Cambridge City Council meeting - Mar 16, 2015 - AGENDA
[Councillor Kelley was ABSENT]
RECONSIDERATION
1. Councillor Simmons notified the City Clerk of her intention to file reconsideration of the vote taken on Mar 2, 2015 adopting an order that the City Manager is requested to confer with local business associations, the Arts Council, and other appropriate city departments to determine the feasibility of hosting a series of "End of Winter" Festivals in our City Squares (Harvard, Central, Inman, Porter, Huron Village, and Kendall) to celebrate our city's resilience and strength.
CITY MANAGER’S AGENDA
1. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following person as a public weigher for the calendar year 2015 at MICH-LIN transfer station located at 45 Mooney Street, Cambridge: Robert Kousoulos
2. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the transfer of $25,000 from the General Fund Employee Benefits Salary and Wages account (Insurance) to the General Fund Electrical Travel and Training account (Judgments and Damages) to cover medical services and/or prescription reimbursement costs for electrical personnel injured in performance of their duties.
3. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the transfer of $15,000 from the General Fund Employee Benefits (Insurance) Salary and Wages account to the General Fund Library Travel and Training (Judgment and Damages) account to cover current and anticipated medical services and/or prescription reimbursement costs for the remainder of the fiscal year for personnel injured in the performance of their duties.
4. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the transfer of $250,000 from the General Fund Employee Benefits (Insurance) Salary and Wages account to the General Fund Public Works Travel and Training (Judgment and Damages) account to cover current and anticipated medical services and/or prescription reimbursement costs for the remainder of the fiscal year for personnel injured in the performance of their duties.
5. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of $6,000,000 from Free Cash to the General Fund Public Works Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($4,825,000) and to the General Fund Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures account ($175,000) and to the Public Investment Fund Public Works Extraordinary Maintenance account ($1,000,000) to cover winter 2014-2015 snowstorm expenses associated with snow plowing contracts, salt and other material, and repair costs.
March 16, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:I am hereby requesting the appropriation of $6,000,000 from Free Cash to the General Fund Public Works Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($4,825,000) and to the General Fund Public Works Extraordinary Expenditures account ($175,000) and to the Public Investment Fund Public Works Extraordinary Maintenance account ($1,000,000) to cover winter 2014-2015 snowstorm expenses associated with snow plowing contracts, salt and other material, and repair costs.
Cambridge received approximately 105 inches of snow this winter. Public Works swiftly responded to snow plowing, salting, clearing of pedestrian areas, bus stops and crosswalks, and removing snow. Included in this appropriation is $1,000,000 for road repairs this spring due to extensive potholes and damage from the severe winter season and $175,000 to replace heavy snow equipment.
Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager
6. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the transfer of $110,671 between School Department statutory accounts, which includes $102,671 from the General Fund School Travel and Training account and $8,000 from the School Extraordinary Expenditures account to the School Salaries and Wages account $35,203 and to the School Other Ordinary Maintenance account $75,468, which are reallocations to school improvement and professional development plans for all schools.
7. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a grant for $65,108 funded by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, Adult and Community Learning Services to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($52,361), to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($12,397), and to the Travel and Training account ($350) and will be used for ESOL, science, college preparation, and computer classes.
8. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Temporary Emergency Shelter grant received from the Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD) in the amount of $24,672.74 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will be subcontracted to the Cambridge YWCA and used to operate its family shelter from Mar 1, 2015 through Mar 21, 2015, including the provision of case management for ten homeless families.
9. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of the Friends of the Community Learning Center (CLC) grant in the amount of $5,000 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($3,297) and to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($1,703) which will provide support for a mentoring project: graduates of the Bridge Program will serve as mentors for current Bridge students.
10. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to an additional appropriation of the Low Income Heating Assistance Program grant in the amount of $89,605 funded by the Federal Department of Health and Human Services and administered in Massachusetts by the Commonwealth's Department of Housing and Community Development to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($13,912) and to the Other Ordinary Maintenance account ($75,693) which will provide additional funding to operate the Low Income Heating Assistance Program (LIHEAP) serving Cambridge and Somerville.
11. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of MassCAP Inc. funds in the amount of $4,383.13 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Other Ordinary Maintenance account which will be used to serve National Grid heating clients who have exhausted their fuel assistance benefit but are still in an emergency situation.
12. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a grant from the Metro North Regional Employment Board for $10,800 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($10,800) which will be used to reimburse the City for salary costs associated with enrolling a small number of income-eligible youth in a school year work program.
13. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the appropriation of a grant from the Jacob's Foundation for $5,000 to the Grant Fund Human Service Programs Salary and Wages account ($5,000) which will be used to support the salary costs of a part-time Cambridge Employment Program (CEP) Career Counselor who will provide services exclusively to CLC students on site.
14. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to an appropriation of additional Department revenue in the amount of $11,550 to the General Fund Human Service Programs Travel and Training account which will be used to upgrade Rec Trac, the software used by DHSP for participant tracking, enrollment, registration and billing.
15. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the transfer of $12,000 from the General Fund Employee Benefits Salary and Wages account (Insurance) to the General Fund Human Services Travel and Training account (Judgments and Damages) to cover medical services and/or prescription reimbursement costs for human service department personnel injured in performance of their duties.
16. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 15-25, regarding a report on the rationale for the No Turn on Red signs that are posted at various locations around the City.
17. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 15-04, regarding a report on next steps to converting the Watertown Branch rail line.
Mar 16, 2015
To the Honorable, the City Council:In response to Awaiting Report Item Number 15-04, regarding a report on next steps to converting the Watertown Branch rail line, Acting Assistant City Manager for Community Development Iram Farooq reports the following:
The Watertown Branch railroad from Concord Avenue to the Watertown line was jointly acquired with the state Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) in 2013 for the purpose of creating a multi-use path between Fresh Pond and Watertown that would allow residents a low stress, off-road connection in this corridor that could be used by people of all ages and abilities. At the time of the purchase, the City and DCR agreed that the DCR would take the lead in securing design and construction funding. At this time, the DCR has secured design funding, matched by private partners, to complete the path design from the Water Treatment Plant into Watertown to connect with the existing path there. Consultant selection and contracting is currently in process and will be followed by the start of a public process in Cambridge in late winter/spring 2015. When designer selection is completed, a schedule will be announced. Construction funds have not yet been identified but the City will work with the state to secure funding. The idea of temporary paving has not been considered given the need for permits, clearing of vegetation and rail lines, drainage work and the need to make any path accessible, which must be completed as part of any construction, even if low-cost temporary work.
The purchase of the right of way in 2013 did not include the section from Concord Avenue to the Fitchburg rail line which is still owned by Pan Am/Guilford. As part of the Concord-Alewife plan of 2007, a zoning overlay district was passed to protect this section of the railroad from being built on, and included an FAR incentive that would be given to projects which donate an easement for a path on the right of way. Developers of property adjacent to the railroad corridor on New Street attempted to purchase the right of way for this purpose but were unable to agree on a price with Pan Am/Guilford. Future opportunities to leverage easements or purchase of the right of way will be pursued in order to advance this path.
Very truly yours, Richard C. Rossi, City Manager
18. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to the block rates for water consumption and sewer use for the period beginning Apr 1, 2015 and ending Mar 31, 2016.
19. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 14-74, regarding a report on publicizing a community meeting within 72 hours of any catastrophic event that could impact public safety.
ON THE TABLE
1. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Cambridge Arts Council to determine the types of spaces that are most needed within the local arts community with the view of using the Foundry to fill those needs and to allocate appropriate funds to make appropriate upgrades for the purpose of creating a community arts center. (Order Amended by Substitution.) [Order Number Ten of Jan 27, 2014 Placed on Table on motion of Mayor Maher on Jan 27, 2014.]
2. An application was received from Ting-hsu Chen requesting permission to widen the existing curb cut at the premises numbered 14 Soden Street; said petition has received approval from Inspectional Services, Traffic, Parking and Transportation, Historical Commission and Public Works. No response has been received from the neighborhood association. [Applications and Petitions Number Six of Feb 24, 2014 Placed on Table on motion of Councillor Simmons on Feb 24, 2014.]
3. That the City Council go on the record in opposition to any type of casino project in the Greater Boston area whether constructed and managed by Mohegan Sun or Wynn Resorts. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Simmons on Order Number Five of June 16, 2014. Placed on the Table on the motion of Councillor Cheung on June 30, 2014.]
4. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan and Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee for a public hearing held on June 18, 2014 to discuss revisions to the Cambridge Municipal Code Section 9.04.050 (A) Defacing public property of Chapter 9.04 entitled "Offenses Against Property". [Committee Report Number Five of June 30, 2014 Placed on Table on motion of Vice Mayor Benzan on June 30, 2014.]
5. That as we undertake the Cambridge Conversations and the Master Planning Process, the City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department to study emerging business types in Cambridge and how they are affected by the use regulations in the Zoning Ordinance, and to recommend changes to the Zoning Ordinance that will help classify such businesses in a clear, rational way that supports the long-term interests of the community and instruct the Community Development Department to evaluate appropriate ways to facilitate home-based businesses above and beyond what is currently allowed. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor McGovern on Order Number Five of Sept 22, 2014. Placed on the Table on the motion of Councillor McGovern on Sept 29, 2014.]
6. That the City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department and the Planning Board to begin testing strategies to enhance such engagement at the earliest opportunity by methods such as requiring developers to hold a public meeting in the neighborhood and provide a report along with the permit application describing public input and changes to the project as a result of such input and to suggest changes to the Planning Board rules, which could be adopted by the Planning Board and/or Zoning Ordinance, which could be enacted by the City Council to codify successful community engagement strategies. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor McGovern on Order Number Six of Sept 22, 2014. Placed on the Table on the motion of Councillor McGovern on Sept 29, 2014.]
7. Congratulations to Marvin Gilmore on the release of his biography Crusader for Freedom. [Charter Right exercised by Mayor Maher on Resolution Number Twenty-seven of Oct 20, 2014. Placed on the Table on the motion of Mayor Maher on Oct 27, 2014.]
8. That the City Manager is requested to instruct the Community Development Department to abandon the "Complete Street" plan for Pearl Street. [Charter Right exercised by Councillor Toomey on Order Number Seven of Jan 5, 2015. Placed on the Table on the motion of Councillor Cheung on Jan 29, 2015.]
UNFINISHED BUSINESS
9. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor David P. Maher, Chair of the Ordinance Committee for a public hearing held on Nov 22, 2013 to conduct a public hearing on an amendment to the Municipal Code by adding a new Chapter 8.68 entitled "Concussion Prevention and Management in Youth Activities at City Facilities." The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Dec 23, 2013.
10. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor David P. Maher, Chair of the Ordinance Committee for a public hearing held on Dec 19, 2013 to conduct a public hearing on an amendment to the Municipal Code in Chapter 8.67 entitled relating to Plastic Bag Reduction. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after Feb 24, 2014.
11. Transmitting communication from Richard C. Rossi, City Manager, relative to an update on the Foundry Building process, including the City's plans to collaborate with the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (the "CRA") to redevelop the Foundry building in a way that meets the vision and objectives expressed by the City Council and the community. City Manager Agenda Number Seventeen of Dec 15, 2014 Referred to Unfinished Business.
12. That any committee report that has not been signed by the Chair of the committee within seven days after submission of the committee report by the City Clerk be placed on the City Council Agenda unsigned. Order Number Eight of Mar 2, 2015 Referred to Unfinished Business.
APPLICATIONS AND PETITIONS
1. An application was received from Mass Ave. Diner requesting permission for a sign at the premises numbered 906 Mass. Ave. Approval has been received from Inspectional Services, Department of Public Works, Community Development and abutter.
2. An application was received from Gibson Sotheby's International Realty requesting permission for two awnings and a sign at the premises numbered 1008 Mass. Ave. Approval has been received from Inspectional Services, Department of Public Works, Community Development and abutters.
COMMUNICATIONS
1. A communication was received from John Paul, regarding the Volpe site to be discussed at the City Council Apr 6th Roundtable.
2. A communication was received from Frederick Salvucci, Transportation Lecturer at MIT, urging the City Council to reject the Normandy/Twining Zoning.
3. A communication was received from Gary Dmytryk, President, Association of Cambridge Neighborhoods, regarding Ames Street affordable housing.
4. A communication was received from Hasson J. Rashid, 820 Mass. Ave., regarding Calendar Item #1 and Unfinished Business Item #11 regarding homelessness and Foundry.
RESOLUTIONS
1. Thanks to Judge Severlin B. Singleton, III for his twenty-five plus years as a jurist and for his service to the Cambridge, Belmont and Arlington communities. Councillor Simmons
2. Congratulations to Amy Stein on the occasion of her retirement as the Executive Director of Cambridge Camping. Mayor Maher
3. Resolution on the death of Thomas W. "Tom" Dedrick. Mayor Maher
4. Congratulations to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Federal Credit Union on its 75th anniversary. Mayor Maher
5. Retirement of Deputy Fire Chief Lester M. Bokuniewicz from the Cambridge Fire Department. Mayor Maher
6. Thanks to Kathy Reddick for her exemplary work serving as President of the Cambridge branch of the NAACP. Councillor Simmons
7. Resolution on the death of William E. Pearson. Councillor Simmons
8. Commending the City of Cambridge and its residents for their contributions to maintaining a City that is committed to social equity, economic equity and walkability. Councillor Cheung
9. Retirement of Darlene Lynch from the Cambridge Health Alliance. Mayor Maher
10. Retirement of Mary Jones from the Cambridge Health Alliance. Mayor Maher
11. Retirement of Clifton Adamson from the School Department. Mayor Maher
12. Resolution on the death of Muriel J. Cox. Mayor Maher
13. Happy 90th Birthday wishes to Patricia P. Morris. Councillor Simmons
14. Happy Birthday wishes to Gertrude "Trudy" Morris. Councillor Simmons
15. Thanks to Middle East Nightclub and the Central Square Business Association for holding the "Blizzard No More" event on Mar 3, 2015. Councillor Simmons
16. Congratulations to Ronald Walker on being named the recipient of the 2015 Martin Luther King Jr. Educator's Award by the Cambridge Branch of the NAACP. Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Benzan
17. Congratulations to Pamela Ogletree on being named the recipient of the 2015 Rosa Parks Quiet Strength Award by the Cambridge Branch of the NAACP. Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Benzan
18. Congratulations to Elise G. Scott on being named the recipient of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Cambridge Branch of the NAACP. Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Benzan
19. Congratulations to Reverend Elder Brenda Ann Brown on being named the recipient of the 2015 Service to Community Award by the Cambridge Branch of the NAACP. Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Benzan
20. Congratulations to Leo J. Fahey on being named the recipient of the 2015 Service to Community Award by the Cambridge Branch of the NAACP. Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Benzan
21. Congratulations to CRLS Students Ashayla Sturgis and Sheikh "Nash" Nasher for being named the recipients of the NAACP Scholarship Award by the Cambridge Branch of the NAACP. Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Benzan
22. Congratulations to Richard E. Morris on his recently published book, Twice Pardoned. Councillor Simmons
23. Condolences to the family of James L. "Smitty" Smith. Councillor Simmons, Vice Mayor Benzan
24. Resolution on the death of Teodoro Torres. Vice Mayor Benzan
25. Resolution on the death of Frederick "Fred" Edward Miles, Jr. Mayor Maher
26. Resolution on the death of Theresa (Jastrzemski) Puzin. Councillor Toomey
27. Condolences to the family and community of Marcia Deihl. Councillor Simmons
28. Congratulations to the American Adoption Congress on hosting the American Adoption Congress Conference from Mar 25-29, 2015 in Cambridge. Vice Mayor Benzan
29. Resolution on the death of Stephen DuPont. Vice Mayor Benzan
30. Best wishes to Pauline Paris for continued good health and happiness. Mayor Maher
31. Resolution on the death of Jennie P. Iantosca. Councillor Toomey
32. Resolution on the death of Cathleen A. Stephens. Mayor Maher
33. Resolution on the death of Regina Lukas Randall. Councillor Toomey
ORDERS
1. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate City personnel to determine the feasibility of having the City of Cambridge launch a limited, pilot program for heated bus shelters, and to report his findings back to the City Council in a timely manner. Councillor Simmons
2. City Council support of the clothing drive being hosted by The Chi Eta Zeta chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority and the Cambridge YWCA. Councillor Simmons
3. That the City Manager is requested to report back to the City Council on the feasibility of implementing text to 911. Councillor Cheung
4. That the City Manager is requested to review the questions raised from Kim Courtney and report back to the City Council on such matters the City Manager considers appropriate to address. Councillor McGovern, Mayor Maher, Councillor Carlone and Councillor Mazen
Failed 4-4-1 [Carlone, Mazen, McGovern, Maher - YES; Benzan, Cheung, Simmons, Toomey - NO; Kelley ABSENT]
5. Declaring Apr 2, 2015 as Autism Awareness Day in the City of Cambridge. Mayor Maher
COMMITTEE REPORTS
1. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk transmitting a report from Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair of the Health and Environment Committee and Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen, Chair of the Neighborhood and Long Term Planning and Public Facilities, Arts and Celebration Committee for a joint public hearing held on Jan 15, 2015 to discuss a report from HEET on natural gas leaks in Cambridge and the implications to the environment.
2. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan and Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Jan 22, 2015 to discuss the Normandy/Twining zoning petition to amend Article 20.000 of the Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map of the City of Cambridge by adding a new Section 20.800 entitled Mass. and Main Residential Mixed Income Sub district within the Central Square Overlay District.
Referred to Petition
3. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan and Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Feb 26, 2015 to discuss the refiled Normandy/Twining petition to amend the Zoning Ordinances in Article 20.000 of the Zoning Ordinance and the zoning map of the City of Cambridge by adding a new section 20.800 entitled Mass and Main Residential Mixed Income Subdistrict within the Central Square Overlay District.
Referred to Petition
4. A communication was received from Donna P. Lopez, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan and Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Mar 3, 2015 to continue discussions on the zoning petition filed by Whitehead Institute to amend the Zoning Ordinance, Sections 14.32.1 and 14.32.2 to provide for an increment of 60,000 square feet of GFA to be allowed by special permit in a portion of the MXD District, in Section 14.70 by retitling "Special Provisions Applicable Within the Ames Street District: and by adding a new Section 14.72 "Special Provisions Applicable Outside the Ames Street District.
Passed to 2nd Reading
5. A communication was received from Paula Crane, Deputy City Clerk, transmitting a report from Councillor E. Denise Simmons, Chair of the Housing Committee for a public hearing held on Jan 13, 2015 to discuss the production of language for a city-wide affordable housing overlay district, to be considered by the City Council to identify areas in the city that would be best suited for an affordable housing overlay district.
HEARING SCHEDULE
Mon, Mar 16
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Thurs, Mar 19
5:30pm The Housing Committee will conduct a public hearing to provide an update and continue discussion on the incentive zoning study from the Community Development Department. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Mar 23
5:30pm Roundtable/Working Meeting on Community Health. No public comment. No votes will be taken. Meeting will not be televised. (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Wed, Mar 25
4:00pm The Transportation and Public Utilities Committee will conduct a public hearing to receive updates and to discuss next steps for the shared-use, rail-with-trail path along the City's Grand Junction corridor. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Mar 30
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Wed, Apr 1
4:00pm The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to continue discussions on the Normandy/Twining Zoning petition. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Apr 6
5:30pm Roundtable/Working Meeting to discuss the Volpe site. No public comment. No votes will be taken. Meeting will not be televised. (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Tues, Apr 7
5:30pm The Civic Unity Committee will conduct a public hearing to receive an update from the City Manager's Office on the measures it has taken to increase diversity and fairness within the City's workforce since taking office. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, Apr 13
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Tues, Apr 14
5:30pm The Housing Committee will conduct a public hearing to receive from the Cambridge Housing Authority an update on the RAD progress and to receive responses to questions from the tenant Town Hall meeting of October 2014. (Community Room, Main Library, Level 2)
Wed, Apr 15
5:30pm The Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the C2 portion of the K2C2 Study. This hearing to be televised. (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Mon, Apr 27
5:30pm City Council Meeting (and Budget Overview). (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway)
Mon, May 4
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Thurs, May 7
9:00am The Finance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss FY2016 City Budget. This hearing to be televised. (TBA)
Mon, May 11
4:00pm 2015 Scholarship Award Ceremony (Sullivan Chamber)
5:30pm Roundtable/Working Meeting with the Cambridge Housing Authority to discuss RAD. No public comment. No votes will be taken. Meeting will not be televised. (Sullivan Chamber)
Wed, May 13
6:00pm The Finance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss FY2016 School Department Budget. This hearing to be televised. (TBA)
Thurs, May 14
9:00am The Finance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss FY2016 City Budget. This hearing to be televised. (TBA)
Mon, May 18
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Thurs, May 21
9:00am The Finance committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss FY2016 City Budget (if necessary). This hearing to be televised. (TBA)
Mon, June 1
5:30pm City Council Meeting (and expected Budget Adoption) (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, June 8
5:30pm Roundtable/Working Meeting to discuss the master plan. No public comment. No votes will be taken. Meeting will not be televised. (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, June 15
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, June 22
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
Mon, June 29
5:30pm City Council Meeting (Sullivan Chamber)
TEXT OF ORDERS
O-1 Mar 16, 2015
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: The winter that officially concludes on Mar 20, 2015, has provided stretches of frigid temperatures that have tested the endurance of even the heartiest New Englanders, and it is reasonable to conclude that similar arctic conditions will resume next winter and in subsequent winters; and
WHEREAS: The snow storms that crippled this region forced increased numbers of commuters into utilizing public transportation, and this translated to additional numbers of people standing outside at bus stops, sometimes waiting an hour or longer for their bus to arrive; and
WHEREAS: Other communities, including Boston, have invested in heated bus shelters at select locations, which have provided not only shelter but a bit of a reprieve from the intense cold during the frosty winter months, and these heated shelters have allowed commuters to better endure their sometimes lengthy waits; now therefore be it
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the appropriate City personnel to determine the feasibility of having the City of Cambridge launch a limited, pilot program for heated bus shelters, and to report his findings back to the City Council in a timely manner.
O-2 Mar 16, 2015
COUNCILLOR SIMMONS
WHEREAS: The Chi Eta Zeta chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority and the Cambridge YWCA are collaboratively holding a clothing drive, with donation boxes located at the Cambridge YWCA and in the lobby of Cambridge City Hall, with all proceeds going to help residents of Cambridge; and
WHEREAS: The final day for making a donation will be Mar 20, and then the items will be displayed and made available to local shelter residents as part of a "shopping day" in the library of the Cambridge YWCA on Mar 21; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record in supporting the clothing drive being hosted by The Chi Eta Zeta chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority and the Cambridge YWCA; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Council go on record in urging City employees to bring an item of clothing to the donation box in City Hall on Mar 19, to express our strong support for this program; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Clerk be and hereby is requested to forward suitably engrossed copies of this resolution to the Chi Eta Zeta chapter of the Zeta Phi Beta sorority, and to Eva Martin Blythe, Executive Director of the Cambridge YWCA, on behalf of the entire City Council.
O-3 Mar 16, 2015
COUNCILLOR CHEUNG
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to report back to the City Council on the feasibility of implementing text to 911.
O-4 Mar 16, 2015
COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN
MAYOR MAHER
COUNCILLOR CARLONE
COUNCILLOR MAZEN
ORDERED: That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to review the questions raised in the attached communication from Kim Courtney and report back to the City Council on such matters the City Manager considers appropriate to address.
O-5 Mar 16, 2015
MAYOR MAHER
WHEREAS: It has come to the attention of the City Council that in 2008 the United Nations General Assembly (62/139), designated that Apr 2nd as World Autism Awareness Day, to be observed every year beginning in 2008; and
WHEREAS: The United Nations invited all Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to observe World Autism Awareness Day in an appropriate manner, in order to raise public awareness of autism; and encouraged Member States to take measures to raise awareness throughout society, including at the family level, regarding children with autism; and
WHEREAS: The City of Cambridge will proudly observe Autism Awareness Day on Apr 2nd as we move beyond awareness and into acceptance of Autis; and
WHEREAS: The Mayor's Office and the Fletcher-Maynard Academy have coordinated their efforts to recognize Cambridge students and citizens with Autism on this day; and
WHEREAS: To commemorate the occasion, Cambridge will join an international movement to illuminate historic monuments and buildings in blue by lighting up Cambridge City Hall at 6:30pm on Apr 1st, the eve of Autism Awareness Day; now therefore be it
RESOLVED: That the City Council does hereby go on record declaring Apr 2, 2015 as Autism Awareness Day in the City of Cambridge; and be it further
RESOLVED: That the City Clerk be and is hereby requested to forward suitably engrossed copies of this resolution to Susan Gurry, Chairperson of the Cambridge Autism Awareness Day Committee, and to Robin Harris, Principal of the Fletcher-Maynard Academy, on behalf of the entire City Council.
TEXT OF COMMITTEE REPORTS
Committee Report #1
The Health and Environment and the Neighborhood Long Term Planning and Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committees held a joint public hearing on Thurs, Jan 15, 2015 at 3:12pm in the Sullivan Chamber.
The purpose of the hearing was to discuss a report from HEET on natural gas leaks in Cambridge and the implications to the environment (ATTACHMENT A).
Present at the hearing were Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair of the Health and Environment Committee; Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen, Chair of the Neighborhood and Long Term Planning and Public Facilities, Arts and Celebration Committee; Councillor Dennis J. Carlone; Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.; Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan; and Mayor David P. Maher; Public Works Commissioner Owen O'Riordan; City Engineer Kathy Watkins; Susanne Rasmussen, Director of Environment and Transportation, Community Development Department (CDD); Meghan Shaw, CDD; Mike Connolly; and City Clerk Donna P. Lopez.
Also present were Audrey Schulman, HEET; Bob Ackley, President, Gas Safety USA; and John Hawkinson, 2 Clinton Street.
Councillors Cheung and Mazen convened the hearing and explained the purpose. Councillor Cheung thanked Ms. Shulman for her presentation. She explained the qualification for Mr. Ackley. Ms. Shulman is from HEET, an efficiency maven for none profits and their communities located in Cambridge. She has help 11% of non-profits in Cambridge. She stated that the infrastructure in New England is old. Natural gas pipes are old, some from 1880's. The old pipes leak and crack. She stated that 3% gas leak come from the pipes. She explained the problems caused by the gas leaking. There are potential explosion, healthy concerns, kills trees, powerful greenhouse gas. Methane is 100 times more powerful than CO2 over a 100 year period. All the gas waste is paid for by the rate payers. The Utilities map leaks, but this information is not shared with municipalities. Mr.Ackley mapped Cambridge and Somerville and sniffed for methane. There was a map that showed the peaks of natural gas. In Cambridge the data was compared with Boston; there are a certain number of leaks per streets. There were 305 leaks found in Cambridge. NSTAR tells DPW the amount of gas loss. This equals $1 million of waste of natural gas; which is a cost of $28 per household. She spoke about street five year repair plan is successful to have natural gas leaks fixed as well. Greenhouse gas was 1/3 compared to C02. Methane is powerful for the first 20 years and losses power over the years. She stated that if the utility reports are accurate. If the info is accurate this is what could be true.
Ms. Rasmussen asked if the information from the Utilities does this measure the gas and subtract the consumption. Ms. Shulman stated the NSTAR measures all loss gas; which is a 3% loss. The gas may not be lost in Cambridge, but Cambridge rate payers are paying. Ms. Rasmussen stated that the conclusion is that gas leaks need to be fixed.
Ms. Shulman outlined the recommendations for the City. She stated that DPU would be releasing leak maps, but is not doing so currently. She urged the City Administration to encourage DPU to do leak maps. The dead trees can be overlaid with the leak map and charge the utility to pay for trees. She urged insuring that the leak maps are updated.
Councillor Carlone commented that methane defuses over time and trees die from methane does the soil become contaminated. Mr. Ackley stated that where there is a dead tree there is usually a leak. If the gas leak is repaired the tree will come back. He urged testing oxygen and methane levels. He stated that steam is hurting trees.
John Hawkinson asked how long it takes the gas to be permeable. Mr. Ackley responded a couple of days.
Mr. Ackley gave his presentation (ATTACHMENT B). The new pipes are plastic. NSTAR is working with the City. He has done a lot of work on gas leaks. He works on fugitive methane emissions. The first gas leak in Boston was done in 2012 supported by the BARR Foundation. There are 4,000 leaks in Boston. The 2.25 threshold is high. On cloudy days hold the gas down and windy days the gas is up. He explained surveys he did in District of Columbia, Manhattan, Pennsylvania. The Cambridge/Somerville gas leak study was done in 2014. This was supported by HEET. He stated that there are three kinds of gas leaks, external forces, mechanical failure and corrosion. Frost is dangerous to the pipes. Mechanical and corrosion represents 90% of leaks. The Picarro Mobile Analyzer is expensive. The probe can be placed 6-12 inches and avoid Dig Safe. He outlined how the gas leaks hurt the trees. Natural gas displaces oxygen needed for the health tree roots. If leaks are repaired the trees come back. He showed a newly planted tree at the Fogg Museum. Councillor Carlone stated that the trees on Quincy Street are dying. Mr. Ackley stated that there may be a large main at this location. He suggested testing all trees for methane. Repair the leak and save the trees. He urged a tree protection ordinance for gas leaks. Repairing natural gas leaks will improve public safety.
Councillor Cheung asked about gas laws. Ms. Shulman stated that there is a gas leak law that is not comprehensive. Lost and unaccounted for gas, stated Bob, is done multiple ways. Gas in and gas out or annual admissions factor. This number is not known as well as the method used. Ms. Shulman stated that the utilities are not transparency on this.
Councillor Cheung asked about the transparency on the map leaks. Ms. Watkins stated a lot of work has been done by NSTAR and mains were replaced and the repairs were made. The long term goal is to work to replace the mains. Mr. O'Riordan stated that the City meets with NSTAR on the 5 year street reconstruction plan. He further stated that Ms. Watkins meets with NSTAR on a weekly basis. There is a profound infrastructure that is in deployable condition. Quincy Street is different; it was reconstructed by the university and it was not in the five year plan. The City needs to do a better job with planting trees where there is gas. He does not think it is beneficial to change the way the city prioritizes the work.
Councillor Carlone asked if the height of gas marker needed to be a large number. Mr. Ackley stated that a small amount of gas is not an indication that it is a large leak. The real answer is probing the ground and getting a reading and report. Councillor Carlone stated that Harvard Square has leaks. Ms. Shulman stated that the issue is the peaks. Councillor Carlone stated that at Danehy Park methane is leaving the ground. Mr. Ackley stated that there are two locations that are emitting methane. All dumps in the state are emitting no methane. Mr. O'Riordan stated that there is a methane trench where methane leaches out onto New Street and is monitored by the City. He stated that dumps have been property capped. Over the last thirty years there has been a concerted effort to cap dumps.
Councillor Maze spoke about a leverage ordinance that would require companies to work immediately and then on an ongoing basis. Mr. O'Riordan stated that the City wants the gas company to repair the main. The gas company's priority is different from the City. The City repairs water, sewer and gas leaks and this may affect this.
