Housing

(Part 3) 61 Medford Street. Liquid Nitrogen tank at Biogen, safety concerns, approved. 13A Beacon. Expand windows, replace other windows. Approved. 26 Wheatland St. Condo construction without permit, halt order. Triple permit fee charged. 24 Fairmount. Permit to rectify a basement apartment, never legal. Accepted staff recommendation. 162 Highland. Vote to reaffirm previous rate.

(Part 2) Public hearing on Ocean State Job Lot at 299 Broadway. Four in favor, twelve against. One report of possible grocery store. Written testimony accepted until noon Friday, August 27. Discussion to resume Thursday, Sept. 2, at 6 PM.

(Part 1) The Planning Board voted 5-0 to DENY the special permit to subdivide One Benton Road to add a second condo development for the reason that no conditions could assuage the issues of public safety, devaluation of neighbors’ property, previous character of the site, and scale. [COMMENT: The city evidently expects litigation as a result of this decision.]

[ September 10, 2010; ] This year’s tournament will be held at the Wayland Country Club in Wayland, Mass, September 10th. … All proceeds will benefit the non-profit organization and the programs and services it provides to the homeless and near-homeless in Somerville and the Greater Boston area.

Seven new Green Line train stations are planned to open in 2015, impacting existing Somerville residents and housing in many ways. Community Corridor Planning (CCP) is a grassroots coalition made up of people who want to preserve and expand diversity and affordable housing in Somerville.
We have created a 10-question survey to help us figure out [...]

[ September 2, 2010; 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] This is the regular meeting of the Somerville Planning Board. This meeting will deal with an ongoing and sometimes controversial Somerville development, Ocean State Job Lot at 299 Broadway. The Planning Board holds public hearings and grants permits for special districts, such as Planned Unit Developments.

[ August 24, 2010; 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] This is a rescheduled meeting of the Somerville Planning Board. The original meeting was scheduled 8/19. This meeting deals with ongoing and sometimes controversial Somerville developments: One Benton Road and Ocean State Job Lots at 299 Broadway.

[ August 10, 2010; 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Currently the Steering Committee is working on policies and actions to implement the plan. Somerville’s citywide development for the next twenty years will be shaped by the comprehensive plan.

Starting this Friday (August 6), four rising seniors from Somerville High’s Track and Cross Country teams will “trek” from a spot near the Quabbin Reservoir to the Aquarium Wharf (approximately 80 miles) to raise funds to support the Somerville Homeless Coalition. They have raised close to $2,000 so far from Somervillains attending Farmer’s Markets, Artbeat, [...]

299 Broadway (Ocean State Job Lot): Case postponed. 90 Hudson Street: Granted unanimously. One Benton Road: Heard testimony of traffic study, hearing to be reopened, Executive Session to be scheduled to deal with litigation strategy. 67 Florence St.: 2/3 variances denied. 16 Browning Road: Variance allowed unanimously. Historic Group C Designation: Approved with understanding that a person who wants out should say so and BOA is to investigate the case and decide.

At issue was consolidating an undesignated historic property at 221 Morrison Avenue (near Davis Square) with two previously designated properties on Morrison (222 and 197) to form the Morrison Avenue Historic District. The two owners of 221 Morrison Ave. were present to testify in favor. Passed after discussion. Question addressed of why designate single buildings? Answer: easier to execute than a whole street.

[ July 13, 2010; 6:30 pm to 9:00 pm. ] At this meeting we will be discussing the policies and actions derived from the comprehensive plan goals. This meeting is important because Somerville’s citywide development for the next twenty years will be shaped by the comprehensive plan.

[ July 15, 2010; 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] This meeting is important because it deals with ongoing and sometimes controversial Somerville developments. At this meeting, the Planning Board is scheduled to hear testimony on the Ocean State Job Lots special permit (a Large Format Retail use at 299 Broadway) and may address the 1 Benton Road special permit.

[ July 6, 2010; 7:30 pm to 9:00 pm. ] This meeting is important because historic districts on the one hand preserve historic properties for later generations, and on the other hand can prove expensive and inconvenient for property owners in the district.

[ June 2, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] This meeting is important because it provides an early opportunity to influence future plans for Davis Square.

[ June 14, 2010; 6:15 pm; ] This meeting is important because it gives citizens a chance to provide feedback to the City on how things are going in their neighborhoods.

