2026-09-30 - Zoning Board of Appeals

00:04It is now 6:00

00:08p.m.

00:09Welcome to the September 30th, 2026

00:13meeting of the Somerville Zoning Board

00:15of Appeals. Tonight, I will serve as

00:17your acting chair. I'm Anne Brocklman.

00:20Pursuant to chapter two of the acts of

00:232025, this meeting of the Somerville

00:25zoning board of appeals will be

00:27conducted via remote participation. A

00:30video recording of these proceedings

00:33will be available on the city websites

00:35meetings and events page or by emailing

00:39zoning boardsville

00:42ma.gov.

00:45There are five voting members of the

00:46board tonight. Um they are Susan Fontano

00:50who's here tonight but will be attending

00:52off camera even though she's not feeling

00:55too well. Um Olivia Moade, Sicia Dalian,

01:00and Brian Cook who will be our clerk

01:02tonight. And myself and Brocklman your

01:05acting chair. The city of Somerville

01:08staff joining us this evening are Kit

01:10Luster,

01:12Alvaro Esparza, and Kelly Olaflin.

01:17So, um,

01:20on the agenda, we have general business

01:22and then we have three cases and we'll

01:24go in order of the cases. Uh, Brian

01:28Cook, Mr. Clerk, please proceed.

01:31>> Uh, yes, Madam Chair. Um, I move to

01:34approve the zoning board of appeals

01:36minutes for the August 19, 2026 and the

01:40September 2nd, 2026 meetings.

01:44>> Do I have a second?

01:47Second.

01:49>> Any comments?

01:50>> Second.

01:52>> Any comments from the board on the

01:54meeting minutes? Okay. Approved as

01:57noted.

01:59Uh roll call vote then.

02:07Uh Olivia,

02:09>> yes.

02:10>> Cecia,

02:12>> yes.

02:13>> Uh Susan,

02:14>> yes.

02:16Brian Cook.

02:17>> Yes.

02:19>> Myself and Joelman. Um motion passes.

02:22The minutes are approved.

02:29So we'll go to the cases.

02:33Um third 333 Highland Avenue. Um Brian

02:38Kley, please open the case.

02:41>> Yes, Madam Chair. I would like to open

02:45333 Highland Avenue ZP26-000048.

02:53Von Wong propose proposes alterations

02:57and additions to an existing

03:00non-conforming principal building which

03:02has four units when the maximum is three

03:05units in the neighborhood residents NR

03:08zoning district which requires a special

03:11permit.

03:13>> Great. Is the applicant team here staff

03:17has promoted everybody needed? Uh yes.

03:20Uh this is the applicant fan. Uh there's

03:24a um unfortunately a situation. Uh my

03:27architect initially planned to do a

03:30presentation. Uh but unfortunately she

03:33had a family emergency. One of the

03:35family member just uh passed today. So

03:39unfortunately she is not able to u make

03:42the presentation herself. But I would um

03:46take her place and uh explain to to the

03:48board uh what the major key points we we

03:51plan to do.

03:53>> Okay. I'm very sorry to hear that. Uh

03:56condolences to her and your team. Um so

04:00please state your name and address for

04:01the record and then you can begin your

04:04presentation.

04:05>> Okay. Thank you. Uh my name is Fan Wong.

04:08I'm the co-owner and applicant for the

04:11333 Highlander Avenue. uh property.

04:17Um without uh further ado, good evening

04:20chair and members of the board, um thank

04:24you for hearing my application tonight.

04:27Um I just explained that uh due to the

04:31emer uh family emergency of my

04:33architect, she is um dialing in and she

04:36is listening in. Uh but unfortunately um

04:39I would have to um do the presentation

04:42uh myself. Um I just really um

04:45appreciate you accommodating this. Um so

04:48I I would like to walk you through the

04:51project first. Uh Highland 333 Highland

04:55Avenue is an existing 4unit residential

04:59building in the neighborhood residence

05:02district. Because the existing 4unit use

05:05is a non-conforming under the current

05:08zoning. We are requesting a special

05:10permit for the proposed renovation and

05:13additions. An important uh important

05:16point is that uh we are not adding any

05:19doubling unit. Uh all the units are

05:22existing. Uh the property will remain a

05:25four unit residential building. Um the

05:28purpose of the project is to

05:30comprehensively renovate and modernize

05:33the existing house and improve the

05:36functionality and living space of the

05:38existing units. Um I uh if you don't

05:42mind I could just uh show the plan as as

05:45you walk you through it. Um

05:47>> yes please.

05:48>> I would just have to uh to do a screen

05:51share. Uh let me try to send a request

05:54and I [clears throat] have the

05:56presentation already open.

05:59>> This is Kit. You should be all set to

06:02screen share now.

06:03>> Okay, sure. Uh let me just see how do I

06:07share in this setting. Um

06:15okay, I think I uh I now have access to

06:19it. Okay.

06:22Um,

06:24complete

06:26share. Okay. Are you able to to see my

06:30screen now?

06:33>> Yes.

06:34>> Okay. Perfect. Um, I'm just

06:36[clears throat] uh showing the

06:38elevation. Uh, this is the view directly

06:41from uh the Highland Avenue side. Uh,

06:44this is the the main uh front of the

06:47house. As I mentioned earlier, it's a

06:49it's a corner lot. So, we are facing

06:52Highland Avenue on the front. Um, and

06:55then the secondary front, it's Leslie

06:58Avenue. Um,

07:01I would uh just try to um so we are just

07:06on this corner. The proposal retains the

07:09existing building and makes the addition

07:11and the modification around it rather to

07:14replace it. Uh so you can see that u we

07:18um we add uh a sidew um I don't know if

07:22you can see my my cursor around uh we

07:25are adding just about 6 ft of a sidew

07:29expansion on the Lesley Avenue side. Uh

07:33so this is basically the the the bay

07:36window uh area.

07:38not a large area and it's all fully

07:41conforming with uh the current zoning

07:43dimensional requirement for uh for uh

07:47such a building. Um previously we we had

07:51a more like a hip roof uh on the top. Uh

07:55the new proposal uh we plan to to do a

07:58gable roof. Uh so the the main gable

08:01would go from the Highland Avenue uh

08:05south to north direction. Uh and then

08:08for the side wing it also has a more

08:10like a gable roof goes east and west. Uh

08:14but the main roof is um is south uh east

08:19uh southwest sorry uh north south uh

08:23direction. Um those bay windows uh on

08:27the island avenue side they're uh pretty

08:30much uh maintained. Currently there's

08:33already uh such a structure.

08:36Um the the principal changes include the

08:40set of wing the bay projection um and

08:43also um we had some domers added uh to

08:49to the roof. Um we also plan to do

08:53renovation finishing of the basement

08:56modification to windows and doors rear

08:59decks uh which I'm going to show you in

09:02the next uh slides. So this is the the

09:06back of the house uh basically if uh

09:09this is when you when you look uh facing

09:13Highland Avenue um like Highland Avenue

09:17on the front and this is the the back

09:19side of it. Uh currently there's a uh

09:22there's already a back porch. Uh we are

09:24just going to uh enlarge it and also uh

09:28extend it to all the way to the third

09:30floor. Uh that is still within all the

09:33dimensional requirement. So there's no

09:35no bridge or exemption uh we are

09:37requesting.

09:39Um and um there is also uh a parking

09:44area at the rare. Um the planning staff

09:48described the projects as a creating

09:51approximately 1,610

09:54square foot of additional living space

09:57within the expanded existing 4unit

10:00residence. Uh so uh for the parking

10:03situation uh I'm just going to to show

10:08uh I have another slide. Um I I don't

10:11know if uh

10:13uh if you got to see that.

10:16Um I think I have a bit of trouble

10:20switching uh the slides. Okay. I don't

10:23know if you if you see the the land

10:25survey now.

10:27>> No, we don't. Uh we we do see your

10:29cursor moving around, but it's the same

10:31elevations.

10:33>> Oh, okay. Maybe maybe I I'll walk you

10:35through the land survey. I may have to

10:37stop share the um the uh architecture

10:41plan in order to switch to the land

10:43survey. Yes, maybe uh I'll just do that

10:46later. Uh so maybe um just forgive me

10:49for uh not showing you the uh the

10:53parking situation. Uh but let me just uh

10:55maybe continue uh about uh the uh Lesley

11:00Avenue uh elevation. So I'm going um one

11:05page back. Uh this is a when you are

11:08standing at Lesley Avenue uh what you

11:11see the house basically the east and the

11:14west direction. You [clears throat]

11:15would be looking from the east towards

11:17the west. Uh so this highlight um the

11:21the sidew in the middle. This is a uh

11:24more ex uh expanded six feet um further

11:30east. um to uh towards Les Lesley

11:34Avenue. Uh it also fits all the

11:36dimensional requirement uh of the

11:39current zoning. There's no uh exemption

11:42uh we are requesting. Uh and this uh we

11:45added you can see there are two bay

11:48structure here. Uh it has a gable roof

11:51on the top. Uh there's no domer on this

11:54direction.

12:00Um

12:03uh so also I want to uh highlight that

12:05you can see clearly from uh from this

12:07elevation slide uh there's no increase

12:10in in the height of the roof. It pretty

12:13much matches the previous roof height.

12:21Um I think in uh during our neighborhood

12:23meeting a neighbor asked about uh

12:27possible impact on his existing solar

12:30panels uh next door. He is uh our

12:33neighbor uh just uh on Highland Avenue

12:37west of our property directly. And my

12:40architect explained back then that the

12:43proposed roof and the domer will not

12:46create a a substantial impact of

12:48sunlight on his solar panels because the

12:52the height isn't really increasing and

12:54also because uh it's a it's a gable uh

12:57shaped roof. So you can see this is the

13:00side that facing my neighbor with the

13:03solar panel. There's only uh two small

13:06domers being added on on this side. And

13:09the main roof line is uh in the middle

13:12of the house, so it's still pretty far

13:14from my neighbor's house. There's also

13:17um I believe my neighbor's driveway uh

13:20between my house and and his house.

13:23Um so um maybe um if you have uh no

13:29questions about this slide I'll just go

13:32back to the drier elevation. Um

13:38>> um at the rare the project include uh

13:41the deck that I've already uh walked you

13:44through the um

13:47uh I want to maybe now I I think u most

13:52of the uh elevations I've already uh

13:55addressed. I just want to point out that

13:58the added parking spot is right behind

14:01the house around where my cursor is

14:04showing. If you kind of uh imagine a

14:08threedimensional uh area, it will be

14:11here. We would have a curb cut. Uh

14:14initially we applied for um two parking

14:18spot and during the zoning review

14:20process staff pointed out that um

14:24partially one of the spout is on the

14:26frontage of uh of the sidewing facing

14:29Lesley Avenue. Uh because of that we uh

14:33reduced one parking spot and made made

14:35it a um rather a patio uh with elevated

14:40stone separating the patio and the

14:43parking spot just to uh to want to make

14:47that clear. Um and then in terms of

14:50staff reveal and conditions we have

14:53fully revealed the planning staff's memo

14:56as well as the supplemental staff memo.

15:00We appreciate the staff's review of the

15:02project and understand that the staff

15:05recommends approval with conditions.

15:08Staff concluded that granting the

15:10special permit would not cause a sub

15:12substantial detriment to the public good

15:16or substantially uh dergate from the

15:19intent and the purpose of the

15:21neighborhood residents district. SP

15:24staff also found that the proposed

15:26expansion is consistent with the overall

15:29pattern of the development in the

15:30neighborhood and that the project

15:32conforms to the applicable design

15:35guidelines for the district. So I would

15:38like to confirm for the uh confirmed for

15:41the board that we have reviewed the rec

15:45recommendations and agreed to abide by

15:48those uh conditions. This include

15:50maintaining the existing four unit

15:53count, physically separating the patio

15:56from the driveway as required,

15:58completing the historical preservation

16:01commission demolition review process um

16:04which is uh currently ongoing. We have a

16:06hearings already scheduled. Uh and also

16:09of course we need to um record the

16:13decision and comply with any other

16:16applicable green score reviews if

16:18updated construction cost information

16:21triggers that in uh requirement. Uh so

16:25to conclude I have uh worked with our

16:29architect, the planning staff, our

16:32neighbors through the review process and

16:35our objective has been to modernize this

16:38existing 4-unit house while keeping the

16:41renovation compatible with the property

16:44and surrounding residential

16:45neighborhood. Uh we respectively request

16:48the board's approval of this special

16:51permit subject to the staff recommended

16:54conditions. Uh I really appreciate uh

16:57your review and uh I'm happy to answer

17:00any questions you may have. Uh also um

17:05uh as I mentioned uh my uh architect is

17:08uh is dialing in listening in but uh

17:10unfortunately um she just overwhelmed

17:13with with her family situation.

17:16Uh so I uh I could bring up any uh

17:20drawings or uh anything uh in place of

17:24my uh my architect if you uh if you like

17:26to see any further information. Thank

17:29you.

17:30>> Yes, you had mentioned um a plot plan or

17:32site plan.

17:33>> Uh yes, [clears throat] sure. Uh let me

17:35just uh maybe stop share this architect

17:38plan as quickly to to the other plan.

17:48Okay, here I hope you can see it now.

17:51Yes.

17:52>> Okay, great. Uh, so this is the the plot

17:54plan. Uh, let me just to zoom up a

17:57little bit. Uh, so the the bottom is a

18:00is the Highland Avenue and the Lesley

18:02Avenue is [clears throat] on the right

18:03side. Uh, for the driveway parking, uh,

18:07this area is the the new driveway.

18:10Initially we applied for two parking

18:12spots side by side. Um but um with the

18:17with the zoning requirement u we are

18:20just highlighting this dash line would

18:23[clears throat] be elevated stone

18:24border. Uh so the driveway just going to

18:27accommodate only one parking spot. Uh

18:30and then the rest will make a patio for

18:33uh for the residents.

18:38And you had mentioned a curb cut. That's

18:40a new curb cut going correct.

18:44>> Uh it would be at the end of the

18:46driveway um highlighted by uh by this

18:51two cuts.

18:54>> Thank you. Well, um very clear

18:58presentation. Thank you. Uh I think I

19:02will move now to open the public comment

19:05portion of this hearing. So, to the

19:07public, if you'd like to speak on this

19:09application, please raise your hand and

19:12staff will unmute you. Uh, each person

19:15will be given two minutes to provide

19:17your comments. Uh, please remember to

19:19state your name and address for the

19:21record.

19:25So, we can give it a few minutes.

19:29>> Madame Chair, this is Kit. I don't see

19:31anyone currently with their hand raised.

19:36Okay. Um, so I'll close the public

19:41comment portion of the hearing and we'll

19:43move to board discussion. Um, board

19:46member, any discussion or questions for

19:51the applicant.

20:03I see no

20:06um

20:10no questions. I guess I um for the I

20:16maybe I can make a few comments myself.

20:18Um

20:20it's a pre-existing non-conforming

20:23condition, right? There are already four

20:25units. Um

20:28and your all of your expansions are

20:31within the dimensional requirements. So

20:33if this were four

20:35um four units were allowed, it would be

20:38by right. You're not asking for any

20:40dimensional relief.

20:44>> That's a correct chair.

20:46>> And can you explain again the historic

20:49preservation

20:51commission? Do you have to go back to

20:53them after this? Um we had one hearing

20:57is to establish historical significance

21:00and the HPC board has um voted they

21:05believe this is historically significant

21:07because we are so close to David Square

21:10which is um a focal point of

21:13Somerville's history. Um and then the

21:16next public hearing at HPC is scheduled

21:19for October 20th. they would uh decide

21:23whether this is a preferably preserved

21:26or not. So it's a pending uh their

21:29decision.

21:32So if the vote is to preferably preserve

21:35then you cannot go forward with your

21:38proposal.

21:45Um I see Susan has her hand raised but

21:48let I think maybe staff alo

21:52you'd like to answer the question?

21:54>> Yes. Um, thank you, Madam Chair. Uh,

21:56Albert Sparza for the record, the case

21:58planner. Um, yes. So, in the case that

22:02the, uh, house is found pressally

22:04preserved, uh, the applicant may decide

22:06if they would like to engage with a

22:08memorandum of agreement process with the

22:10city um, where they could look at the

22:13proposed plans and see if they meet the

22:15requirements. If that's the case, the

22:17special permit will maintain. um if

22:19there's a case that there has to be

22:20various changes to it, they will have to

22:22come back to the zoning board to make

22:24the um presentation and request for the

22:27changes that matter at that point.

22:30>> Thank you. Um and Susan Fontano, you

22:34have your hand raised. Go ahead.

22:36>> Yes. I just had a quick question.

22:39Up in the uh the report, it says that

22:43the FE this owned by the family 80

22:45years.

22:47Are you part of the family,

22:50Fang W?

22:51>> No, I I'm not. It it it was owned by um

22:56by a family that um uh basically the uh

23:00the previous owner who sold the house uh

23:03was the daughter and uh she she I

23:07believe she um she grew up in in this

23:10house.

23:12Oh, because I'm reading

23:15the the uh staff report and it mentions

23:18in there that it was owned for 80 years

23:21and I thought I read it like the

23:23original family. That's all I was

23:24questioning.

23:26So, this is uh what is this going to be?

23:28All condos?

23:30>> Uh yes, we we plan to to do condos.

