Possible Topics:Cambridge InsideOut - Dec 17, 2019
Possible Topics:
2) The Departure of Councillors Craig Kelley & Jan Devereux
3) That's All Folks! - Featured Items on the Dec 16, 2019 Cambridge City Council Agenda
Karp Petition and East Cambridge development
Contract Zoning a.k.a. "Let's Make A Deal"
4) The Harvard Square Zoning Petition
Subtle things like how zoning might actually help retail - discussion is often about height and density, but this petition seems fundamentally different.
5) Form-Based Zoning - Citywide Somerville Rezoning
Somerville has adopted a complete citywide rezoning that's centered around Form-Based Zoning. It has some things that seem to me to be legally questionable, esp. in regard to the affordable housing provisions which seem to prescribe rents so completely that I have to wonder if it jibes with the statewide rent control prohibition
Somerville details here: https://www.somervillezoning.com/
News article here: https://patch.com/massachusetts/somerville/after-30-years-somerville-has-new-zoning-code
Summary by YIMBY Jeff Bynes appended below (from Porter Square listserv).
6) News
8) Public financing of municipal elections?
9) Will rent control rear its ugly head?
Rent control proposed at State House H.1316 and HD.1100
10) Civic Calendar
One more look at the 2019 ballots.......
Final Official 2019 City Council Election Results (PDF)
Order of Election: Sumbul Siddiqui, Denise Simmons, Patty Nolan, Quinton Zondervan, Marc McGovern, Alanna Mallon, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Dennis Carlone, Tim Toomey [incumbent Craig Kelley has been defeated]
Final Official 2019 School Committee Results (PDF)
Order of Election: Mannika Bowman, Emily Dexter, Alfred Fantini, Ayesha Wilson, Rachel Weinstein, Jose Luis Rojas Villarreal
Distribution of #1 Votes by Ward & Precinct - 2019 City Council Election (PDF)
Distribution of #1 Votes by Ward & Precinct - 2019 School Committee Election (PDF)
City Council 2019 - #2 Vote Distributions [Full Distributions]
School Committee 2019 #2 Vote Distributions
Who would replace each of the elected city councillors and School Committee members should a vacancy occur? Replacements are determined from the ballots used to elect each councillor or School Committee member. I ran the tabulation software with the 2019 ballot data and here's what I found:
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Instant Runoff Mayor
As a purely academic exercise I also like to see how things would play out if the actual ballots were used to determine the Mayor via an Instant Runoff election (excluding all other candidates not elected to the City Council). The winner would be Sumbul Siddiqui with Patty Nolan as the runner-up. Here's the transfer report.
Instant Runoff School Committee Vice-Chair
As a purely academic exercise I worked out how things would play out if the actual ballots were used to determine the Vice-Chair of the School Committee via an Instant Runoff election (excluding all other candidates not elected to the School Committee). The winner would be Emily Dexter with Manikka Bowman as the runner-up. Here's the transfer report.
Alternate Measures of Popularity - 2019 City Council Election
Alternate Measures of Popularity - 2019 School Committee Election
(based on number of ballots with candidate ranked)
Dec 15 - Perhaps it's time to just ignore election results and the will of Cambridge voters. I just heard that Emily Dexter does not intend to serve the third term to which she was just elected. Elections apparently don't matter any more. - RW
PS - I seriously hope that Emily Dexter reconsiders and takes the oath of office on January 6 as the voters of Cambridge directed in the November election.
