Re: [DSNC] Digest for davissquarenc@googlegroups.com - 2 updates in 1 topic

[Sara Oaklander]

Hey y'all.  This is an incredibly robust discussion - covering a lot of ground, creating a lot of heat. 

I've lost track of something I'm particularly interested in - and maybe others are as well - which is the space between today's height restrictions and a new 26 storey building. The proverbial third path. I know it was mentioned, with interest in inviting the developer to present the financial viability and housing impact of some other options. Is this something that can happen? Or maybe is happening? 

On Fri, Jan 16, 2026 at 12:40 PM <daviss...@googlegroups.com> wrote:

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• Copper Mill 40B Application Letter & meeting info - 2 Updates

Copper Mill 40B Application Letter & meeting info

Jeff Byrnes <je...@somervilleyimby.org>: Jan 15 06:49PM -0500 Hi Callie, et al,   I think this is worth focusing on: “…address the need for housing AND the community’s desire to maintain the unique feel of Davis Square?”   I think the key question is this:   Should Davis Square remain 1–3 storey buildings, or should it be rebuilt to satisfy today’s needs?   -- Jeff Byrnes he/him 🌐 somervilleyimby.org 🟦 bsky.app/profile/somervilleyimby.org 📖 facebook.com/SomervilleYIMBY 🐘 better.boston/@SomervilleYIMBY 📷 instagram.com/SomervilleYIMBY 📱 704.516.4628

