The
zoning adoption is critical during this time of revival as the city
awaits the arrival of the Green Line extension in Union Square, city
officials agree. Developers will be attracted to building opportunities
there, and passing the overlay protection will ensure that uses are set
aside for the artists.

"This is a very positive development
and the two-fold aspect is the most intriguing," said Richard Graf, the
real estate advisor to ArtistLink, an arm of the Massachusetts Cultural
Council that helps artists find work space. "This will help the
artists, and help the square. I'm glad it stayed in the
legislation…It will help solidify the character of the square for
creative businesses and help speed up the redevelopment."

Passed
at the city's Board of Alderman's meeting on April 23, the zoning
ordinance has been in the works for the past fours years, with the goal
to restore Union Square as the commercial center and better position it
for the Green Line extension that will be in place by 2014. City
officials have been saying that Union Square is a "hidden gem" that
needs more attention.

The zoning will create three new areas:
A commercial district spanning Washington Street and Somerville Avenue,
a transit district around the proposed T stop and the arts overlay
district that will encourage artists to take up residence.

The
arts overlay district was created to encourage the preservation and
enhancement of arts-related uses, particularly within Union Square,
according to the zoning ordinance posted at www.somervillema.gov/
(click on "city departments," then "planning and zoning" and "Union
Square rezoning proposal" and then "rezoning proposal 2008" and finally
onto "Zoning amendment – adopted and ordained April 23, 2009.")

The
district is also intended to preserve and enhance the area as a center
for a variety of retail, business services, housing and office uses, as
well as to promote a strong "pedestrian character and scale" throughout
the district.

Specifically, the new zoning clarifies the following:

•
The definition of artist live/work space as a building or any portion
containing units of at least 750 square feet used for both residential
and artist studio space. These households must include at least one
artist certified by the city. Retail sales of art produced on site will
not take place more than 12 hours per week.

• The definition of an artist studio space as space used for the creation, production, rehearsal or

teaching of any visual art or craft, "including but not limited to painting, drawing, graphic

design, photography, video, film, sculpture, and pottery; of written works of fiction or

nonfiction; or of any performing art, whether for live or recorded performance, including

music, dance, and theater, and accessory sales of such art."

•
Expanding the definition of an artists as a "visual artist,
craftsperson, musician or other performing artist, photographer or
writer" and the office of an architect or landscape architect.

Parking
requirements will also be relaxed within the overlay district. For
example, an applicant may make either a cash payment in lieu of
providing the required parking, or a partial cash payment, according to
the ordinance, although it didn't specify amounts. The minimum parking
requirements may also be reduced if applicants submit a plan
demonstrating that such reduction will not have adverse community
impacts.

The detailed, 50-page ordinance also outlines design
guidelines that encompass signage and awning design, locations of
entrances, building materials, pedestrian access, parking design, and
so on. The Planning Board will serve as the special permit granting
authority for arts-related uses. Variances would be granted separately
by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

City officials are relieved to
finally create clarity between what the arts community wants to do and
what the inspectional services department sees can actually happen,
said Greg Jenkins, executive director of the Somerville Arts Council.

Changing
the previous vague term "artist housing" to defining what is an artist
live/work space and what is an artist studio, with explicit parameters,
is important to the artist community, Jenkins said. The ordinance also
broadens the actual definition of art.

He added this is not
just related to Union Square. "If you want to put an artist studio on
Highland Avenue, there was never a defined use for one," he said.

For
developers, the ordinance provides incentives to build for artist use,
which is also good news for artists, Jenkins said. He added that the
ordinance does not call for more building, but creates incentive or
disincentive for certain kinds of development. "It creates a baseline
by which the city says this is the type of activity that you want
here," he said. "It's about relief for artists."

Will the new
zoning laws create more studio space? "We don't know yet," Jenkins
said. "It still takes money and a developer," he said. Once the economy
turns around, the city will see more of what is to come.

Developers
will be eyeballing Union Square as the Green Line project picks up, so
having the zoning in place will keep the attention on the arts and
provide a framework for developers to follow, said Beth Driscoll, a
longtime resident, artist and former Somerville Arts Council board
member, who worked closely with the city over the past four years.

It
means a lot for the future economy of Union Square, as artists are a
proven economic catalyst for underdeveloped areas, she said.

"The
decision to reward development for arts related uses will benefit
everyone in the city by making the Union Square district a more
desirable place to live and work, while also encouraging economic
growth," Driscoll said.