Possible Topics:Cambridge InsideOut - Sept 10, 2019
Possible Topics:
2) What the Council might consider should the Overlay not pan out - what they should have been considering
Update of Overlay at Ordinance Committee
3) Update on First Street Garage/Courthouse
The Courthouse Saga -
Courthouse and First Street Garage - and Rep. Connolly
4) The Asbestos Question and Raw Politics at the East Cambridge Courthouse site
5) Why do labor unions pour so much money into City Council campaign coffers?
6) Oldtime Baseball Game on Aug 22 - featuring Roger Clemens
7) Looking ahead at the municipal election - who's got a shot?
Role of Political Action Committees
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
Politics, Posturing, Preaching, or Practical Solutions? - Sept 9, 2019 Cambridge City Council meetingThe City Council returns from vacation this week with a loaded agenda and more than a few hidden agendas. Perhaps the biggest deal is the hearing and presumably the vote on disposition of a portion of the parking spaces in the First Street Garage to support the proposed rehabilitation and reuse of the Courthouse Building on Thorndike Street. This has recently become politically superheated by State Misrepresentative Connolly and his Revolutionary Guard who, in Bernie-esque fashion, have promised the moon with no means to fulfill those promises. On the other hand, perhaps the necessary six votes may materialize to begin the asbestos remediation and reactivation of this building as well as revitalization of the First Street Garage and its retail corridor. Hope springs eternal.
Mayor Machiavelli has done all that he can to ram this through while attempting to seal off any means via which residents of the city can challenge plans by unelected bodies to inflict whatever they wish whenever and wherever they wish. There are already apparently three NO votes on this matter so it may all come down to whether one other councillor can be purchased by The Prince. The action item for this meeting would be to pass the matter to a 2nd Reading and put it in the queue for possible ordination on Sept 23, and there appears to be 5 votes to do that. Ordination will require 6 votes. One other possibility, should it be unclear whether the necessary two-thirds majority exists, is to allow the matter to expire and be re-filed so that it can be voted after the municipal election when there are fewer political asses on the line. A more appropriate course of action would be to take a huge step back and reconsider housing policy regionally and rationally, but I seriously doubt if this group of nine is up to that task. Regardless of the ultimate outcome it's fair to say that this one issue has served to realign civic and political lines in a way that will continue for years to come. UPDATE: The vote was to table the Overlay so that it could expire without a negative vote. This will allow it to be "re-filed so that it can be voted after the municipal election when there are fewer political asses on the line." They also punted on the the vote on disposition of a portion of the parking spaces in the First Street Garage. That discussion (and presumably the vote) will reconvene at either the next meeting on Sept 16 or some yet to be determined date, but since the hearing was recessed there will be presumably no additional public comment. Hasn't it all been said by now anyway? So here's the usual selection of featured items of interest: Manager's Agenda #1-3. Appointments to the Foundry Advisory Committee (2), Pedestrian Committee (22), and Bicycle Committee (21). Manager's Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board report with no positive or negative recommendations on the Alexandria Grand Junction Overlay District Zoning Petition. Manager's Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board recommendation to adopt the Affordable Housing Overlay Zoning Petition. Committee Report #5. A communication was received from Anthony I. Wilson, City Clerk, transmitting Part 1 of the report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chair and Councillor Craig A. Kelley, Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a public hearing held on Aug 1, 2019 to discuss a proposed amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to create an Affordable Housing Overlay District. Committee Report #6. A communication was received from Anthony I. Wilson, City Clerk, transmitting Part 2 of the report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chair and Councillor Craig A. Kelley, Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a reconvened public hearing held on Aug 8, 2019 to continue discussions on a proposed amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to create an Affordable Housing Overlay District. Committee Report #7. A communication was received from Anthony I. Wilson, City Clerk, transmitting Part 3 of the report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chair and Councillor Craig A. Kelley, Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a reconvened public hearing held on Aug 13, 2019 to continue discussions on a proposed amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to create an Affordable Housing Overlay District. Committee Report #8. A communication was received from Anthony I. Wilson, City Clerk, transmitting Part 4 of the report from Councillor Dennis J. Carlone, Co-Chair and Councillor Craig A. Kelley, Co-Chair of the Ordinance Committee, for a reconvened public hearing held on Sept 3, 2019 to continue discussions on a proposed amendment to the Zoning Ordinance to create an Affordable Housing Overlay District. These are the items associated with the Abominable Overlay. Manager's Agenda #8. