"The city of Somerville is setting records for fast developmenttimelines," according to Chamber of Commerce president StephenMackey, who notes that the planning board approved a pair of195,000-sf telecommunications centers within five months and hasnow given the go-ahead for two high-capacity, business-to-businessfiber-optic backbones in two areas of the city.

Cathartes Investments of Boston is developing thetelecommunications centers at 150 and 200 Inner Belt Rd., withcompany officials citing an existing fiber-optic line that feedsdirectly into Cambridge and Downtown Boston as a key component forthe 390,000-sf undertaking. Cathartes, which broke ground last weekon the first of the two new buildings, has leased all of 70Innerbelt Rd., a 287,000-sf facility occupied almost entirely bytelecom users.

Somerville is also encouraging office and retail developers tolook at the mostly residential community, Mackey says. In additionto a business-friendly approach by city officials, he estimatesthat land costs in Somerville are a third of those inCambridge.