Gentrification

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

Paul McMorrow writes about gentrification in Union Square. He notes that with the arrival of the Green Line, it will be much more desirable to live in. This will cause an increase in demand for housing there, and that there are two choices: Allow enough additional housing to be built to prevent prices from rising insanely, or preserve its "character" (appearance) at the cost of pricing out just about everybody who already lives there.

"Desirable, inexpensive, low-density -- choose any two!"

Comments

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

I think sensible up-zoning is a good idea.

But I don't like the city's plans to take large amounts of land by eminent domain, and turn it over to a single developer to build sterile uniform glass boxes.

[gruene.livejournal.com]

It's been "upzoned" for years. Look at the city's zoning maps, there's a special TOD zone around Union Square in anticipation of the Green Line: http://www.somervillema.gov/sites/default/files/ZoningMapColor2010-03_0.pdf

(TOD = Transit Oriented Development)

To get the definitions of the abbreviations on the map read article 6 of the Somerville Zoning Ordinance: http://library.municode.com/index.aspx?clientId=14682&stateId=21&stateName=Massachusetts

[achinhibitor.livejournal.com]

sterile uniform glass boxes

That problem can be eliminated by setting zoning rules that tell what the buildings have to look like. For example, the beautiful Back Bay architecture was the result of the zoning rules that were imposed. The cost is that Back Bay-like architecture costs significantly more to build, and that will show up in the price.