Midsummer meeting of the Cambridge City Council of Monday, August 7 (at City Hall).
Among the 31 items on the City Manager's Agenda and the 176 Resolutions, 56 Orders, and 6 Committee Reports on the Council agenda, there are only a few that really jump out. Here's my short list:
Manager's Agenda #12. Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 03-46, regarding a report on property taxes paid and not paid by universities.
This information is always interesting -- though nothing ever comes of it.
Calendar Item #2 (Charter Right). Transmitting communication from Robert W. Healy, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 06-56, regarding a report on the status of changes to the City’s Ordinance concerning the Noise Affidavit. Charter Right exercised by Councillor Kelley on City Manager Agenda Number Seven on June 26, 2006.
Order #46. That the City Manager is requested to require utilization of a more protective noise affidavit. Councillor Kelley and Mayor Reeves
This topic grows from the many unresolved complaints by Cambridge residents caused by a variety of exterior air conditioning units, ground-level heating vent systems, and other mechanicals. The License Commission has shown little resolve in addressing this matter - hence the call for a new "noise affidavit" in which the owner/resident/installer would have to agree to abide by fair and reasonable standards to ensure that neighbors won't be harassed by unnecessarily noisy mechanicals.
Calendar #7 (Unfinished Business). A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk transmitting a report from Councillor Brian Murphy and Councillor Michael A. Sullivan, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a meeting held on May 17, 2006 for the purpose of considering a petition filed by Eileen Woodford et al. to amend the zoning map in the area of Concord Avenue bounded by New Street, Fern Street, Field Street and properties along Bay State Road to change the present zoning of Residence C-1A and B and Industry A-1 to Residence C. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after July 3, 2006. Petition expires August 15, 2006.
Committee Report #4. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk transmitting a report from Councillor Brian Murphy and Councillor Michael A. Sullivan, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a meeting held on July 11, 2006 for the purpose of continuing discussion of the Eileen Woodford et al. (Tobin-Danehy) Zoning Petition.
Calendar #8 (Unfinished Business). A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk transmitting a report from Councillor Brian Murphy and Councillor Michael A. Sullivan, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a meeting held on May 17, 2006 to consider a proposed amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to substitute the phrase "Private Open Space" for the phrase "Useable Open Space" throughout the Zoning Ordinance. The question comes on passing to be ordained on or after July 10, 2006. Petition expires August 15, 2006.
This will be the last chance for the Council to act on these petitions (or to re-file) before the deadline.
Communication #13. A communication was received from Peter Valentine, regarding three predictions.
Priceless! The Wizard of Franklin Street predicts a massive ecological disaster affecting the entire planet on August 3; an earthquake in Northwest America on August 9; and a nuclear attack “inducing all hell to break out” on August 13. I feel especially safe thanks to his closing line: “At this moment of course, tyranny will attempt to take over. I will not allow that.” Thanks, Peter.
Order #1. That the Mayor and City Manager are hereby requested to appoint a Special Committee to study the impact to Cambridge of the proposal to develop Allston by Harvard.
Fair enough. It's right across the river. And it's big, really big.
Order #4. That Rule 26 of the City Council Rules be amended to require a quorum for meetings of City Council committees and further that the quorum for said committee meetings be defined as a majority of the members of the committee.
Great order, Councillor Simmons! If a City Council committee meeting has just one councillor present, should we seriously call that a committee meeting? According to the reports, this requirement would have caused the cancellation of 20% of committee meetings.
Order #18. That the City Manager appoint a Citizen Advisory Committee to investigate the feasibility of a municipal utility.
That's what they did in Lexington, and it's been a very productive undertaking -- regardless of how one feels about whether Cambridge should be getting into the electric utility business.
Order #20. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the City Solicitor and the Police Commissioner to investigate the possibility of imposing a curfew in the neighborhood of Area Four. Councillor Simmons
I believe this one's already been resolved. At the Aug 2 Special City Council meeting on the Area 4 shootings, the consensus among councillors appeared to be for greater police presence in sensitive locations and no park closings or curfews.
Order #32. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate Department heads to discuss the feasibility of flower pots along the median strip in North Cambridge.
My greatest fear is that councillors will spend two hours talking about this. I hope they all volunteer to water the plants. Personally, I think the best way to beautify that median would be to eliminate it.