Councillor Cheung asked if there are locations that can be tested. Mr. O'Riordan stated that the leaks are repaired with the street reconstruction. Mr. Ackley stated that this is a money issue and gets cost recovery money. The average gas leak costs $3,000. He stated that the gas company is damaging city property and the trees. Utility companies are obligated to repair the leaks and replace the trees.
Mr. Hawkinson asked what DPW assessment for the cost of leakage is. Mr. O'Riordan stated that it is in the range of $5,000 - $10,000 to do a spot leak.
Councillor Cheung stated that he sees the logic of the 5 year construction plan. He stated that the locations of the big leaks are scary. Is there a plan to address leaks and look at street construction? Ms. Watkins stated that big leaks are an indication of where testing is needed. DPW is meeting with NSTAR next week. The number of leaks is decreasing. Mr. Ackley explained that there is a new Mass. law where NSTAR is required to give municipalities leak maps. Mr. Hawkinson suggested lobbying DPU for a regulation making leak maps public or part of their filing. He further stated that the City should be very specific as to what is made public. Ms. Shulman stated that the map is on the HEET website.
Councillor Carlone questioned the location of tree if it is near a leak. Mr. Ackley stated that methane migrates to the curb. Utility should be required to fix the leaks and seal the joints.
Councillors Cheung and Mazen thanked all those present for their attendance.
The hearing adjourned at 4:36pm.
For the Committee,
Councillor Leland Cheung, Chair
Health and Environment Committee
For the Committee,
Councillor Nadeem Mazen, Chair
Neighborhood Long Term Planning and Public Facilities, Arts and Public Celebrations Committee
Committee Report #2
The Ordinance Committee held a public hearing on Thurs, Jan 22, 2015 beginning at 5:41pm in the Sullivan Chamber.
The purpose of the hearing was to discuss the Normandy/Twining zoning petition to amend Article 20.000 of the Zoning Ordinance and Zoning Map of the City of Cambridge by adding a new Section 20.800 entitled Mass. and Main Residential Mixed Income Sub district within the Central Square Overlay District.
Present at the hearing were Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan and Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chairs of the Committee; Councillor Leland Cheung; Councillor Craig Kelley; Mayor David P. Maher; Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen; Councillor Marc C. McGovern; Councillor E. Denise Simmons; Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.; Brian Murphy, Assistant City Manager for Community Development Department (CDD); Jeff Roberts, Land Use and Zoning Planner, CDD; and City Clerk Donna P. Lopez.
Also present were Attorney Anthony Galluccio, Real Estate Attorney; Mark Roopenian, Principal, Normandy Real Estate Partners; Alex Twining, President, Twining Properties; David Nagahiro, Principal, CBT; Susan Elsbore, Mass. and Main Team; Julius Fister, 30 Inman Street; Marjorie Maws, 853 Main Street; Jan Jones, 6C Wilson Terrace; John Sanzone, 540 Memorial Drive; Kaspere Bejoian, Jr., 544 Huron Avenue; Bob Flack, 1 Broadway; Seth Zeren, 183 Chestnut Street; Nancy Ryan, 4 Ashburton Place; Nookie Patel, 25 Hubbard Avenue; Stephen Kaiser, 191 Hamilton Street; Amanda Tremont, 3 Dana Street; Anthony Vanty, 194 Norfolk Street; Ellen Shachter, 346 Concord Avenue; Elie Yarden, 143 Pleasant Street; Patrick Verbeke, 91 Sidney Street; Reverend Ellis I. Washington, St. Paul AME Church, 37/85 Bishop Allen Drive; Sally Watermulder, 160 Chestnut Street; Jesse Kanson-Benanav, 26 Willow Street; Richard Klibaner, 54 Western Avenue; Richard Goldberg, 170 Harvard Street; Elaine DeRosa, 4 Pleasant Place; Carolyn Fuller, 12 Douglass Street; Pam Ross, 67 Highland Avenue; Bill McAvinney, 12 Douglass Street; Lee Farris, 269 Norfolk Street; Paul Denis, 156 Cherry Street; Charlotte Watson, 401 Norfolk Street; Saundra Graham, 189 Western Avenue; Bashia Lin, 9 Douglass Street; Jinlan Yang, 9 Douglass Street; Jonathan King, 40 Essex Street; Carole Bellew, 257 Charles Street; Heather Hoffman, 213 Hurley Street; Carol O'Hare, 172 Magazine Street; James Williamson, 1000 Jackson Place; Joan Squeri, 118 Pearl Street; and Mike Stead, 598-602 Putnam Avenue.
Councillor Carlone convened the hearing and explained the purpose. He stated that meeting is being filmed and audio recorded. This recording will be aired on Fri, Jan 23, 2015 at 5:30pm on Channel 22. He stated that the models will be shown on the video as much as possible. The public will be allowed to view the models.
Councillor Carlone stated that many communications have been received and will be made part of the report. He outlined the format of the meeting. He then invited the petitioners to present their petition. He stated that the petitioner has models and will be viewed on the recording as well as for the public.
The petitioners were represented by Anthony Galluccio, local counsel. He stated that the presentation is an overview of the petition. The partnership was formed between Normandy Real Estate and Twining Properties. Mark Roopenian, Principal, Normandy Real Estate, stated that he is excited to bring the project to Cambridge and that their marketing area is from Boston to Washington. Alex Twining, President of Twining Properties founded in 2002, stated that he has worked on housing development for thirty years. He is an architect and urban designer. He has worked on green buildings design since 1970. David Nagahiro, Principal, CBT, stated that his focus is on sustainability and has worked on many projects in Cambridge. He has worked with the Planning Board as master planner for North Point.
Attorney Galluccio addressed the presentation and stated that the presentation will be available on line and made part of the record (ATTACHMENT A). He spoke about the timeline, the partnerships, the C2 process and the acquisition of the property. The property was acquired on Dec 28, 2012. He stated that the evaluation of uses will be discussed to lead to this point with the zoning petition which was filed. There have been 200 people that have come to the community meetings and the open houses. There have been four structured meetings that were presentations and two open houses where surveys were conducted to get feedback on design, ground floor model, retail and general priorities for Central Square. He spoke of the community meetings scheduled with the Area Four Coalition and the Cambridge Neighborhood Association. Direct abutters have been important to the project. He spoke of the results of survey received. Middle income housing was the top priority. Affordable housing was ranked second. General housing is what the community wants as well as transit oriented development. The development of office and lab space was ranked the lowest priority. A retail survey was done. The focus was reinforced on local and independent businesses. The survey was done to vet out the public market. Art and culture was ranked as a priority. This needs to be better defined with the community.
Mark Roopenian, outlined the acquired properties. He stated that Quest continues to lease the space and will move out by the end of 2015. The plan is for Quest to move to a site in Marlboro by the end of 2014. No additional properties have been acquired outside of the Quest property. The same property that was purchased a couple of years ago is what is owned today. He stated that Block A contains Radio Shack, the eye doctor and a small space where the open houses have been held. The parking is behind this building. He stated that the plan is to renovate the office building and maintain the existing height. The area where the open houses have been held will be a retail space. The parking lot behind contains forty-eight spaces. Block B, the focus of the petition, contains McDonalds, Cafe Luna, the city lot, is not part of the petition. The Apollo Dental site is subject to Cambridge Historical Commission determination because it is more than fifty years old. He stated that this is the focus of the petition. Block C is not in the petition but is an owned property. There is a small office building and a parking lot of 55 spaces in Block C. The Bishop Allen Drive parking lot at 65 Bishop Allen Drive has 51 spaces and 47 Bishop Allen Drive is a parking garage with 113 spaces. The lot and garage are critical to the new development being proposed. The Quest site is not cohesive and it makes development a challenge. He spoke of the properties assets. He stated that the existing retail is viewed as an asset.
Attorney Galluccio gave an overview of the petition. The focus is on the mid-block, block B. The petition does not ask for new commercial. The new increased development rights are strictly residential and the petition focuses on the central edge. In order to take advantage of the new housing you must conform to the proposed affordable housing and parking requirements. He stated that this location is appropriate for this type of building. This will not set a precedent. He stated that this is a complicated area because there are a few zoning districts with a Business B and Business A along Bishop Allen Drive and edge of the property are in a residential district. He displayed a zoning map that showed the petition area. The proposed Mass. Avenue height zone allows one building up to 195 feet. The Columbia and Douglass Street zones allows up to 80 feet with a special permit. If you opt into the sub district the height limit is 70 feet and must conform to the affordable housing, parking and retail requirements. This area includes the parking lots. He stated that the base zoning is 3.0 Floor Area Ratio plus an inclusionary bonus of 1.9. This focuses on the front lot. With the additional development rights that is being requested is 2.6 with a maximum of 6.5 FAR. Retail is not being exempted. The FAR calculates all the density on the site. The height requirements and the footprint of the building creates the maximum build-able square footage.
He stated that there is no planned development for the Bishop Allen area. This does include the 2.6 FAR bonus with the same requirements. This has a different starting requirement at l.75 and has a different FAR. The height along Bishop Allen does not change, it stays at 45 feet.
He provided reference points in Central Square regarding building heights. The Manning building has 19 stories. He spoke about the seasonal public market, green space and the parking. He stated that proposed retail parking is exempt from the parking requirements. He stated that up to 5% of the units will be innovation units, defined as units less than 500 square feet. No parking or resident stickers will be allowed by a lease covenant and the petitioner will strictly enforce this.
The affordable housing formula is complicated. He stated that 15% was calculated on the base FAR of 3.0 plus the bonus for a total of 3.9. The currently inclusionary zoning requires 11.5%. He explained that 15% is required on the base FAR and for the new development rights you need 20% in the middle and moderate-income category. He stated that at no point can the units be below 17% for the combined middle and affordable units. The number is below the base 11.5% for affordable units but will continued to work with the neighborhood to get a mix of housing units. The federal income guidelines are being used from the City's programs. The petitioner is requiring a 10% unit mix of 3 bedrooms. Retail is required along Mass. and Main. The retail must be local with no banks. Article 19 will still apply. The goal was to articulate a housing plan that would be allowed in the zoning.
Mark Roopenian stated that Normandy expertise is in office structures. He spoke about office versus residential. The property was purchased because the East Cambridge market is strong. The economics of office use is strong. The petitioners heard the community desire for housing, not office or lab space. The petitioner reevaluated the plan. Affordable housing was what the community wanted.
Alex Twining stated that residential was the way to go to fit with the existing pattern of growth. Main Street is the connector for downtown Cambridge to Boston. He stated that there are trades off with office and residential. A necessary evil with residential is height. However residential positively impacts retail uses 3 times what office does. It activates the streetscape. This activity will be welcomed in Central Square. He stated that Central Square is different from other areas. It is a cultural district, the seat of government, a diverse place where funky retail exists. An important distinction is it mixed housing. Central Square is different from Kendall Square. He stated that from the feedback the height was dropped from 235 to 195 feet and the parking ratios were raised from .25 to .7. Increased connections were made from Mass. Ave. through the block to the neighborhood. The petitioners continue to work with the neighborhood and abutters. He stated that the building design would be refined as the project moves forward. He was involved in the Red Ribbon Committee and the C2 process.
He spoke about what has been done with this project to meet the C2 goals. He stated that one C2 goal is to activate public places and that the proposed plan is to activate Jill Rhone Park and to extend it into the block. He wanted a thriving mixture of retail, culture and housing. Connections to Central Square - there are two different passageways planned to achieve this. The last is sustainability with green building design and transit and bike oriented development.
David Nagahiro stated that Mass. + Main anchors Central Square; this development is a unique opportunity to create a special place at Lafayette Square. With great space comes great buildings. He stated that the existing Quest property buildings do not create any activity. Proposed retail and residential will activate the area. Central Square has an identity and is successful and is different from Kendall Square. He spoke about the materials that will be introduced into the building and looking at the scale of the building. The petition will introduce funky architecture and retail. There are two new buildings that will fit into the fabric of the City. The building along Columbia Street is smaller than the tower. He stated that regarding the three-story Apollo Dental building, there is a 50/50 split for preserving or demolishing the building. He stated that from McDonald's to Toscanini's the plan is to have pedestrian passages connect into the neighborhood. Existing pedestrian traffic is dead next to Quest property. He spoke about the need for retail and keep the residential small. He spoke about the retail at Mass. Avenue and Columbia Street. There is bike storage with 280 spaces and offering a space for a public market in the city-owned parking lot on the weekends. He stated that the recommendations of the C2 committee were incorporated. The building base will be activated with retail. The tower will be set back with massing stepping down to the 45 feet on Bishop Allen Drive. He discussed the shadow studies for the spring and the fall. Shadows are not cast on Lafayette Square, Mass. Avenue or Jill Rhone Park. He stated that the winter shadow is worse. The fire station casts a shadow across Lafayette Square. He spoke about Option A, the initial design. Option B was to set the building back slightly. Option C was to set back the entire building. Option D was a point tower. Option E is to have a curved building. Option F was to create a slope.
At 6:40 PM Councillor Carlone asked the City Staff, Mr. Murphy and Mr. Roberts to come forward. Councillor Carlone stated that the City has prepared a memo (ATTACHMENT B) to which the petitioner has responded (ATTACHMENT C).
Mr. Murphy spoke about evaluation of the Mass. + Main zoning petition. He gave an overview on the zoning, construction and language. The proposed zoning language needed clarification to understand the intent of the petition and to insure that the petition including the boundaries of Central Square Overlay District and the divergent from the standards. He spoke about overall planning approach. There are similarities between the Mass. + Main petition and the C2 approach. There are differences in strategy and approach. He stated that the Planning Board and the petitioners should discuss such things as what changes would affect the petitioners land holdings, how increasing the density on one lot will affect the future use of adjacent properties, such as the municipal parking lot. He asked how this petition would allow for positive change across Central Square. He stated that residential density and affordability were discussed.
He spoke about the petitioner's FAR, inclusionary zoning and the height limit differences with C2. He spoke about the yard setback and open space. The parking spaces are higher than C2 recommendations. Larger residential units with the petition requiring that 10% of the units be three bedroom units. Sustainability discussed in C2 was for standards to come forward after the study is completed on Net Zero and Climate Change. He stated that questions were raised about ground floor retail and public space. He stated that design guidelines are important for Central Square and the C2 Committee and the future of the area to enrich the public realm.
Mr. Roberts added stated that there is a lot of detail in the proposed conceptual design of the proposal. He stated that the analysis is made on the zoning petition itself. There are elements of the design proposal that seem favorable and something that the City may want to embrace. It may be useful to think about ways to translate these into guidelines or criteria or other provisions in the zoning.
Councillor Carlone spoke about precedent. He stated that this petition allows more than doubling of height, almost 2.5 times higher. The C2 report proposed a limited number of taller buildings. He asked how can the height of proposed buildings elsewhere be limited if this petition is granted. Mr. Roberts stated there are different ways to approach this. It could be put into the zoning. In the Central Square Study recommendations it is included that for taller height buildings it would be limited to a certain percentage of the site. Only a certain number of sites could accomplish this. The concept of the transfer of development rights would require that to develop a tall building it requires not just the height limit to be it requires the total amount of development rights to be large enough to fill the building envelope.
The recommendation in the Central Square study (C2) was to raise the FAR uniformly over the district, but to allow a limited transfer of development rights. The C2 proposed FAR of 4.0 in Central Square would allow the transfer of development rights onto an individual site. Councillor Carlone stated that it is unknown where other towers will go. He stated that this petition doubles the FAR. He stated that other petitioners will almost certainly follow suit. Mr. Murphy spoke about the community consider that justify the tradeoffs that are appropriate to justify additional heights these are the community benefits in exchange for the height. Councillor Carlone stated that an urban design study where all the site are studied and development is coordinated would be helpful.
Vice Mayor Benzan stated that in fairness he wanted to move to public comment.
