We have two pieces of very promising news about affordable housing for you. First, Just-A-Start has secured financing and begun construction work on their 24 Webster Avenue project, which will create 43 deeply affordable rental homes in a 6-story building. That’s a real victory, but it’s taken a long time to get here, and the price is astronomical: about $837,000 per home.
Second, the next Land Use Committee meeting will take up a revision to the city’s Affordable Housing Overlay, which makes it easier to create fully affordable buildings like 24 Webster. These relatively technical changes are intended to relax and simplify the dimensional standards for affordable housing, and exempt it from the requirement to provide subsidized arts space. The goal, as always: simpler, faster, and more cost-effective construction of affordable housing. We’re fully in support of allowing groups like Just-A-Start to maximize their affordable housing production, and we’re glad to see the city take this issue up.
Davis Square Update
We strongly encourage all eligible readers to join the Davis Square Neighborhood Council and contribute to the ongoing Copper Mill discussion. The Council is moving swiftly toward full recognition from the city, and will have a major role in shaping the evolution of Davis Square over the next few years. In particular, DSNC will be holding elections in April, meaning that this is a great opportunity to run for the most local of local elected offices. To learn more, visit davissquarenc.org and attend their next meeting on March 30.
Also coming up: Copper Mill will be hosting a meeting on March 10, 7:00 pm, at the Crystal Ballroom in Davis Square to go over their current proposal and the 40B process. More details will be posted to the DSNC website.
Upcoming Events
March 6: Somerville YIMBY Monthly Social — We’d love to see you in person! 6:00 pm, at Remnant Brewing in Bow Market.
March 9: Apply to join the 90 Washington Civic Advisory Committee — The city is recruiting members of the East Somerville business and nonprofit community to help guide the redevelopment of 90 Washington Street. This is a great opportunity to support the city’s goals of creating more vibrant mixed-use spaces in the city.
March 10: Copper Mill Informational Meeting — Please attend to learn about the current proposal and the 40B process. And as always, please remember to keep it friendly and respectful, even if the rhetorical temperature starts to rise. 7:00 pm at the Crystal Ballroom.
March 11: Somerville YIMBY Monthly Meeting — Agenda items include the increasingly crowded field for the November 2026 state legislative elections. 6:00 pm, online via Zoom.
March 12: Introduction to OHS Workshop — Learn how our Office of Housing Stability helps with tenant rights, eviction protection, and searching for affordable housing. 6:00 pm at the East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross Street.
March 19: Planning Board/Land Use Joint Meeting — In addition to the Affordable Housing Overlay improvements mentioned above, Councilor Strezo’s initiative to simplify rules surrounding backyard cottages will be on the agenda. 6:30 pm, online via Zoom.
Recommended
Mayor Jake Wilson plans to tackle Somerville’s housing crisis. Will it work? Somerville YIMBY is quoted in this article about Mayor Wilson’s plans for housing.
Inequality matters in housing—but supply still sets the price: The Better Cities Project responds to academic claims that quantity of supply is irrelevant to the price of housing.
High-End Construction Really Does Help Everyone: Henry Grabar takes a look at academic analysis of a new condo building in Honolulu, and finds that “a new rung higher up the housing ladder permitted people lower down to climb.”
In Wellesley, a determined effort to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory: An embarrassment for our neighbors.