Our Dormer Amendment Goes to Land Use

Somerville YIMBY’s first zoning amendment will go to the joint meeting of the Land Use Committee and Planning Board tonight, April 17, at 6:30. The amendment itself is relatively small: a technical update to the rules governing dormers, which will make it easier to turn attics into useful living space.

This proposal is a real milestone for Somerville YIMBY: it’s the first time the city will consider an ordinance amendment we’ve written. We’re confident that our proposal is fully aligned with the city’s goals of legalizing buildings that already exist and making it easier for people to live, grow, and do business here.

Please come support us online or in person at the joint Land Use/Planning Board meeting on the evening of the 17th.

Our proposal:

• Aligns window rules for dormers with the window rules for other walls.

• Allows dormers to intersect the roofline, as they do in just about everywhere else, because it’s more structurally sound and less likely to leak.

• Applies the same rules on height and roof pitch to most building types in the Neighborhood Residence zone.ng shortage and institute temporary emergency measures to address it.

See you tonight!

PS: We’re aware of several issues with links in our most recent messages. We think we’ve fixed it, but if you have trouble accessing links in this message, you can find working copies of all our newsletters at newsletter.somervilleyimby.org. Details for tonight’s joint Land Use & Planning Board meeting can be found at somervillema.gov/calendar.