Councillor Carlone said that he first wanted the development team to know areas that need to be addressed as early in the process as possible for their benefit and then public comment would occur. He continued by stating that 26 more affordable and middle income units are being received for the additional 115 feet in height with this petition. He stated that the calculation and analysis of affordable and middle-income housing is critical in the evaluation. He stated that for the next hearing he hopes that the development team will list all the numbers and the square footages clearly.
He stated that in the C2 on Bishop Allen Drive the goal was to free up existing parking for future affordable housing development and not make permanent on-grade parking and garages on residential streets.
He stated that the comment that building heights of 12-14 stories is the break point for construction over 70 feet was not a given. He understood it to be 11stories. He would like the petitioners' and city's construction height information to be given to the Council and Planning Board. He stated that the design guidelines have to be dramatically expanded for such a large project. He stated that there was no mentioned that in the existing, surrounding Business B residential zone there is a need to evaluate the change that the proposed petition will make. Impacts on Mass. Ave., Columbia Street and Bishop Allen Drive need to be evaluated. He questioned if the proposed building character and massing will actually benefit the immediate surrounding area.
Councillor Cheung looked forward to continuing the hearing about this project. He appreciated the developer meeting with the neighborhood. This goes back for decades as how to improve Central Square. This is housing; 10% 3 bedroom housing. The question of the height along Mass. Ave. must be addressed. Twining has acted responsively to bring local retail into the City. He appreciated having no more banks.
Councillor McGovern asked Mr. Murphy about the process in general. He stated that there is a sense that this petition is being fast tracked. Mr. Murphy stated that state law prescribes how zoning petition is acted upon and how it goes through the process. There are required hearings both by the Ordinance Committee and the Planning Board. There can be more than one hearing on some petitions by both entities. The Planning Board will hear the petition and will probably give homework to the developer and will have another hearing, which might be held in February. Mr. Roberts stated that the hearings begin a 90 day review period. Within this period the City Council may take action on the petition or could refer the petition back to hold more hearings. Councillor McGovern spoke about precedent issue. He favored building more affordable housing, all types. He does not want to see Mass. Ave. with tall buildings. He stated it would be helpful to see the locations for petitions such as this one so that the City Council can plan for what Central Square will look like.
Councillor McGovern asked the petitioner about the low and middle-income family housing. He stated that many families do not qualify under federal guidelines under low and moderate-income housing. He stated that the petitioners have to better the 15% low-income affordable percentage (which actually works out to 11.5%). This was not acceptable and he appreciated the petitioner increasing it to 17% (low and middle-income together). He would like to see the accumulative 17% increased because the petitioner is asking for a great deal of relief. There is concern in the community with what the petition is requesting. Affordable housing is the number one community benefit-- he wanted the petitioner to do better than proposed 17% accumulative number.
The open houses were great. He stated that they brought in a lot of people who may not attend a community meeting. He asked what is the plan for outreach with the established neighborhood groups. He stated that something as important as this there cannot be enough outreach. Attorney Galluccio responded that the petitioner immediately reached out to the Area Four Coalition and Cambridgeport and Essex Street. He stated that Area Four had a change in leadership. He stated that the Area Four and Cambridgeport meetings are scheduled for February. He stated that the petitioners believe in the proposal and they believe that people want to see housing in this area. He stated that with the community meetings the proposal will only continue to get better. He stated that if there are any neighborhood groups that want to meet with the petitioners to pass this information on and the petitioners will meet with them. This project has had a model, design and a full "Monty" two months prior to the first required meeting under chapter 40A. He explained that regardless of the outcome he wanted this process to set a different standard for public participation.
Councillor McGovern applauded the petitioners for their efforts, but stated that more can always be done. Councillor McGovern asked in the existing plan what the retail plan is - will this stay and how construction will impact the existing businesses. What are the plans to help those businesses during construction? Attorney Galluccio stated that Luna, McDonald's and Toscanini’s want to remain. The petitioners have to get out to discuss this with the businesses. He spoke about the shadow studies being workable. He stated that the petitioners have met with Cafe Luna and St. Paul's AME to alleviate fears during the construction. Mr. Twining stated in Kendall Square two buildings were built in somewhat the same situation and there were no mitigation problems. Professional construction managers will be hired who will have a plan on how to deal with this.
Councillor McGovern stated his concerns for people who live here is that with higher rent housing the retail is too expensive for people who live in the City. He urged that care is given to keep rents low and affordable and to keep local retail business. He was pleased to keep the conversation open on the parking lot for mixed-use housing. Attorney Galluccio stated that the goal is to get people to be as excited about the project as the petitioners. He stated that the goal is not to do office. He stated that if the City decides to move forward with housing on the City owned parking lot the shadow studies are similar impacts to the lot. He stated that someone living in housing on the City owned parking lot that he would rather live in a housing complex with a mix of units that has a social environment. If the city lot is what it is in 3 years he asked how the development can better interact with this. Councillor McGovern stated that people with greater means are coming to Cambridge and we need to see how housing fits into this. He stated that he was happier with the discussion on housing rather than office and lab.
Public comment began at 7:17pm.
Julius Fister, 30 Inman Street, stated if the petition is proposed the up-zoning precedent has been set that will be used by other developers. He spoke about the shadow impact for Lafayette Square. He stated that high-end retail will be brought in.
John Sanzone, 540 Memorial Drive, supported the concept. There are places in city where it is appropriate for high-rise. This is appropriate. His concern is parking. He spoke about exploring the historical significance of the Apollo building. The shadow study looks reasonable. He was troubled by the set back of the buildings; there is a need for an architectural presence.
Kasper Bejoian, Jr., 544 Huron Avenue, represented his family. He stated that this project will have an effect on them. He attended the open houses. He thinks the housing will be an asset and the mixed of housing will bring a strong presence in the square. This is a good thing. Many elderly would like families and diverse local retail. He urged the City Council to act on petition as soon as they can.
Seth Zeren, 183 Chestnut Street, supported the petition. The city is facing affordability and housing has not been built and rents are increasing by 5% each year. The city needs to add more residential units. Alewife would be a better location. His e-mail is attached as (ATTACHMENT D).
Nancy Ryan, 4 Ashburton Place, stated that she is a thirty-four year resident and that Area Four is not the hottest area in the city. Area residents have fought for housing. She wanted integrated neighborhood review and it does not mean casual neighborhood open houses. She stated that the petitioners have resisted meeting with the Area Four Neighborhood Alliance. She stated that the C2 was never adopted by the City Council. The C2 process was not democratic and the City is acting like C2 is the official city policy. This petition is larger and seeks larger relief than proposed in C2. She submitted her comments (ATTACHMENT E).
Nookie Patel, 25 Highland Avenue, stated that he owns Commonwealth Restaurant in Kendall Square. Mr. Twining is his landlord and is a good landlord. Twining Properties stated that they would get cool retail in Kendall Square and this is what they did. He is a small independent business owner.
Steve Kaiser, 191 Hamilton Street, stated that the concern tonight is zoning. In 2011 planning for Central Square did not contain any independent individuals. The petitioner presented their proposal and named the project Mass. + Main. The project is Lafayette/Rhone Square. This is a difficult petition to understand. This petition cannot offer a consistency in the area. This zoning is not ready for prime time. He noted that not a single person was opposed to housing and this can be worked on. Lafayette Square can be rezoned to accept a housing proposal. Planning should be a time for discussion and alternatives. Zoning cannot replace planning. There is no master plan or housing plan for guidance. This is a beginning of the conversation for better housing for Lafayette Square. He submitted his comments dated Jan 20 and Jan 22, 2015 (ATTACHMENTS F & G).
Amanda Tramont, 3 Dana Street, stated that she spends time in Central Square. She supported the petition that will create housing and retail. She urged the City Council to act favorable. She submitted her comments (ATTACHMENT H).
Anthony Vanty, 194 Norfolk Street, supported the petition because Cambridge is a desirable place to live. Planning and the future of Cambridge is a difficult question. He is being priced out and many residents do not qualify for low to moderate housing. The issue is the density. He stated that the .07 parking spaces is high because of the proximity to the red line. Through the design proposal, the envelope discussion is appropriate. This opens a larger discussion.
Councillor Carlone stated that this is an up-zoning and the City Council is trying to look into the details more carefully.
Ellen Shachter, 346 Huron Avenue, stated that she is an Attorney at Cambridge/Somerville Legal Services. She addressed the issue of the maximum units and the diverse income. She is happy that housing is being proposed. She felt that density has become a negative word. She stated that as much as affordable housing is needed now this petition would result in less affordable units and shifts the affordable housing to the moderate income that has other rental options in the city. Currently there are 11,000 families on the housing list; 3000 are Cambridge residents. She stated that there should 17.25% for low-income and 2.25% for moderate. City of Somerville already has 17% + and has put out proposal for 20%. She recognized the immediate need for housing because the developer is proposing a lot.
Elie Yarden, 143 Pleasant Street, spoke about the City Council and their authority and expectation. He stated what is expected is that the City Council act with transparency and within the law. He ended his comments by saying as long as growth is done at the price of increasing poverty something is wrong.
Patrick Verbeke, 91 Sidney Street, stated that the Mass + Main project will provide affordable housing that will allow people to stay in Cambridge. He noted that automobiles will not be required. Cambridge needs additional housing, including affordable. He supported the petition. He submitted his comments via e-mail (ATTACHMENT I).
Reverend Ellis I. Washington of St. Paul AME Church, stated that as a direct abutter he appreciated the petitioners reaching out to community. He spoke about the shadow study. He supported the maximum number of affordable housing units. He is concerned with the ripple effects and a neighborhood that does not appreciate the value of churches.
Jessie Kanson-Benanav, 26 Willow Street, realized that Cambridge is facing a housing crisis. Cambridge must seek density around transit hubs. This places people closer to jobs and reduces the dependency on cars. Alliance for a Better Cambridge (ABC) believes that the petitioner is helping families with a range of incomes to stay in Cambridge. He supported the three-bedroom housing, bike, car share and retail. He wanted to continue the diversity. He stated that 8,500 additional units must be added to Cambridge. He urged the City Council to pass the petition. He submitted his comments (ATTACHMENT J).
Richard Klibaner, 54 Western Avenue, spoke of the positive and negative changes in Central Square. He supported the petitioner. He wanted more affordable low-income housing.
Richard Goldberg, 170 Harvard Street, Area 4 Coalition, stated that he was opposed to the Twining Tower. This will serve as a precedent for spot zoning. The supply of high-end housing with some units going to low and moderate income is not the way to solve the problem. He advocated for a specific type of housing. Why not have anything over existing zoning be for affordable or low-income housing?
Elaine DeRosa, CEOC, stated that Cambridge should do better for affordable housing and it should be housing for 80% median income. If Cambridge is going to be diverse, three bedroom units are key.
Carolyn Fuller, 12 Douglass Street, stated that she is in shadow of the project and she is in support of the proposal. New multi-family dense housing is needed in Cambridge. She wanted the City Council to support the proposal and to get the maximum affordable housing and open space. She does not want to sacrifice residential to commercial development. (ATTACHMENT K).
Pam Ross, 67 Highland Avenue, stated that this project will offer more stores that are not like a mall. Cambridge is different from Boston. This project will help keep Central Square different from other squares. She liked the access back to Bishop Allen Drive. She is interested in low and moderate housing in this area.
Councillor Carlone stated that Councillor Simmons had to leave the hearing for a previous engagement. Councillor Simmons stated that she could stay for twenty more minutes. Councillor Carlone explained that the committee cannot continue the hearing without a quorum.
The following e-mails were made part of the report:
Jeff Byrnes in support of the Mass + Main project (ATTACHMENT L).
Michael Goodman 2050 Mass. Ave., in support of the petition and the need for much more affordable housing (ATTACHMENT M).
Oliver Kendall, 71 Norfolk Street, in support of the project and project such as this allows more housing for all income levels, allows building vertically along major streets and near transit stations (ATTACHMENT N).
Paul Steven Stone, 219 Harvard Street, in opposition to the nineteen story tower in Central Square (ATTACHMENT O).
Wendy Jacob, 2 Lamson Place, in opposition to the height of the tower in a low rise neighborhood (ATTACHMENT P).
Michael Hawley in opposition to the Normandy-Twining zoning petition because it is spot zoning absent a sensible plan (ATTACHMENT Q).
Patricia Lotterman, 44 Pearl Street, in opposition to a high rise out of scale tower proposed by Normandy/Twining zoning petition (ATTACHMENT R).
Barbara Hume, 33 Essex Street, requesting that the Normandy/Twining proposal be postponed until the petitioners meet with long established neighborhood organizations (ATTACHMENT S).
Alec Papazian, 105 Norfolk Street, in support of the Normandy/Twining zoning petition (ATTACHMENT T).
Jonathan King, 40 Essex Street, in opposition to the proposed Normandy/Twining high rise tower and spot zoning petition because it is a serious threat to the integrity of Central Square's residential neighborhoods (ATTACHMENT U).
Parker Brooks Heckner, 105 Norfolk Street, in support of the Normandy/Twining development proposal (ATTACHMENT V).
Rachel Wyon, 283 Sidney Street, in opposition to the height of the tower proposed by the Normandy/Twining petition (ATTACHMENT W).
Shelley Rieman in opposition to the residential tower proposed for Central Square (ATTACHMENT X).
Minga Claggett-Borne in opposition to the Twining building because of the height (ATTACHMENT Y).
Robert Bejoian, 544 Huron Avenue, in support of the Mass. + Main project (ATTACHMENT Z).
Susan Markowitz, 20 Oak Street, in opposition to the Normandy/Twining tower because it is too high (ATTACHMENT AA).
Carol O'Hare, 172 Magazine Street, commenting that the amendment is not ready for prime time (ATTACHMENT BB).
Kathy Watkins, 80 Fawcett Street, requested that the Normandy/Twining proposal be postponed for clarity (ATTACHMENT CC).
Gaylen Morgan, Lexington Avenue, in opposition to the Normandy/Twining development (ATTACHMENT DD).
Mary Vanderwicken requesting the City Council not to approve the Normandy/Twining proposal (ATTACHMENT EE).
Ruggero Ferrari, 81 Pine Street, in opposition to Normandy/Twining proposal (ATTACHMENT FF).
Molly O'Brien, 103 Pleasant Street, expressing concern for the up zoning proposed by Normandy/Twining petition (ATTACHMENT GG).
Ann Fleck-Henderson in opposition to the Normandy/Twining proposal (ATTACHMENT HH).
Lisa Horvitz, Norfolk Street, in opposition to the proposed Normandy tower (ATTACHMENT II).
Kennie Lyman, 13 Rockwell Street, in opposition to the zoning change to allow high rise towers in Central Square (ATTACHMENT JJ).
Pam Matz, 22 Essex Street, urging the City Council to not approve the Normandy/Twining zoning petition (ATTACHMENT KK).
Esther Hanig, 136 Pine Street, in support of the Normandy/Twining proposal (ATTACHMENT LL).
Jack Boesen, 25 Suffolk Street, in opposition to the Normandy/Twining proposal (ATTACHMENT MM).
Jacquelyn Smith in opposition to the Normandy/Twining proposal for the Kendalization of Central Square (ATTACHMENT NN).
Anthony Keber, 4 Cornelius Way, in opposition to the Normandy/Twining proposal that would further gentrify Central Square into an extension of Kendall Square (ATTACHMENT OO).
Carolyn Shipley, 15 Laurel Street, in opposition to the Mass. + Main proposal (ATTACHMENT PP).
Janice Watson Barnes and George E. Barnes, 154 Cherry Street, in support of the Mass. + Main proposal that will create housing along Mass. Ave. and Columbia Street (ATTACHMENT QQ).
Cambridge Residents Alliance Executive Committee in opposition to the Normandy/Twining petition because the negative impacts outweigh the benefits of the proposal (ATTACHMENT RR).
Catherine Forde, 28 Suffolk Street, in opposition to the Mass. + Main proposal because of parking, housing and up zoning (ATTACHMENT SS).
Councillor Carlone thanked all those present for their attendance.
The hearing adjourned at 8:20pm.
For the Committee,
Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chair
Committee Report #3
The Ordinance Committee held a public hearing on Thurs, Feb 26, 2015 beginning at 5:41pm in the Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, 459 Broadway.
Vice Mayor Benzan stated that the purpose of the hearing was to discuss the refiled Normandy/Twining petition (ATTACHMENT A) to amend the Zoning Ordinances in Article 20.000 of the Zoning Ordinance and the zoning map of the City of Cambridge by adding a new section 20.800 entitled Mass and Main Residential Mixed Income Subdistrict within the Central Square Overlay District.
Present at the hearing were Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan, Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chairs of the Committee; Councillor Leland Cheung; Councillor Craig Kelley; Mayor David P. Maher; Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen; Councillor Marc C. McGovern; Councillor E. Denise Simmons; Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.; Iram Farooq, Acting Assistant City Manager for Community Development Department (CDD); Jeff Roberts, Land Use and Zoning Planner, CDD; Stuart Dash, Director of Community Planning, CDD; and City Clerk Donna P. Lopez.
Also present were Attorney Anthony Galluccio, Real Estate Attorney; Mark Roopenian, Principal, Normandy Real Estate Partners; Alex Twining, President, Twining Properties; David Nagahiro, Principal, CBT; Pam Ross, 67 Highland Avenue; Kasper and Robert T.Bejoian, 544 Huron Avenue; John Hawkinson, 2 Clinton Street; Jesse Kanson-Benanav, 26 Willow Street; Sarah Kennedy, 12 Inman Street; Olivia Fiske, 131 Magazine Street; E. Arimah, 22 Lopez Street; Patrick Verbeke, 91 Sidney Street; Steve Kaiser, 191 Hamilton Street; Nancy Ryan, 4 Ashburton Place; Cathy Hoffman, 64 Pleasant Street; Charlie Teague, 23 Edmonds Street; Patty Nolan; John Hawkinson; Richard Goldberg, 170 Harvard Street; Barbara Taggart, 2 Cottage Court; AdamCosta, Brotlaw, Bobrowski & Mead; Jonathan King, 40 Essex Street; Carole O'Hare, 172 Magazine Street; Kathy Watkins, 80 Fawcett Street; Mike & Makayla Stead, 598-602 Putnam Avenue; Patrick Barrett, 234 Broadway; Barbara Rodriguez, 140 Columbia Street; Esther Hanig, 136 Pine Street; John Sanzone, 540 Memorial Drive; Bill McAvinney, 12 Douglass Street; Carolyn Fuller, 12 Douglass Street; James Williamson, 1000 Jackson Place; Marilyn Wellons, 651 Green Street; Lee Farris, 269 Norfolk Street; David Chilinski, 221 Hampshire Street; Ellen Shachter, 346 Concord Avenue; Sam Seidel, 43 Harris Street; Paul Denis, 156 Cherry Street; Carolyn Mieth, 15 Brookford Street; Nicola Schattner, 198 Lexington Avenue; and Ron Peden, 25 Aberdeen Street.
Vice Mayor Benzan announced that the meeting was being audio and visually recorded. He established the format of the meeting. The petitioners will present first and have been asked to keep their presentation to twenty minutes. Then the committee will hear public comment and then the City Council will discuss the petition.
Attorney Galluccio stated that the full presentation is on their website. The presentation for this hearing has been abbreviated in order to hear from the public (ATTACHMENT B). He introduced his team. He requested that the entire presentation be included in the report (ATTACHMENT C).
Mark Roopenian, Principal with Normandy Real Estate Partners stated that Normandy is a developer in the office sector. The largest presence is in the Boston area. He stated that he is proud to bring the project to the community. He highlighted his connections to the community.
Alex Twining, President and Founder of Twining Properties City Retail, stated that his firm is developers of housing in urban areas for thirty years. He has developed about 450 apartments in Cambridge. He announced that they are pioneering green buildings at transit nodes.
David Nagahiro, CBT, stated that he is in urban design architecture for forty-five years. He firm was a strong presence in Cambridge. He is working on the master plan for North Point. He worked on the Watermark building and with the East Cambridge Planning Team on a master plan for them.
Attorney Galluccio spoke on the timeline which goes back to 2012 when the property was acquired. He presented a timeline for the community meetings held. He stated that the team is proud of the community meetings. He explained that detailed survey information has been shared at the community meetings. The models and rendering are available for public inspection. He stated the statement contains the goals of the petition which is to build a mixed-income housing community at Mass. Ave. and Main Street. He highlighted the petition principals and goals. No new commercial development rights are being requested. This petition is about housing. He stated that Central Square abuts the transition zone to Kendall Square which has been referred to as the economic engine in the City. There are huge pressures around lab development which brings people to Cambridge to work and live here. Central Square also abuts a working class neighborhood in Area 4. He stated that only 2.6% of new housing since 2005 has been created in the Central Square Overlay District. There is a real need for residential units in and around Central Square. He spoke about the issues raised in public meetings, open houses, ordinance and planning board meetings. These issues will be addressed during the public process.
Mr. Roopenian reviewed the Quest assets. The area is described as blocks A, B, C, D. Block A, a 35,000 square foot building, is owned by petitioner. This is the site where the open houses have been held. The plans are to renovate and back fill the area. There is a small 1,000 square foot of retail that is being used now. There are 45 parking spaces in back that extend to Bishop Allen Drive. He stated that Block B is the subject of the petition and extends out to Bishop Allen Drive along Mass. Ave. He stated that McDonald and Cafe Luna property is not owned by them. This block does not contain the City parking lot. He stated that Block C is a parking lot that extends to Columbia Street and is not part of the petition area. Block D needs support for the housing zone. He stated that it contains a parking garage with 113 spaces and a parking lot at the Elk's Lodge of 45 spaces. He stated that petition area is fragmented. No additional properties have been acquired. In order to get back to the neighborhood there is one choice by going down Douglass Street then down Coolidge Place. The proposal changes this dramatically.
Attorney Galluccio stated that the map depicts the petition area. It is three heights zones. The existing zoning allows a building of 85 feet with a special permit. He stated that the existing zoning allows a building to be 45 feet high. The FAR is 6.5 and the parking drops from 1.0 to 0.7. If one opts in they must comply with the 17% affordable and middle income housing requirement. Base zoning for residential is 3.9. The petition asks for a 6.5 and the FAR applies only to residential. No development rights, except for housing, are being allowed. Zoning allows up to 80-85 feet for either office or residential with a special permit. Height references were provided for nearby buildings. He spoke of the petition as it is applied to C2. The petition is aligned with the C2 principals. Central Square is abutted by a residential area. Residential is a priority by the community.
David Nagahiro, CBT, went through the design elements of the petition. Blue area on the diagram represented office and lab that have migrated to Central Square; the yellow area represented residential. The petition is looking at bringing residential to the area. The office and lab are part of the success of Cambridge and it is an economic driver. He stated that they are looking to create substantially more residential as a transition to Central Square. He outlined the residential value. Residents would patronize the local retail establishments. Residents will also value public transportation. He spoke about bringing more diversity to the neighborhood. He stated that the Quest property creates no activity in the area and the goal of the petition is to create more activity. The buildings on Mass. Ave. and Columbia Street will create more access. The goal is to expand the retail along the edges and brings it back to the sidewalks. The retail wraps around that edges and brings it back to the parking lot and creates a safe and secure location. He spoke about creating a public market place. He highlighted the design criteria and adhering to the C2 principals. The area will be opened as a pathway. He spoke about creating a contextual building rooted in Central Square values, creating a pedestrian friendly environment that adheres to the C2 principles. He next explained the shadow studies that were done in the fall and the spring. He explained the shadows from the new buildings. He stated that changes have been made to the design based on the remarks made. The goal is to deliver a special building along Lafayette Square. The initial design was for a 195 foot building. An option is to setback the building; this was mentioned in the survey.
Vice Mayor Benzan opened the hearing to public comment at 6:08pm.
Pam Ross, 67 Highland Avenue, stated that this building will be an asset. It will offer independent stores. She stated that moderate income people should live in Cambridge. She liked the layout of the building.
Kasper Bejoian, 544 Huron Avenue, supports the project wholeheartedly. He comes to his mother's home and takes her for a walk. He sees this project as needed in this area. This area needs families and to be able to enjoy the area. The middle and lower income residents, the disabled and seniors cannot be forgotten. They need to be included in the City.
Robert Bejoian, 544 Huron Avenue, spoke for his mother and his brother Paul. This project allows mobility for his mother and brother. Their quality of life has been enhanced for the services offered by the City. Low and middle income housing is needed. He stated that he likes the retail on the ground level and feels that these will be family type stores. This project will help bring families back. He has attend the open houses. The Normandy Twining team have been good in being transparent with their project. They have tried to work with the community and provided information to the community.
Jesse Kanson-Benanav, spoke as chair of A Better Cambridge, and stated that 8,500 new housing units is what Cambridge will need by 2030. We must achieve this goal by building near transit hubs. Unless more density and height is allowed more labs will be built and only people with greater means will be able to live in Cambridge. Smart growth benefits bring more benefits to the city. He supported the multi-family housing, near transit hubs and reducing the parking requirement. He stated that the C2 process was never meant to be a roadblock to development. More affordable housing and smart growth is needed in Central Square.
Sarah Kennedy, 12 Inman Street, represented the Chamber of Commerce, stated that she supported the project. She stated that the process has been positive. To have Central Square vibrant we need to add housing.
Olivia Fiske, 131 Magazine Street, supported the Mass. and Main proposal because it will provide additional housing, will be near transportation and will provide retail. She did not know how long a property owner can be asked to wait while waiting for the Master Plan. The Mass. and Main project is providing the housing the community has asked for. She liked the curved option for the building.
Patrick Verbeke, 91 Sidney Street, stated his support for the housing project that will provide middle and low income housing for Central Square. He supports the zoning change.
Steve Kaiser, 191 Hamilton Street, stated that some like and some do not like the project. He will look at the value of the zoning and the project. He supported the refiling of the project. The conversation is valuable about what should be done for Central Square. The developer has put this topic on the table. The earlier presentation was clearer for middle income housing. He stated that he could not find middle income in the zoning ordinance. Moderate and middle income housing are different. There are little details that need to be straighten out. He wanted the refiling to be allowed with modifications. Planning, zoning and the C2 process came up with l40 foot height for this sight; how can the development be 195 feet high. He wanted planning done before zoning. He does not like what the plan represents. He stated that the transit oriented housing spoke about this in relation to the MBTA. Major change is needed for the MBTA. The area north of Bishop Allen Drive he asked why are parking spaces being projected. He suggested using zip car.
Charlie Teague, 23 Edmunds Street, this is a missed opportunity as it relates to Master Plan and the Red Line. CDD stated that the Master Plan is made up of smaller plans. Forest City extended affordable units and added $2 million without any affordable units. C2 had ambition to go after issue to replace surface parking with underground parking. There will be more busses with the T. He wanted underground parking. He suggested that the petition not pass as it is. (ATTACHMENT D).
Richard Goldberg, 170 Harvard Street who submitted his comments (ATTACHMENT E). He stated that C2 was an interesting process but not a democratic process. The C2 is not a substitute for a Master Plan. He stated that the building is too high. There is no guarantee that the retail space will be neighborhood oriented. He read his last paragraph in communication.
Barbara Taggart, 2 Cottage Court, who stated that Cambridge is a bold community. The City owned parking lot could be developed and provide more housing. She spoke about her son buying a property. She wanted the City to build on this parking lot. Her son can afford to own property for $1,000 per month. She spoke about the Holmes development. She does not think that there will be affordable retail.
Adam Costa, Attorney, Blatman, Bobrowski & Mead, spoke as representing the Friends of Lafayette Square (ATTACHMENT F). He stated that The Friends are concerned that the proposal is an upzoning. The proposed building is 2.5 times the height requirement in the overlay district. He compared the petition with the C2. He stated that there are 2 concerns. The proposal raises issues of spot zoning. He stated that 2/3 of the property is owned by the petitioner. The goals and objectives have not been tied with the overlay district. He spoke about questions raised by Mr. Roberts on page three. He urged defeat of the petition until the City's planning study. Councillor Toomey asked if the Friends of Lafayette Square is a recognized entity. He requested background information on the organization.
Jonathan King, 40 Essex Street, spoke of 6 problems with the petition in his email (ATTACHMENT G). He spoke about the shadows. The project will reduce the affordable housing. Planning should come before zoning. The entire zoning and planning should be completed for Central Square. All the parking will be on the residential side of Bishop Allen Drive. This project will benefit one property owner.
Cathy Hoffman, 67 Pleasant Street, stated that there is contentiousness about this. She stated that this process has created more toxicity. She is concerned with rezoning the property beyond their property. She does not want the height for McDonald's and Cafe Luna increased. She wanted a breakdown of three and two bedroom and micro units from this building. There are 20 affordable units with 190 high rent units. She stated that we are beholden for developers to allow more height for affordable housing. There is no satiating the housing market in Cambridge. She spoke about asking MIT to build student housing. She commented about putting the parking lots owned by developers in perpetuity as parking lots. She wanted to see the full height of the large building.
Nancy Ryan, 4 Ashburton Place, stated that she and Jonathan King are members of Friends of Lafayette Square and it has been incorporated. Everyone wants more housing in Central Square. She read the 1978 Central Square guidelines and the overlay district. All the emphasis is on preserving diversity. The creation of two subdistricts does not serve the square. She stated that defining the edge of Area 4 for a "support district" defies all of the documents regarding Central Square.
Carole O'Hare, 172 Magazine Street, stated that city wide residents have been asking for planning first and then zoning. If this petition is passed before the Central Square study what will prevent this from happening again. Normandy owns 2 parcels on Bishop Allen Drive that it wants to rezone. She questioned their plans for the future? She stated that she sent two emails (ATTACHMENT H-1 and H-2) A Planning Board member stated that everyone has the right to seek a zoning amendment. The Planning Board should think about planning. What about the Central Square Master Plan process and the C2 process? She stated that wind tunnels are created by these tall buildings. The project is premature.
Kathy Watkins, 80 Fawcett Street, stated that she is not happy with these large buildings and she has been chased out of Central Square. She sees this as a means to allow a developer to make a lot of money. Lower buildings and higher inclusionary rates is the way to do this. The City does not owe this developer anything. Normandy is asking for height that will set the precedent for Central Square. The high rents in this building will create rents to rise. It is not clear how many low and moderate units there will be. She wanted inclusionary housing to be higher. She wanted the city owned parking lot to be affordable housing.
Mike and Makayla Stead, 598-602 Mass. Avenue spoke together. Mr. Stead stated that he was not always in favor of the housing. He feels for people who need a place to live. Rent control destroyed the opportunity for housing. Harvard University and MIT has been helped by the City for years. People who work in the City should live here. How will those who cannot afford to live here be helped. This does not go anywhere without compromise. Cambridge has lost some of its dynamics as a City.
Makayla Stead stated that one of the homes that they own is on Putnam Avenue and Sidney Street. Across from this house there is a project with 90 units. MIT is building dorms. She stated that the view of the Prudential and the Hancock Building is blocked.
Patrick Barrett, 234 Broadway, abutter to the project and owner of [the building that houses] Toscanini’s, stated that as far as zoning goes - the report written by Mr. Roberts outlines the flaws with the project. He wants to move forward in a favorable way. He finds merit in the project and he wants this fleshed out. Housing affects local retail. He stated that 30% of those who live above will use the retail. The retail in Central Square now is because of the landlords who subsidize the retail. There is a project and there are recommendations from C2 and he sees this as an opportunity. He urged the City Council not be afraid of height and density -- control it. He urged the City Council to turn this project into a project.
Barbara Rodriguez, 140 Columbia Street, favored the project because she is for dense affordable housing near a transit hub. She stated that there is a need to control the ramped luxury growth.
Esther Hanig, 136 Pine Street, stated that she is impressed with the process by Twining with the community output, the models and responded to the communities request to provide housing. She stated that there is an issue for the supply and demand for more affordable housing with the need for the housing to be near a transit hub. She urged an increase to 20% for affordable units from 17%.
John Sanzone, 540 Memorial Drive, asked if not now then where and when for housing. He spoke about the Central Square historic district. This zoning brings new dynamic life to Central Square; this area calls for architecture.
Bill McAvinney, 12 Douglass Street, supported the proposal. He submitted his comments (ATTACHMENT I). He does not want Cambridge to become a place where only the rich can live. He had a picture of property that sold for an increase of 14%. Housing prices are high as a result of building labs. If housing is not built it will displace long time Cambridge residents. He disagrees with [the percentage of affordable units in] this proposal and feels that it should be negotiated for a 25% of affordable units.
Carolyn Fuller, 12 Douglass Street, abutter to project; stated her support for the project. She stated that more housing is needed by 2030. Smart growth is needed for affordable housing. She approved of affordable units of 20-25%. She wanted zoning changed to de-incentivize parking.
Marilyn Wellons, 651 Green Street, stated that there is a need for the city to take time to think through things. Salami tactics work. The parking lots are bargaining chips in this. She questioned if they can they be used for housing. Every unit in Cambridge could be converted into affordable housing and the demand would not be satisfied in this region. Luxury housing is the goal. Her conclusion is that transit oriented housing is a slim lead. More conversation is needed on this. She would not vote in favor of this tonight.
James Williamson, 1000 Jackson Place stated that the building is special. It would blow a hole in Central Square. He stated that the residents were left out of the C2 process. The C2 guidelines were never put to the test and now they are being used as the standard. This is a concern. The scale, height and mass of this building is absurd. There are design issues dealing with the historic district of Central Square. This building will be different than buildings in Kendall Square. He stated that 85% of the housing will be market rate housing. This does not meet the needs of affordable housing. The public transportation system is broken. St. Paul's Church is threatened by the shadow.
Lee Farris, 269 Norfolk Street, spoke on planning and affordable housing. She wanted a housing plan. She too wanted 25% affordable units in this building and requested that it be across the City. She favored 20% middle; 5% low income housing. The C2 recommended 5% low income. She stated that it is an outrage Twining is building over the 2.5 height. There are better ways to get affordable housing than building 195 feet high. She spoke about building affordable housing on parking lot six. The Volpe rezoning can request affordable housing on this site. She stated that 10% of units will be 3 bedroom units.
David Chilinski, 221 Hampshire Street, stated that this is the place to do height and density. He supported the petition, but in the review process the Central Square Advisory Committee is part of the review process; they should be provided resources. He stated that C2 is not zoning and this is the reason for this conversation. He urged the City Council to make this zoning and the discussion would be a 140 feet building. He would write in public benefit to go beyond the inclusionary zoning.
E. Arema, 22 Lopez Street, stated that she is part of working poor and cannot afford to live in Cambridge. She left Cambridge when Rent Control was eliminated. The affordable piece is not enough, but it should not be held up. Compromise is important. She has been chronically homeless for twenty years and this is not because she does not work hard. Change is good. She supported the project.
Ellen Shachter, 346 Concord Avenue, Attorney with the Cambridge/Somerville Legal Services, stated that she pushes for more affordable housing. She does not know if the prices will decrease if this building is build. The status quo is not working. She supported the petition, but not in its current form. The petition actually will be 3% below what is required for affordable housing. The focus needs to be on the below 80% of median income. She supported 17.5 below median and 2.5% for below 80% this is doable and sustainable. She stated that the City Council should make sure that they get the maximum community benefits. We cannot wait for a housing plan.
Sam Seidel, 43 Harris Street, supported the petition. He spoke about the strategies to get us to the values wanted. The world is changing and how is this applied to the world we live in. Environmental concerns push us to transit oriented housing. Good urban planning will allow the City to grow in these changes times. Cambridge has been subsidizing the T. Central Square streetscape has not changed in 100 years. Young residents need to be included in this conversation and this is why the issues need to be rethought.
Paul Dennis, Traffic Department worker, stated that he is also a realtor. He attended an open house of the project. The petitioners have been informative. The proposal is not perfect. He stated that affordable housing and housing in general is a regional issue. Times are changing. The site will be a benefit for Central Square. Affordable and moderate housing included in the project is a benefit. He supported the project. He wanted to see more affordable units. The project represents 40 affordable units. He is a single parent with 2 kids. It is expensive to live here. Compromise is key.
Carolyn Mieth, 15 Brookford Street, stated that she felt this petition an abomination. She questioned who would want another East Cambridge courthouse in our midst. No additional parking was provided in the petition; it is an issue. She stated that if she were still on the Planning Board she would vote it down. She supported refiling the petition to do the work needed to improve this project. How do you do the planning process going forward? The issues need to be dealt with.
Ron Peden, 25 Aberdeen Avenue, was in opposition to the project. He spoke about no minority participation for this project. This project represents the rich getting richer. This will cause the property values in the area to increase. This will have a negative effect on the community born by the minority members of the community. Wealth accumulation will be affected by this. He stated that there is no accountability for diversity; Cambridge is hostile to diversity.
Public comment was closed at 8:29pm by Vice Mayor Benzan.
Councillor Simmons stated that this is an important conversation; she wanted this to stay in committee and to have another hearing.
Councillor Toomey stated that he wanted to refer this to the full City Council. It is time for the City Council to state whether they support this petition or not. It is incumbent on the City Council to move this forward. At the City Council meeting there is also public comment where the public can comment on this petition. It is time to act.
Councillor Simmons stated that there may not be a quorum and noted the importance for a robust conversation.
Councillor Mazen favored leaving the petition in committee.
Councillor Cheung agreed with Councillor Toomey. Generation goal post is his favorite comment. He stated that the City Council should ask for more and in every instance the affordable housing has increased. The City Council has asked for more housing to be built. This petition is in line with C2 study. Housing needs to be put into the market and this will make it affordable. More housing needs to be built in Cambridge. He would like the affordable units to be more than 17% which represents 40 units. We have the opportunity to build housing - we should seize the opportunity.
Mayor Maher stated he could leave in committee or move it to the full City Council. There is more conversation needed. He wanted to see more affordable housing and the formula of 15% should not be below. There is a need to jump start the vitalization of Central Square. The height needs to be looked at more closely; this is a good project. The parking lot on Bishop Allen Drive is an issue that can be worked out and more conversation is needed. The open house and the model are positive things to help work this out.
Councillor Carlone asked if we are going to discuss this in depth. The City Council has not discussed this in detail. He requested the City Council meet again and discuss this.
Mayor Maher stated that he chair or co-chair the Ordinance Committee previously and that this committee requires prep work and then bring the proposal back to the full City Council. This issue will not be solved around the table. This requires hard work. Detail work is needed and there is time to do this. The petition expires on May 27, 2015 and if not resolved it can be extended.
Councillor Simmons requested to leave in committee. No action was taken on this motion.
Councillor Toomey stated that soon we will not have a quorum. He wanted to hold the City Council's feet to the fire. He stated that the City Council has to make a decision.
Councillor Toomey moved that the refiled Twining petition be referred to the full City Council without a recommendation. On this motion the roll was called and resulted as follows:
YEAS: Councillors Cheung and Toomey - 2
NAYS: Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillors Carlone, Mazen, McGovern and Simmons - 5
ABSENT: Councillor Kelley and Mayor Maher - 0
and the motion - Failed.
Councillor McGovern explained that if there is three to four hours of public comment on the petition at the hearing the City Council will never have an opportunity to have a conversation or the hearing will be all night. There is a limited amount of middle income affordable housing. He commented that this comes down to a taller residential building versus a shorter lab building.
Councillor McGovern made a motion to leave the matter in committee. On this motion the roll was called and resulted as follows:
YEAS: Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillors Carlone, Cheung, Mazen, McGovern, Simmons and Toomey - 7
NAYS: None - 0
ABSENT: Councillor Kelley and Mayor Maher - 2
and the motion - Carried.
Vice Mayor Benzan stated that it was important to hear from public on this matter because not all members of the public were heard at the last hearing held on this petition.
Vice Mayor Benzan read the e-mails and requested that they be made part of the record. The e-mails are as follows:
Communication from Kent Johnson urging the City Council to deny the Twining petition (ATTACHMENT J).
Communication from Mage Amster, 10 McTernan Street, in support of the Twining petition (ATTACHMENT K).
Communication from Alec Papazian, 105 Norfolk Street, in support of the Normandy Twining petition (ATTACHMENT L).
Communication from Carole L. Perrault, 9 Dana Street, in opposition to the Mass. and Main zoning petition (ATTACHMENT M).
Communication from Colleen McCarthy, EVOO Za, 350 Third Street, in support of the mixed use and mixed income potential for Central Square proposed by the Normandy Twining (ATTACHMENT N).
Communication from Pam Matz urging that no special permit be issued to upzone Central Square (ATTACHMENT O).
Communication from Justin Crane, 220 Harvard Street, urging support for the Normandy Twining zoning petition (ATTACHMENT P).
Communication from Gerald Bergman urging that there be an increase in the number of two and three bedroom units for low and moderate income families (ATTACHMENT Q).
Communication from Judith Black endorsing the Normandy Twining petition (ATTACHMENT R).
Communication from Jan Devereux, 255 Lakeview Avenue, in opposition to the Normandy Twining petition (ATTACHMENT S).
Communication from Susan Yanow, 221 Norfolk Street, urging the City Council to reject the NormandyTwining petition (ATTACHMENT T).
Communication from Charlotte Watson, 401 Norfolk Street, in support of the Normandy Twining petition and the need for more affordable housing units in the City (ATTACHMENT U).
Communication from Janice Watson Barnes and George E. Barnes, 154 Cherry Street, in support of the Mass. and Main petition (ATTACHMENT V).
Communication from Catherine Zusy, 202 Hamilton Street, in support of the Normandy Twining petition (ATTACHMENT W).
Communication from Phyllis Bretholtz, 65 Antrim Street, in support of the need for a Master Plan for the City (ATTACHMENT X).
Communication from Shelley Rieman, 201 Franklin Street, in opposition to the Normandy Twining petition (ATTACHMENT Y).
Vice Mayor Benzan thanked all those present for their attendance.
The hearing adjourned at 8:56pm on motion of Councillor Mazen.
For the Committee,
Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan, Co-Chair
Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chair
Committee Report #4
The Ordinance Committee held a public hearing on Tues, Mar 3, 2015 beginning at 4:04pm in the Lombardi Conference Room, 831 Mass. Ave.
The purpose of the hearing was to continue discussions on the zoning petition filed by Whitehead Institute to amend the Zoning Ordinance, Sections 14.32.1 and 14.32.2 to provide for an increment of 60,000 square feet of GFA to be allowed by special permit in a portion of the MXD District, in Section 14.70 by retitling "Special Provisions Applicable Within the Ames Street District: and by adding a new Section 14.72 "Special Provisions Applicable Outside the Ames Street District.
The meeting was being audio recorded by audio devices.
Present at the hearing were Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan and Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chairs of the Committee; Councillor Leland Cheung; Councillor Craig Kelley; Councillor Nadeem A. Mazen; Councillor Marc C. McGovern; Councillor E. Denise Simmons; Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.; Jeff Roberts, Land Use and Zoning Project Planner; Community Development Department (CDD); and City Clerk Donna P. Lopez.
Also present were Richard McKinnon, l Leighton Street, Developer, Whitehead Institute; Martin Mullin, Vice President of Whitehead Institute, 1105 Mass. Ave.; Andy Pecorta and Rick Kobus, Tsoi Kobus Architects for Whitehead Institute, 1 Brattle Square; Adam Weisenberg, Attorney, Whitehead Institute; Tom Evans, Executive Director, Cambridge Redevelopment Authority; Dangfang Zhou, Boston University; and John Hawkinson, 2 Clinton Street.
Councillor Carlone convened the hearing and explained the purpose. He requested the petitioner to present the petition.
Rich McKinnon introduced his team. He provided an update on the presentation (ATTACHMENT A). He stated that the previous hearing before the Ordinance Committee requested more information. He distributed a letter from Barbara Broussard, President, East Cambridge Planning Team, stating that the plan was acceptable (ATTACHMENT B). A letter was also submitted from Senator Sal DiDomenico in support of the Whitehead zoning petition (ATTACHMENT C). The Planning Board sent a favorable recommendation and the Ordinance Committee was in receipt of it (ATTACHMENT D). He spoke about the design of the building. There has been no approval for design; if the City Council grants the petition the design will be worked on. He submitted a design narrative (ATTACHMENT E). He used design guidelines from other petitions for the design narrative.
Councillor Toomey asked the petitioner to look at the Grand Junction multi-use path and to assist and expedite the development of the path, given the petitioner issue of replacing existing open space. Mr. McKinnon stated that the ECPT has done good work on the Grand Junction potential. He has been asked to look at offsite open space areas. He wants to be part of the multi-use path issue. Whitehead will work to improve the area.
Vice Mayor Benzan asked how would the ground floor area be laid out. Mr. McKinnon stated that it could be made into smaller units. He spoke about the existing family-operated cafeteria and wanted them to participate in the retail space. Vice Mayor Benzan stated that he toured the building and he understands that the institute is running out of space. He wanted thought given to the nighttime activation. Mr. McKinnon stated it would be great if Whitehead has a nighttime presence.
Councillor Cheung stated he supported the project. He asked if the 60,000 square feet will be enough. Mr. McKinnon stated that under the contract the Institute can not go beyond a staff of 20. He is confident that the Institute knows how much space is needed for their use. He added that a lot of GFA is being left on the table. Mr. McKinnon explained that another 70,000 square feet could be built on the site; the petitioner is only requesting what the institute needs. Councillor Cheung stated that the open space shifting toward the Grand Junction pathway would be a good thing.
Councillor Mazen questioned the ground floor retail. A family business will take a larger portion of the building. He wanted more information on the activation of the ground floor area. He explained that the more information that is provided, the more comfortable the Council will be when approving the petition. He wanted to know the community benefit specifics. Mr. McKinnon commented that this involves the CRA. He stated that he will participate with the ECPT, the CRA, and neighbors to work on this. There will be 5,000 to 7,000 square feet of retail on the ground floor. The Institute's first floor lobby space will be limited to 2,000 square feet. The public open space would be between Whitehead and the Broad. Even though it is not much space it is still open space.
Councillor Toomey stated that his intention is to move this petition to the full City Council with a favorable recommendation.
Councillor Mazen stated that he wanted more specific information on the retail tenants. He stated that he is in favor of the petition.
Vice Mayor Benzan suggested developing an agreement to deal with remaining issues. Councillor Mazen stated that he did not want to pinpoint the retail entity. Mr. McKinnon stated that the petition is in the zoning phase and not in the permitting phase. He stated that it is not appropriate to ask the institute for this information.
Councillor Carlone stated that the City Council could recommend guidelines such as those related to open space between the Broad and Whitehead. There could be enhancements of the proposed open space with the cafe. Councillor Mazen stated that he is in favor of the petition but wanted a clear understand of the fine points of the petition. He wanted the City Council to define as many details as possible.
Councillor Carlone stated that the petitioner needs an open space covenant to be removed by the City Council. Councillor Mazen stated that before the final hurdle he wanted more information. Mr. McKinnon stated that a letter will be prepared with as much information as possible. He is reluctant to take the institute further than this petition process warrants.
Mr. Roberts explained that there is a process through zoning and that limits are established in zoning. He stated that after adoption of zoning petition there would be a letter of agreement between the petitioner/landowner and the City. There is an open space covenant that needs to be modified. A special permit by the Planning Board is also needed.
Councillor McGovern asked the petitioner to think about public and open space. He stated that in other parts of the City there are indoor spaces where preschool children can visit. He stated that as Kendall Square is being more of a business district with the housing that is being built he wanted the area to be vibrant. Councillor Cheung stated that he would not like to see an extension of the museum setting such as at Broad or the Koch building lobby.
Councillor Simmons spoke about the ground floor retail. She wanted the area around Kendall Square to be congruent. Kendall Square is booming. She stated that she wanted the landscape well lighted. She wanted the retail space affordable. She wanted the institute to be welcoming and add to the streetscape at the end of the day. Mr. McKinnon stated that this is a great opportunity to improve the building.
Councillor Toomey stated that he is supporting this because of the research being done by Whitehead Institute, which will help all of us. The overwhelming work is the research being done by Whitehead Institute.
Vice Mayor Benzan recapped that the letter of agreement should including conditions covering lighting, the Grand Junction path, retail affordability, community space and jobs for Cambridge residents should be included in the letter of agreement. Mr. McKinnon stated that 251 employees live in Cambridge.
Councillor Carlone stated that the majority of public space will still be inside and this will be the hardest element to successfully design. Unfortunately most indoor public spaces without abundant skylights simply do not work. He brought up issues of the proposed facade design by stating that usually lab space is not mostly glass. He asked about the earlier proposed use of terra-cotta as an exterior finish, instead of the written reference to existing pre-cast. He questioned why the Whitehead Project was not proposed as LEED Gold designation, which was a recommendation sought in the K2 process; this needs to be discussed.
He added that no one in MXD in Kendall Square is presently required to give incentive housing, but Whitehead is proposing to do so. Councillor Carlone said this figure should reflect the soon to be increased number. He asked if the $10.00 community fund contribution is this part of the petition. Mr. McKinnon responded in the affirmative. Vice Mayor Benzan explained that the primary reason for support of the petition is because of the research done at Whitehead.
Councillor Carlone opened public comment at 4:43pm.
Tom Evans, Executive Director, CRA stated that the CRA is in support of project. The CRA will incorporate the additional square footage required by Whitehead for their expansion into the urban renewal plan amendment currently under development and the MEPA analysis for this plan amendment.
Public comment was closed at 4:45pm.
Councillor Toomey moved to refer the petition to the full City Council with a favorable recommendation. The motion carried on a voice vote of eight members.
Councillor Carlone thanked all those present for their attendance.
The hearing adjourned at 4:46pm.
For the Committee,
Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan, Co-Chair
Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chair
Committee Report #5
The Housing Committee held a public hearing on Jan 13, 2015 beginning at 6:02pm in the Sullivan Chamber.
The purpose of the hearing was to discuss the production of language for a city-wide affordable housing overlay district, to be considered by the City Council to identify areas in the city that would be best suited for an affordable housing overlay district.
Present at the hearing were Councillor E. Denise Simmons, Chair of the Committee; Vice Mayor Dennis A. Benzan; Councillor Dennis Carlone; Councillor Timothy J. Toomey, Jr.; Councillor Nadeem Mazen; Councillor Leland Cheung; Brian Murphy, Assistant City Manager for Community Development; Chris Cotter, Housing Director, Community Development Department (CDD); Michael Connolly; Neal Alpert; and Paula M. Crane, Deputy City Clerk.
Also present were Tom Stohlman; John Hawkinson; Jan Devereux; Esther Hanig; Elaine DaRosa, CEOC; Hasson Rashid, ACT; Robert Winters; Peter Daly, HRI; Peter Graham, Just A Start; Lee Farris; and Reverend Diane Hopson.
Councillor Simmons convened the hearing and read an opening statement. (Attachment A). She advised the attendees of the agenda for the meeting (Attachment B).
Councillor Simmons then opened the meeting to public comment.
Hasson Rashid asked how the discussion has evolved and asked for some additional background information. Councillor Simmons explained that this meeting came about as a result of Policy Order #5 of Oct 20, 2014 (Attachment C) regarding producing language for a city-wide affordable housing overlay district. This Policy Order was adopted and referred the Housing Committee for further discussion.
Robert Winters, 366 Broadway, stated that the call of the meeting was vague regarding specific Affordable Housing Districts. He stated that as he had little background information on the call of the meeting, it was difficult to prepare public comment when one doesn't quite know what will be up for discussion.
Lee Farris stated that she did read the material from the CDD (Attachment D). She stated that there are a lot of good ideas, but one point that she would like discussed is the criteria that will be used to evaluate which ideas are the ones that the city wants to pursue. She stated the need to prioritize ideas. She said that there may be competing criteria. Ms. Farris stated that she would like to provide background to the committee on the Port Landing development. She stated that originally the developer, Sean Hope, proposed 28 units, which Area 4 supported. She stated that by the time the developer applied for a variance for the building, he was down to 20 units. She stated that this happened because an abutter objected to the additional height. Because Mr. Hope did not want to delay the project, he reduced the number of units. She stated that it is important for the city to think about where the developers are self-censoring themselves. She stated that perhaps there could be a simple change such as: "if a building is 100% affordable housing, then it can be one floor higher than the surrounding neighborhood buildings." She stated that she would like an overall housing policy for the city.
Esther Hanig stated that it is very important to expand stock of affordable housing. She noted that she is well aware of how extensive the need is and how limited the funds are.
Peter Daly applauded the committee for taking on this issue. He stated the need to think outside of the box. He stated that he is looking forward to pursuing different ideas.
Peter Graham stated that he welcomes the opportunity to have these discussions. He stated that he has been engaged with CDD regarding options. He noted that the city is at the beginning stages of this evolution.
Elaine DaRosa stated that even when there is money on the table, the process inhibits us. She stated that it is not always a money issue, it is confused thinking.
Jan Devereux, 255 Lakeview, stated that the previous night's Roundtable Meeting was excellent. She stated that the city has not answered the question about growth policy regarding housing. She stated her hope that before the city looks at a zoning overlay there will be an inventory of all types of housing.
Councillor Simmons closed public comment.
Councillor Simmons stated that the Housing Committee has set as a goal to put together a housing policy for the City of Cambridge around affordability. She then asked Brian Murphy for a summary of the information provided by CDD.
Brian Murphy stated that this is the first pass at responding to the Policy Order #5 of Oct 20, 2014. He stated that it would be helpful to hear a conversation amongst City Councillors regarding tools that they are suggesting. He stated that there are a range of challenges to creating new affordable housing in Cambridge. He stated that the goal of the discussions being held both internally and with local developers of affordable housing has been to identify ideas for changes to the Zoning Ordinance which would make new development of affordable housing more feasible in the current market, and which would encourage the development of affordable housing developments throughout the city, particularly in areas where there are fewer existing affordable units. Mr. Murphy stated that part of the reason for including case study information is to provide us with a better sense of what can happen when a project runs into opposition. He stated that, for example, while Putnam Green has been successful, Temple Place has been a nightmare. He stated that cost in time, money and units due to opposition made an incredible difference in this project. He stated that advantageous bidding conditions were lost. He also noted that another critical piece is to provide greater certainty.
Chris Cotter stated that CDD has been talking about this matter internally with the Affordable Housing Trust and affordable housing developers since the adoption of Policy Order #5. He stated that they looked at case studies of the most recent new construction projects and at sites where they have not been successful in advancing affordable developments in the current market. He stated that they looked at zoning. He noted that the case studies show that there is a history of asking for some zoning relief for affordable developments, but greater relief would be needed in low-density areas. He noted that as it relates to the idea of a citywide overlay district, they have started to look at what would need to be included in that. He noted that there are zoning parameters and dimensional standards that will have a significant impact on development. He said that another limiting factor when looking at a site is parking and the high cost of putting parking underground. He stated that they have thought about what an overlay district would include. They have talked about ideas for citywide standards for affordable housing developments. He stated that if there were city standards, it would give an advantage to affordable housing developers and give them the ability to look at something denser to be able to obtain financing and necessary subsidy funds available for those units. He stated that currently they are going through a process wherein affordable housing developers have been asked to look at what zoning standards would have been needed in order to make affordable housing development feasible at certain sites that had been deemed infeasible, given zoning and/or cost and financing constraints, and that this process is currently ongoing.
Vice Mayor Benzan asked Mr. Cotter to define "overlay district." Chris Cotter responded that an overlay district would be on top of base zoning districts in different areas of the city and that new standards for affordable housing development could either apply to certain areas by overlay districts or be applied city-wide to encourage and facilitate affordable housing developments. He stressed that parking is an issue and often a determinate factor which could be considered in an overlay district or as a broader change in zoning. He stated that parking often becomes the most difficult part in making a project feasible. He noted that allowing multi-family and townhouse development city-wide may be beneficial. Mr. Cotter stated that provision 5.28.2 has worked but it is also something CDD will consider when looking at ideas for changes. Mr. Cotter added that when talking about affordability, it is also important to define what types of developments would be eligible for any zoning incentives, and to consider middle-income affordability.
Councillor Simmons then reiterated her understanding of the definition of overlay district for the committee and the attendees. She noted that an overlay district lays over existing zoning. Mr. Cotter added that it is in addition to base zoning requirements. Brian Murphy stated that this overlay district would allow for one set of rules when building market rate projects and another set of rules when building affordable units, which might also allow a permitting process that would not be subject to the same kind of approvals. He stated that the goal of these changes is to make it easier for affordable housing developers to bid on property for sale, knowing they can undertake the types of developments needed to support a competitive sale price, and knowing what type of development density could be approved on the site for an affordable development. He stated that it is not the case that non-profits are lacking deposit funding, but the question is how much can they afford to bid on a property when running numbers and competing with market-rate developers who can pay more for sites. He stated that because building affordable housing in Cambridge is more expensive than in any other place in the Commonwealth, state funding is difficult to obtain and often comes with concerns about total development costs.
Councillor Simmons stated that currently there are 7,000-9,000 people on the Cambridge Housing Authority's list that are awaiting affordable units. Since that list is currently closed, the need for affordable units is dire. She stated that time is ticking. She stated that she would like to see something citywide, not just in certain neighborhoods.
Councillor Cheung stated that Policy Order #5 came about as a result of the desire to have more affordable housing that is not geographically clustered. He stated that it makes sense to think about affordable housing in the entire city, and that the question is how to accomplish more citywide affordable housing. Brian Murphy stated that while looking at what can be done city-wide to advance housing goals, the focus is also looking at affordable housing in areas where there is currently very little of it. He stated that the city could look at affordable housing as it is in C1 and C1A areas with as-of-rights based on these areas. Chris Cotter added that CDD is looking at multifamily districts and the types of developments allowed under those development standards as a model for an overlay or city-wide affordable housing density standards. He noted that CDD is looking at what standards need to be based on where the market is so that affordable housing developers can compete in areas where they are currently unable to compete with market offers.
Vice Mayor Benzan asked if it is possible to build affordable housing in all parts of city as-of-right and in a way that is predictable to a developer. He noted that in recent years there have not been any new affordable housing developments. He stated that many of the projects have been tied up in court. He stated that a comment was made earlier in the meeting that the city does not have growth policy. He explained the importance of beginning with a growth policy. Vice Mayor Benzan stated that he is an advocate for building affordable units on lots 5 and 6 in Central Square and would like to see 1,000 additional affordable housing units over the next 3-5 years.
Brian Murphy responded that the question is how to pay for it, and what the total cost to the City would be for it. He stated that it comes down to what is the density in those parking lots. He stated that it is about tradeoffs, but a density bonus could be given. He noted that this should be based on underlying zoning. Chris Cotter stated that the city has to look at things differently if we want to see new all-affordable housing developments advanced. He noted that the primary focus of the City and its partners has been preservation of expiring use units over the last few years, and after many successes in these efforts, that staff are discussing how capacity could now be redirected toward pursuing new development of affordable units. He stated that it is important to look at how affordable housing projects can happen more quickly and how to keep the overall cost in line with funder requirements. He stated that while a good number of affordable units will come through the inclusionary program, the city would need to rely on the development of all- or mostly-affordable developments to add new affordable units to meet that goal. The city would need to consider the funding needed to do this, as well as zoning changes which would assist such a development goal given the timelines needed to produce new units successfully at that scale. Mr. Cotter stated that the cost per unit for new units is approximately $500,000. He stated that a lot of traditional housing sources are now very competitive and that the City would have to think creatively about how new development would be financed.
Vice Mayor Benzan stated that he has heard that affordable housing units can be built at a cost of $125,000 as opposed to $500,000. He stated that there is a misconception that the city is paying for inclusionary zoning units. Chris Cotter stated that the inclusionary ordinance has been successful beyond expectations. He noted that the number of units in the last 12-14 years is over 800 units completed or now moving through construction which would have otherwise cost several hundred million dollars to produce in city-funded developments. The only public funding for inclusionary zoning units is the cost of CDD staff time in overseeing the program.
As it relates to the parking requirement, Vice Mayor Benzan asked CDD for suggestions given the under-utilization of parking. Chris Cotter stated that they are looking at that and asking affordable housing developers for their input.
Councillor Carlone stated that he knows when there are inclusionary housing projects they can boost FAR if they supply half of that increase as affordable housing. He asked if the same rule applies if it is an affordable housing project. Chris Cotter answered in the affirmative. Councillor Carlone noted that there could be up to 30% increase in FAR. Chris Cotter stated that the ability to take advantage of the inclusionary density bonus for all-affordable developments is in place. Councillor Carlone stated that in the Planning Board hearing on the Volpe upzoning, at least two of the board members stated that upzoning should be 15% affordable plus 15% moderate. He stated that it is important to be aggressive with aggressively sized buildings.
Councillor Carlone stated that the optimum range would be no less than 40. He is thinking that residential districts will be tough. Chris Cotter stated that it depends on the site. He stated that homeownership is different than rental. Councillor Carlone stated that it seems to him that if it is affordable, one extra story can be worked in. As it relates to funding, Councillor Carlone commented that if we are serious about affordable housing as a city, we have to come up with the extra funding. He stated that it is important to design buildings with less of a block feel to them. Brian Murphy stated that the city has a good track record when you look at affordable housing projects. Councillor Carlone stated that the period of architecture is not the best even when it is a better building. That is where the premium comes in. He stated that it is difficult to get the sites that we are fighting for. He stated that the City has to bite the bullet. He stated that he agrees on proximity and you have to pay the premium. Councillor Carlone stated that he is pleased with the overview material supplied by CDD. He stated that the City Council has to come forth with the money.
Councillor Toomey stated that he has been outspoken on the issue of equal distribution of affordable housing across the city. He stated that he was in favor of rent control. He stated that there is no part of the city in which acquisition cost will not be an issue. He stated that Peter Daly mentioned that we must think out of the box. He commented that his feeling is that there are many parts of the city where there are huge houses on huge pieces of land. He questioned how to implement a program whereby benevolent homeowners could sell these properties to the city at a reduced rate. He stated that this is something to think about. He stated affordable housing has been a top goal of the City Council for as long as he can remember. Councillor Toomey asked CDD for a definition of affordable, working class, moderate, and middle-income. Brian Murphy stated that he would get that information to the committee.
Councillor Mazen asked about larger parcel/smaller housing sales and opportunities across the city. Brian Murphy responded that there is parcel in an area of the city that was 18,000 or 20,000 square feet. He said that it was redeveloped as 2-3 high end homes. He noted that this area could have supported 15-20 units of affordable housing but the zoning in place would not allow for that to happen without significant relief.
