Sent by Adam Rich to Somerville-4-Schools yahoo group:

If families continue to leave Somerville, our public schools will suffer. Please join the Affordable Housing Organizing Committee (AHOC) and Save Our Somerville (SOS) on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for the hearing of the Union Square Zoning Ordinance at City Hall.

We are very concerned that the proposed Union Square zoning does little to protect affordability in the area. This proposal seeks to bring new development to a large area in and around Union Square that has the potential to cause widespread upheaval in surrounding neighborhoods. We would like to keep as many people as possible from losing their homes due to increasing housing costs and require a greater proportion of the new residential construction to be homes affordable to those that have been displaced.

We are asking the Board of Aldermen for three things to help address this situation. 1. We would like the entire area under consideration to use a minimum 15% requirement for affordable homes in new residential construction (inclusionary zoning rate). 2. We would like the area under consideration to use the Somerville Median Income as the standard by which to judge affordability (for inclusionary units). 3. We would like a written commitment to the development of a comprehensive anti-displacement plan.

We can use as much support as possible on Thursday. If you cannot make the hearing, please consider expressing your concern about displacement and affordability as related to this zoning by writing, calling, or e-mailing your alderman.

Thanks,
Adam Rich

P.S. If you would like to read more about my thoughts on the consequences of the Union Square zoning plan check out the following links:

This is a letter that I wrote to the Board of Aldermen and that was also picked up by the Somerville News:

http://www.thesomervillenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=3&ArticleID=92&TM=43429.03

This is a letter to the editor of the Somerville News that I wrote about the upcoming hearing:

http://www.thesomervillenews.com/main.asp?SectionID=3&SubSectionID=3&ArticleID=193&TM=43429.03