One of three possible designs developer Copper Mill has told residents it could use for its planned residential tower in Davis Square. Image courtesy of CBT Architects
First-term Somerville Mayor Jake Wilson welcomed the sight of a construction crane in Winter Hill, signaling progress on one of the city’s most prominent and formerly dormant building sites: the former Star Market property.
At a ceremonial groundbreaking Thursday, Wilson and other speakers hailed the 299 Broadway and 15 Temple St. project as a model of public-private collaboration.
Wilson was less committed to the prospect for construction of a 24-story apartment tower across town in Davis Square, however.
“I’ve been encouraging the developer to show their work, to take people along on why they’re presenting the types of plans they’re presenting: the finances required, certain height, a certain number of units,” Wilson said following the ceremony Thursday.
MassHousing asked Boston-based developer Copper Mill to revise its original design last winter, but the company has not submitted a modified proposal for the site at Elm and Grove streets, a MassHousing spokesperson said this week. The agency’s approval of a site eligibility application is a requirement before the proposal can be reviewed by the Somerville Zoning Board of Appeals.
Wilson said the designs should meet the goals of the city’s Davis Square Neighborhood Plan, which has been studying the area’s development guidelines since 2013. Meetings will restart in late summer, and the goal is to complete the study by early 2027, Wilson said.
“That’s designed to have a holistic planning approach for the entire neighborhood, because I’m not a fan of doing development on a parcel-by- parcel basis,” he said. “We need to have a holistic plan. That’s we’re going to push that over the finish line.”
Copper Mill also is facing a lawsuit – reported by Banker & Tradesman two weeks ago – related to its acquisition of a Chatham inn. The former owners of the Queen Anne Inn claim that Copper Mill defaulted on a $7.75 million loan and then sold the property to Hajjar Management “with the actual intent to hinder, delay, or defraud Plaintiff as a creditor,” the complaint states.
In a statement provided to the Boston Globe this week, Copper Mill CEO Andrew Flynn said the former owners “recently requested changes to an already existing agreement and we look forward to working together to resolve any concerns as appropriate.”
“You obviously hate to see anything like that come up. We’re definitely keeping a close eye on that,” Wilson said.
319 Units Break Ground on Broadway
In the largest project to break ground since Wilson took office in January, developers are beginning construction on a 319-unit mixed-income housing project at 299 Broadway.
Members of a development team lauded the 299 Beacon and 15 Temple St. project as a win for mixed-income housing production.
Boston-based Samuels & Associates, Beacon Communities and Rise Together joined Mark Development, which acquired the property in 2023 for $22 million, on the Winter Hill project. The project received $6 million from the city’s Affordable Housing Trust and $2 million from a MassDevelopment public realm grant.
The project includes two separately-financed buildings. 15 Temple, developed by Beacon Communities and Rise Together, will include 115 deeply-affordable apartments in a 6-story, 152,696-square-foot building.
299 Broadway, developed by Samuels & Associates and Mark Development, is a 6-story, 193,000-square-foot building totaling 204 apartments, 21 of which will be income-restricted.
299 Broadway. Image courtesy of Samuels & Associates