Order #33. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the Community Development Department, the Department of Traffic, Parking and Transportation, the Arts Council and other stakeholders (citizens, universities, Chamber of Commerce, City Councillors) and all be convened in a meeting or working group to determine how to beautifully and beneficially define portals at Massachusetts Avenue, Kendall Square, Massachusetts Avenue/Arlington, River Street and Longfellow Bridge/JFK.
Fair enough. Most of these locations are currently butt ugly. Just do something - and add Prospect Street and Route 2 to the list.
Order #42. That the City Council go on record asking that the Community Preservation Act advisory committee propose that CPA funds be allocated in the following manner: 40% for affordable housings; 30% for historic preservation; and 30% for open space and supporting the limitation of CPA expenditures to open space within City borders. Councillor Kelley
This is the one truly interesting item on the whole agenda. The percentages have been 80% for affordable housing, and the minimum 10% each for open space acquisition and historic preservation since the CPA was enacted in 2001. However, it's not at all clear that these are the percentages that the residents of the city would want if they had any choice. This makes for a rather interesting dilemma in democracy. While it is true that these percentages were understood when the City Council recommended passage of the CPA in 2001 (and the voters approved it), it was never more than just an understanding between the City Manager and the councillors of 2001 that influenced the selection of the members of the committee. Can an understanding in 2001 bind future Councils? Do the elected officials have any say at all in these decisions? What would happen if the CPA Committee made a recommendation and the City Council (who has to formally vote on all of the recommended allocations) disagreed with the recommendations? I would, at the very least, love to have these questions answered, and this may be the only way that they could ever be answered.
I believe Cambridge is unique in Massachusetts among CPA communities in allocating the maximum percentage for housing. We are also quite expert in leveraging additional housing funds, so these percentages probably do provide “the most bang for the buck.”
The last part of Kelley's order refers to open space in Lincoln acquired for watershed protection. While one may favor the acquisition of passive open space within Cambridge's borders, I believe watershed protection should remain a high priority and be eligible for CPA funds.
My prediction? I expect a councillor will exercise his or her Charter Right to delay any discussion or action on this until the next City Council meeting on September 11. The CPA Committee will be meeting on August 23 and September 6 to determine their recommendations. If not the Charter Right, there are probably at least 5 votes to table it. Avoiding the issue entirely will be the likely outcome, but it's possible there could be another Kelley-Decker fireworks display.
Order #44. That the City Manager is requested to confer with relevant Department heads to ensure that traffic control officer routes and patrol times be published on the City’s website. Councillor Kelley
This one is downright funny! Perhaps I'm misreading this, but it seems like Councillor Kelley is asking the City to publish when and where traffic control officers will be on duty looking for speeders, red-light runners, etc. Sounds like a great way to advise scofflaw drivers of good alternate routes! No need for that radar detector - just look it up on the web!
Order #45. That the City Clerk is requested to re-file the City Council petition to rezone the BC-1 zone as BA-2 on North Massachusetts Avenue. Councillor Kelley
Order #56. Proposal to amend the Zoning Code in the Alewife area, northwest triangle, be filed with the City Council and referred to the Planning Board for a hearing and report. Councillor Sullivan
A couple more zoning petitions....
Committee Report #1. A communication was received from D. Margaret Drury, City Clerk transmitting a report from Councillor Brian Murphy and Councillor Michael A. Sullivan, Co-Chairs of the Ordinance Committee, for a meeting held on June 28, 2006 for the purpose of considering extension of the Parking and Transportation Demand Management (PTDM) Ordinance and a proposed amendment to eliminate the sunset provision contained in Section 10.18.090.
This one interests me only because I still don't know whether the City of Cambridge ever officially cleared all the state DEP and federal EPA hurdles to get permanently out from under the old “Interim Parking Freeze.” In addition to any merits contained in the PTDM Ordinance, it was really Cambridge's way of getting out from under the Commercial Parking Freeze that was the subject of high-profile lawsuits about 15 years ago. Getting out from under the Parking Freeze and avoiding additional lawsuits (from the Conservation Law Foundation, for example) is one of the main reasons why Cambridge has been painting bike lanes on many Cambridge streets, regardless of their need or questionable safety.