[ June 1, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] This meeting is important because Somerville’s citywide development for the next twenty years will be shaped by the comprehensive plan. This meeting is open to the public.

[ May 25, 2010; 7:00 pm; ] This meeting is important because charter amendments are always important, and adopting the Stretch Energy Code will reduce environmental impact throughout Somerville.

[ May 19, 2010; 6:15 pm; ] This meeting is important because it gives citizens a chance to provide feedback to the City on how things are going in their neighborhoods.

[ May 20, 2010; 6:00 pm; ] This meeting includes a continuation of the 1 Benton Road case, which has proved controversial.

[ May 16, 2010; 1:30 pm; ] The 7th annual Save Our Homes Walk will be held on Sunday, May 16 at 2:00pm with registration beginning at 1:30pm.  The Walk begins and ends at Somerville High School’s Atrium and all are welcome and encouraged to join in our efforts to end homelessness in our City. 

Organized by the Affordable Housing Organizing Committee (AHOC), [...]

[ June 2, 2010; 6:00 pm; ] At this meeting, citizens will evaluate professional designs and documentation for the Green stations in your neighborhood.

[ May 22, 2010; 1:00 pm; ] This meeting is important because it begins work on sustainable station designs for the Green Line Extension.

[ May 21, 2010; 6:00 pm; ] This meeting is important because it provides background information on sustainable station designs for the Green Line Extension.

[ May 17, 2010; 7:00 pm; ] This meeting is important because it relates to Green Line Extension economic development around Magoun Square.

“I hope you all get some power someday, so you’ll know what it’s like to have to satisfy your constituents’ demands with a limited budget.”

[ May 11, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] This meeting is important because Somerville’s citywide development for the next twenty years will be shaped by the comprehensive plan. This is a public meeting; any citizen is entitled to observe.

[ April 24, 2010; 6:00 pm; ] The Somerville Homeless Coalition will hold its annual dinner April 24th at the Center for the Arts at the Armory in Somerville beginning at 6:00 pm.  The dinner will recognize three people important to the work of the Coalition, have a Redbones dinner, a silent auction, and dancing to The Four Piece Suit.

We would love [...]

[ April 14, 2010; 6:00 pm; ] Zoning Board of Appeals Hearing

Wed. Apr. 14, 6:00 PM

Aldermanic Chamber
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

Agenda Not Available (4/11/10)

This is a regular hearing of the Zoning Board of Appeals. The Zoning Board of Appeals reviews applications to bypass normal Somerville Zoning.

Depending upon the agenda, the Zoning [...]

[ April 15, 2010; 6:00 pm; ] Planning Board Meeting

Thurs. Apr. 15, 6:00 PM

Aldermanic Chamber
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

Agenda Not Available (4/11/10)

This is the regular meeting of the Somerville Planning Board. The Planning Board holds public hearings and grants permits for special districts, such as Planned Unit Developments.

Depending upon [...]

[ April 8, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] 2010-2011 HUD Action Plan Public Hearing

Thurs. Apr. 8 6:30 PM

Ralph and Jenny Center
9 New Washington St.
Somerville MA

[Facility is near the corner of Inner Belt Rd. and New Washington St. (map)]

Flyer (PDF)

This is the public hearing on the HUD Action Plan for the Community Development Block Grant program, the Emergency Shelter [...]

[ April 6, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Planning Meeting

Tues. Apr. 6 6:30 PM

Upper Hall
Greek Orthodox Church
29 Central St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the third planning meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. At this meeting, the group will continue specifying goals, policies and actions to implement the vision statement.

This meeting is important because Somerville’s citywide [...]

[ March 26, 2010; 8:00 pm; ] Patrick T. Randolph, editor of Empty Shoes, and Mary ElizaBeth Peters, author of Unto the East, will host a shared reading and author discussion of their poetry works at Calvary Methodist Church in Arlington next Friday at 8:00 pm. Empty Shoes is a collaborative work featuring 158 poems about hunger and homelessness from 80 poets, [...]

Through a question to the ResiStat blog, I recently learned this fact which makes one wonder why Mayor Curtatone has been pushing so hard for a new Senior Housing Ordinance.

[ March 9, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Planning Meeting

Tues., Mar. 9, 6:30 PM

Upper Hall
Greek Orthodox Church
29 Central St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the second phase 3 planning meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. At this meeting, the group will continue specifying goals, policies and actions to implement the vision statement.

