The Somerville City Council Land Use Committee and the Planning Board opened a joint public hearing March 10 on a request to rezone 295–297 Medford Street and 93 Walnut Street from Mid Rise 3 (MR3) to Mid Rise 4 (MR4), a change the Somerville Community Land Trust (SCLT) and its partners say is needed to make a 100% affordable housing project feasible.

The proposal, submitted as a zoning map amendment (Public Communication ID 25‑0269) by trustees John Fragioni and Agostino Fiola of the Grama Realty Trust and presented by the Somerville Community Land Trust, would allow a taller building on a currently vacant lot near Gilman Square to accommodate what project proponents described as about 50 affordable units under the city’s Affordable Housing Overlay.

Nut graf: Supporters said the MR3 to MR4 change is required to reach the scale needed to deliver permanently affordable housing at the site; opponents called the proposed seven‑story bulk excessive for the block and raised concerns about parking, traffic, shadows and neighborhood character. The committee took no vote and left the item in committee with the public comment period kept open to allow further input.

Project proponents framed the request as narrowly targeted to allow additional height while preserving other dimensional rules. Ben Baldwin, executive director of the Somerville Community Land Trust, said the rezoning would “allow the scale necessary to actually build the 100% affordable housing project that we’re proposing here,” and that the site would be eligible for the density bonus available under the Affordable Housing Overlay. Architect Matt Drosselmeyer presented shadow studies for the spring, summer, autumn and winter equinoxes that showed most new shadows would fall on the MBTA tracks and that existing taller buildings across Medford Street already cast much of the area’s shadow.

Supporters from the neighborhood and citywide groups repeatedly told the committee the site is appropriate for affordable housing because of its proximity to Gilman Square station and the Community Path. Thomas Rafferty, a social worker and recent Somerville resident, said the site was “as good as we can possibly get in a place that is as dense as Somerville.” Several speakers urged the city to maximize family‑sized units and high‑quality construction; Ivana Barca, coordinator for Padres Latinos of Somerville Public Schools, urged more 2‑ and 3‑bedroom units and “sustainable construction practices such as carbon free mass timber.”

Neighbors who opposed the rezoning said a seven‑story maximum is excessive for a block with lower scale housing and raised practical worries about parking and traffic, rodent problems and loss of light. Rick Caledroopoulos said he had circulated neighborhood petitions opposing a prior rezoning attempt and told the committee he expected “over 200 registered voters in the neighborhood who stand united against the proposed development.” Charlotte Dore and others warned that allowing rezoning requests may encourage similar upzonings on nearby lots.

The committee and planning board accepted written and spoken testimony. The Planning Board and the Land Use Committee will keep the public comment period open through March 31 at 7 p.m., and the Land Use Committee left the item in committee with no vote taken. City staff and the project team said further design review, shadow analysis and neighborhood outreach would continue if the rezoning proceeds through the Planning Board and final council vote.

Ending: The Land Use Committee did not take action at the March 10 joint hearing; staff and proponents said additional design work and community discussions will continue and the public may comment through the end of March.