# Somerville
Somerville Community Land Trust looks to address housing affordability, access
A row of Somerville houses is pictured on Feb. 1, 2022.Ian Lau / The Tufts Daily. Many members of the Tufts community call Somerville home, but that is becoming a reality increasingly out of reach for some within and beyond our community. With the inequities in Greater Boston’s housing supply exacerbated by the pandemic, the Somerville Community Land Trust is doing its part to strengthen housing affordability in the city, moving towards community ownership of land and housing.
Uyterhoeven’s PILOT reform bill under review in Mass. State House
The Massachusetts State House is pictured on Feb. 11.Katrina Aquilino / The Tufts Daily. Proposed legislation to reform the Payment in Lieu of Taxes (PILOT) program is currently under review in the Massachusetts state legislature by the Joint Committee on Revenue. Bill H.3080, which was filed in February 2021 by State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven of Somerville, would give municipalities the option to opt into a PILOT payment program requiring property tax-exempt organizations with more than $15 million in property holdings, such as Tufts University, to pay the city or town the equivalent of 25% of what their property tax would be were they not tax exempt.
Proposed tenants’ rights legislation would mitigate housing affordability crisis in Somerville
A row of Somerville houses are pictured on Feb. 1.Ian Lau / The Tufts Daily. State Representative Erika Uyterhoeven of Somerville recently petitioned Bill H.4208 in a joint committee in the Massachusetts General Court. The bill, one of many recent Tenants’ Opportunity to Purchase Acts, would permit Somerville to create a program where tenants of a property would be given the chance to purchase it jointly before it is put on the market. Uyterhoeven’s petition comes after an earlier version of the bill previously passed through both chambers but was vetoed by Governor Baker.
Somerville recognized as one of 95 global climate action leaders
A student biking on Tufts campus is pictured.Evan Sayles / The Tufts Daily. Somerville was recently recognized as a global leader in the fight against climate change. The Carbon Disclosure Project (CDP) ranked Somerville as one of just 95 cities around the globe working transparently to stave off the effects of climate change in 2021.
Ballantyne unveils agenda for first 100 days as Somerville mayor
Somerville City Hall is pictured on March 12, 2021.Nicole Garay / The Tufts Daily. Somerville Mayor Katjana Ballantyne was inaugurated on Jan. 3 during a virtual ceremony and subsequently released her agenda for her first 100 days in office on Jan. 12. The reception that typically follows a mayoral inauguration was postponed to the spring, when a civic celebration will be held.
Protestors slam vaccine mandate, delay vote at Somerville Board of Health meeting
A Somerville Board of Health meeting regarding a local vaccine mandate was interrupted by several protestors last week.Courtesy Wikimedia Commons. The Somerville Board of Health suspended a virtual public meeting Friday after dozens of protestors stormed the call, interrupted deliberations and prevented a vote on an order that would require individuals 12 and older to show proof of vaccination before entering select indoor spaces in the city starting Monday.
Here’s what you need to know about local mask mandates
The Teele Square sign is pictured on March 6, 2021.Sophie Dolan / The Tufts Daily. While Tufts students were away over the break, local officials were enacting new policies — and reintroducing old ones — to govern vaccination proof and mask use in public settings.
Mass. public schools call snow days, delay openings in response to omicron variant
The West Somerville Neighborhood School is pictured on Jan. 1, 2021.Nicole Garay / The Tufts Daily. More than 10 public school districts in the Greater Boston area, including Somerville Public Schools, either called snow days or had delayed openings during the week of Jan. 3 in order to catch up on COVID-19 testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) distribution.