Development Project
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This project proposes to replace the vacant house between Domino's and Revival Cafe. The original design was a 4-story building with commercial space on the ground floor and 10 residential units on the upper floors.,
After receiving city approvals, the developer's preliminary site work contractor discovered excavating the basement would be unusually expensiveβabout $500,000βbecause of the local soil and the need to avoid damaging the foundation of Revival.
This is a problem because the developer needs 10 units for adequate revenue, but the density factor required by Somerville Zoning Ordinance means the square footage of the basement is needed for the project to be legal.
The developer could ask for a hardship variance to eliminate the basement (which would also be bad for commercial tenants), or they could ask for a hardship variance or zoning map change to allow a 6-story building (with additional units to cover the unexpected cost).
The DSNC Board is meeting with the developer on September 28, 2026, and then the developer is expected to bring a presentation to the entire DSNC membership for feedback.
π¦ Status: Re-evaluating
Resources
Resources
π Developer project webpage
π City project webpage (incl. plans and shadow study)
Contacts
Contacts
Pablo Picker, Developer
Picker Construction LLC
βοΈ PickerConstruction@gmail.com
Lance Davis, Ward 6 Councilor
Current site status
Current site status
As of September 22, 2026, the building is abandoned and boarded up.
Original design
Original design
Rendering of the proposed building from the project team
Information
Information
π¦ Status: Planning Board-approved, Urban Design Commission-approved, and Historic Preservation Commission-approved.
βοΈ 4 Stories
π No off-street parking, eliminates existing driveway
π² 10 off-street bicycle parking spaces
History
History
2025
2025
The City held a neighborhood meeting about the project on January 27th (π Developer report)
The Urban Design Commission voted to recommend the project with recommendations on February 11th (π Official recommendations)
The City held a neighborhood meeting about the project on February 27th.Β (π Meeting notice; π Developer report; π DSNC notes)
The developer published a Transportation Action Plan on March 6th (modified on March 28th and in May)
The Urban Design Commission signed its recommendation on May 13th
The Planning Board held a hearing on the project on August 7th
The Planning Board continued the hearing and voted to approve on August 21st
The Planning Board signed its approval document on September 3rd
2026
2026
The developer's preliminary site work contractor discovered excavating the basement would be unusually expensive (about $500,000) because of the soil conditions and need to avoid damaging the foundation of Revival
The DSNC Board plans to meet with the developer on September 28th
The DSNC Board expects the developer to bring an updated presentation to the entire DSNC membership sometime after the September 28th meeting
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