By Joseph A. Curtatone

(The opinions and views expressed in the commentaries of The Somerville Times belong solely to the authors of those commentaries and do not reflect the views or opinions of The Somerville Times, its staff or publishers)

Our greatest successes as a city are born from working together, on a foundation of shared values and principles, to build the frameworks that will shape the future of our city. From our 20-year comprehensive SomerVision plan, to the rezoning of Union Square, to our ongoing Somerville By Design workshops, we rely on you to guide what kind of community we are going to be. That’s what all of these community-based discussions are about—building community. At a base level, building community starts with our zoning code. It’s where we identify neighborhoods and what should be allowed to be built in each neighborhood. This is the framework that shapes how our city will evolve, but we have realized that what we have on the books today is neither predictable nor easy to navigate.

That’s why every Thursday this summer, we are holding a series of zoning workshops to hear your ideas and answer your questions as we craft a new zoning ordinance. Right now, the zoning code is difficult to understand for anyone. So we’re aiming for a new code that’s easy to understand and predictable for mixed-use project developers and regular homeowners alike by focusing on building types. Instead of relying on complicated formulas, our new zoning code will ask—is this kind of building common for this particular neighborhood? If so, it should be allowed under the code. If a homeowner wants to finish a basement or add a porch, it shouldn’t be more complicated than building a brand new building, but our zoning code today can make common home improvement projects just that—complicated and wrapped in red tape.

All this means that we want to base our new zoning code on our community values and norms, which leads us to the zoning workshops held each Thursday this summer. These open house-style meetings started with SomerVision’s goals for the new zoning ordinance. Our comprehensive plan, created by the community, makes clear the areas we want to transform, the places we want to enhance, and the neighborhoods we want to preserve. These zoning workshops will allow the community to delve deeper into what that means for the zoning code, unlocking the opportunities in some areas while codifying the community norms in other areas.

There’s much more to cover. We want to talk about zoning for the arts and the creative economy, for businesses, and community benefits. We want to make the code match our vision for neighborhoods and squares, and our whole local economy. Each workshop will be dedicated to one of these topics, and after the last workshop on August 28, we’ll have a clearer, fuller picture of what we want to collectively accomplish through this zoning overhaul. There are no formal presentations at these workshops—simply drop in whenever it’s convenient for you and stay as long as you like.

This is about building community, and it’s also about customer service. Somerville has come a long way in terms of city government providing good customer service, making how we operate transparent to every taxpayer and your interactions with city government as easy as possible. You are a paying customer through your local taxes, whether paid directly or through your rent, and municipal government should act like the best private companies do in making good customer service and integral part of what you pay for. Our current convoluted zoning code isn’t good customer service. It’s not easy to navigate or get approval for simple home improvement projects.

So beyond crafting a code that will help shape how our community evolves, we want to provide basic customer service in the form of a transparent zoning code that’s easy for anyone to understand. You shouldn’t have to hold a degree in planning to understand how you can improve your home and add value to your property. This zoning overhaul will not only bring our code in line with our community vision but bring that transparency, predictability and high-quality customer service to the process by providing more guidance to special permits, limiting certain types of applications, and letting some small projects and home additions go forward without review by the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Somerville is in the midst of change brought on by market forces and the greatest demographic shift since the 1950s, when people fled cities for the suburbs. As people return to the urban core seeking walkable, transit-oriented urban neighborhoods, we’re working to meet that demand by preserving what we already love about Somerville. Planning to manage the change that’s already happening in our city means balancing transformation and preservation, which are both about where and how people want to live. It’s about building community. So I invite you to come out to these zoning workshops and lend your perspective and help us build a more transparent, customer-friendly community.

The Zoning Workshops are held each Thursday through Aug. 28 from 4-7:30 p.m. in the community meeting room at 50 Middlesex Ave. Shuttles are available to pick up residents who want to attend, with the shuttle schedules available on somervillebydesign.com. For more information on the Zoning Workshops and a schedule of topics, visit the Somerville by Design blog or contact the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development at 617-625-6600 ext 2500.