Re: [DSNC] Digest for davissquarenc@googlegroups.com - 6 updates in 4 topics

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Rivkah Lapidus

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May 21, 2026, 6:01:51 PM (5 days ago) May 21
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Rachel,
Thank you for the summary. I am absolutely  with every fiber of my being against a tower of luxury condos on already crowded Elm St. Anyone who survived Reaganomics--and many didn't, for it was then that the sharp uptick in unhoused people became of "trickle down". If you can locate former Reagan cbinet member David Stockman's critique of Reaganomics and "trickle down" (which I indelicately call Piss On... it's in an Atlantic Monthly of the era...you will find a better analysis.
   


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On Thursday, May 21, 2026, 01:40:46 PM EDT, daviss...@googlegroups.com <daviss...@googlegroups.com> wrote:


Rachel Rosenberg <rachelro...@gmail.com>: May 19 10:49AM -0400

Hi all,
 
Some great conversations last night following the DSNC meeting, which
inspired me to compile and share the following with the full group.
 
Here's some food for thought that might help what feels like opposing
"factions" in the DSNC understand each other better. While I think the
YIMBY perspective has been well represented on this email thread, I don't
think the alternative perspective so many of us share (perhaps the silent
majority on the Google group and the vocal majority at community meetings)
has yet been articulated for everyone. We're not NIMBY, we're not
anti-development, and we're not anti-change. We're pro adding housing
that's 1) actually affordable, 2) permitted in a way that's supported by
comprehensive planning (not decided parcel by parcel), and 3) preserves
culture, character, and community - the reasons people want to visit or
live in Davis Square in the first place. With thoughtful planning and
development, we can achieve those goals while still building up reasonably
and preparing for the future.
 
Sharing some articles that help illustrate our informed position:
 
1) A thoughtful Somerville Times op-ed
<https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/144803#comment-14785> with
data that shows a luxury-priced residential tower, even with 20-25% of
units set aside as "affordable" at 80% AMI is *not* a solution to
Somerville's affordable housing woes and will instead *exacerbate *them. I
think this is very helpful because it is based specifically on actual local
data, unlike other articles I've seen shared on the topic which look at
cities that are not necessarily comparable to Somerville. Like the
signatories from the Somerville Community Land Trust, the Community Action
Agency of Somerville, and the Somerville Community Corporation, we reject
the flawed "trickle-down housing" theory that's being shoved down our
throats by a dishonest developer and a landowner leveraging Somerville's
affordability crisis to pad their own pockets with $13 million and $42
million, respectively. I think it's safe to say among this group of
Somerville progressives that Reagan's trickle-down economics was a complete
failure so it's surprising to hear some of our progressive neighbors argue
that same theory should inform city planning decisions in 2026.
 
2) Here's a description of and a link to a NYT article
<https://urbanlab.nyu.edu/nyt-how-to-make-room-for-one-million-new-yorkers/>
(unfortunately NYT has a paywall) that's really interesting and exciting.
I'll paste the NYU description because it's more succinct/accurate/elegant
than any summary I could write: "The article “How to Make Room for One
Million New Yorkers” by Vishaan Chakrabarti proposes a visionary plan to
address New York City’s acute housing shortage without dramatically
altering the city’s character. Chakrabarti, leveraging his expertise as an
architect and urban planner, suggests that New York can accommodate over a
million new residents by strategically developing underutilized land, such
as vacant lots and single-story buildings, near public transit hubs. His
firm’s analysis identified potential for adding 520,245 homes, focusing on
mid-rise and high-rise buildings that blend seamlessly into existing
neighborhoods. This plan emphasizes sustainable urban growth, affordable
housing, and improved access to transportation, positioning it as a
feasible solution to the city’s escalating housing crisis while preserving
its unique urban fabric." Thanks to Steve Post for sharing this article
originally.
 
3) Attending the DSNC meeting and looking at the DSNC website, one would
think that no new housing is being built in the Davis Square catchment
area. That's simply not true. Clarendon Hill
<https://clarendonhill.org/>*, a
large-scale affordable development is located within the Davis Square
neighborhood boundaries identified by DSNC but not listed on the DSNC
website and never acknowledged at DSNC meetings**.* And, it's already
partially complete! At full completion the development will have 591 units
- 216 of which are affordable (36.5%). 80 units will be for
moderate-income tenants at 110% AMI; and 295 units will be market rate.
This project is a partnership between nonprofits Preservation of Affordable
Housing (POAH) and Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) and real estate
investment/development firm Gate Residential. The city was involved as
well, which shows that the city IS capable of taking action when the right
project is presented, despite what Copper Mill wants us to believe -
complaining about city inaction serves their false narrative. No thriving
businesses were demolished, no community was displaced, no cultural was
destroyed. Clarendon Hill should be a model that DSNC studies, not
ignores.
 
