Condo concern and controversy
By George P. Hassett

   Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone‚Äôs proposal to strengthen the city‚Äôs condo conversion laws is being called ‚Äúde facto rent control‚Äù by local realtors.
  ‚ÄúThis is rent control in disguise,‚Äù said Skip Schloming, a Cambridge realtor who said he owns 1,200 units in Somerville. ‚ÄúAnd rent control is like an infection that grows from a small bacteria to disease homeowners and eventually the entire community.‚Äù

   Curtatone‚Äôs proposal would give tenants the first opportunity to buy the converted condominiums and require landlords to pay increased fees while preventing them from evicting elderly, disabled and low-income residents from properties slated for conversion until two to four year notice has been given.
  The proposal is not excessive and would merely bring Somerville‚Äôs regulations in line with the state‚Äôs, said Jesse Kanson-Bennanav, of the Somerville Community Corporation (SCC).
  The Board of Aldermen‚Äôs Legislative Matters committee held a public meeting Tuesday May 16 to discuss the ordinace and 18 people spoke in favor of the mayor‚Äôs proposal with only 4 speaking against it.
“Condo conversions are a good thing,” said Fred Berman. “So is driving, but we have stop signs to protect pedestrians. This ordinance is a stop sign to protect tenants. The profits realtors can still make will far outweigh the inconvenience of giving tenants reasonable notice time.”
  Recently, a large number of two and three family homes have been converted into condominiums in Somerville, allowing homeowners to maximize profits when selling their property. The conversions increase the city‚Äôs tax revenue which is especially important in Somerville because there is a small commercial base to take the tax burden off residents, maintain local realtors.
  But critics of condo conversions said the renovations are forcing out long time residents and, with them, the city‚Äôs unique character.
  ‚ÄúEveryone I know has moved,‚Äù said Mark McLaughlin a lifetime Somerville resident. ‚ÄúI don‚Äôt know my neighbors anymore, all my friends have moved to cities like Everett and Brockton. Somerville has become so much nicer in the last few years, I think they should be able to experience it too.‚Äù
   Danny LeBlanc, CEO of SCC, said the discussion shouldn‚Äôt be about the merits of condominiums.
  ‚ÄúThe issue never was whether condos are good or bad,‚Äù he said. ‚ÄúSomerville is a 70 percent renter city, we‚Äôre calling upon the Board of Aldermen to simply protect their rights.‚Äù