We will be watching this carefully, particularly in light of the most recent attempt to by-pass the fast food ordinance for Dunkin Donuts. Begin forwarded message: From: "Craig Kelley" <craigkelley62@Verizon.net> Date: April 21, 2012 9:46:37 PM EDT To: "Craig Kelley" <craigkelley62@Verizon.net> Subject: Rezoning Proposal for Mass Ave Reply-To: <Craig@CraigKelley.org> Folks: As you may know, the City Council recently started the process for rezoning Mass Ave from just outside of Harvard Square (Waterhouse Street) to close to the Arlington Line (Cottage Park). The idea is to promote retail and stop the current zoning's preference for residential, but, as with all zoning provisions, the devil is in the details and if you are concerned about this part of Mass Ave you may want to read the zoning language and go to the meetings.. It's a fairly complex piece of zoning <http://www2.cambridgema.gov/cdd/cp/zng/amend/zngamend_nmassaveoverlay.pdf> , modifying an existing Overlay district that already modifies base zoning requirements and limitations, and it would, among other things, create fast food as an allowed use, allow some exemptions from parking requirements and give the Planning Board the power to waive ground floor retail in some cases. I don't yet understand it well enough to figure out what I like about it and what I don't (though I already have reservations about allowing Fast Food use, given the recent attempt to put a Dunkin' Donuts near the Evergood Market), but there will be a Planning Board meeting <http://www2.cambridgema.gov/cdd/cp/zng/agenda/2012/pb_20120515_nmassave.pdf

at 7:20 on 15 May at the City Hall Annex on Broadway and a City Council Ordinance Committee meeting about it on 6 June at City Hall and I imagine I will learn more then.

If you can't make these meetings, you can send an email to the Planning Board at Lpaden@Cambridgema.gov and the Ordinance Committee at Dlopez@Cambridgema.gov. You may also contact Michael Rome, on the 'to' line, who is one of the North Cambridge residents who helped develop this zoning proposal. Thanks a lot. Craig