The proposed zoning amendment is intended to allow for more accessible housing.

By The Times Staff

The ground story elevation requirement in Somerville’s zoning code is under scrutiny thanks to a petition organized by a Tufts University graduate student named Crystal M. Huff. The petition proposes removing the requirement of a 2-foot minimum elevation of any building’s ground story to allow for more accessible housing.

The petition triggers a formal zoning amendment process that will go to Land Use and/or the Planning Board (or possibly both at once via a joint hearing, as has sometimes happened in the past), explained Huff. “That will hopefully move forward over the next few months to remove this one specific issue in the code, if it has enough support.”

At the City Council meeting on Thursday, August 27, lawmakers approved a resolution brought forward by City Councilor Jon Link and City Councilor Wilfred N. Mbah that requests the Director of Planning to work on increasing accessible housing.

“This resolution is not going to be enough,” said Link. “But my hope is that it’s a start.”

City Councilors agreed that Somerville should do more to incentivize more accessibility and will work with the city staff in the Planning Department to create incentives for more facets of accessibility to be included in housing projects or renovations, even if those accessibility facets aren’t legally required.

The zoning code in Somerville’s residential districts currently requires a minimum 2-foot elevation of the ground story of most buildings. Very few of the buildings built nearly a century ago have an ADA-compatible ramp or lift for wheelchair accessibility, according to the petition.

Ground story elevation petition organizer Crystal M. Huff.

“I think accessible housing is essential,” said Councilor Mbah. He emphasized the need to ensure that community members with disabilities or other accessibility needs live safely and independently with dignity in the city.

“As our community continues to grow and housing costs remain a significant challenge, we must ensure that new and existing housing is not only available, but also accessible to people who need it,” said Mbah. “Increasing the supply of accessible housing will strengthen our commitment to inclusion and also help residents remain in the community as their needs change.”

Mbah added that the City Council will identify some of the barriers and opportunities to increase accessible housing to make Somerville a more inclusive and livable city for everybody.

The petition requests updating the zoning code to bring the city into compliance with ADA accessibility guidelines, whether it be renovating existing structures with ground-level egress when appropriate or building new construction at ground level.

“This ground story elevation requirement in our zoning code is one reason why we have so little wheelchair-accessible housing in Somerville today,” said Huff in a letter to neighbors and friends. “The good news is, we can work on this problem. We can ask the City Council to address the issues of accessibility in our zoning and city planning. We can require more accessible housing to be built in the future.”

Proposed amendments to the zoning ordinances will be submitted at a future meeting and will eventually lead to a public hearing to get the formal process started, explained City Council President Lance L. Davis.

“The thing about a city council resolution is that sometimes residents also need to push for action to be taken on it,” said Huff. “On both these items about accessibility, we should email our elected officials and city staff, making it clear that we agree: Somerville needs greater accessibility, and we want to see the work done to make it happen. We know this is in alignment with our values. We now need to see action taken.”

Crystal M. Huff has been a Somerville resident for over a decade and is now a graduate student at Tufts University. Huff expects to graduate in 2027 with a master’s degree in Urban and Environmental Policy and Planning.