A draft of the City of Somerville’s Armory Master Plan has been released, with a final version expected to be adopted by next month. ~;Photo courtsesy of Arts at the Armory

After an extensive community process, the City of Somerville has released a draft Somerville Armory Master Plan, a roadmap of how to best preserve and envision a future for the Armory building, located at 191 Highland Ave., as a thriving community arts center for years to come.

In 2021, to prevent pandemic impacts from forcing the sale of the Armory building by its previous owner, and the eviction of its tenants, the city purchased the building to protect its use as an arts center. The city has frozen or accepted reduced rents from all tenants in the three years since, making it easier for all to weather pandemic closures and the inflation that came in the years since. Meanwhile, a commitment was made to develop long-range plans to transition the space from a private building to a public community center that would best serve the full Somerville community as an arts and culture hub into the future. 

To ensure a plan that would serve the full community and adhere to state laws governing the fair use of public assets, the city’s Economic Development division and the Somerville Arts Council partnered to develop a master plan informed by community input. The draft plan was developed through an in-depth community engagement process. It included stakeholder interviews, focus groups, research, and several public meetings in which robust debates about the building were held.

That draft plan is now available for community members to review and provide feedback online. A public hearing for further input will occur at the Finance Committee meeting on Tuesday, December 10, at 6 p.m. online via Zoom. A meeting agenda and instructions to join will be posted soon to somervillema.legistar.com.

“It’s easy to forget now just how dire the situation was back in 2021. The city stepped in to be sure this vibrant space was not converted into condos, offices, or other private uses. And not only did we save the building and help the tenants get through the pandemic, we now have an opportunity to realize a long-term community goal. Together, we can now plan for a public arts hub as a place to create and experience arts and culture for years to come,” said Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. “The work now is to ensure we have a strong plan that serves this diverse, creative, forward-looking community. I want to thank the many community members who helped drive this work forward and look forward to additional feedback.”

A foundational component of the plan is the creation of a community-based board of governance. There will be a team of advisors that supports and governs the building, with the goal of ensuring it not only serves its many tenants, but the community as a whole. To launch the revitalization of the building as quickly as possible, the governing board is proposed to first be situated within the City structures and work toward independent financial stability over time. 

“The community wants to see diverse uses in this space serving all ages as well as multiple creative and cultural arts from dance and theater to crafts, music, talks, and more. From rehearsal, studio, teaching, and gallery space to event and community space, the Armory is poised to build on its strong foundation as an arts and community hub. The public’s vision and ownership of this plan will help the Armory grow into even broader access and activity for artists and the public alike,” said Somerville Arts Council Director Greg Jenkins. 

A final draft of the plan is expected in December 2024. Upon approval of a final plan, the City can take key next steps: namely, releasing a Request for Proposals (RFPs) to lease space to current and potential tenants. There are close to 20 different spaces within the Armory building. Spaces may be appropriate for a small publishing company, a media arts studio, a theatre rehearsal space, a photographic collaborative – any cultural business or non-profit.

To learn more and review the draft plan, please visit voice.somervillema.gov/armory-master-plan.

-City of  Somerville