Denise Provost <denise....@verizon.net>: Jan 16 02:01AM Please, could we all keep a respectful tone towards others? Denise On Sunday, January 11, 2026 at 10:43:20 PM EST, Mieke Citroen <mie...@gmail.com> wrote:   I think it's more important to have more housing than to preserve a sightline for an event that happened in the revolutionary war. Maybe it's time to think about the future. --Mieke   On Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 21:19 Ann Camara <somervi...@aol.com> wrote:   Hi it Ann Camara from USNC.Sorry you’re going thru this. We went thru it in Union Square when they were designing the building at.the corner of Somerville Ave and Proapect. Developer USq. We wanted Union Square to remain Union Sq. Smaller houses, no chain stores, nothing blocking shade or sky, not more traffic, and certainly not blocking the view from the Castle where one of our first US Flags were flown down to the Harbor in Boston where our soldiers could see the British ships coming in the Revolutionary war. We went to the Historic Board, had other Architects show designs that would fit our area and help with bigger sidewalks, help limit wind that is so bad now at our green line station, and so much more. As you know City Council grants Zoning Permits. Take a petition out, get , I think, 50 signatures and all of us go in front off the Council and try to put a stop to this in Somerville. Or things like talking to Wilson at open hours. Push for the right issues, at least you know you did. Good luck. I’d like to be with you where ever you go, City Council…….617-780-8767     Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS     On Sunday, January 11, 2026, 6:49 PM, Mieke Citroen <mie...@gmail.com> wrote:   It sounds like there is not a lot of common ground between those of us who want it built and those of you who don't. It's unfortunate, but often how these things end up getting stuck and neither side getting what we want.  --Mieke. On Sun, Jan 11, 2026, 18:25 'Denise Provost' via Davis Square Neighborhood Council <daviss...@googlegroups.com> wrote:   First rate letter, Kevin  Not that I’m surprised  I love the rallying cry ending ! D     Sent from the all new AOL app for iOS     On Saturday, January 10, 2026, 8:56 PM, Kevin McIntosh <kevinmc...@gmail.com> wrote:   Dear Erik et al, The good news is: We are not "stuck with the tower." Given Somerville's previously stated GLAM status (see Meredith's email), we are likely eligible for Safe Harbor designation. We must convince our city council to act quickly and decisively if Davis Square's destiny is to be in our hands, subject to our own thoughtful, balanced, well-conceived development plan, and not Copper Mill's, with its profit-margin imperatives and sudden 40B filing. Forcing out-of-scale development in Somerville with a 40B is an abuse of the statute, which was surely intended to make the Newtons and Miltons do their fair share vis a vis the housing needs of Greater Boston. The densest city in Massachusetts needn't shoulder this burden, allowing a developer to serve his own needs and damaging forever the character of a beloved square. And beyond Davis, Somerville rolling over for a hostile 40B would set the worst sort of precedent, putting a giant For Sale sign in the middle of our city, declaring open season for the most unprincipled development, local zoning laws be damned. Neighbors, there is still time to keep Davis Square development our choice and our plan, but the clock is ticking, and we must act together, with determination and urgency. Yours,Kevin     On Sat, Jan 10, 2026 at 10:01 AM Erik Nygren <nyg...@gmail.com> wrote:   Since it sounds like with the 40B process we may be stuck with a tower, we may need to figure out how to engage with the developer and the city to make the best of it. My top practical concerns not already talked about a bunch here are: 1) What this means for supporting vehicular traffic and temporary.  Even if there's no parking and residents aren't able to get access to parking permits (will they?) so can't own cars, what does this mean for moving trucks on September 1st, food delivery, Uber/Lyft, delivery trucks for the businesses, trash pickup, etc?  What does this also mean for any future options for making Elm St be a pedestrian street during parts of the day?  It will be critical to make sure this doesn't make the already bad double-parking situation worse in the square in a way that impacts pedestrian safety even more. 2) What this means for school capacity. While this is mostly studios, I'm sure that some portion of the 500 units will have people with kids needing space in our schools.  The elementary and middle schools within walking distance of Davis Sq are tight on capacity even with the Brown School open. The city doesn't have money for bussing, and driving isn't an option here if there's no parking.  This means that we need to make sure that as we build up we build school capacity within walking distance of where developments are happening, and there are other developments also coming online soon (eg, 299 Broadway which will have 288 units) that will put pressure on school capacity.  Best, Erik   On Friday, January 9, 2026 at 9:47:09 PM UTC-5 Susanna Coit wrote:   I'd like to encourage people to also share these thoughts about this Copper Mill's 40b with Mayor Wilson's office. As he said in his video message, "my support depends on your support." It is important for him to hear from people! On Friday, January 9, 2026 at 2:28:57 PM UTC-5 Brendan Ritter wrote:   I was very shocked to hear this information given the radio silence surrounding the project.  I'm somewhat torn. While I do want housing, it's clear a large number of our neighbors take exception to the height. The similar projects in union and central occurred on streets that were far wider than elm.  However, far more than the specifics of the building, I object to the manner in which the developer has pursued its community outreach.  For months we were given radio silence, and now we know why. They were always going to ram it straight through over our heads at the state level. It seems like it was a done deal by July.  So is that it? Since it's a 40b submission, even if we were able to gain nonprofit status and official recognition by the city, it wouldn't matter? (At least officially?) Brendan On Fri, Jan 9, 2026, 14:13 'ebm...@comcast.net' via Davis Square Neighborhood Council <daviss...@googlegroups.com> wrote:   Hi Zev, Thank you for your thoughtful and considered response. In answer to your question, I object to the size and height of the building rather than the number of new residents. (But of course, these are interrelated to a large extent. There's no way to fit 502 new apartments on that space without building a tower, I'd imagine.) And if there were a magical way to make a huge tower invisible other than obscuring the view right in front by setting it back a bit, that would be great. But as you point out, that's obviously not possible and  I feel that a tower looming over the heart of Davis is not consistent with the appeal and streetscape that has made Davis special. In addition to being oversized and of a height that changes the whole feel of Davis as a neighborhood center, new towers like this add a monolithic aspect, much different than multiple shorter buildings. As someone else pointed out, the tower at Union Square is not quite in the heart of the square, as this would be in Davis. Also, I'm totally not impressed with the towering new building mentioned in Central Square.  