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(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries and letters to the Editor of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)
As a taxpayer, I want to make sure Somerville spends its money according to the progressive values we hold dear. I want to urge the Board of Alderpersons to oppose any and all handouts to Clarendon Hill developer Redgate, a wolf in sheep’s clothing that refuses to give our working families a hand up. First, Redgate got city leaders to sell them the five-acre Clarendon Hill parcel—right next to the T—at a massive discount. Redgate paid the city less than $16 million—well below market value. Some have speculated the land could be worth more than twice that!
Now, Redgate is back asking for two more handouts. First, they want a giveaway of $10 million in return for providing community benefits. But one of those so-called “benefits” allows Redgate to police itself when it comes to worker safety. Next, they want a Home Rule petition that gives Redgate a $15 million gift, by allowing the developer to UNDERPAY the workers building the 270 market rate units. These are the same units that will fatten Redgate’s pockets for generations to come.
So let’s recap: Redgate says redeveloping 270 affordable housing units is a $16 million gift to the City of Somerville. But here’s the real math: Redgate has executed a land grab worth millions, and now wants $10 million to—among other things—reduce public accountability by policing itself. Meanwhile, the developer is also asking City leaders to turn their backs on the working people of Somerville, by allowing Redgate to underpay workers by millions. Sounds more like a jackpot for Redgate.
Somerville families desperately need and deserve affordable housing. What we don’t need is a deal with Redgate, which like any wolf in sheep’s clothing, is beginning to show its true colors: a hunger for public handouts, but a disregard for the public good. The Board of Alderpersons must stop this downward spiral veiled as affordable housing, and demand that Redgate conform to our community standards, including fair pay for all workers. Redgate must deliver real community benefits, rather than just purport to, not because the City of Somerville hands out another $10 million, but because it’s the right thing to do.
David Santana
Somerville Resident
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The Aldermen need to decide if they really support affordable housing or are just paying lip service. If the Board of Aldermen doesn’t support this project, there is no question the state will take away its piece of the funding which will mean:
1.The Clarendon public housing residents will be left to continue to reside in over 200 substandard, dilapidated, undersized homes that were built 70-years ago.
2. Somerville will not get an additional 70 new deed-restricted affordable moderate and middle income homes that would be included in the project (as well as the 253 market-rate units that could/would absorb some housing demand pressuring Somerville);
3. No workers – union and non-union, all hard-working folks who do their work with skill and integrity – will have the opportunity to work on this job.
I’m not sure they truly do want affordable housing, just a ‘revenue stream’ as they called it for SCC. They are currently discussing new zoning that would actually preclude people from adding an additional apartment in their homes.
So when the Mayors office could have been driving a hard bargain to get the best deal for the taxpayers or for the public that desperately needs affordable housing options, do you think he was doing that?
No. Instead, SPCD head Mike Glavin – who’s supposed to be looking out for the citizens of the city, the ones who pay his salary – is sent down to the Board of Alderman to beg and plead for tax giveaways for Redgate. He brought no concern whatsoever for the taxpayer or the folks suffering in a housing crisis, not one word. Instead, the only thing the Mayor and his right-hand-man had time to break a sweat for was to try to grease the rails for the developer even more.
If the Board of Aldermen did what they should, they should tell Glavin to never come back to them again until it’s as a public servant for the people of Somerville, instead of as a real estate lobbyist with nothing more to talk about other than the interests of his boss’s cronies and contributors.
It speaks volumes when you realize that out of the number of residents in this city, what tiny percentage is considered to be “affordable housing.” It’s a disgrace when you hear the small number of units devoted to being “affordable” out of the total amount in any given building.
The majority of housing in this city SHOULD be affordable, with the minority going to expensive living spaces. Of course, we’re told how important we all are, despite the fact that profit takes priority.
The fact that you have to argue for affordable housing clearly says that it’s far too expensive to live in Somerville.
What’s the $10 million giveaway about? A break on their property taxes?
My kids had friends that lived up there, and the apartments were in rough shape then, and that was 20 years ago! It’s really a shame.
So just don’t give them the tax break, and if they walk away, wait for someone who will do it without the tax freebie. It could be a few years, but so what. If the residents have lived in a public housing ghetto this long, what’s another 10 years? We need to stick to our guns no matter what. No more free handouts. Move elsewhere if you want the cheap rent. We can’t solve every problem.
Deals Always for the developers. In Somerville the elected officials get elected to serve themselves not the taxpayers/renters. When the high rise buildings were built on the old MBTA car-barn site, the NYC developer got a sweetheart deal of not paying any taxes to the city for 25 years. All profit for the developer$ for 25 years. On the 24th year the NYC developer put the property up for sale. If it were not for intervention by Senator Kennedy and MA congressional delegation those residents were to e put out on the street. The residents with Kennedy’s help formed an association to purchase the towers.
All the development in the city yet city officials have never made the developers, with these multi unit bldgs., like Tufts with there dorms, provide funding for new water/sewer lines that have additional burdens placed on the existing systems. No our mayor races into the aldermen’s chambers stating that he need immediate monies for Assembly Row’s Developer$ for their infrastructure needs. The Aldermen gave him a $26 million bond and we the taxpayers/renters are paying for it. Sixty percent of the property in this city is tax exempt. The new Partners complex in Assembly Row is Tax Exempt and others are coming in.
The residents should be calling the Aldermen and telling them that there are no deals for developer$. There should be mandatory bonds paid for by the developers to go to the city for infrastructure work and other safeguards for the city. There should also be other safeguards for the residents. Because once the project is completed the developer is gone. Demands should be by the city not the developer.
In my book the opinions of renters should not be given as much weight as owners.
How in the world could anyone get away “underpaying” someone working in construction these days? I can’t even find a decent plumber to come fix my perimeter drain because they’re all so busy. You won’t get them to walk into your house for less than $400 bucks and that’s before they lift a finger.
You’re either for affordable housing or you’re not. This Clarendon dust up serves as a reminder of just how many hypocrites we’ve got in the city when it comes to this issue.