YIMBY Questionnaire Responses

 

Thanks for filling out Somerville YIMBY 2025 Election Survey

Here's what was received.

Somerville YIMBY 2025 Election Survey

Dear Candidates,

Thank you for taking the Somerville YIMBY endorsement survey. We appreciate your time with this survey and your candidacy.

If you'd like to compose answers outside of Google Forms, we've provided copies of the mayoral candidate questions and city council candidate questions as separate documents.

About Somerville YIMBY

Somerville YIMBY is an all-volunteer group that supports the city’s goal of becoming a place where all are welcome, and where housing choices are abundant. We believe that construction of new homes is especially important for:

• People with disabilities, who need the accessibility features present in new construction and renovations. 

• The environment, because living in cities like Somerville allows people to reduce their car-based carbon emissions, and because new construction is more efficient than old

• Elders, who want to stay in the community but may no longer be willing or able to manage the stairs & maintenance of older buildings

• Renters, who make up 2/3 of the city’s population and need more apartment options

• Local businesses, who benefit from having customers and staff who live nearby

• Low- and middle-income households, who benefit from the income-restricted homes within new construction as well as reduced competition for apartments

• The city’s budget, which benefits from the increased tax base and economic activity created by new housing

About This Survey

The following survey is intended to help voters make an informed choice about city council.

General Housing Questions

Please give one to three specific examples of actions you’ve taken in the past to increase the overall amount of housing in Somerville.

How effective were those actions? If you could go back, what would you change?

This question reads as the promotion of density for density sake, a stance I’m openly against. But fine, let me cast back to a gathering held at Winter Hill Brewery and I’m in conversation with the planner discussing 131 units of affordable housing of the Broadway development, and it’s plans for a community center within the complex. Attending that event with an interest of mixed income social housing and probably a fresh view of the curb and parking study online gathering I recall the 70 car park spots mentioned by the planner--I could be wrong--but the planner’s mention of the need for so many spaces given no immediacy to the MBTA struck me as a false criterion. But we agreed that 330 units did not requisite 330 parking spaces. I found the developer and planners thorough in their implementation of equitable housing that would successfully attract market rate buyers too. I think back to the emergent Mike Connolly in 2016-2017 and he and others speaking out of concern for more housing, along with lessons of the loss of rent control at the “Housing not Bombs” event at MIT. This event, organized by Jonathan King, Chair of the Mass Peace Action Nuclear Disarmament Committee, provided me a first crossover and introduction to the policy making and coalition building required for addressing housing crisis. The approach is one of tackling the funding concern as a matter of redirecting, re-allocating funds from military empire building to our production of housing and the employment of local economies to meet basic needs. We can talk about Housing as a Human Right. In the midst of a three-part series I hosted as past chair of the Human Rights Commission, I attended the excellent panel discussion held at the Armory a couple years ago. Addressing the strawman, Global Capital, State Rep. Mike Connolly, State Sen. Lydia Edwards, Office of Housing Stability Director Ellen Schachter, sat on a panel convened in the fall of 2023 sharing their perspectives on the housing crisis.I established a relationship with Director Schachter there, whose Office advocating for Home Rule petition, growing the Municipal Voucher Program, lobbying for Tenant Right to Purchase, Eviction Moratorium, and Sealing of Eviction Records has shaped my outlook. Be it hosting at the Human Rights Commission, On the Right to Housing free of discrimination, interrogating the impacts of redlining in Somerville 80 years ago, I’ve been part of the coalitions advocating at the State House, show of power. In addition to the Housing platform of the Poor People’s Campaign and the calls to address our shelter crisis for migrants and immigrants, I think of my actions mobilized in coalition. I’m thinking of my participation as a person of faith with members of The Paulist Center of Boston in the GBIO annual events taking on Housing bill advocacy with particular interest in the affordable housing and nondiscrimination of the formerly incarcerated, connecting with then my Ward 5 Councilor Mark Niedergang, and Kenneth McPherson from Mass Housing who I knew from work rebooting the Mystic Tenant Housing Association.

Our neighbors in Cambridge have updated their zoning to allow residential buildings of up to 4 stories citywide — 6 if they include affordable housing at Somerville’s 20% level.

Would you support a similar change that would legalize buildings of up to 6 stories by right (without special permits) citywide?

Why or why not?

I am committed to flexible and creative options for providing additional housing in Somerville. I would follow State Rep. Mike Connolly's whose Social Housing Act called for 1/3rd of the new units be for low-income residents. What anecdotally is happening in Cambridge is that wealthiest residents are winning variances that protects them while the build-up disproportionately impacts the more vulnerable. This could be a lag, or it could be a provision of the update to zoning that would need adjustment. On the conceptual level, various modes of housing production must continue in motion while we have to think big about permanent residency policy as a discourse shift in terms of responsibility to ensure the decent housing of Somerville residents in perpetuity. At the very least we have to have an awakening to all that Somerville Housing Authority can and ought to be as the fulcrum of social housing for future generations.

