A few bright spots for you as we close out the year: the financial press has noticed that Luxury Apartments are Bringing Down Rents in Some Big Cities. In Boston specifically, we’ve seen that bike lane initiatives are working to reduce traffic and pollution, and the Globe editorial board is advocating for permit reform to accelerate homebuilding throughout the region.
If you missed our recent posts written by Steering Committee member Josh Michel, he’s done an incredible job with data-driven analysis of local housing trends. Check them out here:
A Tale of Two Lots: Comparing redevelopment of two parcels in Somerville
In The Weeds: How our zoning rules push new construction to create more open space
I Am the Model of Modern Major Upzoning: An example of how new construction helps moderate housing prices in Somerville.
Where Did the Demand Come From?: Historical trends in jobs and housing have created our current crisis.
Next up: an analysis of just how much housing our region and our city actually needs.
Upcoming Events
January 1: Grand Union Flag Raising — 250th anniversary of the first Union flag, raised right here in Somerville. Procession departs City Hall at 11:30 am, ceremony at noon in Prospect Hill Park.
January 2: Somerville YIMBY Monthly Social — Drop by for a chat and a hang. 6:00 pm, Remnant Brewing at Bow Market.
January 3: City of Somerville Inauguration — Ceremony at the Somerville High Auditorium (81 Highland Ave), followed immediately by a reception at the Armory, 191 Highland Ave. Doors at 5:30, ceremony at 6.
January 6: Historic Preservation Commission —Is it legal to build a patio next to an old building? Find out at 6:00 pm, online via Zoom.
January 14: Somerville YIMBY Regular Meeting — Agenda TBA. 6:00 pm, online via Zoom.
January 27: Real Estate Forum: What’s Next in the Fight for Housing? The Charles River Regional Chamber hosts a panel discussion of housing issues with Sen. William N. Brownsberger, CHAPA CEO Rachel Heller, AHMA Executive Director Jesse Kanson-Benanav, and Pioneer Institute Senior Fellow Andrew Mikula. In person, 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Tickets $20-$40.
As always, you can find our full calendar at somervilleyimby.org/calendar, and please feel free to send suggestions to [email protected].
Recommended
Note: If you don’t have a subscription, you can access many newspapers and journals for free through the Somerville Public Library website or archive.is.
Shattuck Hospital recovery campus is officially dead: Plans to reuse the Shattuck Hospital campus for substance use treatment and transitional housing have collapsed after more than five years of negotiations and community input. The process will start over in early 2026. Once more for the people in the back: housing delayed is housing denied.
Why Are 50,000 New York City Apartments Vacant? City Journal explores the paradox of rent control: tens of thousands of apartments in NYC are vacant because the government has set prices below the cost of maintaining and operating them.
The Problem of Rental Deserts in Greater Boston, by the Numbers: “In 1912, [Weston] banned triple-deckers to avoid … “a class of tenants who add nothing to the revenues of the town, but who, on the contrary, become the cause of increased expense in all departments.” The pattern continues throughout our region today.
What the Twin Cities Tell Us About Fixing the Housing Crisis: St. Paul enacted rent controls, while Minneapolis didn’t. What happened next should help inform the rent control discussion in MA.
Building Missing Middle Housing: Six Actions Massachusetts Can Take Beyond Policy Reform: The Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies has some specific suggestions that could help boost the production of moderately priced homes.
New Campaign to Make It Easier and Cheaper to Build ADUs Across Massachusetts: Official announcement of an initiative to boost construction of accessory dwellings (aka in-law apartments) statewide.
How America Outlawed the Affordable Home: Video explainer on the ways that national and local policies favor larger, more expensive homes.