Mayor Again Rejects IKEA's Plans for Assembly Square Parcel

SOMERVILLE, MA-Revised plans for an IKEA here at Assembly Square were rejected by Mayor Dorothy Kelly Gay on the grounds that the mixed-use component of the plan was not sufficient. The Swedish furniture company plans on meeting with the mayor again next week.

“Our most recent plans were at the request of the city,” Dan Saucier, project manager for the IKEA store here, tells GlobeSt.com. “We had a smaller footprint, a housing complex, restaurant and retail. We offered them what they wanted.” IKEA’s previous plans had included a 220,000-sf footprint that was reduced in this plan to 160,000 sf. This plan also included a 40-unit residential component.

According to Sean Fitzgerald, the mayor’s spokesperson, IKEA’s plans did not go far enough. “We’re trying to send a clear message to developers at Assembly Square,” he tells GlobeSt.com. “The mayor is looking for real, substantial mixed use. A 40-unit housing complex will not cut it. She’s looking for more commercial tax revenue. The mayor was less than delighted by the new plans.”