SRA Annual Report 2024 — File 25-0191

Somerville Redevelopment Authority 2024 Annual Report Prepared by the Somerville Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development – Economic Development Division

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 2 Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) The Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) was founded in 1956, pursuant to the authority granted by the Massachusetts General Law Chapter 121B, § 3. SRA Board Phil Ercolini, Chair Iwona Bonney, Secretary Ben Ewen-Campen, City Councilor William Gage Patrick McCormick Christine Stone Courtney Brunson (November-December) Mayor Katjana Ballantyne Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development staff to the SRA Thomas Galligani, Executive Director Rachel Nadkarni, Director of Economic Development Catherine Lester Salchert, Special Counsel Ted Fields, Senior Economic Development Planner Ben Demers, Senior Economic Development Planner and Staff Liaison to the SRA https://www.somervillema.gov/departments/somerville-redevelopment-authority Email: SRA@somervillema.gov

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 3 Table of contents Overview………………………………………………………………………………………….4 What is ‘urban renewal’ and how is it used in Somerville?......................................................5 2024 Project Highlights Union Square Revitalization Plan……………………………………………………......7 Winter Hill Urban Renewal Plan………………………………………………………...9 90 Washington Street Demonstration Project Plan…………………………………..11 Consideration of urban renewal in Gilman Square……..…………………………...12 SRA landholdings List and map of SRA-owned land..…………………………………………………….14 Administrative matters regarding SRA-owned land………………………………...16 SRA leaseholder: Groundwork Somerville…………………………………………...16 SRA recruitment and reappointment..…….…………………………………………………..18 Appendices Appendix A: Definitions of blighted open area, decadent area, and substandard area…………………………………………………………………..19 Appendix B: List of SRA members during 2024……………………………………...21 Appendix C: 2024 Somerville Redevelopment Authority meetings and votes …..22 Appendix D: City of Somerville Code of Conduct for Board, Commission and Committee members…………………………………………………………………...23

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 4 Overview The Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA) was founded in 1956, pursuant to the authority granted by Massachusetts General Law Chapter 121B, § 3. This law provides the SRA with the power to declare an area “substandard, decadent, and/or a blighted open area,” and to prepare an urban renewal plan for redevelopment of these areas and undertake eminent domain takings to implement these plans. The goal of this process and of the SRA’s work generally is to create more economically prosperous and livable neighborhoods throughout Somerville. This annual report reviews the projects under the Authority’s jurisdiction during the 2024 calendar year. Submittal of annual reports is required by the Commonwealth’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC) and must be submitted both to EOHLC and to the mayor or “selectmen” of the city in which the Authority is established.1 (In the case of Somerville, these “selectmen” are referred to as “City Councilors.”) The SRA’s hope is that this report will also make the Authority’s work clearer to the residents of Somerville and other stakeholders whom they serve. This report will review the following: • What “urban renewal” is and how it is approached in Somerville; • The status of active urban renewal plans within Somerville and areas where urban renewal is being considered; • Land holdings of the SRA and any leaseholders of this land; and • SRA recruitment and reappointment efforts. 1 760 CMR 12.00: Urban Renewal Regulations, https://www.mass.gov/regulations/760-CMR-1200- urban-renewal-regulations

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 5 What is ‘urban renewal’ and how is it used in Somerville? Urban renewal refers to “a strategy for redeveloping and revitalizing substandard [and] decadent [sites] and blighted open areas for residential, commercial, industrial, business, governmental, recreational, educational, hospital, or other uses.”2 (Definitions for the terms “substandard,” “decadent” and “blighted” can be found in Appendix A.) The Massachusetts version of the program was established by the legislature under MGL Chapter 121B and describes the ways in which local authorities that implement urban renewal (called “redevelopment authorities”) can be formed and the rules they must follow in their work. The State has also released guidelines for urban renewal under 760 CMR 12.00 in the Code of Massachusetts Regulations, which lists regulations issued by state agencies (including the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (EOHLC), which oversees urban renewal in Massachusetts). In Somerville, the authority that governs the process of urban renewal is the Somerville Redevelopment Authority (SRA). The SRA can have up to seven members, which it reached in November of 2024 after operating for several years with six members. Five of these members are appointed by the Mayor subject to a City Council vote, one is appointed by the Governor, and one is a sitting City Councilor appointed by the City Council President. (A list of SRA members can be found in Appendix B.) Staff from the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development’s (OSPCD) Economic Development Division serve as staff to the SRA in a supportive, non-voting capacity. The vision and processes for urban renewal in a particular area are encapsulated in “urban renewal plans” (or “urban revitalization plans”). Urban renewal plans in Massachusetts are required to contain several components, including the characteristics of the project area that they seek to redevelop; how that area meets the eligibility criteria for being a decadent, substandard, or blighted open area; the goals of the plan; any acquisitions that are anticipated as part of project implementation; and the plan for citizen participation, among other relevant details. A plan must be passed by the local urban renewal agency and the governing body in the city it is intended for (in Somerville, these are the SRA and the City Council, respectively) and submitted to the EOHLC for approval before any implementation can begin. Urban renewal agencies can also create a type of urban renewal plan known as a “demonstration project plan” to “develop, test, and report methods and techniques and carry out demonstrations for the prevention and elimination of slums and urban blight,” as described in MGL c. 121b § 46(f). Once an urban renewal plan is adopted by the relevant parties, it gives a redevelopment authority the power to take private property identified in the urban renewal area through a process known as eminent domain, which requires an owner to sell property specified 2 Urban Renewal, Commonwealth of Massachusetts, https://www.mass.gov/info-details/urban- renewal-ur

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 6 in the plan to the authority. The authority must pay fair market value for property taken by eminent domain and is required to pay relocation fees for existing tenants.3 The intention of the SRA is to limit the use of urban renewal to situations in which the private market is not facilitating redevelopment of a substandard, decadent, or blighted open area on its own. Even when a property is included in a plan, the SRA strives for private development partners to purchase the site directly rather than using eminent domain. Somerville currently has two active urban renewal plans, in Union Square and Winter Hill. It also has one active demonstration project plan at 90 Washington Street on the Inner Belt / East Somerville border. A plan has also been considered by the SRA and neighborhood stakeholders in Gilman Square in recent years, though no plan exists as of the end of 2024 and the SRA has expressed a desire to City staff to use alternative methods to encourage redevelopment in that area. More details about the status of each of these plans and areas can be found in the following section. The SRA also occasionally considers new areas in which to use urban renewal, whether through the initiative of an individual SRA member, recommendation from City planning reports or staff, or another source. In Somerville, the creation of an urban renewal plan is accompanied by significant neighborhood outreach and engagement to form a vision for redevelopment and ensure that there is ample public support for the project. As established by a 2021 memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the SRA and the Somerville City Council, any disposition of property to a for-profit private developer as part of the implementation of an urban renewal plan must also be accompanied by the creation of a Civic Advisory Committee (CAC). A CAC is a committee of local stakeholders (e.g. residents, business owners, institutional partners) in or near the urban renewal plan area who provide feedback to guide the decision-making processes of the SRA. As of the end of 2024, CACs exist and are active for the Winter Hill Urban Renewal Plan, 90 Washington Street Demonstration Project Plan, and in Gilman Square. The SRA aims to host one general meeting per month to discuss elements of these projects. In 2024, the SRA hosted ten general meetings, along with three special meetings to discuss urgent topics. In the majority of these meetings, the SRA spent a portion of the meeting in executive session (meaning a session closed to the public) to discuss an active legal case to which they are a party. (For more information, see the “90 Washington Demonstration Project Plan” section of this report.) All 2024 meetings of the SRA (listed in Appendix C) were hosted virtually using Zoom Webinar. In meetings, SRA members follow a code of conduct adopted across City boards and commissions (see Appendix D for the full text of this code). 3 The process used to determine fair market value is generally to have a certified third-party appraiser conduct an appraisal of the property and produce a value. The relocation fees paid to existing tenants are determined by a state formula.

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 7 2024 Project Highlights Union Square Revitalization Plan In 2012, the SRA adopted the Union Square Revitalization Plan (USRP), which laid out a development vision for the Union Square neighborhood that would capitalize on the extension of the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority’s (MBTA) Green Line (GLX) to Somerville. This plan identified seven parcels to be compiled from smaller properties and then redeveloped, known as the “disposition (D) parcels” (see Figure 1). Figure 1: Disposition parcels identified in the Union Square Revitalization Plan. (Source: Union Square Station Associates’ Coordinated Development Special Permit (CDSP) application to the Somerville Planning Board.)

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 8 Following the completion of the USRP, the SRA used a Request for Proposals (RFP) process to select a master developer for the area, Union Square Station Associates (US2). The SRA entered into an agreement with US2 in 2017 to outline responsibilities, and later that year, the Somerville Planning Board approved US2’s Coordinated Development Special Permit (CDSP) application, which serves as a guide for 2.4 million square feet (sf) of development across the disposition parcels. This work is being completed in conjunction with a City-led plaza and streetscape redesign project in Union Square to capitalize on new development. In 2019, US2 also entered into a Community Benefits Agreement (CBA) with a neighborhood advocacy group, the Union Square Neighborhood Council, to outline additional benefits to be delivered with development. US2’s implementation of the USRP to date has largely focused on the “D2 Parcel,” located at the southeast corner of the intersection of Somerville Ave and Prospect St. The parcel comprises three buildings, a civic space, and several thoroughfares. Of the three buildings, one—on the “D2.1 parcel,” or 10 Prospect St.—offers over 180,000 sf of office and life science space (see Figure 2). The other two buildings—on the “D2.2 parcel” and “D2.3 parcel,” or collectively 20-50 Prospect St. (see Figure 3)—are mixed-use, containing 450 residential units (20% of which are deed-restricted affordable), 18,000 sf of ground-floor retail space, and shared parking. In 2024, US2 received the final Certificates of Occupancy from the City for all three buildings. With this milestone, the SRA also issued “Certificates of Compliance” for the parcels to US2, which stated that the projects have been developed in compliance with the development agreement and released the SRA’s right to retake title to these properties. As of the end of 2024, the team has leased 432 of the 450 residential units and a ground floor retail space to Life Alive, a Boston-area café. Figure 2 (left): 10 Prospect Street, located on the D2.1 subparcel of the USRP. The building contains 180,000 square feet of office and life science space. (Source: Union Square Station Associates.) Figure 3 (right): 20-50 Prospect Street, located on what are referred to as the D2.2 and D2.3 subparcels of the USRP, directly south of D2.1. The buildings contain a total of 450 units of housing. (Source: Ben Demers.)

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 9 With the substantial completion of the D2 development in 2024, US2 has turned to preparation for the next two sites to be developed: the “D3.1 parcel” (also known as 50 Webster Ave.) and the “D4.3 parcel” (not yet addressed). The D3.1 parcel, situated directly south of the Union Square MBTA Green Line station, is planned as the site of a 280,000 sf life science building with 16,000 sf of civic space (See Figure 4 for a rendering). US2 received a Foundation Permit for the project at the end of 2024. D4.3 is planned as the site of an affordable housing project that US2 is completing in partnership with two affordable housing developers: Preservation Of Affordable Housing and Somerville Community Corporation. US2 is currently working to acquire the sites that will make up D4.3. Winter Hill Urban Renewal Plan Between 2019 and 2021, City staff conducted a community engagement process on behalf of the SRA regarding redevelopment of a former Star Market site at 299 Broadway, which led to the adoption of the Winter Hill Urban Renewal Plan (WHURP) in 2021 by the SRA and City Council and the approval of this plan by the State’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities (then the Department of Housing and Community Development). This plan declared 299 Broadway and several surrounding sites as “decadent,” and gave the SRA the power to take the sites through eminent domain to facilitate development. (See Figure 5 for a map of the included sites.) Figure 5: A map of the parcels included in the Winter Hill Urban Renewal Plan from 2021. (Source: Winter Hill Urban Renewal Plan.) Figure 4: Rendering of the life science building planned to be constructed on the D3.1 parcel. (Source: 50 Webster Design Site Plan Review application to the Somerville Planning Board.)

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 10 However, rather than needing to select a master developer to acquire and develop the sites or take them through eminent domain, as was done in Union Square, a private development partnership made up of two development teams, Mark Development and Beacon Communities, and an equity partner, RISE Together, formed to create a proposal for 299 Broadway that would meet the goals of the WHURP. The proposed design includes two mixed-use buildings that together will provide 319 units of housing, 136 of which will be income-restricted. It will also provide approximately 20,000 square feet of civic space, 3,000 square feet of community space, and 10,000 sf of ground floor retail. The City has partnered closely with the development teams to support project financing, including through an allocation from the Somerville Affordable Housing Trust and the adoption of an Urban Center Housing Tax Increment Financing (UCH-TIF) scheme. In 2024, the teams continued work to finalize the project design and secure financing, including an allocation of Low-Income Housing Tax Credits towards the development of one of the buildings. The teams are aiming to begin site preparation in Summer 2025. During April and May of 2024, staff also conducted recruitment for the Winter Hill Urban Renewal Plan Civic Advisory Committee, which is a group of local stakeholders that provide consistent feedback on the WHURP’s implementation. This recruitment led to eight new members joining the committee. Figure 6: A rendering of the proposed development at 299 Broadway, approved by the Somerville Zoning Board of Appeals in February 2023. (Source: https://www.299broadwaysomerville.com/work/#updates)

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 11 90 Washington Street Demonstration Project Plan In late 2018, City staff informed the SRA about the possibility of acquiring a four-acre site at 90 Washington Street in the Inner Belt that could serve as the site of a new “Public Safety Building” (PSB) containing a fire station and police dispatch center, as well as associated commercial, residential, and civic development. (See Figures 9 and 10 for a site overview.) The SRA and City Council then each approved steps in the redevelopment process, including the SRA’s adoption of the 90 Washington Street Demonstration Project Plan (DPP), a payment for the taking of the property through eminent domain, and the demolition of Cobble Hill Plaza. In 2023, the SRA then released a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) to learn what developers felt was possible for site redevelopment and convened the 90 Washington Street Civic Advisory Committee (CAC) as a space for continued community input into the redevelopment process. In 2024, City staff continued to work with the CAC to create developer selection criteria to be included in a Request for Proposals (RFP) for site redevelopment. However, much of the SRA’s planning for 90 Washington Street has been delayed due to two lawsuits filed by the former property owner against the taking. The first challenged the use of a demonstration project plan for 90 Washington, in which the SRA prevailed.4 The second lawsuit challenged the market value used in the property taking. While the SRA had hoped to settle the litigation concerning market value, the parties were unable to reach an agreement and the case went to trial. In May 2023, the plaintiff prevailed at trial and the SRA received an initial judgment in the case that required it to pay an additional $26,528,000 in damages to compensate the former owner for the taking beyond the pro tanto payment of $8,778,000, plus interest from the date of the taking. The SRA appealed this decision via a motion for a new trial and sought appeal before the Figures 7 (left) and 8 (right): An aerial view of 90 Washington Street and a close-up map showing the site’s boundaries. (Sources: 90 Washington Street Request for Qualifications (Figure 7) and October 2022 Community Meeting materials (Figure 8).) 4 Cobble Hill Center Associates, LLC v. Somerville Redevelopment Authority, 487 Mass. 249 (2021)

