Good afternoon ,
I’m writing to you to inform you and all of our neighbors about a very important (and unfortunately not widely known) vote coming up TOMORROW, Wednesday, June 4 from 7:30am to 7:30pm at St. Anthony’s School (480 Somerville Ave) on approving or re-negotiating a multi-billion $ development in Union Square.
If you are a resident (tenant or landlord), worker, business owner, or volunteer in the catchment area (blue and green) you are eligible to vote and USNC asks that you bring a proof of address, see guidelines on USNC’s website.
If you cannot vote in-person on Wednesday, please fill out this membership form and ballot request form by 12pm TODAY.
|
|
|
Rafi Properties is proposing a 1.5 million square foot development over 7.4 acres from Market Basket to Walgreens (or Park St) adjacent to the commuter rail tracks. See the developer’s 3D concept above and the map of the development area below. |
In Somerville, we are extremely fortunate to have local activists and advocates who have poured years of experience into both negotiating Community Benefits Agreements (or CBAs) and forming a democratically elected entity that negotiates with developers: the Union Square Neighborhood Council (USNC). Similar to a labor union’s bargaining committee, the USNC negotiates with developers for a CBA contract on behalf of its members, which include all residents, workers, business-owners, and volunteers in Union Square. And similar to a labor union, ultimately all members can vote on whether they approve the contract that the bargaining committee (or USNC) negotiated.
That is why you have the opportunity to vote on Wednesday June 4 on whether you approve the CBA, which will effectively green light Rafi Properties’ development plan OR you disapprove and believe the proposal should be re-negotiated. |
How am I voting?
I believe there are good reasons to vote for or against the proposal. Until very recently I’ve gone back and forth on the proposed development itself mainly because my priority is we invest and build more housing, including affordable housing. Unfortunately for 1.5 million sq ft development, only a small portion is for housing (thanks to USNC). That said I firmly believe that USNC should be supported in their negotiation efforts and process. I had the opportunity to hear from all sides of this issue, from USNC members, concerned abutters, and I spent a few hours touring the site and hearing directly from the developer’s leadership team.
I’ve landed on voting no and committing to support the USNC in their negotiations and community outreach in the steps ahead.
First, I believe there have been some major balls dropped in terms of the city meaningfully engaging the community. Some neighbors canvassed the abutters this past weekend and among the 25 conversations at the door, only 2 abutters were aware of the project and the vote coming up on Wednesday. There have been many iterations of this proposal but for the most recent zoning proposal (put forth on May 15th) there has not been a public hearing on it. That is unbelievable for a project of this magnitude. I expect that many of you are learning about this project in this newsletter (1 day prior to the vote), not great.
Second, despite USNC’s hard work and an abutter’s best efforts, the city has NOT done a traffic study (it is promised after the vote tomorrow). Again, this is fairly wild for a project of this magnitude that is projected to employ 4,000 workers. What is even worse is that these shortcomings erode public trust in these processes that are vital for this and future developments.
Third, despite the developer’s ongoing PR campaign to present itself as socially responsible and invested in the community, it’s clear from the drawn out negotiations with USNC that they have been playing hardball with $ for the community (frankly not enough for a multi-billion $ project) and there has been a pattern of unsavory campaigning, including removing leaflets from the opposing side, attaching unsigned leaflets with USNC leaflets, and a suddenly rushed timeline of 2 weeks for the public to learn about the final proposal and then to vote on it by tomorrow when negotiations have been taking place for two years.
These are the reasons that stand out strongly for me but it is by no means intended to be a comprehensive overview on a very complex issue before us. You can read other perspectives from the opposition side here, here, and here.
That said, I fully respect that there are very good reasons to vote yes. Reasons that stand out to me are that the CBA has a fantastic Project Labor Agreement (PLA), which guarantees prevailing wages and Greater Boston Labor Council will bring its Building Pathways apprenticeship training program that is dedicated to ensure women, BIPOC, and under-represented groups are recruited and retained in the trades.
In addition, I can understand why many artists are advocating in favor because of the commitment for 100K sqft of Arts & Creative Enterprise, half of which will be affordable. That said, the criticism of Artisan’s Asylum being priced out by the current developer / landlord is also salient (they are now in a 50K sqft space in Brighton).
Another very good reason to vote in favor is that the USNC has made immense gains to achieve the CBA before us today. While too long to list here, the proposed project is objectively far better than what was initially proposed in 2023. You can read the CBA wins here. I have deep respect for the sweat equity poured into this process and I know many people who are voting yes to honor that work, that’s a very good reason to vote yes and I probably would have voted yes had it not been for the reasons above that were out of the USNC’s control. This is also why I am committing to support their work and I hope you will join me in doing so too.
Regardless of where you end up landing, please remember to vote Wednesday June 4, 7:30am to 7:30pm at St. Anthony’s School at 480 Somerville Ave. If you cannot vote in-person on Wednesday, please fill out this membership form and ballot request form.
|
Event updates on Beacon Hill and in Somerville Rallied with Somerville Educators
I'm honored to support the Somerville Educators Union's call for funding our public schools. It was deeply powerful to hear from our educators, students, and parents, the need for lower class sizes, a truly inclusive model for all students, and supports for our multilingual learners. Thank you SEU for fighting on behalf of our community. Our students learning conditions are our educators' working conditions! |
|
|
Attended the Indigenous Legislative Agenda launch event I attended the Indigenous Legislative Agenda Launch event at the State House. Thank you to everyone who put this event together and to the organizations that spoke on the impact of the Agenda's bills including speakers from North American Indian Center of Boston. |
|
| Met with constituents for the Mass Aging Access' Older Adult Lobby Day I met with constituents from the Mass Senior Action Council and Somerville-Cambridge Elder Services for Mass Aging Access' Older Adult Lobby Day. Thank you to everyone who took the time to come out and advocate and a special thank you to Sen. Jehlen for sharing her office for such a large group! |
|
|
Slice of the City
The weather finally cleared up and it was perfect night for eating pizza and meeting with constituents! Thank you to City of Somerville staff for putting on these events again this year. |
Attended the AAPI Commission’s Unity Dinner
I was honored to attend the AAPI Commission's Unity Dinner, an evening of community, culture, and connection. As we celebrated AAPI Heritage Month, I’m grateful to stand with so many incredible leaders. Huge thanks to everyone who helped bring this event to life! |
|
|
Met with constituents from UAW
I recently met with UAW Region 9A members from Harvard Graduate Students Union - UAW Local 5118, The Graduate Employee Organization at UMass Lowell, and MIT Graduate Student Union to discuss my bill H.1336 that would give equal access to unemployment insurance and paid family and medical leave for graduate workers. We must stand with workers fighting for fair wages and respect and dignity in the workplace every day! Thanks to Sen. Feeney for your partnership and for filing this on the Senate side!
|
As always, it is a joy and honor to serve you in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Please don’t hesitate to reach out if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas! |
In solidarity and in struggle, Erika |
|
|
Committee to Elect Erika Uyterhoeven
11 Wesley Park
Somerville, MA 02144
United States Campaign website: www.ElectErika.com |
|
|
If you believe you received this message in error or wish to no longer receive email from us, please (Unsubscribing is not supported in previews). |
|
|
|
