October 15, 2024
Hello! As a new City Councillor, I pledge to regularly update you regarding my thoughts and actions on important Cambridge concerns and apologize for not responding to individual emails. In order to thoughtfully vote on the Council’s agenda items, I have been meeting with department heads, subject experts, community groups, reading broadly and observing widely.
Mayor Simmons has appointed me to six committees. I chair the Transportation & Public Utilities; and co-chair the Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration (yes, that’s just one committee!); and Civic Unity committees. I also serve on the Finance; Ordinance; and Public Safety committees.
Recent major City Council issues and votes:
CITY CHARTER. I provided the 5th vote needed to require support that changes to the city’s charter require a 2/3 super majority of the Council.
UPZONING IN NEIGHBORHOODS. I voted unsuccessfully to delay advancing the Multifamily Housing Proposal. While I believe we urgently need more housing, the CDD (Community Development Department) proposal fails to reflect the 2019 Envision Cambridge plan, developed over 3 years and engaging 5,000 residents. Envision recommended locating new housing primarily along major corridors and in transitional districts—not in neighborhoods. Encouraging housing developers to build 6-7 story buildings as of right without side and back setbacks and with no or minimal review is highly problematic. My concerns are the likely unintended consequences: producing, ultimately, mostly high-rise luxury housing; raising property prices, taxes and rents; and the displacement of low- to moderate-income residents. The Council asked CDD for data on the number of housing units, and percentage of affordable units, that their upzoning proposals are expected to yield.
As co-chair of the Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration committee, I’ve organized a meeting on Wednesday, October 23, inviting neighborhood association leaders and residents to share concrete ideas for amending the Multifamily Housing Proposal. My goal is to empower residents to help refine the zoning proposal in advance of the Tuesday, November 19 Ordinance Committee meeting. Closer to the dates, sign up to speak at these meetings: https://www.cambridgema.gov/departments/citycouncil.
UPZONING CENTRAL SQUARE. At Thursday’s Neighborhood & Long term Planning Committee meeting, the committee advanced CDD’s plan to upzone Central Square and draft zoning language to this effect. CDD is proposing raising allowable building heights to 18 stories on the Mass. Ave. corridor and to 8 stories in transitional zones. Currently Central Square is zoned for 55’ as of right and 80’ by special permit. I shared that while I really wish Central Square would stay to mostly six stories—its historic height and a better height for people and shorter shadows—that I understood that it was a corridor and an ideal site for smart growth.
I encouraged CDD to consider upzoning only to 12 stories, because these buildings will certainly be taller as the City negotiates community benefits for the Cultural District and open space. CDD will return with zoning to the Ordinance Committee and Planning Board for review and then to the Council for final approval.
Have thoughts about CDD’s proposal? Share them at the Central Square Block Party on Norfolk Street Saturday, October 19, 1-5pm.
TAX INCREASE. The Council voted to raise the total property tax levy by 9.21% (overall, residential and commercial), the second modest increase in two years. Cambridge is doing amazing things and is committed to numerous initiatives including Universal Preschool, the Tobin Montessori & Vassal Lane Upper School project, a new fire station, and more affordable housing investment. I shared my concern for our growing debt—now at about $930m. We pay about $100m in debt service annually. Going forward, we’ll need to be careful about our priorities. We can’t fund everything.
MEMORIAL DRIVE “ROAD DIET.” The Council voted to support a policy order focused on Memorial Drive bicycle and pedestrian protection. While I support greater bike safety and would personally benefit from the additional separated lanes that the Bicycle Safety Committee is advocating for, I voted against this policy order because it prescribed reducing car travel lanes between JFK Street and the BU Bridge. While I share the long-term vision for fewer Memorial Drive car lanes, I believe that a reduction at this point would be premature for the following reasons:
- The I-90 Allston Multimodal Project—the rebuilding of I-90 and with it West (Transit) station—will begin soon. MassDOT must start spending the federal dollars for the project by March of 2025. I-90’s rebuilding will take a decade and inevitably divert some Boston traffic to Memorial Drive.
- Additionally, over the next few years, Memorial Drive traffic will already be disrupted by big projects planned by Eversource (connecting electric substations) and DCR (Memorial Drive improvements between the Eliot Bridge and JFK St. and Reid Overpass replacement and BU Rotary improvements).
- Finally, Western Ave., River St. and the BU rotary are major multi-modal commuter thoroughfares for access to and from Boston. Recognizing the neighborhood impact, in 2019 the Cambridgeport and Riverside communities pushed back on DCR’s proposal to reduce lanes east of JFK St. at public meetings. As the then President of the Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association, I arranged some of these meetings.
Please continue to share your thoughts, concerns and brilliant ideas. Know that I am working to be as informed as I can be to make wise decisions for the City of Cambridge and, most importantly, your interests.
My best,
Cathie
Cambridge City Councillor