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About the Planning Board

The Planning Board (PB) is the decision-making authority for all development that requires Site Plan Approval or a Special Permit in all of the Mid-Rise, High-Rise, and Commercial Core zoning districts; the Civic, Powderhouse School, and Assembly Square Mixed-Use special districts; and the Master Planned Development overlay district. Additionally, the Planning Board has a number of other responsibilities related to planning efforts across the city. See Article 15 of the Somerville Zoning Ordinance for more information.

Contact Information
Sarah Lewis
Director of Planning

Employee Directory

Zoning Relief and Historic Preservation-Related Applications Have Moved to Citizenserve

We are pleased to announce that we have moved Zoning Relief and Historic Preservation-Related Applications to Citizenserve. offering enhanced convenience and streamlined processing.

Learn more

Rules of Policy and Procedure 

The Planning Board of recently updated their Rules of Policy and Procedure. These Rules establish the organization of the Board, standards of conduct, meeting schedules and management protocols, protocols for application review, and other rules as required. 

Notes to Applicants

Development Review Standards:

  • Please be advised that, per the standards set out in Article 15 of the Somerville Zoning Ordinance, a development review application is not complete until all required community and Design Review meetings have been held, all necessary information has been submitted, and all fees have been paid. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed, will not be publicly noticed, and will not be scheduled for a public hearing.
  • Planning staff will work with applicants to discuss meeting dates and review application materials.
  • Applications for large projects may require a longer review period and evaluation by multiple City departments before being deemed complete and scheduled for a public hearing.
  • Planning staff reserves the right to ask for additional information or to change meeting dates.

Members

  • Michael A. Capuano, Chair 
  • Amelia Aboff, Vice-Chair 
  • Erin Geno, Clerk 
  • Jahan Habib 
  • Michael McNeley 
  • Debbie Howitt Easton, Alternate 
  • Luc Schuster, Alternate 

Reports & Decisions

View Reports & Decisions

Meetings

Planning Board meetings are generally held on the first and third Thursday of each month.

Please see published legal notifications and online agendas at somervillema.gov/events. Agendas are published at least forty-eight (48) hours in advance of the meeting. The meeting dates below are tentative: meetings will only be held if there are items of business on the agenda to be addressed at the meeting, and meetings may be rescheduled or cancelled due to unforeseen circumstances.

Agendas and Minutes

AGENDAS & MINUTES

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