Vol. 1, No. 1
November 26, 2001
Contents
First of all, let me thank all of you who volunteered to help during my re-election campaign,
who supported the campaign financially, and who voted on Election Day. The final numbers
demonstrated once again how close an at-large race can be. I'm immensely grateful for all of
you who helped to put me into the top-four category.
1) CVS PROPOSES RETAIL STORE, 'LAND SWAP,' FOR MAGOUN SQUARE
On November 7, I attended a neighborhood meeting sponsored by CVS to present their
proposal to build a store in Magoun Square. Corporate CVS has an option to purchase a
property on Medford Street that now houses the row of shops from "Kathy's Corner" up to,
but not including, Canty's Cafe. Originally, their proposal was to remodel this block into a
5,000 sq. ft. CVS store.
Their current proposal, still in the discussion stage, is to trade this parcel of land (16,000 sq.
ft.) for the city's municipal parking lot at the intersection of Broadway and Medford Street
(22,000 sq. ft.). The municipal parking lot presently has 55 parking spaces; CVS maintains
that its optioned property on Medford Street could provide perhaps 45 spaces.
CVS could then build a store of approximately 10,000 sq. ft. on the site of the current
municipal lot. For comparison, the CVS store in Porter Square is about 11,000 sq. ft. in
size. It appears that CVS intends to provide no parking for their new store other than what
would be available in the new municipal lot.
Roughly thirty neighbors attended the Nov. 7 meeting, and asked many tough questions.
Someone wanted to know where the CVS employees would park, and was told that present
employees come by bus. Gales of laughter greeted this response. Asked whether CVS plans
to close its Ball Square store, a company spokesman answered, "Ball Square is facing a
natural diminishing return. We're going to let nature take its course."
Why This Issue is Important
Magoun Square is a small, intact square of small businesses, shops, and restaurants that
principally serve the surrounding neighborhood. An active group of business people and an
active neighborhood group have been meeting with city officials for the last two years to
discuss and plan revitalization of the square. Much design work has been done, and funding
secured, for features such as new lighting and crosswalks, and a landscaped plaza at the front
of the municipal parking lot.
The majority of neighbors at the meeting said they would welcome a pharmacy in the square,
but did not want to have it located in the municipal lot site. CVS has hired George Bachrach
as its political operative, and has been meeting directly with the city administration about the
proposed 'land swap,' and reports a favorable initial reaction. The outcome here will speak
volumes about the future of neighborhood self-determination and character, and about city
policy toward disposition of its own land and toward the granting of major zoning relief for
corporate projects.
What Next?
Another neighborhood meeting sponsored by CVS is scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 28, at
7:00 p.m., at the VNA Assisted Living Facility at 259 Lowell Street, on the south side of the
defunct bridge. The entrance is in the middle of the south side of the building, through the
parking area. The meeting room is on the third floor.
2) LOWELL STREET BRIDGE PUBLIC HEARING
The Massachusetts Highway Department is holding a public hearing on the design of the
reconstructed Lowell Street Bridge on Thursday, December 6, 2001, at 7:00 p.m. in the
Alderman's Chambers at City Hall. For questions, contact Michael Bloukos, Project
Manager, at (617) 973-7333.
3) ATS TOWING, 229 LOWELL STREET
In early November, the Zoning Board of Appeals (ZBA) DENIED a petition for a Special
Permit to allow operation of a towing company at this address, which is zoned Residence
"C". On Wednesday, November 21, the property owner filed a notice of appeal of the ZBA
decision. It is unclear whether the city will ask for a court injunction against the operation of
the towing business presently operating there during the appeal process.
4) CITY SEEKS NEW OFFICE SPACE IN HOMANS BUILDING
First, for some background: On June 8, 2000, I introduced a Resolution asking that, at the
next Board of Aldermen's meeting, the administration provide an update on its plans for the
Public Safety Building, the Central Library, as well as the city-owned Homans building, and
East Somerville Theater. There was no response, and I put through another Resolution
requesting the same information at the November 9, 2000 Board meeting.
On Saturday, November 17, 2001, I joined several of my colleagues on the Board of
Aldermen for a tour of the Homans Building, led by Project Manager Tom Jones. We did a
walk-through of the building's interior and exterior, and listened to an outline of the planned
re-use of the building.
The city's administration is proposing to renovate the Homans Building, at the intersection of
Medford Street and Pearl Street, into office space for several city departments, and a re-located Council on Aging Center. The city purchased the building for $1.1 million several
years ago, originally for use as a community center. Its first floor is presently being used for
storage of surplus furniture and equipment; the second and third floors are lying empty.
The city's proposal is to tear down several later additions to the building, mostly enclosed
loading docks, and rehabilitate the original structure, which comprises approximately 43,000
square feet of space. The present concept is to put the Council on Aging and Health
Department on the ground floor, and put on the second floor the other city departments
presently housed at the City Hall Annex on Evergreen Avenue. The School Department
would like to move its administrative offices to the third floor. It is claimed that the
demolition of the additions to the building would yield enough open space to create 110
parking spaces.
Why This Issue is Important
The Board of Aldermen has been asked to authorize a bond issue to fund the Homans
renovation. At first blush, this project has appeal - moving the Council on Aging from the
Tufts Administration Building would free the city from the ruinous "market" rents Tufts is
now charging. Yet the city's bonding capacity is limited, and there are other pressing public
building needs: elementary schools, the high school/trade school, the public safety building,
and the libraries, for instance. What are the city's priorities, and those of the people? There
is no evidence that the city has a plan of what to build, and when to build it.
What Next?
A Public Hearing on the proposal has been scheduled for Thursday, November 29, at 7:00
p.m., in the Alderman's Chambers. Public input during the hearing will be important to any
process of planning and priority setting.
5) VOTE EARLIER? - A READER'S POLL
Almost every polling place I visited on Election Day reported turning away large numbers of
voters between 7:00 a.m., opening time for the polls in most other cities, and 8:00 a.m.,
when the polls open in Somerville for municipal elections. I brought a successful Board
Order for creation of the necessary legislation to open our polling places at 7:00 a.m. for
city elections. There will, of course, be some cost associated with the one-hour extension.
Would you vote for earlier voting? Let me know how you feel about this issue - your vote
could count.
Copyright 2001 Denise Provost
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