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to a recommendation from the Planning Board to approve the disposition of a leasehold interest in 420 parking spaces and approximately 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail in the First Street Garage. Manager's Agenda #9. A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to the proposed disposition of a leasehold interest in the First Street Garage. These are the items associated with the 6:30pm hearing: The City Council will hold a public hearing on the disposition of a leasehold interest in 420 parking spaces and approximately 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail (together the “Leasehold Interest”) in the First Street Garage, located at 55 First Street and owned by the City of Cambridge, to the developer Leggat McCall Properties, which was conditionally awarded the bid pursuant to G.L. Chapter 30B subject to the review and approval of the disposition of the Leasehold Interest by the City Council pursuant to the City’s Municipal Disposition Ordinance, Chapter 2.110 of the Cambridge Municipal Code (the “disposition Ordinance”). This hearing will be held pursuant to the Disposition Ordinance As part of the legal requirements for disposing of the Leasehold Interest. Charter Right #1. That the City Manager is requested to instruct the License Commission and City Solicitor’s office to drop all charges against UpperWest and its owners, to reconsider UpperWest’s package store application, and to issue a public apology to UpperWest and its owners. As I said when this was introduced, "There is apparently no accounting for taste. If the City Council supports this Order, they belong in an asylum." Charter Right #2. That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to obtain a legal opinion from the City Solicitor regarding the License Commission's authority with regard to the issuance, denial, suspension or revocation of liquor licenses in the City of Cambridge. The City Solicitor has answered this on multiple occasions. Pay attention, kids. Applications & Petitions #1. A Zoning Petition has been received from Ben LoVemere regarding that the City Council ordain the Zoning language set forth relative the Alewife Quadrangle Northwest Overlay District. Communications #1-193. That's a whole lotta letters - dominated by First Street Garage and the Abominable Overlay. Order #5. That the City Manager, without delay to the current First Street Garage lease process, is requested to confer with all relevant City departments and public health officials to conduct City directed environmental testing on the Sullivan Courthouse building and water in basement, to determine the risk posed to the public, and provide a timeline of completion. Councillor Toomey, Councillor Mallon Synopsis: County/State abandons building; long time passes; state offers site up for sale; Leggat McCall wins bid; long times passes while lawsuits play out; building decays; citizen takes it upon himself to gather and test a sample of loose asbestos; state misrepresentative tries to put himself center-stage as the mover and shaker that he so clearly is not; political supporters circle the wagons; nobody wins. Order #10. That the Neighborhood and Long-Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committee is requested to hold a public hearing to review the Envision Cambridge plan and recommendations. Councillor Kelley, Vice Mayor Devereux, Councillor Zondervan Envision Cambridge..... yeah, I remember hearing about that once upon a time. Then the Community Development abandoned its purpose and rebranded itself as the AHO Sales Force. Order #13. That the City Manager is requested to confer with the appropriate City staff on the feasibility of allowing taxicabs to use dedicated bus lanes throughout the City while executing service for fare-paying passengers. Councillor Kelley, Vice Mayor Devereux, Councillor Simmons Wow, a practical suggestion. Will wonders never cease? Committee Report #3. A communication was received from Anthony I. Wilson, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Jan Devereux, Chair of the Transportation & Public Utilities Committee, for a public hearing held on June 24, 2019 to discuss the future electricity needs of the Kendall Square area and progress toward identifying an alternate, viable location for a new substation other than the proposed site on Fulkerson Street. Committee Report #9. A communication was received from Anthony Wilson, City Clerk, transmitting a report from Vice Mayor Jan Devereux, Chair of the Transportation & Public Utilities Committee, for a public hearing held on Aug 21, 2019 to discuss the future electricity needs of the Kendall Square area and progress toward identifying an alternate, viable location for a new substation other than the proposed site on Fulkerson Street. I really hope some good resolution comes of this soon because it's becoming very boring and we are not about to turn off all the power just yet. - Robert Winters |
Aug 15, updated Sept 9 - One thing I have always found puzzling is the amount of money donated to the campaign accounts of incumbent city councillors. I suppose this could be interpreted as financial support for those who have supported unions in their noble quest for better wages, benefits, and working conditions, but the fact is that all incumbents and challengers appear to share this sentiment. So perhaps it's something different. There is a longstanding pattern of labor representatives being recruited by some of the larger real estate developers to speak in favor of new development - supposedly because of the jobs involved, but that always struck me as too simplistic. Many of the people who control the funds of these political action committees are, to say the least, politically connected.
