Spring/ Summer 2019: Looking for new Urban Ag Peeps!

Join our urban agriculture group in East Somerville/ Rooms for rent or entire apartment

After more than five years, Rob and Sam our brewer, apple grafting couple have bought their own place in Stoughton. We are looking for environmentally minded, low-impact individuals or family who would like to join us in our beautiful two family house between Union and Sullivan Squares in Somerville. We have a giant south-facing yard for you to garden, keep bees, raise chickens, and otherwise undertake a sustainable urban lifestyle.

Currently we have two rooms in a four bedroom apartment for rent with a third bedroom (and possibly the entire apartment) available June first.  If you are interested in renting the entire apartment let me know. There are two small bedrooms for rent ($840 each) and two large bedrooms ($920). The entire apartment would rent for $3500. For common areas there are two bathrooms, a sizeable kitchen and living room, a breakfast nook, study/ guest rooms, and a sunny deck with beautiful views.

This apartment is part of a two-family house with a co-op feel between both apartments. You’ll share yard work and common-area responsibilities with all house residents and participate in regular potluck meetings and other group activities as desired.

This is a unique opportunity for those who:

• Enjoy being a renter but want to feel like an owner when it comes to growing and harvesting their own herbs, vegetables, flowers and other outdoor agricultural activities
• Want to be part of an environmentally aware and urban homesteader household
• Are looking to build community and cooperation with other house residents around yard work, healthy eating, and other shared interests and activities (such as hiking at the Middlesex Fells, canoeing and kayaking at the Mystic boathouse)
• Lead a low-impact lifestyle (clothesline use, bike/ped transportation, organic gardening, efforts to minimize waste)

The owner of the building is very active in the community and keeps bees and gardens in our shared garden space.

The first floor tenant leads litter walks in the neighborhood, shares fermentation cultures, and organizes cooperative buying of organic bulk foods. They are also willing to share CSA memberships, weekly Crescent Ridge Dairy delivery, and weekly compost pick-up/delivery service.

Other things to note:

The garden has six raised garden with clean trucked in soil. We have a raspberry and blackberry patch along with a stand of dwarf apple trees.

There’s a garden shed/ greenhouse for starting seeds early in the spring.

The unit has a washer dryer hook-up.

In unit w/d hook up… clothesline/ racks

Non smoking building and grounds

Lots of free bike parking

Car parking is available at $25/ month/ City permits are available for $40 a year and on-street parking is generally really easy.

For more information, please see the 2013 post below and visit our Craigslist posting here

https://boston.craigslist.org/gbs/abo/d/cambridge-join-our-urban-agriculture/6859620540.html

An experiment in urban homesteading

49 Myrtle Street

A living place in Somerville

Located between Union Square and Sullivan Square in East Somerville, 49 Myrtle Street is  a two family apartment building focused on urban agriculture.  

The large south facing garden is ideal for growing vegetables.  I have brought in clean garden soil and created four raised beds for use by tenants.   There’s plenty of space for chickens and bees as well. 

Apartments

The first floor is comprised of an approximately 1200 square foot two bedroom apartment.  Most of the rooms have a southern exposure.  There’s a nice south-facing deck for enjoying a view of the garden.  This apartment is currently rented.  To get on a waiting list for please email me.

The Second and third floors have a four bedroom two bath apartment on two levels.  Every room on the second floor enjoys south facing sunlight. There are great views of either Boston or Prospect hill throughout.  There is also a small study which would make a nice office for a work-at-home-professional.  The third floor makes a nice suite for a couple that wants privacy and want the whole floor to themselves.  There’s a nice deck with great views of the garden, Boston and Prospect Hill.   The apartment includes a washer and dryer hook up (can install a clothesline in yard upon request).  This apartment is currently rented.  To get on a waiting list for please email me. 

Transportation and Access

There are a number of bus lines and the orange line all within an easy walk of 49 Myrtle Street.  The Orange line and 16 bus routes are less than ten minutes away. The closest bus lines are at the bottom of Myrtle Street.  These include the 86, 91 and CT2.  Very nearby on Broadway are the 80, 89, 93 and 101 buses.   Many more buses go in and out of Sullivan Station which is about an 8 minute walk from the house. 

The neighborhood is very pleasant for walking and biking.  Biking to Union Square, Harvard and MIT is relatively easy.  Walking long distances is hampered by McGrath Highway, but this is slated for some important improvements by the end of the year that should improve the situation for both walkers and bikers. 

Storage, Parking & Pets

Each unit is given approximately 100 square feet of basement storage space. There’s abundant bicycle parking both inside (2 bikes per person) and outside. There’s car-parking on site for $20/ month per space (check for availability).  A street parking permit can be acquired from the City of Somerville.   One cat per unit permitted with references. Sorry, no dogs.

Garden Plots/ Poultry and Bee Keeping

Each unit has two 4 by 8 raised bed/ imported-clean-soil garden beds.  At this time no one is raising chickens and or beekeeping.  I am very open to this happening and am willing to help pay for any infrastructure that will stay-with-the-house.  Any chicken or beekeeping needs to be approved prior to installation.  Mostly I want to be sure that an adequate management plan is in place and that the operation comply with the City of Somerville Urban Agriculture Ordinance. 

Neighborhood

This section of Myrtle Street is near the geographic center of East Somerville.  Broadway, about a 1/3 of a mile North, is a vibrant thoroughfare that is being completely refinished this year:  The street has many inexpensive ethnic restaurants as well as a neighborhood library with access to the Minuteman Network.

Washington Street to the South is a rather humble urban street that will change radically once the Green Line Station is finished (2017).  

For more information about 49 Myrtle Street, please contact me