23:34>> Yep. And how are you doing to next door

23:36neighbor now? You mentioned all the

23:37solar PL panels. Did I also read in the

23:40report that uh neighborhood I got a we

23:43do have one letter from a Christine

23:47Stone that she's an object to this. Do

23:50you know about that?

23:52>> I actually don't know.

23:56>> No.

23:57>> Okay.

24:02>> You don't know. Okay.

24:03>> Yeah. I also have the objection letter.

24:06So I'm um unfortunately not aware if you

24:09could explain what what's the objection.

24:12I I would like to

24:14>> Yeah, let me see. Let me see quickly.

24:16I'll let us see if anybody else has any

24:17comments, but let me see where it is.

24:19Right here. One second.

24:21>> Uh Madame Chair, this is Brian. I I can

24:23help Susan with that.

24:26>> Um the person Yeah. Yeah.

24:29>> Person's not aware of the project

24:31details.

24:33um was only raising objections if there

24:35was going to be an increase in the units

24:39uh and therefore the density

24:41>> that's it

24:42>> um and and therefore require calculation

24:45of an affordable unit but since there's

24:48no change in the number of units I don't

24:51think the neighborhood

24:54members [clears throat] comments

24:56uh raise an objection since there's no

24:58change in the number of units

25:01>> okay Beautiful. That I want I just

25:03pulled it up and I'm reading it with

25:04you. I knew she was under objection to I

25:06want to know the applicant here. So, who

25:10are you? Are you an owner?

25:12>> I'm the co-owner. Yes,

25:13>> you're the owner. Oh, okay.

25:15>> All right.

25:16>> Beautiful. All right. Um, that's it.

25:19Thank you so much.

25:21>> Thank you, Susan. Um, we we do have the

25:24meeting. It's from the April 9th

25:26neighborhood meeting.

25:29Um and it seemed like there were no

25:31objections.

25:32>> No.

25:33>> Then is that right?

25:36>> Alvaro.

25:39>> Thank you, chair. Um just to one point

25:42uh that u member Fontano made uh during

25:46the neighborhood meeting there was a

25:47butter that uh mentioned the solar

25:50panels. Um however, the architect in

25:53there also presented the shadow study uh

25:55showing that there will be no major

25:57variations from it. Um, so that's part

25:59also of the notes within the

26:00neighborhood within the neighborhood

26:02meeting reports uh or minutes.

26:06>> Thank you.

26:09>> So, is everyone ready to vote? Any more

26:12comments or questions for the applicant?

26:16>> Brian Cook.

26:17>> Uh, thank you, Madam Chair. I just want

26:19to confirm, at least from my point of

26:21view, that the staff responses to the

26:26special permit considerations

26:29uh are satisfactory.

26:31And so if we're going to move forward, I

26:34will just make note that they'll be

26:36entered as part of the they'll be

26:38referenced as part of a motion for

26:41consideration of the board.

26:47Does everyone agree or would anyone like

26:50to

26:52amend or add to

26:54the conditions as written in the staff

26:57report?

27:05>> No,

27:07I think

27:08>> no.

27:09>> I think that's your answer, Mr. Cook.

27:12>> Right. Okay. Um, please uh make a

27:14motion.

27:16>> Thank you. Um, I move to approve the

27:18special permit for alterations and

27:21additions to an existing non-conforming

27:24principal building in the NR zoning

27:26district based on the required special

27:29permit considerations and findings as

27:32just discussed and incorporating the

27:34permit conditions as detailed in the

27:36staff memo dated September 25, 2026.

27:42Do I have a second, please?

27:44>> Second.

27:46>> Seconded by Susan Fontano.

27:49Uh, vote. Susan Fontano,

27:52>> yes.

27:54>> Olivia Moade,

27:55>> yes.

27:57>> Stissia Dian,

27:59>> yes.

28:00>> Brian Cook,

28:01>> yes.

28:02>> Myself, and Brocklleman,

28:05yes. The motion passes.

28:09Okay.

28:11Uh, thank you.

28:12>> Thank you. Thank you for

28:13>> playing. You did a great job. [laughter]

28:17>> I was very nervous

28:18>> presenting. Yes. [clears throat]

28:20>> Okay. Byebye. Good night.

28:23>> Good night.

28:29>> Uh, next case is 61

28:32Boston Street. Um, Mr. Cook, will our

28:36can our clerk open the case, please?

28:38>> Yes, madam chair. 61 Boston Street

28:42ZP2600000061

28:47Adam Esquire on behalf of Jacob S.

28:50Taylor and Janet Smith Taylor proposes

28:53to expand the nonconformity for the rear

28:56setback of a two family structure in the

28:59neighborhood residents NR zoning

29:01district

29:03which requires a section six finding.

29:09Good evening.

29:10>> Good evening, Mr. Dash. Is your team all

29:12here?

29:13>> Uh, they are here, but they need

29:14promotion. Um, Adam Glman, the

29:16architect, has his hand up as an

29:18attendee. If he could be promoted, as

29:19well as I see Jacob Taylor in the list

29:21as well. I don't know. I don't see his

29:23wife Janet Taylor, but if she's there

29:25separately, he could promote her. If

29:26not, maybe they're together. At any

29:28rate, attorney Adam Dash, 48 Grove

29:31Street, Somerville, representing the

29:33applicants and the owners and the

29:34residents of 61 Boston Street, which are

29:37Jacob and Janet Taylor. And Jacob and

29:40Janet Taylor should be here, as well as

29:42Adam Glassman, the architect. So, we're

29:44here regarding a small special permit

29:46for a pre-existing non-conforming rear

29:49setback uh in a two family structure

29:51pursuant to Mass General Laws Chapter

29:5348, Section 6. Um, and this is owned by

29:57the tailor who live there. Uh, I have um

30:01Oh, Adam, you did that. I was going to

30:03do that. Okay.

30:05Can you go back to slide one then if

30:07you're running the slideshow? There we

30:09go. Thank you. Uh, you want to go to

30:11slide two now?

30:13There. So, there's a picture of the

30:14property. Um it's a detached house

30:17building type in the NR zoning district

30:19which is pre-existing non-conforming

30:21structure on a number of dimensions

30:23including the rear setback which is at

30:24issue tonight. Uh next slide.

30:29Yeah. So these nonconformities can be

30:31seen. Can you go to the site the site

30:32plan I think is the next one?

30:35No there we go. Um these

30:37non-conformities can be seen on the site

30:39plan. You can see the red lines which

30:40are the required setbacks and you can

30:42see how the building goes beyond them in

30:44a number of directions but we're only

30:46talking about the back this evening. Um

30:49so the um applicants seek to expand

30:51their house in several respects by right

30:54and that's what you're seeing here.

30:55However, the part which will expand the

30:57first and second floor decks will

30:59increase the existing non-conforming

31:02rear setback by 6 in. Yeah, thank you.

31:04That's that's showing the expansion. The

31:07purpose in doing this work is to provide

31:09more outdoor accessible outdoor amenity

31:11space with the decks for Jacob's mother.

31:14And this is a very small change and 6 in

31:17but technically requires the special

31:19permit being sought tonight. So this

31:21slide um is showing the whole project

31:24which um just to be open and honest with

31:26you what's going on but only that 6-in

31:28rear setback special permit is what

31:30we're talking about. You go to the next

31:32one, Adam.

31:34All right. And you can see here on the

31:35dimensional table the rest of the work

31:36is by right except for that needs relief

31:38which is that rear setback I was

31:40describing. And at this point I think

31:42Adam Glassman should probably um work

31:44his way through the rest of the slides

31:45and show you the project. Adam.

31:48>> Uh sure. Good evening. This is Adam

31:50Glass with GCD Architects. Uh the slide

31:53we're looking at now is a site plan

31:56showing some of the uh the buy work

31:58happening um on the third floor level

32:01and then this porch addition. And if you

32:03can see my cursor, this little bit in

32:06here is what requires the the um the

32:08special permit.

32:11Uh just open space plans. Uh conforming

32:14open space plans. Again, the porch

32:16addition. This shows again this little

32:19bit of this wedge of the porch that

32:21requires a special permit.

32:24Uh rendered views looking from the front

32:26um on the right side. This area in the

32:28back, which is a sun room, will be

32:30modified.

32:31This first floor entry porch will be

32:34modified and slightly enlarged and then

32:37above it will be this new uh this new

32:41this new porch. The by right work

32:44includes an extension of the the roof

32:47level um and a dormer.

32:51A view from the rear right looking

32:53directly at the area of work. this

32:56existing sun room. Here's again is the

32:58rear entry will all be modified

33:01uh with this work for the porch.

33:05Everything happening above the second

33:06floor is as of right.

33:09Another view. This little piece of the

33:11back porch here again if you can see my

33:12cursor is all that requires zoning

33:14relief.

33:17Uh another view showing the work. Uh

33:19again this area here is the rear of the

33:22porches for which we're seeking relief.

33:26our floor plans. Uh the existing porch

33:28does creep over um the rear setback and

33:33we'd be rebuilding this portion of it

33:35and extending it um a little bit to the

33:38right.

33:40The stairs uh which serve as second

33:42means of egress would be straightened

33:44out and made safer.

33:47Uh the porch addition again here at the

33:52first floor level where we have entries

33:55for unit one and unit 2, the

33:57reconstructed egress stair. Uh then we

34:00get to the second floor level and again

34:02the porch in the back right hand corner.

34:07Uh our attic plans, there's nothing here

34:10um requiring zoning relief. Uh but we

34:13are doing an attic um expansion and uh

34:16renovation and a new roof deck in the

34:18rear.

34:21Uh showing this again the buy right work

34:24at the attic level the roof deck and the

34:26porch below creeping over the rear lot

34:28line.

34:30Our elevations which show the same thing

34:32I've already gone over a few times in

34:34different ways.

34:36on the right side. The porch additions

34:39view from the the rear. Again, the

34:42proposed porch additions.

34:44No views of the porch on the left side.

34:48And that is the last uh slide of the

34:51presentation.

34:53>> You go back to the um slide that showed

34:54the site plan with the work that you

34:57just Yeah, there you go. Thanks. So,

34:59thanks Adam. Uh the tailor uh meet the

35:02requirements for section 6 special per

35:04because while expanding the decks causes

35:06the non-conforming rear setback to go

35:08from 17 1/2 ft to 17 ft I'm sorry 17.5

35:13ft to 17 ft where 20 ft is the

35:15requirement in the zoning ordinance.

35:16This increase is not noticeable and is

35:19not readily visible from the street.

35:21It's the rear setback. The project will

35:23meet the intents of summervision and the

35:25NR zoning district by allowing the

35:27property to adapt and meet uh and change

35:29to meet the needs of the residents and

35:31by keeping the two family use. The

35:34increase will not substantially be more

35:35detrimental than the existing

35:37nonconformity due to the neighborhood

35:39and this increase is dimminimous and

35:41allows for the decks to be usable uh

35:43better as an outdoor amenity space. You

35:46have letters of support from 59 and 63

35:49Boston Street who are the abuters to 61.

35:52Uh as st in support of it uh stated in

35:54the staff memo, staff does not believe

35:56that granting the special permit will

35:57cause substantial detriment to the

35:59public good or nullify or substantially

36:01deriggate from the intent or purpose of

36:03the zoning of the NR district.

36:06Therefore, the tailor asked that the

36:07board grant the requested relief. Thank

36:09you.

36:14You can take those slides off.

36:20>> Um, that's your presentation, Mr. Glass,

36:24Mr. Dash. Okay.

36:25>> Yeah. Yeah, that's it. [clears throat]

36:26We're questions and whatever.

36:29>> Um, I'll move um we'll open the public

36:33portion of this hearing. If anyone would

36:36like to speak on this application,

36:38please raise your hand. Then staff will

36:39unmute you. You will be given two

36:41minutes to provide your comments. Please

36:44remember to state your name and address

36:46for the record each time you speak.

36:56>> Madame Chair, this is Kit. Uh I

36:59currently do not see anyone with their

37:00hand raised.

37:04I guess six inches doesn't get

37:07everyone's

37:08um [sighs and gasps]

37:10out out tonight. Um I'll close a public

37:13portion then and let's move to board

37:16discussion. Um

37:18board members, any questions, comments?

37:26No, I'm hearing none. I can ask one. Um,

37:30I of course I wondered why you needed

37:32the 6 in if you couldn't jog it. Um,

37:34could you go to the

37:37Z3 drawing

37:40top floor deck plan?

37:46So, is it because you have the door

37:47there that it's the door that's right up

37:50against

37:51>> that is that is the main issue and just

37:53really wanting to that that along with

37:55wanting to construct something that has,

37:57you know, normal geometry.

37:59>> You didn't want it wonky.

38:01>> No.

38:02>> Deck. Okay.

38:04Uh, thank you.

38:07Um,

38:09are we ready to vote?

38:13extend an existing nonconformity by 6

38:16in. Yes, Olivia Moade.

38:18>> Thanks, Madam Chair. It does seem as if

38:20there is an attendee with their hand

38:22raised. I want to um just confirm before

38:24we vote if they have a public comment.

38:28>> Oh, I'm not able to see that staff.

38:33>> Oh, uh

38:34>> it just went down. [laughter]

38:36>> I saw a hand, but I no longer see a

38:39hand.

38:42I think you have more powers than I do.

38:44I don't see any public or any hand.

38:47>> Oh, I see. Um Nancy

38:51Kagian with a hand raised. Would Madam

38:55Chair, I think it's up to you if you'd

38:56like to reopen the Okay.

38:59>> Um if I could have the timer brought on

39:02screen.

39:03>> So, we'll reopen the public portion.

39:09>> Thank you, Kelly. I'm going to allow

39:11Nancy Collagian to speak. You'll be

39:14given two minutes to do so. And please

39:16state your uh name and address for the

39:19record.

39:21You should be all set to unmute now.

39:24>> Okay. Can you hear me now?

39:26>> Yes. Hello.

39:27>> Oh, great. Okay. So, I Nancy Collagen.

39:30Um I live at 40 Woodfield Road,

39:32Somerville. Grew up in Somerville. Grew

39:34up in Teal Square. um you know um um

39:39going to Dukes 5 and 10 and the public

39:41library everything was you know that was

39:43sort of the center of activity growing

39:46up. So, I have concerns because as of

39:48even right now when you're driving um

39:51from say Arlington distance, you know,

39:53into Somerville and you try um how do

39:56you say there's always traffic, you

39:59know, on the road. Um so, I'm concerned

40:01about, you know, if people are going to

40:04be um um I'm I'm not crazy about the

40:08idea of a hotel there. I wish it was

40:10some other kind of facility, you know,

40:13for like like say a lowincome housing

40:16development or some other kind of art

40:19center or something else rather than a

40:21hotel because um you know there's going

40:23to be cars coming and going as of now

40:26it's difficult and um whether people are

40:31coming by Uber if it was a hotel um I

40:34just think it's a congested area. Um,

40:38>> yes, Nancy Klein.

40:40>> Yes,

40:40>> I think you it looks like you were

40:42commenting on 1154 Broadway.

40:46>> We were still on the case before, which

40:49is 61 Boston Street.

40:51>> Oh, I'm sorry.

40:52>> Are you able to stay longer and hold

40:56your comments and make sure that you

40:57raise your hand again?

40:59>> Sure. I'm sorry. I came late so I wasn't

41:01sure to the meeting. I didn't um I just

41:04found out about it. But anyway, sure.

41:06I'll come. I'll stay around. Well, how

41:08long do you think it will be till the

41:09next one? Till

41:10>> Well, we're about to vote on this one,

41:13so

41:14>> All right.

41:15>> Um, right after this.

41:17>> Sure. So, I'll hang

41:18>> stick around. Thank you.

41:24>> Okay. So, should we proceed to vote?

41:27>> Um, Madame Chair, I just ask that you

41:29reclose the public portion.

41:31>> Yes, I will close the public comment

41:33portion of this hearing. And um let's

41:37proceed to vote. Um Mr. Cook, please

41:41make a motion.

41:43>> Thank you, Madam Chair. In the matter of

41:4561 Boston Street ZP26

41:49000061,

41:51I move to approve the special permit to

41:53expand a nonconformity for the rear

41:56setback of a two family structure in the

41:59NR zoning district based on the section

42:03six consideration and findings as

42:06discussed and incorporating the

42:08conditions specified in the staff memo

42:11dated September 23rd, 2026. Six.

42:15>> Thank you. Do I have a second?

42:17>> Second.

42:18>> Seconded by Olivia Moade. Um, roll call

42:21vote.

42:23>> Susan Fontano.

42:24>> I.

42:25>> Olivia Mobade.

42:27>> Yes.

42:28>> Brian Cook.

42:30>> I.

42:31>> Sicia Dian.

42:33>> Yes.

42:34>> And myself. An Brocklleman. Yes. Uh,

42:36motion passes unanimously.

42:38>> Thank you.

42:40>> Thank you.

42:42Uh, you're welcome and good luck.

42:44>> Thank you.

42:58>> Mr. Dash, are you on the next case as

43:01well?

43:01>> I am indeed. So, I will stick around.

43:03We're gonna we're going to be a little

43:05while. Yeah.

43:05>> Okay, then. Um, next case

43:09is

43:111154

43:13Broadway.

43:20Okay. So, um Mr. Cook, please open the

43:23case.

43:25Uh thank you, Madam Chair. I'm I'm going

43:27to specify with respect to the first

43:32um

43:33case number the entire uh applicant

43:38um team. But from then I will just enter

43:42the substance of each of the cases if

43:45that's permissible rather than repeating

43:48the same text 10 times.

