A Few Items of Interest - March 25, 2019 Cambridge City Council Agenda It is getting more difficult every week to watch and listen to this City Council, but here are a few things that have at least some interest:: Manager's Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 18-114, regarding bicycle signage on Brattle Street. The City's transportation planners acknowledged that they did at one point consider restoring the one-way section of Brattle Street to two-way operation at reduced speed, but they chose instead to go with only the segregated two-way bike lane. The problems associated with this configuration are many, especially at the Brattle Square end, and all the signage in the world will not cure them. Manager's Agenda #11. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to recommendations for the block rates for water consumption and sewer use for the period beginning Apr 1, 2019 and ending Mar 31, 2020. [Manager's Letter] [Order] Continuing the pattern of the last several years, there will be no increase in the water rate, but there will be a 7% increase in the sewer rate yielding an overall 5.2% increase in the water/sewer combined rate.   Annual Consumption* FY19 Water Rate FY20 Proposed Water Rate FY19 Sewer Rate FY20 Proposed Sewer Rate Block 1 0 – 40 CcF $3.02 $3.02 $11.00 $11.77 Block 2 41 – 400 CcF $3.24 $3.24 $11.63 $12.44 Block 3 401 – 2,000 CcF $3.44 $3.44 $12.49 $13.36 Block 4 2,001 – 10,000 CcF $3.65 $3.65 $13.45 $14.39 Block 5 Over 10,000 CcF $3.96 $3.96 $14.30 $15.30 *All rates are per CcF. CcF is an abbreviation of 100 cubic feet. One CcF is approximately 750 gallons. Charter Right #1. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the bi-annual City of Cambridge Resident Telephone Survey for 2018. [Manager's message] [aggregate responses] [longer report] Ripe for misinterpretation. Applications & Petitions #2. A Zoning Petition has been received from Hemenway & Barnes LLP. on behalf of Verizon New England Inc., seeking to amend the Zoning Map to certain provisions of Article 20 of the Zoning Ordinance to allow the creation of a "Ware Street Innovation Space" Overlay District. Note that Ware Street is the only property affected by this petition. This seems like a good idea for this seriously anomalous old telephone switching building on Ware Street, but it does seem odd that this change is being proposed via zoning petition rather than by seeking a variance. I expect we will again have to be tutored on what is and what is not considered "spot zoning". Order #6. That a Roundtable meeting be scheduled for Tues, Apr 9, 2019, at 5:30pm in the Sullivan Chamber, City Hall, for the purpose of discussing the Affordable Housing Zoning Overlay proposal.   Mayor McGovern This aberrant "Overlay" proposal that would trash all expectations associated with zoning districts across the city continues like a runaway train. The whole concept is based on a perversion of zoning that says that certain parties may play by one set of rules while others must play by a different set of rules. Zoning is really all about managing expectations, and if this proposal passes all such expectations will change whenever a property changes hands. If you think that the maximum height and density in an area will shape what can be built, you will have to abandon that expectation and accept the fact that you will no longer have a right to even object. Furthermore, if you have issues with this proposal expect to have your reputation trashed as easy as ABC. There are good cases to be made for allowing some additional density where it makes sense, but those are not before this City Council. Order #11. That the City Manager is requested to direct the appropriate City staff to examine the need and possibility of implementing the Pilot Displacement Preference program in Cambridge, especially when new housing is constructed in an existing neighborhood where displacement is occurring.   Councillor Carlone, Councillor Zondervan, Mayor McGovern, Councillor Siddiqui There may be some worthwhile ideas embedded within, but the bottom line is that this City Council apparently doesn't believe that people can sort things out without their intervention, and that the composition of neighborhoods in Cambridge, Boston, and elsewhere should never change. Order #12. That the City Manager is requested to double the annual funding (from the FY19 Adopted Budget) over the next 3 to 5 years to reach a combined total minimum of $30 million per year (plus any additional use of “Free Cash”) in the areas of Affordable housing construction, tree canopy, Preschool enrollment scholarships/space, Central Square revitalization and Cultural Arts District and the arts in general.   Councillor Carlone, Councillor Zondervan, Mayor McGovern, Councillor Siddiqui Take note of the fact that part of the sales pitch for the "Overlay" proposal is that it would yield only modest changes based on available funding. In advertising this is known as the "soft sell". This Order asks that this funding be dramatically increased. Furthermore, there are also proposals pending for a Real Estate Transfer Tax that could potentially lead to even more dramatic increases. The "Overlay" proposal would permanently lock in place a mechanism by which privately-owned residential property will be transitioned to "social ownership" and a future where access to much of the city's housing will be done via application to the local government. Deed restrictions on such housing translate into the fact that they pay only the bare legal minimum in real estate taxes, so that tax burden will be transferred to the remaining unregulated housing. The remedy for that may well be to significantly increase commercial development. I will be very surprised if any of the current group of councillors even discuss these long-term effects. They really should scrap the whole concept and start from scratch. - Robert Winters Comments?

