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Before the boards

Updated September 26, 2026

What's happening

This is a rolling docket of what's in front of Somerville's appointed land-use, design and licensing boards, plus the City Council committees that feed them. The agendas here were posted as of September 23, 2026 and cover meetings through October 28. Legistar meeting records, city permit data and bid postings run through September 22. Where a meeting has already happened and our sources have no minutes or decision, the item is listed as filed, not as decided.

Two things dominate the next two weeks. On September 30 the Zoning Board of Appeals hears ten hardship variances for an eight-story hotel on the long-vacant Teele Square "Pit" at 1154 Broadway (Teele Square hotel at the Pit). The Somerville Redevelopment Authority expects a draft land disposition agreement for 90 Washington Street the same night. On October 1 the Land Use Committee and the Planning Board hold a joint hearing on the administration's five-amendment zoning cleanup package, the first Land Use hearing since June 18 (Zoning amendments in motion in 2026).

Planning Board

The board met September 3 and September 17, 2026, at 6 p.m. on Zoom (Sept 17 revised agenda). Its next meeting is the joint hearing with Land Use on October 1, 6:30 p.m. Written testimony closes at 9 a.m. the Friday before a hearing, and the board caps itself at six public hearings per meeting.

  • 222 Broadway: Mission Hill Donuts LLC wants a special permit to expand the hours of a nonconforming business in MR5 (ZP26-000008), continued to September 17. The new owner wants the Winter Hill Dunkin' open 24 hours (it now closes at 8 p.m.) and a Jimmy John's in the same building. Neighbors raised rats, noise, light and a late-night crowd (Cambridge Somerville Independent, Sept 13). Outcome not in our sources yet.
  • 8 Medford Street: Medford Properties LLC wants a special permit and site plan approval (ZP24-000091, ZP24-000092) for a four-story, 18-home building with at least three deeded-affordable units. It has ground-floor commercial space and no parking, which the board questioned. Outcome not in our sources yet.
  • 6 Wheatland Street: Nelson Group Construction wants to demolish a two-unit building and build five units in MR3 (now ZP26-000016/017). The case has been pending more than a year. Outcome not in our sources yet.
  • 120 Middlesex Avenue: DWCH Assembly Row LLC's 19-story lab building (ZP26-000038) was heard August 6 and hasn't reappeared on a posted agenda. See Assembly Square and The lab glut and the tax base.
  • 32-40 White Street: the Kinvarra Capital MR4 apartment project was last posted for August 6. Outcome not in our sources yet.

Zoning Board of Appeals

The August 19 meeting's outcomes, including the 17 Monmouth Street lot split (Backyard cottages, ADUs and lot splits), aren't in our sources. The September 16 meeting was canceled for lack of business. The next meeting is Wednesday, September 30, 6 p.m., on Zoom (notice).

  • 1154 Broadway, Teele Square: Adam Dash & Associates for Laxmi N. and Jharana Pradhan seeks ten hardship variances in MR4. They cover GreenScore, landscape buffer, building height, stories, rear setback, a frontage driveway, secondary front setback, sidewalk width and two curb-cut standards. This is the eight-story Teele Square Hotel. Written comment closed September 24 at 7:30 p.m. See Teele Square hotel at the Pit.
  • 333 Highland Avenue: Fan Wang seeks a special permit for alterations to a nonconforming four-unit building in NR, where three units are allowed. The same owner has a demolition review pending before Historic Preservation.
  • 61 Boston Street: a Section 6 finding to expand a nonconforming rear setback on a two-family in NR.
  • The board has a vacancy. Applications are due October 30 (city notice). Somerville YIMBY puts the stipend at about $500 a month for members (Somerville YIMBY newsletter, Sept 16).

Somerville Redevelopment Authority

On September 2 the SRA chair executed the developer designation agreement with Wood Partners for 90 Washington Street, starting the 90-day land disposition agreement talks (Somerville Times, Sept 9). Staff plan to bring a draft LDA to the September 30 meeting and to put it before the City Council on October 8. Zoning has to finish by the end of December, or the public process restarts in January. See 90 Washington Street.

Condominium Review Board

The board meets Monday, September 28, 6 p.m., remotely (agenda). The agenda lists three members on what the condo-conversion ordinance sets up as a five-member board (Tenant protections).

