Attend meetings in Cambridge from Oct. 17-23: Vassal Lane school name change, lots of linkage
These are just some of the municipal meetings and civic events for the coming week. More are on the City Calendar and in the city’s Open Meetings Portal.
Effect of development changes
City Council, 5:30 p.m. Monday. The removal of citywide parking minimums looks all the closer with a report from the Community Development Department that it’s fixing conflicts and ambiguities that implementation might cause with other zoning. On the other hand, guidance from CDD and the city solicitor on the best ways to raise “linkage” fees charged to developers to pay for affordable housing makes City Council goals seem still far away – including an exemption for square footage that’s torn down and rebuilt that “would reduce contributions by around twice as much as the 30,000-square-foot deduction when applied to past incentive projects.” The solicitor advises waiting until a future study provides a basis for the changes, and that would add years to a debate that’s already more than a year old.
There’s a council motion asking for analysis of how linkage, parking minimums and other policies are affecting development, while another wants the city manager to ensure changes to residential permit parking rules after councillors learned in September 2021 that a resident had permits for 10 cars that were being rented out as a business but being parked on-street in resident-only spaces. “There is currently no limit to the number of cars that can be registered to an address, nor is there language outlining the regulations regarding car-rental services that operate out of residential homes using residential parking permits,” but city staff haven’t come forward with a solution in the past 13 months, vice mayor Alanna Mallon said. (In other transportation news, the council extends its appreciation to Joe Barr, head of Traffic, Parking & Transportation for the past 7.5 years, as he leaves to become director of network development for the Eastern United States for Amtrak. His new role in Boston begins Oct. 24.)
The council meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. Televised and watchable by Zoom video conferencing.
Vassal school name change
School Committee, 6 p.m. Tuesday. By naming the city’s upper schools after their street names, the Vassal Lane Upper School by extension honors John Vassal Jr., whose family enslaved hundreds in the Jamaican sugar industry, vice chair Rachel Weinstein notes. She proposes renaming the school – relocated to East Cambridge during construction – before the end of this academic year, and ordering the superintendent to propose how by Dec. 31. The committee meets in the Dr. Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room at Cambridge Rindge and Latin School, 459 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge. Televised and watchable by Zoom video conferencing.
Budega cannabis and linkage
Planning Board, 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. The recreational cannabis store Budega is back to take over the Stereo Jack’s Records space at 1686 Massachusetts Ave., Neighborhood 9, and an adjustment of “linkage” rates charged to developers to $33.34 a square foot from the current $20.10 – but in a way that encourages construction while getting more affordable housing. It’s an issue with complexities being dealt with by the City Council at its meeting one day earlier. Televised and watchable by Zoom video conferencing.
Future of Cambridge Street
Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration Committee, 1 to 3 p.m. Wednesday. This committee run by city councillor Dennis Carlone talks about a study for the future of Cambridge Street. The committee meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. Televised and watchable by Zoom video conferencing.
Proposed green jobs law
Ordinance Committee, 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday. This committee run by city councillors Marc McGovern and Quinton Zondervan will discuss a proposed green jobs ordinance. The committee meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square.
East Cambridge NCD study
East Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Study Committee Meeting, 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday. Members will continue exploring the creation of a neighborhood conservation district, as requested by some longtime property owners and residents expressing concern about how development has changed the neighborhood. Watchable by Zoom video conferencing.
The exemption on existing square footage for linkage would not reduce contributions twice as much as the 30k exemption. We’ve lots of examples, most recently 750 Main St, where by preserving 293k sqft didn’t trigger linkage. All the proponent are asking for is a way to modernize and rebuild where the use isn’t changed to lab. I’d also point out that the perceived “loss” of revenue is based on projections and even with all exemptions in place is a 30% increase to existing funding. The affordable housing trust is spending money they don’t have and are thinking it’s still 2019. No one would like it to be 2019 more than I but interests rates have more than doubled and construction costs have tripled. Any councilor thinking money will just continue to pour in is fooling themselves and others.
Patrick,
The councillors don’t care about money. They really have not had the foggiest idea that,
for instance, biotech has bailed out this city.
Five years ago, when I pointed out to one current councillor, that pensions and post retirement health care plans were dangerously close to be
underfunded, he said that wasn’t of interest to him. No, why should it be?! It’s only by far the largest liability that the city has. Sarcasm expressed.
Meanwhile, institutions like Harvard do not pay much in PILOT. The city should tell Harvard that it should ante up, or that they should start their own fire department, similar to its police department.
This city only knows how to spend. And so much of it is on “soft stuff.” Just look at the city budget
during the last 25 years. Close to a 5% average
annual increase. Almost all of it done because the city became home to a lot of lab space. That goldmine is not going to be increasing as much as it has in the past. The city council is living in a dream world.
But, that is what we get for having Plan E government.
Concerned43,
I know but that will never stop me from trying to reach them. Zondervan is already collecting signatures for a lab ban since his first order got sent to committee. You’d think the affordable housing trust or advocates would make the connection to how much financial damage that will cause them but alas a few minor amendments to allow for non-lab construction is a bridge too far. It’s beyond frustrating to watch this slow motion train wreck.
Let’s ban new lab space construction. Let’s increase linkage fees. Let’s not have any requirements for parking for new construction. Let’s reduce road width/space for cars. Let’s have bikers run wild with no consequences.
They are working to make this city affordable, and pretty soon, it will be affordable because no one except the college students who have to live here will want to live here.
It’s funny how the city was just doing fine on a nice trajectory until the ultra-liberal/woke council came in and decided to “fix things”
EastCambridge,
I’m new here (only 15 years) I assumed this is what ya’ll liked. To my mind it’s a total unscripted joke
EastCamb
The ultra-liberal woke council just doesn’t care about much, except to continue to spout mostly nonsense. No one on the council is really paying attention to the city’s finances. And now we have a City Manager who believes it is proper to have a closed “training meeting” with the councilors.
What BS. That training meeting is against the spirit of the law that says that all meetings of this type have to be open. But, when we have councilors like Zondervan and a few of the others, you know that based on what they’ve said, they only care about a small selection of Cantabrgians.