There's also the matter of political contributions from people tied to real estate development. This is always difficult to evaluate because of the simple fact that it's very difficult, if not impossible, to determine motive. There are people who have been generous charitable contributors for ages who also happen to own and/or develop Cambridge real estate. Are their contributions related to their real estate interests or not?
Here's an account of the (a) Cambridge contributions, (b) union contributions, (c) real estate contributions (as best as I could discern), and (d) total of union and real estate money contributed over this election cycle starting from Feb 1, 2018 through the latest data available (Sept 9, 2019; 11:25pm) for all City Council candidates (notes: - receipts include loans from candidates to their campaigns; refunds deducted if clearly a refund):
| Candidate (and PACs) | Receipts | Cambridge | Pct | unions | Pct | RE | Pct | unions+RE | Pct |
| McGovern, Marc C. | $ 73,702.21 | $ 29,062.00 | 39.4% | $ 11,550.00 | 15.7% | $ 12,250.00 | 16.6% | $ 23,800.00 | 32.3% |
| Mallon, Alanna | $ 29,240.00 | $ 18,460.00 | 63.1% | $ 5,250.00 | 18.0% | $ 650.00 | 2.2% | $ 5,900.00 | 20.2% |
| Simmons, E. Denise | $ 15,276.00 | $ 6,785.00 | 44.4% | $ 4,700.00 | 30.8% | $ 750.00 | 4.9% | $ 5,450.00 | 35.7% |
| Toomey, Timothy J., Jr. | $ 17,967.09 | $ 6,777.03 | 37.7% | $ 2,000.00 | 11.1% | $ 2,350.00 | 13.1% | $ 4,350.00 | 24.2% |
| Siddiqui, Sumbul | $ 20,218.68 | $ 9,983.68 | 49.4% | $ 3,750.00 | 18.5% | $ - | 0.0% | $ 3,750.00 | 18.5% |
| ABC - PAC | $ 17,015.26 | $ 14,349.23 | 84.3% | $ - | 0.0% | $ 1,220.00 | 7.2% | $ 1,220.00 | 7.2% |
| Carlone, Dennis | $ 19,715.00 | $ 14,775.00 | 74.9% | $ 500.00 | 2.5% | $ - | 0.0% | $ 500.00 | 2.5% |
| Kelley, Craig A. | $ 7,660.00 | $ 4,035.00 | 52.7% | $ 500.00 | 6.5% | $ - | 0.0% | $ 500.00 | 6.5% |
| Musgrave, Adriane | $ 32,186.00 | $ 16,060.00 | 49.9% | $ - | 0.0% | $ 250.00 | 0.8% | $ 250.00 | 0.8% |
| CResA - PAC | $ 100.00 | $ 100.00 | 100.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Akiba, Sukia | $ - | $ - | - | $ - | - | $ - | - | $ - | - |
| Azeem, Burhan | $ 8,007.00 | $ 7,245.00 | 90.5% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Franklin, Charles | $ 19,202.55 | $ 9,577.55 | 49.9% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Kopon, Derek Andrew | $ 2,110.00 | $ 1,900.00 | 90.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Levy, Ilan S. | $ 450.00 | $ 450.00 | 100.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| McNary, Jeffery | $ - | $ - | - | $ - | - | $ - | - | $ - | - |
| Mednick, Risa | $ 7,100.00 | $ 7,100.00 | 100.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Moree, Gregg J. | $ 1,500.00 | $ 1,500.00 | 100.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Nolan, Patricia M. | $ 3,455.00 | $ 1,250.00 | 36.2% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Pitkin, John | $ 6,997.00 | $ 6,997.00 | 100.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Simon, Ben | $ 7,733.00 | $ 4,120.00 | 53.3% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Sobrinho-Wheeler, Jivan | $ 14,944.44 | $ 10,020.19 | 67.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Williams, Nicola A. | $ 16,086.50 | $ 11,201.50 | 69.6% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Zondervan, Quinton | $ 23,189.00 | $ 15,918.00 | 68.6% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% | $ - | 0.0% |
| Total | $343,854.73 | $197,666.18 | 57.5% | $ 28,250.00 | 8.2% | $ 17,470.00 | 5.1% | $ 45,720.00 | 13.3% |
The City of Cambridge will host its annual Danehy Park Family Day on Saturday, Sept 14, from 11am–4pm. Rain Date is Sunday, Sept 15. Danehy Park is a 55-acre open space area located in North Cambridge at 99 Sherman St.
