‘Neighborhood Representatives’ Urge Cambridge City Council to Hit Brakes on Upzoning

For months, Cambridge officials and politicians have had wind in their sails, more or less, as they work to advance a proposal to eliminate single-family zoning citywide. But pushback from neighborhood leaders suggest that the policy may be headed for rockier waters.

More than 20 neighborhood leaders urged the City Council to slow down on the policy, citing confusion about the proposal fears that upzoning could impact the character of the city, at a committee meeting Wednesday afternoon.

The meeting, held by the Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts and Celebrations Committee, comes as officials brace for a politically painful process of drafting and considering proposals to end single-family zoning. Last month, the Council asked City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 to draft a proposal to upzone citywide.

The proposals to implement multi-family zoning across the city come in the wake of a long-brewing affordability crisis in Cambridge. The fight over whether and how to increase the amount of housing in the area to alleviate affordability concerns has long preoccupied Cambridge politics.

The overwhelming majority of people who spoke at the meeting urged the city to hit the brakes and incorporate more process, in one way or another.

“Let’s slow down and do this, right,” said Ann Tennis. She had been appointed as a “neighborhood representative” and had four minutes to speak at the hearing, compared to the usual two.

The organized opposition — which included speeches from nearly two dozen such representatives — suggests that the city’s efforts to execute the proposal may be more of an uphill battle than anticipated.

Many representatives said the proposal was ambiguous as to where multifamily construction would be permitted, and raised concerns over the proposal’s timeline and how it would affect green spaces and population density.

“What is the plan for our neighborhoods? What’s the long-term plan? Then I think, what is the aim?” asked Mary Jane Kornacki, a neighborhood representative for Avon Hill.

“I guess the point is, there’s really not a lot of information about what the impact would be on each of our neighborhoods,” Anna Gosline, a resident who spoke during the public comment section of the meeting, added.

The proposal is still in early development, and will be fleshed out as the city seeks input from local viewpoints.

Other residents voiced concerns around gentrification and environmental impacts.

“We are afraid, however, that the plan written would cause further gentrification in our neighborhoods,” said Harvard Square Neighborhood Association President Suzanne P. Blier, a Harvard professor. “And the lack of green spaces would cause not only heat island impacts, but also the negative impacts on child cognitive development, among other things.”

Still, some at the meeting criticized it as privileging a narrow group of politically active residents who tend primarily to be older homeowners.

Dan Totten, a former City Council candidate, said that the “neighborhood representative” format of the meeting privileged certain voices over others, failing especially to incorporate the viewpoints of renters.

“I find it really disappointing the way that the co-chairs organized this meeting, particularly to privilege the perspective of ‘neighborhood leaders,’” he said. “A neighborhood group doesn't speak for a neighborhood.

“I don’t see any renters represented at today's table,” Totten added.

Cambridge City Councilor Burhan Azeem echoed concerns that the residents speaking at the meeting weren’t representative of the city at large.

“I really do feel like there’s a lot of people who are not in this room and who are never in every room,” he said. “People who have less resources and are less connected and don't have time to show up to these meetings.”

Correction: October 24, 2024

A previous version of this article incorrectly stated that Suzanne P. Blier spoke in her capacity as president of the Cambridge Citizens Coalition. In fact, she spoke in her capacity as president of the Harvard Square Neighborhood Association

—Staff writer Benjamin Isaac can be reached at benjamin.isaac@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @benjaminisaac_1.

—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.