In addition to this large scale development that's a model for adding
affordable housing on the outskirts of Davis Square, there's another
development in progress that gives us a model for development within the
square's business district. Though the DSNC website says that the new
residential development at *53 Chester St. *(next to Redbones) is still in
application status and no verbal updates were given at the meeting
yesterday, this project was in fact was permitted in February and
demolition was completed this week! The building will be 4 stories, first
floor commercial with three residential units on top, adding a small bit of
housing while remaining consistent with the character of Davis Square and
not disrupting Davis' existing business, community, and culture.
 
I think it would be helpful for DSNC to focus thoughtfully on developments
underway that are positive models rather than fixating on debating one
controversial and unlikely proposal from a developer that we all agree is
untrustworthy (to put it mildly). Let's start working together on actual
improvements to Davis Square and pushing forward the neighborhood plan.
 
Best,
Rachel
Jeff Kaufman <jeff.t....@gmail.com>: May 21 01:15AM -0400

I don't think Clarendon Hill is inside the DSNC boundaries? Per the map
<https://map.davissquarenc.org/> (blue area) that only goes as far as Teele.
 
Jeff
 
On Wed, May 20, 2026 at 2:38 PM Rachel Rosenberg <rachelro...@gmail.com>
wrote:
 
Meredith Porter <art...@rcn.com>: May 21 08:58AM -0400

Hi Jeff and everyone, Clarendon Hill is at 34 North St, not in Davis Square (the blue area), but within the 1/2 mile of the Neighborhood Boundaries, so that anyone who resides there is eligible for DSNC membership.
 
Best regards,
Meredith Porter ("Merit," he/him)
 
 
From: "Jeff Kaufman" <jeff.t....@gmail.com>
To: "Rachel Rosenberg" <rachelro...@gmail.com>
Cc: "Davis Square Neighborhood Council" <daviss...@googlegroups.com>, "Zachary Yaro" <zmy...@gmail.com>, "Zach Meyer" <zfm...@gmail.com>, "Joel Paul" <jpau...@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, May 21, 2026 1:15:04 AM
Subject: Re: [DSNC] food for thought on housing and affordability in Somerville
 
I don't think Clarendon Hill is inside the DSNC boundaries? Per the [ https://map.davissquarenc.org/ | map ] (blue area) that only goes as far as Teele.
Jeff
 
On Wed, May 20, 2026 at 2:38 PM Rachel Rosenberg < [ mailto:rachelrosenberg3@gmail.com | rachelro...@gmail.com ] > wrote:
 
 
 
Hi all,
Some great conversations last night following the DSNC meeting, which inspired me to compile and share the following with the full group.
 
Here's some food for thought that might help what feels like opposing "factions" in the DSNC understand each other better. While I think the YIMBY perspective has been well represented on this email thread, I don't think the alternative perspective so many of us share (perhaps the silent majority on the Google group and the vocal majority at community meetings) has yet been articulated for everyone. We're not NIMBY, we're not anti-development, and we're not anti-change. We're pro adding housing that's 1) actually affordable, 2) permitted in a way that's supported by comprehensive planning (not decided parcel by parcel), and 3) preserves culture, character, and community - the reasons people want to visit or live in Davis Square in the first place. With thoughtful planning and development, we can achieve those goals while still building up reasonably and preparing for the future.
 
Sharing some articles that help illustrate our informed position:
 
1) [ https://www.thesomervilletimes.com/archives/144803#comment-14785 | A thoughtful Somerville Times op-ed ] with data that shows a luxury-priced residential tower, even with 20-25% of units set aside as "affordable" at 80% AMI is not a solution to Somerville's affordable housing woes and will instead exacerbate them. I think this is very helpful because it is based specifically on actual local data, unlike other articles I've seen shared on the topic which look at cities that are not necessarily comparable to Somerville. Like the signatories from the Somerville Community Land Trust, the Community Action Agency of Somerville, and the Somerville Community Corporation, we reject the flawed "trickle-down housing" theory that's being shoved down our throats by a dishonest developer and a landowner leveraging Somerville's affordability crisis to pad their own pockets with $13 million and $42 million, respectively. I think it's safe to say among this group of Somerville progressives that Reagan's trickle-down economics was a complete failure so it's surprising to hear some of our progressive neighbors argue that same theory should inform city planning decisions in 2026.
 
