld about Community Servings: would like to recruit people to sell "Pie in the Sky" around Davis Square at Thanksgiving time. The organization prepares and delivers meals to people suffering from AIDS and other debilitating illnesses. Their website is servings.org.

Sign at Middlesex Bank: the sign is permitted by zoning, but is not allowed to advertise the bank's services. It is limited by law to time, temperature, and public service announcements. The bank's president(?) was there, and got an earful from people in the room who complained that it does not belong in the Square, is too bright, doesn't fit the building well, and is irritating to the eye. He says he wants the sign to promote community events and activities. We'll see if he listened to the feedback he got.

Someday Cafe and Mr. Crepe: All interested parties were present: Richard Fraiman (who owns the building), Gus Rancatore (who owns the Someday Cafe), Ian Judge (who manages the Somerville Theatre), Mr. Crepe himself (whose real name I did not get), and a whole lot of Someday employees and customers.

The basic facts, agreed upon by all: the Someday's lease expired in February, Rancatore neglected to renew it, and Fraiman did not notify Rancatore of his failure to renew. After several months of hearing nothing from Rancatore, Fraiman entered into negotiation with Mr. Crepe, and last week told Rancatore he needed to vacate by September 1. Mr. Crepe has not yet signed a lease with Fraiman but is close to doing so.

As you might expect, the next hour was quite emotional. Local residents were upset to see a beloved community space about to disappear. Someday employees were unhappy that the city learned of the cafe's fate (and announced it to the public) before they did. Some people said they would never patronize Mr. Crepe if he displaced the Someday. Rancatore apologized for overlooking the lease expiration. People asked if the two businesses could somehow divide the space, or time-share it, or otherwise work together.

In the meeting, Fraiman did not appear to offer much flexibility, but out of public view, there may soon be back-room negotiations involving Fraiman, Rancatore, Mr. Crepe, and Ward 6 alderman Rebekah Gewirtz.

Comments

[chenoameg.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the report.

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Good report, Ron.

Wow, I like the idea of the dog run (because I love dogs), and the possiblility of Someday/Mr. Crepe sharing the space if they can work that out.

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Yeah, Someday coffee and a crepe would make a nice combo! :D

[badseed1980.livejournal.com]

Thanks for this.

It would be nice to see the creation of an off-leash area for dogs. I always worry about the dogs allowed to run loose on the bike path, that they might get hit by someone on a bike (which would also suck for the biker), or run into my building's parking lot and get hit by a car. I know dogs need space to run around, but I feel better if that space is controlled and secure for them when it's in a busy area.

[chumbolly.livejournal.com]

I've got to say, forgetting to renew the lease was a bad move. And threatening to not patronize Mr. Crepe because he got the space doesn't make sense. How is Mr. Crepe the villian?

[ron_newman]

He's not. I feel bad that he had to put up with all of this fuss last night.

[clevernonsense.livejournal.com]

Someday has been losing money for quite some time. I seriously, seriously doubt he "forgot to renew the lease." It just sounds better than "I'm closing down." (Which could result in people boycotting his other establishments.)

[reed-davis.livejournal.com]

Thanks, Ron.
I really appreciate that you attend these meetings and share the info with all those that can't make it.

[mud-puppy.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the update!

I know I won't be very popular when I say this, but I'm actually glad to see Mr. Crepe moving into the square again. Not that I'm glad to see the Someday go, that's just the opposite. Mr. Crepe was always a nice comfortable atmosphere for me and while I understand that the Someday was popular, I never felt terribly comfortable there. The music was too loud and to be honest the staff was, the few times I went there, disinterested and somewhat rude. *shrug* Maybe I just got them on a bad day?

I think it's an interesting idea about sharing the space so that the Someday and Mr. Crepe could continue in Davis, but I don't see how that would actually work. The atmosphere of both businesses are, imo, very different so it's hard for me to see how they could blend them successfully.

Anyways, I wish them both luck. And thank you for the thoughtful update!