  • Final conversion permits, 19 units at eight addresses: 12 Foskett Street, 23 College Hill Road, 1244-1246 Broadway, 61 Florence Street (three units), 63-65 Cameron Avenue, 356-356A Broadway (four units), 22-24 Charnwood Road and 69-71 Putnam Road.
  • Preliminary rental conversion permits, nine units at four addresses: 80 Irving Street, 341 Washington Street (three units), 23-25 Day Street and 81 Gilman Street. The ordinance's tenant notice and right-to-buy rules exist to cover rental buildings like these. A fifth preliminary permit, for 65-67 Berkeley Street, is filed as a non-rental conversion.

Urban Design Commission

The commission met September 8 and September 22, 6 p.m., on Zoom (Sept 22 agenda).

  • 382 McGrath Highway: design review, the only item on September 22. Outcome not in our sources yet.
  • 84 Washington Street (September 8): Cobble Hill Apartments, the senior building beside the 90 Washington site. Its plan to add parking went to a neighborhood meeting on September 22.
  • 84 Broadway (September 8): a three-story addition for 20 residential units over the Amigos Market building in East Somerville.
  • 13 Elm Street (September 8): the Aguacate Verde site, empty since 2010, which owner LaCourt Realty wants to combine with neighboring parcels (Cambridge Somerville Independent, Sept 6).

Historic Preservation Commission

The commission met September 15 (agenda). Its next meeting is Tuesday, October 6, 6:45 p.m. (notice).

  • 83 Wallace Street: demolition review at Step 2, determination of preferably preserved (HP26-000053).
  • 333 Highland Avenue: demolition review Step 1 (HP26-000047).
  • 23 Hinckley Street (October 6): demolition review Step 2.
  • Community Preservation Act eligibility (September 15): the Armory, 165 Broadway and Somerville Museum artwork and maps (Arts and culture). Outcomes not in our sources yet.

Licensing Commission

The commission met September 14 (agenda).

  • The Rosebud, 381 Summer Street: still not reopened. The commission continued the license item again. See Arts and culture.
  • Casa Mexico Taqueria Pizzeria, 362 Mystic Avenue: new common victualer license. Wildgrain, 29 Properzi Way: extended evening hours and entertainment changes.

Other boards this month

  • Community Preservation Committee (September 23): began deliberating on FY27 applications, with no individual projects named on the agenda. Next meeting October 28. Outcomes not in our sources yet.
  • Retirement Board (September 24): likely votes on an RFP for pension administration software and a private credit RFP update (agenda). Outcomes not in our sources yet.
  • Commission for Persons with Disabilities (September 23, special meeting): the continued agenda included a chair's presentation on increasing the number and size of affordable, accessible units, a draft letter to the mayor, ADA transition plan updates and state accessibility-board (MAAB) variances (agenda). Outcomes not in our sources yet.
  • Affordable Housing Trust (September 10): a YMCA early-acquisition loan extension for 136 School Street (agenda). Outcomes not in our sources yet.
  • Somerville Housing Authority (September 17): proposed revisions to the Section 8 Administrative Plan and occupancy policy (agenda), which govern the voucher pipeline on Rental assistance.
  • Pedestrian and Transit Advisory Committee (September 17): its draft Squires Bridge comment letter (agenda).
  • Conservation Commission (September 22): the Draw 7 Park renovation, Winter Hill Yacht Club pilings and a commission vacancy (agenda). MassDOT awarded the contract for the Mystic River bridge landing at the park the next day (Mobility projects).
  • Review of Multiple-Member Bodies Committee (September 23, remote): took up the canceled September 9 agenda, covering the Traffic Board, the PILOT Advisory Task Force, possible dissolution of the Emergency Management Advisory Council and retention of four bodies (agenda; Building out the 2025 charter). Outcome not in our sources yet.

