Building up the arts in Union Square

By Andrea Gregory

Proposed zoning changes for Union Square aimed at supporting the local arts community and revitalizing the area will be presented to the public Monday, Nov. 20. However, some community groups are already raising concerns about negative effects the zoning changes may impose.

  ‚ÄúWe know their will be some displacement in Union Square and we hope to offset that as much as possible,‚Äù said Jesse Kanson-Benanav, community organizer for the Somerville Community Corp., which also staffs the Affordable Housing Organizing Committee. ‚ÄúWe are concerned because of the history of displacement in Somerville. It has happened in Somerville before.‚Äù
  The group is pushing for an increase in the percentage of affordable units that will come with the areas new developments. Currently, 12.5 percent of new construction or renovated housing projects with more than 8 units must be affordable under the city‚Äôs Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance. Kanson-Benanav said since the city will be offering incentives to developers to attract them to Union Square, it is important for the affordable housing component to be reevaluated and increased. As advocates for the preservation and development of affordable housing, the group is looking for ‚Äúan even tradeoff,‚Äù he said. The group would like to see the city pose a minimum of 15 percent of units earmarked as affordable hosing imposed on developers involved in residential projects in the area and see further increases applied based on the incentives developers take advantage of. 
  Kanson-Benanav said the committee is not opposed to density or the city‚Äôs rezoning plans for the Union Square neighborhood. He said increased affordable housing requirements should strengthen the proposed zoning changes.
  The process has been about a year in the making and the full plan for zoning changes will be presented to the public next week. The changes include clarifying the language and definitions of zoning terms, addressing the potential for dense housing projects through a development provision which would allow developers to construct building above the height and density standards currently allowed under zoning and creating an arts overlay district that would follow its own set of zoning to encourage arts related businesses and housing developers to take advantage of the area through incentives and a streamlined process.
  Gregory Jenkins, executive director of the Somerville Arts Council, said some of the zoning changes would create incentives for developers and hopefully attract them to the area. He said he is aware some people would like to see the new zoning require more than 12.5 percent of the units in new buildings be reserved to low or moderate income families and individuals. He also said if you put too many conditions on the developers and require too many of the units to be affordable, the concept could backfire and scare some people away from bringing new projects to the area.
  ‚ÄúI think the 12.5 percent has worked for the city. Can you get more? It‚Äôs a tough call,‚Äù said Jenkins.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                According to Jenkins, the proposed zoning came as a result of examining how zoning and ordinances can center around the arts. He said the zoning component is part of the larger issue of cultural and economic growth. He said the area already has a large artist population and several studios and galleries. Building on that will help strengthen the square‚Äôs identity, he said.
  ‚ÄúStrengthening it provides opportunities for more of that to happen. We are bringing out the strengths of the square and using the arts to strengthen the economic community,‚Äù said Jenkins.
Adding more performance and artist space should also benefit the existing restaurants and clubs as well as other area businesses, he said.
  ‚ÄúThe more that we can help to produce more foot traffic the better off the square will be,‚Äù Jenkins said.