The Cambridge City Council addresses handling residents’ Immigration and Customs Enforcement crises, a “linkage” fee for big commercial developers and among other matters at its meeting Monday. Here’s what to watch for.
Ice guidelines: The council reviews a staff response about helping residents in crisis after Ice encounters. Proposals from councillors to the city included an immigration emergency hotline for legal services, a legal and community response directory, trainings for city staff and continued family and community stabilization supports such as connections to food pantries. Staff have responded mainly by pointing to existing resources, such as staff’s all-hours access to interpreters.
On a dedicated 24/7 immigration emergency hotline or around-the-clock city liaisons, the city manager says these services can be filled in by local partners such as the Luce Defense Hotline and Bijan Family Hotline, which already provide extended-hour coverage; after-hours emergency calls will be routed to the partner organizations, and city staff will be available during business hours.
The memo commits to continuing “Know Your Rights” trainings, expanding multilingual resources and coordinating with legal and advocacy organizations.
The order is part of a bigger conversation over immigrant-sanctuary policies and cooperation with Ice in Massachusetts. Cambridge, Somerville and Boston have been under heightened federal scrutiny for their sanctuary policies as the presence of Ice agents has grown with president Donald Trump’s campaign to crack down on immigration. Federal immigration agents have recently been spotted in Cambridge and have contacted Cambridge police at least six times seeking information for arrests. Consistent with sanctuary city policy, Cambridge Police declined to cooperate.
Commercial development: An Incentive Zoning Nexus Study should be in hand by the fall of 2026, the city manager tells councillors, to help set what big developers will be charged to fund affordable housing and job training, countering the effects of their projects on the city. In general, the “linkage” fees are triggered when projects reach 30,000 square feet.
The last one was in in 2019 and led to linkage fees of $20.10 per square foot the next year and then to $33.34 per square foot (the maximum) in October 2022. With annual adjustments, according to the manager’s memo, the housing contribution rate is $36.36 per square foot. (Cambridge is seeking permission from the state to create a job training trust for other developer contributions.)
Developers have warned that additional fees and requirements may discourage construction. Housing advocates counter that strong developer contributions are essential.
Park safety and cleanliness: Residents have raised concerns about the condition of Gold Star Mothers Memorial Park and the paths near Russell Field.
Officials closed the park Sept. 11 after arsenic and barium contamination was found in some areas, including beneath a former basketball court undergoing after environmental testing as part of its renovation. It’s caused concerns about soil safety in parks across Cambridge, especially in those popular with children, mayor E. Denise Simmons said.
The mayor calls for clearer city policies on soil testing, including how often it occurs and for which contaminants, and thresholds for remediation and preventive measures for other parks.
Another resolution requests an update on cleaning and safety efforts along the Alewife paths near Russell Field where residents report litter and open drug use. It asks the city manager to coordinate with the MBTA, Department of Conservation and Recreation, other responsible agencies and the life sciences developer IQHQ with updates to the council on cleanup.
Resilience hub: The council see a request to appropriate $993,123 to create a resilience hub at the Cambridge Community Center in the Riverside neighborhood. The grant will pay for upgrades to power, communications and building systems, enabling the center to serve residents during storms, power outages and other emergencies. Resilience hubs are community facilities designed to provide support before, during and after disasters and disruptions. They typically include backup power, communications systems, resource distribution and social services.
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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