The Council's land-use pipeline

  • Land Use Committee: a joint public hearing with the Planning Board, Thursday, October 1, 6:30 p.m., on Zoom, with written comment by 4 p.m. that day (notice; Legistar agenda). It covers five mayoral amendments: parking maximums (26-1258), removing ground-story elevation requirements (26-1259), state protected-ADU alignment (26-1336), principal entrances (26-1337) and terminology (26-1338). Also in the queue are a sixth amendment on review-board jurisdiction (26-1261) and At-large Councilor Jonathan Link's Section 3.1.7.c amendment (26-1373). See Zoning amendments in motion in 2026 and Backyard cottages, ADUs and lot splits.
  • Finance Committee (Tuesday, September 22), 19 items (agenda): the committee approved the Armory arts-space leases (26-1354), minus the anchor tenant's, which was still being negotiated (Independent, Sept 23). Outcomes for the rest aren't in our sources yet: $350,000 in immigrant legal services money (26-1334, Immigration protections), $255,045 for FY27 Vision Zero (26-1240, Traffic calming and Vision Zero), three State 911 grants totaling about $480,000 and a $215,919.15 MAPC grant.
  • Full City Council (Thursday, September 24, 7 p.m.): due for DSNC recognition (a two-thirds vote), both rodenticide items, the retail animal sales and non-union salary ordinances, and the special-election order for Wards 2 and 3 (Three Council seats turn over). Outcome not in our sources yet.
  • Legislative Matters (Tuesday, September 29, 6 p.m.): the short-term rental ordinance and civilian oversight are expected.
  • Housing, Community Development and Equity Committee (Wednesday, September 30, 6 p.m.), nine items (agenda): the likely home of the short-term rental items (Rental registry).
  • Public Health and Public Safety (Wednesday, September 30, 6 p.m.), ten items (agenda): includes the Cummings warming center report.
  • Traffic and Parking (Wednesday, October 14, 6 p.m.): five items.
  • New School Building Committee (Monday, September 28, 4:30 p.m.): see The new school at 115 Sycamore Street.

Big permits

From city permit data for September 3 through 22:

  • 299 Broadway: a $3.2 million electrical permit (E26-000769) for the 204-apartment market-rate half of the 319-home Star Market project.
  • 188 Assembly Park Drive: five electrical permits worth $600,000 to $950,000 each for the TransMedics fit-out (Assembly Square).
  • 42 Ten Hills Road: $1,566,964 to renovate two units and add an attached dwelling unit "as allowed by right" (B26-001383), the state ADU law at work (Backyard cottages, ADUs and lot splits).
  • 5 Wilton Street: a $1.05 million three-unit building and a $380,000 backyard cottage on one lot.
  • 366 Broadway ($7.71M, 50 units), 9 Taylor Street ($4.32M, 34 units), 13 Warwick Street ($3.54M, 28 units) and 24 Webster Avenue (42 units) remain the largest housing permits in the export.

Twenty-six addresses had cottage or ADU permit activity in the three weeks. New filings came in at 66 Farragut Avenue, 29 Pennsylvania Avenue, 7 Woodbine Street and 17 Fremont Avenue, and certificates of occupancy were issued at 22 Spring Hill Terrace and 37 Kingston Street. The September 22 delta added a cottage foundation at 17 Oak Street, a barn-to-ADU conversion at 54 Belmont Street and two more short-term rental registrations (Rental registry).

Bids

What's next

  • September 22–24, 2026: Finance approved the Armory leases. Outcomes from the rest of that week's meetings aren't in our sources yet: Urban Design, Conservation, the neighborhood meetings, the rink bid opening, the Community Preservation Committee, the multiple-member bodies review, the Retirement Board and the full Council.
  • September 28, 2026: New School Building Committee, 4:30 p.m.; Condominium Review Board, 6 p.m., with 13 conversion applications.
  • September 29, 2026: Legislative Matters, 6 p.m.
  • September 30, 2026: ZBA with the Teele Square hotel; SRA with the draft 90 Washington LDA; Housing and Public Health and Public Safety committees; Green and Cool Somerville proposals due.
  • October 1, 2026: joint Land Use and Planning Board hearing on the zoning package, 6:30 p.m.
  • October 6, 2026: Historic Preservation Commission.
  • October 7, 2026: Building Master Plan OPM responses due.
  • October 8, 2026: target for the 90 Washington LDA to reach the Council.
  • October 14, 2026: Traffic and Parking, 6 p.m.
  • October 28, 2026: Community Preservation Committee.
  • October 30, 2026: ZBA applications due.
  • December 2026: the Review of Multiple-Member Bodies Committee reports, and the sewer megaprojects go to bid.