News & Announcements

City council is in recess for a few weeks, but the city's business continues.

Housing News

• Our national and regional housing shortage is becoming more and more acute. With vacancy rates hovering near 1%, average rents in Boston rose around 17% this year, and Boston is now the second-most-expensive housing market in the country.

• Rents are going up dramatically in Somerville as well. Our friends at CAAS helped organize a recent protest to try to force one landlord to back down from a 44% rent hike that threatens to displace three families.

• Seniors who want to downsize have found that it's awfully hard to find smaller homes to move to, especially single-floor condos and apartments, which are illegal to build in far too many places.

Upcoming Events

• August 3: Urbanism Pitch Night, 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm, Culture House, 16 Union Square. Discuss potential projects for improving civic life.

• August 4: Envisioning 90 Washington Street Workshop, 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm, East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross Street. Drop in to build and view models of the new public safety building.

• August 4: Planning board meeting, 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm, virtual. The agenda includes the latest iteration of the Scape development proposal for 231-249 Elm Street in Davis Square as well as several updates in Union Square.