Somerville's 1995 Consolidated Plan constitutes a strategic vision for housing and community development for the city. This document summarizes the plan so that citizens in the community can have a quick overview of the housing and community development problems; the 5 year broad objectives and actions proposed to meet those goals; and specific projects for carrying out this strategy during 1995.
The Consolidated Plan includes a 1-year action plan for 79 specific projects using 4.763 million in CDBG, Home, and ESG Funds to promote expansion of the supply of housing for very low-, low-, and moderate-income persons; shelter and services for persons who are homeless or have special needs; community facilities; social services; and economic development.
The preparation of this Consolidated Plan began with a public hearing to
gather citizen input November 17, 1994. For this consolidated planning process,
local government entities, area groups and residents completed needs assessment
in their areas of expertise. A second public hearing on the final Plan was
held February 1, 1995 and copies of the proposed Consolidated Plan activities
were made available for public review at City Hall, City Hall Annex, and
branches of the Somerville Public Library.
Somerville is an older metropolitan community, located approximately two miles north of the City of Boston. With 4.1 square miles of area Somerville's population has 76,210 ranks it as the most densely populated community in the Commonwealth. Although the population has decreased, the number of households has increased.
Throughout its history, Somerville has been a city of immigrants, offering opportunity and community to successive waves of newcomers from various parts of the world. During the 1980s, for the first time, these newcomers are racial and ethnic minorities. Between 1980 and 1990, according to official United States Census figures, the number of Blacks, Hispanics, and Asian and Pacific Islanders increased by 200% to 300%, while the number of White residents decreased by 10%.
A result of the increasing racial diversity has been evident in the city's
struggle to maintain a strong sense of community, where individuals of all races
and ethnic backgrounds can find opportunity and raise their families in peace.
Somerville has faced these tensions honestly and aggressively, seeking
opportunities to build bridges based upon the many issues that unite Somerville
residents rather than those that divide us.
City officials and advocates in the non-profit community believe that the 1990 census considerably undercounted the city's immigrant population. This affects the city's efforts to provide decent, affordable housing, because these undocumented residents often fall prey to unscrupulous property owners who fill substandard housing units with many immigrants creating overcrowded and dangerous living conditions, both for the residents of these properties and their neighbors. Somerville is not a wealthy community. According to 1990 census data, 29% of the city's households are very low income (<50% of median), another 13% is low income (51-80% of medium). Somerville is an expensive city in which to live. Somerville's proximity to three major universities - Tufts, Harvard University, and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) - have encouraged students to enter the Somerville area. According to studies completed for the City of Somerville, the average rent charged in Somerville rose by 152.06% between 1982 and 1990.
According to the 1990 census, 78% of all the units in Somerville were built before 1940, more than 90% were in structures built before 1960. These include approximately 280 buildings considered to be historically significant. These units are mainly found in one- family, two-family, three-family and row house structures, and are in various stages of repair and disrepair. Rehabilitation assistance, in addition to preserving affordability, can help to insure that these architectural treasures are available to future generations.
While the housing stock in Somerville is generally in good structural condition approximately 33% of all rental units, and 32% of all owner-occupied units can be considered substandard. According to the Somerville Department of Public Works, Division, of Inspectional Services, approximately 20% of all residential buildings in Somerville contain overcrowded units, of these 10% (or 2% of all residential buildings) contain units which are seriously overcrowded.
The vacancy rate for rental units within the City of Somerville is less than 4% according to official 1990 census figures.
During the economic boom of the 1970s and 1980s the price of housing in Somerville grew tremendously. According to a study completed by the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, prices of one to three family houses in the city rose by more than 200% between 1980 and 1985. For Somerville's low and moderate income households, the results have been a crisis of affordability. Despite declines in the average sales price of homes during the last three years (from $215,000 in 1988 to $184,000 by January 1, 1991), the price of a home in Somerville is still out of reach of most Somerville families.
Table 1C of the city's CHAS, derived from the 1990 census, shows that more than 40% of low and very low income families pay more than 50% of their income for housing. More than two thirds of families in these income groups pay more than 30% of income for housing. This table also validates the city's policy of the last few years, which has given priority to creating family units of two bedrooms or more, since there is a marked difference in the rent burden carried by larger families in all categories of low and very low income households.
Table 1B uses as a comparison the current FMR's for various sized units and the calculated rent affordable to households at 50% of median income - which is the highest income level included in the category of very low income, the gap between the FMR and the "affordable" rent ranges from $144 per month for efficiency units to nearly $400 per month for a three bedroom apartment.