Which potential 2019 City Council election campaign accounts have been active?
[Let's be clear that not all of those listed will actually be candidates in 2019 and there may be others not listed here. You decide.]

2019 Cambridge City Council Campaign Bank Reports - The Usual Suspects - You can sort the table by any field or open the full spreadsheet

2017 City Council Campaign Receipts, Expenditures, and $/Vote – FINAL REPORT (Feb 11, 2018)

2017 Cambridge City Council Bank Reports (Feb 6, 2018)

Cambridge School Committee 2017 Campaign Finance Summaries and $/Vote (Jan 26, 2018)

Feb 10, 2019 - I'm cleaning up some old email today and found something I wrote a couple of years ago in response to a question about books on Cambridge history. Perhaps you'll find it useful. - RW

It's hard to say where to begin. There was a tradition of Cambridge history-writing in the 19th century that was largely lost during most of the 20th Century. The tradition seems to be having something of a 21st Century revival. Some of my favorites (and I've picked up many of these on eBay) are:

Lucius Paige's History of Cambridge (1877) - you can also read this on the web, e.g. https://archive.org/details/historyofcambrid00paigiala
I mention this one first because it is so often referenced in later histories.

The Cambridge of Eighteen Hundred and Ninety Six (a 50th Anniversary compilation published in 1896 commemorating the transition of Cambridge from Town to City in 1846)
This has a lot of good history in it. I have loaner copies available.

Survey of Architectural History of Cambridge, Volumes 1-5, by the Cambridge Historical Commission
These you can still pick up on eBay and they're at the Cambridge Public Library. I have multiple copies of each volume as loaners.
Volume 1 was originally published in 1967, but a 1989 update is practically a whole other book.

A City's Life and Times, Cambridge in the Twentieth Century, various authors, published by the Cambridge Historical Society, 2007.

Building Old Cambridge, by Susan Maycock and Charles Sullivan of the Cambridge Historical Commission, recently published and available (no sales tax!) at the Cambridge Historical Commission office as well as local bookstores (with sales tax).
This volume started out, I believe, as a successor volume to Volume 4 of the Survey of Architectural History of Cambridge (Old Cambridge), but it grew into something far more comprehensive.

There are at least, I believe, 5 oral history volumes put together by Sarah Boyer and the Cambridge Historical Commission. I believe they may all still be available for purchase at the CHC office, but some are also available at bookstores (and at the Library).

Cambridge on the Charles, by Alan Seaburg, Thomas Dahill, and Carol Rose, published by Anne Minerva Press. Alan and Thomas are friends and fellow Board members with the Middlesex Canal Association (I'm also the webmaster).

There are lots of other miscellaneous books that I really love, including Ten No License Years in Cambridge, published in 1898, that provides great insight into the temperance movement in Cambridge and the roots of the "good government" movement in the 20th Century. It's available in the Cambridge Room of the Main Library.

The books by Tip O'Neill all have some interesting bits and pieces about Cambridge in the 20th Century.

Robert Winters

Featured recent stories in the Cambridge Chronicle (the paper of record):

If you would like to subscribe or pick up a free paper copy at various sites, I encourage you to do so. It really is The Paper of Record.

Cambridge offers glimpse of possible affordable housing future (Mar 8, 2019)

Cambridge earns AAA rating for 20th straight year (Mar 6, 2019)

Proposed bus fare hikes, route changes raise concerns at Cambridge meetings (Mar 4, 2019)

East Cambridge Planning Team to hold annual elections (Mar 4, 2019)

Cambridge community invited to vote for design finalists (Mar 1, 2019)

Cambridge councillors pass tree removal moratorium (Feb 27, 2019)

GUEST COLUMN: Boston’s Urban Four must lead the state’s micro-mobility revolution (Craig Kelley, Feb 27, 2019)

Ranked-choice voting could change Massachusetts elections (Feb 25, 2019)

Housing crisis fuels homelessness in Cambridge, statewide (Feb 20, 2019)

A breakdown of 40B affordable housing (Feb 13, 2019)

Cambridge Community Center launches anniversary fund (Feb 11, 2019)

Cambridge School Committee authorizes investigation of member’s use of N-word; students say voices overlooked (Feb 7, 2019)

MBTA proposes 6.3 percent fare hike (Jan 28, 2019)

Cambridge eliminates fees for street performers (Jan 15, 2019)

Police continue to seek answers, assistance in Cambridge murder (Jan 11, 2019)

Vacant Storefront Creative Design Contest accepting submissions (Jan 8, 2019)

Cambridge City Council passes CCOPS law (Dec 26, 2018)

CPA fund lacks cash in Massachusetts (Dec 18, 2018)