Danehy Park Family Day includes amusement rides, live music, roving performers, arts and crafts, food and giveaways (while supplies last). Picnics and lawn chairs are encouraged!
In celebration of National Drive Electric Week Sept. 14-22, the City of Cambridge, in partnership with Eversource and MASS DRIVE CLEAN, will host a free electric vehicle (EV) test drive event during Danehy Park Family Day, in the parking lot of 87 New St.
Free shuttle buses will be running throughout Cambridge neighborhoods and from the Alewife MBTA Station. Danehy Park can also be reached by #74 bus or #78 bus from Harvard Square; or #83 bus from Central Square.
For more information, including entertainment schedule and shuttle bus pick-up locations, visit the Danehy Park Family Day web page.
Cambridge is celebrating the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment and recognizing the Cambridge women who fought tirelessly for women’s right to vote by commissioning a public art piece and hosting an event series. A working group led by the Chair of the Civic Unity Committee is planning three major events from September 2019 to August 2020. While each event will have a different focus, all events will recognize the contributions of underrepresented women and the continuing struggle for equality and enfranchisement.
The first event, Claiming Our Seats: A Kitchen Dialogue on Women's Voting Rights, will be held Wednesday, Sept. 25, from 6-8:30 p.m., at Cambridge Public Library Lecture Hall, 449 Broadway. Dr. Jennifer Guglielmo, Rev. Irene Monroe, and Dr. Laurie Nsiah-Jefferson will engage us in a reflective dialogue about women’s rights across the 20th and 21st centuries, moderated by Andrea Asuaje. Register via camb.ma/ClaimASeat.
At the direction of the City Council, City Manager Louis A. DePasquale has established the Nineteenth Amendment Centennial Committee to commission the public art. Working in collaboration, the Cambridge Arts Council released the Committee's Call to Artists: Request for Qualifications! Submissions are due September 30, 2019. Please review the RFQ and visit Cambridge Arts for additional information on how to apply.
With the support of city staff, the Committee will also set goals for the public art piece; work with the city to determine a location; conduct public outreach and review public input on the artist proposals and location; and lead the selection process from a group of finalists. The Committee plans to announce the selected proposal during the final Centennial celebration event in August 2020. For more information, visit CambridgeMA.gov/19thAmendmentCommittee.
City Manager Louis A. DePasquale is seeking residents to fill two positions on the City Manager’s Digital Equity Working Group. This administrative working group will provide input and guidance to the City Manager and staff at key milestones during the City’s yearlong study of digital equity in the Cambridge. The working group will assist in creating a draft vision and set of goals to inform the City’s digital equity strategy. Additionally, the working group, based on the findings of the study and research of best practices and regional efforts, will help develop targeted strategies the City could take to address digital equity in Cambridge.
The working group will meet quarterly with the possibility of 3-4 additional meetings. The term of this working group is one year.
Applications to serve on the City Manager’s Digital Divide Working Group can be submitted to City Manager Louis A. DePasquale using the City’s online application system at www.cambridgema.gov/apply. A cover letter and resume or relevant experience or interest may be submitted during the online application process. Paper applications are available in the City Manager’s Office at Cambridge City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Avenue. The deadline to submit an application is Friday, October 11, 2019.
Aug 30, 2019 - The Sullivan Courthouse is empirically dangerous. READ THIS - by Loren Crowe
Loren Crowe
I collected a sample from this pile by the roll down fence, and sent it to a lab in Virginia for analysis.
The results came back yesterday:
30% asbestos fibers.
The EPA's regulatory maximum is 1%.
The Sullivan Courthouse is empirically dangerous.
The Lies, Distortions, Accusations, and Fabrications Mike Connolly Told on his Way to the Sullivan Courthouse (so far!)
- Aug 13, 2019 by Loren Crowe
Cambridge Planning Board Urges Swift Courthouse Remediation, Demolition of Opposition Talking Points
- Aug 19, 2019 by Loren Crowe
Elected Officials Opposed to Courthouse Redevelopment Play Politics with East Cambridge’s Safety
- Aug 20, 2019 by Loren Crowe
How Much Displacement Will Be Caused by the Sullivan Courthouse Redevelopment?
