Somerville YIMBY

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

Unfreeze the PermitsPermitting is broken in Somerville. As anyone who’s ever talked to a small business owner or builder...
06/12/2026

Unfreeze the Permits

Permitting is broken in Somerville. As anyone who’s ever talked to a small business owner or builder can tell you, the city makes it incredibly difficult to build or permit almost anything. It’s a big enough issue that multiple candidates in last year’s city elections made permitting reform a campaign issue. Critically, permitting reform is also a major obstacle to addressing the housing crisis....

Permitting is broken in Somerville. As anyone who’s ever talked to a small business owner or builder can tell you, the city makes it incredibly difficult to build or permit almost anything. It’s a …

They Build Homes Too Big! They Build Homes Too Small!If you listen to folks talk about construction in Somerville, you’l...
06/01/2026

They Build Homes Too Big! They Build Homes Too Small!

If you listen to folks talk about construction in Somerville, you’ll probably hear someone complain about the size of new homes. Sometimes the complaint is that new buildings only have tiny studios for single people. Sometimes you hear that new homes are too large and too expensive for current residents. Both complaints stem from the same root: builders maximizing profit under different sets of zoning rules....

If you listen to folks talk about construction in Somerville, you’ll probably hear someone complain about the size of new homes. Sometimes the complaint is that new buildings only have tiny studios…

Studios are fine, actually. Plus Lobby Day.Policy newsletter Pencilling Out recently tackled a question that comes up co...
05/29/2026

Studios are fine, actually. Plus Lobby Day.

Policy newsletter Pencilling Out recently tackled a question that comes up constantly in Somerville: does building more studios and one-bedrooms actually help families find larger apartments, even if families aren't moving into those new units? Readers won’t be surprised to hear that the answer is yes: people who live in those studios would otherwise split larger apartments, so new studios free up larger units in other buildings....

Policy newsletter Pencilling Out recently tackled a question that comes up constantly in Somerville: does building more studios and one-bedrooms actually help families find larger apartments, even …

If We Don’t Build Here, Then Where?When someone takes a new job in the Boston area, they face a housing choice. If they ...
05/20/2026

If We Don’t Build Here, Then Where?

When someone takes a new job in the Boston area, they face a housing choice. If they can afford Somerville, they compete with current residents, driving up prices and causing displacement. If they can't, they’re likely to commute from further out, possibly displacing someone from that town, pushing them to an even longer commute. Either way, someone ends up living farther from where they work....

When someone takes a new job in the Boston area, they face a housing choice. If they can afford Somerville, they compete with current residents, driving up prices and causing displacement. If they …

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…

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