The city’s long-range plan, Somervision 2040, sets non-binding goals and guidelines, some of which compete or conflict. Which goals are most important to you? Which would you give less emphasis? 

The introduction looks at our history of redlining, then displacement, and gesturing at Magoun Square (p11) goes on to add: "Incorporate equity goals into new neighborhood plans and development proposals to embed the needs of marginalized communities into the planning process." (12) A separate neighborhood plan for Magoun Square has radical, equitable innovation in mind when it envisions repurposing for public housing and a teen center some 30,000 sq. feet, a portion of the DPW fleet parking area, citing examples in Portland, ME of relocating their DPW. The SomerVision 2040 continues: "Explore opportunities to create NEW GATHERING SPACES FOR YOUTH in the City. Ensure Somerville has at least one active Recration or Youth Center accessible for all youth. Explore how to provide AFFORDABLE EARLY LEARNING AND CARE PROGRAMS to all Somerville families. This effort should consider a city-run or city-supported child care program (similar to the French system), a babysitting cooperative in conjunction with the high school, and a program at the Visiting Nurses Association that lets seniors engage with children. Ensure all SPS SCHOOLS ARE TRUE COMMUNITY SCHOOLS with integrated academic, health and social services, youth development, and community supports" (13). Amen, alleluyah! Now, that's a thriving community I want to enjoy and share forward to the next generation. The more important to me on housing reads, "To make an impact on housing affordability in Somerville, we must not only add to the existing buiding stock but also increase the share of housing that will be preserved as affordable forever. Related indicators include the number of new units built (both market-rate and affordable) and the share of households burdened by housing costs" (SomerVision topic Chapter Housing p.43). "End chronic homelessness. Somerville should aim to end chronic homelessness through a 'housing first' approach. People who are chronically homeless are among the most vulnerable in the city and rising housing costs have made it very difficult to secure permanent housing. The City should consider allocating more resources and securing new funding for additional permanent supportive housing units (SomerVision p48) "Equity Goal: Ensure diversity of the housing stock. For Somerville to be a lifelong community, it needs housing for all stages of life. From infancy through old age, people's individual and family needs change. This relates to the size of uits, but also their location, type of building, and accessibility to name a few. Somerville has a fairly monotonous housing supply, of 1, 2, and 3-family wood frame homes. We need to strive to create different types of housing suitable for the different stages in life, even if that does introduce differences in our housing stock. (SomerVision p.48) "Expand the subsidized housing options to include middle-income households. Continue to partner with non-profit developers to increase the supply of permanently afforable housing. Consider an affordable housing overlay district in zoning." I affirm this paragraph: “Equity is one of our central community values. By considering what everyone needs to be successful, it goes beyond equal opportunity for all community members regardless of race, gender identity, sexual orientation, immigration status, nationality, ethnicity, income, age, and physical ability. What a person may need may differ depending on their background. Putting equity at the core of our policies is how we live up to our ideals and ensure our community remains safe, vibrant, and supportive of all.“ (4)

Many tenant protections require state legislative action in the form of an approved Home Rule Petition. What tenant protections would you put into a Home Rule Petition? 

That renters must be protected from imposition to pay brokers fees. [Apologies, I had missed the breaking News: As of August 1st, your landlord has to pay their broker themselves. ]

The Office of Housing Stability is one of several ways that our city currently helps tenants. What would you do within the city’s current powers to improve our tenant protections? 