43:51>> Yes. And I I think I should say that um

43:5511:54 Broadway we will open the case

43:58tonight. [clears throat]

43:59Um as Mr. Cook has suggested there are a

44:03lot um

44:06of variances

44:07or it's it's all

44:10many different decisions. Um we we'll

44:13let the team present because it's a

44:15complex case. We will open the public

44:17portion. We'll leave it open. We'll have

44:20uh board discussion and questions

44:23and then we will continue um to the

44:27November 5th. uh as a city staff it they

44:30are still reviewing this case and

44:33they've asked for more information and

44:34we may be requesting more information as

44:36well from the team. So just for the

44:38members of the public um this is the

44:41last case tonight and this is how we we

44:43will proceed.

44:46Okay, Mr. Cook, thank you. All right.

44:491154 Broadway um ZP2600000026

44:56Adam Dash and Associates on behalf of

44:59Lakshmi Pradan and Girana Pradan seek

45:02relief from S04.2.9

45:062.9 for the required point A for the

45:09required green score in the midrise 4

45:12zoning district

45:15which requires a hardship variance

45:18ZP260027

45:23relief from S010.3.6.8I

45:28AI

45:29for the landscape buffer requirements in

45:32the midrise 4 zoning district which

45:35requires a hardship variance ZP260028

45:44um relief from SEO 4.2.9C 2.9.C

45:50for building height in the midrise 4

45:53zoning district which requires a

45:56hardship variance

45:58ZP260029

46:04relief from S07

46:07sorry SO4.2.9C

46:092.9.C

46:11for a number of stories for a commercial

46:14building in the Midrise 4 zoning

46:16district which requires a hardship

46:18variance.

46:20ZP260030

46:26relief from S04.2.9B

46:292.9B

46:31for a non-conforming rear setback in the

46:34midrise 4 zoning district which requires

46:37a hardship variance

46:39DP26

46:41000031

46:44relief from SO4.2.15.2

46:50two for a driveway in the frontage area

46:53of a lot in the midrise 4 zoning

46:55district which requires a hardship

46:58variance ZP26 000032

47:04relief from S04.2.9B 2.9B for the

47:08secondary front setback standards in the

47:11midrise 4 MR4 zoning district which

47:15requires a hardship variance

47:18ZP260077

47:22relief from S04.216.8

47:27AI

47:28for the sidewalk width standard in the

47:31midrise 4 zoning district which requires

47:34a hardship variance ZP2600078

47:40relief from S04.26B.2

47:46two for curbcut standards in the midrise

47:494 zoning district which requires a a

47:52hardship variance and finally ZP26

47:56000079

48:00relief from SZ4.216B.4A

48:06for point A for the curb cut distance

48:09from intersection standards in the

48:11midrise 4 zoning district which requires

48:14a hardship variance. Those are 10

48:17hardship variances with their

48:21respective case numbers.

48:25>> Thank you. Uh Mr. Dash, your whole team

48:28here.

48:29>> Uh yeah. Um to the extent that they can

48:32be, yes. Uh, attorney Adam-48 Grove

48:34Street representing the applicant which

48:36is and the owner of the property 1154

48:38Broadway Realy Trust. If we could

48:40promote Will Shaant, the architect and

48:43Katya um Patiadlo, the landscape

48:45architect from Verdant Landscape. Benj

48:48Praan my client from the 1154 Broadway

48:51called me and said that he cannot make

48:52this meetings. He is dealing with the

48:54fire department because ironically and

48:56nature of what's going on tonight is his

48:58other building in the square is on fire

48:59right now at 11:35 Broadway. You may

49:02have seen the uh fire trucks and heard

49:04the sirens. I certainly have. It's

49:06apparently a five alarm fire going on

49:08there at another building in Teal Square

49:11um that he owns. So, uh he said he

49:14called me and said that he wanted us to

49:16proceed because we filed this back in

49:18March and he does not want to continue

49:19it again. So, and as you know, as you

49:21said, it's going to be continued until

49:22November 4th anyway. So, we've um we've

49:25certainly got time. So, we will proceed

49:27without him. if you have any questions

49:29for him that we can't answer, um, we can

49:31certainly bring it up again on November

49:334th, but he apologizes. Obviously, you

49:36know, the situation is not what anyone

49:38wanted to see. So, on the other than

49:41that, however, we are happy to finally

49:43be here at long last um, regarding this

49:46new proposed hotel project at 1154

49:48Broadway, more commonly known as the

49:50Teal Square Pit, which you can uh, see

49:53on the slides. So, I don't know. I will

49:54Are you pulling up the slides or am I?

49:56Uh, I'll do it.

49:58>> Yeah. All right. If you can just get to

50:00the first slide, show just who all we

50:02are, which I just said, and go to the

50:04second. Maybe you can make that full

50:05screen.

50:06>> Yep. I'm just trying to

50:08>> and then can go to the uh go to the

50:11second slide, which shows the picture of

50:13the pit. I'm sure everybody is well

50:15aware of this. Um,

50:18there we go. Yeah, not much to look at.

50:21So, applicant is seeking, as you've

50:23said, 10 variances from you. However,

50:26some are kind of the same and others are

50:28very intimately related to each other.

50:30So, while tech it's 10 variances

50:32technically, the proposal is really not

50:34as as much as it sounds and we will

50:36explain that. The relief really falls

50:38into three buckets and we'll go through

50:40that. Um, can you go to the next slide?

50:43So, the applicant seeking to construct

50:44an eight-story hotel uh with ground

50:47ground floor commercial space facing

50:49Broadway, which is a pedestrian street.

50:51And this is a rendering of the proposed

50:54structure. We can come back to all this.

50:55I just wanted to I think it's easier to

50:58go through all this if you see what the

50:59end is. Um there'll be 35 uh motor

51:02vehicle valet parking spaces underneath

51:04accessible from Clarendon Nav, which is

51:06the side street there. Um 10 long-term

51:09bike spaces and five short-term bike

51:11spaces. Can we just quickly go through

51:13the renderings? We can come back to

51:14them, Will, when you get to your

51:15presentation if we want, but this is

51:17just the look of it from various angles.

51:20Um, but I want to stop on the ninth

51:22ninth slide, the one after these.

51:27And after that, those are just the

51:28other. Yeah. Yeah. Right there. Thank

51:29you. So, you can see there 1154 Broadway

51:32is highlighted in blue at the corner of

51:34Clarendon Avenue and Broadway bordered

51:37by MR. It's in the MR4 district. It's

51:39bordered by MR4 on two sides and then

51:42there two properties that are in the NR,

51:44which but part of it. So, as you may

51:47know, due to a fire at this property in

51:49about 2011, um it's been vacant for many

51:52years. Uh the property formerly was home

51:54to a dry cleaning business and the um

51:57phase one that was done there showed the

51:59need for additional environmental

52:01testing. Um while the applicant has not

52:04done further environmental testing, the

52:06potential buyers have um when the

52:08property is trying to be sold and they

52:10backed out of the purchasing the

52:11property. Uh so while the applicant is

52:14not in possession of those potential

52:15buyer's proprietary environmental tests,

52:18applicant believes the property is

52:19likely contaminated.

52:21um the likely uh cleanup of the site

52:24along with the um escalation of material

52:27costs and interest rates and the

52:29topographical issue of the pit to deal

52:31with and the property being on the

52:33corner with Broadway being a pedestrian

52:35street and the lot shape being not

52:37regular and we'll go through all this

52:39creates a practical difficulty in

52:41developing the site without the relief

52:43being sought. Um, so the Somerville

52:45zoning ordinance does not allow enough

52:47building to realistically develop the

52:49site and replace the pit. Um, in 2018, a

52:53six-story hotel was approved here and

52:56that approval was then extended in 2020.

52:59That approval, however, has since

53:01expired, but the eight-story hotel being

53:03sought now is only is two stories higher

53:06than the previously approved hotel. um

53:09which shows the desire for a hotel um an

53:12acceptance of a hotel taller than the

53:14MR4 zone allows here.

53:17So the hotel requires site plan approval

53:20for commercial building and special

53:22permits um from the planning board for

53:24the use. But we're here tonight just to

53:26address the variances. Um as you heard

53:30and I will summarize again. However,

53:32like I said, some of these matters I

53:34know people want to talk about whether

53:35it should be hotel or not and all that

53:36sort of thing and traffic and all that.

53:38that's really more that's going to come

53:39up later when we have our planning board

53:41hearing if we get through there get to

53:43that point of course however whatever

53:45this board wants to talk about they can

53:46certainly talk about but um I really

53:48like we really need to focus on these

53:50variances which are secondary front

53:52setback

53:54having a driveway in the frontage area

53:57the number of stories the building

53:59height and this is sort of what I was

54:00talking about how some of these are kind

54:02of the same number of stories and

54:03building height they're technically two

54:04variances but it's really one thing um

54:07landscape buff buffer abuing the

54:08neighborhood resident zoning district

54:10because you saw you can see those two

54:12part of the property there is

54:13neighborhood residents abudding but not

54:16all of it uh the green score the

54:18sidewalk width um and this is only along

54:21Clarendon not Broadway the sidewalk will

54:25comply um two curb cuts on the front lot

54:27line again that's Clarendon because we

54:30have two fronts Clarendon's a front and

54:32Broadway is a front that's part of the

54:33problem [clears throat] the rear setback

54:35abuing the NR zoning district again

54:37those two properties over there on

54:38Newbury and the curb cut distance from

54:41the intersection and that's the

54:43intersection of Clarendon and Broadway

54:45as you can see. So the um we go uh go on

54:50I guess will you and Katya probably

54:52should take the rest of the slides and

54:54then send it back to me to go through

54:55some of the detail.

54:57>> Sure absolutely. U for the record will

55:00shant from KDI Architects. Uh, good

55:03evening, Madam Chair, members of the

55:04board. As Adam's already referenced,

55:08this is known as the pit. So, I'm

55:09quickly going to go through the site

55:11plan, and then I will um pass it off to

55:12Katcha to go over the the um the

55:15landscape portion of the project. Uh,

55:17just so just to orient everyone,

55:19obviously broad Broadway's at the top of

55:20the screen, Clarendon Nav on the left

55:22hand side. Um, and we are proposing this

55:25hotel here situated uh as outlined with

55:28the red box here. And one of the things

55:31in order to make this uh hotel function

55:33is going to be uh to have some parking

55:35for it and availability. So we are

55:38providing car stackers below grade. We

55:40can get to that at a later time. But

55:42also uh a dedicated dropoff area here

55:45off of Clarendon. Um as part of this

55:48project, we al also proposing having

55:50this portion of Clarendon A be two-way

55:52to allow for this to happen. Right now

55:55it's currently a oneway down this

55:56direction. Uh as Adam mentioned and as

55:59has was eloquently read off in detail,

56:02all of the variances here uh are

56:03highlighted in red. We'll go through

56:05them one at a time. Uh but we are

56:07proposing a ground floor restaurant here

56:09which is going to contain uh be

56:11contained at the front of the building.

56:13More the lobby towards the rear and then

56:16we have this recess here which is going

56:17to be an outdoor seating area for the

56:19restaurant um which has some landscape

56:22elements associated with it. So, uh, in

56:25the interest of time, because I know

56:26there can gonna be a lot of folks

56:27interested in this project, I'm going to

56:28pass it off to Katya to to go through

56:30the, uh, landscape plans that are being

56:33proposed.

56:34>> Thanks so much, Will. Hi, everybody. Um,

56:37I'm Katya Padlo. I'm principal at

56:39Verdant Landscape Architecture.

56:42Um, in front of you is the single page

56:44I'll be sharing tonight. Uh to the left

56:47is the atgrade landscape that we

56:49developed and on the right hand side is

56:52the eighth floor landscape uh cy or roof

56:56deck that we've developed. Um very

57:00briefly, we've been able to accommodate

57:01a couple of trees on the site in the

57:03upper uh northeast corner to create a

57:06nice green environment around that

57:08outdoor dining area that Will was

57:10describing. Um there's also some shrubs

57:12in some plant beds around that patio

57:15area. as well as along the drop off on

57:17the left hand side where we'll have some

57:19planters that support their growth. So

57:21they'll be um not set in the ground

57:24rather they'll be planted within

57:25planters. Um we're also able to

57:28accommodate a street tree and the

57:30required 12oot streetscape along

57:32Broadway. However, you know, as much as

57:35we'd like to plant more trees in the

57:36streetscape as you would typically,

57:39there are a lot of there's a lot of

57:40infrastructure out there in the form of

57:43mast arms, poles, lights, that kinds of

57:45thing. Uh, blade poles. So, we weren't

57:48able to um fit more just because of that

57:51infrastructure that's there now.

57:54Um the pattern that you see on the

57:56ground plane is just a different colored

57:58concrete paving to create a dynamic and

58:01interesting uh patio area and to

58:03designate the pedestrian versus the

58:06vehicular drop off. On the left you see

58:07how it changes to simple plain concrete

58:10where the drop off for the hotel is. Um

58:13along the bottom you see the ramp that

58:15goes down into the garage that's below

58:17[clears throat and cough] the footprint

58:17of the building. Um, and it accesses a

58:22below grade or basement level garage

58:24that will can share more information

58:26about in a moment. Um, but I think what

58:29I'd like to highlight in on the bottom

58:31right, if you were to zoom in, you'd see

58:33that we actually don't meet the typical

58:34green score that we'd like to meet. And

58:37that's really a result of accommodating

58:39the car parking um in the in the ground

58:42floor ba basement because um the

58:45footprint of that garage um encompasses

58:48much of the site. So we can't plant a a

58:50lot of larger trees on top of that

58:53structure. So the two trees that were

58:55able to plant are not on that garage

58:58structure, but many of the other areas

59:01are on top of garage structure. Um so I

59:04think we meet one 0.156 where we're

59:07typically required to meet 0.25 but we

59:09do not meet the 0.25 unfortunately.

59:13Um back to you will if there's more

59:15going to share. Thank you.

59:17>> Thanks Katya. Um and I will just point

59:19out that in relation to the the

59:22landscape variance being requested. One

59:23of the reasons that that is triggered is

59:25we were unable to do a green roof in

59:27this instance because of the fact that

59:29the ground floor restaurant we will be

59:31required well let me let me rephrase

59:33that. We want gas for that restaurant in

59:35order for it to uh be successful and

59:38because this is a high-rise building.

59:40The energy code triggers having

59:41renewables on site which would require

59:43our rooftop to be covered in solar

59:45panels and we can't have both solar

59:47panels and a green roof. So um that is

59:50we did pass the green score when we had

59:52that but when we found out that that was

59:55uh a trigger we wanted to get in front

59:57of that um requested variance. So uh

1:00:00quickly I'll go through the others. So

1:00:02uh variance number two is the landscape

1:00:04buffer abuing NR as the zoning map

1:00:07outlined. Uh part of the property is

1:00:09abuted by MR4 properties and then to the

1:00:12south here is NR. So we are requesting

1:00:14relief for this area here which requires

1:00:17a landscape buffer when an MR4 abuts an

1:00:20NR property.

1:00:22Uh three and four as Adam mentioned are

1:00:25somewhat related. Uh so the red line and

1:00:28haze is uh below is the allowed height

1:00:31in the MR4 district which is 52 ft. The

1:00:34blue line and blue haze represents the

1:00:36previously approved six-story hotel uh

1:00:39back in 2019 that that was 62 feet and

1:00:43then uh obviously our our proposed

1:00:45building is eight floors um and is 93

1:00:49feet in height.

1:00:52Uh variance number five rear setback in

1:00:55the NR. when an MR property abuts NR,

1:00:58the the setback

1:01:01size is is obviously enlarged um due to

1:01:04the residential nature of NR properties.

1:01:06So that's 20 ft on floors 1 through

1:01:09three and then 30 ft on any floor above

1:01:11that. Um so we don't comply with with

1:01:13either of those in this instance.

1:01:17Uh variant six uh driveway in the

1:01:20frontage area as me and me and me and me

1:01:21and me and me and me and me and me and

1:01:21me and me as outlined in the zoning

1:01:23code. we are not allowed to provide uh a

1:01:26driveway in that frontage zone. Uh this

1:01:29having two fronts makes that challenging

1:01:31and then also the nature of the use of

1:01:33the project. Uh really feel it would be

1:01:36more successful with a dedicated drop

1:01:38off area to take any of that action off

1:01:40of the street uh and put it underneath

1:01:42the building. So uh we are requiring a

1:01:44variance for that variant seven uh

1:01:47secondary front pack uh secondary front

1:01:50setback. So, this has a max uh allowance

1:01:54of 2 ft and a excuse me, a minimum uh

1:01:56setback requirement of 2 ft and a

1:01:58maximum of 15. We could probably uh

1:02:01accomplish the 2 foot uh on the upper

1:02:04floors, but at the ground floor level

1:02:05because of this drop off area, we have a

1:02:08little uh close to 27 ft to accommodate

1:02:10this. So, that's a violation. Then, on

1:02:12the upper floors, cuz the building is uh

1:02:14outbound, basically along the lot line

1:02:16here, uh we have zero setback cuz we're

1:02:19right on the street. Um so those are

1:02:22those uh that variance and then um

1:02:25variants eight, nine and 10 are all

1:02:27related to sort of site uh requirements

1:02:29related to sidewalks and driveways. So,

1:02:32uh, this secondary exit point of the

1:02:35drop off area, its proximity to the

1:02:37corner there, uh, is too close. And then

1:02:41the, um, the 12T setback that we need to

1:02:45be providing for the sidewalk along

1:02:47this, uh, this along Clarendon, which is

1:02:50not a pedestrian street, but it still

1:02:52requires the frontage in the MR, uh, is

1:02:5412 ft, and we're only providing 6 ft

1:02:56there. Um secondly, we have two curb

1:02:58cuts along one street which is um

1:03:02obviously one is the entrance for the

1:03:03dropoff area as well as the uh valet

1:03:06driveway down to the garage. Uh and then

1:03:09the the second one here closest to

1:03:11Broadway. Uh so I will quickly just go

1:03:14through the plans to familiarize

1:03:15everyone with it and then I'll kick it

1:03:17back to you Adam. Uh I just want to

1:03:18point out so that the garage as we

1:03:20mentioned is going to contain car

1:03:21stackers. This is the most efficient way

1:03:24for us to maximize parking uh potential

1:03:26in this. Uh as Katya mentioned, the the

1:03:28the basement takes up the majority of

1:03:30the lot to accommodate all of these

1:03:32things cuz we're also putting some

1:03:33housekeeping down there, mechanical uh

1:03:35laundry, some bike parking as well. Um

1:03:40and then obviously our our core

1:03:41elements, uh stairs and three elevators,

1:03:44uh one dedicated for service.

