City Planner George Proakis Talks Zoning

City of Somerville Director of Planning George Proakis stopped by the SCATV studio recently to talk about the overhauled zoning ordinance that is being considered by the Board of Aldermen and by the public.

“We are very excited about the opportunity, after five years of work, to take the next step in implementing our city-wide planning goals,” Proakis said in the interview. “One of the things our Somervision comprehensive plan called out when it was completed in 2012 was the importance of finishing a process of overhauling the city-wide zoning ordinance.”

According to a recent city press release:

An overhauled ordinance that seeks to make zoning more predictable and fair while enacting more than 100 policies and goals called for by the community in the SomerVision Comprehensive Plan, has been submitted by Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone to the Board of Aldermen, and the City is seeking public input and feedback on the ordinance. The overhaul, which breaks ground for the City on inclusionary housing requirements and zoning to support the city’s arts and maker economy among other community-driven provisions, is the first major review of the rules for development and land use since 1990, and incorporates a review of many regulatory provisions and mapping decisions that were first put in place nearly a century ago.

Learn more by watching the six-minute SNN interview with Proakis, by checking out the new websitehttp://www.somervillema.gov/zoning/ and by attending a January 20 meeting at the Amory at 6:30 pm.

Also, according to City Hall, “[T]he Land Use Committee of the Board of Aldermen and the Planning Board will hold a joint public hearing on the proposal on Tuesday, Feb. 10, at 6 p.m. at City Hall.