Part 3 of the Dig's Somerville Files (ZBA Issues), Greater Somerville interviews the Authors

[samcoren.livejournal.com]

The Dig published Part 3 of The Somerville Files - the investigative series into Somerville development issues and politics. This one actually covers a Davis Square issue too, taking a deep dive into the Zoning Board of Appeals and the VFW.

Here are Part 1 and Part 2 DSLJ discussions.

Joe Lynch also interviewed the 3 authors of the series on SCATV's Greater Somerville, which in some ways, I find more fascinating than the articles themselves. Definitely worth watching - especially for the "so what/what's the big deal?" crowd: http://www.scatvsomerville.org/greater-somerville/

Comments

[thetathx1138.livejournal.com]

Actually, while I think the points are valid, there is something missing here: If you went to those meetings with an open mind, the (self-appointed, as far as I know) representatives of the neighborhood did an absolutely terrible job representing their concerns. They came off like, well, the kind of cranks who show up at every development meeting to complain about something being built.

[bluesauce.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was the city that pitted abutters against veterans. Not at all the nasty attitudes of the abutters themselves.

[nathanjw]

Right at the start of the article:

Whatever you wish to change, if you’re before the ZBA Machine it means you want to do something that requires you to bend or break existing zoning ordinances.

...without noting that approximately everything in Somerville is in violation of the zoning ordinances as currently written, are grandfathered in, and thus require ZBA approval all the time for projects. Now, most of the article isn't about standard residential zoning kinds of things, but he sets it up as if it's only for special, out-there projects, which isn't the case at all.