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 12 Massachusetts Appeals Court, which issued a decision affirming the trial verdict on October 16, 2024. The SRA and the City are in the process of paying the judgment and additional interest that continues to accrue on the unpaid balance until the judgment is paid in full, anticipated for March. 1, 2025. In 2024, the SRA also extended a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the City that had been created in November 2022 that allows the Somerville Department of Public Works to store snow at 90 Washington Street in the case of a snow emergency, along with other materials. Because of a low level of snowfall, no snow was stored at the site in 2024, though other equipment was stored on site. Consideration of urban renewal in Gilman Square Located just down the hill from Somerville City Hall, Gilman Square is a neighborhood whose residents and business owners have expressed a desire to smartly capture the growth introduced by an MBTA Green Line station that opened in the neighborhood in late 2022. The City currently owns a parcel adjacent to the station at 350 Medford Street that was used for construction laydown during station construction, before it was returned to the City in May 2023. The Gilman Square Station Area Plan identifies this site and others nearby as candidates for public or private redevelopment and suggests that the SRA could aid this process. Because of the consideration of SRA support, City staff proactively convened the Gilman Square Civic Advisory Committee (CAC) in February 2022 to provide input on both the redevelopment of land already owned by the City and the potential for facilitating development through urban renewal. The focus of urban renewal considerations has been a Mobil gas station located at 360 Medford Street, directly adjacent to the larger City-owned site, which community members have expressed could be combined with the City-owned land to allow for larger-scale development. However, City staff have paused planning for City-owned land as a citywide strategy for land disposition is Figure 9: A map of Gilman Square, depicting two City-owned parcels at 350 Medford Street and the triangular green space, along with a Mobil Station (360 Medford Street) that the Gilman Square Station Area Plan recommended might be combined with City-owned land through urban renewal to facilitate a larger scale of redevelopment.

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 13 developed, which has included pausing development considerations of 350 Medford Street and a smaller nearby City property. The CAC met several times in 2024 and expressed some frustrations over the pause in redevelopment planning at the site and a lack of clarity over whether urban renewal would be pursued. The CAC summarized these concerns in a letter to SRA members in the Fall, and asked for a decision on whether urban renewal could still move forward prior to the completion of the citywide land disposition strategy. SRA members discussed these concerns and determined that they would not pursue urban renewal at this site in the short-term. SRA members instead encouraged staff to use alternative methods to achieve joint redevelopment of City- and privately-owned sites, such as an RFP process with incentives for purchasing the adjacent parcel.

SRA landholdings List and map of SRA-owned land Below is a list of properties currently owned by the SRA as of December 2024, listing the property ID, site address, land and total property values (as assessed), lot size, and the Somerville Zoning Ordinance zone in which each property falls. Data for this list was compiled from the Somerville Assessor’s Database. These parcels came into SRA ownership as part of the implementation of various urban renewal plans throughout the course of the Authority’s existence. Four of these parcels are located in Boynton Yards, one in nearby Union Square (this parcel is part of the D2 parcel of the Union Square Revitalization Plan), and one in the Inner Belt (90 Washington Street). A map of these properties can be found on the following page. *The value for lot 82-D-L5 is estimated here based on its share of the area of what the Somerville Assessor’s Office currently lists as parcel 82-D-26A, the value and area measurement of which are meant to capture this subparcel in addition to several others. The value of parcel 82-D-26A is listed as $5,291,300, and the area is listed as 1.9877 acres. To estimate the value for lot 82-D-L5, one can take the area of the lot, 0.0843 acres, and take the ratio of that area to 1.9877, and then apply this ratio to the overall value of $5,291,300 to get a value of $224,408. Property ID Site address Assessed land value (from Somerville Assessor’s Database) Total assessed property value (from Somerville Assessor’s Database) Lot size (acres) Zone 106-A-3B 90 Washington St $3,539,200 $3,583,400 3.9887 CIV 96-A-43 0 Windsor Pl $372,500 $372,500 0.0513 CI 97-A-7 138 South St $587,200 $621,200 0.2681 CIV 97-A-8 100 South St $314,100 $326,000 0.0876 CIV 97-D-9 24 Medford St $214,500 $214,500 0.0318 MR4 82-D-L5 NA (portion of 50 Prospect St) $224,408 $224,408* 0.0843 UR

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 15 Figure 10: A map of properties owned by the Somerville Redevelopment Authority. (Source: Somerville Assessor’s Database.)

