Somerville YIMBY

Somerville YIMBY A group focused on sustainable, livable, dense, transit-oriented growth for Somerville, MA.

Are We Trying to Do Nothing?Marblehead has been in the news recently for passing a much-delayed and toothless plan to co...
05/12/2026

Are We Trying to Do Nothing?

Marblehead has been in the news recently for passing a much-delayed and toothless plan to comply with the MBTA Communities Act. As a reminder, the MBTA Communities Act, also known as Section 3A, is a state law that requires communities served by the T to legalize at least some multifamily housing. Marblehead, having missed several deadlines, finally complied this month by changing the zoning of a tony golf course to allow multifamily housing....

Marblehead has been in the news recently for passing a much-delayed and toothless plan to comply with the MBTA Communities Act. As a reminder, the MBTA Communities Act, also known as Section 3A, is…

A letter to Somerville City Council & Redevelopment Authority re: 90 Washington St redevelopment, urging them to choose ...
05/10/2026

A letter to Somerville City Council & Redevelopment Authority re: 90 Washington St redevelopment, urging them to choose more homes, less cars, & more green space!

The following is a letter we sent to the Somerville City Council and the Somerville Redevelopment Authority on May 8, 2026 regarding the request for proposals for redevelopment of 90 Washington Str…

Factors of UpzoningEveryone knows that the single biggest factor in the price of a home is its location. A home in Somer...
05/08/2026

Factors of Upzoning

Everyone knows that the single biggest factor in the price of a home is its location. A home in Somerville costs more than a similar one in Lowell, for example, and a home near Davis Square is more valuable than a similar one right next to I-93. The price for a location reflects its desirability. If we want to build homes where people want to live, we need to understand what kind of upzoning will help us reach that goal....

Everyone knows that the single biggest factor in the price of a home is its location. A home in Somerville costs more than a similar one in Lowell, for example, and a home near Davis Square is more…

Let’s try this again! Check out “The Basic Economics of Home Building”, our latest post, this time without some HTML gob...
05/01/2026

Let’s try this again! Check out “The Basic Economics of Home Building”, our latest post, this time without some HTML gobbledegook 😆

Building housing is a business. Both non-profit or for-profit builders need to make some money to keep the operations going and get to the next project. To estimate whether a project is economicall…

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04/30/2026

The Basic Economics of Home Building
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Action Alert: Public Comment on DormersWrite In to Support Dormer Reform We presented our dormer amendment to a joint he...
04/25/2026

Action Alert: Public Comment on Dormers

Write In to Support Dormer Reform We presented our dormer amendment to a joint hearing of the Land Use Committee and the Planning Board on the 16th, and public comment is open until noon on May 1. If you were haven’t already, please write to [email protected] in support of file item 26-0287, the pro-dormer amendment. It doesn’t have to be long!...

Write In to Support Dormer ReformWe presented our dormer amendment to a joint hearing of the Land Use Committee and the Planning Board on the 16th, and public comment is open until noon on May 1. I…

The Future of NOAHWhat makes a home affordable? The government definition is that it costs less than 30% of your income ...
04/20/2026

The Future of NOAH

What makes a home affordable? The government definition is that it costs less than 30% of your income to live there. If you pay more, as about a third of households in Somerville do, you’re considered “cost burdened.” There are two ways to reach affordability: subsidies, and finding a bargain on the open market. When we talk about Affordable housing with a capital A, we’re talking about subsidies....

What makes a home affordable? The government definition is that it costs less than 30% of your income to live there. If you pay more, as about a third of households in Somerville do, you’re conside…

A Minute for Action (for Voting and Speaking at Land Use)Elections for the Davis Square Neighborhood Council board will ...
04/13/2026

A Minute for Action (for Voting and Speaking at Land Use)

Elections for the Davis Square Neighborhood Council board will take place April 13 through April 27, 2026. If you live, work, or receive services in or near Davis Square, you may be eligible to vote, and your vote will have a critical impact on the future of the neighborhood. In particular, we’d like to request your support for Somerville YIMBY members: …...

Elections for the Davis Square Neighborhood Council board will take place April 13 through April 27, 2026. If you live, work, or receive services in or near Davis Square, you may be eligible to vot…

Who Actually Builds Our Affordable HousingLet’s start with a question: Which of these do you think built more new Afford...
04/09/2026

Who Actually Builds Our Affordable Housing

Let’s start with a question: Which of these do you think built more new Affordable Housing in Somerville in the last 10 years? All our non-profits combined US2, the for-profit developers of Union Square Before we answer, let’s take a look at how much we Affordable Housing we have and how we actually get it built. There two main ways to make housing into capital-letters Affordable Housing in Somerville: subsidized homes and vouchers....

Let’s start with a question: Which of these do you think built more new Affordable Housing in Somerville in the last 10 years?All our non-profits combinedUS2, the for-profit developers of Union Squ…

Fair Housing Month EventsApril is National Fair Housing Month, in honor of the 1968 passage of the Fair Housing Act. Som...
04/02/2026

Fair Housing Month Events

April is National Fair Housing Month, in honor of the 1968 passage of the Fair Housing Act. Somerville will host a number of events celebrating the month, including a screening of the documentary Segregated By Design followed by conversation around fair housing and discrimination in the city. Check out our event listings below for a variety of other events! Davis Square Update…...

April is National Fair Housing Month, in honor of the 1968 passage of the Fair Housing Act. Somerville will host a number of events celebrating the month, including a screening of the documentary S…

The Latest Copper Mill MeetingLast week, Copper Mill hosted a new meeting about their proposed 500-home mixed-use apartm...
03/20/2026

The Latest Copper Mill Meeting

Last week, Copper Mill hosted a new meeting about their proposed 500-home mixed-use apartment building in Davis Square. With a capacity crowd at the Crystal Ballroom and hundreds more attendees viewing online, CEO Andrew Flynn laid out some new and familiar information about the proposal, including: A commitment to union labor 25% of the apartments set aside as subsidized , up from the 20% city minimum…...

Last week, Copper Mill hosted a new meeting about their proposed 500-home mixed-use apartment building in Davis Square. With a capacity crowd at the Crystal Ballroom and hundreds more attendees vie…

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