Magistrate rules against IKEA, city still hopeful
By George P. Hassett

Despite a ruling against the plan for an Ikea store in Assembly Square, city officials are optimistic the Swedish home furnishing chain will still make its way to Somerville.
  Administrative Magistrate Natalie S. Monroe of the Massachusetts Division of Administrative Law Appeals  issued a partial summary decision Friday blocking development of a proposed Ikea store at Assembly Square by denying the company a license to build on 16.6 acre site near the Mystic River.  Monroe sided with the Mystic View Task Force (MVTF), a grassroots group of activists concerned with the development of Assembly Square.

  Monroe ruled that Ikea‚Äôs proposal does not meet a state requirement that developers commit one square foot of land to open space, for every square foot of building that is built on tidelands. The ruling could add another delay to Ikea‚Äôs arrival in the city. They once hoped to open in Somerville in 2004.
  In response to the ruling, MVTF‚Äôs president, Don Meglio said in a statemnt, ‚ÄúOnce again, the judiciary has applied basic common sense to Somerville‚Äôs redevelopment policy.  It‚Äôs long past time for the stakeholders to work out a solution that will realize Assembly Square‚Äôs full potential for the benefit of the city and the region.  We cannot squander our waterfront on parking lots, our roads on congestion, and our neighbors‚Äô health on respiratory and heart disease.  To meet Somerville‚Äôs dire needs, we have to embrace a healthier and fiscally sound future, sooner rather than later.‚Äù
  But the latest obstacle should be an easy one to overcome, said Thomas P. Champion spokesperson for Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. Champion said Ikea‚Äôs plan falls only 7,000 square feet of open space short of the state‚Äôs requirement, a relatively small area. And, Champion said, if a the proposed land swap between Ikea and developer Federal Realty Trust  goes through as expected Ikea would move away from the waterfront land and, as a result, would not be subjected to laws requiring open space.
  In April, Curtatone announced that Federal Realty and IKEA had agreed in principle to swap the land they own at Assembly Square with one another. Under the plan, IKEA would move from its currently approved waterfront site to a more inner section of the square now owned by FRIT. If the swap is completed, Ikea would likely build behind Home Depot.
Champion said the deal between Federal Realty and Ikea would make Monroe’s ruling irrelevant.
  The swap would link the mixed-use portion of the development with the anticipated Assembly Square Orange Line MBTA station and open up an additional 16 acres along the Mystic River for open space parkland, housing and office space, Curtatone said when he announced the deal. After the swap, nearly 1,300 new housing units and 15,000 new square feet of office development would be added to the development. The plan also includes a proposed 200-room hotel and an additional 230,000 square feet of ground level retail.
  Assembly Square is a 145 acre district surrounded by Interstate 93, rail tracks and the Mystic River. It is closer to downtown Boston than many parts of Boston itself but has long been underutilized as a home to low-rise strip malls, vacant properties and industrial sites. In February, Curtatone said the site is the most important development in the city.