Administrative matters regarding SRA-owned land In March 2024, the SRA voted to approve an easement to allow Eversource to install underground transmission lines through a property they own in Boynton Yards (Parcel 96-A-43, addressed as 0 Windsor Pl.). This will allow the lines to travel further into the Boynton Yards neighborhood and into Cambridge. SRA leaseholder: Groundwork Somerville The SRA currently manages one lease across its landholdings. This lease is with Groundwork Somerville (GWS), an urban agriculture nonprofit whose work encompasses “youth empowerment, urban farming, equitable food access, and community engagement.” Groundwork Somerville leases the SRA-owned land at 100 and 138 South Street for their urban farm operation. Since 2000, GWS has worked to cultivate the next generation of civil and environmental leaders to create a greener and more equitable Somerville. Through equitable food access, urban farming, youth empowerment, and community engagement, GWS builds the foundation necessary for a healthy community. GWS organizes its work in several main buckets: • Urban agriculture and food justice: The core of GWS’s mission is to increase access to and knowledge about urban agriculture to help promote food justice. The South Street Farm, located on SRA-owned land, is central to this mission. In 2024, the organization grew produce, flowers, and pollinators on this site; held programs; and hosted various events, including volunteer days. • Green Team: The Green Team is GWS’s youth development and employment program, through which the organization teaches youth skills in urban agriculture, environmental justice, and local organizing. The program worked with eight youths in the Spring of 2024 and twenty-one youths in the Summer. Images of these programs and the South Street Farm can be found on the following page (see Figures 11 and 12). In 2024, GWS also articulated a vision for the coming year that includes better utilizing the South Street Farm location. This includes hosting additional events and celebrations at the farm, offering community garden plots, and expanding the infrastructure on site to better support gatherings.

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 17 Figure 11: South Street Farm. (Source: Groundwork Somerville.) Figure 12: The Groundwork Green Team working on the South Street Farm mural with local artist Eugenia Volkova. (Source: Groundwork Somerville.)

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 18 SRA Recruitment and Reappointment In March 2024, the SRA put out its first call for new board members in several years. In Somerville, this process requires applicants to submit a resume and letter of interest, and then qualified applicants are interviewed by the City’s Appointments Advisory Committee (AAC). The AAC then recommends two candidates to the Mayor, who selects a final applicant to be interviewed by the City Council’s Confirmation of Appointments and Personnel Matters Committee. The full City Council then holds a final vote to approve or deny the applicant. The process led to the selection of a new SRA member, Courtney Brunson, bringing the SRA to full membership. The City has also announced a new reappointment policy that will limit all board and commission members to two consecutive terms before needing to reapply for their positions and will prioritize new membership to encourage resident involvement. The City will begin rolling out this policy in 2025.