Even in the low income category (51% to 80% of median), census figures show that 63% report housing costs in excess of 30% of income.
Most available shelters in Somerville turn away six to eight times the number of individuals and families they are able to serve. These numbers reflect only those families and individuals who seek assistance at one of the city's shelters. A larger number, much more difficult to count, are those who are doubled or tripled up with other family and friends or who are housed temporarily by the State Department of Public Welfare (DPW) in motels and hotels outside the community. (There are currently no hotels in the city which provide emergency shelter through DPW.
The city gives priority to rehabilitation rather than new construction as a method of achieving affordable housing. With 76,210 residents in just 4 square miles parking is a problem. The city's density and lack of parking is a natural barrier to the creation of additions housing units.
Over the last 5 years, the state has decreased its own funding for affordable housing and at the same time competed with cities and non-profit agencies for HUD competitive funding rounds.
The city is committed to providing safe, affordable, appropriate housing for all of its citizens, throughout all of the neighborhoods of the city, and will further work, to the extent possible within the state and federal law, to avoid concentrations of ethnic and racial minorities, low income households with special needs, in certain geographic areas within the city. All available state, federal and local funding will be utilized in support of this effort. Through education and outreach;
Based upon 1990 census data, there are 11,771 units occupied by low-income households. More than 90% of the city's housing units were built before 1960 and are assumed to have a lead paint hazard present bringing the total estimated units with a lead paint hazard occupied by low income households to 10, 594. Since 1990, an average of 10 cases of lead poisoning reported to the Board of Health per year.
The economic development component of the Strategic Plan has as its primary purposes
The City of Somerville government has the primary responsibility for
carrying out its Comprehensive Development Plan and its Consolidated Plan. City
agencies will be working closely with other government, quasi-governmental, and
non-profit agencies such as the Somerville Housing Authority.
The lack of overall job growth continues to be an especially serious problem for the large percentage of new minority immigrants coming into Somerville, who generally not shared the economic good fortune of more established residents. This minority immigration has effected an astounding transformation within the City. The rapid increase in this minority population, coupled with an escalation in the number or immigrant-owned businesses, suggests that many of the city's minorities are recent arrivals from Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and the per capita and household incomes of these new residents appear to be considerably lower than the longer term residents. The City of Somerville is a participating jurisdiction (PJ) under the federal HOME program, and the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program and the Emergency Shelter Grants Program (ESG). Each year the city receives allocations from these three federal sources. These federal funds are used to operate a number of housing initiatives in Somerville.
Using HOME, CDBG and MHFA funds the city assists homeowners, tenants, and investors, who are eligible to accomplish home repair. The city requires that properties be brought up to code and requires lead paint removal where there are children under 7 years of age.
The city funds the Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) by setting aside both the required 15% of HOME funds for CHDO projects, but also by committing the maximum allowable 5% of HOME funds for operating support.
The city provides technical assistance to non-profit organizations submitting requests for funding to other government agencies for priority housing projects.
The city of Somerville has traditionally been active in the arena of providing assistance to tenants. This assistance takes a variety of forms, from landlord-tenant mediation services, housing advocacy, rental assistance , anti-discrimination work and rehabilitation/energy conservation programs.
The following objectives are planned for completion during the next 5 years:
Non-Housing Community Development Priorities
The City of Somerville is pursuing three primary goals for economic development including:
The city plans to allocate CDBG, HOME, and ESG funding in compliance with the city's housing and homelessness needs assessment and 5 year strategies, specifically for:
Assembly Square is ideally located adjacent to Interstate 93, in the northeastern section of the City. With 145 acres, it is the largest commercial/industrial area in the community, and the site of the Assembly Square Mall, the City's only modern shopping mall.
The Boynton Yards Revitalization Area is an 80 acre, mixed use area of the City located southeast of Union Square, adjacent to the City of Cambridge.
Business assistance through City wide Direct Loan program to maintain and expand the City's industrial and commercial base. The Environmental Guarantee Program will guarantee to a small business interested in locating in Somerville on a contaminated site the cost of remediation of the site above an agreed upon estimate, and up to a maximum ceiling. Four of the City's traditional commercial centers, Davis Square, Union Square, Magoun Square, and Lower Broadway, have been identified as priority areas for renewed designation.
MAP 2 depicts points of interest and low-moderate income areas
MAP 3 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and minority concentration levels
MAP 4 depicts points of interest, low-moderate income areas, and unemployment levels
Paul Connolly, Assistant Director,
Somerville, Community Development Department
City Hall,
Somerville, MA 02143
Phone # (617) 625-6600 EXT 2500
FAX # (617) 625-0722
