SOMERVILLE — First they came for the parking spots, now they’re coming for the donuts.
Broadway shopkeepers are raging after City Hall signed off on new bike lanes that will rip out curbside parking and, they warn, rip the heart out of their businesses. The story was first reported by WBZ.

At the center of the storm is Mass Hole Donuts, the cult-favorite pastry stop that fuels Somerville’s bleary-eyed morning rush. But with its lease set to expire next month, the shop says it has no choice but to flee — warning that City Hall’s so-called “progress” is a death sentence for mom-and-pop shops that rely on quick-stop parking.

“We can’t afford to stay here if we don’t have enough spaces,” said head baker Vanessa Rowsell. “Looking into the future it doesn’t make sense to sign a three-year lease when we have this happening.”

The shop is already scouting for a new location and has even offered free donuts to anyone who can help them find real estate. Translation: the City’s bike lanes aren’t even built yet and already Somerville is losing its donuts.

‘It will completely kill us’

Next door, Neighborhood Market owner Amar Ramadan is bracing for disaster.
“It’s going to completely kill most of the businesses around here, whatever’s left. I’m already having a hard time to pay my bills with the construction this summer.”

For small shops along Broadway, parking isn’t a luxury — it’s their entire business model. No parking, no customers, no future.

Spandex wins, shops lose

Cyclists, meanwhile, are popping champagne.
“The bike lanes certainly make it safer and more enjoyable,” said Jason Paige, owner of Ace Wheelworks. “There’s nothing wrong with riding and dancing in traffic a little bit, but it’s also nice to just get a little off the road.”

To shopkeepers, that’s a slap in the face. While cyclists gush about smoother rides, businesses warn they’re being crushed under the wheels of Somerville’s spandex revolution.

Donuts vs. bike lanes

City officials admit construction could begin within months. By then, Mass Hole Donuts may already be history — another casualty of Somerville’s war on cars.

For Broadway’s early risers, it means their morning ritual of coffee and donuts could vanish overnight. For shopkeepers, it’s proof that when City Hall has to choose, it’s bikes over businesses every single time.