- Aug 28, 2019 by Loren Crowe
Former ECPT President and Wife in Support of the Sullivan Courthouse Project
- Sept 1, 2019 by Loren Crowe
More Needed after MassDEP’s First Efforts to Reduce Courthouse Asbestos Risk
- Sept 3, 2019 by Loren Crowe
Aug 15 - At last night's City Council Ordinance Committee meeting on cannabis business regulation, one supposedly well-informed and politically astute speaker asserted that there are about 5000 liquor licenses in Cambridge. The actual number is 284. [Twitter comments welcome]
Election Day is Tuesday, November 5, 2019. List of Candidates who pulled nomination papers
Cambridge Candidate Pages 2019 Cambridge City Council Campaign Bank Reports
There will be 22 City Council candidates and 11 School Committee candidates.
Cambridge City Council and School Committee candidates: 1941 to 2019 (plain text) (PDF) - updated Aug 3, 2019
Sun, July 21, 2019 - Tis the season when I assemble the Cambridge Candidate Pages and keep track of who has pulled nomination papers and submitted signatures for the 2019 Cambridge City Council and School Committee elections. At some point the field will be set and attention will turn to who these candidates are and how voters should decide how to rank their preferred candidates or whether to rank certain candidates at all. Voters will be permitted to rank up to 15 candidates for the 9 City Council seats this year.
I have been thinking a lot about what criteria I would use (and would advise others to use) in choosing which candidates to support and how those candidates might be ranked. Here are a few thoughts (and I will likely add to these as time passes):
1) As is often the case, most candidates will agree on many issues, e.g. the need to promote energy efficiency and resilience to any future changes attributable to climate change. There is, however, often a stark difference between how political candidates address matters on which they agree. Some want to mandate change and remove choice. The better candidates want to encourage change and provide incentives. It's a big difference. It's something I will be evaluating very carefully. Some candidates think primarily in terms of bans and reducing options. Others believe in expanding choice and providing good alternatives from which to choose.
2) Everybody seems to agree that affordability in housing and other essentials is highly desirable - even if it is currently elusive for many. However, even as most candidates speak of how much they believe in affordable housing, they generally evade explaining what they really mean by that. The percentage of subsidized housing units in Cambridge is currently just shy of 15% - a fraction that is slightly lower than it was a few years ago but which has been relatively stable for many years (and which is among the highest in the state). Recent changes to the Inclusionary Zoning Ordinance require a flat 20% affordable requirement for all new developments over 10 units - a true mixed-income requirement. Meanwhile some councillors and candidates are pushing the "100% Affordable Housing Overlay" (AHO) proposal because "they believe in affordable housing". What they generally fail to mention is that the AHO is actually a mechanism for transferring privately-owned residential property into "social ownership" in perpetuity. That is, over time its goal is to steadily increase the percentage of housing units that are controlled by government and its agents. In addition, as a result of the permanent deed restrictions required of these developments, they become taxed at the bare legal minimum and thus shift the residential tax burden onto the remaining privately-owned residential properties (unless commercial development is promoted to make up the difference). I will ask candidates if they agree with the goal of having public and quasi-public housing grow at a rate faster than housing in general. I will also ask them if they believe this goal should be achieved by any means necessary even if this means having little or no review by City planners and no mechanism for public objection.
3) In promoting transportation other than single occupancy motor vehicles (whether this be walking, biking, scooters, riding a bus or some other means) I expect most candidates will say how much they support whatever they feel will score them the most votes. They will likely not adequately address the matter of how this affects other modes. Do candidates find significantly increased traffic congestion acceptable just as long as bicycling is encouraged? Do they support a range of bicycle safety enhancements or is a completely segregated bicycle facility the only alternative they find acceptable - even if this creates problems for other modes? Do they support transit and, if so, what specifically do they support? Candidates will often tell you how much they support something without ever addressing the collateral effects.
4) For School Committee candidates, what is more important to you - ensuring that the education of the children of the city prepares them for a good life and to be able to take advantage of the thriving local economy, or making sure that they align with your political and social world view? For what it's worth, I would prefer to have most Cambridge students develop strong mathematics and science skills. I am far less concerned about ensuring that they agree with my social and political views.
5) Groups like A Better Cambridge (ABC) and the Cambridge Residents Alliance (CResA) and whatever other group emerges this year will at some point publicize a list of preferred candidates and tell you to "vote for the slate". Never forget that these slates are the personal recommendations of a handful of people who could likely fit around your kitchen table with room to spare. Think for yourself and be very suspicious of zealots and political operatives.
