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.
Repurposing house with hotel
Cambridge Historical Commission, 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., Thursday. An application for a certificate of appropriateness for a project returns from an Aug. 14 meeting. Developers plan to move the 1846 Harriet Jacobs house at 17 Story St. in Harvard Square to the corner of Story and Mount Auburn streets and restore it. They hope to put up a building behind of up to 67 hotel rooms and roughly 50 residential units. The plan involves demolishing a neighborhood building at 129 Mount Auburn St. According to the proposal, the historic house will become the hotel lobby and include a small cafe – but the commission voted for a landmarking study of the house that could be an obstacle for the project. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
State flag change advocacy
Let’s Replace the Massachusetts State Flag, 4 to 5:15 p.m. Friday. Learn about the history and significance of the Massachusetts state seal, flag and motto from advocates Sage Carbone and David Shane Lowry. Engage in conversation by thinking more deeply about the community’s symbols and better understand why our state flag must be changed. At the Cambridge Public Library’s Central Square Branch, 45 Pearl St.
Group’s election endorsees
Cambridge Citizens Coalition candidate forum, 5 to 8 p.m. Sunday. Candidates for City Council and School Committee who have been endorsed by the Cambridge Citizens Coalition speak on election topics. The group describes itself as supporting “realistic and common-sense approaches to city finances, housing affordability, climate change, sustainability, transportation, public services and social policy.” Watchable by Zoom. RSVP here.
King Open parking possibilities
Cambridge City Council, 5:30 p.m. Monday. Councillors set aside several issues during their Aug. 4 summer meeting and now may consider, among other items, opening the parking lot at the King Open and Cambridge Street Upper schools to the public during nonschool hours (available for residents for free or to commercial vehicles); and bringing the city’s Peace Commission under the jurisdiction of the Human Right Commission or another department. The council meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. Televised and watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Sewer overflow prevention
Health and Environment Committee, 2 p.m. Tuesday. This committee run by city councillor Patty Nolan discusses work to reduce sewage flowing into bodies of water during extreme weather and other efforts to mitigate its damage. The committee meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Police deploy ‘pepper ball’
Public Safety Committee, 3 p.m. Wednesday. This committee run by vice mayor Marc McGovern and city councillor Ayesha Wilson addresses questions around an Aug. 2 incident in which police deployed a chemical agent – a “pepper ball” – inside an apartment building without warning the residents inside. The committee meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. Televised and watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Council candidates on housing
City Council Candidate Forum, 6 p.m. Wednesday. Housing advocacy group A Better Cambridge hosts a City Council candidate forum on its key topics – how to build more homes, create more affordable housing and strengthen tenant protections – moderated by Jesse Kanson-Benanav of Abundant Housing MA. Register to attend the event taking place at Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge and watchable by Zoom.
Putting up a quadruple-decker
Board of Zoning Appeals, 6 to 11:30 p.m., Sept. 11. A developer wants to a fourth-floor unit atop an existing triple-decker at 351 Cardinal Medeiros Ave., Wellington-Harrington – making a quadruple-decker. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
A stronger
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