That's All Folks! - Featured Items on the Dec 16, 2019 Cambridge City Council Agenda
Here are a few items on this final meeting agenda worthy of note: Unfinished Business #5. A revised Petition has been received from Stephen R. Karp, Trustee of Cambridge Side Galeria Associates trust to amend the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance by adding a new Section 13.100 to Article 13.00 of the Zoning Ordinance and to amend the Zoning Map to add a new PUD-8 District overlay that certain area (which includes parcels and portions of ways and streets) labeled as "PUD-8 district". [Passed to a 2nd Reading on Nov 26, 2019 to be Ordained on or after Dec 16, 2019] Communications & Reports #1. A communication was received from City Clerk Anthony I. Wilson, Esq. transmitting a communication from John E. Twohig, Executive Vice President of New England Development, regarding the proposed CambridgeSide PUD-8 District. [Cover letter] [Redline_CambridgeSide 2.0 - PUD-8 Zoning Text (12.11.19 edits)] [CambridgeSide 2.0 - PUD-8 Zoning Text (12.11.19)] I'll say it one last time before the Council either ordains this on Monday or punts: I hope the City Council passes some form of this thing so that the area can get a shot in the arm, but I find this whole "Let's Make a Deal" aspect of how zoning petitions are approved lately to be very problematic. Rezoning is becoming less about good planning and more about generating revenue and goodies. Order #1. Zoning Amendment Articles 2.00 and 4.32 regarding opposition to permitting on-demand mobile fueling services to operate in Cambridge. Vice Mayor Devereux, Councillor Kelley, Councillor Carlone, Councillor Zondervan This was introduced on Oct 21, 2019 and I can't see any difference between that petition (which expires Mar 9, 2020) and this supposedly amended petition. Order #3. That section 11.202(b) of Article 11.000, entitled SPECIAL REGULATIONS, of the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge, be amended the table as follows: Jan 28, 2020 (Annual Adjustment) $19.10 per square foot. Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Siddiqui, Councillor Carlone, Mayor McGovern This was discussed at the Dec 9 meeting - an itsy bitsy zoning amendment that changes a dollar amount. Let the hearings begin! Order #5. That all items pending before the City Council and not acted upon by the end of the 2018-2019 Legislative Session be placed in the files of the City Clerk, without prejudice provided that those proposed ordinances which have been passed to a second reading, advertised and listed on the Calendar under "Unfinished Business" during the 2018-2019 City Council term, along with any other pending matters on the Calendar listed as "Unfinished Business," shall be forwarded to the next City Council and further provided that any items pending in committee may, at the discretion of the committee, be forwarded to the next City Council. Mayor McGovern ..... and, of course, 97 Items Awaiting Report. There are 6 responses, so we'll apparently end the term at 91 items awaiting report. Some will be carried over to either languish in Managerial Purgatory or maybe see the light of day. I repeat - let 'em all expire and start fresh. Perhaps for the next City Council term the City Council and City Manager should establish a cap on how many items are allowed to languish on the Awaiting Report pile. Order #6. That the City Manager instruct the City Solicitor to provide and update on the previous two orders requesting draft legislation for a Real Estate Transfer Fee Home Rule petition Councillor Carlone, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Siddiqui Though this will likely only affect the relatively large real estate transactions, I expect the next City Council will have as a primary goal to separate as much money from property owners - large and small - as they can legally justify. And when that runs out they'll just change the laws for more. Order #7. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to confer with the CPSD Superintendent to ensure that the CPSD budget is enough to meet the educational needs of all children in Cambridge rather than a formulaic increase over past CPSD budgets. Councillor Kelley I would have thought the statement contained in this Order would have been the rule all along. Order #8. Continued Anti-Bias Training in 2020 and beyond. Councillor Simmons Nevermind. Order #9. Removing Sackler family name from Harvard University Museum. Mayor McGovern I pass by a portrait of David Koch every day at MIT. It has never bothered me. Should we obliterate the family name of everyone whose business interests include some things we don't like even if they have contributed tremendously toward other things that we do appreciate? Cancel Culture is insanity. Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from Councillor E. Denise Simmons regarding an "End of Term Report from the Housing Committee". That little matter of tearing the civic fabric to shreds didn't appear in this report. Communications & Reports #3. A communication was received from Vice Mayor Devereux. A classy exit message from a classy lady (even on those occasions when we have disagreed). - Robert Winters |
Form-Based Zoning
Somerville apparently has adopted a complete citywide rezoning that's centered around Form-Based Zoning. It also has some things that seem to me to be legally questionable, esp. in regard to the affordable housing provisions which seem to prescribe rents so completely that I have to wonder if it jibes with the statewide rent control prohibition (and yes, I know that this is essentially like Inclusionary Zoning, so maybe it's OK - but what happens if the courts come down harshly on Inclusionary Zoning?
Somerville details here: https://www.somervillezoning.com/
News article here: https://patch.com/massachusetts/somerville/after-30-years-somerville-has-new-zoning-code
Quick summary (YIMBY Jeff Byrnes, Somerville - from Porter Square listserv):
Somerville Ward 3 councilor Ben Ewen-Campen wrote up some of the highlights in his newsletter:
Housing Affordability:
While zoning alone will never solve our affordable housing crisis, the zoning overhaul includes many good new affordable housing policies, including:
Sustainability: Nearly 65% of Somerville's carbon footprint comes from buildings. Thus, in order to reach our goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050, Somerville must dramatically reduce the carbon footprint of new buildings (and, existing buildings - but that is an issue for another newsletter.) The Zoning Overhaul has two major tools to address fossil fuel usage in buildings, which were crafted together with the Somerville Climate Coalition:
Green and Open Space:The Overhaul establishes a new system called the "Green Score" that requires new development to have substantial landscaping and plantings (rather than pavement or lawns), yet gives each project flexibility in how they wish to create that landscaping. The overhaul also has much stronger language around total lot coverage and permeable surfaces specifically in the "neighborhood residence" districts to help improve local flooding and run-off issues, and to prevent developers from filling in backyards across the city. In more urban/business districts where ground-level open space is not required, green roofs are incentivized.
