Dear Cantabrigians,
I am feeling hopeful–despite everything. At Tuesday’s City Council retreat we established a list of priorities, including mine, such as figuring out how to build workforce housing; amending the MFH Ordinance and Cambridge St. zoning, and zoning for Central Square; and broadening our transportation planning. As a Council, we pledged to work more collaboratively, efficiently and transparently. With a new term, we have new committee assignments. I will continue to chair the Neighborhood & Longterm Planning, Celebrations & the Arts Committee and co-chair, with Councillor Flaherty, the Economic & University Relations Committee. Please share your ideas for meeting topics! I also have a new aide: Natalie Sandoval from Los Angeles by way of Washington, D.C. She studied political science at Berkeley and public policy at Georgetown. She is learning about Cambridge fast.
Cambridge St. Upzoning Passes
Monday night was difficult: The proposed zoning for Cambridge St. passed, 6-3. Councillors Flaherty and Al-Zubi and I voted against it. This means upzoning development between Webster and Windsor streets (near the Union Square MBTA station) to 12 stories and at Lechmere (near the Lechmere station) to 10 stories. I supported Councillor Nolan’s amendment to cap the height of most of the street to 6 stories—not the 8 or 10 that some had pushed for.
Of note, the MFH Ordinance already upzoned corridors to 6 stories and it seems that DIVCO-West, who owns the Lechmere parcel, will only build to 6 stories. So it appears that this upzoning, mostly, will only affect the Webster/Windsor area.
I believe most development should be on the corridors, yet I still voted against the proposal because it needed refinement. As drafted, it doesn’t further the goals of the Our Cambridge Street study, and I worry that its lack of attention to detail could wreck Cambridge Street, one of the City’s last vestiges of vibrant local retail and ethnic character. It is a real and magical place.
After walking Cambridge Street, an east-west street, on a cold winter morning, I was acutely aware of the need for sun and a set back at the 4th floor level for 6-story buildings. At only 65’ wide, we don’t want Cambridge Street to become a canyon. I wanted time to improve the proposal by adding a 4th floor step-back requirement, to ensure first floor active space, to remove as-of-right wet labs, to expand open space requirements, to lower design review requirements to 50,000 sq ft, and to ensure that buildings over 4 stories include affordable housing. The new zoning doesn’t require inclusionary units at 6 stories, and offers little to no community benefits, while inflating property values and, most likely, displacing longtime residents and small businesses. I will continue to advocate for these things.
No to Landmarking the Stickney House & Historic Preservation
Also on Monday night, the Council voted 2-7, (with Councillor Al-Zubi and me for), against landmarking the Stickney House at 45 Mt. Auburn St., once the Democracy Center. While the Stickney House itself will be preserved, landmarking it would have given the Historical Commission binding review over the size and shape as well as exterior appearance and materials of the new building to be built beside it. The Cambridge Historical Commission had hoped to protect the view of St. Paul’s bell tower. Let’s hope that the Foundation for Civic Leadership (FCL) will design something in keeping with the neighborhood. They can build to 10 stories if it is residential, and up to 8 stories if not. It’s not a huge lot. The CHC has given the FLC permission to remove the house’s front stairs and side and back additions and change its orientation in order to increase its developable area.
As of a few weeks ago, the Historical Commission has been asked to evaluate 240 properties for their historical significance—since the CHC is the last obstacle to demolition. They have deemed 60 of these, 25%, as significant. The others may be torn down. They’re under a lot of pressure not to get in the way of development lest their “demolition delay” privilege be rescinded by my colleagues.
So when the Historical Commission votes unanimously to landmark a building, which they did, I want to support them. While building review can be painful, it improves design.
Mass Connect 351
I attended the Mass Municipal Association Connect 351 Conference last week in Boston and got to hear firsthand about the state of the Commonwealth and Union from Mayor Wu, Gov. Healey, LG Driscoll, Senators Warren and Markey and Clarence Anthony, CEO of the National League of Cities. I also attended workshops on Strategic Leadership, Accelerating Housing Supply and Planning for Disaster and met so many fellow councillors, selectmen and town administrators from the Commonwealth’s 351 towns and cities, all working to solve the same challenges: to educate our children, produce housing, prepare for climate change and do more with less. My big takeaway was that everyone is struggling to build housing and that, mostly, across the nation, we’re building market rate housing. Everywhere, we need more workforce housing. See the Boston Foundation’s new report on the impact of the MBTA Community Act. Most housing is being built on large underutilized lots. That, and on our corridors, is where we should put ours.
Around Town
Over the last weeks I’ve attended MassDOT’s meeting about the BU rotary, the MWRA’s meeting about updating the Combined Sewer Overflow plan, A Bloomberg Center for Cities lecture about how to best prepare for 2030, a Livable Streets lecture about “Freedom of Movement,” and neighborhood meetings about developments at 30 Bay State Rd. and 214 Allston Street. I also attended several inspiring celebrations of Martin Luther King Jr. and a book launch for a biography about local sculptor Peter DeCamp Haines.
I’ve met with members of the Department of Tourism about the Harvard Square Kiosk, the Cambridge Community Foundation about our shared goals, fans of the New School of Music about preserving their art center, and the Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship (CIRC) about better protecting our residents. I also attended a powerful film, The Next Dream, about the threat of deportation that looms over 1 million Temporary Protected Status families across the US. Try to see it.
In the Works
Look for information soon about meetings I’m planning for the Neighborhood & Longterm Planning & Housing Committees to discuss the impacts of the Multifamily Housing Ordinance and potential amendments to it.
My policy order asking the City Manager and his staff to consider withholding parking permits to most residents of new transit-oriented developments passed Jan 12. Another policy order asking the City staff to report back on our digital access initiatives for underserved audiences will go before the Council in early Feb. Monday night we’ll meet to discuss the 2025 Cambridge Resident Survey.
I am thankful for the opportunity to focus on the local at this time of national and international turbulence and am committed to working with you to make Cambridge an even better place to live!
Sending best wishes for the new year!
Stay warm.
Cathie
Cambridge City Councillor
Check out my new website: cathiezusy.org.
The photos from Cathie’s newsletter will be posted shortly.
Captions for photos below:*A new term begins!*Meet my new aide, Natalie Sandoval.*At 16-26 Porter St. in East Cambridge, where a 6-story, 68-unit residential development will be built—without parking!—on a very narrow street.*At a book launch for a new biography about local sculptor Peter DeCamp Haines.*Copyright (C) 2025* Zusy for Council * All rights reserved.Our mailing address is:*202 Hamilton St., Cambridge, MA 02139* [email protected] to change how you receive these emails?You can update your preferences or unsubscribe
