Mayor Katjana's Leadership on Affordability and Anti-Displacement
As Mayor, she is using every tool available to make Somerville more affordable. She's been punching above her weight for decades, to ensure that Somerville wlil do her part to end the regional housing crisis.
In only three years Mayor Katjana has made real progress on affordability, she's delivered results that matter in Somerville
- She's added 974 new affordable housing units to the development pipeline
- Distributed over $9 million in rental assistance and housing vouchers to help families stay in Somerville
- Completed the Clarendon Hill redevelopment Apartments, 168 new, affordable family homes. These will be efficient and fossil fuel free. The first phase of which she led from inception to completion, as councilor and mayor
- Expanded the anti-displacement task force
Clarendon Hill Apartments Project will add nearly 300 new, sustainable, affordable housing units.
Mayor Katjana Ballantyne created the Anti-Displacement Task Force (ADTF) in 2023
To address housing and rental pressures, forming three committees to prevent the displacement of residents, small businesses, and non-profits in Somerville.
The ADTF's results include:
- Developed policy and programming to reduce displacement.
- Protection for residents, businesses, and the cultural arts from displacement.
- Informing community members about displacement assistance through events and video series, according to the City of Somerville.
- Mayor Ballantyne has also highlighted the work of the ADTF as part of her administration's efforts to create stability in the city.
See the patch news article about the ADTF, and the Somerville News article about the ADTF
Mayor Katjana Ballantyne's Record for Affordable Housing
Mayor Katjana has worked successfully to increase and protect affordability in Somerville for decades.
She's qualified by her real-world experience creating affordability, including working for an affordable housing developer, and she’s done that twice; once with Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation (JPNDC), as a career ladders program director, and as board president of Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) creating affordable housing and jobs access.
In Katjana’s eight years as a councilor and as the twice-elected president of the city council. Mayor Katjana has sponsored, supported and voted for many initiatives to make housing and Somerville more affordable such as
- The Office of Housing Stability
- Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) requiring 20% affordable units in new housing development
- The 2000 Homes Program
- The Ordinance for Condo Conversion
- The Affordable Housing Overlay District Zoning Amendment
- The Short-Term Rental Ordinance, The Community Land Trust, The Fair Housing Commission
- On-Campus Housing for students, and more
Future Development
Mayor Ballantyne's commitment to housing stability extends to long-term planning and development. Transformative plans for neighborhoods like Brickbottom and Assembly Square envision the creation of an additional 1,200 affordable housing units. These ambitious projects demonstrate a dedication to ensuring that Somerville remains an inclusive and affordable community for all residents.
Mayor Ballantyne is also creating good jobs with good pay
- She created fair, equitable pay and benefits for city workers by renegotiating union labor contracts
- She is overwhelmingly endorsed by Labor as the Workers' Mayor, for her support for local workers and families
Mayor Katjana's new zoning for Somernova, Brickbottom and Assembly Square will create affordability and good jobs for years to come
- Her Somernova zoning for Somerville Ave just passed, which will provide $33 Million dollars to the AHTF and $4.3 Million dollars to the JRTF
- She brought unions and the developer to the table to make an excellent PLA project labor agreement that will provide good jobs for decades to come
- Her zoning for Brickbottom will provide $50 Million dollars to the AHTF and $0.5 Million dollars to the JRTF
- Her zoning for Assembly/Home Depot area will provide $112 Million dollars to the AHTF and $14 Million dollars to the JRTF
Expanding Affordable Housing
Mayor Katjana’s affordable housing accomplishments include:
- Early Action Acquisition Fund: Mayor Ballantyne has leveraged innovative financial tools to expand the city's affordable housing stock. The Early Action Acquisition Fund has enabled the purchase of existing housing units and the development of new income-restricted housing, ensuring that affordable options remain available amidst rising housing costs.
- Affordable Housing Pipeline: The City has actively fostered the development of affordable housing, with 964 units currently in the permitting or development pipeline. This commitment to expanding affordable housing options is crucial for long-term housing stability.
- Sealing Eviction Records: To promote housing access and opportunity, the City has implemented a policy to seal eviction records for no-fault evictions. This measure helps prevent past housing challenges from unfairly impacting individuals' ability to secure future housing.
- Mayor Katjana will continue to use every tool available to create, expand, maintain and protect affordability and affordable housing.
Mayor Katjana knows that while we have made progress toward affordability in Somerville, we have much more to do to make Somerville affordable, and she is uniquely qualified with the skills and experience to lead us to an affordable Somerville where we can all thrive together.
Mayor Ballantyne has a long history of making Somerville more affordable, including
- As Project Director for Workforce Development for the Jamaica Plain Neighborhood Development Corporation, she led an organization that provided training, jobs linkage, career ladders for disadvantaged residents.
- As a volunteer, board member, and Board President of Somerville Community Corporation (SCC) for ten years, Katjana worked successfully for over a decade to develop affordable housing and to connect Somerville residents with jobs training and jobs linkage programs.
As a city councilor, Katjana has sponsored and supported groundbreaking programs to improve housing affordability and job opportunities
- Supported Somerville’s Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance that requires 20% of new housing units to be affordable / inclusionary housing, and with density bonuses for additional affordable housing development
- Supported District Increment Financing (DIF) to finance affordable housing creation
- Supported the 100 Homes Program to buy open market homes and convert them to affordable units
- Supported the Ordinance for Condo Conversion, giving tenants a right of first refusal to purchase the homes they currently rent; Katjana proposed an amendment to allow first priority to convert for family members
- Supported the creation of The Office of Housing Stability to provide housing resources for residents who need assistance
- Sponsored a Home Rule Petition to allow us to require Institutional Master Planning for large institutions in our revised Zoning Code
- Supported and advocated for the Jobs Creation and Retention Trust Fund, which requires developers to pay for enhanced job opportunities and training for Somerville residents
- Supported the creation of the Talent Equity Playbook, planning to bring thousands of new jobs to Somerville by 2030
Mayor Ballantyne understands that affordability is a two-sided coin: one side is how to address the rising cost of living; the other side is how to nurture equitable opportunities for better jobs and incomes. She's using every tool to give Somerville residents the whole coin. Mayor Katjana understands that for Somerville to thrive, we need to work together both for affordable living costs and for good jobs. Katjana has a proven record of working successfully toward both goals, as a nonprofit administrator, volunteer, and city councilor.
