Public Written Testimony on Rezoning Needs to Extend Beyond March 27th Deadline

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Somerville Community,

The Friday March 27th deadline for written testimony regarding the Somerville Rezonng Ordinance is approaching. On Thursday March 3rd there was a public hearing on the Rezoning Ordinance. Since that time we have had the Somerville 3 day Charrette and a follow up meeting on Thursday 19.

I feel we have just started to scratch the surface of presenting the Rezoning Ordinance to the community, yet the deadline for written testimony is in one day. I know everyone at the City Planning Board, Somervision, the Aldermen, and varioius Somerville activists groups have been working diligently for quite some time in the preparation of this ordinance, but I feel that much of the Somervillle Community is just starting to wrap their heads around 300+ page document.

We are a busy community. Organizing ourselves to read the zoning proposal, make comments, prepare written testimony, and share amongst the varied groups that we are all involved with, deserves more than 3 weeks of deliberation.

We need more time as a community to digest this ordinance.

We need more time to make comparisons to recent rezoning ordinances of other communities.

We need more time to share our input amongst ourselves.

More times is needed especially for those concerned with Open Space. The zoning fails in securing us SomerVision’s goal of 125 acres.

The current zoning requires 15% of new development of base districts be open space, and that percentage is as low as for ‘Special Districts’.

We need 43% of all new development be civic/open space to reach our goal of 125 acres. At 15% civic/open space we are at 43 acres. Not enough!

The paucity of the document with regards to Open Space should be grounds enough to ask for a withdrawal and reworking of the document.

I am asking for 3 more weeks of Public Written testimony.

I understand that this process needs to move forward and that the city and developers may be getting anxious, but we need to get this right.

Rushing this rezoning before we all have a chance to understand potential consequences is foolish for all involved.

Thank you,

Victoria ‘Tori’ Antonino
Somerville Resident

Please, I would ask you to reach out to the Aldermen, Mayor’s office, City Planners and other community groups, if you feel similarly, that the public needs more time to digest the New Zoning Proposal.