[nmi.livejournal.com]

At risk of being unpopular as well... I agree. I have always found Someday to not be very inviting, especially when I first came to Davis. I am happy to see Mr. Crepe back. I loved the crepes there and always hoped that it was in a larger space. I am sorry for the Someday patrons to lose their home... I know I would feel the same way if Diesel was going.

[fanw.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the update. It's really interesting.

That said, why didn't people say "Mr. Crepe, we missed you so much! Thank you for coming back!" Has everyone forgot that they left with much remorse so recently. If we have to lose Someday, I'm glad it's to Mr. Crepe.

[ron_newman]

A few people did. But the whole atmosphere was a bit unfair to him, as the Someday's supporters turned out in force.

[brianbeck.livejournal.com]

Thank you Ron. I think there should be no compromise with the irritating sign at the Bank. It is going to be unsightly no matter what it says on it. I also think the Someday Cafe, as much as I've loved it in the past, has come to the end of its day in its current incarnation. There was an understandably emotional outpouring from those connected with the cafe but I would ask everyone to welcome back Mr. Crepe and let him know how we'd like the new business to fit in with the Square. Imagine if it was a bank or an insurance company moving in instead?

[liamstliam.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the update.

I am absolutely fascinated by this whole process.

Do many other "squares" in the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville area have such task forces?

How long has this been going on in Davis?

[ron_newman]

DSTF started in the late 1970s, to deal with the MBTA's proposal to extend the Red Line. This is before my time, but my understanding is that the T's original plan would have demolished many houses and added large commuter parking garages to the square. Had that happened, none of us would find Davis Square very attractive today.

The Task Force has been meeting ever since, every 6 to 8 weeks, as an informal forum to discuss all public and private developments in or near the Square. It has no officers, dues, formal memberships, or any official power to do anything. But the city will always advise any private developer to present at a Task Force meeting before formally applying for a permit.

[miraclaire.livejournal.com]

thanks for keeping us in the loop!

[ron_newman]

Does anyone here have Mr. Crepe's real name, phone, or e-mail address? I'd love to point him at these comments.

[spettacolo.livejournal.com]

Peter Creyf

Fraiman wanted Someday Out

[spettacolo.livejournal.com]

This whole thing is just very ugly. Fraiman clearly wanted the Someday Cafe out of his buliding and followed the "letter of the law" to make it happen. He claims he was "waiting for Gus to call him to renew the lease" and after 4 months of waiting he "had no choice but to find another tenant" ... what about picking up the phone and ASKING Gus if he wanted to stay? Listening to Mr. Fraiman speak last night was so infuriating. Sure, this is "business" but he lied to everyone last night when he said he "wished the Someday could stay, but they did not renew their lease." He did a backdoor deal and found a new tenant that was more to his liking. Plain and simple.

I used to patronize Mr. Crepe when they were on Holland St. I'm happy to see them returning to Davis Square... but I will have a very hard time patronizing them if they move into the Someday space. Mr Crepe came off as the innocent "man in the middle" last night, but he HAD to know what kind of an uproar it was going to cause to oust the Someday Cafe. If I were a businessman, I wouldn't want to have any part of this type of deal. He is just as much a part of this scenario as Mr. Fraiman. My advice to Mr. Crepe is: Watch your back! Who's to say that Fraiman won't pull something like this on Mr. Crepe in a few years?

I found an interesting post on another message board about the Fraimans... Check it out here: http://cinematreasures.org/theater/325/
Scroll down to the second to last comment.

Davis Square is changing and it's a shame. The "Times Square" message board, the loss of the Someday, and a new CVS megaplex are all going to make Davis Square a worse place. It's the beginning of the slippery slope... We all watched it happen to Harvard Square and now it's on our doorstep.

My brain is still spinning after last night's meeting. I have so many more thoughts but I'm going to stop and take a breath.

(P.S. This is my first post. I had to register on livejournal to add to this discussion. I've lived in 02144 since 1991 and I've been a Someday regular since it opened. I've been to Davis Square almost every day for the last 14 years.)