Traffic and Parking: This is one of the biggest changes we are proposing: for all new developments located within 1/2 mile of a train station, new units will not be allowed to obtain an on-street residential parking permits (details here). This is a major policy change, and will require approval by the Traffic Commission, and I believe it is necessary. Should this be approved, it would mean that current residents - all of us - no longer need to worry that new developments will bring new cars parked on crowded neighborhood streets, because these new units will simply not be allowed to obtain an on-street parking permit, period.
Ordaining the Remnants of the 2018-2019 Council - Bits 'n Pieces from the Dec 9, 2019 City Council Agenda
Manager's Agenda #13. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to zoning language as requested by the Ordinance committee in connection with the CambridgeSide PUD-8 Zoning Petition. Unfinished Business #6. A revised Petition has been received from Stephen R. Karp, Trustee of Cambridge Side Galeria Associates trust to amend the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance by adding a new Section 13.100 to Article 13.00 of the Zoning Ordinance and to amend the Zoning Map to add a new PUD-8 District overlay that certain area (which includes parcels and portions of ways and streets) labeled as "PUD-8 district". [PASSED TO SECOND READING ON NOV 26, 2019, TO BE ORDAINED ON OR AFTER DEC 16, 2019] Communications & Reports #2. A communication was received from City Clerk Anthony I. Wilson, transmitting a communication from John Twohig, Representative for Cambridgeside Galleria Associates Trust regarding the revised Commitment Letter for Proposed PUD-8 District. [Commitment Letter] [red-lined version] Communications & Reports #3. A communication was received from City Clerk Anthony I. Wilson, transmitting a communication from Councillor Kelley regarding Cambridgeside. As I've said before, I hope the City Council passes some form of this thing so that the area can get a shot in the arm, but I find this whole "Let's Make a Deal" aspect of how zoning petitions are approved lately to be very problematic. Rezoning is becoming less about good planning and more about generating revenue and goodies. Manager's Agenda #15. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 19-21, regarding a report on Affordable Homeownership Programs. Manager's Agenda #16. A communication transmitted from City Manager Louis A. DePasquale and Assistant City Manager Community Development Iram Farooq, relative to the Incentive Zoning Nexus and Jobs Linkage Study. Interesting reading. Committee Report #1. A report from Vice Mayor Jan Devereux, Chair and Councillor Quinton Zondervan, Chair of the Health and Environment Committee for a public hearing held on Nov 12, 2019 at 5pm to discuss the findings of the Urban Forest Master Plan task force. Now can I manage the problematic trees on my property without a court order or a punitive fine? I promise I'll plant more and let the others flourish. |
Dec 10, 2019 – The results are in for Cambridge’s sixth Participatory Budget (PB) Process. Over 7,602 Cambridge residents voted to decide how to spend $1 million on capital projects to improve the community, an 11 percent increase in voting from last year.
The 8 projects highlighted below in BLUE won $1.125 million in FY21 Capital Funding:
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From City Manager Louis DePasquale:
“When people think about finance and the budget process, they don’t necessarily think about community engagement, but we continue to change that perspective with Participatory Budgeting," said Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale. "Through PB, residents are not only empowered with the ability to submit and vote for capital projects, they are also able get a closer look at how the budget process works and how decisions are made. I am also thrilled to be able to add another $125,000 to the total allocation to fully fund the eighth project, an outdoor public bathroom.”
Participatory Budgeting is a democratic process through which community members directly decide how to spend part of a public budget. The goal of PB is intended to directly involve residents in city budgeting, encourage civic engagement, foster community spirit, and help ensure that the city’s Capital Plan reflects the priorities of Cambridge residents.
A volunteer Outreach Team of over 20 residents helped collect 1,644 ideas from the public, both online and in person at community events. Over 40 volunteer Budget Delegates then researched and developed the submitted ideas into formal project proposals. During this time, budget delegates meet with city staff to better understand cost estimates and project feasibility, and to consolidate the list and come up with the final proposals that were on the December PB ballot for a public vote.
Thank you to the PB Outreach Committee, Budget Delegates and Facilitators, City staff, and all of the volunteers and participants who helped make the City’s sixth PB cycle a success.
To learn more about PB and the winning projects, please visit the Participatory Budgeting website.
In today's New York Times (Dec 3):
U.S. students fare poorly against global peers
American teenagers’ performance in reading and math remains stagnant, according to the latest results of an international exam, despite decades of effort — and billions of dollars spent — to raise standards.
The results of the test, the Program for International Student Assessment, were announced today. They showed that about a fifth of American 15-year-olds last year hadn’t mastered the reading skills expected of a 10-year-old.
Education experts disagree about why American students struggle and why a string of national reform efforts, including No Child Left Behind and the Common Core, has produced uneven results.
The details: About 600,000 15-year-olds from around the world took the test, which is given every three years. Students from Canada, China, Estonia, Finland, Ireland and Singapore were among those who outperformed their U.S. counterparts.
-- Yeah, but at least they're all "woke" 'n stuff. - RW
Dec 12, 2019 – Cambridge City Manager Louis A. DePasquale is seeking Cambridge residents interested in volunteering to serve on the nine-member Human Services Commission.
The Commission advises the City Manager and the Assistant City Manager for Human Services on human services policy issues, needs assessment, and funding allocations. With the Department of Human Service Programs, the Commission also promotes activities that enhance the quality of life for Cambridge residents. Over the years, the Commission has responded to local needs by recommending Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) funding for a wide range of programs offered by the City and community agencies.
The Commission usually meets with the Assistant City Manager for Human Services on the second Thursday of each month from 5:30-7:30pm, at the Citywide Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave. Commission members serve without compensation. For more information, contact Mike Payack at 617-349-6208 or mpayack@cambridgema.gov.
Applications to serve on this committee can be submitted to City Manager Louis A. DePasquale using the City’s online application system at cambridgema.gov/apply. A cover letter and resume or applicable experience must be submitted during the online application process. Paper applications are available in the City Manager’s Office at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Mass. Ave. The application deadline is Fri, Jan 17, 2020.
CIVIC CALENDAR (abridged)
3:00pm The City Council's Public Safety Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss restrictions and opportunities the City has when working with bargaining units to implement new policies. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
6:00pm School Committee meeting (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, CRLS, 459 Broadway)
6:30pm Planning Board meeting (2nd Floor Meeting Room, City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway)
General Business
1. Update from the Community Development Department
2. Adoption of Planning Board meeting transcripts
3. Alewife District Plan Presentation
Public Hearings
7:00pm Alewife Quadrangle Northwest Overlay District Zoning Petition (continued from 10/22/19)
Zoning petition by David Navia, et al., to create a new Section 20.95.5 “Additional Quadrangle Northwest District modifications” applicable in the existing Alewife Overlay District – Quadrangle Northwest (indicated as “AOD-1” on the Cambridge Zoning Map). (Notice) (Materials)
8:00pm PB# 354 (continued from 12/3/19)
87-101 CambridgePark Drive – Special Permit application by HCP/King 101 CPD LLC to construct a 141,834 square foot technical office building with ground floor retail and below grade parking for 247 vehicles pursuant to Sections 20.70 Flood Plain Overlay District; 20.95.1 Floor Area Ratio; 20.95.2 Height in excess of 55 feet; 20.95.34(1) Waiver of Yard Requirements; and 19.20 Project Review. (Notice) (Materials)
General Business
4. Preliminary Report of the 2017-19 Harvard Square Conservation District Study Committee
5:30pm Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Board Meeting (Police Station, First Floor Conference Room, 125 Sixth St.)
5:30pm Cambridge Election Commission meeting (1st Floor Meeting Room, 51 Inman St.)
I. MINUTES II. REPORTS 1. Executive Director's Report 2. Assistant Director's Report 3. Commissioners' Reports III. PUBLIC COMMENT |
IV. ACTION AGENDA New Business 1. Presidential Primary, March 3, 2020 2. 2020 Annual City Census Old Business 1. 2019 Municipal Election (Nov 5th) - Election Review |
5:30pm The City Council's Neighborhood and Long-Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss ways to ensure that the Cambridge Carnival will take place in 2020 and beyond. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
Mon, Jan 6
10:00am Inaugural City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
5:30pm Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Board Meeting (Police Station, First Floor Conference Room, 125 Sixth St.)
The last meeting of the 2018-2019 Cambridge City Council takes place this Monday (thanks to the cancellation of the remaining two meetings). This will also mark the final meeting for both Vice Mayor Jan Devereux (served 2 terms, first elected 2015) and Councillor Craig Kelley (served 7 terms, first elected 2005). With the exit of two of the most reasonable members of the City Council we may well be heading toward the Wild Card Council for 2020-2021 where the only real question will be "how far left?"
Manager's Agenda #11. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a