Crystal Huff (they/them)

Huh, and now we hear a procedural thing discussed with the staff. Steve Cary (board liaison and PPZ staff) says the goal is to have an item on the agenda that allows for discussion that's not about a particular project. Formalizing this as part of the process. No one has anything currently top […]

Public testimony period will be left open on this development (199 Elm St) until 9 am on Friday, August 15th. Email comments to planningboard@somervillema.gov . #SomerPoli

Capuano asks to add something in to this application -- more definition of top of the building, sample mural, and I missed something else. We like the large, open roof space with garden. They'll come back to next meeting with a mural and top definition, sounds like in 2 weeks. #SomerPoli

Discussion of the Eversource transformer and updated electric service (I think?) that might be needed for this building. If they have to do major electric work wrt Eversource, they'll have to come back to Planning Board for more permissions.

Jahan Habib asks if they've thought of non-restaurant […]

Cornice - Wikipedia

Amelia Aboff says she wants a bigger mix of number of bedrooms in the units, and/or see a Group 2 accessible unit in the mix. Asks about putting some detail in to define the cornice line.

I had to look that one up, too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cornice #SomerPoli

Paul Miller says they considered showing a mural on the wall as part of the design. They figured it's likely the buildings will get taller as time goes on. Pablo says he loves the idea of commissioning a mural, but he isn't committing to it, from what I hear.

Lynn asks if they can put a public […]

Lynn Richards is asking about the plans for the blank walls on the sides of the building. Given how much they emphasize the murals in the area, she asks if they have plans to put in a mural on one or both walls of their building. #SomerPoli

Oooh, and they're answering my question!

Group 1 accessible means the area is adaptable, designed to be modified for full accessibility if needed. Access to the building is accessible via wheelchair so as not to prevent future accessibility.

Group 2, units are built as accessible from day 1 […]

Public hearing for this item tonight is now closed, and they're now having a convo with the planning board and the developer.
This will be a passive house certified building, and they plan to put trash in the basement, so they think it'll be super tight on design and trying to solve the rat […]

I spoke in favor of this development, noting that I'm not familiar with "group 1 accessible" and would appreciate an explanation even though we're not supposed to talk back and forth. (It's not a Q&A.)

A neighbor is speaking in opposition to this project. Rats are a major concern. He's annoyed […]

1 studio and 1 1BR units will be affordable units. I'm not sure what "group 1 accessible" means, though.

They've decided not to bring gas pipes into the building. #SomerPoli

The green score for the building is 0.357, apparently, mostly via the permeable pavers and 10" soil depth for street plantings. They're also adding 2 street trees.

Developer says they're planning to have an integrated heat pump, so they won't have rooftop equipment for it, and can do a roofdeck garden and hope the residents will grow veggies and native flowers. #SomerPoli

Artistic rendering of first floor, with Revival coffee on the right.

Developer says they're trying to integrate the Revival window next door, which will be next to their courtyard. #SomerPoli

Artistic rendering from an angle, in front.

Artistic rendering from the front, head-on.

Artistic renderings of what they plan the building to look like (next to Revival restaurant). Commercial elevator for accessibility. #SomerPoli

To be updated. Floor plan of the first floor (mostly commercial space).

Floor plan for 199 Elm St presentation.

Woo, I've just tuned into the Planning Board mtg in #SomervilleMA (which started 45 min ago, oops).

Applicant currently speaking is 199 Elm St, proposing 10 residential apartments (2 affordable) plus ground floor commercial space […]

@kevinriggle I use LibraryThing and have extra tags for which room a book is shelved in.

First-of-a-kind US class-action lawsuit would force EPA to reinstate $3bn climate program Coalition of non-profits, tribes and local governments sued EPA chief for halting climate justice grants

When the tribes sue the fed, always stand with the tribes, but especially now!!

#usPolitics #indigenous #climatechange #law

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/aug/05/environmental-agency-climate-justice-grants-freeze-lawsuit?CMP=Share_iOSApp_Other

imagine a world where it doesn't cost money to stay alive and everyone makes stuff and gives it away because they want that stuff to exist

Back again, your #BostonWeekend thread - Jul 31-Aug 3, 2025. Please Boost for reach! Thu’s rain wraps Fri morning, Sat/Sun dry, <85F. ~30 events this round - Highlights: Linkin Park, 50501 Protest, World Naked Bike Ride, HTML Day, Lesbian Clothing Swap and Mending demo, New Bomb Turks, The Fray […]

Note that even under the most charitable fog-of-war interpretation of this happening in complaints, which are fast and reactive, the screening process is supposed to week it out before they try to indict.

Kurosawa Widely considered one of the most influential filmmakers of the 20th century, Akira Kurosawa created transcendent works of art that challenged cinematic limitations, illuminating the universal truths of the human condition. The Coolidge is thrilled to present this retrospective of eleven new restorations of his films.

#Boston event alert:

Many of the most famous works of Akira Kurosawa, restored in 4K, are showing at Coolidge Corner Theater over the next two weeks

https://coolidge.org/programs/kurosawa

h/t to @mcc and @xgranade for making me aware of this

https://mastodon.social/@mcc/114944867604961145

Dude could win a seat on city council in Lowell (where progressive voices are definitely needed!) with 1k votes, but he's running on a shoestring budget. Like, he might be printing his campaign literature using the library printer on black and white settings. I would not be shocked.

I don't […]

Seriously, I raised my eyebrows that his top 3 priorities included childcare, but he is 100% there, and cited his experiences growing up within a childcare program in Lowell as a major reason why.

Marcos' website has a ton of additional priorities listed, and again, he knew his stuff when asked […]

I mostly talk about Somerville local politics here, but I just got off a zoom mtg with a city council candidate in Lowell, Marcos Candido. It was such a refreshing discussion.

Marcos is 1st gen American, 25 years old, and his website is entirely written by him and his GF, so you know it's […]

All politics are local, so here are some things that might primarily be of interest to locals in #SomervilleMA but also others.

First, there was a mayoral candidate forum on Monday night. The video is now online. I think it's pretty representative of each candidate's style and positions […]

On July 26, 1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) became law. It's supposed to provide at least a modicum of support for Americans with disabilities, although it shows up far more in the breach than the observance […]

A group of researchers who are all trans women is about to do a study on how trans women communicate medical information to each other online. It will be an hour long interview, so there is a bit of a time committment to it, but they also are offering a $30 payment to anyone who participates […]

Also, holy fuck, I'm not normally in the mix on school committee races, but omg, I recommend watching the Liz Eldridge ward 2 video: https://youtu.be/a1GsmuTJ4fk?si=U8OJjsnMtl2W4-J6

(I don't have kids. I wish I did. Even being childless, though, I care about our schools quite a lot, and this […]