Re: Fraiman wanted Someday Out

[plumtreeblossom.livejournal.com]

Welcome to the group. Feel free to post your thought as this process moves forward. We talk about Davis basically every day here.

Mod #4 (Mare)

som|dog

[somervilledog.livejournal.com]

I'm really glad I had the opportunity to attend the Davis Square Task Force meeting yesterday evening. I was really impressed, both with the Task Force's organization, and with the commitment, on the part of residents, business owners, neighbor and visitors, to the Davis Square Community. Thanks so much for posting your notes, Ron.

For the benefit of those who did not attend the meeting, I would like to offer a small clarification on the proposal for fenced-in areas for off-leash recreation: a community group like som|dog cannot just build a facility in a public park, no matter how much we would like to!

We would like to work with the neighborhood and with our elected officials to request that the City fence in an area for off-leash recreation on the Community Path.

Not everyone who owns a dog can get to the Nunziato OLRA. (Nunziato Field is about a mile from Davis Square.) Families with dogs in the neighborhood need a place where they may socialize and exercise their dogs without interfering with other people’s enjoyment of the Community Path. Dogs that get enough exercise and that are well-socialized with other dogs and with people are better pets in our families and in our community. A tired dog is a good dog! Dogs that are properly socialized do not bark and lunge at passer-by.

Also, because there is no money in the municipal budget (http://www.ci.somerville.ma.us/section.cfm?org=finance&page=634) for off-leash recreational areas (OLRAs) som|dog donates money to the City's fund for off-leash recreational areas, Somerville Unleashed (http://www.somdog.org/news/733.php).

Cheers,
Michele Biscoe (mailto:michelebiscoe at somervilledog.com?body=Remember to edit the ''at'' symbol (@) in Michele's e-mail address!), Chairperson
Somerville Dog Owners Group (http://www.somdog.org) (som|dog)

[hauntmeister.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the report, Ron! I appreciate your attending these meetings and keeping the rest of us in the loop.

Traffic in the Square

[somervilledog.livejournal.com]

Also, there was a presentation from Mark Chase (LivableStreets (http://www.livablestreets.info/front_page)) about traffic in the Square. I apologise if I have his name/affiliation wrong.

The presentation included an example of a parking mitigation project that was implemented in Pasadena, CA. I understood that, in Pasadena, parking rates were increased not to generate revenue but to mitigate traffic and parking. Revenue generated was directed to a business-area improvement fund.

Representatives from the City's Traffic and Parking Office also spoke about parking in the Square.

Re: Traffic in the Square

[ukelele.livejournal.com]

I was in Pasadena recently, and it has really nightmarish parking issues. But I'm not sure how relevant its experience is to Davis; it has way less public transportation, and culturally people just drive to everything, which they don't here. (One of the things that completely baffled me about CA; despite the wide, flat, well-maintained roads and excellent weather, I saw essentially no cyclists. Conditions here are much worse, yet there are many more cyclists and pedestrians.)

[tsuki-no-bara.livejournal.com]

what they said. *points up* thank you for the update. :>

i'm kind of sorry to see the someday go - they have yummy cheddar cheese scones - but at least they're being replaced with a good local business and not, like, a bank or a chain store.

More notes from Davis Square Task Force Meeting

[lisatmh.livejournal.com]

I wrote this up in conventional story format and may offer it to the Somerville News, but I thought I'd share it with all of you. I welcome any amendments/corrections/additions. Thanks to the person who caught the owner of Mr. Crepe's name.

Iconic Davis Square coffeeshop The Someday Café is likely to close by August 1 as a result of their landlord, Chatham Light, declining to renew their lease and offering the space to a restaurant specializing in crepes.

Building owner Richard Freiman, who also owns The Somerville Theater and the Capitol Theater in Arlington, expected to bring his new tenant, the Mr. Crepe restaurant, to an uneventful presentation to the Davis Square Task Force. But the meeting, moderated by Ward 6 Alderman Rebecca Gewirtz, was packed with supporters of the Someday Café angry at what they saw as Freiman’s underhanded efforts to move the Someday out of his building.

