As the last of winter finally surrendered on Washington Street, Somerville residents got a front row seat to a strange urban archaeology project. A towering snow pile at the city snow farm started to shrink, and out of the muck and slush came the surprise: battered, out-of-service vehicles emerging from the heap. The odd reveal is unfolding just as the city moves to push the nearly four-acre parcel toward private redevelopment.
Car in Snow Pile from r/boston
City: Inoperable Vehicles, Not Missing Cars
Somerville officials say this is not a mystery-chop-shop situation, just the less glamorous side of municipal logistics. The cars were inoperable city vehicles waiting to be disposed of, and crews pushed snow over them during emergency operations rather than pull scarce tow trucks off street-clearing duty.
Denise Taylor, a city spokesperson, told The Boston Globe that six vehicles ended up partially or fully buried in the snow farm. At the height of the storms, she said, the city prioritized clearing streets and keeping emergency access open, even if that meant temporarily entombing some fleet castoffs under a mountain of snow.
The Site And The Sale
The lot at 90 Washington Street, a stone's throw from the East Somerville Green Line station, has been controlled by the Somerville Redevelopment Authority while long-term plans for the property were debated. In a press release, the City of Somerville said redevelopment proposals for the site will be posted for public review on April 17, with a Civic Advisory Committee meeting set for April 22 to discuss what comes next.
Why The Snow Pile Stuck Around
This winter dropped more than five feet of snow across the Boston area, much of it in two big storms in late January and late February, creating massive snow farms that linger long after the last flurries. Those piles can take months to melt, and the Washington Street mound was no exception.
Neighbors and local property managers told The Boston Globe the pile hit roughly 20 feet at its peak. As it shrank, it turned into the usual late-season eyesore, streaked with dirt, trash, and, this year, the occasional city vehicle making a slow-motion reappearance.
Legal Background And What’s Next
According to the Somerville Redevelopment Authority, the city seized 90 Washington Street by eminent domain in 2019. That move triggered a legal fight over how much the property was worth, which pushed the cost of the taking from about 8.8 million dollars to roughly 35.3 million dollars.
With accrued interest, the total liability now approaches 39 million dollars, a financial weight that helped persuade city officials to seek private redevelopment proposals instead of going forward with a city-run public-safety complex on the site.
Neighbors, Social Buzz And Next Steps
The sight of cars slowly emerging from a filthy snow mountain was tailor-made for the internet, and photos quickly lit up social media and local forums, sparking a mix of jokes, concern, and plain curiosity from neighbors watching the thaw.
City officials say redevelopment proposals for 90 Washington Street will move through public review this spring and early summer. For residents who want to weigh in on what replaces the snow farm, the April 22 Civic Advisory Committee meeting is the next scheduled chance to get their voices on the record.
