By Ben Echevarria and David Gibbs, on behalf of the Union United Coalition

(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)

Last week, in the midst of discussions about open space, jobs, and place management, one thing was clear: a real community benefits agreement requires an independent community body. The “strategy leaders” chosen by the mayor to participate in the LOCUS process raised serious concerns about the ability of the SRA to act in accordance with the wishes of the Union Square community.

Throughout last week’s meetings, concerns about the LOCUS process, including the need for impact studies and enforcement mechanisms, were brushed aside or ignored. This lack of accountability only reinforced the belief that community-led negotiations are necessary for the Union Square redevelopment to reflect stakeholder concerns. Facilitator Chris Leinberger and City staff said that while the strategy leaders could make recommendations, their vision was that any ultimate contract would be negotiated by the City and the developer alone and then overseen by an undefined “place manager.”

“The strongest, most innovative CBAs in the country are the ones that have been negotiated with the community coalitions themselves…There’s a real sense of accountability to the community that you lose when the community is in an advisory capacity,” said Benny Wheat, a strategy leader and Union United member. Union United, a broad-based coalition of Union Square stakeholders, has been researching and promoting the concept of community benefits agreements, or CBAs, since the redevelopment was announced two years ago. A community coalition in Milwaukee successfully negotiated such an agreement with developers and local government, known as the Park East Redevelopment Compact, stipulating jobs, housing, and sustainability criteria for all development proposals on 64 downtown acres.

Similar coalitions in Pittsburgh, Oakland, and the Bronx have negotiated multi-party agreements that allow stakeholders to enforce developer commitments and ensure that community needs are met. Agreements negotiated by groups that are mayor-appointed or developer-selected, like the Atlantic Yards development in Brooklyn or the Tenderloin district in San Francisco, have not been successful in enforcing benefits. Union Square strategy leaders recognized the need for an independent enforcement mechanism that is not beholden to City or developer interests. ”It’s not just what’s in the agreement, it’s who is overseeing the enforcement of the agreement, who is the agreement accountable to. I think that the SRA is not particularly well trusted to exercise that oversight,” said Ann Tate, another one of the strategy leaders.

The Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA), according to its website, includes “five members, four of whom are appointed by the Mayor and one of whom is appointed by the Governor.” The SRA does not meet with members of the public, and the last time the SRA was asked to make a decision based on a recommendation from an appointed community group, they didn’t follow through.

In June 2014, after months of research and site visits to advise the SRA on the master developer selection, the Civic Advisory Committee (CAC) recommended Portland developer Gerding Edlen 12-2 over the Chicago development partnership US2. At that meeting, SRA members requested an illegal private session to discuss the developer candidates, stated that they didn’t need to listen to the CAC’s recommendation, then voted unanimously for US2 to be the master developer. It is clear that the SRA is not the right group to make decisions on behalf of the community.

The overwhelming support for a real community benefits agreement shows that strategy leaders are committed to preserving Union Square’s diversity and affordability while ensuring that the development project creates a positive impact in our community. There are examples of successful CBAs where community groups came together to promote a shared vision and make that vision a reality for all new development. The question is: are the City and US2 ready to make that happen in Somerville?