SomerWiki A source-grounded wiki about Somerville, Massachusetts

Recently in Somerville

Updated September 26, 2026

A dated log of notable Somerville city decisions and news, newest first, covering June 25 through Sept. 23, 2026 (earlier entries, back to Nov. 25, 2025, live in the git history): Council votes and ordinances, zoning and development milestones, budget and layoff news, and other major city stories. Each entry links to a source and, where a dedicated thread page exists, to that page — see the dashboard for the full roster of threads and about the sources for what feeds this wiki.

September 2026

  • Sept 23 — The city named the pop-up gallery in Asana's vacant former Starbucks at 260 Elm St. "Diamond Factory," said it opens in October for three to four months with a ribbon cutting Oct. 17, and pitched it as a use for Davis Square's empty storefronts. (City of Somerville; arts and culture)
  • Sept 22 — Cambridge Day reported that Question 8, which would end recreational marijuana sales statewide in 2028, has GreenSoul Dispensary's planned Davis Square store on hold, and that Cambridge and Somerville took in about $765,000 in local cannabis tax revenue in fiscal 2025; a Union Square hemp retailer said he wants the dispensaries closed. (Cambridge Day; state primary)
  • Sept 22 — The Office of Housing Stability's website now gives Oct. 14 as the effective date of the Notice of Building Sale Ordinance and says the required tenant-notice forms will be posted in October. (City of Somerville; tenant protections)
  • Sept 22 — Legistar marked the Davis Square Neighborhood Council recognition item (26-1165) "Reported out of Committee" ahead of the Sept. 24 Council vote, with the full packet attached: bylaws, election results, affidavits and the recognition narrative. (Legistar; DSNC)
  • Sept 21 — WBUR reported that Mayor Jake Wilson is one of only two Massachusetts mayors officially opposing Question 3, the all-party top-two primary measure, while at least 10 mayors back it. (WBUR; state primary)
  • Sept 17 — The city posted the Nov. 3 ballot: 12 offices and nine statewide questions, with Uyterhoeven, Ewen-Campen, Mbah and Connolly all unopposed and Question 7 offering single-family homes by right on 5,000 sq ft lots statewide. (sample ballot; state primary)
  • Sept 17 — The city announced a $187,200 state MVP grant plus a $25,400 match for the "Green and Cool Somerville" sidewalk-tree program, citing a 14.6% canopy and heat hot spots across 80% of the city; the design RFP's deadline was later pushed to Sept. 30. (City of Somerville; flooding and stormwater)
  • Sept 17 — The city set an Oct. 6 ribbon cutting for the completed Tufts Street Neighborway, with about 45 street trees still to be planted. (City of Somerville; mobility projects)
  • Sept 17 — WBUR reported on a photography exhibit in the City Line Laundromat on Broadway documenting the East Somerville Community School's Unidos program, where an Office of Housing Stability employee said on the record that ICE activity in 2025 and 2026 has thinned use of the neighborhood's public spaces. (WBUR; immigration protections)
  • Sept 16 — The city released RFQ 27-13 for an owner's project manager for a citywide Building Master Plan, responses due Oct. 7. (RFQ; capital plan)
  • Sept 16 — The Winter Hill Urban Renewal Plan Civic Advisory Committee took updates from the 299 Broadway and 15 Temple Street development teams. (agenda; 299 Broadway)
  • Sept 15 — The city and Firefighters Local 76 signed a three-year contract through June 30, 2029: 2% raises each year plus 2% for 20-year members, a $6,000 EMT stipend, a new EMS stipend, a $50,000 cancer-screening fund and eight weeks of paid maternity leave. (City of Somerville; fire department)
