Business owners in Somerville’s Davis Square have endured years of uncertainty. Some local businesses closed down or moved as the community waited for two massive developments to kick them out and launch into years of construction. But both of those projects stalled.
With a new plan floated last month, though, some local business leaders are cautiously optimistic that the limbo could be coming to an end. Boston-based developer Copper Mill is looking to build dozens of units of residential housing on one of the plots, with retail space on the ground floor along Elm and Grove streets that would replace the eight storefronts currently there.
“There’s a lot of people in the community that are looking forward to change,” Paul Christie, owner of Davis Squared gift shop on nearby Highland Avenue.
In recent years, some local business owners complain that the square’s been in decline. They say there’s been open drug dealing and reports of violence during the day.
“I think the image of the square has been tarnished,” Christie said, who’s lived in Davis Square for 30 years. He hopes his business can survive what would likely be years of construction for the project.
Two sprawling developments were put forward in 2019 as plans to revitalize Davis Square into a retail and business mecca.
Scape, a London-based global real estate owner that has its U.S. headquarters in Boston, had announced plans for a $10 million development project that would build a mix of lab and office space along Elm Street.
The other project, through Asana Partners of Charlotte, North Carolina, had included plans for 100,000 square feet of redevelopment that would include lab, office space and a retail plaza, also on Elm Street.
But neither project is moving forward. In 2020, when the pandemic hit and brought with it an economic downturn, Jack Connolly, the acting president and CEO of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce, said that threw a “monkey wrench” into everything.
Several local independent businesses closed in the last five years amid fears that the projects would hurt or close their business, such as Sligo Pub and Caramel French Patisserie.
“We’re worried about our jobs,” said Rigo Aleman, who’s been manager of McKinnon’s Meat Market on Elm Street for almost 20 years.
McKinnon’s, a family-owned local chain that opened its Davis Square location in 2016, is part of of the development that would be turned into housing and new storefronts.
With all the talk about construction and the building being sold in 2019, Aleman said people assumed their store had already shut down.
“People think we’re not existing anymore, and that’s impacted business,” he recalled.
Tom Galligani, executive director of strategic planning and development for the city of Somerville, said this newest proposal is viable and so far it’s getting a positive reception.
“People definitely expressed to us some interest in considering housing,” Galligani said. “They [the developers] started a series of community conversations with neighbors to try to see if there’s any interest in doing housing for that site, which is really the core competency of this partnership.”
Now, the new housing project by developer Copper Mill is in the works, a new company founded last year by the former CEO of Scape, Andrew Flynn. Flynn floated plans for a housing development along Elm and Grove streets last month at a community meeting, saying he hopes construction would start within five years and that it would take up to two years to build. Copper Mill did not respond to a request for comment for this story.
More local information meetings are scheduled for
next week at the Somerville Community Baptist Church.
The consequences of limbo
Christie said a lot of the neighborhood is feeling the loss of the businesses that have moved — or will have to move — due to construction. Those places, which include McKinnon’s, The Burren and Dragon Pizza, have yet to relocate — but they may not have a choice.
“Change is inevitable, and this is going to be hard in changing the character around Davis Square,” he said. “Businesses that are thriving and are very much a part of the Davis Square fabric, it is going to be a big loss to lose them.”
In 1984, Connolly remembered a period of transformation that began when the MBTA opened the Davis Square’s Red Line station. There was an influx of new residents and businesses, like the Central Theater. He said Davis Square was dubbed “the Paris of the ’90s” and considered a top urban destination.
Decades later, though, the area was lagging in growth as nearby squares experienced growth spurts of their own. And, according to Connolly, the heyday of Davis Square came to a screeching halt.
“Unfortunately, now we have backslid in the last 10 to 15 years as both Union Square and Assembly Square have taken off, and Davis Square is now seeing more than 15 empty storefronts,” he said.
Several hurdles lie ahead before any projects can be built, like getting a special permit due to zoning restrictions. But Connolly is cautiously optimistic that people are interested in this latest housing project.
Having lived through the phases of Davis Square’s potential realignment, he compared it to the New England Patriots. They were riding high for 20 years, he said, but, now, things have gone back a little bit.
“Davis used to be the flagship square in the city, and it’s anything but that now,” he said. “The flag is no longer furling is the best way to put it.”