The goal of the comprehensive plan [...]

[ April 24, 2010; 6:00 pm to 10:30 pm. ] Under the Roof, an event recognizing 25 years of support, housing and community by the Somerville Homeless Coalition and honoring Karen LaFrazia, one of our founding board members and now executive director of the St. Francis House in Boston.  At the Center for the Arts at the Armory.  For more information please call 617-623-6111 or [...]

[ February 22, 2010; 6:00 pm; ] Housing and Community Development Committee Meeting

Mon. Feb. 22 6:00 PM

Somerville City Hall
2nd Fl. Comm. Rm.
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the regular meeting of the Aldermanic Housing and Community Development Committee. There will likely be further discussion of the Route 16 Green Line Extension stop, which is currently being deemphasized by the [...]

I believe that both the premise for the Ordinance and the approach that it takes are wrong.

[ February 18, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] This hearing is important because it is a key step toward getting Federal money for improving Somerville.

[ February 8, 2010 9:00 am to February 25, 2010 5:00 pm. ] Comment Period on Amendment to MPO Public Participation Plan

Starts: Mon. Feb. 8
Ends: Thurs. Mar. 25

Amendment (PDF)

This is the beginning of the 45-day comment period on the MPO Public Participation Plan to shorten or waive the public comment period on certification documents.

Ordinarily, amendments have a 30-day public comment period. The change is to allow the [...]

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[ February 7, 2010; 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm. ] Our neighbors are being evicted and our community destabilized by the foreclosure crisis! The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) in collaboration with Cambridge & Somerville Legal Services (CASLS) has initiated a foreclosure outreach and organizing campaign in Somerville.

[ February 16, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Planning Meeting

Tues., Feb. 16, 6:30 PM

Upper Hall
Greek Orthodox Church
29 Central St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the rescheduling of the Feb. 9 Phase 3 planning meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. At this meeting, the group will begin specifying goals, policies and actions to implement the vision statement. A guest speaker is [...]

[ January 25, 2010; 7:00 pm; ] Housing and Community Development Committee Meeting

Mon. Jan. 25 7:00 PM

2nd Floor Comm. Room
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

Agenda (PDF)

This is a special meeting of the Somerville Housing and Community Development Committee. The agenda includes discussing the committee’s position on the Alewife / Rt. 16 Green Line T-Stop. The Committee will also provide an [...]

[ January 26, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Visioning Meeting

Tues., Jan. 26, 6:30 PM

Upper Hall
Greek Orthodox Church
29 Central St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the last Visioning meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. At this meeting, the group will finish the vision statement.

The goal of the comprehensive plan is to improve the quality of life for Somerville’s residents and workers [...]

[ January 30, 2010; 1:30 pm; ] Why Commissions Can Improve Our Community

Sat. Jan. 30 1:30 PM

Somerville Library
79 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

This is a workshop from the “How to” Series for Civic Engagement by the Office of Somerville Commissions. It discusses how commissions, such as the Human Rights Commission, can help improve our community.

This workshop is important it discusses how [...]

Paul Mackey, the Deputy Director of the Somerville Housing Authority, stands with Clarendon Hill Garden Committee members Cliff Pitts, Jocelyn Scott, and Bing Wei, on the land designated for the resident community garden
The Clarendon Hill Garden Committee (CHGC), comprised of a group of residents at the Clarendon Hill Public Housing Development, is proud to announce [...]

[ January 12, 2010; 6:30 pm; ] This is the second Visioning meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. At this meeting, the group will review the citizen inputs from the earlier SomerVision meetings and pull them together into the beginning of a vision statement.

[ December 19, 2009; ] Assembly on the Mystic 2nd Annual Holiday Drive

Sat. Dec. 19, All Day

Assembly Square Marketplace
Somerville MA (map)

Flier (PDF)

To benefit the Somerville Homeless Coalition, marked containers will be located this coming Saturday outside each store in the Assembly Square Marketplace so that shoppers can donate toiletries and canned goods . All donations are welcomed, but [...]

House Bill No. 1747  at the State Legislature plans to give “housing rights” to alleged victims of domestic violence, would endanger the neighboring tenants and  place huge burdens on small landlords. The bill would block eviction, failure of renewal of any self-claimed victim of domestic violence, stop rent increases, allow non-victims to easily abuse the [...]