I expect to add to this list.
Personally, this Overlay proposal obliterates over 35 years of what changes could be expected around where I live, and I don’t live in the upper crust part of town. The limiting factor has been the floor area ratio (FAR) – 1.0 for commercial and 0.75 for residential. I have always lived with the possibility that a higher building could appear next door, but that the footprint of the building would have to be smaller and additional setbacks would create a little breathing room between the buildings. That seemed like a reasonable expectation – one that I could easily live with.
During the time I have owned my triple-decker I negotiated with one neighbor so that a small extension would have a roof line that allowed light to continue to get to my first floor apartment. When the neighboring building changed hands and they wanted to add air conditioning units on the roof, I negotiated to ensure that they would be located far enough from my windows so that the added sound would be acceptable. These are the kinds of negotiations that happen when buildings are at or somewhat above the allowable density. Through it all I maintained very reasonable rents to all of my tenants since 1985.
If this Overlay proposal is approved, a new owner could build straight up to a height taller than my building with no setback whatsoever from the property line. Furthermore, the building could cover almost the entire lot yielding a density between 3 and 4 times what is allowed today. No sunlight whatsoever would get to my building. I would have no rights whatsoever to object.
Do I take this personally? Yes. If this were to happen I would likely look for another place to live after being here for over 40 years. So I’m looking now at the few potentially reasonable city councillors to step in and prevent this from happening. If adding to our already high percentage of subsidized housing units is your priority, you should really find a way to do this that doesn’t involve throwing me and others under the bus. – Robert Winters
The City has released the City Manager's Disposition Report, which has been prepared for the City Council, Planning Board, and City Clerk. The Report is available online at cambridgema.gov/firststreetgarage.
Materials related to the future of the First Street Garage, including the Third Community meeting presentation, the City Manager's Disposition Report, and the First Street Area Parking Planning Study report, are available on the project website.
UPCOMING HEARINGS
Planning Board Hearing, Aug 13, 2019 at 6:30pm, at 344 Broadway (rescheduled from July 16)
City Council Hearing, Sept 9, 2019 at 6:30pm, at Cambridge City Hall (rescheduled from July 29)
References:
Final Report for the First Street Area Parking Planning Study (by the consulting team of Kleinfelder and McMahon Associates)
Complete report available at www.cambridgema.gov/firststreetgarage, and consists of three items:
• Cover memo from Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Director Joseph Barr
• Summary report that provides a condensed overview of the study process, analysis, and conclusions.
• Full report that documents the data collection, data analysis, scenario review, and conclusions.
[First Street Area Parking Planning Study Report Summary] [First Street Area Parking Planning Study Final Report]
CIVIC CALENDAR
Mon, Sept 9
5:30pm City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
6:00pm Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commission (MCNCDC) meeting (2nd Floor Meeting Room, City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway)
6:30pm City Council Public Hearing - First Street Garage (Sullivan Chamber - Televised) - postponed from July 29
The City Council will hold a public hearing on the disposition of a leasehold interest in 420 parking spaces and approximately 9,000 square feet of ground floor retail (together the “Leasehold Interest”) in the First Street Garage, located at 55 First Street and owned by the City of Cambridge, to the developer Laggatt McCall Properties, which was conditionally awarded the bid pursuant to G.L. Chapter 30B subject to the review and approval of the disposition of the Leasehold Interest by the City Council pursuant to the City’s Municipal Disposition Ordinance, Chapter 2.110 of the Cambridge Municipal Code (the “Disposition Ordinance”). This hearing will be held pursuant to the Disposition Ordinance as part of the legal requirements for disposing of the Leasehold Interest.
Tues, Sept 10
5:30pm-9:30pm School Committee Special Meeting (Royal Sonesta Hotel, Skyline A/B Foyer, 40 Edwin Land Boulevard)
Retreat with the School Committee, the Superintendent of Schools and any other invited School District Senior Administrators focusing on Strategic Outcomes and any other business that may properly come before the Committee.
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 PB# 348 (continued from 8/6/2019)
580 Massachusetts Avenue – Special Permit application by Home Grown 617 LLC to convert a portion of the existing building to a Retail cannabis Store pursuant to Section 11.800 (Cannabis Uses). (Materials)
7:30pm PB# 350
810 Main Street – Special Permit application by Cambridge brands, Inc. to construct an addition to house a utility vault and new electrical system pursuant to Sections 20.304.2.2(a) Special Permit for Additional Height in the Central Square Overlay District and 10.40 Special Permit. (Materials)
8:30pm PB# 351
567 Massachusetts Avenue – Special Permit application by Western Front LLC to convert existing space into a Retail cannabis Store pursuant to Section 11.800 (Cannabis Uses). (Materials)
Wed, Sept 11
8:00-9:30am Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)
3:00pm License Commission Public Hearing (831 Mass. Ave, Basement Conference Room)
5:30pm The City Council's Health and Environmental Committee will conduct a joint public hearing with the Climate Resilience Zoning Task Force to receive an update on the Task Force’s progress to date and to receive input and feedback. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
5:30-7:30pm Bicycle Committee meeting (4th Floor Conference Room, 344 Broadway)
6-8pm ABC candidate forum (Main Library)
5:30-7:00pm Commission for Persons with Disabilities meeting (51 Inman St., 2nd Floor Conference Room)
5:45pm School Committee's Communication Sub-Committee meeting (School Committee Conference Room, CRLS
The purpose is to review the Social Media Policy, explore info-graphics design campaign to increase student awareness on district policies, and to discuss district communication scheduling for important dates throughout the school year. It is anticipated that this meeting will end by 7:15pm.
Mon, Sept 16
5:30pm City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
6:00pm Half Crown-Marsh Neighborhood Conservation District Commission Meeting (Lombardi Building, 831 Mass. Ave, Basement Conference Room)
12:00pm The City Council's Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebration Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the preserved Inman Square tree trunks and receive input from the public on possible future uses of the wood, which is a public resource. (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
Public Hearings
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7:00pm Carl Barron Plaza - Design Charrette #2 (Carl Barron Plaza, Central Square - intersection of River St and Massachusetts Ave)
Interactive event to get input on and brainstorm design ideas for the Carl Barron Plaza reconstruction as a part of the River Street Reconstruction project.
Time TBD Ward 6 City Council Candidates Forum (Main Library Lecture Hall)
Wed, Sept 18
5:30pm Cambridge Election Commission meeting (1st Floor Meeting Room, 51 Inman St.)
5:30pm – SFI Hearing
5:35pm – Regular Election Commission Meeting
6:00pm Peace Commission meeting (2nd Floor Conference Room, 51 Inman St.)
9:30am 12th Cambridge Bow Tie Ride! (meet at Cambridge Library, 449 Broadway)
Ride departs at 10:00am. Join the Cambridge Bicycle Committee as we trace the bow tie shaped boundaries of the city and celebrate cycling in Cambridge! The ride will begin and end outside of the Cambridge Public Library Main Branch. The ride will be escorted by the Cambridge Police Department's Bike Patrol and take about two hours, including a midway break at the Main Library. We will go at a relaxed pace, but we ask that young children ride tandem with an adult (trailers, bike seats, tag-alongs, etc.). Bike mechanics from Urban AdvenTours will be on hand before the ride to make quick safety checks. The mechanics will be making minor adjustments, like tire pressure, and emergency repairs only. Please make sure your bike is in reasonable working order ahead of the ride. The ride will be cancelled in the case of heavy rain. Announcements regarding rain will be posted on cambridgema.gov/bikerides. There is no registration or charge for the tour -- just show up and enjoy! And don't forget your bow tie!
Mon, Sept 23
5:30pm City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
5:30pm Avon Hill Neighborhood Conservation District Commission Meeting (Lombardi Building, 831 Mass. Ave, Basement Conference Room)
12:00pm The City Council's Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebration Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the City policy on sidewalk surface treatments as discussed in Policy Order #16 of July 30, 2019. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
3:00pm License Commission Public Hearing (831 Mass. Ave, Basement Conference Room)
Wed, Sept 25
3:00pm The City Council's Transportation & Public Utilities Committee will conduct a public hearing to discuss the future electricity needs of the Kendall Square area and progress toward identifying an alternate, viable location for a new substation other that the proposed site on Fulkerson Street. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
6:00pm Police Review and Advisory Board meeting (2nd Floor Conference Room, 51 Inman St.)
