What are the Top Priorities for Davis Square?

[Jhon Parker]

Hi everyone,

My name is Jhon Parker and I'm a resident here in Davis Square. I'm really encouraged to see this group forming, and I believe a neighborhood council can be a powerful voice for our community.

I'd love to hear from others about what you see as the most pressing issues or opportunities for improvement in Davis Square. I look forward to learning from and working with all of you!

[Zachary Yaro]

Hi Jhon,

The main areas a substantial portion of our members were interested in making progress on (besides the neighborhood council's core function of ensuring property development projects benefit the community) were:

• Addressing vacancies on Elm Street
• Finding ways to increase housing in Davis Square
• Connecting the Community Path through Davis Square with signage and art
• Improving pedestrian safety in Davis Square
• Connecting neighbors and building community

We lost a little steam on some of those with so many people shifting focus to council formation steps (passing our bylaws, holding our first Board election, and becoming a 501(c)(4)), but they are still listed at DavisSquareNC.org/projects, and I really hope we can get back to them!  The Elmway action group (exploring pedestrian improvements on Elm Street) has continued to meet, though, and I am hopeful Somerville's Community Path Safety Improvements project will help us address some of the Community Path issues!  And beyond those, we are trying to stay in the loop with the city's efforts to address safety concerns in Seven Hills Park.

I hope that wasn't too much 😅  If you are passionate about any of these topics, I look forward to working together on them, and if there is an issue that has missed our attention, absolutely mention it, and there might be others in the group who want to work on it too!

Kind regards,

Zachary Yaro

[Jhon Parker]

Hi Zachary,

Thank you for sharing such detailed insight into the ongoing projects and goals for the neighborhood. I really appreciate the work that’s already been done, and I’m excited about the opportunity to contribute.

The issues you’ve highlighted, especially around improving pedestrian safety and connecting the Community Path, resonate with me. My wife, Katie, and I have noticed some areas in Davis Square where pedestrian safety could definitely be improved, and we’d love to help push those initiatives forward.

We’re also excited about the idea of strengthening community connections. It feels like there’s so much potential for us to come together, and I’d love to be a part of those efforts.

Thanks again for all the great work you and the team are doing. Looking forward to collaborating on these important topics!

Best regards,
Jhon Parker