Somerville Launching SomerVision 2040 Comprehensive Plan Update Process

Mayor Joseph A Curtatone is pleased to announce the launch of a new community process to update SomerVision: Somerville’s Comprehensive Plan 2010-2030 and create SomerVision 2040.

Nearly ten years ago in 2009, the Somerville community came together over the course of more than 50 meetings, visioning sessions, and workshops to hammer out a guiding document for the city. The resulting SomerVision plan includes more than 584 values-driven goals, policies, and actions ranging from housing, job, and open space creation to neighborhood preservation, transformational development, and transportation advances, and more.

Since then, SomerVision and its metrics, goals, and priorities have served as the cornerstone of City policy and planning and City efforts to make Somerville an exceptional place to live, work, play, and raise a family. The City is now calling the community together again to revisit SomerVision 2030 and build in goals for 2040. The process will start with a SomerVision 2040 Kick-Off Meeting on Tuesday, January 15^th, from 6 to 8 p.m. at The Center for Arts at the Armory at 191 Highland Ave.

“Of course we still have more to do, but the critical progress that our city has made toward our housing, workforce, mobility, and other goals traces straight back to the clear and consistent vision for our future anchored in SomerVision—along with that Somerville tendency to never give up (think Green Line Extension),” said Mayor Curtatone. “A lot has changed since SomerVision was first written. In some areas, such as our Somerville Climate Forward Plan for becoming carbon-neutral by 2050, we are already looking further into the future than 2030. So to keep SomerVision a living document that is responsive to new opportunities and evolving needs, we are reconvening this process and asking to hear from the community once again. I hope everyone interested takes part.”

The City’s goal is broad participation. Opportunities to take part, including multilingual discussions, will be designed for both busy residents who want to quickly weigh in on key issues and for those who want to engage more deeply through debates about specific policies and strategies. Options include everything from serving on the Steering Committee or attending meetings to taking a survey or hosting a SomerSupper with your neighbors.  More information on all aspects is coming soon.

All are also encouraged to learn more about SomerVision 2030 and the process for creating SomerVision 2040, by attending the SomerVision 2040 Kickoff on Tuesday, January 15, at 6 p.m. at The Armory. For anyone who can’t attend, the meeting will be videotaped and posted at www.SomerVision2040.com for later viewing. An RSVP is notrequired, but an RSVP at EventBrite is encouraged.  

All community members are also invited to participate in the SomerVision Challenge by taking photos in Somerville of 1) something you love, 2) something you’d love to change, and 3) a SomerVision 2040 related question you have. Then share them on social media with #SomerVision2040, or email your submissions to planning@somervillema.gov, or hand deliver paper submissions to the Welcome Desk at City Hall. The City may share your contributions through future SomerVision events and documents to help spark and inform discussion (if you post on social media, be sure to make your post and profile public so we can share your vision).

To stay informed about future SomerVision 2040 announcements, visit the website and join our email list at www.SomerVision2040.com. 

Core SomerVision 2030 Goals

• 30,000 New Jobs
  as part of a responsible plan to create opportunities for all Somerville  workers and entrepreneurs
   
• 125 New Acres of Publicly-Accessible Open Space 
  as part of our realistic plan to provide high-quality and well-programmed community spaces 
   
• 6,000 New Housing Units including 1,200 Permanently Affordable units 
  as part of a sensitive plan to attract and retain Somerville’s best asset: its people
   
• 50% of New Trips via Transit, Bike, or Walking 
  as part of an equitable plan for access and circulation to and through the City
   
• 85% of New Development in Transformative Areas 
  as part of a predictable land use plan that protects neighborhood character

To view the full SomerVision 2030 plan and the progress reports visit www.somervision2040.com.

Individuals with disabilities who need auxiliary aids and services for effective communication, written materials in alternative formats, or reasonable modifications in policies and procedures, in order to access the programs and activities of the City of Somerville or to attend meetings, should contact the City’s ADA Coordinator, Nency Salamoun, at 617-625-6600 x2323 or NSalamoun@somervillema.gov.