Somerville Zoning Board of Appeals 12-17-2025

Good evening ladies and gentlemen and welcome to the City of Somerville Zoning Board of Appeals meeting of the Zoning Board of Appeals. Repetitious, I apologize. Today is December the 17th, 2025. It is six o'clock p.m. Pursuant to the Chapter 2 of the Acts of 2025, this meeting of the Somerville Zoning Board of Appeals will be conducted via remote participation. A video recording of these proceedings will be available on the City's website's meetings with events page or by emailing zoningboard at somervillema.gov. Tonight joining us from the staff is Kit Lester and for our crew here we have Zach Zaremba, he's going to be the acting clerk, Ann Fullerton, Olivia

Mobay, I hope I get this right, I'll learn. Oh, Cece, I can tell you all about that. Cece, Daglian, and I'm Susan Fontano, your chair. So without further ado, we have something under general business. Mr. Clerk, would you please take over that?

Yes, thank you. I make a motion to approve the meeting minutes of November 5th, 2025 as submitted.

Thank you. Seconded by Ian. Anybody have any comments on them or corrections before we go forward? Beautiful. So here we go. Olivia? Yes. Yes, thank you. Cecilia? Aye. Zach?

Yes.

Ann? Aye. And Susan? Yes. Let the record show that all five members voted in the affirmative. Next is under our public hearings. 17 Hudson Street Mr. Clerk

17 Hudson Street, ZP 25-000094. This application will be continued to the January 14th, 2026 ZBA meeting.

Thank you. Yep.

Next case, 248 Elm Street, CP 25-000101. This is an error in advertisement and it will be heard by the planning board at a date be determined.

Thank you so much. And the next case is a new case.

We'll be hearing 66 Union Square Plaza, CP25-000100. Sign Design Incorporated seeks to install a non-compliant sign in the Commercial Court District, which requires hardship variance.

Thank you very much. The folks for Union Square Plaza 66, are you here?

This is Kit. If you're the applicant for 66 Union Square Plaza, could you please raise your hand? I'm the case planner for this application, but I don't recognize any of the names. Hmm. I'm seeing no hands raised. Maybe we give them a second? Sure.

Is there somebody you can ring up?

Yeah let me try and contact them really quick. Sorry about that. Mrs. Kitt. I'm not having any luck.

I've also never had this happen before. So... I think... Hold on one second. Sure.

Madam Clerk, we're not allowed to continue the case without them requesting it, correct?

No.

I don't believe we are. Let me check the rules really quick just to make sure I think that to be true as well. Yeah. Hold on.

I mean I don't know whether it's just it's locked down as a no-show and I don't know you just I mean we know we've read all the reports and stuff but I don't I mean it's open now so I mean I don't see why for the public forum With the transparency and open laws, that open meeting was we had to discuss anything, but I don't think that's really fair.

You all got your stuff out of the business. Do that after. Hold on, sorry. That's all right.

um should we take a motion here maybe somebody make a motion uh for us to take a adjournment is that or you know i take a little break and um come back at Well, it's already a pass already, but at least like 615. We'll go offline here and let Kit make a couple of phone calls, see what the protocol is, please. Will somebody make a motion?

I'll make a motion. I'll make a motion to adjourn the meeting until 6.15 p.m.

Thank you. All in favor? Olivia? Aye. Tessia? Aye. Zach? Aye. and Susan. Okay, again, come back in about, you know, seven, eight minutes. Thank you.

Okay. Okay. Okay. It's 619, Zach, to call us back into the meeting.

I call us back into the ZBA meeting. Your 66 Union Square Plaza is EP 250000100.

Thank you. It's trying to get a Handle on this and she's coming on here in a second. They said we could just continue it ourselves. It's happened in the past. Kid, do you want to say something? I'm sorry.

Yeah, that's okay. I connected with a senior staff member and they have told me that You can continue if the applicant is a no-show and that has been done in the past.

Well, I think it's two and eight certain, of course. Right. You know, I mean, there's some something could have happened. It could be anything, you know. So do you want to give it one more last call to the public there? and make them understand what the case is one more time just in case they're sitting there on their little elbow, you know?

Yeah, sure. If you're the applicant for 66 Union Square Plaza, the hardship variance for the Bank of America sign, please raise your hand. Is there anybody out there? There are two. One is a staff member and the other is a name I don't recognize.

Okay. Nothing's happening? Nope. Okay. All right, so for the record, in this matter, I'll have the acting clerk will formally make a motion but I think it's very kind of us to do this because we could go ahead and do our own thing and not approve their package you know we've had cases in the back years that people were just really not good players and we had trouble with them and we just I wouldn't give them any more continuances or anything like that but you know this is the first time coming to us there's got to be just a misunderstanding um Kit's worked with them I don't think she's had any real problems so there's got to be just a A big misunderstanding on the data being here. So if that's okay with everybody, I always say it's the pleasure of the board. Shall we just go forward and have Zach make a motion and to come back at our next meeting?

Okay. I'm into that. Olivia, what do you think?

Just to be clear, I'm going to establish that it will be continued at a date to be determined.

Beautiful. Thank you, Zach. Wait, I think we have to... Sorry, this is Kit. I think you have to do a date certain.

So when's the next?

January 14th is the next CBA meeting. But didn't you and I just, excuse me, didn't we say, Kit, about the other case that we're going to hear that night?

We could do the 14th or you could do the next meeting after that, sorry, is February 4th.

Yeah, so do you know what's looking like already on the 14th of January?

um i the legal ads haven't been the deadline hasn't passed for legal ads but i don't know of anything else coming down the

all right so why don't we so you're right Zach let's go with the next meeting and if it doesn't work we'll just have to figure something out that night okay thank you

Given the applicant did not appear tonight for 66 Union Square Plaza, ZP25-00100, I make a motion to continue the meeting the case to January 14, 2026.

Second? Second. Seconded by Olivia, seconded by Ann. Okay, I'll go around. Ann Fullerton?

Aye.

Olivia? Aye. Cecilia? Aye. Zach?

Aye.

And Susan? Aye. Let the record show that five members present this evening voted in the affirmative to continue until January 14th. Thank you. Next on the agenda is Other Business. Everybody received their 2026 meeting schedule. Take a good look at it if it interferes with something special, trips, birthdays, anniversaries, whatever. Give us a call or if you see there's something not quite right. Give us a call so we can get on it nice and early. As you can see, officially there's no meeting December 31st. We knew all you potty animals would be so busy, so we canceled the meeting for that night.

and I don't have anything else myself except to wish you all a happy holiday and really a healthy new exciting 2026 coming and it's been a pleasure working with all of you all year and the New people as well. Thank you for everything. Anybody else have any comments?

Happy holidays.

That's right. Happy holidays and Merry Christmas to you and to everyone. Thank you. So would the clerk make a motion to adjourn the meeting, please?

Thank you. I make a motion to adjourn tonight's meeting.

Second.

Seconded by Ann Fullerton. All in favor say aye. Olivia? Aye. Cecilia? Aye. Zach? Aye. Ann? Aye. And Susan? Aye. Let the record show. All voting members voted in the affirmative. Good night. Happy holidays and happy new year. Thank you. Bye-bye.

Happy holidays.

Bye-bye.