1:03:47Quickly, just to familiarize yourself

1:03:49again, lobby space. Um trash is going to

1:03:51be picked up off of here. We have sort

1:03:53of a lounge area here and then the

1:03:54restaurant. And then again we have 90

1:03:57we're proposing 99 rooms. Uh it's a mix

1:04:00of sizes. We have some amenity space

1:04:02including a fitness area on the second

1:04:04floor. Uh housekeeping is going to be

1:04:06every other floor. And then on the top

1:04:08floor level we are proposing a

1:04:10restaurant with some uh other common

1:04:13spaces that could be rented out such as

1:04:15a function area. Obviously the kitchen

1:04:17and then this restaurant with this

1:04:18outdoor patio. Um,

1:04:22quickly we we do have some shadow

1:04:24studies and just to sort of understand

1:04:26what you're looking at here, uh, it's

1:04:28not a roshock test. The light red is a

1:04:31is the footprint of the building. The

1:04:34tannanish color is the previously

1:04:36approved sixstory shadow and then the

1:04:39red uh, illustrates the new eightstory

1:04:41shadow that will be cast as a result of

1:04:43this uh, proposed project. So thankfully

1:04:46the location of the building, the way

1:04:48it's oriented, the majority of the the

1:04:50shadows throughout the course of the

1:04:51year uh fall across uh along Broadway

1:04:55into the sort of the square area and

1:04:57then uh towards the church. So uh as as

1:05:00as good as can possibly be, we we are

1:05:04not shadowing uh too many residential

1:05:06structures with with this project. Um

1:05:08obviously depending on the time of year

1:05:10as we know the light the sun is at a

1:05:12certain height and we you're going to

1:05:14have uh not a lot of light regardless

1:05:16especially in the winter but um I just

1:05:18do want to point out that we have done

1:05:19these studies and present this to the to

1:05:22the neighborhood. Um so with that I will

1:05:25kick it back to Adam.

1:05:27>> Thanks Will. Yeah I want to go can we go

1:05:28back to the site plan one that you had

1:05:29there? Um you

1:05:32>> yes thank you. I think it's easier. Um

1:05:34so as the basis for the variances are

1:05:36similar I'm going to go through them all

1:05:37together but obviously if the board has

1:05:39questions or wants more detail we are

1:05:40here for that. Um the Clarendon Avenue

1:05:43secondary front setback

1:05:46you know that will described and the

1:05:48driveway and the frontage area that you

1:05:50see there because where else would it go

1:05:52but a frontage area because it's we've

1:05:53got two fronts. um the landscaping uh

1:05:57buffer regarding the NR district, the

1:06:00rear setback with regarding the NR

1:06:02district um of those properties along

1:06:05Newbury Street are all because that

1:06:06building has to be pushed back away from

1:06:08the the street uh in order to have the

1:06:12driveway and have all these other

1:06:13things. Um the two curb cuts along

1:06:16Clarendon and the Clarendon sidewalk

1:06:18width and the curb cut distance from the

1:06:21intersection are also all related for

1:06:22the same reason. Um, and you can see the

1:06:24shape of the lot, how it comes down on

1:06:26Broadway. Honestly, if that were

1:06:28straight across on Broadway, we probably

1:06:30would be able to get rid of some of

1:06:31these, but particularly the distance to

1:06:33the intersection. However, you know,

1:06:35this is the property we've got. So, the

1:06:38need for the hotel to have a pickup and

1:06:40drop off area, which would be on which

1:06:42has to be on Clarendon because Broadway

1:06:43is a pedestrian street and can't have

1:06:45the curut um is just where it has to go.

1:06:48it can't go anywhere else and doing so

1:06:50requires a number of these variances

1:06:52that we're speaking as described. Um, in

1:06:55order to clean up this likely site

1:06:56contamination and otherwise be

1:06:58realistically able to viably develop

1:07:00this property, the building has to be

1:07:02moved back from Clarendon, the curb cuts

1:07:05located as shown and the sidewalk width

1:07:07reduced on Clarendon. As I said earlier,

1:07:09we're doing all of this also because we

1:07:12do not want to disturb the Broadway

1:07:13side. The Broadway side is the most seen

1:07:15and the most traveled. We have a

1:07:17compliant 12ft wide sidewalk there

1:07:18because that's where most people would

1:07:20be walking. Um, and the view from

1:07:22Broadway, we're trying to maintain the

1:07:25requ the um compliance there. So, you'll

1:07:27see there are no variances on that

1:07:29Broadway side. However, as I as I

1:07:31described, we have a bit of a tight site

1:07:33with an odd shape and an odd condition.

1:07:35So, kind of seven of the 10 variances

1:07:37sought all kind of relate to this. Um so

1:07:41the um

1:07:44the building height and the number of

1:07:45stories variances are essentially the

1:07:47same thing although the zoning code

1:07:48calls them out separately. As you saw

1:07:50the twotory increase above what was

1:07:52previously approved for the hotel does

1:07:54not create excessively more shadows and

1:07:57this height is needed to practically

1:07:59develop this difficult site. Um the

1:08:02remaining green score variance so those

1:08:04are two more so that's up to nines. The

1:08:05remaining 10th is the green score

1:08:06variance is because as as Will said the

1:08:09commercial space which is proposed to be

1:08:10a restaurant facing Broadway and it has

1:08:12to be a commercial space that meets the

1:08:15pedestrian street district requirements

1:08:16which is not a hotel. So something else

1:08:19has to be on Broadway on the frontage to

1:08:21meet the pedestrian street district

1:08:23requirements or we'd be here for that

1:08:24variance. Um the so the purpose of doing

1:08:27that with the with the restaurant

1:08:29actually works well because it works you

1:08:30know as you've been to hotels obviously

1:08:32having a restaurant in a hotel is a

1:08:33common thing. It also is something that

1:08:36the members of the public could come and

1:08:38come to and help be a destination um in

1:08:40the square which has some great

1:08:42restaurants already. Um so then the

1:08:45restaurants [clears throat] need in

1:08:46order to be viable um restaurants

1:08:49typically need gas to cook with. uh it's

1:08:51very tough to um get a restaurant to go

1:08:53in if there isn't gas to cook with. So

1:08:55that also impacts our green score and as

1:08:57Will said the high-rise construction

1:08:59which is preventing us from doing a

1:09:01green roof we initially were trying to

1:09:03do. But on the other hand, the trade-off

1:09:05is solar panels. So it's, you know,

1:09:06[clears throat]

1:09:07maybe not be green in the sense of the

1:09:09zoning ordinance definition, but it's

1:09:11certainly green in the sense of the

1:09:12world. Um there is just no way to viably

1:09:15develop this hotel and comply with the

1:09:17green score. Believe me, we've tried.

1:09:20Um, even with not complying with the

1:09:22green score, the project will still

1:09:24exceed the the open space by

1:09:26approximately 17%. Which is a lot

1:09:28because you can see that plaza there.

1:09:30Um, and the open space is actually what

1:09:32the public's going to see and be it'll

1:09:34be an amenity much more than having, you

1:09:36know, some plants on the roof that no

1:09:39one's going to see at the top of an

1:09:40eightstory building. Having viable open

1:09:43space on the ground um is actually a

1:09:46better tradeoff probably for the for the

1:09:48general public. So that's covering all

1:09:51of the 10 variances and as you can see

1:09:52they fall into kind of those three

1:09:54buckets. One of which being that

1:09:56everything has to be in Clarendon and

1:09:58and a hotel has to have parking at some

1:10:01level. 35 is not a lot of parking for 99

1:10:03rooms, right? Um a lot of as you know

1:10:05going to hotels people take Ubers and

1:10:07lifts and taxis and such and public

1:10:10transit. So it's not as if we you know

1:10:12we know we don't need 99 parking spaces,

1:10:15right? But you do need some and and 35

1:10:18is some. But do when you do that, then

1:10:20you have to have a compliant driveway

1:10:21and you certainly need to have a pickup

1:10:23and drop off area because I don't think

1:10:24anybody wants Ubers and lifts and taxis

1:10:27lining up on Clarendon Avenue. So that

1:10:30is all um shoving the building to the

1:10:33right there um towards there. And only

1:10:36part of this um deals with the NR

1:10:39because only as I showed you earlier,

1:10:41only part of that side of the property

1:10:43is in the NR. and um dealing with it to

1:10:47comply would make for a very awkward and

1:10:48unworkable building. So the um what I'd

1:10:53like So I was previously stated, I'm

1:10:54sorry, I'd like to go through sort of

1:10:55the details of the um the new variance

1:10:58requirements under the new state law for

1:11:01each of these um bit. So the strict

1:11:04enforcement of the Somerville zoning

1:11:05ordinance would require a much smaller

1:11:08four-story structure and not allow for

1:11:10adequate hotel parking and for pickup

1:11:12and drop off area on site. This would

1:11:14make the development of the lot

1:11:15impractical for the hotel use which

1:11:17would have the density and income to pay

1:11:19for the developing this likely

1:11:21contaminated property which has been

1:11:22sitting in a pit in the middle of a

1:11:24business district along a major roadway

1:11:26in the city for 15 years. The applicant

1:11:28could not construct a hotel the required

1:11:30size to pay for that type of cleanup

1:11:33while also meeting the various zoning

1:11:34and other requirements without the

1:11:36variances requested. In short, the

1:11:39summer zoning ordinance does not provide

1:11:40for enough building to go here to be

1:11:42built to make for a viable project.

1:11:45Broadway must be the primary front

1:11:46because it's a pedestrian street. And

1:11:48per the zoning ordinance, a project

1:11:50cannot have a curb cut in a pedestrian

1:11:52street being Broadway. That means the

1:11:54driveway and curb cut for the hotel must

1:11:56be on Clarendon, which is the shortest

1:11:57side of the property and the only other

1:11:59sideing a thoroughare. There this all

1:12:02compresses the feasible building

1:12:03footprint and forces key site functions

1:12:05to the Clarendon side of the property

1:12:07and due to the shape of the lot, the

1:12:09likely soil contamination, the pit

1:12:11topography that needs to be evened out

1:12:13and a tight sight of a property with two

1:12:15front lot lines and one of which is a

1:12:17pedestrian street. Applicant needs to

1:12:20use needs to have a structure which

1:12:22would economically pay for this likely

1:12:24environmental cleanup. Um the applicant

1:12:26also needs a viable hotel which requires

1:12:28the parking and an area for pickup and

1:12:30drop off be provided. Such parking must

1:12:32be underground due to the tight site and

1:12:35the driveway to access the parking has

1:12:36to be on Clarendon. Um while back in

1:12:392018 the approved six-story hotel was

1:12:41large enough to cover costs needed to

1:12:43redevelop the site. That is no longer

1:12:45the case due to inflation and changes in

1:12:47the energy and zoning requirements. The

1:12:50hotel project must now be larger to be

1:12:52viable at this property. A viable hotel

1:12:55must be large enough to pay for the

1:12:56likely environmental cleanup, meet the

1:12:58various operational requirements for a

1:13:00hotel use. However, the property, as I

1:13:02said, tight sight, two front lot lines,

1:13:04irregular shape, large pit in the

1:13:05ground, strict enforcement prevents

1:13:07development. The applicant has a very

1:13:09practical difficulty, which is the new

1:13:11standard in doing anything at this

1:13:13property without variances. I think you

1:13:15probably get the gist of that now. Uh,

1:13:16this is why the pit has been there for

1:13:18so long. Something has to give for this

1:13:20pit to be redeveloped. The pit at the

1:13:23property was not self-created. It was a

1:13:25result of a fire at the property. The

1:13:27pit creates a practical difficulty in

1:13:28redeveloping the property, having to

1:13:30level the likely contaminated lot in

1:13:32order to construct anything. It is a

1:13:35practical difficulty to comply with the

1:13:36strict requirements of the Somerville

1:13:38zoning ordinance considering that such

1:13:39compliance would render the hotel

1:13:41project not economically feasible due to

1:13:43the likely again contaminated soil

1:13:45position condition, shape of the lot, uh

1:13:47the pit topography and the other items I

1:13:49stated. meeting the required zoning and

1:13:52other requirements would force a loss in

1:13:54the number of hotel rooms um which would

1:13:57make it unviable. The benefit of the

1:13:59requested variances benefits the

1:14:01applicant by allowing the applicant to

1:14:03develop this lot finally which has been

1:14:05a vacant pit for a very long time and to

1:14:07clean up any likely contamination.

1:14:09[clears throat] The proposed hotel

1:14:10replaces that long-standing blighted pit

1:14:13and likely remediates contaminated soil,

1:14:15adds mixeduse activation on Broadway via

1:14:18the restaurant and hotel, supports

1:14:20transit, provides bicycle parking, and

1:14:22meets the stringent new energy codes. It

1:14:25generates multiple local revenue

1:14:26streams, real estate taxes, personal

1:14:28property taxes, hotels and meals taxes,

1:14:31serves neighborhood needs for a hotel,

1:14:34all while aligning with the intent of

1:14:35the MR4 zoning district and the overall

1:14:38values of the summer vision 2040 plan.

1:14:40In order to develop the pit of the

1:14:42property, applicant likely needs to

1:14:44remediate the soil at the property and

1:14:45the hotel needs to have a number of

1:14:47rooms in an eight that an eight-story

1:14:49building would allow given the

1:14:50limitations of the site. A hotel tax. A

1:14:53hotel use is a tax benefit to the city

1:14:55and an amenity benefit to the

1:14:57neighborhood with rooms for visitors and

1:14:59a commercial use along Broadway which is

1:15:01required due to it being a pedestrian

1:15:02street. It's a public interest to

1:15:05develop this property and not have it

1:15:07remain as a vacant pit with likely

1:15:08contamination. The project proposed by

1:15:11applicant would make the neighborhood

1:15:12healthier, safer, and more active by

1:15:15building a hotel with a restaurant where

1:15:17there's now just a likely contaminated

1:15:19hole in the ground. The project proposed

1:15:21by the applicant would make the

1:15:22neighborhood better. And while granting

1:15:24the relief sought will mean that the

1:15:26proposed hotel will not have the

1:15:28required landscaping, curb cut

1:15:30configuration setbacks in all areas,

1:15:33although in some height limitations and

1:15:36height limitation issues. The negative

1:15:38effect of these variances from the

1:15:39zoning ordinances requirements is

1:15:41outweighed by the removal of the pit and

1:15:43the creation of a hotel which will

1:15:45attract and promote business and bring

1:15:47customers to Teal Square. applicant has

1:15:49designed this project to meet the

1:15:51setback sidewalk width and other

1:15:52requirements on Broadway which is a

1:15:54major city street and the more travel

1:15:56traveled and seen side of the property.

1:15:58This means needing relief on the other

1:16:00sides of the property but the overall

1:16:01benefits of this approach outweigh the

1:16:03detriments caused. So you have seen

1:16:07written comments from the public at this

1:16:09point which are almost entirely

1:16:10supportive of the zoning relief. The

1:16:12same was the case. We had a very very

1:16:14large, one of the largest I think I've

1:16:16ever held a neighborhood meeting and I

1:16:18see we had what 56

1:16:20people uh here as attendees. Uh so that

1:16:23tells you that there's a lot of

1:16:24neighborhood interest in this property

1:16:26and this project. So in conclusion, and

1:16:29I thank you for your indulgence, it is

1:16:31important for the neighborhood and the

1:16:33city as a whole to redevelop the Teal

1:16:35Square pit. Um and

1:16:39enforcement of the summer zoning

1:16:41ordinance just realistically prevents

1:16:43such redevelopment. Uh the variances

1:16:45sought will allow this hotel project

1:16:47with significant public and fiscal

1:16:49benefits to happen and the applicant

1:16:51asked that those variances be approved.

1:16:53And again my client apologizes for

1:16:55personally not being here but like I

1:16:56said ironically his other buildings on

1:16:59fire right now. So, um, with that, and I

1:17:01know we're coming back on November 4th,

1:17:03and then there'll be another public

1:17:05process at the at the planning board, as

1:17:06I said earlier, for site plan approval

1:17:08and special permits. So, this is step

1:17:10one in a multi-step process, but it is a

1:17:13big step, and we really thank the board

1:17:15for um your indulgence. And at this

1:17:17point, I will stop talking, but we will

1:17:18be here for questions.