  • Sept 15 — Legislative Matters recommended formal recognition of the Davis Square Neighborhood Council 5-0 after a Law Department opinion found its half-mile voting catchment, which takes in Cambridge, Arlington and Medford residents, does not violate the ordinance; Council President Lance Davis said the catchment is "too big" but that "that's on us" as drafters. (Somerville Council Digests; DSNC)
  • Sept 15 — Legislative Matters recommended 5-0 both anticoagulant-rodenticide measures, the city-property ban (26-1310) and the home-rule petition for private property (26-1257); Public Health Director Colin Zeigler said the city's own rat program switched to vitamin D bait in early 2024. (Council Digests; rodenticide ban)
  • Sept 15 — Legislative Matters recommended 5-0 a ban on retail animal sales and the non-union salary ordinance codifying the FY27 retitling; People Operations Director Anne Gill said the vacant Director of Water and Sewer Operations post was downgraded to an operations role. (Council Digests; Wilson reorg)
  • Sept 15 — Mayor Wilson signed the homeless-shelter zoning amendment (enactment 221213) and the East Somerville/Assembly Square UCH-TIF zone (enactment 221212). (Legistar; shelter zoning; tax-break zone)
  • Sept 14 — The city posted a Sept. 30 ZBA hearing on ten hardship variances at 1154 Broadway, the Teele Square "Pit," where Ward 7 Councilor Emily Hardt says owner Binoj Pradhan wants an eight-story hotel. (ZBA notice; Teele Square hotel)
  • Sept 14 — The Rosebud diner in Davis Square was still closed, two months after its operator told the Licensing Commission it would reopen "in two to three weeks." (Independent; arts and culture)
  • Sept 12 — Derrick Rice, the organizer of the body-camera hearing petition, declared for the Ward 3 Council seat with JT Scott's endorsement; Serena Taylor of the Somerville Homeless Coalition had filed with the state Aug. 24, and Emily Doran of the Union Square Neighborhood Council is weighing Ward 2. (Cambridge Somerville Independent; Council vacancies)
  • Sept 11 — At-large Councilor Will Mbah resigned by letter effective Dec. 31, writing that "Marianne Walles will succeed me" under the charter. (Somerville Times; Council vacancies)
  • Sept 11 — Tufts and 32BJ SEIU reached a tentative contract for 100 facilities workers eight days after a unanimous strike-authorization vote; it covers raises, paid time off, groundskeeper advancement and immigration-leave protection and awaits ratification. (Tufts Daily; Tufts)
  • Sept 11 — The city posted a joint Land Use Committee and Planning Board public hearing for Oct. 1 on five mayoral zoning amendments: parking maximums, removal of the ground-story elevation requirement, alignment with the state protected-ADU law, principal entrances, and affordable-unit and commercial-space terminology. (hearing notice; zoning amendments)
  • Sept 11 — Cobble Hill Apartments property manager Kevin Wiggins wrote to the Council on behalf of the senior residents at 84 Washington St., disclosing contaminated fill under the eastern berm at 90 Washington St. and asking six questions before any land disposition agreement vote. (Somerville Times; 90 Washington Street)
  • Sept 10 — Ward 3 Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen and Ward 2 Councilor JT Scott put irrevocable resignations effective Dec. 31 before the Council as late items and asked for a special-election order on the next agenda; Mbah asked for the election date so he could time his own exit. (Council Digests; Council vacancies)
  • Sept 10 — The Council ordained the homeless-shelter zoning amendment 10-0, allowing shelters by right in most residential districts and by special permit in Neighborhood Residence, and approved the East Somerville/Assembly Square UCH-TIF zone 10-0; At-large Councilor Kristen Strezo did not answer either roll call. (Somerville Council Digests; shelter zoning; tax-break zone)
