Somerville By The Numbers

This is a special meeting of the Finance Committee to discuss the FY2014 City Budget, followed by a special meeting of the Board of Aldermen to do likewise. The city budget determines what issues the city will address in 2014.

This public hearing will affect property tax percentages for fiscal year 2013, giving revenue implications of various rates. Every Somerville property owner will be affected by this hearing.

Agenda includes Assembly Square Blocks 1 and 4 and small changes to the Assembly Square PUD. Adopting the Somerville Comprehensive Plan may be deferred.

This is a joint meeting of the BOA Land Use and Housing and Community Development Committees. The agenda includes adopting the Somerville Comprehensive Plan.

This public hearing will affect property tax percentages for fiscal year 2012, giving revenue implications of various rates. Every Somerville property owner will be affected by this hearing.

The group will review the draft comprehensive plan document and discuss the stakeholder’s presentation.

The group will review the zoning change maps, begin to review the comprehensive plan draft document, and create a map describing future transportation improvements.

September 6, 2011:  The City of Somerville has generously published the raw data spreadsheets from the much-touted “Happiness Survey” online.

The Community Access Project heard from low-income, disabled and senior residents, who…

When Watertown, MA resident Mark Pickering received a parking citation during a visit to a friend in nearby Somerville, he figured a simple letter to the Office of the Parking Clerk would result in a scheduled hearing or a ticket dismissal. Instead, he received an anonymous note of rejection with an extra $5 fine. [See Mark's letter in the SJ : Parking ticket appeal system needs work]…

Convened to discuss the Assembly Row DIF Bond proposal. If Assembly Row is not developed to produce a high enough tax base, the city could end up repaying this bond from general funds.

If Assembly Row is not developed to produce a high enough tax base, the city could end up repaying this bond from general funds.

These meetings provide an important opportunity to weigh in on the direction Somerville is setting for its future.

Do students do better if their teachers look and sound like them?

At this meeting the group will continue to build maps showing future development districts in Somerville.

At this meeting the group will continue to build maps showing future development districts in Somerville.

Under the proposed DIF, increases in Assembly Square tax revenue would be diverted to pay for the infrastructure. If tax revenues were inadequate, the taxpayers would foot the bill.

This meeting gives citizens a chance to provide feedback to the City on how things are going in their neighborhoods.

Large Retail Cluster Parking: Proposal is to double the parking requirement for large retail (> 25,000 s.f.). Staff believes that because Somerville has little parking available, the effect will be to discourage suburban format in Somerville. Developers would have to build parking garages, which is expensive.

The joint subcommittee meetings will address conflicts between worthy goals. For instance, increasing tax revenue by commercial development may conflict with increasing affordable housing and maintaining neighborhood character.

The HUD grants are applied to the problems of homelessness, affordable housing, transit-oriented development, and parks and open space. Citizen input is helpful in setting priorities.

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. This meeting deals with ongoing and sometimes controversial Somerville developments.

(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.]

Second community meeting. Mixed response from neighborhood. Some felt something was better than nothing, others thought we should stick to the new zoning plan. Key point: minimum 10 year lease, could be as long as 25 years. City expects change in neighborhood in 10 years, after Green Line comes in.

This is the regular monthly meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee. The Strategic Planning staff is drafting the Comprehensive Plan. Somerville’s citywide development for the next twenty years will be shaped by the comprehensive plan.

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.

This meeting was called by Ocean State Job Lot to reintroduce themselves as a potential tenant at 299 Broadway, the former Star Market site. The previous meeting did not elicit public support. This meeting is worth attending because this use is inconsistent with the new Winter Hill zoning, could tie up the site for a long time, and could affect local property values.

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.

This meeting was devoted entirely to passing the proposed modifications to the Preliminary Master Plan for Assembly Square. The Planning Staff had asked Federal Realty to generalize the use mix from Office and R&D because Somerville zoning has a very narrow definition of Office use. Federal Realty widened the definition to include all Somerville uses under special permit. The Planning Board stated that in the absence of any opposition, they would waive the reading of the 70 conditions and voted to approve the changes to the PUD. Some citizens present had expected to have a period for written comment before the vote.

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.

This meeting was unexpectedly testy. Apparently the neighborhood isn’t convinced that Ocean State Job Lot is the best use for the site. What was said in the meeting is NOT part of the official record. There is a special permit process before Planning Board, including determination of consistency with purpose of zoning. If you want to send written testimony before July 15 Planning Board hearing, send to OSPCD (Rob May), Planning Department, Planning Board. Otherwise, go to Planning Board hearing July 15 @ 6 PM and provide oral testimony.

All citizens of Somerville and Medford should evaluate this document and give feedback, because this is one of the final steps before the project begins implementation. Written comments will be accepted until July 23.

All hearings on the City Budget are important, because the Budget decides where the money goes.

This film is important because parts of Somerville are environmental justice areas close to pollution sources and suffer higher than average levels of heart and lung disease.

This meeting is important because it deals with ongoing developments at Assembly Square and East Somerville.

This meeting is important because it provides an early opportunity to influence future plans for Davis Square.

This meeting is important because it gives citizens a chance to provide feedback to the City on how things are going in their neighborhoods.

This meeting is important because it gives citizens a chance to provide feedback to the City on how things are going in their neighborhoods.

This meeting is important because it gives citizens a chance to provide feedback to the City on how things are going in their neighborhoods.

This meeting is important because it gives citizens a chance to provide feedback to the City on how things are going in their neighborhoods.

The City of Somerville was one of 10 cities honored as an All America City by the National League of Cities in 2009. During the announcement, the audience was informed that, “this is a community that uses information to improve the lives of its residents.” Here’s some information about the inaccessible DPW facility.

This hearing is important because it is a key step toward getting Federal money for improving Somerville.

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…

MetroBoston DataCommon Training Event

Thurs. Feb. 4 1:00 PM

MAPC Offices
60 Temple Place
Boston MA (map)

This is one of the monthly training sessions in using the…

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.

Ward 1 ResiStat Meeting

Mon. Dec. 7, 7:30 PM

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

This meeting, sponsored by Mayor Curtatone and Ward…

Ward 4 ResiStat Meeting

Tues. Dec. 8, 7:00 PM

Cafeterium
Arthur D. Healey School
5 Meacham St.
Somerville MA (map)

This meeting, sponsored by Mayor Curtatone and Ward…

BOA Committee on Finance

Wed. Dec. 9, 7:00 PM

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

Agenda (PDF)

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…

BOA Committee on Finance

Tues. Dec. 1, 6:00 PM

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

Agenda (PDF)

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…

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…

Ward 6 ResiStat Meeting

Mon. Nov. 23, 7:30 PM

Ciampa Manor
27 College Ave.
Somerville MA (map)

This meeting, sponsored by Mayor Curtatone and Ward 6 Alderman Gewirtz…

Comprehensive Plan Visioning Meeting

Tues. Nov. 17, 6:30 PM

Argenziano School
290 Washington Street
Somerville MA (map)

This is the November meeting of the Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee…