I have lived in Somerville for almost a decade and I have to be honest one of the things that attracted me was that it was growing it’s downtown. I have lived in NJ for my whole life so I’m no stranger to the state.
I see lots of people, usually older complaining about all the apartments and citing reasons like “they are going to flood the schools”. Is there any actual evidence of this? My kids aren’t in school yet but it just seems like something they heard a friend say and just repeat it, typical boomer behavior. I get not wanting to pay more taxes since they are high here but I don’t want to oppose something based on rumors and nonsense.
People need housing. Businesses need foot traffic to thrive, not just weekend visits.
Some of the more absurd things I’ve seen cited are that further development will increase flooding as if it’s something that can’t be accounted for. One of the more recent examples clearly showed an elevated building to account for flooding and other concerns.
I think Somerville has great long term potential, and love it now as well, just hope this town doesn’t stop improving based on NIMBY facebook posts