In spite of the overwhelming cupidity of the Board of Aldermen, one or more may ask why or how the Mayor connects "access" to higher tickets across the board? ... The obvious conclusion is that he cares nothing about access, and everything about money. While that may be good for his budget, it is at real cost to citizens and businesses, and, ultimately, to the management system that justifies - or rationalizes - that cost.Read More.>>

As announced in the Somerville Journal : What should happen with the former Powder House Community School? Read More.>>

Forum on Gentrification and Displacement! Thursday, May 14th, 6 PM Elizabeth Peabody House 277 Broadway (at Broadway & Grant Street) Somerville, MA 02145

Gentrification and Displacement: What do they mean?  What

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The Community Corridor Planning Project invites you to attend a meeting on April 29th to learn about and talk with your neighbors about changes that will come about in Somerville and in your neighborhood with the Green Line extensions.… Read More.>>

Somerville's future - what's in the works? Come find out.Read More.>>

SomerVision City Planning Open House

Saturday, April 25th from 11 am to 2 pm

Argenziano School, 290 Washington Street

The intent of the open house is to provide information to

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Thanks to the interdependence of everything, Barry Rafkind's post Keep Big Brother ouf of Somerville has morphed into a discussion about whether or not traffic cameras can induce more folks to obey traffic laws (see comments starting from # 7). I'm saying that, with regards to the specific pedestrian safety issues that Steve Roix has worked gallently to solve, this speaks to a deeper need to create a signal timing plan… Read More.>>

Dear Chairperson Bill White and distinguished aldermen, I strongly object to the installation of surveillance cameras in public spaces around our city and urge you to request their immediate removal. I believe this surveillance program, which was roundly rejected in Cambridge, MA, violates American ideals of freedom and liberty and the Constitutional right to privacy...Read More.>>

Last Thursday, responding to requests from the Actors Shakespeare Company and Arts at the Armory, I attended the Board of Zoning Appeals hearing. Testimony at that hearing was a revelation in several very different - and conflicting - ways.… Read More.>>

On March 3rd, the Somerville Board of Aldermen will hold its hearing on the proposed Condo Conversion Ordinance. If you are a Somerville homeowner, you know that the Libertarian, Cambridge-based Small Property Owners Association (SPOA) -- which mailed letters to every Somerville homeowner -- is seeking to derail that legislation by disseminating inflammatory and baseless claims about how passage will result in plummeting property values and escalating property taxes.Read More.>>

Madeleine Masters, Planning Director with the Somerville Office of Strategic Planning & Community Development emailed an announcement about the upcoming meeting on the Union Square Open Space and Recreation Plan, which will be held on Tuesday, January 6th at 6:30 p.m. in the Aldermanic Chambers at City Hall.Read More.>>

The following message was sent by Stephanie Hirsch to some ResiStat groups today. This is the park bounded by Holland Street, Simpson St., and Paulina St.. Hello ResiStat groups - Please see below for an announcement of a planning meeting regarding Hodgkins Park: Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone and Ward 7 Alderman Robert Trane invite all interested residents and… Read More.>>

[Posted for Union Square Neighbors] Union Square Neighbors (USN) is a group of area residents who are concerned with the future of Union Square. We believe that careful planning and a cohesive community vision are critical to the future of the square.Read More.>>

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.Read More.>>

The tree is gone. Several of us confronted the arborist. Ellie and Kirsten went to court in Woburn where Joe Benoit mysteriously turned up and successfully challenged their request for a temporary restraining order. (with video)Read More.>>

The Mystic View Task Force is holding its annual meeting on Wednesday, November 19, 2008. The focus of this year’s meeting will be reports on air pollution research. Taeko Minegishi, a scientist at Environmental Health & Engineering, Inc., will report on the results of measurements of

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I just got a robo-call from the "Small Property Owners Association" telling me that I should email my alderman and demand that all condo conversion controls be eliminated. It also urged me to attend the BOA meeting on November 18. We've had some discussion on this site about gentrification. Well, I can't think of a better way to promote gentrification than to wipe out large numbers of rental units via condo conversion.Read More.>>

From a phone message received today, October 8: Hello, this is an important message from the National Institutes of Health. On October 14 we’ll be holding a meeting of the NIH Blue Ribbon Panel for the risk assessment of the national emerging infectious diseases laboratories at Boston University Medical Center. The purpose of the meeting is to get… Read More.>>

Below is a letter I submitted to the City of Somerville License Commission in favor of the above petitioner and his application to obtain a conditioned liquor license for Churassco (now Pampas) Buffet and Grill Beer at 505 Medford Street in Magoun Square.Read More.>>

Folks, Just a reminder about this meeting about a proposed bio-lab in Cambridge.  As residents of Somerville, we can speak to the danger of the materials going through our city to get to Cambridge. 158 Spring St… Read More.>>

