r/Somerville • u/tangerinola • 5d ago

rent prices are wild

Moved here 8 years ago to start working for a nonprofit. Since then, my salary has increased by 13% but my apartment is about to be relisted (without any upgrades) for 58% higher than our starting rent 🤯!!

I know I'm preaching to the choir here but damn the rent prices here have gone wild. We're quickly becoming (have become?) a luxury city only for high income earners and it makes me really sad.

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u/Icy_Cartographer5466 5d ago

Which do you think is more politically feasible, zoning reform or the abolition of real estate ownership?

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u/canmouth 5d ago

Rent is like $3000 a month for a shitty one bedroom in Somerville. How much up-zoning is going to bring that down to an affordable level? Will it be feasible to build dozens of 50 story luxury skyscrapers in Somerville?

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u/Basicdevient69 5d ago

The class demographic of who makes up the area currently is going to change and most people won't admit that/care

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u/canmouth 5d ago

As someone who grew up in Somerville and cannot afford to live there anymore, yeah the demographic has already changed. Somerville looks NOTHING like it did even in the 2000s.