  • Sept 10 — The Council referred the administration's six-amendment zoning package, including the long-promised state-ADU alignment (26-1336) and removal of the two-foot ground-story rule (26-1259), to Land Use with an Oct. 1 public hearing; Councilor Jonathan Link's parallel amendment (26-1373) went with it. (Somerville Council Digests; backyard cottages; accessible housing)
  • Sept 10 — The Council heard the administration's first civilian police oversight update, met in executive session with labor counsel from 8:05 to 9:22 p.m., and set a timeline: an update Sept. 24, a Legislative Matters discussion Sept. 29 and a public hearing in October; councilors asked for subpoena power, records access and a disciplinary role, and Council President Lance Davis said civil service law "has the final say." (Council Digests; police oversight)
  • Sept 10 — The Council referred the Cummings School warming center after-action report to Public Health and Public Safety for Sept. 30 after a floor exchange between Councilors Kristen Strezo and Ben Ewen-Campen; the city will use Cummings again this winter while seeking other sites. (Council Digests; warming center)
  • Sept 10 — The Council approved the Finance Committee's 14-item report 10-0, including the $332,497 Tufts Street soil fund, the $284,700 Eastern Washington transit-priority grant, $452,662.85 in Bluebikes grants and the $315,000 Morrison Avenue design transfer; Councilor Jesse Clingan filed four orders on curb-to-curb restoration, a street preservation fee and construction-timeline enforcement. (Council Digests; mobility projects)
  • Sept 10 — The Council referred $350,000 from the Immigrant Legal Services Stabilization Fund (26-1334) and the Armory arts-space leases (26-1354) to Finance for Sept. 22, and unanimously backed the UNITE HERE Local 26 and Teamsters Local 25 strike at Encore Boston Harbor, where 58 Somerville residents work. (Council Digests; immigration protections)
  • Sept 9 — The city formally announced the 925-seat, Perkins Eastman-designed school at 115 Sycamore Street as its preferred option submitted to the MSBA; Council President Lance Davis was the lone School Committee vote against. (City of Somerville; Tufts Daily; new school)
  • Sept 9 — Tufts library staff, with more than 70% of cards signed, declared their intent to unionize with SEIU Local 888 and asked for voluntary recognition. (Tufts Daily; Tufts)
  • Sept 8 — About 50 residents spoke for three hours at Legislative Matters' charter-required hearing on the ethical procurement ordinance; the committee took no vote and kept the written record open through Sept. 11. (Council Digests; divestment ordinance)
  • Sept 8 — Legislative Matters heard six residents for and five against recognizing the Davis Square Neighborhood Council, with opponents led by Meredith Porter and former state Rep. Denise Provost objecting to out-of-city voting members; the item stayed in committee. (Cambridge Somerville Independent; DSNC)
  • Sept 8 — Legislative Matters held the petitioned public hearing on police body-worn cameras and kept the petition in committee; the mayor's revised use policy and impact report still have no hearing date. (Council Digests; body cams)
  • Sept 8 — The joint school-buildings committees closed the Cummings teen-center item after Infrastructure priced a full renovation at $28,295,541 and recommended against putting it in the capital plan; the Argenziano balcony will not be modified, and Edgerly's transformer fix was put at roughly $3 million. (Council Digests; school buildings)
  • Sept 4 — The city posted official Sept. 1 primary totals: 17,440 ballots, about 32% turnout; Uyterhoeven 6,886 in Somerville, Ewen-Campen 7,195, Mbah 2,518; no winner changed. (official totals; state primary)
