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Meeting Name: Housing and Community Development Committee Agenda status: Final
Meeting date/time: 2/5/2020 6:00 PM Minutes status: Final  
Meeting location: Committee Room – 2nd Floor – City Hall
City Hall
Published agenda: Agenda Agenda Published minutes: Minutes Minutes  
Meeting video:  
Attachments:
File #Ver.Agenda #TypeTitleActionResultAction DetailsVideo
205899 2205899Public Communication5 residents submitting comments re: #205334, a possible affordable housing crisis.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
209370 2209370CommunicationRelaying information about the SomerVision 2040 draft revision, comment, and endorsement process and timeline.Work completed  Action details Not available
209429 3209429ResolutionThat the Administration consider promoting grants for homeowners willing to build a third deed restricted affordable unit, as allowed under the new zoning overhaul.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
209475 3209475OrderThat the Director of SPCD, the Director of Finance or the City Solicitor inform this Council how the City will be able to ensure that deed restrictions remain during the transfer of a property.Work completed  Action details Not available
209573 3209573OrderThat the Committee on Housing and Community Development provide feedback on SomerVision 2040's chapter on Housing with respect to metrics and key tasks, including the questions listed within.Work completed  Action details Not available
209611 3209611ResolutionThat the Administration discuss terminating the Somerville Media Center and MAPS tenancies, including any plans to help them relocate, such as allowing them time to find a new location.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
209263 3209263OrderThat this Council consider allowing owner-adjacent short-term rental landlords more flexibility if they provide a predetermined number of days of temporary affordable housing per year at a predetermined charge per day.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
209288 3209288OrderThat the City Solicitor provide guidance on whether the City can take property by eminent domain to create affordable housing.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
209290 3209290OrderThat the Director of SPCD provide an update on affordable housing units created in 2019, relative to the projected 51 units outlined in SomerVision update documents.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
209360 3209360OrderThat the Director of SPCD provide this Council, in conjunction with its FY21 budget review, a list of upcoming commercial development, including the square footage and linkage payment projections with corresponding payment dates.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
208613 3208613ResolutionThat the Administration provide options for how the City Council and/or members of the public may formally approve or revise the SomerVision 2040 plan.Work completed  Action details Not available
208679 3208679ResolutionThat the Administration, in conjunction with the Somerville Homeless Coalition, create programs with specific goals to end homelessness in the City.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
208810 3208810ResolutionThat the Administration consider ways to encourage the Somerville YMCA to relocate in or near Union Square in order to fulfill the goal of a new community center for people of all ages in Union Square.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
207505 3207505OrderThat the Director of SPCD work with this Council towards establishing a goal for the target number of deed-restricted units, so that a path to that goal can be analyzed as part of the next Housing Needs Assessment and discussed as part of the SomerVision 2040 process.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
208986 3208986ResolutionThat the Administration update this Council on plans to preserve onsite affordable senior housing and care for the current and future residents of the Little Sisters of the Poor facility.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
205932 3205932OrderThat the Director of SPCD or the Director of Housing Stability develop an evidenced-based scale of qualifying income levels that reflects the cost of housing, to guide residents’ access to subsidies for City or District programming.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
206899 3206899OrderThat the Director of Housing Stability invite the Public School Superintendent to join in convening with Alderman Hirsch a focus group of benevolent landlords, to better understand what factors contribute to their ability to rent at below-market rates and to rent to children and families.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
207888 3207888OrderThat the Director of SPCD report on the impacts of the City’s 20% inclusionary zoning ordinance.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
208251 3208251OrderThat the Director of SPCD appear before the Committee on Housing and Community Development to discuss the specific steps required to fill inclusionary units in new developments, and any suggestions for ways to increase the efficiency of this process.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
208266 4208266OrderThat the Director of SPCD report to this Council, within 30 days, the impact on our residents if President Trump’s public charge and HUD’s new proposed rule change on public housing is adopted.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
205670 4205670OrderThat the Director of SPCD provide a progress report on the 100 Homes Program since its inception.Work completed  Action details Not available
205824 4205824ResolutionThat the Administration implement the 2015 Sustainable Neighborhood Working Group recommendation to include as a preference for inclusionary housing “Families with children in Somerville Public Schools classified as homeless and in temporary out-of-district placements.”Kept in committee  Action details Not available
203190 4203190Public CommunicationPublishers Circulation Fulfillment responding to #203057 re: Globe Direct distribution.Work completed  Action details Not available
208987 4208987OrderThat the Commissioner of Public Works commence regular sidewalk cleaning outside the Nunziato Dog Park, and provide the Ward 3 City Councilor with a written policy for scheduled sidewalk cleaning.Work completed  Action details Not available
207728 4207728OrderThat the Director of SPCD discuss an “Urban Renewal Displacee” preference in affordable housing lotteries.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
208811 4208811OrderThat the Commissioner of Public Works and the Director of SPCD consider less dust-producing surfaces for the Nunziato Dog Park, and present alternatives, in writing, to the Ward 3 City Councilor.Work completed  Action details Not available
208576 4208576OrderThat the Director of SPCD provide a quarterly update regarding implementation of a universal waiting list for affordable housing opportunities.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
206266 5206266OrderThat the Director of SPCD, the Director of Housing Stability, or the City Solicitor explain under what circumstances a current resident could be given preference for a deed-restricted unit.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
206233 5206233OrderThat the Director of SPCD develop an affordable housing program targeted especially at city employees whose income is below a certain threshold level.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
206487 5206487ResolutionThat the Administration discuss with this Board a plan to create a permanent space for the Groundworks Somerville program, currently known as the South Street Farm, which is planned for displacement.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
206773 5206773ResolutionThat the Administration establish a widely-advertised Fair Housing enforcement program that proactively tests for illegal housing discrimination.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
208637 5208637Officer's CommunicationDirector of Housing Stability responding to #208266 re: proposed changes to federal housing policy and public charge rules.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
207164 6207164OrderThat the Director of SPCD work with the Housing Authority to enable wheelchair access from the Mystic View apartments to the Healey School.Work completed  Action details Not available
205334 6205334OrderThat the Committee on Housing and Community Development investigate the condition of affordable housing units in the City, gathering testimony and data, to determine whether there is an affordable housing crisis that constitutes a public emergency, which may inform any home rule petitions related to affordable housing.Work completed  Action details Not available
204990 7204990OrderThat the Director of SPCD update this Board on the Affordable Housing Universal Wait List plan and consolidating the process of applying for affordable housing into a single, universal, persistent application, lottery, and wait list.Kept in committee  Action details Not available
206820 7206820OrderThat the Director of SPCD update this Board on the Healy schoolyard redesign and consider making it a top priority.Work completed  Action details Not available
196221 19196221OrderThat the Director of SPCD provide SomerVision updates twice a year, broken down by ward, showing progress made in residential, affordable units, jobs, public space, trips via transit, bike and walking, and development in transformative areas.Work completed  Action details Not available