What exactly counts as transit oriented?

For many months now, Somerville YIMBY has been working with city councilors and city staff on a broad proposal to update Somerville zoning citywide. This summer, residents have been especially keen to discuss upzoning, and some have suggested that Somerville should focus on allowing more height and development near transit.

The thing is, when someone says “near transit,” we naturally want to ask them what counts as “near.” There is no universal definition of "transit oriented development" (TOD), but in terms of distance, most planners suggest a half mile from a transit station, and a whole mile is not unreasonable, especially given our improving bus service and growing bike network. In other words, just about all of Somerville could qualify as transit-oriented development. Check out the map below, with each plot of land color-coded by distance from a station.

The darkest circles are under a quarter mile from a transit station, blue is a half mile, teal ¾ of a mile, and a handful of very pale blue spots are under 1 mile. In other words:

• 33.4% of Somerville is within ¼ of a mile of a station.

• 83.7% of Somerville is within ½ a mile of a station.

• 99.6% of Somerville is within ¾ of a mile of a station.

• 100% of Somerville is within a mile of a station.

While we’re on the subject of distance, we also want to ask about height. There are good arguments for moderate height spread out over over larger areas around stations, for more significant height closer to stations, and for both. Our forthcoming draft proposal (we’re still hammering out details but should have it ready to share this fall) would set a base of six stories in residential areas citywide. Of course, many plots of land in Somerville are too small to support that height, which means that our proposal is essentially “Somerville should allow six stories on large residential lots within a mile of a transit station.” An alternative proposal that focused on smaller areas closer to stations would require a great deal more height in those quarter-mile radius areas.

We’re not just advocating for height for its own sake. Height is the key ingredient in the creation of affordable housing, as well. Remember, the vast majority of new subsidized affordable housing in Somerville comes from our Inclusionary Zoning program, which mandates that 20% of new housing be subsidized affordable. 20% is a high percentage for this type of policy, and only relatively large buildings can support that cost. That means that our Neighborhood Residence zones effectively block the creation of the most common type of new affordable housing in the city. That’s deeply unjust.

Any candidate seriously advocating for TOD in Somerville should specify the number of stories and radius of the proposal they would support. There are many ways to address the housing shortage and create more affordable housing, and we look forward to working with current and future city officials to pursue them.

Get Out the Vote

Do you like talking with people? Even if you don’t, would you be willing to have a few short conversations anyway? Somerville YIMBY is knocking on doors and making calls for our endorsed candidates, and we need your help. Wear your Somerville YIMBY shirt if you’ve got one, and join us for canvassing:

• Willie Burnley, Jr.: Attend Williefest III on Wednesday 9/3, or join in other campaign events.

• Scott Istvan: Fill in Scott Istvan’s canvassing signup form for details about canvassing events, including this weekend.

• Ben Wheeler: Canvassing events are in our calendar, or email Ben directly at [email protected] for details.

• Jon Link: Email Jon’s campaign to learn about volunteering.

• Will Mbah: Join Will’s campaign.

• Emily Hardt: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays through the 16th. Volunteer for Emily’s campaign.

• Naima Sait: Subscribe to Naima’s mailing list for more information.

Visit somervilleyimby.org/elections/2025-election for our voter guide, and be sure to vote! The Somerville preliminary election is on Tuesday, September 16, 2025, and the last day to register to vote in it is September 5.

Legalize Starter Homes Ballot Measure

We often hear that Somerville can’t solve a regional housing shortage alone, and that’s where campaigns like Legalize Starter Homes come in. It’s a statewide ballot initiative to reduce lot-size requirements that prevent construction of moderate-size “starter” homes. Somerville is already compliant with this proposal, but we recommend supporting it as a significant step in the right direction for the whole region. They’ll be hosting a volunteer info session on September 7.

Upcoming Events

Note: The Somerville YIMBY monthly social has been canceled for this month, due to this week’s holiday. We suggest joining a candidate canvassing event instead!

• September 3: WillieFest III. Campaign event with live music. 6:00 to 9:30 pm, in person at Warehouse XI, 11 Sanborn Ct.

• September 4: Land Use Committee. Agenda includes the dormer petition that Somerville YIMBY submitted back in January. 6:30 pm, online via Zoom and in-person at City Hall.

• September 5: Mayoral Forum on Libraries and Schools. 6:30 pm, in-person at East Somerville Community School, 50 Cross St.

• September 7: Legalize Starter Homes volunteer info session. Learn more about how to get involved with the ballot measure campaign. 10:00 am, online via Zoom.

• September 8: Emily Hardt Campaign Fundraiser. 5:30 to 8:30 pm at PJ Ryan’s in Teele Square.

• September 8: At-Large City Council forum: The Ward 3 Democratic Committee hosts a forum for at-large candidates. Submit questions in advance to [email protected]. 7:00 pm, in-person, in the lower cafeteria at Somerville High.

• September 9: Mutual Aid MAMAS fundraiser night at Flatbread Pizza, Davis Square. 4:00 to 10:00 pm.

• September 10: Somerville YIMBY Monthly meeting. Agenda TBA. 6:00 pm, onlie via Zoom.

• September 11: Boston Housing Abundance Amendment Webinar. Learn about the new Housing Abundance Amendment from Abundant Housing Massachusetts (AHMA). 6:00 pm, online via Zoom.

As always, you can find our Google calendar at somervilleyimby.org/calendar. If you notice we’ve missed an event, feel free to reply to this message and let us know!

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