MAYOR TO SUBMIT HOME RULE PETITIONS TO CREATE LINKAGE BETWEEN DEVELOPMENT, HOUSING AND JOBS

"Somerville is on the cusp of some large scale, transformative projects for the entire region, however we must continue to work to retain affordable housing, job opportunities, and overall quality of life for our residents as we look toward a strong and vibrant economic future," said Mayor Curtatone.  "As laid out in our SomerVision plan, we stand to see 30,000 net new jobs and 6,000 housing units - 1,200 of which will be affordable units - by 2020.  We have enormous potential right here within our 4.1 square miles, and by both amending our existing housing linkage fees, and adding linkage fees to jobs and job training, we will ensure that our residents gain the skills and the opportunities to continue to live, work, play and raise a family in Somerville." 

"I am a strong supporter of local hiring, and utilizing the incredibly talented resident base we have here in the City.  These proposals would effectively fulfill some of the goals to support local hiring, and address the concerns around the need to focus on jobs and job training at the local level," said Ward 2 Alderman Maryann Heuston.  "This is a great way to ensure that we start to close the gaps in some previous conversations about local hiring, and I look forward to the opportunities that these proposed changes will unlock in our community."

"The City's Affordable Housing Trust Fund has proven invaluable in helping to ensure our developments include affordable housing options, and I think the idea of creating a similar Trust to support local hiring and job training will strengthen our community in a number of ways," said Alderman at Large Bruce Desmond.  "It's important that we invest in our community by providing job training, and access to jobs for our residents, and I fully support these  petitions and look forward to reviewing the full study."

"With so many wonderful and transformative development projects ongoing, this is a perfect opportunity to take a deeper look at the policies guiding and supporting things like local hiring and affordable housing, which will also ensure that Somerville remains competitive in the development and jobs market," said Ward 4 Alderman Tony Lafuente.  " 

As Somerville continues to attract commercial development, the linkage program will help the City provide residents with greater access to occupational skills training and other employment related services that will prepare them for the expanded job opportunities that are part of our city's future economy.  The program will also help implement some of the key recommendations that have emerged from Mayor Curtatone's Local Jobs Advisory Panel.  The nexus study was launched in October, 2012 to quantify the impact of ongoing and planned commercial development on the demand for low and moderate income housing, and the need for job training for low and moderate income residents.  The study was conducted by Karl F. Seidman Consulting Services and ConsultEcon, Inc. of Cambridge, Massachusetts.  The City's current linkage ordinance was enacted in 1990 and updated in 2004, each following nexus studies.  The current ordinance establishes a fee of $3.91 per square foot for projects exceeding 30,000 square feet. The most recent report concluded that the current fee is  inadequate, suggesting a revised linkage fee of $5.15 per square foot for housing, and a new job linkage fee of $1.40 per square foot.  The study also recommended reducing the size threshold for projects subject to linkage from 30,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet and other modifications that clarify the provisions of the program including a provision that adjusts linkage fees to reflect inflation.   

"SCC is very pleased to see the Mayor take the lead in updating the housing portion of the City's Linkage Ordinance and fee assessment, and adding the Job Trust makes perfect sense for Somerville," said Danny LeBlanc, Executive Director of the Somerville Community Corporation.  "We look forward to working with the City on both sides of what we consider to be the affordability equation in Somerville:  affordable housing and decent-paying local jobs." 

"Thanks to Mayor Curtatone and the Board of Aldermen for taking leadership on this important issue.  As someone who worked on SomerVision, it's exciting to see the City working to make our vision a reality," said Mark Alston-Follansbee, Executive Director of the Somerville Homeless Coalition.  "This recession continues to have a terrible effect on many people in our community, and everything we can do to create affordable housing and train people for the jobs of the future will benefit all of us." 

The Board of Aldermen will vote this week on the proposed Home Rule Petitions before a zoning amendment will be considered.