Photo: WBZ NewsRadio / Karyn Regal
SOMERVILLE, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — With the long awaited Green Line Extension opening its first phase of stations on Monday, residents that neighbor the new development voiced their concerns over their heightened rent costs.
WBZ's Karyn Regal spoke to traffic demonstrators about how the GLX opening is taking its toll on them.
"I'm definitely getting displaced from my apartment. They jacked up our rent by $1,200. At some point our backs as workers are going to break," said one protestor.
On the opening day of the new Lechmere station, people gathered nearby holding signs that read "No mass evictions," and "Don't let the Green Line become the Gentrification Line."
Another protester and mother of a high school honor student said that her new property manager is trying to force her out. "He told me that I don't have any options. I at least want to stay until my son graduates," she said.
Read More: First Part Of MBTA Green Line Extension Opens In Cambridge And Somerville
Many politicians attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the GLX Union Square Branch, including Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Representative Ayanna Pressley, and Governor Charlie Baker, who has indicated in the past that he is against rent control.
The two-station GLX Union Branch opened on Monday, extending public transit service to Union Square in Somerville, with the other six-station branch set to be completed leading to College Avenue in Medford.
WBZ's Karyn Regal (@Karynregal) reports.
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