  • Sept 3 — Ward 2 Councilor JT Scott announced his resignation effective Dec. 31, timed to Ben Ewen-Campen's departure from Ward 3 the same day so the city can hold one special election for both wards in late January or early February 2027. (Somerville Times; Council vacancies)
  • Sept 3 — The Land Use Committee, meeting for the first time since June 18, recommended the homeless-shelter amendment 5-0 with shelters in Neighborhood Residence moved from by-right to special permit, and the UCH-TIF zone 5-0; analyst Samantha Carr reported NR holds 74% of zoned parcels and about 23,000 dwelling units. (Somerville Council Digests; shelter zoning)
  • Sept 3 — The Finance Committee recommended all 14 of its post-recess items 5-0, including two Department of Mental Health police grants, $8,800 in deputy-chief raises, the Tufts Street soil fund, $452,663 in Bluebikes grants and a $187,200 tree-canopy grant. (Council Digests; police oversight)
  • Sept 3 — A hundred Tufts facilities workers in 32BJ SEIU, without a contract since July 1, voted unanimously to authorize a strike at a Medford rally attended by Councilor Will Mbah and Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven. (Somerville Times; Tufts)
  • Sept 3 — The Somerville Arts Council said the Municipal Cultural Trust is proceeding as a home-rule petition, added a Sept. 17 virtual input session, and opened the 2027 Local Cultural Council grant round with an Oct. 15 deadline. (Somerville Arts Council newsletter, Sept 3; arts and culture)
  • Sept 2 — The Somerville Redevelopment Authority executed its developer designation agreement with Wood Partners for 90 Washington St. and set a schedule: draft land disposition agreement Sept. 30, Council referral targeted Oct. 8, zoning by year's end or a restart in January. (Somerville Times; 90 Washington Street)
  • Sept 2 — The Somerville Times reported the MBTA wants to drop Route 80 (Lechmere to Powderhouse Square via McGrath) as redundant with the Green Line Extension, the reason for the Council's Aug. 27 resolution; the MBTA's comment period closed Sept. 8 and no changes are expected before 2028. (Somerville Times; mobility projects)
  • Sept 2 — The Cambridge/Somerville/MWRA CSO planning page showed the public-comment deadline on the draft control plan extended a month to Oct. 30 "in response to requests from the public," with a third public hearing added for Oct. 28, 6-8 p.m., at Somerville City Hall; the notice was posted Aug. 24. (SomerVoice; CSO plan)
  • Sept 1 — The city handed Susan Berstler of the Nave Gallery the keys to the former Starbucks at 260 Elm St. for a pop-up gallery under a short-term lease with owner Asana, whose lab redevelopment of the block has stalled. (Independent; arts and culture)
  • Sept 1 — Erika Uyterhoeven won the Democratic primary for the open 2nd Middlesex Senate seat, taking 12,335 votes district-wide (37%) to 10,142 for Rep. Christine Barber, 6,073 for Cambridge Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem and 4,171 for Ward 1 Councilor Matthew McLaughlin; Somerville alone gave her 6,816. (Cambridge Day; City of Somerville; state primary)
  • Sept 1 — Ward 3 Councilor Ben Ewen-Campen won the 27th Middlesex House primary over Olivia Gilligan-Corsetti, 7,116 to 3,068 in Somerville, and At-large Councilor Will Mbah won the 34th Middlesex with 54.1% over Paul Ruseau and Chris Oates; with no Republican filed in the 34th, both are effectively headed to Beacon Hill and off the City Council in January. (Cambridge Day; City of Somerville; state primary)
  • Sept 1 — The city released an RFP for a new operator of the Founders Memorial Ice Skating Rink, with proposals due Sept. 23 and the rink required to reopen by Nov. 27. (City of Somerville; arts and culture)

