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The front of Hudson St.

By William A. White, Jr.

A number of residents have contacted Denise Provost and me about the construction on the small lot next to her home, the status of her lawsuit against the City, and about how our City government has responded to the zoning amendments I introduced. As someone who has practiced land use and zoning law in Somerville for decades, I can tell you this is among the worst planning decisions in the City’s history. Everyone should look closely at the accompanying photographs, because as of today, our entire City government is allowing this type of development to proceed unimpeded in our residential neighborhoods.

If you live in a residential district, this massive development can happen without any warning — the first time you learn about it is when the bulldozers show up next door to knock down the neighboring house. Because the City conducts a secret procedure, a 1,500-square-foot, three-story building can be constructed just three feet from your property line. If you are a tenant without a lease and your landlord wants to sell to a developer, there is no condominium conversion law to protect you from eviction. Instead, our City has created an incentive for landlords to evict tenants and sell to developers who make a fortune building four luxury condominiums. Do you want a mixed school system where children from different backgrounds grow up together? Forget about it.

A few years ago, we rezoned Somerville. That rezoning incorporated a consensus: dense development would be concentrated in certain districts, while neighborhoods of one-, two-, and three-family homes would be preserved. The City has now reneged on that understanding. It is a hell of a thing when residents must sue their own city to protect their rights — but here we are.

I have already filed a lawsuit in the Land Court to invalidate the City’s lot split process and a motion for a summary disposition. The City’s response is due by July 11. I have also filed a complaint with the Attorney General’s Office alleging that the City’s secret procedure is a violation of the State’s Open Meeting Law.

Consider the facts: Based on total dwelling units, Somerville has the highest percentage of condominiums in the state, the lowest percentage of single-family homes, and the smallest average lot size. We are the most densely populated city in Massachusetts. Fewer than 20% of residents  have lived in their current residence for ten years or longer. In the face of all this, and without meaningful input from residents, the City has chosen policies that destroy one- and two-family homes — precisely the properties most likely to be purchased by first-time buyers — and replace them with three-story luxury condominiums with a 1,500-square-foot “backyard cottage” as a fourth unit. The City has also removed the affordable housing requirement for backyard cottages, subsidizing developers who give nothing back to the community. To my knowledge, no other community in Massachusetts allows this as of right in residential neighborhoods.

View of the backyard.

Backyard cottages were originally conceived as small, freestanding rental units. By permitting their use as luxury condominiums, the City eliminates any possibility of affordable backyard rentals. We should be crafting policies that foster a mixed, vibrant, and stable city — not handing Somerville’s most valuable real estate to wealthy developers to make a fortune and contribute nothing. This cannot be blamed on gentrification. It is a direct consequence of the City’s policies on lot splits and backyard luxury condominiums. The City is actively promoting gentrification — it is not a passive participant!

Thirty years ago, Somerville residents faced a similar crisis when Assembly Square was slated to become a massive strip mall. They organized, fought, and filed a lawsuit to help achieve a mixed-use community. Because of their efforts, we have Assembly Row today. The time has come to organize again.

I am troubled by the Mayor’s silence. The developer became the lead party once the City issued the building permits.  The Mayor could not settle the lawsuit even if he agreed with Denise, only the developer could do that. But the Mayor can protect Somerville residents moving forward. Every day, tenants in our residential districts remain at risk of eviction for the next luxury condominium development. Every family thinking of buying a one- or two-family house will be outbid by a luxury developer. The winner of the next mayoral election will serve a four-year term for the first time. Four years under the wrong leadership that continues to promote this process could produce a demographic change this city may never recover from.

We have upcoming elections for state representative and state senate — question the candidates and make your endorsements known. Call the Mayor’s office and demand to know where he stands. And if he intends to actively promote gentrification, prepare for next November.

Most Somerville residents wouldn’t know who I am, so let me be brief. I grew up here during Somerville’s most difficult years, studied government and economics at Harvard, and spent decades practicing land use and zoning law. One of the reasons I ran for office was to ensure Somerville did not repeat past planning mistakes. I served 24 years on the City Council, six as President, and wrote a number of zoning ordinances. When I tell you that the City’s current lot split and backyard cottage policy is among the worst planning decisions in Somerville’s history, I am speaking as someone with more than 50 years of planning and zoning experience.  It is a perverse abomination of planning.

The proposed zoning amendments will expire before the City Council acts on them and must be resubmitted. To do so, I need signatures from registered voters. If you are willing to sign or help collect signatures, please email me at councilorwhite@gmail.com.  P.S. For any “democratic socialists” who support these gentrification policies that subsidize developers who eliminate affordable housing and return nothing to the community, I am certain Rosa Luxemburg is turning in her grave watching you.