Existing Building: The former Winter Hill Laundromat at 483 Broadway, Somerville, MA, which has remained vacant and neglected since a fire destroyed it nearly a decade ago.
Proposed Building Design: Architect Tavis Babbitt’s rendering of the proposed new building for Woody’s Liquors at 483 Broadway, a modern and revitalized structure that aims to replace the long-abandoned laundromat.
By Sasha Wood
November 13th, 2024
In a city that praises small businesses as the backbone of the community, the reality for John Wood, a business owner of 35 years, tells a different story. For nearly three years, he has faced relentless regulatory obstacles in his effort to relocate his liquor store from 523 Broadway to 483 Broadway, on the border of Somerville and Medford. The building at 483 Broadway, once the Winter Hill Laundromat, has sat vacant for almost a decade after a fire. Wood envisions transforming this abandoned property into a modern, welcoming store, but his journey has been anything but straightforward. What should have been a routine relocation has become a lesson in how local bureaucracy can derail even the best-laid plans. His story reflects struggles that many in the community understand all too well: trying to improve the neighborhood while battling a system that often seems indifferent to those it’s supposed to support.
Wood started with a simple goal: to move his business up the street and keep serving his community. The process began in October 2021 with a meeting to present his plans, but he soon realized the approval process would be anything but simple. “We expected a few typical requirements,” he recalls, “but this has gone well beyond anything I could’ve anticipated. Every time we met one demand, another took its place.” These delays have cost Wood thousands in fees, redesigns, and valuable time.
Despite his persistence, each step has been blocked by red tape, a burden that feels impossible for small business owners without limitless resources. The challenge of relocating to a spot straddling Somerville and Medford only adds complexity, with differing requirements and
greater scrutiny. “It’s like they expect small business owners to just give up,” Wood says. “You wonder if it’s even worth trying when the process feels stacked against you.”
Pandemic-era restrictions have only added to the challenge. The lack of in-person meetings has led to long waits, countless Zoom calls, and frequent misunderstandings. Wood’s architect, Tavis Babbitt, noted that rules seemed to shift with each phase, making an already complex system nearly impossible to navigate. By March 2022, a neighborhood consultation turned into a logistical nightmare due to a missing Zoom password, causing yet another delay.
Months later, despite modifications to address neighborhood concerns, city feedback continued
to hold up the design, pushing the project further into an uncertain future.
Compounding these issues are constantly evolving zoning standards. Each time Wood’s team revised the design to meet one requirement, another adjustment was demanded. By early 2023, the city notified him that his previously granted variances had expired, forcing him to restart the approval process. “It’s frustrating beyond words,” he says. “This is supposed to be a process that encourages responsible business, but it feels like a system designed to make you fail.”
In an effort to break through the cycle of red tape, Wood reached out to Somerville’s mayor, hoping his case would resonate with city leadership. In his formal request, he outlined the bureaucratic struggle blocking his relocation efforts since 2021. He highlighted his decades-long relationship with the community and the disrepair at 483 Broadway—a former laundromat that burned down years ago and now serves as a refuge for homeless individuals. Wood asked for 15 minutes of the mayor’s time, but his plea was met with silence. The lack of response only added to his frustration, as did the Planning Commission’s repeated setbacks, which seem to trap him in an endless loop of reapplications, fees, and delays.
Despite three years of effort, Wood’s journey is far from over. Each hard-won step seems to be met with a new setback, testing his patience, resilience, and belief in a system that promises support for small businesses. His struggle isn’t just about one store—it reflects the uphill battles faced by many entrepreneurs today. Wood isn’t asking for special treatment; he’s asking for fairness, transparency, and a chance to contribute to his community without being buried in red tape. His story highlights a deeper need to reform a process that too often discourages those striving to bring positive change. At a time when opportunity feels increasingly out of reach, his fight isn’t just his own—it’s a call for a system that genuinely supports those working to build stronger communities.