August 2026

  • Aug 31 — Copper Mill CEO Andrew Flynn withdrew the 20+-story, 500-unit Davis Square tower at Elm and Grove streets, blaming the city for a lack of cooperation; Mayor Wilson cited the state's earlier denial of the project's Chapter 40B eligibility. (Cambridge Day; Copper Mill tower)
  • Aug 31 — DSNC Vice President Christopher Beland said Copper Mill had needed city zoning approvals by the end of 2026, and "it was pretty clear the neighborhood plan wasn't going to be ready in time for that." (Cambridge Day; Davis Square plan)
  • Aug 29 — Legislative Matters posted its Sept. 8 agenda, setting public hearings on the 89-voter body-camera petition and the 74-voter ethical-procurement-ordinance petition, plus DSNC's request for formal recognition as a neighborhood council. (Legistar; DSNC)
  • Aug 28 — The Planning Division opened its Davis Square Neighborhood Plan baseline survey (through Sept. 27) and announced a Sept. 16 in-person open house and Sept. 17 virtual meeting. (City of Somerville Planning Division newsletter, Aug 28; Davis Square plan)
  • Aug 27 — Council referred the body-worn camera surveillance use policy and impact report (Legistar items 26-1272, 26-1273) to Legislative Matters for recommendation. (Legistar; body cams)
  • Aug 27 — Council appropriated $937,409 from the Salary Contingency Account to fund a collective bargaining agreement with the Firefighters Association of Somerville, Local 76 (Legistar item 26-1253). (Legistar; fire department)
  • Aug 27 — Council President's order scheduling a public hearing on establishing a civilian police oversight entity was approved (Legistar item 26-1321). (Legistar; police oversight)
  • Aug 27 — Council approved a resolution supporting retention of MBTA Route 80 bus service through Somerville (Legistar item 26-1314). (Legistar; mobility projects)
  • Aug 27 — Council approved a resolution to increase crossing-guard pay, citing staffing shortages around schools (Legistar item 26-1318). (Legistar; traffic calming)
  • Aug 27 — Council approved a resolution to end the SNAP access crisis (Legistar item 26-1301) and resolutions backing Tufts SEIU 32BJ facilities workers, an international Tufts graduate student, and Logan Airport service and security workers (items 26-1302 to 26-1304). (Legistar; Workers United)
  • Aug 27 — A $332,497 Tufts Street Soil Project Stabilization Fund, to pay for remediation at 50 Tufts Street funded by Unifirst Corporation, was referred to Finance Committee (Legistar items 26-1249, 26-1250). (Legistar)
  • Aug 27 — A home-rule petition to regulate anticoagulant rodenticides was referred to Legislative Matters (Legistar item 26-1257). (Legistar; Beacon Hill)
  • Aug 27 — The Davis Square Neighborhood Council's request for formal recognition as a neighborhood council was sent for discussion (Legistar item 26-1165/26-1218). (Legistar; DSNC)
  • Aug 27 — Council confirmed five new police officer appointments and appointments to the Elections Commission and the Commission for Persons with Disabilities. (Legistar)
  • Aug 21 — Davis Square marked completion of recent public-space upgrades, including the Davis Square Slip Lane activation and new Statue Park placemaking art, with a ribbon-cutting. (Ward 7 Councilor Emily Hardt newsletter, Aug 21; Davis Square plan)
  • Aug 17 — The West Broadway Reconstruction Project began construction, starting on the south sidewalk from Alewife Brook Parkway to Clarendon, after delays for Eversource gas work. (Ward 7 Councilor Emily Hardt newsletter, Aug 21; mobility projects)
  • Aug 6 — The Arts and Innovation District Urban Design Framework, the final piece of Union Square's Five Point Plan governing growth along Central Somerville Avenue, was formally adopted. (City of Somerville Planning Division newsletter, Aug 28; Union Square)
  • Aug 1 — Contractors began overnight implementation of the Elm-Beacon Connector protected bike lanes, starting with pavement markings on Elm Street's north side. (City of Somerville Mobility Division newsletter, Aug 24; mobility projects)