[ December 16, 2009; 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. ] Public Meeting on Green Line Extension Maintenance Facility Alternatives

Wed. Dec. 16 6:00 PM

Cambridge Multicultural Arts Center
41 2nd St.
Cambridge MA (map)

Submit written comments at the Green Line Extension project’s Share Your Opinion e-mail site.

This is a Public Meeting on the Green Line Extension Maintenance Facility Alternatives, part of the Draft Environmental Impact Report (DEIR) [...]

[ December 10, 2009; 5:30 pm; ] Ward 7 ResiStat Meeting

Thurs. Dec. 10, 5:30 PM

Tufts Admin. Building (TAB)
167 Holland St.
Somerville MA (map)

This meeting, sponsored by Mayor Curtatone and Ward 7 Alderman Trane, deals with statistical data and issues relating to Ward 7. Similar meetings are held in all other wards of the city. Citizen input from these meetings are compiled into yearly [...]

[ December 9, 2009; 7:00 pm; ] Deckerman and Morse-Kelley Playground Renovations

Wed. Dec. 9 7:00 PM

Library
John F. Kennedy School
5 Cherry St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is a public community meeting to discuss the renovations of the Dickerman and Morse-Kelley Playgrounds on Craigie Street, close to Wards 3, 2, 5, and 6. It will include the presentation of schematic park designs by CBA Landscape Architects.

This [...]

[ December 6, 2009; 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm. ] Our neighbors are being evicted and our community destabilized by the foreclosure crisis.
The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) in collaboration with Cambridge & Somerville Legal Services (CASLS) has initiated a post-foreclosure outreach and organizing campaign in Somerville.
We are asking YOU to join us as we go door-to-door to foreclosed properties in Somerville to talk [...]

Community ratifies set of 11 principles for land use planning along the Green Line extension.

[ December 3, 2009; 6:00 pm; ] Planning Board and Land Use Committee Meetings

Thurs. Dec. 3
6:00 PM – Planning Board
7:00 PM – Joint Meeting

3rd Floor Community Room
Visiting Nurses Association
259 Lowell St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the joint meeting of the Somerville Planning Board with the Land Use Committee. It is preceded at 6:00 PM by a Planning Board Meeting.

Note [...]

[ December 3, 2009; 7:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] From SOMERVILLE, MA City website: There will be a joint public hearing by the Board of Alderman Land Use Committee and the Somerville Planning Board regarding proposed amendments to the Somerville Zoning Ordinance to define senior housing types, add design guidelines, establish Senior Housing Zoning and Dimensional Requirements and incorporate relevant parking requirements. WHEN: Thursday, December 3rd at 7:00 pm

It’s a bit of an awkward holiday for Somerville Homeless Coalition this year.  Hard times have gobbled up all the resources, the gravy train (state aid) crashed, people are mashed and squashed into emergency housing like never before, and SHC is cran-buried in new requests for help with food and shelter.  But you can help [...]

[ December 1, 2009; 7:00 pm; ] Ward 5 ResiStat Meeting

Tues. Dec. 1, 7:00 PM

Cafeterium
John F. Kennedy School
5 Cherry St.
Somerville MA (map)

This meeting, sponsored by Mayor Curtatone and Ward 5 Alderman O’Donovan, deals with statistical data and issues relating to Ward 5. Similar meetings are held in all other wards of the city. Citizen input from these meetings are compiled into yearly [...]

[ November 30, 2009; 7:30 pm; ] Ward 2 ResiStat Meeting

Mon. Nov. 30, 7:30 PM

Argenziano School
290 Washington Street
Somerville MA (map)

This meeting, sponsored by Mayor Curtatone and Ward 2 Alderman Heuston, deals with statistical data and issues relating to Ward 2. Similar meetings are held in all other wards of the city. Citizen input from these meetings are compiled into yearly reports on [...]

Please Join Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz, Somerville Climate Action and Transition Somerville for a Forum on Green Roofs: Installing green roofs in Somerville Wednesday, November 18, 2009 7:00pm to 9:00pm Visiting Nurses’ Association Community Room, 259 Lowell Street One hour presentation followed by one hour discussion

[ November 5, 2009; 7:00 pm; ] BOA Committee on Housing and Community Development

Thurs. Nov. 5, 7:00 PM

2nd Floor Conference Room
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

This is meeting of the Aldermanic Committee on Housing and Community Development is important because the Committee will discuss the proposed MBTA maintenance facility and the Green [...]