One more thought: In the long run, maintaining human-scale interest, charm (if I can apply that loosely), variety, uniqueness, and some older building styles has led many neighborhoods around the country and world to be desirable. It's easy to put up modern large towers. But it's impossible to recreate what drew many people to the place to begin with. I am just hoping there is some way to develop this property without caving in 100% to the wish list of yet another developer. They always seem to say they can't build smaller or better, or else they won't make enough profit. Elizabeth Merrick From: daviss...@googlegroups.com <daviss...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of Zev Pogrebin <zpogre...@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, January 9, 2026 11:20 AM To: Davis Square Neighborhood Council <daviss...@googlegroups.com> Subject: Re: [DSNC] Copper Mill 40B Application Letter & meeting info Hi Elizabeth and all,  I just want to add to the conversation and say my personal opinion that a large tower would improve, not detract from the human scale of Davis Square. One question of mine is whether people primarily object to the density of people or to the physical dimensions of the building? For those who are opposed to the building for its 'scale', can you chime in whether it is the physical size of the towers or the number of people that you primarily object to? For example, if the tower component of the building were invisible, would you support the project? Regarding the density, I think that by adding a very high density of people within the square and additional retail space would result in much more vibrancy in the area. The 500 people in the square will almost exclusively not be drivers, so Davis will likely be their first stop and destination when they go to restaurants, buy stuff, visit parks or libraries, or just take a walk. I think that the extra foot traffic would make the square feel safer and create more connections. In terms of the physical shape of the building, the 3 story pedestal will line up with the other buildings on that side of elm street, and create a street wall with a much more village like feel. The tower itself would be somewhat set back and have a relatively small impact on Elm Street. Of course, if you are elsewhere in the neighborhood, you will definitely see the tower. I don't really understand how this is bad, but that is my personal taste, I just don't view tall buildings as eyesores. The shape and size of the retail units seems to preserve the small business-oriented feel, and the pedestrian arcade area seems really cool. Because the building is going to be making almost all their money from residential income, I think that there will be more flexibility to lease the retail units with small businesses. Putting a bank in will not be financially advantageous to the property owner because it could negatively impact the market rents.  In all the cities I have visited, I have found very nice neighborhoods filled with similar types of housing stock (single family up through something like a triple decker), which are next to very large towers. Many people bring up European cities like Paris when talking about how they oppose towers like this, but when I went to Parisian suburbs, I found several areas with high rise residential towers nestled in suburban residential neighborhoods, producing vibrant squares. Similarly, I was recently in Tokyo, where I spent time in amazing residential areas near Oshiage/Kyojima, filled with 2-3 story buildings but bounded on one side by Tokyo Skytree, one of the tallest structures in the world, and another side by a residential development with 20-50 story buildings. Even in our region, I would argue that the towers in Central and Union have had a positive impact on their surroundings (I rarely hear people who are seriously upset about theheight of Market Central or the bacon building). What these neighborhoods all have in common is that the tower's population shops at businesses, walks around the area, and contributes to the neighborhood's community in general. The towers provide a good way to house these new residents without interrupting the local character in the main residential area.The alternative to house 502 units "in-scale" in our neighborhood would require gentrifying a large portion of local housing stock and replacing it with soulless 3-6 story condos(and such a solution would likely have far fewer affordable units). All these are my personal opinions, and don't reflect my position as a board member, or the board's position as a whole. Please let me know your thoughts. Respectfully ,Zev   On Friday, January 9, 2026 at 10:32:53 AM UTC-5 ebm...@comcast.net wrote:   Does anybody else have a problem with a huge development featuring large tower that will dwarf everything else and change the human scale, neighborhood character of the square? Does anybody else think that multiple smaller developments integrated into our existing neighborhoods would be a better way to go? Why does an in-demand city like Somerville have to cater to big developers?  I find it implausible that we have to grab this or else we cannot solve our affordable housing issues. Elizabeth Merrick  GetOutlook for Android From: daviss...@googlegroups.com <daviss...@googlegroups.com> on behalf of David <dtata...@gmail.com> Sent: Friday, January 9, 2026 10:14:16 AM To: Ron Newman <rne...@alum.mit.edu> Cc: Zachary Yaro <zmy...@gmail.com>; Christopher Beland <bel...@alum.mit.edu>;dsnc-bo...@googlegroups.com <dsnc-bo...@googlegroups.com>; Davis Square Neighborhood Council <daviss...@googlegroups.com> Subject: Re: [DSNC] Copper Mill 40B Application Letter & meeting info   Over 100 new affordable housing units, no new cars added to the roads, new retail space, and the Burren is secure. These all sound like very positive developments. It's nice that we have a look at the financials now. It would be interesting to see a side-by-side with lower height plans, so we can assess the claim that smaller buildings don't pencil out. Best,David Tatarakis   On Fri, Jan 9, 2026 at 7:05 AM 'Ron Newman' via Davis Square Neighborhood Council <daviss...@googlegroups.com> wrote: My entire objection to this project has been to the temporary closure of the Burren and the risk of it not reopening.   If the owner of the Burren does not object to the project, I don’t either. -- Davis Square Neighborhood Council · https://DavisSquareNC.org · https://linktr.ee/DavisSquareNC --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Davis Square Neighborhood Council" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email todavissquaren...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/davissquarenc/CAA%3Di0Zgiag71%2B2CqXxcE5Wevj6%2Bs1F1PO%2BAgmTef6ZqL8A01tQ%40mail.gmail.com.   -- Davis Square Neighborhood Council · https://DavisSquareNC.org · https://linktr.ee/DavisSquareNC --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Davis Square Neighborhood Council" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email todavissquaren...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/davissquarenc/CAOBd5n5BLvOe4Z2C_ZhaSkH7wqkjn4F4Pz6rzpofRLwuAH%3Dqxw%40mail.gmail.com.         -- Davis Square Neighborhood Council · https://DavisSquareNC.org ·https://linktr.ee/DavisSquareNC --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Davis Square Neighborhood Council" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email todavissquaren...@googlegroups.com. To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/davissquarenc/668697c6-226a-4ee5-8a24-e0bd314f17a2n%40googlegroups.com.     -- Davis Square Neighborhood Council · https://DavisSquareNC.org · https://linktr.ee/DavisSquareNC --- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Davis Square Neighborhood Council" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to davissquaren...@googlegroups.com.     To view this discussion visit

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Sara Oaklander

617.504.3369