Somerville ZBA unanimously denies appeals over Hudson Street development permits

Zoning Board · Meeting of March 4, 2026

Somerville's Zoning Board of Appeals denied two appeals 5-0 challenging building permits for a multi-unit development at 17 Hudson Street. Chair Orsola Susan Fontano and members Zachary Zaremba, Anne Brockelman, Sisia Daglian, and Olivia Mobay voted against both motions to approve the administrative appeals filed by former City Councilor William White, attorney for abutter Denise Provost. White argued that the city's delegation of minor site plan approval to the planning director stripped neighbors of required notice and that the backyard cottage on the lot exceeded the ordinance's one-and-a-half-story limit through what he called a "magic formula" for story-counting.

Interim Planning Director Dan Bartman and ISD's Josh Mannion defended the permits, saying the building complied with dimensional requirements in the code. White announced he submitted four zoning amendments to the City Council and stated after the vote that he intends to file suit, telling the board: "Please don't take it personal."

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Source: the Zoning Board meeting of March 4, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.