1:17:23>> Uh, thank you, Mr. Dash and team.

1:17:26Um, I will now open the public comment

1:17:30portion of this hearing.

1:17:32If anybody in the public would like to

1:17:34speak on this application, please raise

1:17:36your hand and staff will unmute you.

1:17:39You'll be given two minutes to provide

1:17:40your comments. Please remember to state

1:17:43your name and address for the record.

1:17:48Um, Madame Chair, this is Kit. I do just

1:17:51want to acknowledge that we have W 7

1:17:53counselor Emily Hart in the audience.

1:17:54Um, so before we bring the timer up, um,

1:17:57I'd like to give her the opportunity to

1:17:59speak first if she would like. So I'm

1:18:02just going to unmute. Uh, W

1:18:03[clears throat] seven counselor Emily

1:18:05Hart.

1:18:08Counselor Hart, you should be able to

1:18:09unmute now.

1:18:11>> Thank you so much. Um, and I also want

1:18:14to um, thank the development team and

1:18:17Binosh Pradhan. Um I and my thoughts

1:18:21right now are with him and everyone in

1:18:23Till Square who's been affected by the

1:18:25terrible fire um this evening. Um but I

1:18:29I want to share my support for this

1:18:31project. I think it's a great project

1:18:33and I really want to see it move

1:18:35forward. the feedback that I've heard

1:18:37from neighbors um through texts, through

1:18:40social media, through one-on-one

1:18:41conversations, you know, um so much

1:18:44feedback. There is a strong desire for

1:18:46the lot to be put to a productive use

1:18:48and contribute to the wonderful vibrancy

1:18:51of Teal Square. Um I've heard from many

1:18:54small business owners who are eager for

1:18:55the hotel to bring more people to the

1:18:57square. And there's general consensus

1:18:59that I've heard that a hotel would be an

1:19:02amenity in the area. Um, we do have a

1:19:05big problem with short-term rentals like

1:19:07Airbnbs um, in this part of the city uh,

1:19:10throughout the city and taking away

1:19:12long-term housing. So, it's easy to see

1:19:15that there's a demand for a hotel. Um,

1:19:17it's a great location with great coffee

1:19:19shops and restaurants close to the tea.

1:19:22Um, so for all of those reasons, I

1:19:25really support this project. Um, but I

1:19:28don't want to not also convey some

1:19:30concerns which I've heard um, primarily

1:19:33about the height variance. Um, and I

1:19:35think that eight stories is not

1:19:37unreasonable for the this lot. Um, but I

1:19:39hope the development team and the ZBA

1:19:41and the city staff can work together to

1:19:43make sure that it's executed in the most

1:19:45appropriate way. um possibly expanding

1:19:48the the existing uh one one level um

1:19:52upper story setback along the Broadway

1:19:54side to include more floors as is

1:19:56frequently done to mitigate height. Um

1:19:58but I don't think that the concerns

1:20:00about height should delay the project at

1:20:02all and as I as I said before I support

1:20:05the project and I'm eager to see it move

1:20:08forward. Thank you.

1:20:10>> Thank you councelor Hart.

1:20:13Thanks for being here.

1:20:15>> Thank you.

1:20:18Madame Chair, this is Kit. I'm now going

1:20:21to ask Kelly to share the timer. Oh,

1:20:23great. Thank you. And I'm just going to

1:20:25go in order as I see these.

1:20:29Um, so I'm going to start by unmuting

1:20:31Melissa McWinny.

1:20:36You should be able to unmute now.

1:20:37>> Hi there. How are you? Thank you. Um,

1:20:40yes. Thanks, Emily. I'm sure all of our

1:20:42thoughts are with uh the building on

1:20:44fire and in particular Masala

1:20:47Restaurant. I hope that it does not have

1:20:49extension of water damage. It is part of

1:20:51our wonderful community here. Um I have

1:20:54some questions that I'd love to have

1:20:56answered. Um I point out that in the

1:20:59picture of the trees there is one of

1:21:01them being shown right at a bus stop.

1:21:03There's actually room for another tree I

1:21:06think in front of the hairdresser on the

1:21:09side of this. So, I'd like to propose

1:21:11that as a community benefit, you put in

1:21:14a second street tree there with the bus

1:21:16stop and the street lights in between.

1:21:18Um, I'd like to know if this cafe is

1:21:21going to be opened to the street so that

1:21:24the public can come in and buy coffee or

1:21:28whatever there is to offer. Um, on the

1:21:31roof, it sounds as though there's going

1:21:33to be solar panels, which is lovely,

1:21:35except what I'd like to suggest is that

1:21:37the solar panels be put on the sides of

1:21:40the building so that there can be green

1:21:42roof on top. I know that developers keep

1:21:45sort of sliding out from under green

1:21:47roof requirements. I'm not suggesting

1:21:48that there's anything sleazy here. I

1:21:50understand the need for solar, but you

1:21:52are going to have terrific exposure on

1:21:55the east, on the south, and on the west

1:21:57of this building. there will be nothing

1:21:58else in the way um barring the shining

1:22:01of the sun onto solar panels on the side

1:22:05of the building which would perhaps

1:22:07allow you to actually comply with the

1:22:09green roof score. I want more greenery.

1:22:12I don't want buildings built right up to

1:22:14the sidewalk as keeps happening. Um when

1:22:17there's a fire, those green roofs and

1:22:20the trees will help clean the air. Um,

1:22:23[clears throat] there's lots of reasons

1:22:24why there's a green score and why it's

1:22:26necessary to comply with it. I don't

1:22:29actually object to the height.

1:22:31I guess that's all I have to say. Thank

1:22:33you very much.

1:22:36>> Thank you.

1:22:42>> Kid, please just

1:22:43>> Yes. Okay.

1:22:45>> If there are a lot of members public

1:22:46tonight, let's just keep going.

1:22:49>> Okay. I will now be unmuting Matthew

1:22:51West.

1:22:54Matthew West, you should be able to

1:22:56unmute.

1:22:57>> Great. Thank you so much. Hello

1:22:58everyone. Matthew West at 25 Fairmont A.

1:23:02Um, I share my concerns about the

1:23:04building in Teal Square. I also want to

1:23:08stress that we are about to have another

1:23:10vacancy in Teal Square after the tragedy

1:23:13tonight. I implore you to consider this

1:23:17project deeply and that we need

1:23:20development in Teal Square. We're going

1:23:22to have another commercial building

1:23:23empty after the fire tonight. That we

1:23:26need we need vibrancy in this community.

1:23:30The pit has been there for 14 years.

1:23:33there. Yes, there are issues that um I

1:23:36appreciate that there is a a process for

1:23:39these zoning requirements, but I also um

1:23:42as Adam had very

1:23:46well

1:23:47there's a reason for every um variance

1:23:51being requested and I I implore you to

1:23:54to think about those that all of it

1:23:56comes back to the amount of money that

1:23:59it's going to cost to develop the site

1:24:01in a very tight area. Um, knowing Dino

1:24:04personally, they are not looking to do

1:24:07something egregious or just to um garner

1:24:11money or create more problems. They're

1:24:14doing something for the benefit of the

1:24:16community and the benefit of the

1:24:17neighborhood. They live less than 50 ft

1:24:20away from this building, from this

1:24:21property. So, they are in a butter as

1:24:23well. Um I I really think that without

1:24:27these variances we will have an empty

1:24:30hole in the ground for the rest of time.

1:24:34And it's not right. We need to give

1:24:37these we need to give permission for

1:24:39these um variances to happen so that we

1:24:42can move forward and create something in

1:24:45this neighborhood. Um I appreciate all

1:24:48the work that you all do and thank you

1:24:50for your time.

1:24:53Thank you. Next.

1:24:55>> Okay, I'm going to unmute B. Garver

1:25:01B. Garver, you should be able to unmute

1:25:03now.

1:25:06>> Okay. Hi, my name is Beth Garver. I'm an

1:25:10abutter at 1-3 Dixon Street. Um, I just

1:25:14wanted to vo voice my ardent support for

1:25:18this project. Um, we have lived across

1:25:20the street from the pit for the past 12

1:25:23years since 2014. We walk by every day

1:25:27with our now fiveyear-old and

1:25:298-year-old. We know the crosswalk

1:25:32folks. Um, and I agree that uh, eight

1:25:38stories is um, you know, I I think that

1:25:42I understand that eight stories with the

1:25:45code changes. I'm also sorry I'm calling

1:25:49from NASA so it's loud um because I uh

1:25:53yes

1:25:53>> you're very clear don't worry you're

1:25:55very

1:25:55>> okay great sorry guys um so I also um

1:26:00agree that with the energy code changes

1:26:02which have been significant um over the

1:26:05past few years that the eight stories is

1:26:09something that is a um consequence of

1:26:11that although I do support investigating

1:26:15the I think that the the previous

1:26:17comment about exterior facade solar

1:26:20panels is a is a good one and would

1:26:22really encourage that. Um I think

1:26:25there's just so much benefit from um

1:26:27being able to have that patio space and

1:26:31being able to um go with my kids um and

1:26:36see trees and um hang out there versus

1:26:40you know looking at um trees growing

1:26:43through a fence. So, just want to say um

1:26:46we really and also my husband is um was

1:26:49on this call from Spain where it is 1:30

1:26:53a.m. and he just dropped off because he

1:26:55asked me to speak for both of us. Um so

1:26:59please please we support this project

1:27:01and especially tonight we also support

1:27:04additional commercial um use. Thank you.

1:27:08>> Thank you. Thanks for coming.

1:27:11Now I will unmute Ranu Bapana.

1:27:17Ranu Bapana, you should be able to

1:27:19unmute now.

1:27:20>> Hi. Um, thank you. Uh, my name is Ranu

1:27:23Bopana. I live on Newberry Street, um,

1:27:27which is just around the corner. I've

1:27:29lived here for a decade. The entire time

1:27:31that I've lived here, there has been a

1:27:34massive hole in the ground. I can't

1:27:36believe that we have this kind of blight

1:27:39in our square. Um I fully support this

1:27:42project. I think it will be a great

1:27:44addition to the neighborhood. We need

1:27:46some additional vibrancy and activity um

1:27:51in the neighborhood, especially

1:27:54um seeing what's happened tonight and

1:27:55that we're going to have another vacant

1:27:57building. Um I think this plan has been

1:28:00thought through carefully. Um I fully

1:28:04support it. I hope that it gets built um

1:28:07in you know in the coming years and that

1:28:10we don't go another decade without um

1:28:13development here. Thank you.

1:28:16>> Thank you.

1:28:21>> I will now unmute Nancy Kajian.

1:28:31Nancy Kajian, you should be able to

1:28:33unmute now.

1:28:36Okay.

1:28:37Um, am I good?

1:28:40>> Yes. Hello. Go ahead.

1:28:41>> Oh, okay. Great. Okay. I was talking

1:28:43before and um it's sad about the fire um

1:28:47diagonally across. Um so um I grew up in

1:28:51the neighborhood when there was a

1:28:53wonderful public library when there was

1:28:55a five and 10 and a sweet little bakery.

1:28:58Um and so you know my um comments are

1:29:02reflected you know on my memories of how

1:29:05it was um back then um you know decades

1:29:09ago. Um, so I'm opposed to the project

1:29:13right from the start and I wish it was

1:29:15some other kind of building that was

1:29:18lower that would felt um it melded

1:29:22melded into the character of the corner

1:29:25perhaps like an art center or maybe some

1:29:28low low like one or twostory building

1:29:32that could provide some housing or some

1:29:35cultural arts or something for the

1:29:37neighborhood. um or maybe some living

1:29:40space. Um I would have preferred that

1:29:43over a hotel which is going to have a

1:29:45lot of um congestion with traffic as it

1:29:49is now. There's a lot of traffic and um

1:29:53um you know not everyone will take if

1:29:56it's a hotel you will take an Uber. Um

1:30:01um and I think a lot of people's

1:30:03comments are just reflected because they

1:30:05think it is ugly and it the empty space

1:30:07is ugly. I agree. But I feel um a hotel

1:30:12and I've felt that and a lot of people I

1:30:15know that are old-timers

1:30:17um you know um would agree that

1:30:21something with more character into the

1:30:24square would have been more beneficial

1:30:26and not something that's going to cause

1:30:27a lot of traffic and um you know um

1:30:31where is the bus stop going to be? Where

1:30:33are they going to empty out um you know

1:30:37shipments of things? I don't know. It

1:30:39just seems very congested and I think

1:30:41it's asking for trouble to um have a

1:30:44hotel in that area is my summary. So I'm

1:30:48all for keeping um you know I think

1:30:51>> Nancy that's Nancy that's time. I'm so

1:30:53sorry.

1:30:54>> Okay. Thank you. That's my thoughts.

1:30:56Thank you. Bye. Thank you. We heard you.

1:30:58Thank you.

1:31:04>> Sorry. Next I will unmute Lynn Richards.

1:31:13Hi, thank you. Um, I just wanted to echo

1:31:17some of

1:31:18>> Please introduce yourself and your name

1:31:19and the address, please.

1:31:21>> Oh, so sorry. Lynn Richards, 9 Harrison

1:31:25Road. Um, um, and in interest of full

1:31:28disclosure, I'm also a planning board

1:31:29member. Um, but I'm part of the

1:31:32neighborhood, so I wanted to to chime

1:31:34in. I think a good and important

1:31:37project. Um really happy to see how it's

1:31:41moving along. I do have a couple of

1:31:43questions that I encourage um the uh uh

1:31:48Adam and his and uh his clients as well

1:31:51as the city to consider.

1:31:53Adam makes the case that we have to have

1:31:55eight stories because of the

1:31:57remediation, the likely contamination,

1:32:00but it's been an open pit for over 11

1:32:03years um since the last testing was done

1:32:06in 2015.

1:32:08Um I, you know, having worked at the US

1:32:11EPA uh with the Brownfield's office for

1:32:13over 15 years, contamination leeches and

1:32:17that has been an open pit with a number

1:32:19a lot of rain coming down. I would ask

1:32:22the applicant to come back with at least

1:32:24some initial assessment of whether or

1:32:27not there is contamination there.

1:32:29Finally, or in addition, if there is

1:32:33contamination there, they're going to

1:32:34fix it by putting a cap over it, which

1:32:36is essentially creating an almost

1:32:38impervious cover um uh you know,

1:32:42building site for the hotel and the

1:32:44garage and the parking, etc., etc., and

1:32:47that will fix it. So, I'm not really

1:32:49understanding the need to go up to eight

1:32:50stories to generate additional income

1:32:53for the remediation because we don't

1:32:55really know much about that at all. Um,

1:32:58I think for the green score, they the

1:33:00city should ask the developer to um uh

1:33:05do something else in another part of

1:33:08Somerville. And then why aren't we

1:33:10developing above the driveway? Um,

1:33:12that's a lot of air rights that could be

1:33:14developed. Thank you.

1:33:18Thank you.

1:33:20>> Okay, I will now unmute. Holly Simeone.

1:33:26Holly, you should be able to unmute.

1:33:30Thank you. My name is Holly Simeone. I

1:33:32live in Ward 4. I'm a lifelong resident

1:33:35of the city of Somerville. Excuse me. Um

1:33:38I have a question. If the plans that

1:33:41were posted on the website, I don't see

1:33:44any dimensions drawn. I also don't see

1:33:46any reference to CMR 521 which is the

1:33:50state building code for accessibility.

1:33:53>> There should be 5% of the total units

1:33:57spread amongst the building should be

1:33:59wheelchair accessible. There should also

1:34:01be a hearing uh and a vision unit

1:34:04separate and at least one unit should

1:34:07have a roll in shower. And I'm wondering

1:34:10who will be reviewing the project for

1:34:13those factors and if the city can um

1:34:16provide those pages to the public so

1:34:18that we can see them. I don't have a

1:34:20problem with it being eight stories

1:34:22high. I understand the cost involved in

1:34:25remediating the area.

1:34:28I do think it could be more of an

1:34:30attractive building, but I think that

1:34:32that can be um worked through um

1:34:38uh later on. Uh I don't like the idea of

1:34:42the sidewalk being narrow and having

1:34:45this convoluted way that cars go through

1:34:48the building over the sidewalk and back

1:34:50around again. Uh it might be because the

1:34:53plans are very hard to read. Um, and

1:34:56maybe if there was some more information

1:34:57on that, I could understand it better.

1:35:00But, uh, I am in favor of something safe

1:35:03and um, built well being added to that

1:35:08area and no longer having a pit. And I'm

1:35:10very sorry for the fire that's going on

1:35:12across the street. Thank you for

1:35:14allowing me to testify.

1:35:17>> Thank you.

1:35:19>> I will now unmute Connor Brennan.

1:35:24Connor, you should be able to unmute

1:35:25now.

1:35:27>> Good evening, Connor Brennan. Can you

1:35:29hear me?

1:35:30>> Yes. Go ahead.

1:35:31>> Good evening. Thank you very much.

1:35:33Connor Brennan, PJ Ryan, 26 and a half

1:35:36years.

