Here’s what to watch out for at the Cambridge City Council meeting Monday, including several items that reflect environmental priorities.
Social housing: The council considers moving discussion of “concrete details of social housing” to committee and asking the city manager and staff to “explore all steps towards advancing social housing in Cambridge.” The concept includes permanently affordable units on land often owned by government with upkeep paid for by rents from a wide mix of incomes.
Locally explorations arose through advocacy by the Cambridge Housing Justice Coalition amid an affordability crisis: Many renters struggle, and cost pressures are displacing longtime residents. Previous policy efforts include Affordable Housing Overlay zoning, municipal voucher pilots and linkage fee adjustments.
The Housing Committee would explore details such as affordability, funding, potential developers, zoning changes and tenant governance.
MBTA tunnel reuse: The council revisits an old MBTA tunnel’s potential reuse after the topic was held two weeks ago. Mayor E. Denise Simmons was just about to reject a negative report from the city manager when councillor Burhan Azeem pressed pause through use of the “charter right.” (It allows any councillor to stop action on an ordinance, order or resolution in the session it was brought forward; if no councillor acts on it at the next meeting, it is dropped from the council calendar.)
The Harvard Square Business Association wants to study repurposing a long-abandoned MBTA tunnel beneath Harvard Square into a commercial or cultural space. The council approved allocating $72,000 for an engineering and code feasibility study in May, but city manager Yi-An Huang pushed back with concerns a full study could cost $500,000 to $1 million, with no clear funding source identified. The proposal has been discussed for several years. Advocates see the project as an opportunity to create a unique cultural or commercial anchor for Harvard Square; skeptics view it as speculative and potentially too costly.
City seal and motto change: The city’s official seal and motto may get a glow-up with establishment of a Seal Review Committee. It would work to update the seal and motto in time for the 400th anniversary of the city in 2030 and be inclusive of Indigenous, immigrant and minority voices, historians and cultural institutions in its design process.
The current seal, adopted in 1846, depicts Gore Hall, the former library building at Harvard College, and the Washington Elm, the tree made famous by the legend of George Washington taking command of the American Revolution army under it. The Latin motto reads: “Literis Antiquis Novis Institutis Decora,” or “Distinguished for Classical Learning and New Institutions.” They’ve been criticized as outdated.
Funding for family supports: The council votes on accepting a $7,000 grant for a program that provides gift cards for the immediate needs of Cambridge families.
Zero emissions transportation plan: The city’s Zero Emission Transportation Plan to end fossil-fuel transportation emissions in the city by 2050 was placed on the table last meeting, Sept. 15, and in limbo until a majority of councillors vote to take it up again.
The plan emphasizes the need for electrification, improvements to public transit, expansion of bike and pedestrian infrastructure and the integration of micromobility options and is intended to join major planning frameworks such as the Net Zero Action Plan, the Zero Waste Master Plan and the Urban Forest Master Plan.
The presentation comes with changes requested by the Health and Environment Committee in February, including the addition of 11 Smart goals – that stands for “specific, measurable, achievable, relevant and time-bound” – to enable measurable progress. Work to address transit gaps and shuttle service expansion from a June meeting of transportation committee members is also reflected.
Stormwater and combined sewer overflows: The Health and Environment Committee has recommended creation of a Combined Sewer Overflow Commission to address recurring pollution of waterways. In the past couple of years, sewer overflows have become an increasing challenge during extreme weather events, sending stormwater and sewage systems overflowing. The committee also called for updated stormwater regulations, greater reliance on green infrastructure and improved public communication.
The city has made progress on overflows in the past 25 years, reducing discharges by 98 percent into the Charles River and 85 percent into the Alewife Brook, but climate pressure increases the need for more work. The city is updating its sewer overflow control plan, with a draft expected in December and a final version due next year. In the meantime, the committee’s recommendations aim to ensure more accountability, stronger regulations and clearer engagement with residents and stakeholders about progress and remaining challenges.
Solar zoning protections: The Health and Environment Committee has advised on methods to protect solar access for residents who have invested in rooftop systems that could be affected by taller buildings going up around them, casting them in shadow and diminishing their investment and ability to harvest renewable energy. The fixes are also meant to encourage broader adoption of solar energy.
The committee held a hearing Sept. 16 with discussion of zoning updates to balance property rights, development and the city’s renewable energy priorities. The resulting order calls for continued work.
Labor practices in renewable energy project: The council considers a resolution condemning Apex Clean Energy for not using local union labor on the Bowman Wind Project in North Dakota that would make all electricity used by city buildings, schools and operations carbon neutral starting in 2026.
Although Cambridge is not directly responsible for building the project, the issue has become a flashpoint in discussion about the intersection of clean energy development and labor standards. Councillors have said that advancing climate goals should not come at the expense of fair labor practices.
The resolution would put the council on record expressing “profound disappointment” with Apex’s labor choices – and be forwarded to Apex’s CEO, climate consortium members and key state officials. It also calls on municipalities and institutions to avoid entering into contracts that lack clear labor protections, in line with past pro-union statements by the council.
This matter has been languishing on the table since June.
The council meets at 5:30 p.m. Monday at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, Cambridge. Televised and watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
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Terrific addition to CD – Thank you. Really hoping this will be a regular feature and would like to see two small tweaks: 1) a link to the agenda URL each week so one can read the fuller version there; 2) a an ongoing link to a page to find an email councillors page and sign up to speak page.
Protections for solar panels will foment opposition to solar. You’d be up in arm against solar if your neighbor could spend $50k to deny you millions of dollars in home equity. We’d see a rush to install “spite panels” should this pass.
Solar pooling is a better option. Rather than getting your own production, you get a share of the pool based on your installed capacity. The Cambridge could add out-of-city capacity through the Cambridge Community Energy Program to the pool. This would make shadowing a rounding error.
LOL. how in the world would installation of 50K of solar deny a neighbor “millions of dollars in home equity”?
Great article previewing what is on the Council agenda- thanks! Love the background context. I hope this becomes a weekly feature.