This Week in Somerville & State Housing Policy

We hope to see you at several Somerville events over the next couple of weeks:

Wednesday, July 31: Zoning Board of Appeals Meeting. The biggest item on the agenda is Somerville Homeless Coalition’s attempt to move their existing Davis Square shelter a few doors down to a location that has better accessibility and the capability to serve more clients. The ZBA will also take up a petition to revoke an already-issued building permit for an apartment building, as well as two different households trying to make relatively minor changes to their roof lines. In all four cases, the Board will be asked whether they wish to make it easier or harder for someone to provide or expand housing in our city. None of the outcomes are assured. 6:00 pm, online via Zoom.

Friday, August 2: Somerville YIMBY Monthly Social. Join us at Remnant Brewing in Bow Market for conversation, drinks, and snacks. 6:00 to 8:00 pm, in-person.

Wednesday, August 14: Somerville YIMBY Monthly Meeting. Join us online to talk strategy, our latest upzoning proposal, and more. 6:00 to 7:00 pm, online via Zoom. You can find the beginnings of this month’s agenda on the messageboard.

Statewide Issues

If you’re not already subscribed to the Abundant Housing Massachusetts mailing list, here’s a quick note from them:

The end of the legislative session is fast approaching, and the Conference Committee has yet to release their final compromise of the Housing Bond ill. Two items still up for debate are the Tenant Opportunity to Purchase Act (TOPA) and eviction sealing.  AHMA supports both of these initiatives and we ask that you write to the conference committee members and ask them to include them in the final bill before the 31st. AHMA has a convenient sample email and contact info for committee members. For more information, check out their fact sheets on TOPA and on eviction sealing.