City Council Updates #22: the MFH Ordinance, 1st Floor Retail, 25 Lowell St., Garden St., Ahern Field & More

April 21, 2026

Dear Cantabrigians,

Many interesting developments.

MFH Projects List

Click here to see the list of 112 projects!!! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1r1eetSeB-dz2BcfOJu_QGS2o3V0_COvSLh1rv8qlQNA/edit?tab=t.0

It is very disturbing to see over 80 projects in process and almost 30 proposed. This list will grow as projects evolve and includes photos of existing properties and renderings of proposed ones. (Click on the links.) If you have additional information to add, please email me.

The list reveals the Ordinance is overwhelmingly incentivizing the production of luxury units and inflating real estate values, making Cambridge less affordable. It is also leading to unattractive construction that maxes out floor area ratio 5’ from lot lines. These tall boxes challenge privacy and sunlight while eliminating open space, trees and parking. This is not meeting the stated goals of the MFH Ordinance or Envision Cambridge.

Neighbors are organizing in protest and establishing websites. Over 190 residents have petitioned against the Strawberry Hill project at 95 Cushing Street. https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ra3tjhmR5FWqdgM-VZ4OORkAiLgPu46t

Neighbors concerned about the 6-story project at 9 Wyman Rd. have a website: https://www.stop9wyman.com/. Ellery Square Neighbors hired a lawyer to challenge the 60 Ellery Street project but sadly to little effect.

Experts Advocate for Amending MFH Ordinance Open Space & Parking Requirements & Adding Design Standards

At the April 7 Neighborhood & Longterm Planning & Housing Committee meeting focused on improving the Multifamily Housing Ordinance, local Realtor Ed Abrams shared that the Ordinance was increasing property values on developable lots while sometimes decreasing the value of abutting properties. Urban Planner Tim Love suggested that mandatory design standards, rather than optional guidelines, would assure better results and could inspire more and better housing. His Harvard Graduate School of Design colleague Magda Maaoui and developer Jason Korb also supported standards—sometimes offered as multiple choice–or requiring that developers fulfill 3 of 5 requirements. Design standards are common in many neighboring towns, including Somerville, Watertown and Boston.

Love also spoke of the importance of changing parking regulations. He, Abrams and Korb all affirmed that lenders regularly require condo developers to have parking, gobbling up front yards. Love also discussed the wall and alley phenomenon of the current zoning. At 95 Cushing St. there will be a 135’ long wall. As Love said, the zoning privileges developers, while devaluing the property next door. How can this be OK?

Harvard Landscape Architect Department Chair Gary Hilderbrand said that trees won’t grow on the skinny 5’ setbacks (they won’t even grow on a 7.5’ setback!) and encouraged a less siloed, more holistic and sustainable approach to considering open space and tree canopy. With heavy rains in our future climate, we need more permeable surfaces, not less. The growth of the City’s tree canopy will rely on trees located on private property but the MFH Ordinance encourages tree removal.

See the meeting video here. It’s worth watching: https://cambridgema.v3.swagit.com/videos/381382. The meeting packet is here: https://cambridgema.primegov.com/public/portal Go to Archived and then to the April 7 Joint Housing and NLTP Meeting.

The next NLTP & Housing Committee meeting concerning amendments to the MFH Ordinance will be in May. At this meeting CDD will propose modifications. With the Council summer recess, it seems unlikely that the Ordinance will change until fall.

Cambridge St. and N. Mass. Ave Retail

At the April 6 Ordinance Committee meeting, the Council voted 5-4 to ask CDD to draft zoning language requiring ground floor retail for new developments 3 stories or higher. This is not the final vote, which will happen after the zoning language has been drafted. I added an amendment discouraging “formula” stores on Cambridge Street. This won’t stop chains from coming, but might make it harder.

Council Supports Non-Profit Use, Rejecting Affordable Housing at 25 Lowell St.

The City was recommending the yellow clapboard City-owned former school building and parking lot at 25 Lowell St. become affordable housing. However, the Council pushed back and instead supported the City’s sale or lease to a nonprofit. There will be a process for this disposition. I believe the current tenant, the New School of Music, is a vibrant resource, with 700+ students, scholarships, and programs for the elderly and disabled. Additionally, the New School leases space to the Cambridge Art Association.

Affordable housing, nonprofit space (including for arts & culture), open space and public parking are all important community amenities.

So far, Little ICE Action in Cambridge (knock on wood)

At the April 7 Public Safety meeting, we learned that there were only 3 ICE interactions in Cambridge between August 2025 and February 2026. The Cambridge Police shared that the City benefits from strong relationships with state and federal partners.

Garden Street Debated Once Again

Over a year ago the Council voted to restore Garden Street to 2 ways, as it has historically been, keeping the bike lanes and removing some parking. A 1-way Garden St. is much calmer, but has forced traffic into the abutting neighborhoods causing congestion and safety issues on the smaller streets.

Last June Cambridge’s Transportation Dept. walked the area with neighbors and came up with a list of traffic calming measures. Why have they not been implemented? Mitigation surely would have slowed down speeding cars and increased safety. I’ve asked the Transportation Dept. to estimate the time necessary to analyze the impact of the traffic detours that residents regularly report. Also, since joining the Council, I’ve asked Cambridge DOT to do city-wide studies of traffic and parking. Focusing on getting cars off the road by incentivizing other transport modes is a good start but not enough. Cars will still be in our future and we will have to continue to accommodate some degree of car dependency.

