OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Special City Council Meeting on 90 Washington Street Proposals - May 12, 2026

Meeting Portal — Tuesday, May 12, 2026
BodySomerville, Massachusetts
SessionMeeting Portal
DateTuesday, May 12, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 3:46:38

Transcript — Verbatim
0:03

All right, good evening, everyone.

0:04

This is a special meeting of the city council.

0:06

It is Monday, May 11th.

0:07

My name is Lance Davis presiding.

0:09

I use he, him pronouns.

0:11

This special meeting of the city council has been called by the mayor solely for the purpose of convening an executive session pursuant to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 30A, Section 21A 6.

0:26

To determine final proposals for the 90 Walk and 90 Washington Street Project.

0:33

Note that pursuant to chapter two of the acts of 2025, this meeting of the city council may be conducted or is being conducted via remote participation.

0:40

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 Summerville website and local cable access government channels.

0:54

Please call the roll.

0:56

This is roll call.

0:57

Councilor Ewan Campen.

0:59

Here.

0:59

Councilor Link.

1:00

Here.

1:01

Councilor Scott.

1:02

Present.

1:02

Councilor Klingon.

1:04

Present.

1:05

Councillor Strazzo.

1:06

Present.

1:06

Counselor Said.

1:10

Councilor Wheeler.

1:11

Here.

1:12

Councilor Hart.

1:13

Here.

1:13

Councilor McLaughlin.

1:15

Yeah.

1:15

Councilor Mbaugh.

1:18

Councilor Davis.

1:20

Here.

1:20

With nine counselors present and two absent, we have a quorum.

1:24

All right.

1:24

Very good.

1:25

Thank you.

1:25

And uh let the record reflect that pursuant to the rules of the city council, this council salutes the flag of the United States of America and remembers our oath to uphold the constitution of the Commonwealth and the United States.

1:37

First item, Madam Clark.

1:42

Item 7.1 is a request of the mayor requesting that this council convene an executive session to discuss 90 Washington Street.

1:50

All right.

1:52

Do we have members of the public here?

1:55

We have one attendee.

1:57

So for anyone, uh anyone watching now uh or uh tuning in uh to the recording later, what we're gonna here's how this is gonna work.

2:04

Uh we're gonna go into executive session.

2:06

Um actually are we gonna are we gonna talk about um are we gonna hear about the presentations uh in open session in terms of terms of the going through the details first?

2:15

Uh Director Nagim Williams, do you have that queued up?

2:19

Or is the intent to go directly into executive session?

2:24

Good evening, Amanda Nader Williams, uh Director of Intergovernmental Affairs.

2:29

Uh my understanding is we've seen a planner demurs that there will be a presentation um in the general session uh before uh going into executive session.

2:41

Is that correct?

2:42

Uh through you, Mr.

2:43

Chair, to pass in your planner.

2:47

Through the chair, yes, that's correct.

2:49

Okay, then um uh Madam Clerk, could we take up item 7.2 first then?

2:54

Of course, Mr.

2:55

President.

2:55

We'll lay item 7.1 on the table.

2:57

And the next item is item 7.2, a request of the mayor requesting approval to endorse Wood Partners and North River Learning Manager LLC as the two finalists in the 90 Washington Street request for proposals process.

3:10

Okay, brilliant.

3:11

Thank you for that clarification.

3:12

Sorry for being a half-step behind the uh logistics there on my end.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████74%
Economic Development██████10%
Affordable Housing██████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure█2%
Parks and Recreation█2%
Community Engagement█1%
Transportation Safety█1%
Summary of Proceedings

Special City Council Meeting on 90 Washington Street Proposals - May 12, 2026

Note on date discrepancy: The meeting transcript indicates Monday, May 11, but the instruction explicitly requires using May 12, 2026. This summary uses the required date.

Mayor Lance Davis presided over a special meeting of the Somerville City Council called solely to convene an executive session for final proposals on the 90 Washington Street redevelopment. The council heard a technical presentation on two development proposals, received feedback from the Civic Advisory Committee (CAC), and discussed both publicly. The council then held an executive session to discuss financial aspects, returning to public session to vote on forwarding both proposals to the Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) and to authorize sharing the executive session discussion.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • No public comments were taken during the open session. Only one attendee was noted, but no testimony was provided.

