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Dear Town Meeting Members
I am writing to ask you to support the South Main Street rezoning option in the upcoming MBTA vote at Town Meeting.
My wife and I grew up in Reading, attended Reading Public Schools from elementary through high school, and were able to purchase our home over a decade ago. The outstanding teachers in Reading inspired me to become a public school teacher.
My wife and I are painfully aware that if we were looking for a home in today’s market rather than when we did over ten years ago, we would not be able to afford to buy in Reading. As a result of a variety of different factors, the current costs of homes in Reading price out families like ours. In our lifetimes, we have seen Reading transform from a community for all types of families into an exclusive community for some.
Much of the conversation around preserving the character of Reading during this rezoning process has focused on the aesthetics of our streets and neighborhoods. Overlooked in this discussion of character are the people who make up our community. I recognize that there is no magic solution that will fully resolve the housing crisis across the state or bring home prices down in Reading. However, if we do not begin to take meaningful steps towards allowing more housing in town, we will create a town that excludes teachers, police officers, firefighters, nurses, social workers and others who are valuable members of our community.
I want to ensure that moving forward, Reading has a diverse housing stock to allow people of all types of professions and families to live in town. The South Main Street option would be a meaningful step towards this goal. Please support this rezoning option at the upcoming Town Meeting.
Thank you,
Dan Moresco
Hancock Street
