Committee Report - Land Use - 5-25-16 — File 201515

Land Use Committee Page 1 of 1 Printed 5/27/2016 May 25, 2016 REPORT OF THE LAND USE COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Lance L. Davis Chair Present Mark Niedergang Vice Chair Absent William A. White Jr. Alderman At Large Present Matthew McLaughlin Ward One Alderman Present Maryann M. Heuston Ward Two Alderman Absent Robert J. McWatters Ward Three Alderman Absent Tony Lafuente Ward Four Alderman Present Katjana Ballantyne Ward Seven Alderman Absent John M. Connolly Alderman At Large Absent Dennis M. Sullivan Alderman At Large Present Mary Jo Rossetti Alderman at Large Present Others present: Dan Bartman - OSPCD, Ed Bean - Finance, Rositha Durham - Clerk of Committees The meeting took place in the Committee Room and was called to order at 6:45 PM by Alderman Davis and adjourned at 8:38 PM. Document List: • Mobility Presentation (with 198429) • Translating SomerVision to Union Square (with 198429) 198429: Requesting the adoption of a New Zoning Ordinance (updated) to supersede the current Zoning Ordinance as originally adopted on March 23, 1990. Mr. Bartman spoke about how daily commuting is a fact of life for the residents of Somerville as many have to leave the city to go to work. Many of these people have to drive, and automobiles can have an impact on our lives emotionally, financially and physically. Alderman White asked, that when presenting on zoning to the committee, the presenter think about the 75,000 people in the city. He also inquired about the relationship to building and parking spaces, adding that it would be helpful to have the number of registered vehicles in the city along with information as to whether that number has declined. Mr. Bean stated that the city has that information. Mr. Bartman said that weather has an impact on mobility, i.e., walking.

Land Use Committee Page 2 of 2 Printed 5/27/2016 Alderman Lafuente said that using New York City is not a good comparison because its faster to use public transportation there rather than driving. Mr. Bartman explained that the information came from an article by Dr. Rachel Weinberger who studied households in the Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens, N.Y. The problem is far rooted and comes from years of ignoring the infrastructure. Places in Europe that have built infrastructures underground were discussed. Alderman Lafuente asked for data showing the number of cars per development vs. the number of spaces that were built for those developments. Alderman Rossetti asked when the Weinberg and Chartman study was performed and Mr. Bartman said that he would provide that information. Alderman Rossetti also spoke about parking for the new Somerville High School. Alderman McLaughlin talked about the existing parking problem in the city and about limiting parking permits to new residents and perhaps designing a program that promotes new residents who do not have cars. He asked if Mr. Bartman was aware of any city/town that limits parking permits. Questions were asked about unbundling parking spaces for residents who do not have vehicles and having those who do have vehicles pay extra for the parking. Chairman Davis said the city cannot continue building developments that cause more traffic issues. He asked about shared parking and whether there is a management company that would manage the sharing of parking spaces among individuals and/or businesses. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE