Committee Report - Leg Matters - 6-28-17 — File 203879

Legislative Matters Committee Page 1 of 3 Printed 7/13/2017 June 28, 2017 REPORT OF THE LEGISLATIVE MATTERS COMMITTEE Attendee Name Title Status Arrived Mary Jo Rossetti Chair Present Mark Niedergang Vice Chair Present Katjana Ballantyne Ward Seven Alderman Present John M. Connolly Alderman At Large Present William A. White Jr. Alderman At Large Absent Matthew McLaughlin Ward One Alderman Absent Maryann M. Heuston Ward Two Alderman Absent Robert J. McWatters Ward Three Alderman Present Tony Lafuente Ward Four Alderman Absent Lance L. Davis Ward Six Alderman Absent Dennis M. Sullivan Alderman At Large Present Others present: Frank Wright - Law, David Shapiro - Law, Eileen McGettigan - Law, Michael Glavin - OSPCD, Tim Snyder - Mayor's Office, Annie Connor - Legislative Liaison, Peter Forcellese - Legislative Clerk The meeting took place in the Aldermen’s Chamber and was called to order at 6:26 PM by Chairman Rossetti and adjourned at 7:35 PM. Approval of the June 1, 2017 Minutes RESULT: ACCEPTED 202599: That the Mayor, the City Solicitor, and this Board's Committee on Legislative Matters develop a Home Rule Petition to enable the collection of revenues from developers of projects and large landowners benefited by the GLX. Mr. Snyder reported that the City Solicitor has drafted a Home Rule Petition, which if approved, would allow city to collect revenue, as specified. Alderman Niedergang asked what the implications of this legislation would be on the agreements already signed with the developer and Chairman Rossetti and Mr. Snyder explained that this legislation would be effective going forward and would not impact prior agreements. Mr. Snyder said that a geographic area, as yet to be determined, would be set around each GLX station and until this legislation is approved, any development would still be negotiated. Alderman Niedergang asked about having different fees for different areas and Mr. Shapiro said that,

Legislative Matters Committee Page 2 of 3 Printed 7/13/2017 in theory, it should be permissible. The city's state delegation has indicated that it wants to work with the city on this. Chairman Rossetti asked that the BOA be notified when the Public Hearing of this Home Rule Petition is scheduled at the State House. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 203097: Assistant City Solicitor submitting the US2-City Development Covenant. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 203098: Assistant City Solicitor submitting an Ordinance to create a Community Benefits Committee. Chairman Rossetti reported that the Union Square neighborhood recently held a meeting to vote the Union Square Neighborhood bylaws and fell short of the desired two thirds vote before moving forward with candidate elections. Chairman Rossetti recommended that the committee review the draft and then call for a public hearing on the matter in September, since the ordinance effects the entire city. At a date after the public hearing, the committee would again meet to continue its deliberation of this item. Mr. Snyder said that the Administration’s intent is to determine the best way to distribute community benefit funds, To that end, the Administration has come up with a proposal to work with communities to learn about their needs and to get ideas regarding the distribution of funds. Some questions still need to be answered, such as: 1) what are the pros/cons of a public vs. private entity, 2) how are the elections to be held and should the city be involved in the process? The Administration wants to take the time to do this right. Chairman Rossetti spoke about a misunderstanding that is circulating that gives the impression that there is a sense of urgency for passing this proposal, due to the BOA’s legislative term ending in July. She explained that the BOA meets year round and stated that the rumor was false. Alderman Niedergang, who was prepared to present his amendments, decided to hold off given the communications received today, however, he would like to begin hashing through some of the ideas. Alderman Connolly explained that there is no time limit to get this done, so it’s better to take extra time to get it right. He thinks that making it a private entity may give the perception that it may be 'exclusive' and sends the wrong message. Alderman Ballantyne inquired about when the first distribution of funds would happen and Ms. McGettigan replied that some funds have already been received, but are escrowed until the first building permit on the first building is issued - most likely sometime next year. Alderman Niedergang suggested that something should be written up for the public well ahead of the public hearing. Alderman Ballantyne said she needs to get feedback from community members who have been involved in this process and Mr. Glavin said the public vs. private question has been discussed actively and many people felt that the decisions should be made at the neighborhood level, however the restrictions may not be worth the tradeoff. Alderman Niedergang spoke about the tradeoffs outlined in a document previously handed out at the June 1, 2017 Legislative Matters Committee meeting and thinks that the information should be explained to the public when seeking their feedback. Alderman Sullivan spoke about the voting process and asked if geographic restrictions would be in place for various parts of the city and Ms. McGettigan said that neighbor councils are supposed to delineate the geographical areas.

Legislative Matters Committee Page 3 of 3 Printed 7/13/2017 The next scheduled meeting of the committee is on July 6th and Chairman Rossetti suggested that members speak to OSPCD staff about any concerns they may have. She recommends going forward on July 6th with the review. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 203619: That the City Solicitor prepare a Home Rule Petition for the city to collect revenues from developers and large landowners benefited by the Green Line Extension.w See discussion of item 202599. RESULT: WORK COMPLETED 203192: Union United submitting comments re: the Union Square Development Covenant. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 203555: The Chamber of Commerce, Union Square Main Streets, and Somerville Local First submitting comments re: the Union Sq proposed zoning, the US2 Covenant, and the Community Benefits Ordinance. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE 203556: The Maurice and Jane Sugar Law Center for Economic and Social Justice submitting comments re: #203098, the Community Benefits Ordinance. RESULT: KEPT IN COMMITTEE Handouts: • HRP for GLX Impact Fees (with 202599, 203619) • CPA Annual Funding Process (with 203098) • Rev Draft (6-26-17) – Community Benefits Committee (with 203098) • Communication – M Niedergang (with 203098) • Communication – P McCormick (with 203098) • Communication – Union United (with 203098) • Communication – T Antonino (with 203098)