An open letter on zoning from the Somerville Arts Council advisory board

[tdevin.livejournal.com]

As rents and home prices go into the stratosphere, zoning becomes a way we can keep certain places affordable for certain uses. Here's an open letter the Somerville Arts Council advisory board wrote to the mayor and other politicians about the need to do something to keep creative people in town-- and suggests a few ideas on how to do that with zoning.

https://medium.com/@timdevin/a7b1e53d28d1

Comments

[keithn.livejournal.com]

I strongly oppose the idea of the city providing subsidies and preferential treatment to certain people with regards to housing based on their occupation. Affordable housing should be available to everyone, not just artists. Expanding designated artist "live work" areas will drive rent and home prices up for everyone else as less homes will be available to non-artists. Decreased property taxes for artists have to be picked up by the rest of the city. The notion that artists deserve special treatment over other residents is noxious.

[pixelsand.livejournal.com]

it's not "preferential treatment based on occupation", it's an acknowledgment that artists contribute a great deal to the cultural life of the city that doesn't get reflected in the amount of money they tend to earn. If they can't afford to live here than they will leave, and you will have to live in a city with a limited arts scene, which would degrade the quality of life for everybody. I agree that affordable housing should be available for everybody, but not at the cost of the things that make people want to live here to begin with.