Union Square Housing Project Faces Questions About Parking, Historic Building

As neighbors and some Somerville aldermen voiced concerns about parking and traffic at a proposed apartment complex in Union Square, developers of the project are in discussions with city planners regarding an historically significant building at the site.

The developers, a partnership between the non-profit Somerville Community Corporation and Cathartes Private Investments, presented updated plans for the apartment complex Monday night at a neighborhood meeting held at the Argenziano School.

The proposal call for two buildings. One, planned for 181 Washington St., the site of the former Boys & Girls Club, would be financed by the Somerville Community Corporation, which builds affordable housing, using low-income tax credits. It would contain 40 affordable units—one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments—with rents in the neighborhood of $1,100 to $1,300 per month, according to Danny LeBlanc, executive director of the Somerville Community Corporation.

The other building, planned for 197 Washington St. and financed by Cathartes, would contain 44 apartments, 39 of them market rate, five of them affordable. The market rate units—studios along with one-bedroom and two-bedroom apartments—would likely start between $1,500 and $2,000 and cost up to $2,500 to $3,000 per month, according to Jim Goldenberg, principal at Cathartes.

"The project is envisioned as one project," said Goldenberg of the two-building proposal, although it could be built in phases.

Historic building

The 197 Washington St. parcel is home to the Cota Struzziero McKenna Funeral Home building, which the Somerville Historic Preservation Commission determined was historically significant, according to George Proakis, Somerville's planning director.

The funeral home building was constructed in the mid 19th century and exemplifies Italianate architecture, according to the Cota funeral home website.

Proakis, speaking at Monday's meeting, said the historical designation had the effect of putting a stop on construction at the site for up to nine months as developers and the Historic Preservation Commission discuss what to do with the building.

Those discussions, however, don't necessarily mean the building will be preserved. Working together, developers and the Historic Preservation Commission could decide to save part of the building, aspects of the building, or none of the building, instead marking its existence with a plaque or a photo display, to name just a few options.

"It's an ongoing conversation," said Adam Dash, an attorney for the developers, adding, "We'll see what we can do." Although "we are trying to get someone to move" the building, that's "probably not going to happen," he said.

At the end of the nine-month period, nothing's stopping the developers from knocking down the building anyway. That said, Proakis noted the project will still need to go through an approval process with the Planning Board, so it's in the best interest of everyone involved to reach an agreement.

Parking and traffic

Neighbors and some aldermen voiced concerns about parking.

The development, with 84 units, would have 86 parking spaces, and some neighbors don't think that's enough.

Steve Sawyer, from Design Consultants, Inc., who's conducting a parking study, said the development "will not impact on-street parking" and won't significantly affect traffic in the area.

Ward 3 Alderman Thomas Taylor was skeptical. "I actually find that hard to believe," he said.

Sam Millen, a neighbor, said, "I'm generally concerned about the scale of the development."

When the owner of a six-unit apartment building recently started charging tenants to park in the driveway, those tenants started parking on the street, impacting parking in the whole area, Millen said, asking people to imagine the impact of 84 units in the neighborhood.

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