A proposed apartment development would demolish the building that the popular bar and music venue calls home. The Burren reached an agreement with the developer to return to the new building once it is completed.
The Burren, a popular Irish pub and music venue, has secured a future in Davis Square despite a proposal to demolish the building it calls home. The Burren is one of several businesses threatened with displacement by a proposed development on Elm Street in Somerville's Davis Square, which would knock down several buildings in order to build a mixed-use apartment tower.
The Burren reached an agreement with developer Copper Mill to return to the new building once it is completed. “ The lease was expiring in August of this past year, and we worked collaboratively on an extension of that,” said Copper Mill CEO Andrew Flynn. “And also agreed to have them at the property long term in the proposed new development.” In December, Copper Mill submitted an application seeking site approval for a 26-story, 502-unit apartment building in the heart of Davis Square. The application included a letter from Burren owner Tommy McCarthy expressing support for the project. The letter was addressed to former Mayor Katjana Ballantyne and dated July 15, 2025. “We believe that the new development will revitalize the Davis Square neighborhood — and we are pleased that The Burren has secured a long-term home for its future,” McCarthy wrote.The agreement between Copper Mill and the Burren appears to resolve one of the central points of contention with the development, which was the target of intense community scrutiny. Musicians in particular worried about the hit to their livelihoods and to Somerville’s music scene if the Burren was displaced, even temporarily, from its longtime home. At a tense community meeting last February, musicians expressed dismay that the project would require the Burren to close during construction. At the time, there was no official agreement between the Burren and Copper Mill assuring the bar’s return. The new proposal is already receiving pushback from local musicians. Rachel Rosenberg, whose honky-tonk band performs monthly at the Burren, said that even a plan to bring the venue back would result in irreparable damage to Somerville’s music scene. “The Burren is more than just a building — the vitality of this cultural and community institution flows from the musicians and staff who work there. If the Burren is closed during construction, all of those individuals will be displaced,” Rosenberg said in an email. “A ‘reopened Burren’ will be a Burren stripped of its heart and soul: the people who've worked there for years who make it a welcoming home for anyone who enters.” The current proposal is far from a done deal. Copper Mill submitted its application under the state’s 40B statute, which allows local zoning boards to approve affordable housing developments under flexible rules. One quarter of the rental units in Copper Mill’s planned apartment building are income-restricted. In its application, the developer said that the infusion of rental units to the neighborhood would help Somerville achieve its housing goals and revitalize Davis Square. Copper Mill filed its application with MassHousing, an independent state agency that finances affordable housing developments. Once approved, Copper Mill would then need to file a permit application with the Somerville zoning board of appeals.“They did indicate to our administration that they very much want this to be a friendly 40B,” Wilson said. “That means that they're looking to engage with us, with the community. It's good news as opposed to something adversarial where they're just trying to force something through.”“I consider it an anchor business in Davis Square,” Wilson said. “The city is going to want to make sure that Davis Square and the things that make it special are protected and that they're part of the long-term future of the square.” The current proposal looks similar to the plan outlined in community meetings last year, which featured a 25-story apartment complex set back from the street, with retail space next to the sidewalk. Many people objected to the height of the building, which would tower over the one- and two-story buildings surrounding it. The current proposal similarly depicts three stories of retail space with a tall tower rising up behind them. Flynn said that some community feedback had been incorporated into the new design, such as a pedestrian throughway cutting through part of the building, and the plan to bring back the Burren. He estimated the bar would have to close for 18 to 24 months. The developer acknowledged things had been quiet in the months following the first community engagement process. “ We really had to do some deep reflection on if this was a project we think we could go forward with,” Flynn explained. “ We convinced ourselves to give it one more shot.” Copper Mill will meet with the Davis Square Neighborhood Council later this month and plans to hold multiple community meetings, likely beginning in February.
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