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davis_squareLast 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.
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.
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no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 03:02 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 03:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 04:12 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 05:08 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 05:30 pm (UTC)Given that what bikers already *do* is go along the back of the parking lot and down the busway, I'm not sure what that plan would accomplish other than spend money, though...
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 05:47 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 05:55 pm (UTC)and lite brights dangling from its underside.
-rek
no subject
Date: 2007-02-27 07:21 pm (UTC)