Time TBD Climate Action Coalition Candidates Forum hosted by Mothers Out Front, 350 and Green Cambridge (Central Square Senior Center)
2:00pm The City Council's Ordinance Committee will hold a public hearing to discuss the petition by the City Council to amend the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge by creating new sections in Section 19.20 – Project Review Special Permit. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
5:30pm The City Council's Ordinance Committee will hold a public hearing to discuss the petition by Stephen R. Karp, Trustee of Cambridgeside Galleria Associates Trust, to amend the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge by adding a Section 13.100 that creates a new PUD-8 District and to amend the Zoning Map of the City of Cambridge by adding the new PUD-8 District, which District would include the property located at 100 Cambridgeside Place (currently zoned in the Business A and PUD-4 Districts). (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
6:00pm Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship Meeting (2nd Floor Conference Room, 51 Inman St.)
6:00pm LGBTQ+ Meeting (Windsor St. Health Center, 119 Windsor St.)
6:00pm Pedestrian Committee Meeting (City Hall Annex, 4th Floor Conference Room, 344 Broadway)
Wed, Oct 2
6:30-8:30pm Foundry Public Meeting (Fletcher-Maynard Academy Gymnasium, 225 Windsor Street)
Refreshments will be served. All Cambridge residents are invited to this public meeting. View updated building designs, learn about the construction timeline, share your interests in programs for the Foundry, and hear about future Foundry events. For more information contact: Erica Schwarz, Community Project Manager 617-492-6800 x17; ESchwarz@CambridgeRedevelopment.org.
6:00pm Cambridge Historical Commission meeting (Citywide Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Ave.)
6:00pm Human Rights Commission Meeting (2nd Floor Conference Room, 51 Inman St.)
6:30-8:30pm School Committee Candidates Forum sponsored by Cambridge Education Association (Central Sq. Library, 45 Pearl St.)
Mon, Oct 7
5:30pm City Council meeting (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
6:00pm Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commission (MCNCDC) meeting (2nd Floor Meeting Room, City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway)
6:30pm Tax Rate Hearing (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
6:30pm Ward 6 School Committee Candidates Forum (Main Library Lecture Hall)
3:30pm The City Council's Transportation & Public Utilities Committee will conduct a public hearing to review the Vision Zero Year One Report and information on upcoming Vision Zero projects for 2019/2020. (Sullivan Chamber - Televised)
Wed, Oct 16
8:00-9:30am Recycling Advisory Committee (RAC) Meeting (Sullivan Chamber, City Hall)
5:30-7:30pm Bicycle Committee meeting (4th Floor Conference Room, 344 Broadway)
6:00pm Peace Commission meeting (2nd Floor Conference Room, 51 Inman St.)
7:00-9:00pm MCNA City Council Candidates Night (CRLS Main Cafeteria)
Time TBD PSNA/ANC City Council Candidates Forum (University Hall, Lesley University, 1815 Mass. Ave., Porter Sq.)
Mon, Oct 21
6:00pm Half Crown-Marsh Neighborhood Conservation District Commission Meeting (Lombardi Building, 831 Mass. Ave, Basement Conference Room)
3:00pm License Commission Public Hearing (831 Mass. Ave, Basement Conference Room)
6:00pm Commission on Immigrant Rights and Citizenship Meeting (2nd Floor Conference Room, 51 Inman St.)
6:00pm LGBTQ+ Meeting (Windsor St. Health Center, 119 Windsor St.)
6:00pm Pedestrian Committee Meeting (City Hall Annex, 4th Floor Conference Room, 344 Broadway)
Time TBD Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association Candidate Night (Location TBD)
Mon, Oct 28
5:30pm Avon Hill Neighborhood Conservation District Commission Meeting (Lombardi Building, 831 Mass. Ave, Basement Conference Room)
Wed, Oct 30
6:00pm Police Review and Advisory Board meeting (2nd Floor Conference Room, 51 Inman St.)
Mon, Nov 4
6:00pm Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commission (MCNCDC) meeting (2nd Floor Meeting Room, City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway)
7:00am-8:00pm Election Day (Citywide)
The other big items are the reports from the Ordinance Committee and the Planning Board on the "Affordable Housing Overlay" proposal, a.k.a. the "Abominable Hubris Overlay", to replace privately-owned residential property with higher density public housing, i.e. housing accessible only to people who apply through the City for this benefit. Any notion that this would be a temporary "emergency" policy was put to rest when proposals for a "sunset clause" were eliminated in the Ordinance Committee. So this would effectively become a policy to permanently prioritize higher density government-regulated housing over ordinary residential development at prevailing heights and densities.