Burren gets 2 am license, and other Davis news

[ron_newman]

Last night, the Licensing Commission granted The Burren a probationary extension of hours to 2 am on Friday and Saturday nights. They will review it again in six months. Former mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay spoke in support. I didn't attend this very crowded meeting, but a Somerville Journal reporter did, and you can read her report here.

While that was going on upstairs, I attended the rather placid Davis Square Task Force meeting downstairs. There's not really much news to report from it:

Boloco and Chipotle both gave presentations. The founder of Boloco handed out free mini-burritos and coupons for $1 burritos. Chipotle expects to open on July 1 in the former Buck-a-Book space. They will have 34 seats indoors and another 20 out on the plaza across from Starbucks. They will serve beer, but not margaritas (those would require a full liquor license). If anyone wants to try Chipotle before then, they just opened one at Wellington Circle in Medford. All Chipotle restaurants are company-owned, not franchises.

Mayor Curtatone commissioned a study of hotel demand in Somerville, which you can read on the city's web site. The study suggests a 100-125 room hotel on one of three vacant sites in Davis Square -- the Day-Herbert city parking lot, the private parking lot behind One Davis Square, or the Buena Vista garage next to Harvard Vanguard. I asked whether a hotel of this size could be built within the current zoning's 4-story/50-foot height limit, and the city officials said yes. Sara Rosenfeld reminded us that Mayor Capuano made a similar push for a Davis Square hotel back in 1992, but nothing had happened at the time.

Discussion of the bike path connection through Davis Square was postponed until the next meeting, whose date hasn't yet been set.

Comments

[tt02144.livejournal.com]

I find this discussion concerning a hotel in Davis Square laughable. I don't see any way it would ever happen ~ the square simply could not sustain a building of that magnitude, without no longer being 'Davis Square' that is. The really funny part is the suggestions of its' location, especially that it should be on vacant land, rather than a place with an existing business or building. And then the locations suggested are parking lots. Are they not considered businesses? Newman made the suggestion that a 'tax-paying hotel' would be preferable to a parking lot. Are people so out of touch that they don't realize that parking lots pay taxes? And to suggest that you would need less than .5 spaces per room beause 'people are going to come here by public transit or taxi' is completely absurd. I would suggest that while some might, most people who are travelling do not consider hopping onto public transportation (especially in Boston) for an hours' trip which covers about 5 miles and several changes to be a fun trip - especially while toting luggage! I think Orleans, the Burren, Sagra, and other businesses would not be happy to lose an entire parking lot.

[ron_newman]

Two of the three parking lots are owned by the city, so in fact they pay no taxes. The third one is privately owned, but a parking lot surely pays less in taxes than would a commercial development.

Parking

[vonelftinhaus.livejournal.com]

I believe the parking lot behind the Burren & McDonald's is owned by the owner of that building and the city is in negotiations with him as we speak.

Re: Parking

[ron_newman]

but that isn't one of the three lots that the Mayor's report identifies as suitable for a hotel. It's quite a bit smaller than any of those three lots.

[gildersleeve.livejournal.com]

Just as a point of history, Davis Square did have a hotel, the Woodbridge, I think it was called. It was about 35-40 rooms and located where the current Ciampa Manor on College Avenue stands. As I recall, it burned down around in the late 70's. Certainly 35-40 rooms is very different than 150 rooms.