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Wig Zamore submitting further comments re: #202853, Union Sq zoning.
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Official Text
To the Honorable Board:
Thank you all for your enormous work effort on behalf of Union Square and Somerville's future! I do not want to complicate matters at the last minute, but just to clarify a few matters.
I am okay with the 40% or more office/R&D/design, 40% or less residential, 20% or less all other land use decision voted last night. And I would also be okay with a greater percent office/R&D/design.
Somerville already has the most housing units available per year per square mile of any Massachusetts municipality, by far. That is not debateable. Cambridge has the greatest number of excess jobs relative to workforce per square, also not debateable. Consequently Cambridge also has a massive commercial tax base to support and fund their local needs. Our Comp Plan Somervision, with which I fully agree, aims to make up some of the residents versus jobs and tax base disparities, plus add significant new open space city wide. As we live in the shadow of Kendall Square, we also have affordable and middle income housing price pressures that concern everyone. In recent years our retail restaurant and bar workers have made only 50% of the wages and tips of the same jobs in Cambridge. As we move ahead with balancing our jobs and housing we will also move toward helping those workers and small business owners. Perhaps surprizingly, life sciences largely employ people with basic college degrees, or less educational attainment. Kendall Square has provided huge numbers of jobs to East Cambridge residents that are equivalent in wage levels to the manufacturing jobs we used to have to support families.
I have attached just one page with some fairly interesting tax comparisons between Cambridge and Somerville property taxes and income that are compelling. And also some Life Sciences job data.
I look forward to working constructively with all of you, with city staff, with community activists and with Union Square development teams as we move forward together in years ahead.
Best Regards, Wig