1:35:37Um, I am speaking in support of this

1:35:40project. Um, I would hope that the city

1:35:45and the zoning board will support this

1:35:47wholeheartedly. 15 plus years of a site

1:35:52that has been underutilized is not

1:35:53acceptable. I will say for the neighbors

1:35:56in Clarendon that I would ask the zoning

1:35:58board

1:36:00um whether or not uh variances have been

1:36:04given on pedestrian streets

1:36:07>> for uh cut uh cutouts so the access can

1:36:12be on Broadway. I think I have a lot of

1:36:14regulars who are on Clarendon and I

1:36:16really hope that their traffic pattern

1:36:19and the traffic is accommodated for the

1:36:22residents of Clarendon and the setback

1:36:25in height I think should be uh taken on

1:36:29Clarendon not on Broadway. So um but I

1:36:34am in support of this project and I hope

1:36:37that we can uh support it as a

1:36:39community. Thank you very much.

1:36:41>> Thank you.

1:36:45I will now unmute Aiden O'Neal.

1:36:49Aiden, you should be all set to unmute.

1:36:53>> Can you hear me?

1:36:54>> Yes. Good evening.

1:36:56>> Good evening. Uh, hi. I'm Aiden O'Neal,

1:36:59resident of 10 Claron A. Um, yeah, I

1:37:03guess I'm not really in favor of this

1:37:05project. I have some concerns about the

1:37:07logistics of how traffic would move in

1:37:10and out of this parking lot. Um, right

1:37:12now Claren have really acts as a one-way

1:37:15street. I'm kind of confused how people

1:37:17would be able to exit, I guess, unless

1:37:19they're using that kind of roundabout

1:37:21loop, but even then, I don't know how

1:37:23that would merge with like oncoming

1:37:26traffic. It just seems like kind of a

1:37:27disaster there. Um, I also think it's

1:37:30been a little bit disingenuous about the

1:37:33cost of this soil remediation. From what

1:37:37was spoken earlier, the owner hasn't

1:37:39even conducted soil like testing himself

1:37:42on the property. He's only speculated

1:37:44based on a prospective buyer on how much

1:37:47soil remediation would cost. I would

1:37:49really like to see like genuine effort

1:37:52to at least predict what the cost would

1:37:55be for soil remediation before using it

1:37:58to justify such a large structure that

1:38:00violates so many zoning permissions. Um,

1:38:04yeah, that's all I have to say.

1:38:06Thank you. Thanks for coming out.

1:38:09>> I will now unmute John Wagner.

1:38:14John, you should be able to unmute.

1:38:17>> Hi. Can you hear me? Okay.

1:38:19>> Yes.

1:38:20>> Okay. John Wagner. I'm at 11 Claridan uh

1:38:23Street, Claridan A, just across the

1:38:25street from this property and in an

1:38:27immediate abuter and also within the

1:38:29shadow of this property as well as as

1:38:32shown on these plants. Uh so speaking in

1:38:34opposition of this plan uh the I I would

1:38:38focus first on the the size of this

1:38:41project eight floors where three to four

1:38:44floors is the permitted size where it is

1:38:47replacing a building that was one story

1:38:49high. So the size and massing of this

1:38:52building is just massive and not in

1:38:54keeping with the neighborhood or with

1:38:56the square. I would I would add that the

1:38:59design although secondary in my

1:39:01consideration the design is is not

1:39:03compatible with the neighborhood. I'm

1:39:05not sure why they they did not look

1:39:07around at what the traditional m

1:39:09building materials are and what the

1:39:11traditional structures look like in the

1:39:12neighborhood and and be inspired by

1:39:15those traditional building materials.

1:39:17Instead, you have something that will

1:39:18stick out and will not be consistent

1:39:20with the neighborhood. I would speak out

1:39:22against the the uh the variances for the

1:39:26traffic scenario. They are looking here

1:39:29to add only 35 parking spaces at a hotel

1:39:33that will have 95 rooms. I know the

1:39:34hotel has no parking requirements

1:39:37specifically, but 35 spaces will be in

1:39:40inadequate. uh the curb cuts that

1:39:43they're making in in Claridan will make

1:39:46Claridin extremely busy, will be

1:39:48significantly detrimental to the

1:39:50neighborhood and to Claritin A. Um and

1:39:54um and further it it will force that

1:39:57street to become a two-way street. So

1:39:59it's significantly detrimental to the to

1:40:02the uh traffic pattern. And then lastly,

1:40:05I would just echo the remarks that there

1:40:06is no hardship here. This is an open

1:40:08lot. They can they could build something

1:40:11here that is in strict compliance with

1:40:13the zoning. The idea that the hardship

1:40:16here is potential cost of

1:40:18decontaminating

1:40:20that hasn't even been tested. I I would

1:40:23urge the the ZBA to consider uh strict

1:40:26uh compliance uh for the development of

1:40:28this law and not allow the owner to use

1:40:31use their kind of 15 years time. Mr.

1:40:34Wagner, I'm so sorry.

1:40:36>> Thank you.

1:40:37>> Thank you.

1:40:40I will now unmute. Uh, Reva

1:40:44Butenski

1:40:48Reva, you should be able to unmute.

1:40:51>> Yes. Hi everyone. Can you hear me?

1:40:53>> Yes.

1:40:54>> Okay. Amazing. Yeah. Thanks so much. Um,

1:40:57I'm Yeah, Rea Bensky. I live at 10

1:40:59Clarendon um as well. Um, so one of the

1:41:02other residents of the MR4 property that

1:41:05directly abuts um the lot or the pit. I

1:41:09can see the pit from my living room

1:41:11about 1 ft away. Um, I'm also a renting

1:41:13tenant. Um, so I was not informed of

1:41:16this uh hotel project until about 48

1:41:18hours ago. Um, so learning a lot in this

1:41:21meeting which I appreciate. Um, so yeah,

1:41:23a couple of notes. Um I overall like a

1:41:27couple of my nearby neighbors have

1:41:29concerns about um the plan and its

1:41:31details. Some of which I know are more

1:41:33relevant for the planning board than

1:41:34zoning. Um but one thing about the

1:41:36traffic flow and the blueprints um as um

1:41:39a couple others mentioned um it has the

1:41:43Broadway Clarendon intersection as a

1:41:45two-way street which it is not. It's a

1:41:47two-way at the Massav side but one way

1:41:50um flowing southwest um on our side. And

1:41:54I anticipate people fly down that

1:41:55street. I anticipate a lot of traffic

1:41:57accidents. Um and you know that'll

1:41:59change the parking availability and

1:42:01traffic flow. So I would encourage the

1:42:03the planners to look into that. Um we

1:42:06would also be completely um covered in

1:42:08in the shadowing study at least in the

1:42:10first half of the day. Um so take some

1:42:12issue with you know won't be shadowing

1:42:14uh too many residential units. um that

1:42:17quote from earlier, uh we would be one

1:42:19of those um concerned about uh

1:42:22construction um and what the recourse

1:42:24might be for vibrational impacts during

1:42:27the construction process given that

1:42:28we're right next door. Um as well as as

1:42:30you know, Lynn mentioned um concerns on

1:42:32the contamination uh front. You know, if

1:42:35it's already leeched, it's leeched into

1:42:38um our property as well. Um so would

1:42:40love more information on that as um a

1:42:42nearby a butter and uh look forward to

1:42:45speaking more with you all before the

1:42:46planning meeting. Thanks so much.

1:42:49>> Thank you.

1:42:52>> I will now unmute Elizabeth Oaks.

1:42:56Elizabeth, you should be all set to

1:42:58unmute.

1:42:59>> Thank you very much. I have uh so I'm

1:43:01Elizabeth Oaks. I live at 62 Clarendon

1:43:03Avenue on the Somerville side of the

1:43:05street. Um, I'll echo what a lot of

1:43:07people have already said that I'm very

1:43:09concerned about the traffic flow on

1:43:12going especially from Broadway to

1:43:14Clarendon. I'm also worried about

1:43:17Clarendon becoming a two-way street. We

1:43:19have serious traffic problems there

1:43:21because it is a cut through to Massav.

1:43:23Um, turning it two-way will make it

1:43:26worse as my neighbors who remember when

1:43:28it used to be a two-way street have told

1:43:31me about the problems that existed at

1:43:33that time. Um and the cutaways for that

1:43:36pull through into the unloading loading

1:43:38zone um seems like it'll make it very

1:43:42difficult to turn onto Clarendon A from

1:43:44Broadway without causing problems. Um

1:43:47I'm also wondering about deliveries for

1:43:49the hotel, how that's going to happen,

1:43:51where dumpsters will be. All of that um

1:43:54seems to be on the Clarendon side which

1:43:56will be hidden from most of the

1:43:58pedestrian traffic because of you've

1:44:00talked quite a bit about the pedestrian

1:44:02thoroughfare

1:44:03>> on Broadway but I think that the

1:44:06Clarendon Avenue site is going to really

1:44:08suffer and the traffic is going to be a

1:44:10disaster.

1:44:12>> Shrinking of the sidewalk.

1:44:13>> Yeah, the shrinking of the sidewalk

1:44:15seems to also be a major accessibility

1:44:17issue. Um so I'll end my comments there.

1:44:20Thank you very much. Thank you.

1:44:25>> I will now unmute Christopher Riker.

1:44:30Christopher, you should be able to

1:44:32unmute.

1:44:33>> Yes, I Christopher Riker here, seven

1:44:36Bigalow Street, uh the other end of

1:44:37town, but I do pass through that area

1:44:40regularly. Um I support some project

1:44:42here, but but I do have questions about

1:44:44this particular project. Um, I'd love to

1:44:47get some clarity on and I support many

1:44:49of the comments that have come up

1:44:50already. So, these might be some repeats

1:44:52here, but I like to get some clarity on

1:44:54the rationale for the egress on the

1:44:56pickup and drop off to see if that can

1:44:58be in some final or future design return

1:45:01closer to to the 12t mark back from

1:45:03Broadway. I don't know if that can be

1:45:04shorter. I don't know if there's a code

1:45:06issue in terms of the length of that

1:45:08driveway turnaround area for for drop

1:45:10offs and whatnot. Anyway, that's the

1:45:12first point. Second thing uh which has

1:45:14been raised here a few times is the

1:45:16remediation cost. Uh this is something

1:45:18that I I think we need to you know get

1:45:21much more clarity on. Moving from six to

1:45:23eight stories and using remediation cost

1:45:26as the rationale uh which is a one-off

1:45:29cost is going to leave us with something

1:45:31that we're going to have to live with

1:45:32for all time. And it seems like a high

1:45:34price to pay for a one-off cost. Um and

1:45:36I really do think that should be really

1:45:38unpacked a bit more so we can get some

1:45:39clarity. And last point um you know is

1:45:42the design. I mean it's subjective of

1:45:44course but I do find it uninteresting

1:45:46and it's kind of sad that we're yet

1:45:48again seeing you know uh you know oh

1:45:50first floor story and then multiple

1:45:52floors above it. Uh this whole perpet

1:45:54this construction methodology

1:45:56perpetuating it. It it kind of looked

1:45:58very blocky and uninteresting and so

1:46:00maybe in a future iteration should it

1:46:02move forward that maybe that can be more

1:46:05um related to the neighborhood as

1:46:07someone else mentioned. So with that

1:46:08thank you very much. Thank you.

1:46:12>> I will now unmute Judith Jacobs.

1:46:16Judith, you should be all set to unmute

1:46:19now.

1:46:22>> Thank you. Good evening. Um, I have

1:46:25followed this story off and on. Um, Adam

1:46:29Dash and I know each other. So, I was at

1:46:32the last meeting when Adam presented.

1:46:36I do believe that. Uh, so let me just

1:46:39say that I I live at 42 Clarmont Street.

1:46:41So I'm just two streets away from the

1:46:43site and I was um awake at 11 o'clock at

1:46:47night when I you know I mean the fumes

1:46:50were really horrible. Um and I called my

1:46:53alderman at the time and I said what is

1:46:55going on up there? So, uh, I'm curious

1:46:59about the soil, um, contamination

1:47:03and, um, you know, the possibility of it

1:47:06leeching.

1:47:08I I don't know how that all works, but I

1:47:11think that before they

1:47:14do propose, you know, that it will be

1:47:17built, they really need to examine that

1:47:20closely. And I the reason I'm saying

1:47:22this is and this was just you know

1:47:25someone I worked with. He's an engineer

1:47:27and he actually lived in Tails Square um

1:47:30for some time with his wife. So um he

1:47:34did say to me it would probably be at

1:47:35least 25 years before they could do

1:47:38anything with that that site because he

1:47:42felt that the chemicals that leeched

1:47:44into the ground were very very toxic.

1:47:47Um, so, so that's really my point and

1:47:50you know, reaching out. I I did notice

1:47:52that uh there was a meeting and I do um

1:47:56communicate with Emily and I actually am

1:47:58looking forward to the next meeting that

1:48:00she's having at the neighborhood school.

1:48:02But I I just wanted, you know, to see if

1:48:06any I mean, I've I've heard I've been,

1:48:08you know, listening along and I've been

1:48:11um listening to all the comments and and

1:48:14the people are right. they I think

1:48:16that's with some you know someone that

1:48:18is um qualified has to examine that

1:48:22closely before you do anything.

1:48:25So that's all I have to say.

1:48:27>> Thank you.

1:48:28>> Thank you.

1:48:30I will now allow

1:48:33uh Laura R to speak.

1:48:41Laura, you should be all set to unmute.

1:48:50Can you hear Allan? Okay.

1:48:52>> Yes. Could you please state your name

1:48:53and address, please?

1:48:54>> Sure. It's Alan Parmley. Laura is beside

1:48:57me here um on the couch. We Alan Parmley

1:49:00at 70 Clarendon A in Somerville. Lived

1:49:03at 34 Clarendon A in the past two. And

1:49:07uh already traffic here is a complete

1:49:10nightmare on the oneway street with

1:49:12people coming up at wrong from Cambridge

1:49:15backed up could take me 20 minutes to

1:49:17get off from my driveway on the Massav

1:49:20turning onto our street from Broadway is

1:49:25abysmal too. There's no easy way to do

1:49:27it. Not just because it's a Broadway,

1:49:29but it also forks there, which is kind

1:49:31of being understated because there's a

1:49:33bus stop and a forks on the Holland or

1:49:37street, whatever the the name is there,

1:49:40and traffic is very confusing for

1:49:43outertowners coming into here. I don't

1:49:45see how that can improve as people move

1:49:49into the school every year. The college

1:49:51brings in fresh people and it's havoc on

1:49:54our street. So, I'm very worried about

1:49:57that. Um, I would love to hear what's

1:50:00going on with the pit and I'm not sure

1:50:02it's a solution. Um, and eight stories

1:50:05just brings more people with all the

1:50:07other issues brought up of trash and

1:50:10parking and chaos. Um, it really is

1:50:15enough to give me deep concerns. I'll

1:50:18talk again tomorrow with uh the folks at

1:50:21the West uh meeting, but that's pretty

1:50:24much I got to say. So, I'm very very

1:50:26concerned about this. Thank you.

1:50:29>> Thank you.

1:50:32>> I will now unmute Miranda Stefan.

1:50:37Miranda, you should be all set to

1:50:40unmute.

1:50:41>> Hey, Miranda Stefen, 55 Clarendonav.

1:50:46Um, I don't know if we've missed the

1:50:49boat to bring this up, but younger

1:50:52people, people are coming to the city.

1:50:55People just want affordable housing, you

1:50:58know, like an eight-story hotel for rich

1:51:01toughs parents. What about the people

1:51:03who actually just live here and want to

1:51:06get their foot in the door and want to

1:51:07enter the market? Uh, I would consider

1:51:11that before we go spend a lot of time

1:51:14and money and potentially digging up a

1:51:16bunch of chemicals and just remember

1:51:18like what this city needs and what this

1:51:21state needs is more housing.

1:51:25Um, maybe the developers could respond

1:51:27to an ability to add residential

1:51:30apartments or maybe kind of defend any

1:51:34type of way that this would accommodate

1:51:36that problem. But

1:51:39I think we can just take a take a look

1:51:42at the economy right now and realize

1:51:44that what people need is housing. So

1:51:47before we gunk up Clarendon and Teal

1:51:49Square and cause all this construction

1:51:52and trash and chemical leakage, you

1:51:56know, can we attend to the pressing

1:51:58needs of the city first? Thank you.

1:52:02That's all.

1:52:03>> Thank you.

1:52:06I will now unmute K. Pesca.

1:52:10You should be all set to unmute.

1:52:14>> Hi, my name is Kristen Pesca. I um live

1:52:19at 1150 Broadway. Um so I am immediately

1:52:24uh adjacent a butter. Um I I'm I'm

1:52:29interested just to say that the way that

1:52:31Mr. Dash characterized the last meeting

1:52:36as having a lot of support seems

1:52:39surprising to me. Um to hear our new

1:52:41counselor say that she's received a lot

1:52:44of support is also surprising to me

1:52:46because at the last meeting I would say

1:52:48the word to describe it was contentious.

