[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6625736,"mediaKeyId","2756412-06e0d57fe2ef6fd36238ec0e54712350","parentId",2756412,"title","Votes at a glance: Cambridge council approves water rates, several appropriations and launches studies on housing and transit","audioSeconds",4943,"startMs",4389000,"endMs",9332000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2756412-06e0d57fe2ef6fd36238ec0e54712350&start=4389&end=9332","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2756412-06e0d57fe2ef6fd36238ec0e54712350/thumbnail_4389000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6625736/Cambridge-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Votes-at-a-glance-Cambridge-council-approves-water-rates-several-appropriations-and-launches-studies-on-housing-and-transit","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625736-2c200e290f5c102b030a5fc03a3c731d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437461&Signature=B57htI1DEIEyywisBQll~2KbSIR3VH0ULnOzHA04Q98maVdWDSL8UwAmWmy6beyqtLewhYfR8KSv9Yv-9JAZvFXvK3JRaNABAF--oT9uIoxqmsLcIJ1IWqoH2Cc9cTQxd3KCrJUig92gidR6HPVkuyr6NL-IzYQBdQ1QLO-faCo-fWJE48S~0jakpOep~HPKPjydOn~5aw8nYo89L6d~ZQM8vGy8heQz4Pj1z~lXUGTSOb1VYD~d8lki-odGSXXHNA~PncHy1boyiSQFVv~VPeQnvE-sW0laI2eFK5Sv8V5ICfho4vYvqYHiFPXvJbt108pYa45L7Rkd0xNxUgreOw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Cambridge, MA","date","2025-03-24T17:12:00Z","article","Cambridge City Council members on May 24 voted on a slate of city-manager agenda items, budget appropriations and policy orders. Major outcomes include adoption of water and sewer block rates for FY2026, formal acceptance of the city’s AAA bond rating report, appropriations for street repairs and Blue Bikes maintenance, and the council’s direction to begin studies or pilots addressing incentive zoning, eviction-record sealing outreach, off-hours parking at the King Open/Cambridge Street Upper School complex, and a municipal transit pilot exploration.

Key votes and outcomes

• Water and sewer block rates (City Manager agenda item 1): Adopted and placed on file by roll call. The council approved the city manager’s recommended block rates for the period starting April 1, 2025, and ending March 31, 2026.

• AAA bond-rating report (City Manager agenda item 2): The council received and placed on file the city manager’s communication that Cambridge retained a triple-A bond rating from the three major national credit agencies.

• Ordinance/code updates on water-system regulations (Chapter 13.08 and 13.12): The council voted to pass proposed amendments to a second reading so the full ordinance can be ordained in early April, aligning local rules with state drought-level standards.

• Appropriation for street repairs: The council appropriated $500,000 from unexpended fund balance to the public investment fund, public works department extraordinary expenditures account, to cover winter storm-related street repairs. The motion passed by recorded roll call.

• Blue Bikes maintenance appropriation: The council approved appropriating $2,289,000 from the mitigation revenue stabilization fund to the public investment fund, community development extraordinary expenditures account, to maintain Blue Bikes equipment in a state of good repair and replace stations as needed.

• Home rule petition on procurement thresholds (City Manager agenda item 11): The council voted to adopt an order directing a home rule petition raising certain contract thresholds for certified disadvantaged business procurements to the state legislature; the measure was placed on file according to council procedure.

• Clerk fee ordinance (Ordinance 2025-04): The council ordained an amendment to chapter 2.24 (City Clerk fee schedule), removing a $35 filing-trust line and adopting the amended fee schedule by roll call.

Policy orders and directional votes

• Incentive-zoning nexus study (policy order adopted): The council directed the city manager and Community Development Department to commission a new incentive-zoning nexus study to update linkage-fee rates for affordable housing and job-linkage contributions. Sponsors said the study is timely given recent and proposed large commercial projects and could generate millions for housing and job training programs if fees are set.

• Eviction-record sealing outreach (policy order adopted): The council directed the city manager, the housing liaison and relevant departments to plan outreach so eligible Cambridge tenants can access the new state process for sealing eviction records; application access opens in May.

• King Open/Cambridge Street Upper School garage off-hours parking (policy order adopted): The council asked the city manager to work with schools and departments to explore permitting off-hours residential or commercial parking in the publicly owned lot during non-school hours; staff cautioned the garage’s design and circulation pose operational questions.

• Municipal transit pilot (policy order adopted): The council requested exploration of options for a municipal transit pilot program and coordination among existing shuttle providers, universities and private operators; staff said scoping and clear objectives are required before procurement.

Next steps and follow-ups

Several items require staff follow-up: legal and operational analysis to enable any King Open garage changes; procurement or study scoping for a municipal shuttle; the incentive-zoning nexus study to be scoped and funded; and outreach plans for eviction-record sealing that will engage legal-aid partners.

Why this matters

Actions adopted May 24 affect fees, short-term capital spending and planning studies that could generate new local funding for housing and worker training, reshape parking options during upcoming Cambridge Street construction, and change how the city communicates a new state pathway for sealing eviction records.

