Justin S.
@jsaif.bsky.social
Indie rock, #CambMA and national politics, occasional humor, law. Pro-housing, pro-transit. A Better Cambridge co-chair, “chatty and zealous”
Ask your MA legislators to support housing in the final Economic Development Bill! Write a letter here: actionnetwork.org/letters/ask-...
Ask your legislators to support housing in the final Economic Development Bill
The Massachusetts House and Senate have each passed their versions of the 2026 Economic Development Bill, and the legislation now heads to a conference committee to resolve the differences between the...
actionnetwork.org
Protect Housing Near the Arboretum. Sign here: actionnetwork.org/petitions/pr...
Protect Housing Near the Arboretum
In the Moss Hill section of Jamaica Plain, the average home value is around $1.5 million. But some people there are trying to keep new neighbors out and block affordable housing near the Arboretum. T...
actionnetwork.org
Over the past ten years, the housing movement has grown from a small number of people into a national collective pushing change across the country: Maryland, Arizona, Cambridge, California, and now the halls of Congress. On August 4, the people behind those wins are coming together on one call.
Ironically, most of the pro-parking people in Cambridge claim to care deeply about heat islands.
Catie Gould@citizen-cate.bsky.social · 2w agoYour annual reminder that urban heat islands are a policy choice. www.sightline.org/2022/01/11/t...
I just wrote my Senator to support housing the Economic Development Bill (S.3178)! Write your own letter here: actionnetwork.org/letters/ask-...
Ask your Senator to support housing the Economic Development Bill (S.3178)!
This week, the Massachusetts Senate will debate its economic development bill, S.3178. This legislation includes policies that will help create the homes Massachusetts needs to thrive and is one of th...
actionnetwork.org
🎉 Housing Abundance Symposium! Join advocates from across Massachusetts for a day of workshops, a keynote conversation with @jamellebouie.net, and our Celebration of Abundance Luncheon. 🆓 Free to attend. ⚠️ Space is limited—register today! www.abundanthousingma.org/housing-abun...
Another MA state legislative session, another abject failure to do anything about MA’s housing shortage. Down to the smallest of small ball—municipal opt-in for allowing housing on religious properties (Yes In God’s Backyard) and commercial to residential conversions.
“In Toderian’s view, the dividing line between cities that succeed and those that stagnate isn’t geography, wealth or even size—it’s mindset. Some places embrace experimentation, risk…Others default to caution, delay, and a reflexive belief that change is impossible.” momentummag.com/urban-truth-...
Remember when Councillor Zusy claims to support Just-A-Start and this project on Mass Ave that she supports Doug Brown’s zoning petition that would have a huge negative impact on this and all other proposals under the 100% Affordable Housing Overlay!
Cambridge Somerville Independent@csindie.bsky.social · last mo.Amid opposition to a project with 100 affordable homes for families, even a new park draws fire
This article omits the part where the affordable housing opponents acted like complete spoiled toddlers and threw a fit, yelling like entitled jerks to try to get their way.
Cambridge Somerville Independent@csindie.bsky.social · last mo.Amid opposition to a project with 100 affordable homes for families, even a new park draws fire
“Boston has been named the best US city for foreign multinationals to do business, topping the fourth annual FT-Nikkei Investing in America ranking as companies prioritise skilled workers and research networks despite the city’s higher costs.” www.ft.com/content/ced9...
Boston tops FT-Nikkei ranking as global companies seek skilled workers
International groups pick Massachusetts capital for intellectual wealth and quality of life, despite higher costs
ft.com
Justin S.@jsaif.bsky.social · 2mo agoFT nails the part about housing costs, where Boston has repeatedly failed to lead: “Boston’s immediate challenge, then, is not whether it can attract ambitious outsiders. Its harder task is making sure they can stay.”
Not too late to email Cambridge City Council and tell them to stand up for housing affordability! www.abettercambridge.org/multifamily_...
🚨 Action Alert: Tell City Council to Support Housing Affordability and Reject Attacks on Housing!
abettercambridge.org
Tell Cambridge City Council not to turn back the clock and reinstate anachronistic parking mandates tonight! www.abettercambridge.org/multifamily_...
🚨 Action Alert: Tell City Council to Support Housing Affordability and Reject Attacks on Housing!
abettercambridge.org
Jonathan Berk 🏠@berkie1.bsky.social · 2mo agoMontreal, Edmonton, Cambridge, Portland, Missoula, Buffalo, Denver, Minneapolis, Austin, Kansas City, Vancouver and Toronto are just some of the hundreds of North American cities that have eliminated arbitrary, minimum parking requirements.
For a generation, special permits were the way that both inclusionary and 100% affordable projects were struck down. Now that we have our first new housing proposed in West Cambridge, 3 of my colleagues have decided to bring back special permits under the guise of tree protection.
