DOES UNION SQUARE NEED ANOTHER LAB BUILDING?
Developer reveals new plans to replace block of shops with commercial structure (Somerville Wire) – In the heart of Union Square, the new 450-unit apartment building and the seven-story lab building are nearing completion. Last week, the owner of a block of buildings just across Prospect Street from the new buildings held their first public […]
BACKYARD COTTAGES NOW ALLOWED ‘BY RIGHT’
Council makes it easier to create accessory dwelling units (Somerville Wire) – Carriage houses, backyard cottages, “tiny houses,” and other accessory dwelling units can now be created “by right” anywhere in a Neighborhood Residence district in Somerville. The City Council voted unanimously at their Sept. 8 meeting to enact amendments to the City’s zoning code […]
COMMUNITY LAND TRUST CELEBRATES ITS FIRST AFFORDABLE HOMES
Ribbon cutting this Wednesday for five new condos in Union Square (Somerville Wire) – Somerville is celebrating the first acquisition of permanently affordable homes on community-owned land this week. The five-unit condo building at 7 Summer St. in Union Square is the first development project of the Somerville Community Land Trust, a nonprofit organization that […]
TENANTS RALLY IN FRONT OF 6-8 MORTIMER PLACE
Protest “tidal wave of gentrification sweeping the new Green Line Extension corridor” (Somerville Wire) – Responding to soaring rents and increasing economic uncertainty, the Community Action Agency of Somerville organized a protest last Friday in support of three Brazilian families who are at imminent risk of displacement in September, after a new landlord bought their […]
AFFORDABLE CONDOS FOR SALE
Eleven deeply discounted units currently available via lottery (Somerville Wire) – In collaboration with two private developers, the City is currently offering 11 new condominium units for sale at below-market rates. The opportunity to apply for these homes is open to those who currently live in Somerville or work at least 32 hours per week […]
NEW LIFE FOR CLARENDON HILL
City gives final approval for expansion, renovation of public housing Clarendon Hill, a 216-unit housing development in West Somerville, will be substantially enlarged, redesigned, and renovated, after the City Council last week authorized $14 million in borrowing to help finance the project. Located at 34 North St. between Alewife Brook Parkway, Powder House Blvd., and […]
SOMERVILLE EXTENDS EVICTION MORATORIUM ONCE MORE
End date now June 30, 2022 (Somerville Wire) – After the City of Boston lifted its eviction moratorium on March 31, Somerville is now the last municipality in the state to maintain a ban on evictions in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Last Thursday, April 21, the city extended that moratorium for two more months. […]
SOMERVILLE WIRE: APRIL 5, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP
A documentary screening about police in schools, a discussion about government sponsored racism in housing, and the Mayor’s Summer Jobs Program Articles DONATE TO THE SOMERVILLE MEDIA FUND! Somerville Media Center and BINJ join forces to create municipal foundation to support nonprofit community journalism HOW DOES THE FARE COLLECTION SYSTEM AT THE GLX WORK? Pols […]
SOMERVILLE WIRE: MARCH 22, 2022 WEEKLY ROUNDUP
Events at the Somerville Museum, a tenants’ rights webinar, and the Council on Aging Board of Directors seeks new members Articles EDITORIAL: MEDIA CONSOLIDATION ACCELERATES IN SOMERVILLE Gannett merges its Somerville Journal and Medford Transcript newspapers as BINJ’s Somerville News Garden project and the Somerville Media Center launch a new municipal foundation to fund local […]
THE GREEN LINE EXTENSION: TRANSFORMING TRANSPORTATION OR CAUSING DISPLACEMENT?
Photo by Cindy Weisbart New transit arrives in Somerville, met with a mixed bag of emotions (Somerville Wire) – Somerville celebrated the opening of the first phase of the Green Line Extension, with new stations in Union Square and Lechmere, on March 21. The moment was historic, the result of decades of planning, and passengers, […]
