October 21 Update

Canvassing Invitation & Notes from Land Use

October 21, 2021

Somerville YIMBY

Get Out The Vote for Willie, Charlotte & Katjana

As you know from

, we've made some endorsements for this coming election. Help get out the vote on Saturday, October 30 by joining candidates Willie Burnley, Jr. and Charlotte Kelly as they talk to voters throughout the city. Learn more on

or

. A full list of Willie's events is

.

Our endorsed candidate for mayor could also use your help!

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October 19 Land Use Committee Meeting Notes

Steering Committee member Aaron Weber went to Tuesday's Land Use Committee meeting. If you're wondering what these kinds of things are like, or haven't been to one before, here's how it went.

The

were pretty quick: the committee adjusted the required timing for payment of certain construction fees to the affordable housing trust, clarified the zoning rules on sidewalk widths, and approved a request by an East Somerville property owner to change a parcel from a Fabrication district to a Urban Residence district so he can build apartments on it.

The big item was

a citizen petition to change 51 McGrath Highway from High Rise to Midrise-5, and 35 McGrath from Midrise-5 to Midrise-4. This would dramatically reduce what could be built on those sites – cutting the allowed height in half for 51 McGrath! The petitioners, based in the Brickbottom Studios, are concerned about shadows in the winter. There are several issues here, some substantive and some procedural.

  • Did the city properly publish all notices about the initial zoning decisions that led to the parcels being designated HR and MR5, respectively? Conclusion: yes, the existing zoning is valid. 

  • Would this proposed change qualify as spot zoning, which is not allowed? The city solicitor has warned that the proposed change might not stand up in court.

  • Are those shadows actually all that bad? A full shadow study would be required to answer this, and the committee doesn't have one.

Since they didn't have a shadow study, the committee decided that they can't judge the argument on its merits, so they adjourned without making a decision on the issue. Their next steps will be to obtain an existing shadow study or provide the petitioners with the specifications for developing their own.

The Land Use Committee and Planning Board will eventually have to find a way to balance the desires of current Brickbottom residents to have plentiful year-round natural light and the desire of other people who want to live and work in the neighborhood. Our ongoing attention to this issue will be crucial in helping to achieve better outcomes for everyone.

Upcoming Events

Here are some more events you may want to attend. You will note that there are several big events happening more or less at the same time on October 27.

if you can attend any of them, and we'll coordinate to make sure all of them have at least a YIMBY or two in attendance. We also welcome your opinions and reports about how these and other events go!

As a reminder, you can also

.