“I know that this has turned into – what I hope is a tempest in a teapot – but maybe it’s just a tempest. We’re here to introduce a business that had left Davis Square, but is now returning, and we will believe will be a very fine business.”

Someday Café owner Gus Rancatore – who also operates the Toscanini’s ice cream shops in Cambridge – had an option to renew the lease that was due by February 1, 2006, claims Freiman. June arrived, but Rancatore didn’t signal his intention to renew the lease, and Freiman didn’t call to remind him but instead sought out other tenants.

“What Richard says is true,” says Rancatore. “I blew by, or didn't pay attention to, the renewal. Normally, in the 25 years I've been in small business, the landlord calls and says, your lease is due. It's a little disingenuous, although it is my legal responsibility. If Richard had asked me I would have told him that I want him to stay. I found out my lease was not being renewed the day I made my final payment to the former owners of the Someday. I would prefer to stay if at all possible.”

Supporters of the café point out the pivotal role the business had in the turnaround of Davis Square. This reporter remembers visiting the café when it opened, when most of the storefronts in the theater building were shuttered and boarded over, and a visitor’s general impression of Davis Square would have been one of empty storefronts and littered streets. The Someday opened in 1992 and attracted business and activity to the square --- and by 1994, Utne Magazine had named Davis one of the hippest urban locales in the nation.

Michael Sullivan, a Someday regular, talks about the mission of Jeff Hale, one of the café’s founders, who passed away after a long battle with leukemia in 2005: “Michael Sullivan: Jeff opened the place there, and he talked about his goal to be a place that you could get a really good cup of coffee and a place for the community to hang out...I had been working with Bread and Jams at that time, and the Someday donated a lot of baked goods and the best coffee the homeless they had ever had. There are people in recovery, people who are poor and have no other place to go, and they can go there and buy a cup of coffee, and it's been a very healing room in this community. To me the Someday cafe is more than just a place to go get a cup of coffee but a place to live in the community in a place where there's healing going on, there's art going on, and there's really great conversation going on.”

More in next comment

Re: More notes from Davis Square Task Force Meeting

[lisatmh.livejournal.com]

Longtime Someday regular and cartoonist Craig Swanson concurs, pointing out that the Someday is more than just a business: “I know of no other business I've ever been to that has a community attached to it to the degree that this one does. It's a community in spite of the Someday! As much as I respect Gus, right now it's turned into a crappy place in a lot of different ways, whether it's the rug or the people from the halfway houses, and I don't blame them, but it made it hard to be. But the community persisted in spite of this, and it's the community that we're here for -- not the business.”

During the meeting it was revealed that the owner of Mr. Crepe had not yet signed a lease on the space. “I feel bad for the whole situation,” says Mr. Crepe owner Peter Creyf, “and I feel that I'm being put in a situation that I don't want to be in.”

But Freiman insists that the death knell for the Someday has rung and that he will not change his mind about dealing the death blow to the café. “I don't want anybody to have any illusions that anything we're going to do is going to change,” says Freiman. “Businesses come and go, and it's difficult and painful, but that's the way it is. I'm sorry, I can't please everybody.”

Disclosure: Although the author has striven to report the events of the meeting with the utmost accuracy, she feels it should be noted that she attended the meeting as an unabashed supporter of the Someday Café and also participated in the meeting, notably in an exchange with the owner of Mr. Crepe in which she offered her opinion that signing a lease resulting from an apparently legal yet unfair effort to remove a current tenant would be unethical.

comment from someone else at the meeting

[ron_newman]

Someone else who attended the meeting sent me these comments and asked me to post them, but without her name attached. Remember these are her opinions and not mine:

The big elephant in the room is that the current owner of the Someday allowed this to happen by not caring enough about his business to keep it clean, pleasant and safe. Come on, Gus, it's not that hard. You ran it into the ground, and always had some excuse for not keeping it up. Before Gus, the Someday was an important place. It changed constantly throughout the day. It was always little gritty and edgy, but didn't have to deteriorate into a dirty flophouse. Jeff Hale started something better than that. You can be edgy and alternative and still run a good business.

