FYI-that’s a wrap. Ruth Ryals raryals@gmail.com ---------- Forwarded message --------- From: Cathie Zusy City Councillor <cathie@votezusy.org> Date: Sun, Dec 22, 2024 at 4:16 PM Subject: Update #4: Multifamily Housing, Bike Lanes, City Charter, the Budget & More To: <raryals@gmail.com> [image: Logo] 22 December 2024 *Update #4: *Multifamily Housing, Bike lanes, City Charter, the Budget & More Greetings Fellow Cantabrigians, Here are my latest Council updates: Multifamily Housing Proposal I was disheartened by the Ordinance Committee meeting Thursday night. I had thought the outpouring of letters and testimony against the MFH proposal and the Planning Board <https://votezusy.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=37b5afde0c3c4def9bcfe8be4&id=49c46a6c02&e=229d64e4f4>’s refusal to support it would make councillors reconsider. And I’d hoped for a healthy public discussion of the proposal and that ultimately, it would be pared down to multifamily housing everywhere. But this didn’t happen. Instead, a compromise was presented and passed: - 4 stories everywhere with a 2-story density bonus for inclusionary developments (the latter only on lots of 5,000 sq. feet or larger). This is all as of right except for developments of over 75,000 square feet (up from the current 50,000 sq. ft. special permit baseline). - Setbacks have been added back in and AHO buildings can only go up to 9 stories. This is certainly better than the original proposal, but it remains problematic. I worry that it will trigger tear-downs and displacement and inflate property values, making it harder for middle class folks to live in Cambridge, not easier. It also threatens our tree canopy, historic buildings and neighborhood character. I respect the intent of the MFH proposal: to make building easier and to inspire home production but question its approach and the stated need. After delays due to COVID, construction has picked up and interest rates are falling, which will further prompt construction. Currently housing construction is happening here <https://votezusy.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=37b5afde0c3c4def9bcfe8be4&id=79463e69b5&e=229d64e4f4> and affordable housing developers, including the Cambridge Housing Authority, Homeowners Rehab, Just a Start, Capstone Communities and WinnDevelopment, have projects in play. So do we really need to let down the guardrails? I continue to believe that most development should be “smart growth,” along our corridors and squares and in transition districts identified by Envision Cambridge—not in our residential districts. Please share your thoughts about the MFH proposal at the January 8, 5pm Ordinance Committee meeting. Sign up to give public comment here <https://votezusy.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=37b5afde0c3c4def9bcfe8be4&id=665b188f0b&e=229d64e4f4>. I am also organizing a meeting of the Neighborhood & Longterm Planning Committee featuring urban planning faculty from MIT for early January. Stay tuned. Cycling & Garden Street December 2 we unanimously passed a policy order asking the City Manager to assess keeping our bike lanes, while removing parking as necessary to restore Garden Street to two ways. (I co-sponsored this P.O.) Over 500 residents on abutting streets wrote us letters supporting this, some of them cyclists. Only about 100 residents wrote in opposition. This is not a done deal, though. Traffic & Parking will analyze data and report back by April. (They are focused on designs for Cambridge St., Broadway and N. Mass. Ave. at the moment.) I am concerned that there is not a formal process for re-evaluating problematic intersections and roads. Every week citizens send councillors recommendations for changes; these must be considered and inform improvements. We also voted to ask the City to report on the next five years of anticipated cycle lane rollout. Asbestos City Councillor Nolan and I submitted a P.O. asking the City to require that the MBTA follow Cambridge asbestos removal standards as they build their layover tunnel at the IQHQ site beside Russell Field, which is known to be contaminated. This passed unanimously. Still, the Conservation Committee just voted to grant the MBTA an Order of Conditions to proceed without this requirement. City Charter I’m happy to report the Ordinance Committee voted to stick with City Manager leadership. And in spite of the Charter Review Committee recommendation to create a resident assembly, we voted against it. Cambridge already has a very engaged citizenry, many serving in over 50 advisory groups. In January, we’ll continue the discussion about the selection of the mayor, the length of council terms, and who should be entitled to vote. I believe the Council should select its mayor; that Council terms should remain at two years; and that to vote in municipal elections, we should continue to require that you are at least 18 and a U.S. citizen, as in other U.S. elections. Ultimately, the City Council will decide on a set of Charter updates that will be reviewed by the legislature and then voted on, up or down, by you. City Budget Commercial tax revenue is falling, meaning we anticipate Cambridge to face a growing debt as we finish rehabbing a fire station, building bike lanes, improving open space, and acting on deferred maintenance on municipal buildings. Cambridge remains financially sound, however, this means that for the next few years, we cannot contemplate large capital improvements or new initiatives. We will have a leaner (though still robust) budget and need to find smarter ways to do more with less. Around Town Among the many meetings I’ve had these past weeks was one where the DCR presented 90% plans for Memorial Drive improvements <https://votezusy.us11.list-manage.com/track/click?u=37b5afde0c3c4def9bcfe8be4&id=53ac1d396f&e=229d64e4f4> between JFK Street and the Eliot Bridge. This project has been in planning since 2016. While nothing is ever perfect, I applaud the persistence of DCR staff in pushing it forward. It will dramatically enhance our river parklands on the western end of the City. Happy Holidays! Cathie Cambridge City Councillor P.S. If you like my letter, please share it with friends and have them email me at czusy@cambridgema.gov to be added to the list. Also, if you appreciate my work, please consider sending a year end gift to “Zusy for Council” to my Treasurer Mara Goldberg at 172 Chestnut St., Cambridge, MA 02139 <https://www.google.com/maps/search/172+Chestnut+St.,+Cambridge,+MA+02139?entry=gmail&source=g> . Below are photos of Magazine Beach Park, an oasis in the City, and me at Governor Healey’s signing of the Mass Leads Act at the Regan Institute—$4b for bio tech, climate tech and AI initiatives+. **Copyright (C) 2024* Zusy for Council * All rights reserved. * Our mailing address is: *202 Hamilton St., Cambridge, MA 02139 <https://www.google.com/maps/search/202+Hamilton+St.,+Cambridge,+MA+02139?entry=gmail&source=g>* cathie@votezusy.org Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences <https://votezusy.us11.list-manage.com/profile?u=37b5afde0c3c4def9bcfe8be4&id=9f166858ff&e=229d64e4f4&c=aa0acbe11d> or unsubscribe <https://votezusy.us11.list-manage.com/unsubscribe?u=37b5afde0c3c4def9bcfe8be4&id=9f166858ff&t=b&e=229d64e4f4&c=aa0acbe11d>