ZBA Approves Two Special Permits, Delays Hotel Vote
The Somerville Zoning Board of Appeals approved two residential special permits and continued a contested hearing on an eight-story Teal Square hotel to November 4. Acting Chair Anne Brockelman led the roughly two-and-a-half-hour session, which drew more than 50 attendees for the hotel case.
Zoning Board · Meeting of September 30, 2026
SOMERVILLE — The Somerville Zoning Board of Appeals approved two residential special permits and continued a contested hearing on an eight-story Teal Square hotel to November 4. Acting Chair Anne Brockelman led the roughly two-and-a-half-hour session, which drew more than 50 attendees for the hotel case. The board voted 5-0 to approve renovations at 333 Highland Avenue and 5-0 to approve a six-inch rear-setback permit at 61 Boston Street.
Attorney Adam Dash told the board a new state law effective July 31 lowered the standard for granting variances from "hardship" to "practical difficulty." More than 20 residents spoke on the proposed 99-room hotel at 1154 Broadway, with Planning Board member Lynn Richards asking why the project needs eight stories to fund soil remediation that "has not been tested." No vote was taken on the hotel's 10 requested variances.
In the full story:
- Who Was There
- Organizations And Documents Referenced
- The complete report — 2,310 words
Source: the Zoning Board meeting of September 30, 2026, reported from the official video recording and transcript.
Checked against the record: before publication this article was automatically compared with the meeting transcript.
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