Commission votes to preserve Hinkley Street home

Other Committee 2026-10-06 Part 2 · Meeting of October 6, 2026

SOMERVILLE — The Somerville Historic Preservation Commission voted on a roll call, with no opposition, to find a 23 Hinkley Street house "preferably preserved," advancing a redesign that trades its 1869 Italianate roofline for a mansard form to create two housing units. Architect James Risling of LR Designs Incorporated said the city's form-based zoning made it impossible to add the needed square footage while keeping the existing gable roof. Member Dick Bauer called it "like the third project now in my memory where this issue with what zoning allows has come up," while Vice Chair Robin Kelly and member Denise Price said the new design's varied massing eased their concerns.

The commission will need to approve a separate memorandum of agreement codifying the design at a future meeting before construction can proceed. Members also approved minutes from two prior meetings, with Bauer abstaining due to an absence, and heard a Community Preservation Committee update noting funding requests this cycle run about 50 percent above available money.

In the full story:

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Source: the Other Committee 2026-10-06 Part 2 meeting of October 6, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.

Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.