Cambridge’s Transit Committee to pitch dozens of ideas to MBTA for improved bus service (Dec 17, 2018)

Cambridge police return to Central Square with opening of substation (Dec 11, 2018)

Paved path for pedestrians, cyclists breaks ground on Watertown-Cambridge Greenway (Dec 10, 2018)

‘A win-win for everyone:’ Plans for Millers River, Grand Junction path move forward (Dec 4, 2018)

FCC rule could gut funding for Cambridge community TV (Nov 30, 2018)

Cambridge leaders look for solutions after cyclist killed near Science Museum (Nov 20, 2018)

Baker open to fee hike to boost state CPA match (Nov 16, 2018)

CIVIC CALENDAR

Tues, Mar 26

10:00am   The City Council's Government Operations, Rules and Claims Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss a proposed change to City Council Rule 39 entitled “Rules of Travel” to be amended to be entitled “Rules of Travel and Other Council related expenditures”.  (Sophie Anastos Room)

1:00pm   The City Council's Neighborhood and Long Term Planning Facilities, Arts and Celebration Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss Cambridge’s Memorial Tree Program and ways to revitalize the program in order to increase participation citywide.  (Sullivan Chamber)

6:00pm   Special Meeting of the School Committee  (Attles Meeting Room, CRLS, 459 Broadway)

The purpose of this meeting is a review of the proposed FY2020 Budget and a discussion of potential revisions. It is anticipated that this meeting will end by or before 8:00pm. This meeting will be televised, no votes will be taken and there will not be public comment.

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

Public Hearings

6:30pm   Accessory Apartments Amendments Zoning Petition (continued from 1/22/2019)
Zoning petition by the City Council entitled “Accessory Apartments,” as a zoning solution to the challenges posed by current zoning constraints regarding accessory dwelling units to amend the definition of Accessory Apartment, to allow accessory apartments to be permitted within accessory structures, and to amend some of the conditions under which an accessory apartment is allowed. (Materials)

General Business

3. Envision Cambridge Alewife District Plan Update

Wed, Mar 27

3:00pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss a zoning petition filed by Melissa and Christopher Grippo et al to amend the Zoning Ordinance by adding at the end of section 5.30.11 a sentence that reads; not with standing the foregoing, in Industry B District, a hotel use (Section 4.31.2) shall be governed by the second number (4.0) for purposes of determining the maximum ratio of floor area to lot area. This meeting will be televised.  (Sullivan Chamber)

3:00pm   School Committee Curriculum and Achievement Sub-Committee meeting  (School Committee Conference Room, CRLS, 459 Broadway)

The purpose of this meeting is to create a uniformed, standardized way of ensuring that all students are transitioning from grade to grade with the necessary skills to begin the following school year at grade level. It is anticipated that this meeting will last no longer than 5:00pm.

5:30pm   Cambridge Election Commission meeting  (1st Floor Meeting Room, 51 Inman St.)

5:30pm   Voter Registration Challenge Hearing

5:35pm   Election Commission Meeting

6:00pm   School Committee Buildings and Grounds Sub-Committee meeting  (School Committee Conference Room, CRLS, 459 Broadway)

The purpose of this meeting is todiscuss issues related to custodial services and permitting, district enrollment projections, facilities rental fees and any other business that may properly come before the Sub-Committee. It is anticipated that this meeting will end no later than 7:30pm.

Thurs, Mar 28

5:00pm   The City Council's Housing Committee will conduct a public hearing to continue discussions on the Affordable Housing Overlay District. This meeting will be televised.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Apr 1

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Apr 2

2:00pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to continue discussion on a petition filed by the City Council to amend the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge in section 4.22 to allow for a special permit for the alteration of a single, two-family or accessory structure in existence as of January 2019 to provide one accessory apartment, if appropriate conditions are met.  (Sullivan Chamber)

6:00pm   School Committee meeting  (Henrietta S. Attles Meeting Room, CRLS, 459 Broadway)

In addition to regular business, the School Committee will vote on adoption of the FY 2020 Proposed School Department Budget.

Wed, Apr 3

1:00pm   The City Council's Transportation & Public Utilities Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss Applications and Petition #4 of March 4, 2019 submitted by the Cambridge Taxi Drivers Owners Association on whether additional regulation on Transit Network Companies (TNC) could be implemented in Cambridge.  (Sullivan Chamber)

5:30pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the zoning petition filed by Stephen R. Karp, Trustee of Cambridge Side Galleria Trust to add a new Section 13.100 to Article 13 and amend the zoning map to add a new PUD-8 District Overlay. This meeting will be televised.  (Sullivan Chamber)

7:00-8:30pm   Evenings with Experts - More than Just the Buzz: Finding Real Solutions to Native Pollinator Declines  (Cambridge Main Public Library)

Presenter: Robert Gegear, Assistant Professor of Biology, Worcester Polytechnic Institute. For almost two decades, pollinators have been declining in abundance, species richness, and geographic distribution at an unprecedented rate worldwide. While media attention has focused largely on the domesticated European honeybee, the decline of our native species poses a significant threat to global biodiversity due to the keystone role that pollinators play in terrestrial ecosystems. Biologist Robert Gegear will explain the beautifully complex interactions between plant species and the insects that pollinate them— intricate ecological systems that we humans are only beginning to understand. Join us to learn how Dr. Gegear’s research on pollination ‘networks’ can help develop truly effective conservation and restoration strategies, and come away with scientifically informed and practical actions you can take to support these vital insects.

