Late March Noteworthy Items

Community Benefits Update

As part of the Union Square redevelopment project, master developer US2 is negotiating a community benefits agreement (CBA) with the Union Square Neighborhood Council. A CBA can include labor, open/green space, and other requirements.

The confidential negotiations have been going on for some time now, and this will be the most comprehensive explanation of what progress has been made.

That’s at the Argenziano School on Wednesday, March 27 at 7:00 PM. There will be a short presentation and then an open discussion. You can find details here.

We hope to see you there!

News of Note

Here are a handful of recent articles we think you might like to check out:

• Boston Globe (paywall): MA Lags in Move for More Housing

  • Tim Logan notes that "in Massachusetts, even incremental legislation that aims to make it easier for towns to change their own zoning has proved to be a challenge."

• Wall Street Journal (paywall): A Growing Problem: Too Many Big Houses

  • Retirees are finding that their large homes are increasingly hard to sell, but zoning prohibits converting them into modestly sized apartments.

• Strong Towns: A guide to talking about density and affordability.

• SF Chronicle: Bring Back Missing Middle Housing

  • Berkeley, CA is having some similar issues to Somerville, and one solution is allowing duplexes and triple deckers in more places.