You may not have heard, but a developer is planning a Level Three biotech lab in Cambridge , to test toxic gases and other intriguing Cantabridgian products. What's particularly interesting and notable to Somerville is that such items cannot be legally transported through tunnels, so, if they come from the airport, they come through Somerville . Nobody in Somerville seems to have noticed, but such a lab could kill your kids. Level Three labs are legitimate alternate testing sites for Level Four substances on occasion, and lack only the security conditions for that higher status.Read More.>>

Isn't it odd that there has been no discussion in Somerville at all about the Cambridge Biolab 3, pending in East Cambridge?? The requirements for transporting its contents mandate "no tunnels" so everything that goes to Logan goes through Somerville. And everything is virtually all that's in the Biolab 4 except fissionable materials!Read More.>>

PUBLIC OPPORTUNITY FOR

REGIONAL TRANSPORTATION PLANNING INPUT

UNTIL AUGUST 5, 2008:

The Boston Region MPO will hold two Open House sessions on July 30, 2008 from 12:30 pm - 2 p.m.

and from 5:30 pm - 7 pm

AT: Suite 2150, State Transportation Building

10 Park Plaza, Boston…

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Note: We’re planning to run a range of views on the rezoning of Union Square. This one is from Matt McLaughlin, president of Save Our Somerville. The Green Line is coming through, which is a great step forward for Somerville. I look forward to jumping on the Green Line and going into Boston. But where am I going to live? ...…Read More.>>

East Somerville residents deserve the dream of a better community. Let’s talk together about what costs and benefits the new development will bring to our community and to East Somerville residents.Read More.>>

Sustainable Somerville -- a nascent network of community organizations working to make/keep Somerville a great place to live, work, and play -- is sponsoring a Sustainability Scavenger Hunt at ArtBeat (Saturday, July 19th in Davis Square), to show how the common thread of sustainability connects the work of the

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On Monday, I went to the Union Square rezoning meeting held at Somerville High. I took my laptop with me and took the following "live blog" notes. The slides and maps are available on the city website.Read More.>>

Today, 2 residents from the Community Access Project of Somerville (CAPS) took their digital levels and measuring tapes and perambulated down Holland Street. We checked both sides of the sidewalk, from Winter Street to the Traffic and Parking Building (133 Holland St.) and then went back to Davis Square via the other side

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Please join us for this important AHOC meeting as we discuss our leadership, prepare for the Union Square meeting Zoning on June 24th, plan for a busy summer in the green line corridor and get updates on the Condo ordinance!Read More.>>

Federal Realty Investment Trust will present development plans, and the exchange of a parcel currently owned by the Department of Conservation and Recreation for a slightly larger strip along the river which FRIT will develop into DCR parkland. FRIT will also discuss access to Draw 7 Park, and proposals for easements. Legislation to accomplish the land swap is currently before the legislature. Community members are invited to learn about the process and plans for community investment and mitigation. There will be a chance to ask questions and raise concerns.Read More.>>

This community meeting on the Mystic River Reservation Master Plan will include a presentation of the Draft Master Plan, followed by smaller group discussions on specific topics, including: Open Space and Recreation Programming, Conservation Plans, Pathways, and River and Riverfront Access.Read More.>>

For those of you who may not know, Governor Patrick filed the environmental bond bill (H.4446) this past December. Open space for outdoor recreation (as we all know) is extremely limited in Somerville. These funds can be used to develop Foss Park into the Urban Oasis we so desperately need in Somerville. There is tremendous potential to significantly upgrade the park for all who utilize the area. We must maximize this critical moment by taking advantage of these opportunities.Read More.>>

The city is holding a Community Meeting on the latest proposal for Zoning in Union Square on Tuesday, June 24th, at 6 PM at the Somerville High School auditorium.Read More.>>

Having the Green Line go to Route 16 will also serve Somerville residents so STEP hopes that you will support the goals of Green Line advocates in Somerville and Medford by signing the petition for the terminal stop at Route 16.  There are some Medford residents who opposed this location for the end of the line and want to end it the stop to be built  near Tufts.  Take a minute and sign the petition on line.…Read More.>>

Fred Berman and Bill Bumpus host a program called "Progressive Voices" on Somerville Community Access Television. I thought this might be a good program for folks to view if they want more info about the Green Line Expansion Project. Their guest is Ellen Reisner from STEP (Somerville Transportation Equity Partnership. She brings with her a lot of info about the project and its ramifications for our fine city.Read More.>>

In the ordinary course of business, one notices accessible route problems throughout Union Square's Somerville Reconstruction Project area. During construction, it is very important for the City to maintain continuous, unobstructed, level and safe sidewalks, as well as safe curbcuts and walkways for everyone.Read More.>>

April 14, is the last day the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection will accept public comments on how to improve the proposed Assembly Square IKEA, and lessen its impact on the public’s right to freely travel to and enjoy our Mystic River waterfront.Read More.>>

It isn’t often that the words “surplus” and “parking” are associated with Davis Square. But the request currently before the Board of Alderman to declare three municipal parking lots surplus property in our hippest square does that as well as bring up the long simmering, but little acknowledged question of responsible management of city owned real estate.…Read More.>>