SOMERVILLE — As a light rain fell over Davis Square on Wednesday, a judge, teams of lawyers, a pastor, a nonprofit director, and a few others quietly toured the basement of the First Church of Somerville and inspected each of the space’s rooms.
They saw mattresses still wrapped in plastic piled up next to empty lockers and unassembled bed frames, a large kitchen, and a newly remodeled bathroom — components of what was supposed to be the city’s newest homeless shelter .
The tour, which included a walk to nearby Davis Square, where there has been increased concern about violence and open drug use , was a legal formality. It came before a trial set to begin in Land Court on Tuesday that will decide the fate of the shelter the church wants to open here and served as a reminder for the su