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 19 Appendices Appendix A: Definitions of blighted open area, decadent area, and substandard area Below are definitions for the terms “blighted open area,” “decadent area,” and “substandard area,” as these terms are defined in MGL. Chapter 121B, Section 1. These three terms describe the types of spaces that are eligible for the use of urban renewal. Therefore proving that an area meets the requirements in these definitions is a key piece in the process of urban renewal. Blighted open area: A predominantly open area which is detrimental to the safety, health, morals, welfare or sound growth of a community because it is unduly costly to develop it soundly through the ordinary operations of private enterprise by reason of the existence of ledge, rock, unsuitable soil, or other physical conditions, or by reason of the necessity for unduly expensive excavation, fill or grading, or by reason of the need for unduly expensive foundations, retaining walls or unduly expensive measures for waterproofing structures or for draining the area or for the prevention of the flooding thereof or for the protection of adjacent properties and the water table therein or for unduly expensive measures incident to building around or over rights-of-way through the area, or for otherwise making the area appropriate for sound development, or by reason of obsolete, inappropriate or otherwise faulty platting or subdivision, deterioration of site improvements or facilities, division of the area by rights-of-way, diversity of ownership of plots, or inadequacy of transportation facilities or other utilities, or by reason of tax and special assessment delinquencies, or because there has been a substantial change in business or economic conditions or practices, or an abandonment or cessation of a previous use or of work on improvements begun but not feasible to complete without the aids provided by this chapter, or by reason of any combination of the foregoing or other condition; or a predominantly open area which by reason of any condition or combination of conditions which are not being remedied by the ordinary operations of private enterprise is of such a character that in essence it is detrimental to the safety, health, morals, welfare or sound growth of the community in which it is situated. Decadent area: Any area which is detrimental to safety, health, morals, welfare or sound growth of a community because of the existence of buildings which are out of repair, physically deteriorated, unfit for human habitation, or obsolete, or in need of major maintenance or repair, or because much of the real estate in recent years has been sold or taken for nonpayment of taxes or upon foreclosure of mortgages, or because buildings have been torn down and not replaced and under existing conditions it is improbable that the buildings will be replaced, or because of a substantial change in business or economic conditions, or because of inadequate light, air, or open space, or because of excessive land coverage or because diversity of ownership, irregular lot sizes or obsolete street patterns make it improbable that the area will be redeveloped by the

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 20 ordinary operations of private enterprise, or by reason of any combination of the foregoing conditions. Substandard area: Any area wherein dwellings predominate which, by reason of dilapidation, overcrowding, faulty arrangement or design, lack of ventilation, light or sanitation facilities or any combination of these factors, are detrimental to safety, health or morals.

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 21 Appendix B: List of SRA members during 2023 The SRA itself can have up to seven members, though only six of those seven seats were occupied during 2023. Five of those members are appointed by the mayor subject to a City Council vote, one is appointed by the Governor, and one is a sitting City Councilor appointed by the City Council President. Appointee Appointed by Position Date of first appointment Phil Ercolini Mayor & Council Chair November 10, 2016 Iwona Bonney Governor Secretary December 4, 2002 Ben Ewen-Campen Council President City Councilor January 24, 2019 William Gage Mayor & Council General January 22, 2009 Patrick McCormick Mayor & Council General March 28, 2019 Christine Stone Mayor & Council General March 25, 2021 Courtney Brunson Mayor & Council General November 1, 2024

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 22 Appendix C: 2024 Somerville Redevelopment Authority meetings and votes The SRA aims to host one general meeting per month, except for a summer recess and months in which no SRA or staff member has a significant item to discuss. In 2024, the SRA hosted ten general meetings. The SRA can also call a special meeting if it needs to discuss a topic more urgently than its usual schedule allows. In 2024, the SRA hosted three special meetings. All 2024 meetings of the SRA were hosted virtually using Zoom Webinar. The SRA also hosted one tour of a project site for members, though no deliberation took place on this project tour so it did not constitute a public meeting. The following table lists the dates of SRA meetings hosted in 2024, the type of meeting, and whether the SRA entered executive session during the meeting. Meeting date Type Did the SRA enter executive session during the meeting? January 17, 2024 Regular Yes February 21, 2024 Regular Yes March 12, 2024 Regular Yes April 9, 2024 Regular Yes May 14, 2024 Regular No June 11, 2024 Regular Yes September 10, 2024 Regular Yes October 7, 2024 Regular Yes October 23, 2024 Special Yes November 1, 2024 Special Yes November 12, 2024 Regular Yes December 12, 2024 Regular Yes December 19, 2024 Special Yes

