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Record of Proceedings

Somerville Licenses & Permits Committee Meeting Summary – February 11, 2026

Meeting Portal — Thursday, February 12, 2026
BodySomerville, Massachusetts
SessionMeeting Portal
DateThursday, February 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 17:18

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

Hello, welcome to the February 11th, 2026 Licenses and Permits Committee.

0:09

Um, pursuant to chapter two of the Acts of 2025.

0:13

This meeting of a city council committee will be conducted via remote participation.

0:17

We will post an audio recording, audio video recording, transcript or other comprehensive record of these proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting on the City of Somerville website and local cable access government channels.

0:32

All right, Clerk Potier, can you call the role, please?

0:37

Absolutely, Councillor Davis.

0:40

Here.

0:40

Counselor Wheeler.

0:42

Here.

0:42

Chair Hart.

0:44

Here.

0:44

You have a quorum.

0:46

Wonderful.

0:48

All right.

0:49

So the first item on the agenda is approving the minutes from the committee meeting, licenses and permits committee meeting of January 21st, 2026.

1:01

Is there any discussion on that item?

1:06

Right.

1:07

Seeing none.

1:09

Let's let's go ahead and uh vote on that.

1:14

Absolutely.

1:15

Counselor Davis.

1:17

Yes.

1:18

Counselor Wheeler.

1:19

Yes.

1:20

Chair Hart.

1:21

Yes.

1:22

Those minutes are accepted.

1:24

Wonderful.

1:27

The second item.

1:29

Uh we're gonna we're gonna take the actually we're gonna take the third item out of order and do the grant of location first.

1:41

Um this is uh this is uh item that has been carried over from the previous meeting.

1:50

Ivers applying for a grant of location to install a total of 38 feet of conduit in Warwick Street from utility poll 357 over three to a point of pickup at 16 Warwick Street.

2:06

Madam Chair, I do see a hand raised from the applicant.

2:09

Fantastic.

2:10

Uh right, wonderful.

2:12

I would like to ask Jacqueline Duffy to speak.

2:17

You are unmuted on our end, Jackie.

2:21

Uh well done.

2:22

Hi, can you hear me now?

2:24

Yes.

2:24

Yes, we can.

2:25

Hi.

2:26

Um, I we have been in on contact with uh Matt Penny, and he said it works for him.

2:31

We're gonna straighten the poll in the new conduit across the street.

2:35

Well, he's good with everything that we decided to do with the um rises on the poll.

2:41

Okay, excellent.

2:42

And is Counselor Saeed here this evening.

2:49

I do see the counselor's hand raised.

2:51

Okay, excellent.

2:52

Counselor Sait, you are unmuted on our end of the hello everyone.

2:57

Uh thank you for having me.

3:00

Um thank you, uh Jackie.

3:03

I uh just um first want to make sure uh we share what exactly what was shared with uh Mr.

3:12

Penny in terms of how to uh approach this and making sure um yeah we do it like we're addressing his concerns and then the second thing is I know this is not really this is more for the city where uh there's another project um I think it's for uh to provide internet to the same property, not internet, like cable.

3:45

Uh if there is a way, this is again a request for the city to coordinate these two projects because this tree is gonna be dug up twice if there are no there's no coordination.

3:57

So again, this is more for request.

4:00

Um and um, yeah, I want to ask Jackie if this is something that um you normally do.

4:09

Well, has Comcast already applied for uh a grant allocation?

4:14

That's a good question.

4:16

Happy to check with uh through the chair with um with the city so that these two happen.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Licenses And Permits█████████████████████████████████████████████63%
Public Engagement██████████████20%
Procedural████████████17%
Summary of Proceedings

Somerville City Council Licenses and Permits Committee Meeting Summary – February 11, 2026

The Licenses and Permits Committee of the Somerville City Council met on February 11, 2026, at 6:00 PM via Zoom. The meeting was called to order by Chair Hardt and adjourned at 6:19 PM. Present were Councilors Davis, Wheeler, and Hardt. The committee addressed two agenda items: approval of previous meeting minutes and a Grant of Location for Eversource. A public hearing for a new used car dealer license was postponed due to lack of proper notice.

