Overview
- Copper Mill said it is ending its agreement and will not pursue the 24–26 story project that would have delivered about 500 apartments on the Elm and Grove streets site.
- The developer blamed what it called city inaction for the withdrawal while city officials said they never received a formal local proposal and that the state review was paused.
- Copper Mill filed a Chapter 40B application in December 2025 that can allow projects to bypass some local zoning in exchange for affordable units, but that state review has remained stalled.
- The proposal included roughly 125 affordable apartments and plans to relocate neighborhood businesses such as The Burren and Dragon Pizza, and city officials say those tenants now have extended leases so they can stay.
- With Copper Mill gone, the site owners are waiting for Somerville’s Davis Square neighborhood plan expected next year and city leaders point to other housing projects in the pipeline as alternatives to this development.