Council Formation

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What is a neighborhood council?

A “neighborhood council” is a type of group the Somerville government can formally recognize that will give Davis Square residents, business owners, and workers a seat at the table with private developers who want to reshape Davis Square.

We also want to be a means for residents to connect and more effectively organize around projects and priorities beyond the formal duties of a “neighborhood council.” You qualify to join us if you live, work, regularly volunteer, or receive social services in Davis Square.

Who are the members of the Davis Square Neighborhood Council?

When we say living or working here is the only qualification, we mean it! Specifically, any person of any age may participate as a member if they:

Resides within ½ mile of the neighborhood boundaries
Receives support services within the neighborhood boundaries
Is employed at a business located within the neighborhood boundaries
Operates a business located within the neighborhood boundaries
Owns real estate within the neighborhood boundaries
Regularly volunteers at an organization/agency located within the neighborhood boundaries
Attends school within the neighborhood boundaries

The neighborhood boundaries are defined by the City of Somerville. You can visit map.DavisSquareNC.org to see what is included in the neighborhood itself and ½ mile around it.

(Officially, this is all defined in DSNC Bylaws §1.3: Neighborhood Boundaries and §3.1: Membership Eligibility.)

The Board

The Neighborhood Council Board consists of the 9 elected leaders of the DSNC: 4 Officers (President, Vice President, Secretary, and Treasurer) and 5 additional Board members. They are responsible for ensuring everything necessary gets done between meetings for DSNC to operate, and for communicating the decisions and input of the whole DSNC when speaking on the Council's behalf.

(Officially, board duties and powers are defined in DSNC Bylaws Article 4: The Executive Board.)

Where are things right now?

The DSNC Board has been making subtantial progress toward petitioning the Somerville City Council to be legally recognized. Here is an overview of the steps and where we are:

✅ Get more residents involved with the DSNC

Formal city recognition requires doing our best to reach everyone who lives and works in Davis Square and form a group that welcomes their diverse views and backgrounds. As of September 2026, we have over 600 members.

✅ Coordinate further with other neighborhood councils

Members of the Gilman and Union Square Neighborhood Councils have graciously lent us their time, knowledge, and experience as we learn more about neighborhood council processes.

- 📄 Notes on Becoming a Neighborhood Council from the GSNC (PDF)

Their continuing to attend our meetings and share their knowledge and experience has been invaluable!

DSNC's humble beginnings, taken August 26, 2024.

(Photo courtesy of Cambridge | Somerville Independent)

✅ Coordinate further with the City Council to learn more about neighborhood council processes

We reached out to City councilors about various questions—answers we have received are below.

✅ Bylaws were officially adopted at the April 2025 general meeting. At our general meeting in March 2026, we voted on proposed amendments to our Bylaws to address City Councilors' concerned ahead of requesting formal approval from the Somerville City Council. Further amendments were made in July and August 2026, and the changes have been communicated to the City Council. We anticipate that we will continue to tweak our bylaws in upcoming meetings as well.

✅ Elect a Board: The first DSNC Board was elected in August 2025, and the second Board in April 2026. Subsequent elections will be held every April.

✅ Register as a nonprofit and incorporate

We are officially recognized as a non-profit corporation by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and are a 501(c)(4) non-profit.

✅ City Council Approval

DSNC Board members Elaine Almquist, Chris Beland, and PJ Kim-Santos gave a presentation to the City Council on July 9, 2026. (See slides. The video can be viewed on the meeting details page under agenda item 9.4. Public comments are also in the same meeting notes.)
The City Council's Legislative Matters Committee held a public hearing on September 8, 2026. (See video.)
The Legislative Matters Committee unanimously voted to recommend recognition of the DSNC on September 15, 2026. Councilor Lance Davis shared an opinion from the city lawyer that it is legal for DSNC membership to include residents of nearby parts of Cambridge, Medford, and Arlington. (See meeting details page, which includes video, public comments, and the full legal opinion.)
The City Council unanimously voted to recognize the DSNC as a Neighborhood Council on September 24th, 2026! (📰 Cambridge | Somerville Independent article)

🗂️ Want to get straight into the weeds?

We have 📂 a shared Google Drive folder with all our relevant work-in-progress documents.

Q&A

This will enable residents to have more of a say in discussions with private developers; will it also enable residents to have more of a say in city infrastructure or zoning decisions?
- Answer: A neighborhood council doesn't have any more direct ability to affect zoning; any ten Somerville residents can petition the city for a zoning change. Because we are a coordinated group of residents and in communication with developers, we will be in a prime position to pressure the City Council to make changes.

Are there any smaller changes a DSNC could implement ourselves (with approval from the city) rather than waiting for the city to do it?
- Answer: It depends on the change. While being a neighborhood council doesn't give us greater authority than any other coordinated group of residents, we can still connect with other local groups, artists, etc. for certain activities/performances/events/installations. On the other hand, certain street fixes (e.g., repainting a faded crosswalk) may only be done by city contractors.

Could DSNC organize an event with residents and businesses and coordinate with the city and MBTA to close Elm St. for the day (as with events like HONK Fest), or would such an event need to be planned entirely by the city?
- Answer: Yes! While being a neighborhood council won't give us greater authority than any other coordinated group of residents, we can still, as a coordinated group, work with all those groups to plan such events!

Can the DSNC include non-Somerville residents who live close to Davis Square?
- Answer: Yes! On September 15, 2026, Councilor Lance Davis shared an opinion from the city lawyer that it is legal for DSNC membership to include residents of nearby parts of Cambridge, Medford, and Arlington. (See meeting details page, which includes video, public comments, and the full legal opinion.)

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