We’ll vote on Garden Street Monday, April 27. If you have strong feelings about this, give testimony or email the Council. I realize that there’s no perfect solution! However, I will continue to vote for 2-ways there, with 2 bike lanes, because overall I think it’s best for the City.

Ahern Field in East Cambridge: Grass or Synthetic Turf?

Patty Nolan introduced a PO Monday night asking the City to report back on their rationale for an artificial turf field. I amended the policy order to ask the City Manager and his staff to study and analyze the demographics in relation to field resource allocations, including how many synthetic vs. nature turf fields we want to have and in which neighborhoods to meet resident and recreational needs. I also shared what I’d learned at a recent City program about hotter summers. Apparently, in 2030, we’ll have 20-40 days above 90 degrees F. and in 2070, over 60 days above 90 degrees F. https://storymaps.arcgis.com/stories/739544ac7dfa48b3837b8ea22e1456cd

This will make the artificial turf very hot. While I appreciate that artificial turf allows for much more playing time and that there is great demand for fields with 2,400 kids playing youth soccer, we must balance our open space and playing field needs, and maybe we need more open space!

Unhoused People

I’ve joined an informal committee focused on people living on the street who need support while abiding by clear expectations about public behavior. Threatening behavior, littering, and shoplifting are not OK. There were about 1,200 shoplifting incidents in Cambridge in 2025, including many thefts at the Central Square Target and Porter Square CVS.

Working to Fix a VERY Dangerous Intersection: Museum Way & Charles Dam Rd., Near the Museum of Science

April 6, my aide Natalie Sandoval and I met with Cambridge’s Assistant Commissioner of Street Management Jeff Parenti, Councillor Jivan-Wheeler, bicycle safety advocates Richard Frierman and Chris Cassa, and staff from Education First and the Museum of Science about fixing this dangerous MassDOT intersection. It is considered a deathtrap with pedestrians, cyclists, vehicles and Duck Boats, all having a simultaneous green light.

Setting Priorities: Funding Social Housing, Unhoused Services, Extended Afterschool and Universal Pre-K

At the April 9 Finance Committee meeting, the Council agreed that these would be our top priorities. The City Manager’s office will scope out costs and next steps.

However, these are expensive programs and likely on a long timeline. With less revenue, I believe the discussion should have focused on evaluating existing programs rather than on prioritizing funding future new projects.

Around Town

I visited both the Middlesex Jail & House of Correction via the Frederick Douglas Project https://www.douglassproject.org/ and the Cambridge Police Department. I was impressed by how each works to keep people out of the criminal justice system. The CPD’s goal in working with youth and vulnerable residents is preemptive deterrence, while the Middlesex Jail focuses on restoring health and providing opportunities for work and success by providing education (GEDs and certifications for truck driving and food service jobs) to prepare inmates to reenter society. I feel very proud of their work.

I also attended:

a community meeting about 88 Ellery St. Really? Do we want 6-story apartment buildings behind houses with only 5’ rear and side setbacks? This will happen next door at 84-86 Ellery, too—both providing no parking in parking scarce Mid-Cambridge.
the Historic Commission meeting about 60 Ellery St., where lawyers hired by the Ellery Square Neighbors unsuccessfully appealed the home’s demolition.
community meetings about 29 Follen St. and 210 and 175 Hamilton St. See list of all of these meetings here: https://www.cambridgema.gov/CDD/zoninganddevelopment/developmentreview/residentialneighbornotification
a community meeting about Just A Start’s 37 Brookline St. project (at Peter Valentine’s old house).
A Broadway Safety Improvement Project (Bike) Open House, lanes to be rolled out this summer.
a lunch with the Deputy Mayor of Yerevan, Armenia—one of our 7 active sister cities https://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/peacecommission/SisterCitiesSummary.
A Harvard Joint Center on Housing symposium, “Living Together by Design,” on planning housing for our rapidly aging baby boomers. I learned about Nesterly https://www.nesterly.com/ which connects older homeowners with empty bedrooms with students. Apparently, there are thousands of spare bedrooms in the Boston area and many seniors who could use additional income. I also learned about the success of intergenerational co-housing developments, and Boston’s focus on making intergenerational spaces: creating not just youth or senior centers, but community centers.

I have long believed that the solution to our “housing crisis” might be better using existing spaces rather than building everywhere, especially randomly and without guardrails. We need good city planning!

a Harvard Joint Center on Housing panel on Social Housing and how redevelopment authorities, which have fewer legal constraints than cities, might lead the way.
a founding meeting to reestablish the Cambridge Civic Association. Interested in joining a group of citizens concerned about the City budget, debt, bike lanes, energy policy, and zoning? Contact: [email protected]. They are actively seeking input as they shape priorities and next steps.
a celebration of Bob Hurlbut. What an extraordinary life he led as the 24-year headmaster of the Park School, first Executive Director of the Cambridge Community Foundation, the founder of Cambridge Volunteers and catalyst for the formation of the Cambridge Nonprofit Coalition.

We’re lucky to live in Cambridge; I feel honored to serve you.

Happy spring!
Cathie
City Councillor

See past copies of my newsletter here: https://cathiezusy.org/.

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