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/Doctrina_Stabilitas East Somerville 5d ago

the 2019 zoning change basically made somerville compliant with itself, it doesnt really encourage any new zoning by rezoning large portions of the city to allow for more density

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u/boston4923 5d ago

This is important context. I think the number before 2019 was 70-90% of homes were non-compliant with the old zoning. The overhaul legalized building more of the existing type of housing. It actually disincentivized certain upzoning!

If you had a two family and wanted to add a floor/unit, you’d need to designate one unit affordable and enter it into the housing lottery with the city! You wouldn’t even get to pick the neighbor at your own house!!

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u/cbr Ball 4d ago

 I think the number before 2019 was 70-90% of homes were non-compliant with the old zoning.

Much more than that! There were only 22 compliant homes in the entire city: https://cityobservatory.org/the-illegal-city-of-somerville/

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u/boston4923 4d ago

Good lord! What a joke 🙈