Retrofit Atlas

Other · Massachusetts

A&P food-storage and bakery warehouse

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedReinhabitedRetrofit builtSomerville, MA

Artist-cooperative converted warehouse (1988) now used for housing; median rent $2,126; 9 nearby developments within 10km. · summary, model-written

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Site profile8 elements · what this site is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Place
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 9 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012This site: -10% census-cbp · all sites with this
County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a yearThis site: 2,440 units, Middlesex County census-bps · all sites with this
County typical rent $2,000+This site: $3,069/mo zillow · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: record · all sites with this
ReinhabitedThis site: record · all sites with this
New use
HousingThis site: …new_use field record · all sites with this
Mixed useThis site: …new_use field record · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusRetrofit builtnewtypes-extraction reported
StrategyRedeveloped · ReinhabitedWikipedia no source
New useshousing, mixedWikipedia no source
DeveloperBrickbottom Artists Cooperativenewtypes-extraction

History and original facts

AnchorsA&P
CountyMiddlesex County
Census division1 · New England
NotesDraft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: A former A&P food-storage and bakery warehouse in Somerville, Massachusetts, was redeveloped in 1988 into the Brickbottom Artists Cooperative, providing 155 live-work units for artists.

Not yet recorded: acres, GLA, year opened, original developer, what is there now, retrofit year. Know it? Tell us.

Planning

No zoning change, subsidy or policy tool recorded for this site.

Deals and debt

DateEventPricePartiesSource
1988Sold—group of 85 artistsWikipedia

Site context

Housing permits, Middlesex County (MA), 20242,440 units in 5+ unit buildings, 166 in 2–4, 889 single-family; 2023: 2,902 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby9 within 10 km, 22 within 25 km: Assembly Mall (1.7 km); Cambridge Discovery Park (4.1 km); 15 Court Square (4.6 km); Orchard Gardens (4.7 km); Filene's landmark flagship store (4.7 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2025 (BLS QCEW)68,958 jobs in 4,328 establishments; average annual pay $47,577; employment location quotient 0.77; employment -2.2% on the yearBLS QCEW 2025, NAICS 44-45, private
Jobs located in the tract, 2022831 jobs; 16 in retail trade, 69 in accommodation and food (workplace blocks summed to tract 25017351101)Census LEHD LODES8 WAC 2022
Upward mobility (Opportunity Atlas, 2010 tract)children of low-income (25th percentile) families reached the 46th income percentile as adults; 0.8% incarcerated at the 2010 count (271 children in the sample); born 1978–83, measured 2014–15Opportunity Insights
Food access (USDA FARA 2019, 2010 tract)not a low-access tract at 1 mile; poverty rate 8.1%; median family income $134,787; 74 SNAP householdsUSDA ERS
SchoolsSomerville School District (PK-12); 11 public schools within 1 mile: Maria L. Baldwin; Missituk Elementary School; Arthur D Healey; E Somerville CommunityNCES EDGE
Elevation106 ft above sea level at the site pointUSGS 3DEP
Storm events in the county, 2016-2025469 county-logged events: 301 thunderstorm wind, 97 flood, 32 flash flood, 23 hail; $4,288,150 property damage reported; forecast-zone events (most flood, winter and heat) not countedNOAA Storm Events
Homes for sale in ZIP 02143, 2026-09median list price $987,350 (+12.9% on the year); 44 active listings; median 45 days on market; 17% with a price cutRealtor.com Research
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20234,650 establishments (-10%); 79,115 jobs (-5%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $804,837 (+2% 1 yr, +22% 5 yr); typical rent $3,069/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)20,556 vehicles a day (minor arterial, 2 lanes); 1,399 trucks; 20 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS

Summary, model-written

The A&P food-storage and bakery warehouse in Somerville, MA (not a mall) was redeveloped in 1988 when a group of 85 artists purchased it from the developer. The Brickbottom Artists Cooperative now operates as the developer. The site is currently built and used for housing/mixed purposes.

Why. The site is already converted (not a retrofit opportunity), with median rent at $2,126. Housing market data shows a ZHVI of $804,837 (2026-09) in Middlesex County. Nearby developments include Assembly Mall (1.7km away) and Orchard Gardens (4.7km).

Where it stands. Status: built. New use: housing/mixed. Developer: Brickbottom Artists Cooperative (established 1988).

For a planner

  • 1988 artist cooperative conversion is the key event
  • No current vacancy rate or tenant data provided
  • Housing market context available (ZHVI, rent)
  • 9 nearby developments within 10km

For a developer

  • Median rent $2,126 matches housing market
  • Permits show 2024 construction activity (Middlesex County)
  • No current occupancy rate or rent structure details
  • Unknown: current tenant mix, exact rent per unit, or vacancy rate

What we do not know yet

  • Not a mall (recorded as 'other' type)
  • Opp_score 0.0 suggests no new opportunity
  • No current financials beyond median rent
  • No data on current housing demand vs supply
  • No details on the artist cooperative's operational model

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

Similar sites

  • Lafayette Place Mall, Boston, MA · Malls · same strategy: redevelop, reinhabit; also in MA; 5 km away
  • Arsenal Mall, Watertown, MA · Malls · same strategy: redevelop, reinhabit; also in MA; 6 km away
  • Atrium Mall, Newton, MA · Malls · same strategy: reinhabit; also in MA; 10 km away
  • Mishawum station site, Woburn, MA · Other · same strategy: redevelop; also in MA; 13 km away

Elsewhere on the web

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • median rent $2,126
  • housing in the record

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

Timeline

  1. 1988 redevelopment of A&P warehouse and establishment of Brickbottom Artists Cooperative

Sources

  • Brickbottom (Somerville, Massachusetts) · CC BY-SA 4.0
    2 quoted sentences
    A&P food-storage and bakery warehouse
    In 1988, the redevelopment of the A&P food-storage and bakery warehouse located at the corner of McGrath Highway and Fitchburg Street enabled establishment of the Brickbottom Artists Cooperative.

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