July 2026

  • July 30 — The Human Rights Commission's first comprehensive report since regaining a quorum in 2025 found seniors face a 20% poverty rate, double the citywide rate, and flagged East Somerville, West Somerville and Winter Hill for persistent disparities. (CS Indie; equity reorg)
  • July 27 — At a special summer-recess meeting, Council approved the body-worn camera use policy 7-4 and the required surveillance impact report 6-5, clearing the way for the program after years of debate; a motion to reconsider failed 0-11. (Council Digest; body cams)
  • July 27 — Council voted 7-4 to accept the $231,635 state grant covering upfront body-camera costs plus 18 months of subscription and maintenance; equipment must be purchased by August 31, with the 31 superior officers implementing first. (Council Digest; body cams)
  • July 21 — The Rosebud diner's owner told the Licensing Commission the Davis Square landmark, dark since mid-May, is in talks to sell to operator Koushik Koganti; the commission rolled its hours back to zero during negotiations. (CS Indie; arts and culture)
  • July 21 — MassDOT presented updated plans to replace the deteriorating Squires Bridge over the Green Line/commuter rail tracks as part of the McGrath Highway-to-Boulevard conversion, with construction not expected to start until 2030. (Streetsblog Mass; McGrath Boulevard)
  • July 20 — The Somerville Redevelopment Authority voted to designate Wood Partners as development partner for 90 Washington Street, starting a 90-day negotiation period and a $50,000 deposit ahead of a land disposition agreement. (Somerville Times; 90 Washington Street)
  • July 16 — Ground broke on 299 Broadway and 15 Temple Street in Winter Hill, the former Star Market site now planned for 319 homes, 136 of them affordable. (Somerville Times; 299 Broadway)
  • July 16 — The city announced eight tenants selected through an RFP for the Armory under the Armory Master Plan, with leases now being finalized. (City of Somerville; arts and culture)
  • July 10 — The Hobbs Building housing the Somerville Theatre and Arlington's Capitol Theatre were both listed for sale at $12 million each by the Fraiman family's Chatham Light Realty trust; Mayor Wilson later said he'd work to keep the theatre in Davis Square. (Cambridge Day; arts and culture)
  • July 9 — Council authorized borrowing $130,392,395 for the Morrison Avenue flood-control "linear storage" project, expected to cut 10-year-storm flooding from 1.33 million gallons to 170,000 and start construction next summer. (Council Digest; flooding)
  • July 9 — Council laid the $231,635 body-camera grant on the table 8-2 rather than reject it outright, with Chair Wheeler citing roughly $446,000/year in ongoing costs; a public hearing was set for early September. (Council Digest; body cams)
  • July 9 — Council approved 10-0 a home-rule petition letting Somerville regulate early lease-renewal demands, sending it to the state delegation. (Council Digest; tenant protections)
  • July 9 — Council ordained an ordinance requiring landlords to notify tenants before listing a building for sale, and a separate ban on taxpayer-funded self-promotion by elected officials. (Council Digest; tenant protections)
  • July 9 — Council approved a new contract for the school custodians' union and a police detail revolving fund, both 10-0. (Council Digest; Workers United)
  • July 7 — Finance Committee voted 4-1 not to recommend the $231,635 body-worn camera grant, discharging it to the full council with a negative recommendation. (Council Digest; body cams)
  • July 1 — Public Safety for All project manager Jon Hillman told committee the $231,000 body-camera state grant expires August 31 with no extension, and the administration aims to launch a police accountability board at the start of 2027. (Council Digest; body cams)
  • July 1 — The MSBA emailed the city requesting it directly address unresolved community concerns about the new-school process, as advocates pressed for a 690-seat option and criticized a cited $90M Brown School renovation figure. (Somerville Times; new school)

June 2026

  • June 30 — Legislative Matters recommended a home-rule petition barring landlords from demanding lease-renewal decisions more than 90 days before term end, prompted by Tufts students pressured to re-sign 6-10 months early, and a Notice of Building Sale ordinance giving nonprofits a window to pursue purchase. (Council Digest; tenant protections)
  • June 30 — Legislative Matters recommended an updated 2025 surveillance-technology annual report and a Smart Tree Inventory impact report covering a 16,000-tree LiDAR scan; Chair Scott flagged that phone-extraction vendor GrayKey still won't share training materials. The ethical-procurement ordinance, the body-camera hearing petition and the CrimeTracer impact report stayed in committee. (Council Digest; surveillance oversight)
  • June 29 — Save the Alewife Brook presented an alternative CSO plan to Sustainability and Infrastructure, arguing MWRA—not Somerville—should fund full sewer separation at the Tannery Brook outfall, which discharged 29 million gallons of untreated sewage in 2023. (Council Digest; CSO plan)
  • June 25 — Council approved the $394M FY27 budget 9-2, with Strezo and Scott opposed; Scott said it "does not meet the moment" over unfunded special-ed positions and further police-department raises. (Council Digest; FY27 budget)
  • June 25 — Councilor Mbah introduced a nonbinding resolution calling on Mayor Wilson to restore funding for Racial and Social Justice, gutted and rebranded as Equity and Belonging; Councilor Link asked for Teen Empowerment funding restoration. (CS Indie; equity reorg)
  • June 25 — Council ordained a citizen-petitioned dormers zoning amendment 11-0, easing rules for homeowners to add usable top-floor space, while carving out backyard cottages for separate debate. (Council Digest; zoning amendments)
  • June 25 — Council transferred $1 million in developer community-benefits money to the Housing Assistance Stabilization Fund for direct rental assistance. (Council Digest; rental assistance)