Zoning Board of Appeals Meets Tonight

The Somerville Zoning Board of Appeals will meet tonight at 6pm at City Hall (93 Highland Avenue, Aldermanic Chamber). On the agenda is MLM Realty Trust's appeal of the Planning Board's decision not to let them subdivide the property at One Benton Road into two lots for the purpose of building luxury condos. Neighbors of the property are planning a thorough presentation of the facts of the situation and have received over 200 letters in support of the Planning Board's original decision not to grant MLM the requested zoning variance, which they need in order to subdivide.

Thanks to everyone who signed the online petition and/or sent a letter. The more people that show up tonight, the better, so if you're able to make it, please show up!

Also, in case you missed it, Somerville Patch published a nice article about the struggle thus far on February 24th.

One Benton Road's Last Stand

According to the Agenda published by the Somerville Planning Board, there will be a special meeting tonight at Somerville High School Auditorium (6:00, 81 Highland Ave.) to discuss whether MLM Realty will be permitted to divide the lot at One Benton Road into two, and build a second three-unit structure there.

The question of whether to finalize the permit now comes down to traffic safety. Because of the increased traffic to be generated by the additional residence, should it be built, combined with the limited lane space on Benton Road, and the foot traffic in the neighborhood during morning hours, the Planning Board has required MLM to present a traffic mitigation plan that would resolve these issues before allowing construction to go forward.

Supporters of the effort to prevent further construction on the One Benton Road lot will be attending tonight's meeting, and Alderman Tom Taylor has stated that the more people who show up, the more weight their opposition will carry. The petitions submitted by neighbors at the May 6 meeting have been instrumental in delaying construction this long, and forcing the developer to search for solutions to the negative impact that additional building on the lot will have.

Hopefully, MLM Realty's poorly conceived and executed assault on the city's precious remainder of open space can be halted before further damage is done to what was once a unique historical property.

The Giobbe House: The Saga Continues

While I was out of town last week, the Somerville Planning Board discussed the question of whether MLM Realty will be permitted to subdivide the lot at One Benton Road, where The Giobbe House formerly stood, into two parcels in order to build a second three-condo structure. As I mentioned in a former blog entry, the position of the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission, as well as a number of Somerville residents, is that the renovated house at One Benton Road demonstrates wanton disregard for the preservation of the character and history of the neighborhood.

The Somerville News blog reports that at the May 6 Planning Board meeting, aldermen and residents raised the issue that increased traffic at the site poses a potential danger to children walking to and from nearby St. Catherine's School. Design Consultants Incorporated presented a traffic study that was deemed irrelevant by board member Michael A. Capuano (not to be confused with Congressman Michael E. Capuano) due to the fact that it was conducted at a time of day during which the traffic problem in question was not an issue.

Despite the measures city and state officials are now taking in an attempt to control the chaos generated by the runaway greed responsible for this whole debacle, the outlook appears grim. There will be a May 20 Traffic Commission meeting during which the traffic concerns will be discussed, but board member Dana LeWinter is quoted in the Somerville News as saying, "We can't deny (the permit) unless there are intractable concerns. I want to know what possible mitigation measures there might be." The Somerville News does not mention Mayor Joe Curtatone in its article; all I know is that the March 22, 2010 document recommending conditional approval to MLM for the subdivision of the lot is on his letterhead.

At this point, making contact with your Alderman or -woman, the mayor, and the congressman by phone or e-mail are good options to voice your concerns about this project. Also, Attorney Richard G. Di Girolamo, located at 424 Broadway, Somerville 02145, who is listed as the agent for MLM Realty Trust on the above-referenced document, can be reached at 617-666-8200. Lastly, the May 20 Traffic Commission meeting is open to the public, so show up if you can. If enough people get vocal about this, it will be more difficult for MLM to continue to develop in the irresponsible fashion that characterized the renovation of The Giobbe House. As a community, I think we owe it to ourselves to make this process as difficult for MLM as possible, based on the complete lack of respect they've shown us. They haven't succeeded yet, and until they get full approval from the city, there's still time to fight.

Heartfelt thanks to everyone who signed the petition and posted comments here.