Somerville Planning Board issues null recommendations on six zoning amendments

Planning Board · Meeting of May 21, 2026

Somerville Planning Board unanimously issued null recommendations on six zoning amendments and continued a contentious 29-unit apartment proposal at its May 21 meeting. The board voted 6-0 on each of the six recommendations, covering proposed changes to dormer standards, backyard cottage regulations, accessory dwelling unit rules, and a Union Square zoning map amendment sought by US2 Associates. Interim Planning Director Dan Bartman told the board the administration is drafting its own ADU and backyard cottage compliance amendment, expected by late summer, that would bring city ordinances into line with state law.

On the Union Square map change, Bartman warned that council action to rezone the parcels would reset a decade of master-plan agreements, including a development covenant and community benefits agreement signed by the Somerville Redevelopment Authority, the master developer, and the Union Square Neighborhood Council. On 32 Webster Holdings LLC's proposal for a 29-unit passive-house building at 32 Webster Avenue in the MR4 district, Chair Michael A. Capuano told the applicants "there are vast improvements that can be made both as to how the building looks and how the building operates internally," and the board continued the application to June 4, leaving written comment open through May 29.

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Source: the Planning Board meeting of May 21, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.