Discussion Items

  • Presentation of Two Proposals: Senior Planner Ben Demurs presented detailed technical comparisons of the two proposals:
    • Wood Partners: One 7-story building with 324 residential units (20% income-restricted), ~15,000 sq ft of retail, 6,000 sq ft community space, 398 structured above-ground parking spaces, and a 7,000 sq ft civic plaza. The proposal includes an access drive for fire and trash access to the adjacent Cobble Hill building.
    • North River Learning (NRL): Three buildings (6 to 16 stories) with 426 units (20% income-restricted, ~86 affordable), 17,000 sq ft retail, 8,000 sq ft community space, 200 below-ground parking spaces, and a large central green space. The design originally proposed up to 600 units but was refined downward.
  • Feedback Summary:
    • CAC Feedback (both proposals): Wood Partners received mixed reactions — appreciation for the access drive and developer experience, but concerns over the monolithic building feel, high parking ratio, insufficient green space, and lack of small-business retail strategy. NRL was strongly preferred for its greater density, multiple buildings, and central green, but concerns included the drop in units, potential privatization of green space, and need for clearer ground-floor activation. Some CAC members opposed concentrating all affordable units in one building (as NRL proposed using low-income housing tax credits).
    • Staff and HRNA Feedback: Staff echoed concerns about parking ratios and public space. For NRL, staff flagged feasibility issues with underground parking (potential contamination) and the consolidation of affordable units. HRNA scored Wood Partners 37/45 (strong feasibility, less design innovation) and NRL 29/45 (more thoughtful design but higher risk).
  • Council Discussion:
    • Councillors expressed nearly unanimous preference for the NRL proposal, citing density, transit-oriented design, and less impact on the Cobble Hill seniors. Concerns included:
      • Segregation of affordable units into one building (called "nefarious" and "non-starter" by several councillors).
      • High parking ratios (Wood Partners) versus feasibility of underground parking (NRL).
      • Desire for more public green space, including playgrounds and benches for seniors.
      • Questions about the legal obligation to forward both proposals despite preferences.
    • City Attorney Amara clarified that the MOU obligates the council to advance two proposals; this is a procedural step. Council could later authorize sharing its opinions with the SRA.
    • Councilor Wheeler, who serves on both the SRA and CAC, noted the Wood Partners team’s lack of high-rise experience and the fixed footprint of their precast parking structure.

Key Outcomes

  • Vote to endorse two finalists: The council voted unanimously (11-0) to approve a motion endorsing Wood Partners and North River Learning as the two finalists for the 90 Washington Street RFP, sending both to the Somerville Redevelopment Authority for final selection.
  • Vote to authorize sharing executive session discussion: The council voted unanimously (11-0) to authorize Councilor Wheeler and Senior Planner Demurs to convey the substance of the executive session (financial discussions) to the SRA in an SRA executive session. Additionally, Councilor Wheeler was authorized to review the approved minutes of the council’s executive session prior to the SRA meeting to refresh his recollection.
  • Next steps: The two development teams will enter a "best and final offer" period, with updated proposals expected in early July. The SRA will select a developer by mid-July, followed by a 4–5 month negotiation period to finalize a Land Development Agreement, which will require subsequent City Council approval.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good evening, everyone. This is a special meeting of the city council. It is Monday, May 11th. My name is Lance Davis presiding. I use he, him pronouns. This special meeting of the city council has been called by the mayor solely for the purpose of convening an executive session pursuant to Massachusetts General Law, Chapter 30A, Section 21A 6. To determine final proposals for the 90 Walk and 90 Washington Street Project. Note that pursuant to chapter two of the acts of 2025, this meeting of the city council may be conducted or is being 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 Summerville website and local cable access government channels. Please call the roll. This is roll call. Councilor Ewan Campen. Here. Councilor Link. Here. Councilor Scott. Present. Councilor Klingon. Present. Councillor Strazzo. Present. Counselor Said. Councilor Wheeler. Here. Councilor Hart. Here. Councilor McLaughlin. Yeah. Councilor Mbaugh. Councilor Davis. Here. With nine counselors present and two absent, we have a quorum. All right. Very good. Thank you. And uh let the record reflect that pursuant to the rules of the city council, this council salutes the flag of the United States of America and remembers our oath to uphold the constitution of the Commonwealth and the United States. First item, Madam Clark. Item 7.1 is a request of the mayor requesting that this council convene an executive session to discuss 90 Washington Street. All right. Do we have members of the public here? We have one attendee. So for anyone, uh anyone watching now uh or uh tuning in uh to the recording later, what we're gonna here's how this is gonna work. Uh we're gonna go into executive session. Um actually are we gonna are we gonna talk about um are we gonna hear about the presentations uh in open session in terms of terms of the going through the details first? Uh Director Nagim Williams, do you have that queued up? Or is the intent to go directly into executive session? Good evening, Amanda Nader Williams, uh Director of Intergovernmental Affairs. Uh my understanding is we've seen a planner demurs that there will be a presentation um in the general session uh before uh going into executive session. Is that correct? Uh through you, Mr.

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