Discussion of zoning fills the City Council meeting agenda for Monday, but also appearing are updates on visits by the unhoused to a Porter Square church garden and on the Lowell Street home of arts nonprofits; and an upcoming advice session with Eversource on rising utility bills. Here’s what to look out for:
Zoning changes: The city proposes a short-term update to zoning to align with state laws on which institutional uses – such as religious, educational, child care and government – are allowed automatically in any district. Once that’s taken care of, the city can look in the longer term at whether to bring back something like Dover Amendment exemptions, which regulated development by institutions such as universities or religious groups in residential areas. Exemptions from 1979 and 1980 ended Feb. 10, when the City Council enacted a Multifamily Housing Ordinance to encourage the construction of homes, only to see a religious group seize the opportunity to also expand nonhousing uses.
Two revised zoning petitions for Cambridge Street and Massachusetts Avenue aim to support mixed-use development, require more active ground-floor uses and keep public open space accessible. Massachusetts Avenue could see up to 12 stories of residential uses along its length, and up to 18 stories of residential in Porter Square in exchange for increased open space requirements and minimum retail density; Cambridge Street could see up to eight stories of residential uses along its length, and up to 10 stories in parts of Inman Square; up to 12 in the Webster Avenue and Windsor Street area; and up to 15 stories in the Lechmere area.
The petitions keep current height and floor-area limits for some nonresidential uses, including institutional buildings and hotels. Both petitions are ready for potential adoption – by Dec. 22 this year with current elected officials; because the proposals don’t expire until Jan. 28, a vote could wait until a new council is inaugurated in 2026.
The Cambridge Street proposal would create four zoning districts to encourage more housing and active street life. These districts limit nonresidential development but allow taller residential buildings with active ground floors. They also add design standards for building height, massing, transparency, setbacks, and open space, especially for taller projects.
The Massachusetts Avenue proposal has similar goals. It creates a Porter Square “planned unit development” – a term for rules to make an entire neighborhood project feel cohesive – and Porter overlay district to allow more density near transit, require significant public open space, promote active retail (including a grocery-sized tenant) and reduce parking.
Two orders direct additional changes to the zoning petitions. One calls for a separate petition to “strengthen active-use requirements” on Cambridge Street and the Porter Square area in response to community concerns about supporting local businesses and maintaining a lively streetscape. The other lowers the proposed maximum height in the Inman Square zoning subdistrict to eight from 10 stories to better match the scale of the broader Cambridge Street corridor.
Monitoring a garden: The city manager updates the council on concerns about homeless people’s overnight use of a garden between St. James’s Episcopal Church and the Saint James Place condos, which wrap around it in an ell.
Since September, city staff have been in talks with the church to balance neighborhood concerns with the needs of unhoused people, the report says, and monitoring garden use. The city plans to stay involved throughout the winter and to give the council a more detailed update, including next steps, in the spring.
Lowell Street: The council continues to evaluate the the future of 25 Lowell St., a historic city-owned West Cambridge building leased to the New School of Music and used partially by the Cambridge Art Association.
The building, constructed in 1883 as the Lowell School, is the last remaining wood-frame schoolhouse of its kind in Cambridge and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The New School of Music has leased it since 1980 and serves roughly 450 students. While the tenants have maintained the building and secured grants for upkeep, the structure will soon need major upgrades, which could amount to an estimated $12 million to $15 million.
Any change in how the property is used must follow the city’s 1990 disposition ordinance and state procurement law, which require a detailed public-benefit analysis, community meetings, Planning Board review, council approval and an open bidding process. If the city opts to use the property for affordable housing, it can transfer it directly to the Affordable Housing Trust without going through the full disposition and procurement steps. Some worry change will displace cultural institutions and erase a unique historic building’s community role for renovations that may not be feasible. Supporters say that the city’s affordability crisis requires bold use of public land.
Over the next three months, city staff expect to create concept plans illustrating how housing might fit on the site and meet with the nonprofit tenants to understand their long-term needs, with options and recommendations coming in the spring.
Eversource: The city says Dec. 15 is the first in a series of public open-house meetings between residents and the power provider Eversource so community members may speak about heat and electricity bills.
A city team with members from Public Works, the Council on Aging and other departments is coordinating the events to help residents better understand their bills, learn how to lower energy use and access cost-saving programs with a focus on supporting high-need communities. Fuel Assistance staff will attend to help residents apply for help on-site.
This post was updated Dec. 7, 2025, to add a link to an explanation of the Dover Amendment and to help clarify that Cambridge had exemptions to it.
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The building, constructed in 1883 as the Lowell School, is the last remaining wood-frame schoolhouse of its kind in Cambridge and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The New School of Music has leased it since 1980 and serves roughly 450 students. While the tenants have maintained the building and secured grants for upkeep, the structure will soon need major upgrades, which could amount to an estimated $12 million to $15 million.
I’ve been in that building many times. 12-15 million is outrageous for a major upgrade.
One could tear it down, and rebuild it as it was, for much less than 12-15.
What is going on in this city?
This article misstates what the Dover Amendment is. It does not regulate; it states what zoning MAY NOT regulate. Until February, Cambridge had an exemption from parts of the Dover Amendment, but the changes made in that massive upzoning effectively vitiated Cambridge’s hard-won exemption.
“Massive upzoning” is just another way of saying “building housing for the people who work here.” Cambridge keeps adding jobs. If we don’t add housing to match, we create a housing crisis. Property values rise for the affluent while everyone else suffers. It’s disheartening how many people seem comfortable with that outcome.
Fortunately, many Cambridge residents are not. Voters have repeatedly supported zoning reform, including in the most recent election.