News Sept 20,2021

Updating our voter guide, endorsing Kristen Strezo, rescheduled meetup & more

September 20, 2021

Somerville YIMBY

Latest News & Events

Election Update

Now that the preliminary election is over, we've updated our election guide and endorsements for the general election. One major change: having spoken at greater length with Kristen Strezo, we have added her to our endorsement list. Councilor Strezo has a strong record of advocacy for people living in the city's affordable housing, and as someone who lives in affordable housing herself, she knows what she's talking about.

Upcoming Events

Volunteer Opportunities

Community Meeting Announcements: Community meeting announcements in Somerville are remarkably fragmented and there is no central repository of them. Some of them wind up on the official city calendar, but some don't. Sometimes they're only announced by flyers on the street, or a city councilor's newsletter. When we find one we think folks should see, we add it to our calendar and include it in these announcements. But we need your help to be more accurate! When you see a meeting announced, don't assume we know about it! Email [email protected] and we'll make sure it gets shared.Become an Expert on Charter Review: The city will be revising its charter, the fundamental document that sets out things like the relative power of the mayor and city council. We'll need someone (several someones!) to show up for the coming series of charter review meetings and let us know how they go. If you go to even one of them, drop a note to [email protected] and tell us about it.

Recent Discussion of Height in Boynton Yards/Union Square

Steering committee member Aaron Weber went to a Union Square Neighborhood Council subcommittee meeting about height in the square. Council members council have two separate concerns about the new construction, which has few height limits in Boynton Yards and parts of Union Square near the coming green line stations. The first is traffic: each new building proposes a substantial amount of parking, adding up to thousands of spaces, which means  thousands of additional cars coming though the neighborhood each day. The Steering Committee shares this concern and will be trying to ally with them to push for stronger limitations on parking and more emphasis on transit for this transforming neighborhood. The developers would save money if they built less parking, but fear that tenants won't be willing to rent offices without it. We are optimistic about finding a compromise that meets at least some needs from all stakeholders.Their second concern is the height itself, especially on the site that is now a Target and CHA facility. That location abuts a 3–4 story neighborhood, and the neighbors are concerned about the appropriateness of very tall buildings next to smaller homes. This isn't something that the board feels is a serious problem, but it's definitely a topic of discussion and concern for the people living in the neighborhood. It can probably be solved with some setback rules that will need to be negotiated with the Union Square Neighborhood Council. We will be following this area closely — if you live nearby we'd love to hear from you on the topic as well.