","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cambridge - Mar 24, 2025 5:30 PM - City Council - Regular Meeting - Mar 24, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Cambridge City Council on May 24 approved new water-sewer block rates, appropriated funds for street repairs and Blue Bikes upkeep, and adopted policy orders to commission studies and pilots on incentive zoning, eviction-record sealing outreach, off-hours parking and municipal transit.","taxTitle","Cambridge City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts","taxId",3771,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6625741,"Cambridge council delays decision on Half Crown Marsh neighborhood conservation district after heated public debate",5797,1279000,7076000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2756412-06e0d57fe2ef6fd36238ec0e54712350&start=1279&end=7076","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2756412-06e0d57fe2ef6fd36238ec0e54712350/thumbnail_1279000.jpg","/articles/6625741/Cambridge-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Cambridge-council-delays-decision-on-Half-Crown-Marsh-neighborhood-conservation-district-after-heated-public-debate","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6625741-bdc19b6bc534a29fdf8d4cce3fba6d9d/orig.mp4?Expires=1770437461&Signature=DGhBlK7lyPqq9MBqvcEBuQXHfenuKxtbuAwoPlV4dGWpC0qc-3OXecMcbt~4oRxjgtbIH0gT0wBB6iGPfisujCan1GGVvRHVuJCwci9UtNN7Z7bI-MtwH9iUMq~CeYStqsFqViUtM5-Sl1RrKdlGTNQwpJWCpIRvU6q-mqlrNOUTVDH00Jkeoh~dNpx968us0sShogRpCawzw9U752BExSXcOpI2sK5e8bo3liBVANgFxrvGgYPFpRXbEuLMVKbIMfWPxyyBSLnENpLSEljYOcHpMjr9vkCko-fdS2O2eD5KEDJDnKtJ~cn1gtLL28nbv62p93vgp5Re89J-IRMYXw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cambridge City Council on May 24 deferred a decision on whether to renew the Half Crown Marsh Neighborhood Conservation District (NCD) after extended public comment and debate, with Councilor Zusi exercising a charter right that prevented a final vote and sent the matter for further review.

The council heard contrasting testimony from neighborhood residents, preservation advocates and housing-rights speakers about whether the NCD helps preserve local character or acts as an obstacle to multifamily housing. The city solicitor told council members the ordinance gives three clear procedural options: reapprove the NCD (with or without changes), discontinue the NCD, or establish a study committee to consider boundary, guideline and procedure changes.

Supporters of the NCD said the district protects historic housing and provides a public, volunteer-driven review process. \"With the district comes a commission comprised of volunteer members, resident and nonresident of the district... a democratic process,\" said Marie Pierre Dillenseager, who stated she is the chair of the Half Crown Marsh NCD commission but was speaking as a private citizen. Suzanne Blier, a Marsh Half Crown resident, described the NCD as having preserved modest, densely built housing and said it has not blocked multifamily development in practice.

Opponents argued the NCD functions as a tool for exclusion and can be used to slow or block housing. \"It reads as another example of blocking housing over character concerns, which is often a code for keeping people out of the neighborhood,\" said Ethan Frank, a Cambridge resident. Justin Saif, who testified against renewal, told the council, \"Please do not vote to renew the Half Crown Marsh Neighborhood Conservation District in its current form.\" James Zahl and other speakers urged the council to consider the NCD’s historic role in limiting multifamily construction.

City historical staff and commission representatives framed the NCDs’ origins as a response to demolition threats in the 1980s and said the districts were created to offer a local, less-restrictive alternative to full historic-district designation. \"The Conservation District was established\" after demolition threats in the 1980s, staff member Mr. Sullivan explained, describing episodes that led the council to adopt protections for modest, immigrant-built housing stock.

Council discussion noted that the NCD ordinance was amended in 2023 to remove certain review powers (notably jurisdiction over height, shape and setbacks for new construction) and that the city’s multifamily zoning changes adopted Feb. 10 create a new context for assessing NCDs’ impact on housing. The city solicitor told the council the 2023 amendments and the recent multifamily zoning changes are part of what commissioners and the council must consider going forward.

Rather than adopt, amend or discontinue the Half Crown Marsh NCD at the May 24 meeting, Councilor Zusi invoked a charter right to delay final action so the council can consider next steps, including the option of forming a study committee. Solicitor Bear (city solicitor) told the council that the ordinance requires the council to act no later than three months after the end of the calendar year in which the NCD was subject to review (the commission’s review took place in 2024), a timeline the solicitor described as “by the end of this month” in council remarks.

What happens next: The council has the ordinance-defined choices of reapproving the NCD (with or without changes), discontinuing it, or creating a study committee to examine district boundaries, guidelines and procedures. Council members and city staff indicated they will pursue follow-up briefings and options analysis before a final decision.

Why it matters: The NCD debate centers on competing city goals — preserving historically significant neighborhoods and speeding multifamily housing production —and has implications for who can develop and live in parts of Cambridge. The council’s decision will shape which local review tools remain available to residents and how those tools interact with the city’s recent zoning changes.

Community reaction during the meeting showed sharp differences: some residents urged renewal as a venue for neighborhood deliberation and protection of modest historic housing; others framed the district as an instrument that can be used to exclude denser, multifamily housing. The council’s deferral preserves time for additional legal and policy review before a binding vote.

","After more than an hour of public comment and council discussion, the Cambridge City Council postponed a final vote on renewing the Half Crown Marsh Neighborhood Conservation District, with a councilor invoking a charter right to delay action and ask for further study.","actionData","errors"]

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Votes at a glance: Cambridge council approves water rates, several appropriations and launches studies on housing and transit

Cambridge council delays decision on Half Crown Marsh neighborhood conservation district after heated public debate