At community meetings in his neighborhood, Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan has pushed developers for more open space, less density and improved traffic patterns. But in Ward 3, O'Donovan is reversing roles - on Craigie Street he is the developer squeezing in condo units at the expense, residents say, of neighborhood character and open space.
O'Donovan is trying to convert a three family home at 42 Craigie St. to condos while adding a second building on the 15,400 square foot lot. In all, the buildings would hold eight condos.
To do so, O'Donovan must receive a special permit from the Zoning Board of Appeals. His colleague, Ward 3 Alderman Tom Taylor said he is opposed to the development because it will encroach on neighboring backyards and knock down nearby trees.
Taylor said, “it is somewhat uncomfortable” to speak against a fellow alderman “but I think Somerville is just too dense already.”
Harris Sussman lives at 51 Craigie St., across the street from O'Donovan's property. He said the planned building is too tall, has too many units and the increased traffic it will cause poses a danger to children playing across the street at Dickinson Park.
And worse, he said, is the lack of communication coming from O'Donovan. “The developer hasn't communicated much with the neighborhood. It seems like the work of an absentee owner trying to maximize the profit he can get out of a property instead of someone who was elected to protect the city,” Sussman said. “He's an alderman. It should be all for one and one for all. But so far he's just ignoring us.”
O'Donovan did not return a phone call for this story.
Jen Capuano, a resident of 42 Porter St. on the opposite side of the Craigie St. lot, said the development will knock down several of the 79 trees on the site, including a “huge, healthy” Elm tree. She said neighbors don't want to stop the project.
“He can still make a profit, maybe try six units instead of eight, but it should fit with the rest of the community,” she said.
O'Donovan's attorney Rich DiGirolamo said they have met with neighbors four times. Taylor said O'Donovan has listened to the concerns of neighbors.
DiGirolamo said several Craigie Street abutters support the project and construction crews will do their best to save the Elm tree.
“Most of the opposition is coming from Porter Street,” he said. He added that the traffic generated by an eight unit project is minimal. “It's a large lot. I don't consider this a dense project.”
O'Donovan's many real estate ventures brought him criticism when he ran for re-election last year. In a campaign video posted online, his opponent Joe Lynch said O'Donovan “has done little more than pursue his own personal gain, using his elected office to green light developments which would be almost impossible otherwise.”
According to the ad, O'Donovan has purchased properties on Warwick Street, Craigie Street, Laurel Street, Ash Avenue and Newman Place, developing some of those into multi-unit condo buildings.
In the ad, text appears on screen that reads, “It's a bad idea for our alderman to be a developer.” O'Donovan defeated Lynch by a wide margin.
Taylor said he will speak against the project at a June 18 Zoning Board of Appeals hearing.
Really..is anyone surprised that a local politician has a massive conflict of interest?
Posted by: JPM | June 12, 2008 at 08:46 PM
MPs in the UK have to book of members' interests in which they are required to declare all interests, such as paid side jobs from which they derive income, and other conflicts of interest.
Judges are required to recuse themselves from cases in which they have a financial interest that would potentially conflict with their duty to be fair and impartial.
Similarly, if you want to be an Alderman, you should be precluded from taking part in decisions that you have a fianancial interest in. I don't see how you can be a developer interested in maximising profit and be an Alderman, supposedly respresenting ALL the people within your Ward.
Posted by: JPM | June 12, 2008 at 10:09 PM
JPM - Well said.
Posted by: Kate | June 13, 2008 at 10:37 AM
If the Somerville Aldermen recused themselves from all issues that come before the board in which they have a financial interest such as development, insurance etc. Or issues concerning departments in which they have relatives who work there...
Most of them wouldn't be able to vote on any issues before the board at all!
Too bad Joe Lynch didn't win.
Posted by: Plenty | June 13, 2008 at 10:49 AM
The thing is, O'Donovans project is within the ordinance. As terrible as the idea to develop 8 condo units in a dense neighborhood such as Craigie St, he isn't doing anything legally wrong. The onyl way it would be a conflict is if he wrote and pushed along the ordinance that allowed him to develop like that. otherwise he is just acting as any private citizen is allowed to do.
Where is the conflict?