Consent Calendar

  • Approval of Minutes (ID # 26-0143): The minutes of the Licenses and Permits Committee meeting of January 21, 2026, were unanimously accepted by a roll call vote of 3 in favor (Councilors Davis, Wheeler, Hardt), 0 opposed.

Discussion Items

  • Public Hearing for New Used Car Dealer License (USA Auto Hub, 61 Prospect Street, ID # 26-0115): Chair Hardt stated that the required public hearing notice had not been advertised in advance, so the hearing could not take place. The applicant, Gilvan Costa, appeared and provided background: he is a Somerville resident of ten years, the new owner of the business (no changes other than name change for marketing), and also owns an auto body shop in Weymouth with strong reviews. The committee discussed the item but took no vote; it was kept in committee for the next meeting scheduled for February 21, 2026, where a proper public hearing will be held.
  • Eversource Grant of Location (Warwick Street, ID # 25-1754): This item was carried over from a previous meeting. Jacqueline Duffy, representing Eversource, explained that abutter concerns had been addressed. Eversource agreed to install a new pole and use existing empty risers for the new conduit. Ward Five City Councilor Naima Sait expressed support for the revised plan. She also requested that the city coordinate this project with a potential Comcast project to avoid digging up the street twice. The committee voted on a condition (new pole and use of existing risers) and then on the overall item. The condition was approved 3-0, and the item was recommended to be approved with that condition by a 3-0 vote.

Key Outcomes

  • Minutes of January 21, 2026, were approved.
  • The new used car dealer license application was kept in committee pending a public hearing at the next meeting on February 21, 2026.
  • The Eversource Grant of Location was recommended to be approved with the condition that a new pole be installed and existing risers be used for the conduit.

Note: The meeting adjourned at 6:19 PM.

Meeting Transcript

Hello, welcome to the February 11th, 2026 Licenses and Permits Committee. Um, pursuant to chapter two of the Acts of 2025. This meeting of a city council committee will be conducted via remote participation. We will post an audio recording, audio video recording, transcript or other comprehensive record of these proceedings as soon as possible after the meeting on the City of Somerville website and local cable access government channels. All right, Clerk Potier, can you call the role, please? Absolutely, Councillor Davis. Here. Counselor Wheeler. Here. Chair Hart. Here. You have a quorum. Wonderful. All right. So the first item on the agenda is approving the minutes from the committee meeting, licenses and permits committee meeting of January 21st, 2026. Is there any discussion on that item? Right. Seeing none. Let's let's go ahead and uh vote on that. Absolutely. Counselor Davis. Yes. Counselor Wheeler. Yes. Chair Hart. Yes. Those minutes are accepted. Wonderful. The second item. Uh we're gonna we're gonna take the actually we're gonna take the third item out of order and do the grant of location first. Um this is uh this is uh item that has been carried over from the previous meeting. Ivers applying for a grant of location to install a total of 38 feet of conduit in Warwick Street from utility poll 357 over three to a point of pickup at 16 Warwick Street. Madam Chair, I do see a hand raised from the applicant. Fantastic. Uh right, wonderful. I would like to ask Jacqueline Duffy to speak. You are unmuted on our end, Jackie. Uh well done. Hi, can you hear me now? Yes. Yes, we can. Hi. Um, I we have been in on contact with uh Matt Penny, and he said it works for him. We're gonna straighten the poll in the new conduit across the street. Well, he's good with everything that we decided to do with the um rises on the poll. Okay, excellent. And is Counselor Saeed here this evening. I do see the counselor's hand raised. Okay, excellent. Counselor Sait, you are unmuted on our end of the hello everyone.

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