[ October 27, 2009; 6:30 pm; ] Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Meeting

Tues. Oct. 27, 6:30 PM

Community Room
Visiting Nurses Association
259 Lowell St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the second October meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. The subcommittees will meet and the committee as a whole will review the Land Use Trends report.

This committee is intended to provide input to a comprehensive plan for [...]

[ October 3, 2009; 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. ] Three Somerville Climate Action members are opening their homes to show what they have done to reduce their carbon footprint, create green jobs, make their homes more comfortable, and save money.

[ September 29, 2009; 6:30 pm; ] Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Meeting

Tues. Sep. 29, 6:30 PM

3rd Floor Community Room
Visiting Nurses Association
259 Lowell St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the second September meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. The subcommittees will meet and the committee as a whole will review the Population Trends and Economic Trends reports.

This committee is intended to provide input to [...]

[ September 15, 2009; 6:30 pm; ] Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee Meeting

Tues. Sep. 15, 6:30 PM

Community Room
Visiting Nurses Association
259 Lowell St.
Somerville MA (map)

This is the kickoff meeting for the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. This committee is intended to provide input to a comprehensive plan for developing the city. The goal is to improve the quality of life for Somerville’s residents and workers [...]

[ September 14, 2009; 6:30 pm; ] Housing Trends in Somerville

Mon. Sep. 14, 6:30 PM

Cafeteria
Capuano Early Childhood Center
150 Glen St.
Somerville MA (map)

This important meeting, sponsored by the City of Somerville, provides an opportunity for citizens to learn about and give their views on housing in Somerville.

For background and issues to monitor, see Somerville Comprehensive Plan Project.

[ October 3, 2009; 9:00 am to 11:00 am. ] Have you signed up yet for the Road Race benefiting the Homeless Coalition?  If you haven’t don’t worry, there’s still time.  Go to www.somervillehomelesscoalition.org

Entry Fee: $20.00

Race starts 9:00 AM sharp!

Registration & Check In: On race day 7- 8:30am on Holland Street, in front of MBTA Red Line T-Stop, Davis Square. Wheelchairs must pre-register by September [...]

[ August 25, 2009; 6:30 pm; ] Housing Trends in Somerville

Tues. Aug. 25, 6:30 PM

Tufts Admin. Building (TAB)
167 Holland St.
Somerville MA (map)

This important meeting, sponsored by the City of Somerville, provides an opportunity for citizens to learn about and give their views on housing issues in Somerville.

For background and issues to monitor, see Somerville Comprehensive Plan Process.

No child care provided

This event [...]

Election Day in July?  Yes, for residents of Clarendon Hill Public Housing Development.
This summer, the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) helped the Clarendon Hill Tenant Association (CHTA) to hold elections.  Twelve candidates ran for the CHTA Executive Board, making this the most competitive election in recent memory. 
Tenants Jose Rivera, Jocelyn Scott, Abdul Reyes, Cindy [...]

[ August 10, 2009; 6:00 pm to 9:00 pm. ] Pig out and enjoy a cool drink and cooler music to benefit SHC!

[ August 15, 2009; 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm. ] Take action on climate change, learn skills, and build community! · Help to weatherize a Somerville house · Learn skills you can take back to your own home · Decrease carbon-emissions · Make new friends. … Here’s your chance to make a difference and learn something in the process…

[ July 29, 2009; 7:00 pm; ] Somerville Housing and Land Use Joint Committee Meeting

Wed. July 29, 7 PM

Aldermanic Chamber
Somerville City Hall
93 Highland Ave.
Somerville  MA (map)

Agenda (MS DOC)

This is a joint meeting of the Housing and Community Development and Land Use Committees. On the agenda is to continue work on a new comprehensive plan for the City of Somerville. Issues of [...]

[ July 15, 2009; 8:30 am; ] sponsored by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) to provide information on what planning information is provided by the Commonwealth and how to access it. * Data sources for public health effects of VOCs in I-93 and McGrath corridors. * Data sources for economic development along Green Line.* Data sources for transportation development impact equity.

Here’s a link to a map that shows 99 foreclosed properties in our city. Are we surprised that they are concentrated in the east and northeast?
Here’s a link to a somewhat shorter list without a map.
The fact that they’re not the same raises the question of whether either one of them is complete.
Do any real [...]

