We’ve got a last minute ask for you: please write to your state senator in support of two amendments to the Economic Development bill currently under discussion. Amendment 135, from Senator John Cronin, and Amendment 326 from Senator Brendan Crighton, will improve parking and small-lot construction regulations. But they need your support TODAY. Fortunately there’s a fast and easy way to do just that by filling in a quick contact form at Abundant Housing MA.
Monday’s Big Davis Square Meeting Needs You
The next Davis Square Neighborhood Council meeting will be on Monday July 27 at 6:00 pm. This is an important one because it will include major votes about the bylaws, and we strongly encourage everyone to attend, either in person or online.
All DSNC members can vote, but you’ll need to sign up and verify your eligibility in advance. Just about anyone who lives or works in or around Davis Square can and should join!
What’s on the agenda?
There are several amendments coming up for a vote, and an official DSNC voter guide explaining them, but the most important ones are about Community Benefits Agreements (CBAs).
CBAs, as the name implies, govern the benefits provided by developers in exchange for being allowed to build. They’re painstakingly negotiated by dedicated committee members and the developer, taking into account myriad considerations like appearances, arts programming, pest control systems, community spaces, and so forth. But once negotiated, they must be ratified by a membership vote.
And here’s where things get tricky: just how hard should it be to ratify a CBA? The current bylaws hold that a 2/3 supermajority must vote in favor of anything happening. At the next meeting, there will be amendments making it easier to pass a CBA, with 50 to 60% of voters, as well as an amendment that would add a 2/3 supermajority voter turnout rule, making it much more difficult to ratify any agreement. With such a difficult path to viability, this rule would be a major disincentive for any developer to negotiate at all, and would push the DSNC toward irrelevance.
We strongly encourage all eligible members to attend this meeting, and vote in favor of amendments making it easier to pass CBAs.
Upcoming Events
Saturday, July 25: Union Square Farmer’s Market — Somerville YIMBY will be tabling at the Union Square Farmer’s Market on July 25! Come say hello or sign up to help us talk about housing and hand out flyers! In person in Union Square, 9 am to 1 pm.
Saturday, September 26: Housing Abundance Symposium — Join pro-housing advocates from across Massachusetts for the inaugural Housing Abundance Symposium, including a keynote conversation between New York Times columnist Jamelle Bouie and AHMA Executive Director Jesse Kanson-Benanav. In person at the Westin Copley Place, 9 am to 2 pm. Advance registration required.
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