Posted by: Blevz | June 13, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Face the facts. Odonovan will get away with this as long as Curtatone protects him. OD gets what he wants by curtatone interferring with the planning staff, the hacks on the zoning board, the nonexistant city ethics commission and by intimidating the gutless, clueless and balless members of the board of alderman.
any other city or town would have censured someone like OD by now. the conflict is what lynch states. OD uses his political influence(curtatone pawn)to " benefit his own personal gain". For the record, I am a Lynch supporter.
Posted by: Ward Five Born | June 13, 2008 at 11:37 AM
Sean, Should focus on his day job and stand up for constiuents and put his personal ventures aside. He was voted to be a check and balance measure, not a venture capitalist off city contacts.
Posted by: Maria C | June 13, 2008 at 11:39 AM
Blevz. I never said SD was doing anything illegal. But you are incredible naieve if you believe that an Alderman who is also a developer doesn't use his influence and connections to get things passed by that you or I wouldn't be able to do.
Sean is speaking out of both sides of his mouth when he speaks against condos in Zone 5 but when it is his turn to make some cash in Ward 3 he is all for it.
But I'm realistic...this is Massachusetts, home of one party local politics.
Look at the euphemistically named "Responsible Employer ordinance" (translation: massive giveaway of local taxpayers' money to unions)....incidentally I saw it was voted on on TV.... 7-3 in favior...but it needed 8 votes or something...thanks to William white for voting agaisnt it !!!
Posted by: JPM | June 13, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Sean OD is selling Somerville peice by peice. He dosn't give a shit what happens to this city as long a he can make a buck. Thanks for selling out your own people Sean.
Posted by: sell out Sean | June 13, 2008 at 01:55 PM
Do any of you think that O'Donovan really gives a rats ass what you think? He's gonna make his money when he can, where he can. Ethics be damned. If your neighborhood gets hurt in the process that's just too damned bad. Live with it.
I hope you realize these are not my thoughts.
They're O'Donovan's.
Posted by: somerspeak | June 13, 2008 at 03:04 PM
well then they should be paid well if they are not to be allowed outside financial interests
Posted by: Paulie | June 13, 2008 at 03:19 PM
Thank you, Paulie O'Donovan!
Posted by: Kate | June 13, 2008 at 03:47 PM
Paulie. Nobody is saying an Alderman cannot have any outside financial interests. However they should not be able to take part in interests that conflict with their ability to fairly and impartially represent the people of Somerville....which is their job as an Alderman.
SD is a lawyer and can make a very good living doing plenty of things that would not present conflicts of interest. Should an Alderman also be a property developer in Somerville? I think not! If he wants to do that then he should resign....nobody is forcing him to be an Alderman.
Posted by: JPM | June 13, 2008 at 04:55 PM
Three cheers for you Sean or should i say alderman o'donovan. hey tom or should i say alderman taylor change is good come on tom you should glad, more people would vote for you, and perhaps a more people would come and vote.
Posted by: Ward 3 Voter | June 15, 2008 at 12:12 AM
It is unethical of Mr. O'Donovan to be an Alderman, which presents a conflict of interest to his developer business. It is also what I consider to be an abuse of power, as he can easily (if not already) use his Alderman position to help him turn Somerville into a mass of condo conversions for his own personal and financial gain. What a disgrace!
This also explains why we have not seen anything done at Alderman meetings as far as an ordinance to limit the number of condos that can be on a street and in a specific area of Somerville. An ordinance like that would prevent Somerville from becoming another Brookline where only the rich can live. But as long as O'Donovan is in office he will make sure that this is not the case. He does not have the interest or concerns of the Somerville residents in mind, only his own selfish gains.
O'Donovan should be impeached or asked to step down. He should not have run for Alderman in the first place and I'm sure most of the people voting for him had no idea of his business as a developer. Shouldn't there be laws to prevent this sort of thing from happening again? One would hope so, but who knows with the dirty politics going on in our city.
Posted by: THE SOMERVILLE SPY | June 18, 2008 at 05:51 AM
Where is Mayor Curtatone concerning this and other destructive developments like this taking place all over town??? Interesting how he is out front with the developments he has no interest ($) in, but nowhere to be found otherwise. Get to city hall and the building departments and pull the records on these projects and get to the bottom of it! This current administration including the planning board make the old days look like Mother Cabrini's convent. To use the work crooked to describe this administration would be the understatement of the century.
Posted by: theshadow | June 21, 2008 at 09:27 AM