Dr. Robert Gegear is the founder of the Bee-cology Project, an initiative that uses citizen science to collect much-needed ecological data on native pollinator species and pollinator habitat.

Thurs, Apr 4

5:30pm   Climate Resilience Zoning Task Force meeting  (Senior Center, 806 Mass. Ave.)

Sat, Apr 6

9:00am-1:00pm   Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection Day  (Volpe Transportation Center - near 125 Munroe St.)

Mon, Apr 8

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Apr 9

5:30pm   It is expected that a City Council Roundtable meeting will take place at this time for the purpose of railroading through the Subsidized Housing Overlay Proposal.

Wed, Apr 10

8:00-9:30am   Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)

4:00pm   The City Council's Government Operation and Rules Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the logistics and feasibility of implementing early voting in City Elections and to discuss the possibility of pursuing a Home Rule petition to lower the voting age to City elections to 16 years old.  (Sullivan Chamber)

5:30pm   Cambridge Redevelopment Authority Board Meeting  (Police Station, 125 Sixth St., First Floor Community Room)

[Meeting Agenda and supporting materials]

Thurs, Apr 11

5:30pm   Mayor's Arts Task Force meeting  (Dance Complex, 536 Mass. Ave.)

Tues, Apr 16

6:00pm   The City Council's Housing Committee will conduct a public hearing to continue discussion on the Affordable Housing Overlay District.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Apr 22

5:30pm   City Council meeting - Budget submission  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, Apr 23

3:00pm   The City Council's Health and Environment Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the Zero Waste Master Plan and ways to reduce single use plastics in Cambridge.  (Ackermann Room)

5:30pm   Mayor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement meeting  (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)

Wed, Apr 24

12:00pm   The City Council's Economic Development & University Relations Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss a Cambridge vacant property registration ordinance.  (Sullivan Chamber)

Mon, Apr 29

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Wed, May 1

9:00am   City Council's Finance Committee hearing to discuss proposed FY20 City Budget  (Sullivan Chamber)

5:30pm   The City Council's Ordinance Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss a petition to amend the Municipal Code in Chapter 8.16 entitled “Noise Control” by deleting sections 16.081 through 16.081.7 to prohibit the use of leaf blowers in the City of Cambridge.  (Sullivan Chamber)

7:00-8:30pm   Evenings with Experts - A Grassland Restoration Tale of Weeds, Wildlife, and Renewal  (Cambridge Main Public Library)

Presenter: Jenna Webster, Senior Designer, Larry Weaner Landscape Associates. Restoring weed-dominated habitats comes with many complex challenges and often involves difficult tradeoffs. This process is even more complicated in public landscapes with diverse constituencies. Join landscape designer Jenna Webster to learn how Larry Weaner Landscape Associates negotiated these challenges in their restoration planning for a 100-acre grassland at Croton Point Park in New York. Located atop a capped landfill, this site provides vital habitat for imperiled bird species. The Park’s popularity and complex history led Jenna and her team to seek stakeholder input, synthesize crowd-sourced ecological data, and utilize scientific research— creating a thoughtful restoration plan that is now under construction. This case study gives us valuable lessons for land restoration on sites both large and small, and particularly for protecting specialized habitat used by native wildlife.

Jenna Webster is co-curator of the New Directions in the American Landscape conference, and teaches in the Ecological Gardening Certificate program at the Mt. Cuba Center.

Mon, May 6

5:30pm   City Council meeting  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, May 7

9:00am   City Council's Finance Committee hearing to discuss proposed FY20 School Department Budget  (Sullivan Chamber)

Wed, May 8

8:00-9:30am   Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting  (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)

6:00pm   City Council's Finance Committee hearing to discuss proposed FY20 City Budget  (Sullivan Chamber)

Thurs, May 9

9:00am   City Council's Finance Committee hearing to discuss proposed FY20 City Budget - if necessary  (Sullivan Chamber)

5:30pm   Mayor's Arts Task Force meeting  (Location TBD)

Mon, May 20

5:30pm   City Council meeting - Budget Adoption  (Sullivan Chamber)

Tues, May 21

5:30pm   Mayor's Blue Ribbon Task Force on Tenant Displacement meeting  (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)