Councillor Mazen asked about being outbid for properties by someone paying cash. Chris Cotter stated that it is frustrating but due to permitting constraints there is often a permitting contingency in offers. If an affordable housing developer does not get permitting, the project is often not feasible. He stated that an offer from someone paying less without a contingency may be seen as a better offer. Mr. Cotter stated that access to cash is not always the issue. He stated that quick access to funds from the Affordable Housing Trust used to be a bigger advantage but housing agencies are now often being outbid by people with cash who can close quickly.
Councillor Mazen questioned if an affordable housing property pays for itself over time. Mr. Cotter stated that for rental income from affordable units is not sufficient to cover the cost of the project so that capital and operating subsidies are needed to make up the difference. Councillor Mazen stated that it would make sense to bond out a large chunk of money to increase latitude. Mr. Cotter stated that CDD has talked about this but the city has not needed to do this to date. This could be considered if there was a need in the future. Councillor Mazen stated that he would like this idea included in the topics to discuss moving forward.
Councillor Mazen inquired if, when discussing next steps, we are talking about hypothetical parcels. Chris Cotter responded in the affirmative and stated that these are based on recent sales to best gauge what the market is for these types of properties.
Councillor Mazen asked if there is a target population for Cambridge. Brian Murphy responded in the negative. He stated that the population in Cambridge is approximately 107,000. He stated that he will provide the committee more detailed information.
As it relates to Vail Court, Councillor Mazen stated that the update stands alone. He stated that he has had contact with the owners. He stated that this family does 40B and other developments in the state. He stated that the family is in litigation so they can't act on the Vail Court property. He stated that the owners want to create a really good project and that there is the potential for something good to happen. He stated that he wanted to share this information because he does not think this lot will provide housing if it goes through the land taking process. He stated that he is trying to work with the City Manager and the owners of this property. Brian Murphy stated that the Inspectional Services Department recently inspected the property and noted safety concerns. He noted that there may have been an issue of a squatter and it was important to ensure that the building is secure. Chris Cotter stated that he was present at the inspection and he spoke with the owner's representative who expressed interest in a dialogue. Councillor Mazen stated that he would be happy to set this meeting up.
Councillor Simmons stated that it is the goal of the City Council to keep people in the city. She stated that Vail Court has been sitting for a long time. Councillor Mazen said that if the city does an adverse taking, his gut is that we are trading one legal battle for another. Councillor Simmons stated that she wants to see something happen at that site. Councillor Toomey stated that the owners have never expressed any interest in working with the city. Vice Mayor Benzan stated that there is pending litigation but the owners are not prohibited from selling the land. He stated that the owners can enter into agreement to sell the land to the city. He stated that the property is blighted and it is unfair for the neighbors. He stated that he is interested in having a conversation with the owners.
Councillor Carlone added that the previous family representative came forth with a proposal approximately 10-12 years ago. He noted that it was a handsome project but was turned down by the Planning Board and BZA. Councillor Mazen stated that the owners want to do something cool with the property. He stated that anything that can be done in the meantime to make it a reasonable benefit to the community would be beneficial.
Councillor Simmons stated that she would like a timeline in the event that the city decides to create an overlay district.
When asked about the Tokyo Restaurant site by Councillor Simmons, Brian Murphy stated that Tokyo Restaurant was purchased by the neighboring car dealership.
Councillor Simmons and Vice Mayor Benzan asked what the quickest route would be to get 1,000 affordable housing units into the market. They questioned if it is quicker to obtain these units via inclusionary zoning or acquisition of land. Brian Murphy stated that it would be a combination of both. He stated that another piece of the conversation is to have a dialogue with Secretary Ash to discuss housing in Cambridge. Mr. Murphy noted that at the state level, they have a policy which sets limits for costs of affordable housing developments, which makes new affordable development in Cambridge challenging given the high cost of land and development here. The ability to work with the state would be a significant factor in achieving this as new affordable housing relies on leveraged state funds.
Vice Mayor Benzan asked about focusing on parcels that are available. He suggested that maybe the City needs to approach Harvard to give the city land. He asked how many of the 800 affordable units have been created through inclusionary zoning as opposed to acquisition of property. Chris Cotter stated that he will forward that information to the committee.
Councillor Mazen stated that he would like to have an understanding of how many parcels are available and what criteria would be used in the approach for these properties.
Councillor Carlone stated that it is important to build a community. This is why he thinks that this has to be a cooperative undertaking. He cited a United Nations study that says that great cities have 15% open space. It is more than housing. He contends that the City Council has to put forth a good amount of money that would increase yearly because CDD will need those funds to acquire land. He stated that if the City of Cambridge cannot do this given the economy, then no one can. Cambridge is in a lucky position with a low tax rate. He stated that this is an issue for the ballot. He thanked CDD for their efforts.
Councillor Simmons thanked all those present for their attendance and participation.
The hearing was adjourned 7:59pm.
For the Committee,
Councillor E. Denise Simmons, Chair
AWAITING REPORT LIST
14-29. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on what options exist for dedicated office space for members of the City Council.
Councillor Simmons, Councillor Cheung & Councillor Carlone 04/28/14 (O-5)
14-51. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the potential for creating a program to enable bilingual high school students to learn language interpretation skills and to practice those skills at community meetings and events throughout the City.
Councillor Carlone, Councillor Mazen, Councillor McGovern & Councillor Cheung 06/02/14 (O-5)
14-57. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on drafting an ordinance that would limit the sale of single-serving PET bottles of 1 liter or less and develop a task force to provide clear guidelines for this ordinance.
Councillor Cheung, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Mazen & Vice Mayor Benzan 06/09/14 (O-3)
14-69. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on forming a pilot street team of engaged youth and residents as an experimental model for more consistent departmental outreach, community engagement, youth engagement and civic engagement.
Councillor Mazen 06/30/14 (O-13)
14-72. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report that the License Commission will not take further action on the proposed rideshare regulations and that the City Solicitor report on the City Council's legal authority over livery and taxi regulations.
Councillor Cheung & Councillor Mazen 06/30/14 (O-17)
14-74. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #19
RE: report on publicizing and convening a community meeting within 72 hours of any catastrophic event that could impact public safety. Referred back by Councillor Simmons on 12/8/14 for additional information.
Councillor Simmons 07/28/14 (O-3)
14-78. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of launching a homeless donation meter program.
Councillor Simmons 07/28/14 (O-10)
14-79. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of implementing a Neighborhood Captain Program.
Councillor Simmons & Vice Mayor Benzan 07/28/14 (O-11)
14-81. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on how to ensure that the apprentice program provision remains part of the Cambridge Employment Plan.
Councillor McGovern & Councillor Simmons 07/28/14 (O-14)
14-89. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the outsourcing of City jobs and how outside vendors are chosen.
Councillor Simmons & Councillor McGovern 09/08/14 (O-2)
14-90. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the City's hiring process and on what kind of professional development and career advancement programs are offered to existing employees.
Councillor Simmons & Councillor McGovern 09/08/14 (O-3)
14-91. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on a summary of previous recommendations for the Volpe Center site included planning studies such as but not limited to, ECAPS, Neighborhood Planning Studies, K2, and efforts by the East Cambridge Planning Team and that the report summarize zoning and zoning overlays, and outline the development potential and limitation of this area.
Councillor Toomey 09/08/14 (O-4)
14-97. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on whether the ML King School construction project is in compliance with the Cambridge Employment Plan ordinance.
Councillor McGovern, Vice Mayor Benzan & Councillor Simmons 09/15/14 (O-9)
14-98. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on travel route taken by circus animals and provide copies of proposals to ban exotic animals from Somerville and Plymouth to members of the Ordinance Committee.
Vice Mayor Benzan 09/15/14 (O-13)
14-111. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of hosting a Cambridge Challenge Competition for Transportation that offers a prize to the resident or group of residents that come up with the best viable solution to solve our greatest traffic issues.
Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern & Councillor Mazen 10/20/14 (O-16)
14-113. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of reducing the minimum income requirement under the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance for single person households made up of a senior and/or disabled resident and provide any challenges associated with the proposed reduction.
Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Simmons & Councillor Carlone 10/20/14 (O-19)
14-118. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on negative impacts of street-narrowing initiatives.
Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Kelley & Councillor McGovern 10/27/14 (O-4)
14-119. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on review of drone use in Cambridge for developing a City regulation or Ordinance on such use.
Councillor Kelley, Councillor Cheung & Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-5)
14-121. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on traffic flow issues, number of collisions, traffic enforcement efforts and possible safety improvements in the area of Rindge Avenue from Cedar to Clifton Streets.
Councillor Kelley, Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Cheung & Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-8)
14-122. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on organizing a series of meetings with residents to discuss the future of North Mass. Ave.
Councillor Kelley, Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Cheung & Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-9)
14-124. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of hosting an open air STEAM festival in coordination with the Cambridge Science Festival.
Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Carlone, Councillor McGovern & Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-12)
14-127. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on best way to implement PaperHealth in Massachusetts Area Hospitals.
Councillor Mazen 10/27/14 (O-15)
14-129. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the status of the Masse Hardware sites at 243 and 253 Walden Street for affordable housing.
Vice Mayor Benzan & Councillor McGovern 10/27/14 (O-17)
14-130. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on whether preference points can legally be allotted to all city employees for affordable housing units.
Councillor Cheung & Vice Mayor Benzan 11/03/14 (O-1)
14-133. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on how private citizens can best protect their property and claim redress for alleged damages from private contractors during City-funded construction projects. Charter Right exercised by Councillor Kelley on 1/29/2015.
Councillor Kelley, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Mazen & Vice Mayor Benzan 11/10/14 (O-1)
14-135. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the legal limitation of the City to regulate all manner of vehicular traffic within Cambridge borders, including loading and unloading zones, truck and bus timing regulations.
Councillor Kelley 11/10/14 (O-6)
14-137. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of posting speed limit signs of 20-25 miles per hour on city streets.
Councillor Carlone 11/24/14 (O-2)
14-139. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on a feasibility study and subsequent action plan, instituting suffrage for immigrants in Cambridge.
Councillor Mazen 11/24/14 (O-5)
14-140. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of establishing a Garden of Peace.
Vice Mayor Benzan 11/24/14 (O-7)
14-142. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the City divesting from all manner of engagement with Dow Chemical Company, including Retirement Board investments.
Councillor Mazen 11/24/14 (O-12)
14-145. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on possible changes to the "Super Crosswalk" including the bike crossing at Church Street.
Councillor Kelley 12/08/14 (O-12)
14-146. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on how the citywide planning efforts will impact staff workload and any capacity considerations the City Council should take into account when contemplating these or other initiatives.
Councillor Cheung 12/08/14 (O-13)
14-147. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on ways to streamline both the City's process and the City's technology for replying to Massachusetts Public Records Law requests and to examine how major cities' open data and FOIA requests are handled, including options for a full time data management team including representatives of the City Clerk's office, the City Solicitor's office, and IT.
Councillor Mazen 11/24/14 (O-13)
14-148. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on allowing a Veteran Owned Business classification similar to Women and Minority Owned Businesses.
Councillor Toomey 12/15/14 (O-5)
15-02. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of taking Vail Court lot by eminent domain.
Vice Mayor Benzan 01/05/15 (O-3)
15-03. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on constructing 1,000 brand new affordable housing units in the City by the end of this decade.
Councillor Simmons 01/05/15 (O-9)
15-04. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #17
RE: report on next steps to converting the Watertown Branch rail line from Concord Avenue to the Fitchburg Line corridor into a shared-use path either by way of city purchase and construction or by way of private landowner construction. Calendar Item Number 2 of 1/29/2015 - date of Adoption.
Councillor Mazen, Councillor Kelley & Councillor McGovern 01/05/15 (O-2)
15-05. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on determining a way to fund and supply an additional 100 shelter beds as soon as possible so that the City can better address the immediate shelter needs of our homeless community members while ongoing conversations are taking place regarding long-term solutions to this crisis.
Councillor McGovern 02/23/15 (O-3)
15-06. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on reaching out to representatives and city officials in surrounding communities to gauge interest in forming an inter-city committee which would meet three times per year to discuss and develop strategies for common issues that would be best handled regionally with support from the state.
Councillor McGovern, Vice Mayor Benzan & Councillor Cheung 02/23/15 (O-4)
15-07. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on a list of variance requests and applications results (approved, disapproved, withdrawn) since Jan 1, 2010.
Councillor Kelley 02/20/15 (O-11)
15-08. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on working with applicable boards and commissions to assist them in clarifying yearly goals and initiatives, to provide increased administrative oversight and accountability where necessary, and where possible, discuss ways to increase resident involvement.
Councillor Mazen 02/20/15 (O-15)
15-10. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on contracts to obtain electricity from TransCanada and to investigate the possibility of entering into an agreement to obtain up to 100% renewable power for all municipal electricity needs.
Councillor Carlone 02/20/15 (O-18)
15-11. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on exploring the potential for installing composting facilities inside City Hall and other key municipal buildings.
Councillor Carlone 02/20/15 (O-19)
15-12. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on status of the Cambridge Common renovation project along with an update on next steps and the projected date of completion.
Councillor Carlone 02/23/15 (O-21)
15-13. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on determining how the median strip was removed at Russell Street despite official documents that clearly stated that the median strip would not be affected.
Councillor Kelley & Councillor Cheung 02/20/15 (O-22)
15-14. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on conferring with the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority to determine if they can be of further assistance in understanding how the portion of the path from Binney to the Somerville border can be completed and to report back to the City Council.
Councillor Toomey 02/20/15 (O-23)
15-15. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on with language that could create a Grand Junction Overlay District that would help to create incentives and ensure the completion of the Grand Junction Multiuse Path.
Councillor Toomey 02/23/15 (O-24)
15-16. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on determining the feasibility of executing the recommendations of the STEAM Working Group.
Councillor Mazen, Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor Carlone & Councillor McGovern 02/23/15 (O-25)
15-17. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on determining the feasibility of renaming Area 4 "The Port."
Vice Mayor Benzan 02/23/15 (O-27)
15-18. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of renaming the Area IV Youth Center the "Dr. Robert and Janet Moses Youth Center".
Vice Mayor Benzan 02/20/15 (O-30)
15-19. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on assessing current signal control technology and determine the feasibility of adopting adaptive signal control technology for traffic calming and reduction.
Vice Mayor Benzan, Councillor McGovern & Councillor Cheung 02/20/15 (O-31)
15-20. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the results from the PSI pilot and coordinate with the legal department to report back to the City Council on whether aspects of the ordinance could be safely adopted with specific attention to disposal of unwanted phone books.
Councillor Cheung 02/20/15 (O-34)
15-21. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on the feasibility of licensing the same technology to establish an online portal that indicates all of DPW's heroic street-clearing efforts.
Councillor Cheung 02/20/15 (O-41)
15-22. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on establishing a policy allowing for three days of parking ticket amnesty for those who park at metered spaces in which the parking space is accessible but in which the parking meter is not accessible due to snow.
Councillor Simmons 02/20/15 (O-43)
15-23. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on discussions that the City administration and City staff may be having with regard to state-level regulations for ride-sharing apps such as Uber, Lyft, and Sidecar.
Councillor Carlone 02/20/15 (O-45)
15-24. Report from the City Manager:
RE: report on a tax exemption that is an opt-in system and is based on progressive income.
Councillor Mazen 02/20/15 (O-47)
15-25. Report from the City Manager: See Mgr #16
RE: report on the rationale behind why there are so many "No Turn on Red" signs in the city at intersections where residents would otherwise feel safe to turn right on red.
Councillor Cheung 02/23/15 (O-35)