By Ryan DiLello

Somerville is undergoing a renaissance. Already one of the densest cities in New England, data forecasts from MassBuilds predict Somerville will see about 4,000 new housing units and 4.7 million more square feet of commercial space constructed or planned in the next nine years.

The extension of the Green Line will also serve as a significant draw for developers and commuting residents. The city is facing pressure to grow by virtue of its proximity to burgeoning areas in downtown Boston and Cambridge, and, as the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic subsides, developers are eager to move on plans.

Somerville is also an artistic city. In 2015, the city was home to the third largest share of architects and designers and the fourth largest aggregation of visual artists, musicians, and other performing artists in comparison to other Massachusetts cities and towns.

But now, with fewer entertainment venues available and a lack of affordable space, survey data shows one in ten artists living in Somerville in 2021 will seek art space outside of the city within the next year. A survey conducted by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC) found that there was strong concern among artists about the impacts the real estate market might have on their creative practice.

Additionally, 80% of respondents saw a role for the City in protecting and incentivizing spaces and housing for artists to make and share art. Currently, about half of the city’s artists rely upon the good will of landlords to provide affordable space, signing onto informal contracts with minimal security.

As developers benefit from years of policy groundwork aimed at strengthening the regional economy and transit access, the future of the City’s arts is on shakier ground. But behind any renaissance there lies an artistic vision. Thus, over the past year, the City of Somerville has collaborated with numerous arts, culture, and planning organizations to ensure that future plans for development protect and benefit the artists who originally enabled the city’s flourishment.

Last Wednesday, city officials and members of MAPC met with the SAC and the Somerville Cultural Space Task Force to discuss the most recent Arts Space Risk Assessment Report. The report contains background research, impact projections, and recommendations for how to protect art spaces amidst the city’s rapid growth.

The meeting drew over 190 attendees with diverse backgrounds in architecture, cultural space management, community arts, dance, economic development, banking, real estate, and more. Director of the Arts Council, Gregory Jenkins, was inspired by the turn out. “People want some action. They want to push through this,” Jenkins said.

The report found that a major disparity exists between the projected space allotted within development plans and the ability of the SAC to exercise Arts and Creative Enterprise (ACE)-use restrictions. In short, over three million square feet of the city’s creative spaces are under significant redevelopment pressure and plans for future development only allow 275,000 square feet of ACE-use space.

The city does not currently have the option to buy out developers, nor any other mechanism to ensure arts spaces remain. Without avenues to pool resources or form a central advocacy group, artists are in a similarly challenging position. “There is no regional player to look at this holistically,” Arts Council Director Gregory Jenkins said, who explained the disanalogy between a formal land trust or nonprofit group acting to conserve a space versus the city’s diverse arts community fighting for one another across multiple spaces – artists do not currently have a way to pool resources and streamline advocacy.        

The issue of equity was also paramount in the report’s findings. In conversations with local arts program organizers, the city found that spaces predominantly serve white artists. The report resolved that current policies to preserve art spaces do not sufficiently address issues of equity.

On Monday, Mayor Ballantyne met with the Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development (OSPCD) and the SAC to discuss immediate steps. The mayor says she has planned to hold these meetings on a biweekly basis. SAC Director Jenkins said the meeting went well, but that the community, artists especially, must hold officials accountable.

The mayor seems to be in agreement in involving the community. “In the coming months, we’ll be asking artists – of all kinds – to share their space needs. Do they need more music rehearsal space? More studio and gallery space? More multicultural community spaces?”

The mayor said, explaining that with more data, the city can match cultural space needs with space that becomes available through the ACE set aside program. “I’d ask that artists stay tuned from this survey and respond to it,” The mayor added.

Stay tuned for more updates on steps the city is taking to preserve and empower its arts community. In the next few days, The Somerville Times will release a report summary and minutes of the latest Arts Space Risk Assessment meeting.