COMMUNITY INPUT SOUGHT FOR NEW POWDER HOUSE REDEVELOPMENT PLAN

SOMERVILLE – Mayor Joseph A.

Curtatone announced today that the City of Somerville will issue a new Request

for Proposals (RFP) for redevelopment of the Powder House Community School site

and will schedule a community meeting later this month to discuss the terms to

be included in the new RFP, after rejecting the five remaining proposals and

canceling its existing RFP.

Citing new information and concerns regarding the condition of the property and

a broader range of community-supported uses for the redevelopment of the former

K-8 school, City officials notified developers earlier this week of the intent

to re-evaluate the scope of the project. In March, the

City ended negotiations with Tufts University, the developer initially

ranked as the top recommendation by the

Powder House Community School Technical Advisory Committee and ultimately

selected by the Mayor. After the university clarified that it did not foresee

developing the site for at least 15 years, negotiations were ended.

The

community meeting to be held later in April will determine the next steps in

the redevelopment and the terms to be included in a new RFP to be issued later

this year. The date and time of that meeting will be announced as soon as it is

scheduled.

“Each

of the proposals submitted by development teams for this initial RFP presented

both positive and negative design impacts, and each were carefully reviewed by

our Advisory Committee and internal staff,” said Mayor Curtatone. “We remain

committed to finding a development partner that will help us achieve the

community’s vision for the site, and one that will bring the most benefit to

our residents and community members. I want to thank each of the development

teams for their thorough and thoughtful proposals, and I look forward to

working closely with the community to re-evaluate the needs and best interests

of our community.”

“A

thorough and inclusive community process for any major development project is

important to ensure that our plans and policies reflect the basic needs and

opinions of each neighborhood, and of the community as a whole,” said Ward 7

Alderman Katjana Ballantyne. “I look forward to bringing this project back to

the residents of Ward 7 and surrounding neighborhoods as we work to identify

the best possible reuse for this valuable site.”

The

initial RFP sought proposals that would meet a set of community objectives that

were developed through a two-year community planning process. Additional

criteria included the experience of the development team in developing the

project and leading a community design process, the long-term economic impact

of the proposal, as well as the price offered for the property. A vote by the

Board of Aldermen also required that a minimum of 40 percent of the site remain

publicly accessible open space.

The

community meeting date will be announced in the near future. For updates, visit

www.somervillema.gov, call 311

(617-666-3311), or follow the City on Facebook www.fb.com/SomervilleCity or

Twitter www.twitter.com/SomervilleCity.