1:52:51There was yelling. Um so I'm going to

1:52:55butter directly. I'm not shown in the

1:52:57shadow study because I will not have any

1:53:00light whatsoever based on this

1:53:02structure. Um, but my bigger concerns

1:53:05because not everybody has my window, but

1:53:08the the size of this being raised from

1:53:11what it was before and it may be five or

1:53:1510 more years until this can be built

1:53:18because again there's so much

1:53:19speculation about this chem

1:53:22or might not happen and when it might or

1:53:25might not be able to be built. So, I

1:53:27feel like this

1:53:30this board should really think about

1:53:32like that we've already exceeded those

1:53:35limits and now it's like, well, it's

1:53:37just two more floors and then in 10 more

1:53:40years when this actually might be ready

1:53:42to go, it might be two more floors and

1:53:44we're just like creeping up and up and

1:53:47up. And finally, I just want to say just

1:53:49to remind the people on this board that

1:53:52there are a lot of abutters who may not

1:53:54be able to attend this meeting tonight

1:53:56since their homes may be on fire and

1:53:59people may be displaced. So, um it's

1:54:01unfortunate that it also affects the

1:54:04applicant, but it just may be that we

1:54:06may hear some people who did not get to

1:54:08be heard tonight. Thank you.

1:54:10>> Thank you. We will leave the public

1:54:12portion of the meeting open until the

1:54:15next meeting.

1:54:18Okay, I will now unmute Mave Kelly.

1:54:24Mave, you should be all set to unmute.

1:54:27>> Hi, this is Mave Kelly. I'm a resident

1:54:30at 61 Clarendon in Somerville, and I

1:54:33want to echo some of uh similar

1:54:36sentiments that have been said with the

1:54:38appearance of the building that it

1:54:40doesn't seem to be particularly in

1:54:41keeping with the traditional material

1:54:44palette of Teal Square. Um, and then not

1:54:47to mention the height. Again, the

1:54:49massing of the building feels out of

1:54:51place in the square. Um, but in general,

1:54:54it just seems like a lot of the

1:54:56arguments for these variances are in

1:54:58order to make a hotel feasible, we need

1:55:00to have X, Y, and Z, and it feels a

1:55:02little bit like maybe the tail is

1:55:03wagging the dog here. Does it need to be

1:55:06a hotel? Have they explored options like

1:55:09I've said earlier for mixeduse

1:55:10development with residential apartments

1:55:13rather than hotels above the commercial

1:55:14ground floor? Um something that I

1:55:17believe would give, you know, it it

1:55:19creates uh residents, permanent

1:55:22long-term residents that would be more

1:55:24invested in the community than

1:55:28short-term hotel stays. Um and so I

1:55:31would just like to know if the owner has

1:55:33explored that. Uh on top of that, if it

1:55:37is required an eighth floor hotel to be

1:55:39feasible, um does that require all rooms

1:55:42to be occupied most of the time for the

1:55:44project to be financially feasible? And

1:55:47if so, how likely is that really? Has

1:55:50they've done extensive studies on that?

1:55:52because there's a lot that's being given

1:55:54up uh in terms of the value of the

1:55:58adjacent properties with the light being

1:56:00blocked and the allowances that we're

1:56:02making for the sidewalks and the traffic

1:56:05pattern and all of that. And if all of

1:56:07that is for a project that doesn't go

1:56:10the distance, doesn't last, um that

1:56:13gives [clears throat] me hesitation.

1:56:14That being said, more than anything, I'd

1:56:16like to see something built on the lot

1:56:17rather than it continuing to sit empty.

1:56:20Thank you.

1:56:24Uh, thank you. Um, Kit, I think we're

1:56:27approaching 8:00.

1:56:30>> Yes, madam chair. I believe that all the

1:56:32hands that are raised currently are

1:56:33leftovers and that everyone has spoken.

1:56:38>> Okay. Um, we typically break at 8. So,

1:56:44what's the pleasure of the board? Would

1:56:45you like to break for 10 minutes? Then

1:56:47we come back. Um, we could see if there

1:56:53if there are no more hands. Let's let's

1:56:55pause the public portion. We'll keep it

1:56:57open for the next hearing. Um, should we

1:57:00go to a 10-minute break, then we'll come

1:57:02back and discuss

1:57:05cuz we we start we've been here since

1:57:066:00, so it's been 2 hours. That okay

1:57:09with you, Mr. Dash?

1:57:12Okay. Do we need a motion?

1:57:16>> Yes. You don't. Thank you, Jer.

1:57:18[laughter]

1:57:19Thank you,

1:57:21Brian Cook.

1:57:22>> Brian,

1:57:23>> what? We We need a motion for a recess.

1:57:26>> That's what I thought we've done before,

1:57:27but

1:57:28>> we'll do it anyway. Uh I move to recess

1:57:30the Somerville Zoning Board of Appeal

1:57:33meeting of September 30th for 10

1:57:35minutes.

1:57:37>> Let's say till 8:10. How's that? Okay,

1:57:39good.

1:57:40>> Okay. See you in a bit. Thank you.

1:57:43>> Thank you.

2:10:19It's 8:10. Um, I realize we didn't vote

2:10:22on the motion. Brian Cook, you have your

2:10:24hand up.

2:10:25>> That's not why my hands is up there.

2:10:27>> Okay.

2:10:29>> Madam Chair, could I just say something

2:10:30briefly before you had to go into it?

2:10:32Just it's more about the standards. I

2:10:33think some members of the public are

2:10:35confused.

2:10:36>> Yes,

2:10:36>> I'm not going to respond to all the

2:10:37comments. We're coming back for another

2:10:39hearing and no votes are happening

2:10:40tonight, which is fine.

2:10:42>> So everyone knows, I mean, there was a

2:10:43new variance standard that was adopted

2:10:45with the state budget July 30 started

2:10:47July 31st of this year, which was after

2:10:49we initially filed this application. Um,

2:10:52under and it took effect immediately.

2:10:53And under that new state law, under the

2:10:55revisionist to chapter 48, variances are

2:10:58to be determined using the standard

2:11:00whether strict enforcement of the

2:11:02Somerville zoning ordinance would result

2:11:03in quote practical difficulty unquote.

2:11:06This could be done by weighing the

2:11:08benefits to the applicant and to the

2:11:10public interest against detriment to the

2:11:12public health, safety, and welfare of

2:11:13the neighborhood. That's what we're

2:11:15talking about tonight. Not design, not

2:11:18traffic backups, not two-way streets.

2:11:20planning board. Yes, that's later for

2:11:22tonight. The question is whether what

2:11:25we've described here shows a practical

2:11:28difficulty

2:11:29um for developing this site, not

2:11:31hardship. That's the old standard. The

2:11:33state deliberately lowered the standard

2:11:34for getting variances as of July 31st.

2:11:37So, we're now under that lower standard.

2:11:40And I believe that we showed tonight

2:11:42that this it's not just about potential

2:11:44contamination. It's also the pedestrian

2:11:46street on Broadway. The shape of the

2:11:49lot, the topography of the pit, the two

2:11:51fronts, the increase in the interest

2:11:52rates and the construction costs are all

2:11:54parts that get get into that practical

2:11:56difficulty. Um so that is really whether

2:12:00we meet that practical difficulty or not

2:12:02and I believe we surely do. Um if this

2:12:04wasn't difficult to develop it would

2:12:06have been developed years ago. Um, other

2:12:09uses I can tell you other uses were

2:12:10explored. Not like the hotel use is on

2:12:13for tonight, but they didn't practically

2:12:14work to redevelop the site. Um, and the

2:12:17owner has been very clear about that all

2:12:18along that if the hotel doesn't happen,

2:12:20he doesn't know what he can do here

2:12:22because he can't think of much. Um, some

2:12:24of the suggestions made tonight have

2:12:26been explored um, and they didn't work.

2:12:28We can certainly go back and look at

2:12:30things again, but I just want everyone

2:12:31to know we've been working at this for

2:12:33like well over a year with me and it was

2:12:36going on well before that before I got

2:12:38involved with this. So it's not as if we

2:12:40hadn't pushed and pulled this thing to

2:12:42pieces. We've been through this as the

2:12:43staff can tell you with city departments

2:12:45repeatedly with ISD and all trying to

2:12:48find solutions and every time you push

2:12:49down somewhere else it pops up somewhere

2:12:51else. It's it's just not if if we

2:12:54believe me I don't want this many

2:12:55variances if I could avoid it. Um, but

2:12:57this is just what it is to develop the

2:13:00site due to the practical difficulty,

2:13:02not hardship, practical difficulty. And

2:13:04I think we've met that lower standard.

2:13:06So, I will let you do your thing now.

2:13:08Thank you.

2:13:10>> Thank you. Uh, Brian Cook.

2:13:12>> Thank you, Madam Chair. Just I was going

2:13:14to make similar remarks to Mr. Dash, but

2:13:18I want to also add that [clears throat]

2:13:21in the change to the zoning law that Mr.

2:13:26Dash referred to there was also a

2:13:29significant change in that the old

2:13:31language said that the um

2:13:34[clears throat]

2:13:35variance granting authority shall have

2:13:38the power to grant variances. Now it

2:13:41says shall grant variances. So they

2:13:46shortened uh the phrase to compel

2:13:50granting of variances if after

2:13:52consideration of the practical

2:13:54difficulties

2:13:56and the cost and benefits of the

2:13:58proposed solutions to those practical

2:14:00difficulties.

2:14:02the the board such as the zoning board

2:14:04of appeals is not necessarily compelled

2:14:08but is under more demanding expectation

2:14:12that variances will be granted whereas

2:14:15before with the more strict uh

2:14:18restrictions there was much more of a

2:14:20discretionary

2:14:21uh orientation of the zoning board. So,

2:14:24we're we have a somewhat new um regime

2:14:28for uh decision- making. Uh and that is

2:14:31the reason why we're not making any

2:14:33decisions tonight. Um because it's going

2:14:36to take a while for us to understand

2:14:38what the new uh the new law means to

2:14:42zoning boards uh and to applicants. Um

2:14:46so, we're taking our time to sift

2:14:47through that and get more staff input.

2:14:52Thank you. Um I'd like to see if um

2:14:57Susan Fontana would like to comment

2:14:59before we uh move on to other board

2:15:02members.

2:15:04Susan, are you there?

2:15:09>> Hello. Yes. I thought it was prudent of

2:15:12us to meet tonight and give uh Mr. dash

2:15:15the courtesy with his staff and team to

2:15:19really explain this and hash it out. I

2:15:22will say that some things just never

2:15:24change. Whenever we have these meetings,

2:15:27Mr. Dash, and we open up to the public,

2:15:30they they think we're purview to

2:15:33everything that's been bothering them.

2:15:35They feel this like another neighborhood

2:15:37meeting and this is their chance to

2:15:38bring things to our attention. Um, I'm

2:15:42glad you said what you said because it

2:15:43reminds us also of what we're doing here

2:15:46tonight and I appreciate that. So, um, I

2:15:50think everything's going pretty well

2:15:52considering I think everything's been

2:15:53civilized and talking nice. Yeah, we get

2:15:56a couple of folks that take a little

2:15:57longer or uh start talking about the

2:16:00other issues, but

2:16:04I think I'm pleased with everybody's

2:16:05posture tonight, the applicant and uh

2:16:08their presentation and our board as

2:16:10well. And I think I think it's a great

2:16:12thing that we made a plan for tonight to

2:16:14do this so we can go back and do our

2:16:16homework and rewatch the video and

2:16:18listen to Mr. Dash's presentation and,

2:16:20you know, check our notes so we're

2:16:22really prepared for the next meeting.

2:16:24Thank you again for that courtesy of

2:16:25saying something.

2:16:29>> Thank you um

2:16:32Susan Fontano. Um

2:16:35I think I echo what um Brian Cook said.

2:16:39We understand um

2:16:43the our charge has changed based on the

2:16:46language of the law. Um

2:16:50it's really the degree of the variance,

2:16:52right? It's it's it's not I I I don't

2:16:56think there is

2:16:59any question that whatever happens on

2:17:02the site will need numerous variances.

2:17:06I think it's the

2:17:08understanding

2:17:11um how what the logic is or how each

2:17:17variance is justified or with their need

2:17:20and then weighing that against um

2:17:24making sure it's not detrimental to the

2:17:26community. So to me it's a matter of

2:17:28degree and of and again reminding the

2:17:30public that the zoning board we're

2:17:32concerned about the massing the volume

2:17:35dimensional requirements

2:17:37um you know we're not going to comment

2:17:39on color whether the design is great or

2:17:42bal um I think some of that is within

2:17:45the purview of the planning board um

2:17:49although of course you are um you can

2:17:52say you know it is an open floor for you

2:17:54to express your opinion um But for us

2:17:57it's not stylistic. Um it's really

2:18:02um how how far are those dimensional

2:18:06um

2:18:08relief needed you know so you know

2:18:12where I don't think we're here arguing

2:18:14that something needs to go up and

2:18:16probably higher than what's in the

2:18:19neighborhood right now. But, you know,

2:18:22I'm also trying to wrestle with well,

2:18:24you know, why can't it be 15 stories

2:18:26then? Like, what how are you working out

2:18:30the metrics um you know, to go to where

2:18:33you landed at eight stories?

2:18:35So, I think um

2:18:39the engagement and the excitement of the

2:18:41community is palpable tonight. You know,

2:18:43this everybody wants something to

2:18:45happen. We don't want um

2:18:49public bureaucracy to impede or

2:18:53certainly obstruct projects. Um we all

2:18:56want success. Something needs to happen

2:18:58here in this in this pit. Um but we do

2:19:02need to do our due diligence to

2:19:04understand you know how how much to

2:19:07grant and you know so there'll be a lot

2:19:10of questions on that. So I think I would

2:19:12focus on that.

2:19:14Um let's let's just go to then questions

2:19:17from board members for the applicant

2:19:21design team to maybe prepare to come

2:19:23back to us if there are any.

2:19:27So I think it's more of a

2:19:30um Q&A right now and you don't have to

2:19:33answer tonight, right? You could come

2:19:34back because I'm certainly going to ask

2:19:36for certain drawings and things like

2:19:38that. Um okay. So Sicia Dalian has her

2:19:41hand up. So please Sissian.

2:19:44>> Yeah. Thank you, Madam Chair. I guess my

2:19:46two um areas of focus and concern uh

2:19:50perhaps three but two main ones that

2:19:52might need response is one

2:19:59uh to um go over again and and not

2:20:02necessarily this time next time why

2:20:05there couldn't be more um investigation

2:20:08done into the soils because a lot of the

2:20:10arguments are hinged around

2:20:13um you know hypothetical soils contam

2:20:15contamination when we really don't know

2:20:18what the extent of the soil's

2:20:19contamination is. I think one of the

2:20:21members of the public summarized that um

2:20:25concern very well

2:20:27and the other is um

2:20:32I'm concerned about the proximity of the

2:20:35pullout drive to the sidewalk. I think

2:20:38that that it just feels like a recipe

2:20:39for um injury and uh you know, I could

2:20:44just see a car pulling out of the um the

2:20:48hotel uh you know, and potentially

2:20:52hitting someone, you know, a pedestrian

2:20:54or a child or somebody on a bike,

2:20:57whatever. So, those those two are areas

2:21:00of concern for me. And and the height

2:21:02also is, but that's um

2:21:08you know, doesn't require the same type

2:21:09of response as these two um other items

2:21:12that I brought up.

2:21:15>> Um thank you, Mr. Dash. Could you tell

2:21:20us the timeline again? There was a re um

2:21:24testing done in 20 something and then

2:21:28just just lay out the history, please.

2:21:30>> Yeah, I mean Bos would know more, but

2:21:32like I said, he's at the fire right now.

2:21:33But um yeah, I mean 2015 it burned I

2:21:36believe on Halloween ironically and the

2:21:39um and there was a dry cleaner there. I

2:21:41believe uh Bonosa said something about

2:21:43the city had put up some money to do a

2:21:45phase one investigation of that um the

2:21:49contamination on the site which is not

2:21:50done by doing test borings or anything.

2:21:52It's just done by doing paperwork um

2:21:54research. And then they found that there

2:21:56was a need to do a phase two uh which is

2:21:59where you actually start taking samples

2:22:01and such. um that was not done by the

2:22:04applicant. Um the applicant tried to

2:22:06sell the property and other buyers with

2:22:09their doing diligence with their own

2:22:12work. You know, they had an offer. They

2:22:14did their environmental work. They then

2:22:17said, "We're out of the deal." They

2:22:18didn't give us they didn't give Benj the

2:22:21paperwork because it's their proprietary

2:22:22information.

2:22:23>> The potential buyer that tested it. So

2:22:27you you don't have access to

2:22:28>> We don't have access to that. The

2:22:30applicant also I mean he said this at

2:22:32the neighborhood meeting so I'm I'm not

2:22:33speaking out of school when I say this

2:22:35that you know I think he'd said that the

2:22:37problem is if he starts digging around

2:22:39and finds something then he's going to

2:22:40have to get it reported and then he's

2:22:42going to have to be responsible for

2:22:43cleaning it and he's not going to do

2:22:44that if he doesn't have a project. If he

2:22:46has a project that is viable that can

2:22:49fund it he's willing to do that but he

2:22:51doesn't want to touch anything until he

2:22:52knows he has a project. So, we're maybe

2:22:54at a bit of a chicken and egg problem

2:22:56here where if if everybody is saying

2:22:59that that he has to do the testing to

2:23:00get a variance, he's not going to do

2:23:02that. He's not going to do that. So, I

2:23:05don't know. But,

2:23:06>> sorry, you're talking about the owner

2:23:08now, not the pass by anymore.

2:23:10>> I'm talking about the owner now. My

2:23:11client wasn't the owner when it burned.