Many of us Someday regulars continued to go there because of the relationships we had forged, not beause of its current condition. No wonder the landlord was thrilled to have Gus be so forgetful at lease time. I think that this is the agenda that Fraimen didn't 'fess up to openly last night.

Davis Sq. is becoming more and more homogenous. The Diesel had potential, but I find it much less welcoming and personal than the Someday. But to each his own- it's nice to have choices about where to hang out.

Davis Sq. is destroying itself.

The space could have been much more than just another place to get food in Davis Sq. A well-run and welcoming haven- a good cafe-- is what is needed- a place where it is comfortable to have meetings, write in journals, do art, talk about books, check in with friends. Also, have a clean floor.

Shame on Gus for letting this treasure fall to pieces.

Mr Crepe may be a nice guy, and I'm sure his crepes are wonderful, but I know he will never welcome us with a sign on his door saying "Sorry- We're Open."

The end of the square

[cvsnothanks.livejournal.com]

The square is turning a corner. It is now a revolving door of restaurants, opening & closing. One frustrating part of the Someday situation is the staff and the community put tons of effort into advising Gus how to make it work.

This whole thing speaks to the basic core of our society. We are a commerce oriented society. Guys like Fraiman get all the breaks. Community interest is payed attention to about as much as i pay attention to the fast food joint in the square.

To all the people who weren't "comfortable" in the cafe: get over it or get out of town. This place is full of all types of pwople and your attitude strikes of classism in the biggest way.

Re: The end of the square

[cleanup-davissq.livejournal.com]

thanks for the econmomics lesson. that ain't "classism" I'm just fed up with vagrants hanging around hassling law abiding people

Somerville Journal article on Someday closing

[ron_newman]

from today's Somerville Journal: Someday Café closes in August. This was written before last night's meeting.

A Boston Globe reporter was at the meeting, so we can also expect an article there within the next few days.

[oakenguy.livejournal.com]

I find it interesting that the 3 or 4 Someday supporters in this batch of comments are all people with brand new LJs.

I have no idea what it means, but it's interesting.

[ron_newman]

It means that discussions like this are bringing new folks to our LJ community. Which is a great thing to see!

[awwwfancy.livejournal.com]

It's too bad about the Someday, but I love Mr. Crepe and his delicious silly French pancakes. I was adamant that I'd NEVER get a sandwich (or pasta! or soup! or air!) from Dave's after it expanded into the beloved creperie, but they've done a great job with it and make delicious sandwiches. I hope that Mr. Crepe saved all of the little foil animals that graced the counter. I also hope that they get some of the same excellent staff. I embrace Mr. Crepe; I just wish his re-entrance wasn't under this cloud of fury and feeling of unfairness.

Welcome back Mr. Crepe!

[shana-lyons.livejournal.com]

I agree with awwwfancy! I do feel bad that the Someday is going away, but I'm thrilled that Mr. Crepe is returning. They were my hands down favorite lunch in the Square.

Look, I have no idea if Someday was making money, losing money, whatever, but if the man didn't mind his business well enough to lock in his lease, that seems a bit strange. Have you ever forgotten when your lease was ending? Most businesses are very focused on managing their fixed costs and you'd have to assume rent was a major one. I know my company began negotiations with our landlord well before the lease was up because moving is such a task that if we had to do it, we needed time to plan.

We need successful independent businesses in the Square to keep out chains. Mr. Crepe is going to be welcomed back by alot of people. I hope they prosper in that space. I'd much rather see a Mr. Crepe than a Baby Gap or something equally annoying. It's a fairly reasonably priced eatery with good food. I'll bet alot of people buy their crepes and go sit on the picnic tables in the square. That will contribute to the social environment, which I think will be a plus. This is far from a disaster for our neighborhood.

Welcome back Mr. Crepe!