[ June 12, 2009; 9:00 am to 5:00 pm. ] Drop off from 9 to noon, 1:00 to 5:00 – see list of items needed

[ May 14, 2009; 6:00 pm; ] 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 can we do about them in Somerville?
Please join us to watch the film “BOOM: the Sound of Eviction” about gentrification and efforts to prevent displacement, then hear [...]

Thanks to Jessica, a senior in the Tufts class entitled “Experimenting with Philanthropy,” CAAS will receive $1,800 to hire youth interpreters to help the residents of Clarendon Hill build a stronger tenants’ association.

[ April 26, 2009; 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm. ] Walk to raise funds for emergency assistance to individuals and families teetering on the brink of homelessness.

[ April 25, 2009; 2:00 pm; ] Rock out and chow down to keep our neighbors off the streets!

I’m inviting you to please either become involved, or send a pledge to me, to support the 6th annual Walk to Save Our Homes.  This is an effort to raise money that will be used to keep Somerville families and individuals from homelessness.  This 5K walk is on Sunday April 26, registration at 1:30 in front [...]

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.

[ February 22, 2009; 7:00 pm; ] What is going on with our economy? How is the economic crisis affecting local issues? What can we do? This Sunday, February 22 at 7pm, come to the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) in the heart of Union Square (in the old police building above Precinct 116) to participate in a discussion about the [...]

What is going on with our economy? How is the economic crisis affecting local issues? What can we do? This Sunday, February 22 at 7pm, come to the Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) in the heart of Union Square (in the old police building above Precinct 116) to participate in a discussion about the [...]

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.

One week ago, Somerville went overwhelmingly for Obama-Biden. To keep the promises made by the Obama campaign, the Obama Administration will need all the help it can get. We in Somerville should do our part to help–and to keep the politicians honest.

Here is a very partial and incomplete list of campaign promises that I think Obama should keep:

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.

As cold autumn weather approaches, Davis Square’s Amethyst Center announced today that it is hosting a “Get Healthy for the Holidays” open house offering refreshments and holistic health treatments. The short treatments—available in exchange for a suggested $10 donation to the Somerville Homeless Coalition—include: acupuncture; shiatsu; massage; craniosacral therapy; naturopathy consultations; reiki and other energy balancing sessions. Participants are also encouraged to bring gently-used or new blankets to donate to the Coalition.

The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) is seeking an Executive Director to start January 1, 2009. Please refer to our website for more information: www.caasomerville.org.

When Jack Hamilton began serving as the Executive Director of CAAS (the Community Action Agency of Somerville), Ronald Reagan was President, postage stamps cost 20 cents, IBM had just introduced the first personal computer running on MS-DOS, and PacMan-mania was sweeping the country. After more than a quarter-century of service to Somerville’s low-income residents, Hamilton has announced he will retire as the head of Somerville’s anti-poverty agency at the end of 2008.

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? ……

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

The National Council on Disability (NCD) is gathering public input for a study of emerging issues and trends affecting the lives of people with disabilities. Information gathered will be used in the development of NCD’s next annual progress report to the President and Congress, “National Disability Policy: A Progress Report,” which is required by Section 401(b) of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, as amended.

[ June 11, 2008; 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. ] 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!

Do you want to help set the direction for Somerville’s anti-poverty agency? The Community Action Agency of Somerville (CAAS) is seeking candidates—and voters—for its Board elections, coming up the week of May 19th at two locations in Somerville.

Come one, Come all. On April 27 afternoon (1:30pm registration), the 5th Annual Walk to Prevent Homelessness in Somerville will again take off from the Somerville High School.…

Thalia Tringo is looking for items for a silent auction at the Somerville Homeless Coalition fundraiser on April 26, 2008. Each auction item will have a value of $250 or higher, but some of them will be combined packages (e.g, a night-out-on-the-town item consisting of a gift certificate for $100 to a Boston restaurant and…

I’m frequently seeing the word “gentrification” employed to describe the demographic change taking place in Somerville since the late 1990s. We’re certainly seeing changes, but I question how much of it is gentrification.

When the term came into general use it described a revival of old and run-down neighborhoods by well-to-do…

Many residents are eligible for a property tax break. Are you? Find out.…

Gentrification—when wealthy people push less wealthy people out of a neighborhood. It’s about to get worse when the Green Line arrives. Here’s a provocative film about it.…