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 23 Appendix D: City of Somerville Code of Conduct for Board, Commission and Committee members The City of Somerville places a high priority on encouraging all residents to participate in our government’s decision-making and planning processes. One valuable way for residents to do this is by becoming a member of Somerville’s boards, commissions and committees. These bodies are tasked with a wide variety of duties and services. The city strives to ensure that residents from all demographic sectors are participating on our boards, commissions and committees, along with ensuring these are safe spaces where members can all contribute equally. Members are important agents of the city, and thus must uphold high standards of conduct and professionalism. In order to achieve this, all members must comply with the following Code of Conduct when serving on any board, commission or committee: 1. Members will strive to appreciate differences in approach and point of view and treat residents, city employees, partner organizations and other board, commission or committee members with courtesy, respect and professionalism. 2. Members must administer board positions with integrity, honesty, truthfulness and adherence to the absolute obligation to safeguard the public trust. Members are also expected to maintain professional working relationships with other members, City staff and members of the public. 3. Attendance and participation are an important part of appointment to a board, commission or committee. While it is understood that members have other obligations, the expectation is that members will make every effort to attend and participate in meetings, and whenever possible communicate any hardships to attendance. 4. In some instances, members may find that various laws may apply to boards, commissions and committees and to member participation, such as the Open Meeting Law and the Public Records Law. Members are expected to comply with the applicable laws, and may seek guidance from city staff, the City Clerk’s office or the City Solicitor’s office. Members are expected to have a basic understanding of these laws and how they apply to their membership. 5. The committee chair will be tasked with ensuring that all members have the opportunity to provide input and encourage the exchange of fair and balanced knowledge and perspectives. 6. Members cannot unilaterally act on behalf of a board, commission or committee without authorization from that board, commission or committee. 7. Members should commit to studying and analyzing the problems and issues that come before them, listen to requests/questions, ask for clarification if necessary, and provide complete, knowledgeable, accurate, precise information regarding inquiries.

Somerville Redevelopment Authority | 2024 Annual Report 24 8. The committee chair will be tasked with ensuring that members are adhering to the code of conduct. 9. The conduct of public officials and employees—paid or unpaid—is governed by state conflict of interest law, the purpose of which is to prevent conflicts between private interests and public duties. Violations of the law may carry civil or criminal penalties. Members should comply with the law and disclose any personal or business interest which may result in actual or perceived conflicts of interest. Many aspects of the law are complicated, and members can seek guidance from the State Ethics Commission or the City Solicitor’s Office. 10. Disorderly conduct, including rude or intimidating behavior, utilizing obscene, abusive, threatening or intimidating language or actions will not be tolerated. In addition to any other remedies or enforcement options available under the law, each board/committee/commission may vote to censure the member and the appointing authority may decline to reappoint an individual who violates any provision of this Code of Conduct. The Staff Liaison of each board/committee/commission may recommend action through the appointing authority against the appointed individual that is deemed lawful including but not limited to requesting that the individual attend training, receive counseling and/or coaching, and/or removal from assigned duties and responsibilities including special assignments for the board or committee. 11. In the event a member violates this Code of Conduct, the following action steps may be taken: a. Any violation may be cause for dismissal, educational and/or corrective action. b. After an initial incident, a meeting may be called with the member and relevant city staff to clarify why the behavior violated the code of conduct and determine appropriate measures as listed above. c. Further incidents may result in dismissal from serving on that board/commission/committee and may be considered in evaluating applications for serving on any City board/commission/committee in the future. 12. As agents of the City of Somerville, members are expected not to discriminate against, or harass, anyone with regard to race, sex, color, religion, national origin, citizenship status, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, age, disability, miliary, veteran status or any other protected status or classification under federal, state or local law: Failure to abide by the above Code of Conduct may result in termination of an appointment.