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Somerville says it already exceeds new state condo-conversion rules; city to discuss stronger local measures
Summary
City housing director told the Somerville City Council committee that changes in the 2024 housing bond bill broaden state-level authority over condominium conversions statewide, but Somervillealready regulates more units under a 1985 ordinance; councilors asked about resident preference options.
Somerville housing officials told the City Council's Committee on Housing and Community Development on June 30 that recent changes in state law expand which buildings can be regulated for condominium conversion, but that Somerville's local ordinance already provides broader protections.
Ellen Schachter, Director of the Office of Housing and Disability, said the 2024 housing bond bill (often referenced in the meeting as the Affordable Homes Act) changed state authorization so that more two- and three-family buildings statewide now fall within municipal regulation. "In the end of 2024 in the housing bond bill, a series of policy changes went into effect," Schachter said. "The state law says that you can now…
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