Displacement Initiative May Be Included on Ballot

A six-point referendum designed to stop the displacement of low to moderate-income tenants from their rent-controlled apartments, and to provide additional housing in Cambridge, will probably be included on the ballot in the city's municipal elections in November, tenant organizers said yesterday.

Tenant canvassers collected 6496 signatures supporting the referendum's inclusion, said Michael Turk, head of the Harvard Tenants Union and co-author of the referendum.

Only 4277 signatures are necessary to have a referendum included on the ballot. But when the names are officially verified, 15 to 25 percent will be disqualified for not meeting the requirements of living in the city and being registered to vote, Turk added.

He estimated that 6000 signatures would put the figure above the mark, even if 25 percent were disqualified.

The referendum proposes measures to aid banks in funding public housing, to cap rent increases, and to require developers to include low- to moderate-income housing in their plans.