CITY PLANS TO OVERHAUL ZONING ORDINANCE, FORMS ADVISORY COMMITTEE

SOMERVILLE - Mayor Joseph Curtatone and the
Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) announce the
formation of a Zoning Advisory Committee, a team of 20 individuals from a
variety of backgrounds, which will advise the Mayor and Planning Staff as they
seek to overhaul the Somerville Zoning Ordinance.  The team will serve as a sounding board as the
City develops strategies to develop the new Somerville by Design Zoning
Ordinance that will implement the goals of the SomerVision Comprehensive Plan.
The new zoning will also implement the transit-oriented goals of the recent
Station Area Planning series and address concerns addressed in last summer's
report submitted to the Board of Aldermen about the RA and RB zoning districts.

The SomerVision Plan recommended over a hundred changes to the Somerville
Zoning Ordinance. The most recent overhaul of the zoning was 23 years ago, and
while zoning best practices have changed, and Somerville has changed, the
structure of Somerville's zoning ordinance has not.

"Somerville has been widely regarded as a leader in best practices, from open
government and customer service to our innovative programs and policies," said
Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone. "An updated zoning ordinance, based on national best
practices and local needs, will provide more clarity and certainty for the
developers and residents alike. I look forward to an immersive and transparent
process which will benefit all stakeholders in the City."

"The core of the Somerville Zoning Ordinance has remained unchanged since
1925," said George Proakis, Somerville's Director of Planning, "Past updates to
the zoning have always focused on protecting the iconic character of
Somerville's neighborhoods, fostering the City's vibrant town squares, and
balancing the powerful market pressures for infill development with the
concerns of existing residents. Each amendment was made to address the concerns
of the time using the best regulatory tools that were available to planners and
administrators. But, the trade-off with this approach was that the rules became
increasingly complex for local property owners, architects, lawyers, and
administrators to understand. With a new revision, it is my hope that the
Zoning Ordinance can protect residential neighborhoods while encouraging new
transit-oriented development, and this advisory committee will help us
determine the best way to achieve those goals."

The Zoning Committee is comprised of:  

• Ward
  4 Alderman Tony LaFuente;
  
• Brandy Brooks, SomerVision Steering Committee member;
  
• Natasha Burger, Historic Preservation Commission;
  
• Adam Dash, Attorney;
  
• Rich
  DiGirolamo, Attorney; 
  
• Ben Dryer,
  Contractor;
  
• Deborah Fennick, Design Review Committee;
  
• Susan Fontano, Zoning
  Board of Appeals;
  
• Lenore Hill, Vice President, Coldwell Banker Residential
  Brokerage;
  
• Tom Lichoulas, Ward 3 resident and Developer;
  
• Courtney O'Keefe, Ward
  5 resident;
  
• Kevin Prior, Planning Board;
  
• Peter Quinn, Architect; J
• eff Roberts,
  Ward 6 resident and Planner;
  
• Kat Rutkin, Somerville Local First;
  
• Rebecca
  Schrumm, President of the Somerville Chamber of Commerce;
  
• Courtney Koslow, Ward
  5 resident and Developer;
  
• Mark Chase, Ward 3 resident;
  
• Phil Ercolini, Ward 1
  resident; and
• Anne Tate, Ward 4 resident.