“The plaque says Fort Seawall built in 1644, ‘the structure has been modified to accommodate the town’s changing needs...’ Maybe history does have lessons for us after all.” - Marblehead’s David Modica rallying over 100 housing advocates ahead of @abundanthousingma.org Lobby Day
A tale of two cities: as bad as Eric Adams was, one area where he and Zohran are aligned is the importance of building more housing meanwhile Michelle Wu’s NIMBY policies are wrecking Boston’s homebuilding
Some go as high as several acres—87,000 square feet! The Starter Home ballot initiative seeks address this very issue—sign up to gather signatures! www.abundanthousingma.org/weekend-of-a...
Weekend of Action: Legalize Starter Homes
abundanthousingma.org
Jeff Byrnes 🚰 🏙️@thejeffbyrnes.com · 3mo agoHuge issue in suburban greater Boston! We've got exclusionary suburbs that have min lot sizes of 10k sq ft, 20k sq ft, it's ridiculous. Meanwhile you can build a 3 decker on 2500 sq ft no problem, & 4–6 storey apartment bldg on 5k sq ft (20ish homes!)
Mid-Cambridge has successfully used their exclusionary Neighborhood (Historic) Conservation District to block multifamily infill and affordable housing for decades, so no surprise really. www.cambridgema.gov/-/media/File...
cambridgema.gov
Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem@burhanazeem.bsky.social · 3mo agoSkeptics said the new zoning wouldn’t pencil. Or that developers would only build to the inclusionary floor. Good news / bad news is that it’s working well enough that there’s now a petition to pause it. www.change.org/p/pause-new-...
🚨 Congress could vote on the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act as soon as TOMORROW! 🚨 Visit the link to tell your representative to support the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act TODAY: https://pulse.pulse.ly/1ngqhvn3lc
San Diego fell from 5th to 12th most expensive rental market by building more multifamily housing per capita than any other California city. This is what happens when you actually build. The lesson isn't complicated. www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2026/05/13/s...
NEW 📣: Applications are open for our #GoodLife Residents Program on housing policy! Led by @resnikoff.bsky.social, the cohort will develop bold policy ideas to expand housing supply and address the real constraints on building, from costs to materials to financing. Learn more and apply by June 1 ⬇️
Roosevelt Institute Expands Housing Policy Work with Residency
The Roosevelt Institute announces a new application period for its Good Life Residents Program, soliciting applications for emerging policy leaders to write on housing policy.
rooseveltinstitute.org
20-years after the Keystone Building collapsed into Union Street, New Bedford is finally repairing the gap left in its urban fabric. A new mixed-use development with 45 homes & retail is rising in its place, part of a broader housing renaissance driven by pro-housing leadership.
At tonight's #cambma Planning Board, Tom Sieniewicz announces that it is associate member Joy Jackson's last meeting, as she is moving across the river [to Boston?].
“The plan is a sham. And it represents a bigger problem in Massachusetts: Housing prices are sky-high in large part because municipalities are effectively blocking new construction.” www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/07/b...
Marblehead’s housing ‘plan’ is a sham. It should be ashamed of itself. - The Boston Globe
Resident David Modica's viral criticism was right. The zoning proposal approved by Town Meeting on Monday will likely result in few new units.
bostonglobe.com
Justin S.@jsaif.bsky.social · 3mo ago@massago.bsky.social should consider whether egregious examples like this one can constitute compliance even on paper, and the legislature needs to act to forbid towns from engaging in this sort of nonsense.
By the way, it's not at all an exaggeration to say Marblehead residents were comparing 3A to the Revolutionary War
Gravel Influencer@gravelinfluencer.bsky.social · last yr.Wealthy Massachusetts residents really believe that fighting zoning to allow multi-family housing is a cause on par with the Revolutionary War
“We shouldn’t be signing our name to a lie and the state shouldn’t let us get away with it.” On state funding tied to compliance, he added: “We don’t f—ing deserve it. It’s just not the right thing to do.” marbleheadcurrent.org/2026/05/06/m...
Man whose housing comment at Town Meeting went viral: ‘We should all be vocal’ - Marblehead Current
David Modica didn’t realize his remarks at Town Meeting had gone viral until his phone started blowing up the next morning. His comments — questioning Marblehead’s plan to comply with the MBTA Communi...
marbleheadcurrent.org
Justin S.@jsaif.bsky.social · 3mo agoDavid Modica, truly the hero we need in Massachusetts! www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/06/b...
David Modica, truly the hero we need in Massachusetts! www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/06/b...
Marblehead man goes viral for comments on town housing plan: ‘Are we kind of being pricks?’ - The Boston Globe
David Modica’s remarks at Town Meeting on Marblehead’s plan to comply with the controversial MBTA Communities Act have exploded online.
bostonglobe.com