The Condominum Review Board must be able to do its work. I would join the ongoing working group initiated last November by the City Council, convening January 2025 ordained, at their December 12, 2024, meeting: “That the Director of Housing assist this Council in drafting changes to the Condominium Conversion Ordinance to enable the Condominium Review Board to fulfill its intended function and prevent circumvention of tenant's rights.” Only a third of our streets are owner-occupied--so I'm talking about a corner of this question. Out doorknocking I heard the phrase "Around here Tenants rule the roost." I sympathize with the view for tax rebates for benevolent owners, a limited number not being as difficult to expense or onerous to manage as a full tax credit. Now I don't know what trouble this individual owner was having, but I do know of issues on my block. We had a 'parking war' caused by a tenant who owned a number of motorcycles used to block off parking before street sweeping. There needs to be a safety valve for owner-occupied homes to have points of leverage with tenants causing nuisance in and outside the home, and it is crazy to me that a Councilor's hands really are tied, such that 18-months can go by and still a tenant rules the roost. But really, going against the forces of global capital is a collective political enterprise if we are going to have any chance of keeping the social fabric of our neighborhoods intact. "More housing should be geared towards families with children and seniors (SomerVision p45) Otherwise the life-cycle of ownership is going to slip to the single-digits, meaning that in ten years, as much as ninety-percent ofthe tax base of Somerville does not yet live here. Faced with the eventuality as a parent and community member, I'm not shocked at the disapparances--but I mourn--friendships initiated but all too soon untangled by displacement following post-pandemic hikes of rent--aren't we going to have to listen to our community calling for housing support as a basic need? "Protect Immigrants. Somerville must continue to protect immigrants. Undocumented tenants are especially vulnerable to pressure and abuse from landlords and they should be able to exercise their rights as everyone else can. Whenever the City takes measures to prevent displacement or protect tenants' rights it should explicitly aim to ensure that undocumented tenants are also protected. Somerville should strive to protect all renters but especially those that are the most vulnerable. (SomerVision p48) I will do whatever Director of the Office of Housing Stability Ellen Schacter tells me to do, including supporting resolutions from City Council that would elevate Statewide efforts to address housing, including updating the Condominium Conversion Law, and supporting, furthermore, the work set out by the Housing Stability Notification Act. I refer to the Anti-Displacement Task Force Report: "Updated and strengthened Condominium Conversion Law In 1983, the state legislature enacted “enabling legislation,” which allows all cities and towns to regulate the conversion of units from rental units to condominium ownership. In 1985, Somerville submitted and approved a home rule petition providing additional, expanded authorization for Somerville to regulate condominium conversions and evictions incident thereto. The city now has a condominium conversion ordinance in place. In 2019, the Administration and the City Council drafted and enacted a replacement ordinance, which is generally considered among the strongest residential protection in the Commonwealth. The new Somerville Ordinance, as amended, lengthened the notice period that tenants are entitled to considerably and increased the payments for relocation expenses. As part of the Residential Subcommittee, the ADTF is again looking to update this Ordinance. "Passage of the Housing Stability Notification Act and Amendments To further its mission to provide tenants with information about their’ rights and responsibilities, the Administration and City Council drafted and enacted a new law Updated and strengthened Condominium Conversion Law requiring landlords to provide all tenants facing eviction or non-renewal of their lease with a document summarizing tenants’ rights and resources to prevent eviction. In 2022 the Ordinance was amended also to require owners to provide new tenants with documents explaining their tenancy rights and responsibilities as new tenants. A citywide mailing notified all Somerville residents and property owners in Somerville about the new law." (Anti-Displacement Task Force, Appendix p.50-51; https://voice.somervillema.gov/adtf)

How will you enable Somerville to provide or support more public transportation?

ADA implementation is the crux of the matter. I've worked alongside Human Rights Co-Commissioner in our concern for protecting elderly people's rights and fight ageism in planning process. To understand the question in the Council, how, I would look to Councilor Burnley's effort to use the position to carve out across town North-South microtransit bus pilot project. Furthermore, I affirm the position stated in the SomerVision 2040: "While the infrastructure needs for some new transportation innovations are unknown, other infrastructure needs are easy to identify. Many sidewalks, crosswalks, and bus stops across the city are not fully accessible. This challenge is exacerbated by winter weather, overgrown shrubs, extreme heat, and flooding. Somerville’s ADA backlog is estimated at $75 million just to bring existing infrastructure up to standard. Vulnerable transportation users like seniors, persons with cognitive disabilities, vision, and mobility impaired persons must be included in creating and improving safe methods of transportation. Improving safety for vulnerable road users will improve safety for everyone."(SomerVision p57) How will I include vulnerable transportation users like seniors, persons with cognitive disabilities, vision, and mobility impaired persons in creating and improving safe methods of transportation? "Historically, many groups have been left out of the transportation planning process, which results in the inequitable distribution of resources. Communities of color, seniors, people with low-incomes, youth, and persons with disabilities are disproportionately impacted by transportation decisions but are often not at the table when those decisions are made. It is critical to move forward acknowledging this deficit in order to increase equitable representation and participation surrounding transportation and infrastructure decisions." (57)

Building and operating income-restricted housing requires money. How will you fund more income-restricted housing and/or make our existing funding go further? How will you advocate for the Commonwealth to raise more revenue?

I will support funding for more income-restricted housing by way of a Development Fund such as the Montgomery County, Maryland (population 1.1 million) a fantastic program that made steady and significant increases in the region's housing supply.

The next questions are different for mayoral and council candidates. Which office are you seeking?

Mayor

City Council

City Council Candidate Questions

In December 2024, City Council removed parking minimums from the city zoning. How did you advocate for or against this zoning change? For current city councilors, how did you vote on it and why? For non-incumbent candidates, how would you have voted and why?

