Somerville's Community Preservation Act Celebrates 10 Years with Over $35 Million Invested in Affordable Housing, Open Space, and Historic Preservation

Mayor Katjana Ballantyne is proud to announce more than $35 million spent on affordable housing, open space, recreation projects, historical preservation and accessibility upgrades spanning the entire city, Somerville’s Community Preservation Act (CPA) is now marking its tenth anniversary.

During that time the CPA has devoted $9.84 million toward the City’s 100 Homes affordable housing program and $4 million toward the redevelopment of the Clarendon Hill housing project. It has funded building upgrades and/or accessibility improvements for Prospect Hill Tower, the West Branch Library, Somerville City Hall, the Somerville Museum, Temple B’nai Brith, the Elizabeth Peabody House, and the Somerville Hispanic Association for Community Development, which operates one of Somerville’s largest food pantries. The CPA has also provided critical funds for Somerville Junction Park, the Glen Park Community Garden, the Blessing of the Bay Path along the Mystic River, Henry Hansen Park, the Hoyt Sullivan and Central Hill Playgrounds, and outdoor play spaces for the Healey, Kennedy, Winter Hill, Brown, and West Somerville Neighborhood schools. 

Overall, 51% of CPA funds (more than $18 million) have gone toward community housing, while 27% (more than $9.5 million) have gone to historic preservation and 22% (more than $7.5 million) have gone to open space/recreation. 

“The Community Preservation Act has enabled Somerville to invest in itself,” said Mayor Katjana Ballantyne. “It’s helped families stay in our community and helped to turn our historic buildings into public institutions. It’s helped green up our neighborhoods, put elevators and ramps in older buildings, and given children a place to play. Over the course of 10 years, it’s enabled us to make investments in Somerville’s quality of life, making it more accessible for more people.” 

Somerville voters first approved the program in November of 2012, and its first round of funding arrived in 2014. The CPA puts a 1.5% surcharge on local residential and commercial property taxes with the first $100,000 of value excluded and with an additional exemption for low income households. The state also distributes funds every year to CPA communities, with Somerville receiving almost $6.5 million since the inception of the program. 

Once the funds are collected, projects for consideration are submitted to the City’s Community Preservation Committee, which then assesses them and determines the awards. The CPC’s recommendations then go to the City Council for final approval. 

“The CPA is one of the finest examples you can find of the community identifying and funding its most pressing needs,” Mayor Ballantyne said. “The cumulative impact it's had in just a decade is truly impressive. We’re a stronger city for it and I can’t wait to see the good we do over the next 10 years.” 

The CPA also has proven to be extremely important in leveraging additional funds for various projects. In historic preservation and open space and recreation projects, CPA funds have been matched dollar for dollar by funds from other sources. Yet the most dramatic use of the CPA to leverage additional funds has been in affordable housing construction, where each dollar spent has leveraged an additional $18.70. That’s almost $300 million in additional affordable housing funds the CPA has helped to unlock. 

“The CPA is a critical first source of funding,” said City Community Preservation Act Manager Roberta Cameron. “Without it, many projects wouldn’t be able to move forward. That first dollar in is so important.”  

The Community Preservation Committee can fund both City and non-profit or private projects that provide a public benefit. It devotes much of its time to making sure the money is spent equitably across different neighborhoods and constituencies to meet community needs. 

Fiscal year 2024 CPA projects have included the restoration of the clock tower and roof at Somerville City Hall, the construction of Henry Hansen Park near Magoun Square and $1.4 million for the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust. The City anticipates having $2.5 million available to spend on projects for its 2025 fiscal year, which began on July 1. 

To learn more about the CPA and the projects it funds, visit the Community Preservation Act page on the City of Somerville website.