2) [ https://urbanlab.nyu.edu/nyt-how-to-make-room-for-one-million-new-yorkers/ | Here's a description of and a link to a NYT article ] (unfortunately NYT has a paywall) that's really interesting and exciting. I'll paste the NYU description because it's more succinct/accurate/elegant than any summary I could write: "The article “How to Make Room for One Million New Yorkers” by Vishaan Chakrabarti proposes a visionary plan to address New York City’s acute housing shortage without dramatically altering the city’s character. Chakrabarti, leveraging his expertise as an architect and urban planner, suggests that New York can accommodate over a million new residents by strategically developing underutilized land, such as vacant lots and single-story buildings, near public transit hubs. His firm’s analysis identified potential for adding 520,245 homes, focusing on mid-rise and high-rise buildings that blend seamlessly into existing neighborhoods. This plan emphasizes sustainable urban growth, affordable housing, and improved access to transportation, positioning it as a feasible solution to the city’s escalating housing crisis while preserving its unique urban fabric." Thanks to Steve Post for sharing this article originally.
 
3) Attending the DSNC meeting and looking at the DSNC website, one would think that no new housing is being built in the Davis Square catchment area. That's simply not true. [ https://clarendonhill.org/ | Clarendon Hill ] , a large-scale affordable development is located within the Davis Square neighborhood boundaries identified by DSNC but not listed on the DSNC website and never acknowledged at DSNC meetings . And, it's already partially complete! At full completion the development will have 591 units - 216 of which are affordable (36.5%). 80 units will be for moderate-income tenants at 110% AMI; and 295 units will be market rate. This project is a partnership between nonprofits Preservation of Affordable Housing (POAH) and Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) and real estate investment/development firm Gate Residential. The city was involved as well, which shows that the city IS capable of taking action when the right project is presented, despite what Copper Mill wants us to believe - complaining about city inaction serves their false narrative. No thriving businesses were demolished, no community was displaced, no cultural was destroyed. Clarendon Hill should be a model that DSNC studies, not ignores.
 
In addition to this large scale development that's a model for adding affordable housing on the outskirts of Davis Square, there's another development in progress that gives us a model for development within the square's business district. Though the DSNC website says that the new residential development at 53 Chester St. (next to Redbones) is still in application status and no verbal updates were given at the meeting yesterday, this project was in fact was permitted in February and demolition was completed this week! The building will be 4 stories, first floor commercial with three residential units on top, adding a small bit of housing while remaining consistent with the character of Davis Square and not disrupting Davis' existing business, community, and culture.
 
I think it would be helpful for DSNC to focus thoughtfully on developments underway that are positive models rather than fixating on debating one controversial and unlikely proposal from a developer that we all agree is untrustworthy (to put it mildly). Let's start working together on actual improvements to Davis Square and pushing forward the neighborhood plan.
 
Best,
Rachel
 
 
 
 
 
--
Davis Square Neighborhood Council · [ https://davissquarenc.org/ | https://DavisSquareNC.org ] · [ https://linktr.ee/DavisSquareNC | https://linktr.ee/DavisSquareNC ]
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Christopher Beland <bel...@alum.mit.edu>: May 20 07:02PM -0400

DSNC mailing list administrators are currently adding everyone on this list to a new Google Group, dsnc-discussions. You may get an invite to that list, which you can accept or decline depending on how many emails you wish to receive. Most people with gmail.com addresses will be copied over automatically, and you can unsubscribe later if you don't wish to receive discussion emails.
 
Unfortunately, we can only add people 100 at a time, so it may take a few days. There will be another email announcing when the new list is ready for use.
 
The old list will keep the same email address but will be used for DSNC Board-approved announcements only, and posting will be restricted. Anyone will be able to post to the new discussion list (moderators will continue to suppress spam).
 
We hope this will help reduce email overload and prevent folks from missing important announcements, while continuing to facilitate dialog among neighbors.
 
Thanks,
 
Chris
Vice President of too many emails
Elaine Almquist <elaine....@gmail.com>: May 20 06:36PM -0400

Hi Neighbors,
 
This message is to inform you of a special meeting of the Davis Square
Neighborhood Council on the Elm Street Short-Term Quick-Build Improvement
Proposal.
 
Wednesday, June 3, at 6:00 PM on Zoom.
 
Agenda to be posted shortly.
 
This is a full member meeting dedicated to the topic of the Elm Street
Short-Term Quick-Build Improvement Proposal. Please review the information
on the proposal here: https://www.davissquarenc.org/projects/elmway
 
Best,
Elaine
 
*Elaine F. Almquist*
*(she/her/hers)*
 
BlueSky @EAlmquist <https://bsky.app/profile/ealmquist.bsky.social>
Instagram: @EFAlmquist <https://www.instagram.com/efalmquist/>
Phone: 978.375.2448
Marilyn <mars...@gmail.com>: May 20 03:28PM -0400

Hello all,
 
The DSNC Outreach Committee is seeking volunteers to maintain our social
media presence and to keep our Web site updated. Ideally several people
will be able to share the work. Accounts already exist for several
platforms, including Twitter, Bluesky, Mastodon, Facebook, and Instagram.
Please consider helping out with this. We are a very fun group.
 
For questions or to volunteer, respond to dsnc-o...@googlegroups.com.
 
Thanks for your attention.
 
-Marilyn Schachter
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