Last April, a real estate developer started  seeking permission from the City of Somerville to demolish the historic church at 125 Highland Avenue. This building is on the National Register of Historic Places, but because it is not (yet) protected by a Legally binding "Local Historic District", the most that the Historic Commission could do at the time was to institute a 12 month "demolition delay" period, with the hope to negotiate with the developer in the meantime. Unfortunately, those negotiations went nowhere, and the developer is charging ahead with their demolition plans as soon as the delay period ends in late April. Alongside many neighbors who reached out, I believe this building is a rare opportunity for renovation and adaptive re-use, ideally as a mixed-income affordable housing. This is an ideal project for funding form Somerville's Community Preservation Act, which is earmarked for both historic preservation and affordable housing. Over the past year, Councilman Ben Ewen-Campen has filed multiple orders advocating for this approach. TO help prevent this short-sighted demolition plan, Ben has been working with the administration to have this building officially designated as a Local Historic District, which would block demolition and instead encourage renovation of this historic structure. The next step in this process is a Public Hearing before the Historic Commission, and a vote by the City Council - and this is where you all come in. Your voice will make a real difference. I strongly encourage you to share your thoughts with the Historic Commission and the City Council, by emailing Historic@SomervilleMA.gov and CityCouncil@SomervilleMA.gov, and include "125 Highland" in the subject. You can also give a verbal testimony at the Historic Commission's public hearing on Monday, March 28, at 6:45pm. I am asking people to sign this petition to support saving this historic building and losing another historic building in Somerville.