2:23:13>> Okay. Okay. Um, but the owner now isn't

2:23:15going to go doing this exploratory

2:23:18testing and and incur liability until,

2:23:21you know, he knows he has a project that

2:23:23could pay for whatever happens as a

2:23:25result of that testing. And he has been

2:23:27working with a hotel development comp a

2:23:29hotel company who's very interested and

2:23:32obviously they believe this is viable.

2:23:34So I think someone said it won't be

2:23:35viable. whatever it will because the

2:23:37people are interested and that's one of

2:23:39the reasons why we're seeking a special

2:23:40permit for formula business use because

2:23:43it is a a big hotel chain um that is

2:23:46interested in doing this. So it's not my

2:23:48client's not build is not running a

2:23:50hotel. It's not his job his job. So, but

2:23:53he's not, and we're kind of in a bit of

2:23:56a quandry here, that he's not really

2:23:58legally going to want to do the digging

2:24:01in all this information to get it until

2:24:04he knows he has a project that's been

2:24:05approved and not appealed. So, I don't

2:24:07know where we go from there on that.

2:24:08He's been very clear that if that's the

2:24:10if that is the requirement in order to

2:24:12get the approval, he's just not going to

2:24:14do it. And I think he said that publicly

2:24:16more than once. Um, I I don't know what

2:24:19else to say. That's a bit of a standoff

2:24:20problem. I would note under the new

2:24:22practical difficulty. It was a bigger

2:24:24issue when the standard was hardship

2:24:26related to soil shape or topography of

2:24:28the lot because the soil condition was

2:24:30the main event and when we first started

2:24:32this process that was a concern that we

2:24:34had but the practical difficulty is not

2:24:37just related to that. Like I said this

2:24:38brings in and and I think the new law

2:24:40brings in the financial piece of it

2:24:42which is the increased interest rates,

2:24:45the increased construction cost, our

2:24:46inflationary environment. All of that is

2:24:48part of it in addition to the fact that

2:24:50the lot is sloped on Broadway, which is

2:24:53one of the reasons why we need some of

2:24:54the variances. If it were squared off,

2:24:55we wouldn't have the driveway being that

2:24:57close to the intersection, for instance.

2:24:59It's not that the driveway is moving,

2:25:01it's the property line moves. The um

2:25:04comes down at an angle and things like

2:25:06the having the two fronts and one of

2:25:08them being a pedestrian street district.

2:25:09Dash,

2:25:10>> let's let's stick to the board question.

2:25:12So, I think um Susia D's question was

2:25:18investigation done under the soils.

2:25:19You've answered that. Um I had the same

2:25:23question. It sounds like so the

2:25:25relationship between

2:25:29um a viable project and the extent of

2:25:32contamination.

2:25:34I think that's not a clear or metric

2:25:38that we understand. Right. Usually

2:25:39there's an if slash then I can't do this

2:25:42so I need x more rooms because of

2:25:45financing. Um, so I think that's what

2:25:48we're struggling with. Um, but I will

2:25:52leave it there and then go on to the

2:25:54next question. And I don't think you

2:25:56have to

2:25:59Well, if you have quick answers, then

2:26:00that's that's good. But let's not

2:26:02represent the case because you've done

2:26:04so very clearly already.

2:26:07>> Um, thank you. Um, and the hotel chain,

2:26:10I saw Hilton in some of the renderings.

2:26:12Is that

2:26:13>> Yeah,

2:26:14>> Hilton. Yeah.

2:26:15>> Okay. I saw signage and

2:26:18>> um the client asked if you should bring

2:26:19the Hilton person to the meeting. I said

2:26:21for the variance purposes it wasn't

2:26:23really relevant because that's it's not

2:26:25um but maybe

2:26:33>> okay. Um next board member with

2:26:36questions.

2:26:45Olivia Mobade.

2:26:49>> Thank you, Madam Chair. Um,

2:26:53if it makes sense if if folks have

2:26:55questions about multiple ones, if it

2:26:57makes sense to kind of go line by line

2:26:59here,

2:27:01their cases or if you know each person

2:27:03has maybe only one question that might

2:27:05not matter as much. I can just go down

2:27:08the line um for um these questions

2:27:13starting with the green score. Um I

2:27:18would want

2:27:21you know clearly the the thought here is

2:27:23that um solar panels on the roof are

2:27:26needed if the first floor is a

2:27:29restaurant

2:27:31requires a commercial use um but it does

2:27:34not specifically require a restaurant.

2:27:37So I would want to understand from you

2:27:39all um the reasoning behind that

2:27:42selection and why no other use is viable

2:27:45that would enable um reaching the green

2:27:50score.

2:27:54I also have concerns with the um I guess

2:28:00this kind of goes the sidewalk width on

2:28:02Clarendon and the drop off area, the

2:28:05distance from the from Broadway

2:28:09is from Clarendon A. Um you know these

2:28:12are things that are you know have to do

2:28:15with accessibility and safety. Um so

2:28:18understanding um why there is no um way

2:28:23to safely provide a pickup and drop off

2:28:26area um without impeding um those

2:28:30important restrictions which is you know

2:28:32why this code exists. Um I'd want a very

2:28:36clear explanation for why that is. Um,

2:28:42you know, I I I agree with the rest of

2:28:45the board members here when it comes to

2:28:48um number of stories and building

2:28:50height. the number eight, you know,

2:28:54without any backing or understanding of

2:28:56why specifically that number gets us

2:28:58over the edge, especially when we don't

2:29:00exactly understand what the remediation

2:29:03here is need needs um in order to to

2:29:07build successfully. Um you know, that's

2:29:10not completely uh clear to me. So that

2:29:13would be helpful to clarify.

2:29:15Um and then just some practical items.

2:29:19You know, I think this came up in public

2:29:21comment, but you know, having two

2:29:24restaurants in a building with no clear

2:29:26loading area designated um definitely

2:29:29gives me um thinking about curb use

2:29:32nearby. Um where these trucks are going

2:29:35to be stopping, are they sharing space

2:29:38with the space on Clarendon? Can they

2:29:41even navigate that? Um, you know, is

2:29:45there um, you know, some other plan that

2:29:47we're not aware of? Um, I think that's

2:29:50most of it for now. Thank you.

2:29:59>> Um, anyone else? Brian Cook, anything?

2:30:05>> Uh, no, Madam Chair. I I really look

2:30:08forward to seeing the staff analysis

2:30:10because without that I um I don't have

2:30:14the depth of knowledge about the

2:30:16particular zoning

2:30:19requirements and how they might be

2:30:21addressed um that a staff analysis will

2:30:24help us navigate. Um certainly the

2:30:28applicant can provide us additional

2:30:30information, but because we're we're all

2:30:33sort of um trying to find our way with

2:30:36respect to the new uh language on

2:30:39variances in the law, it would be

2:30:41helpful to have a full staff analysis

2:30:44that we can sink our teeth into along

2:30:46with the material from the applicant.

2:30:51>> Yes. Again, you know, we

2:30:55it's it's really we want the right

2:30:58project

2:31:00to happen for the site, right? What is

2:31:02the right height? What is the right

2:31:04zoning drop? Uh drop off. Um

2:31:11I think going back to the basics um yes

2:31:15staff reports for forthcoming but

2:31:19it would help if you showed us what that

2:31:24section where you showed the three

2:31:27levels you know what zoning allowed

2:31:30I think blue red what was the previous

2:31:34um variance granted and what you're

2:31:36asking

2:31:38if you could and I know it's embedded in

2:31:40all your plans and sections but you know

2:31:42if you already if you already have an ax

2:31:44on a metric what is the maximum

2:31:47buildable area per zoning what do we

2:31:50allow and what are you asking now um

2:31:53would be really helpful

2:31:56um I see will you you understand the

2:31:59section I'm talking about that to me

2:32:00that was the most helpful drawings

2:32:02because it's what is the degree of

2:32:04relief that you're asking us for right

2:32:06as compared compared to what is allowed.

2:32:08Um,

2:32:10and that degree of relief as it ties to

2:32:12making a viable project. It sounds like

2:32:14that is

2:32:17um

2:32:19we're not understanding

2:32:22that calculation. Um, again, we're not

2:32:24developers, but anything you can do to

2:32:28um clarify or help us understand that,

2:32:30you know, how did you decide it was

2:32:33eight stories?

2:32:35Um,

2:32:39green score again like um Olivia Mate

2:32:42said was very conceptual

2:32:44to me and and fast. Um

2:32:51I'm I'm just looking at my my typed

2:32:53notes

2:32:54and I guess finally for me the changing

2:32:57clarin

2:32:59from one way to two-way what is involved

2:33:02with that? Um, maybe it's a staff

2:33:04question. May Mr. Dash, I mean, is it

2:33:07just traffic and parking? How easy is it

2:33:10to just make any street one or two ways?

2:33:13>> Yeah, if that would be the traffic

2:33:14commission, Madam Chair, um, we would

2:33:16have to go to the traffic commission for

2:33:17that and they would have to grant it as

2:33:18a public street. Um, so it'll be what it

2:33:21probably would end up, I think, a

2:33:23condition on the planning board decision

2:33:25and, you know, to have that happen.

2:33:27>> And have you done a traffic study? I

2:33:31mean, we would

2:33:33like to see that. Um, I mean, everyone

2:33:35who drives by there is stuck at that

2:33:38intersection that lets three cars go,

2:33:41you know, or five maybe at a time each

2:33:44time the light changes. Um,

2:33:46>> well, not we don't have a traffic study

2:33:48because all we have is the variance

2:33:50application in right now. We do not have

2:33:52the the the site plan approval, nor do

2:33:54we have the special permit applications

2:33:56in. This still has to go back through

2:33:58the UDC process for design review, which

2:34:01is why all this design stuff is

2:34:03discussion is premature. And we'll go

2:34:04back to the UDC. And then once we're

2:34:06through there, we'll have a second

2:34:07neighborhood meeting. And then we will

2:34:09go and file for the site plan approval

2:34:11and the special permit. But of course,

2:34:12only if we get the variances. So we're

2:34:14frontloading the variances because we

2:34:16understand this is kind of a gate a

2:34:17threshold issue for the whole thing. And

2:34:19if it fails or any of these fail,

2:34:21there's just no project. So then all the

2:34:23rest of it, you know, we don't have to

2:34:25do. Yeah. So at this so that's sort of

2:34:27where we are. So I will go ahead. I

2:34:29>> I just want to a traffic engineer has

2:34:31been uh hired however and they have done

2:34:34counts uh in response to the previous

2:34:37study that was done years ago which

2:34:39needed to be updated based on the leng

2:34:41you know how old it was

2:34:43>> as part of the the design team

2:34:46consultants right?

2:34:47>> Yes.

2:34:48>> Yes.

2:34:50>> In

2:34:53sorry I didn't hear that. Do you have

2:34:54some inkling of the impact?

2:34:59>> Uh, I don't want to speak to the

2:35:01traffic. I I I believe that

2:35:05I believe they're going to find in my

2:35:07experience having done another hotel

2:35:08that the hotel traffic load is

2:35:12minimal based on the time that people

2:35:14typically check out or check into a

2:35:16hotel being off peak um

2:35:20uh commute times. But I don't I don't

2:35:23want to say that definitively cuz I but

2:35:25I I believe that that will be the the

2:35:28study. I mean I

2:35:30traffic studies typically usually tell

2:35:33people what they want to hear. Um

2:35:35>> Oh wow. Well, I would say though to be

2:35:36fair, I mean I did two um fairly recent

2:35:39hotel projects and the Cambria Hotel and

2:35:41Somerville A and I just we just did the

2:35:43one McGrath Hotel which we saw you on

2:35:45which got approved and is now in the

2:35:47Cambridge process because it's on both

2:35:48cities. And in both those cases, the

2:35:51number of of of um room of parking

2:35:54spaces required for hotels was pretty

2:35:56low. Um yeah,

2:35:57>> people just don't park at hotels like

2:36:00they did back in the day. So, I mean, I

2:36:02think it's just the the nature of hotels

2:36:03and that the check-in and checkout times

2:36:05like 11:00 a.m. or 10:00 a.m., which is

2:36:07what it would be,

2:36:08>> you know, that's not and on nights and

2:36:11weekends, that's really not interfering

2:36:13with sort of the daily commute. It's

2:36:14kind of an interesting use that meshes

2:36:17well with the with what's going on

2:36:19there. But I mean, again, I'm not going

2:36:20to I don't know the traffic report for

2:36:21this intersection, but I've certainly

2:36:23seen that on a number of hotels in the

2:36:25summer where we have not provided a lot

2:36:26of parking and work.

2:36:28>> Yes. I I was actually going to bring up

2:36:30the Cambria um

2:36:33you know, which is sort of in my

2:36:35neighborhood.

2:36:36Um and just trying to understand the

2:36:38scale right between these two. The

2:36:40Cambria is more elongated. Was it five

2:36:44stories?

2:36:44>> Six floors.

2:36:46>> Six.

2:36:47>> It is the six floor step back.

2:36:49>> Yes. I mean, I I think it's, you know, I

2:36:53think it's does a fine job of fitting

2:36:55in. Doesn't overwhelm the neighborhood.

2:36:58Um, but just trying to understand the

2:36:59scale difference and maybe that would

2:37:01help the public if you just put them

2:37:02side by side. Um,

2:37:07but how many, Mr. Dash? Are you saying

2:37:0935 is a lot or not a lot? I would say I

2:37:12would say some of the neighbors I think

2:37:13one of the comments were that that was

2:37:15not enough for 99 rooms and I would say

2:37:18quite a lot um for 99 rooms based on the

2:37:21other hotels I've done. Cambria has got

2:37:23minimal parking as does the one McGrath

2:37:24hotel that's was recently approved as

2:37:27minimal.

2:37:27>> Do you do you have those numbers off the

2:37:29top of your head? Cambria how many room

2:37:31>> in my computer somewhere probably but

2:37:33long out of my brain.

2:37:34>> Not this computer. No, you know, I'm

2:37:37sure I mean that all that's all publicly

2:37:39filed documentation that

2:37:41>> Right. It's Yes, but if you'd like to I

2:37:45mean you can bring that to us, right? If

2:37:47you'd like

2:37:48>> for us to better understand your case,

2:37:50we can certainly look it up, but it's

2:37:52it's you know,

2:37:54I think it would help you. I I

2:37:56>> I have the information. I just don't

2:37:57have

2:38:00um Susia Dian

2:38:03Oh, your hand was up.

2:38:06Okay. Um,

2:38:14I'm just looking at my notes.

2:38:18So, to the public,

2:38:21if there are more

2:38:25written comments, um, they have to be

2:38:29submitted by Thursday, October 29th.

2:38:34That's the deadline for written comments

2:38:36for the November 4th um the next hearing

2:38:41and we look forward to getting the staff

2:38:44um analysis

2:38:47and again the public portion will be

2:38:51kept open

2:38:53so we look forward to understanding

2:38:57the project better.

2:39:01>> Yeah, this was great. I appreciate the

2:39:03time and I appreciate the thoughtful,

2:39:05you know, comments and the questions.

2:39:06I've written them down and we um will

2:39:08have um we'll spend our next amount next

2:39:11month working on that.

2:39:13>> Brian Cook.

2:39:15>> Uh thank you, Madam Chair. We do need a

2:39:18motion to continue.

2:39:20>> Yes, please go ahead.

2:39:23>> Okay. I move to continue 1154 Broadway

2:39:28ZP26-00000026

2:39:32through 000032

2:39:36and ZP26000077

2:39:40through 79 to the November 4, 2026 ZBA

2:39:45meeting.

2:39:47>> Do I have a second?

2:39:48>> Second.

2:39:51Seconded by Olivia Mobade. Roll call

2:39:55vote.

2:39:57>> Brian Cook.

2:39:59>> Yes.

2:40:00>> Olivia Mobade.

2:40:01>> Yes.

2:40:02>> Sicia Dalian.

2:40:04>> Yes.

2:40:06>> Susan Fontano.

2:40:07>> Yes.

2:40:09>> Myself and Brocklman. Motion to continue

2:40:12passes.

2:40:14Thank you.

2:40:15>> Thank you.

2:40:16>> And thank you everybody in the public

2:40:18for coming out. Um, your participation

2:40:21does make a difference. Thank you.

2:40:24>> Absolutely. Thank you. Have a good

2:40:26night.

2:40:26>> Thank you.

2:40:26>> Good night.

2:40:35Uh,

2:40:37Kit, anything else tonight?

2:40:42>> Um, I don't think so. Just a note that

2:40:44I'll be out on October 14th where you

2:40:47have one continued case. Um but Madison

2:40:50Anthony um who you all know will be

2:40:52taking over for that meeting. Uh so

2:40:53you're in good hands with her. Other

2:40:56than that, nothing else.

2:40:58>> Okay. Should we adjourn?

2:41:05Motion.

2:41:08>> Excuse me. I make a motion that we

2:41:10adjourn until our next meeting of the is

2:41:14it October what 14th

2:41:18is that we're meeting yes October 14th

2:41:22>> second

2:41:24>> second

2:41:26>> uh seconded by Sicia Dian I don't see

2:41:28Brian Cook

2:41:30but I think we have quorum so we can

2:41:32adjourn um Olivia

2:41:34>> Made

2:41:37Sier Yes.

2:41:39>> Susan.

2:41:40>> Yes.

2:41:41>> And an yes.

2:41:44Motion passes to adjourn. Everybody have

2:41:47a good night.

2:41:48>> Good night.

2:41:48>> Thank you.

2:41:49>> Okay. Bye. [clears throat]

2:41:51>> Thank you. Bait.