Somerville Demolishes Long-Vacant Star Market on Broadway, Clearing Way for 288-Unit Housing Development
Demolition ends a 17-year vacancy on a prominent Winter Hill corridor
The long-shuttered former Star Market in Somerville’s Winter Hill neighborhood has been razed, marking a turning point for a site that has sat vacant since the grocery store closed in 2008. Heavy equipment moved in during December 2025 to begin dismantling the boarded-up building at 299 Broadway, clearing the way for a large mixed-use redevelopment planned for years.
The property, a highly visible stretch along Broadway, became a symbol of blight for nearby residents and businesses as the empty structure deteriorated behind fencing and boarded windows. The demolition follows years of public review and planning around a proposal to replace the former supermarket with new housing, ground-floor retail, and public space.
What is planned for the site
The redevelopment is planned as two mid-rise residential buildings with ground-level commercial space and additional community-oriented amenities. Project descriptions filed with state housing and environmental review processes and previous project materials describe a plan centered on hundreds of new rental apartments, including a significant affordable housing component.
Housing: 288 rental apartments are planned for the overall project, with a substantial share designated affordable.
Retail: approximately 13,640 square feet of ground-floor retail space is planned.
Community and open space: plans include a new public plaza and park, plus indoor community space and arts/creative enterprise space.
Affordable housing structure and public financing
State documentation for a related component of the project describes a 287-unit plan across two buildings and details one building designed to deliver 115 income-restricted apartments affordable to households earning below 60% of area median income, including units reserved for households at or below 30% of area median income. The same filings describe an estimated total development cost of about $88.9 million and note that the financing structure anticipates the use of federal and state low-income housing tax credits alongside other public funding sources.
As with many large, mixed-income projects in Greater Boston, the affordability targets and construction schedule depend on securing and layering multiple funding streams, including tax-credit allocations and other public supports tied to long-term income restrictions.
Community attention and the transition to construction
The building’s extended vacancy drew recurring community attention, including a widely shared piece of street art in 2025 that altered the faded “Star Market” lettering. In December 2025, residents gathered to watch the demolition begin, capturing the moment as the structure that had dominated the block for years came down.
The demolition activity in mid-December 2025 marked the practical start of the site’s transition from abandoned commercial property to active housing construction.
With the structure removed, the redevelopment team can proceed with site work and the next phases required to deliver the housing, retail, and public amenities envisioned for the corridor.