Parking Maximums are next. Yes, parking minimums, the so-called "right to a parking spot" is a bygone era. I expect that had I been on the Council, I would have been informed by Donald Shoup, the founder of this school of thought, as I understand. Back in 2018 when I moved from Ward 4 to Ward 5, I sat down with Councilor Mark Niedergang to coffee about a resolution To Prevent Nuclear War--which was ultimately passed in October that year--and we had a great conversation including that he was reading the Shoup--sine qua non--textbook on doing away with Free Parking. I did read some of it from the Public Library, and also, I watched a presentation of his on youtube. The idea that our storefronts should be zoned to have so many parking spots is why Magoun Square is so terrible today. That and it's legacy as a depot for the trolley, and it's the car--the Americana image notwithstanding--that killed our local business community--back when in the 1950s Magoun Square had five markets.

Somerville’s Mid-Rise districts only allow residential uses with a special permit.  Will you vote in favor of allowing residential uses in Mid-Rise districts by right?

Why or why not?

I'm new to this debate and am characterizing this question concerning Mid-Rise districts as the donkey in the room. I guess my question is whether this is a way for the City to work with local universities to support the development of on-campus housing, for undergraduate students? Is this a path beneficial to Somerville homeowners who are facing movility challenges within their aging homes? We need additional funding sources, additional staff to heighten community engagement, and so I think the case by case approach with community benefit agreements work best, in instances where securing fuinding to allow increased eligibility for the Housing Rehabilitation Program. Unless these concerns are addressed, no, I am not going to vote in favor of allowing residential uses in Mid-Rise districts by right. The shift from a special permit process to 'by right' is a misnomer, signifying a fastforward to the end of an era of Somerville's predominant current characteristic. I won't see that dystopic day. But I could be convinced that secures a right to residential uses for families with children and seniors, and securing a mission oriented housing development that helps end chronic homelessness or is set aside for survivors of domestic abuse. [ Similarly, see movement by Cambridge City Council that approved zoning changes for an all affordable housing project 2072 Mass Ave]

What other laws and codes would you change to address the housing shortage?

The housing shortage--can we just stop pretending to make sense? This refers to the generations past and present experience of displacement, and the projected forces built into our targets and overall goals for housing production. It is a humanmade disaster, on another scale, but no less global than the climate impacts Somerville will experience with models of 10-day storms informing our Climate Forward plan. The shortage is one of the major premises of the logic of scarcity, that growth and tax base responsibility are perennial rationales given to withhold from distribution for basic needs, unless in the discreet hands of the Union Square based Homeless Coalition, while some of our most impacted, East Somervillian neighbors live three tax brackets lower, a legacy noted in SomerVision discussing the impact of redlining in its introduction. With an equity lens, I see local government having a role to play in making legislation analogous to the reparations H.R. 40 introduced by Congresswoman Pressley--which at the municipality level translates to my stated emphasis on affordable housing. One improvement is a matter of equal access to this conversation. Whether a GIS system can better facilitate literacy and political participation on these issues, I wonder, and as you know, the pictured Zoning-Atlas-it's no comic book. https://www.somervillezoning.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2022/07/Zoning-Atlas-07192022.pdf Build on the zoning overhaul and increase or add new sustainability metrics. (SomerVision 2040 p24) Pursue protective ordinances in areas within 500’ of a high-traffic roadway (SomerVision 2040 p26) I met residents doorknocking near 93 who took part in the pilot project for air-filtration, as onerous as it was to be available to give their blood, it was the pandemic, and they were home. Their efforts improved our knowledge base for policy on this--that we must remediate the harm, and not just externalize the cost to the housing market. I met another neighbor, for three decades, the three deckers left and right to her looking out at 93 are all churning out short-renters, and the lodging tax the city garners is no replacement to the impairment of the neighborhood's vibrancy--having lost the long-time ownership and stewarding of property, yet the walls of these homes preserve memories embedded of the four generation family-owned homes. This latter is expecially important to me and my neighbors--my block of Somerville is one marked out as an Environmental Justice Community. In Massachusetts that defines an area with a median household income that is equal to or less than 65% of the statewide median, or an area with over 25% of residents identifying as a race other than white, or an area with over 25% of households having no one over the age of 14 who speaks English very well, or some combination of the three. My predecessor’s work expanding access to affordable housing has included advocating for increased flexibility for group housing, and pushing for the approval of a group living permit --expand the number of people he could lease rooms to in two newly renovated units. Pineda Neufeld also co-sponsored an order with Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen to get rid of the rule that requires group living permits for more than four unrelated people to live together. Do I believe in using municipal resources to advance equity and justice? Yes. Do I believe the City Council can make Somerville a more affordable, accessible, and sustainable place to live? Yes.