As Commercial Development Grows in Cambridge, City Looks to Increase Linkage Fee on Commercial Projects

The Cambridge City Council kickstarted a process to potentially raise linkage fees on commercial development on Monday, voting unanimously to plan a study that will recommend how much to raise the Nexus Zoning Fee.

The decades-old program charges developers of large, non-residential properties a million dollars or more – depending on their size – to go into the city’s Affordable Housing Trust. That charge is meant to offset the strain on affordable housing new commercial development can often produce by attracting more workers — and therefore prospective renters and homebuyers — to the city’s already-strained housing market.

The Affordable Housing Trust funds a host of city-run housing initiatives including first-time homebuyer assistance and subsidies to affordable housing developers.

Councilor Jivan Sobrino-Wheeler brought the proposal forward in light of recent news that the biotechnology company Biogen will establish new global headquarters in Kendall Square.

“They’re going to be eight buildings there altogether that are already approved for 3 million square feet,” Sobrino-Wheeler said, referring to Biogen’s development. The councilor also discussed a potential increase in the separate job linkage fees, which similarly charges large commercial development, but directs the revenue toward city-run job training programs.

“If we were to pass a jobs linkage fee that would generate $5 million for job training programs in the city,” Sobrino-Wheeler added.

But Councilor Paul F. Toner was quick to caution that the study may recommend decreasing, not increasing, the fee due to the current economic conditions, which are less favorable to development.

In response, Councilor Burhan Azeem pointed out that the study only looks at how much development increases the demand for housing in the area.

Afterward, the city council unanimously passed a policy order requesting that City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 aid the Office of The Housing Liaison on a campaign to reach out to and aid Cambridge residents in sealing their eviction records.

Councilor Sumbul Siddiqui noted the program would help ensure the realization of a recent ordinance that helps previously evicted tenants seal their eviction record.

Siddiqui noted that these actions would aid individuals with a record of eviction in securing housing.

“We’ve also talked about how damaging eviction records can be even when a case doesn't actually result in a formal judgment, we have so much data on how it actually limits someone's ability to secure future stable housing.”

Beyond the two policy orders that passed, the Council discussed the renewal of the Half CrownMarsh Neighborhood Conservation District, which includes the area just west of Harvard Square.

The Neighborhood Conservation District designation was given to the CrownMarsh neighborhood in 1983 to preserve its character in a time where there were no restrictions on the height of new buildings. With this mission, the NCD was granted the authority to approve or reject construction permits, ensuring that new developments aligned with the neighborhood’s character.

In 2023, the council limited NCDs jurisdiction by revoking their authority to discard construction permits by the size and shape of new additions. Despite this, some people still accuse the NCD of restricting the construction of affordable housing units.

The council is now considering whether to end or modify that designation, though Councilor Azeem exercised his charter right to move the discussion for next week.

— Staff writer Diego García Moreno can be reached at diego.garciamoreno@thecrimson.com.

— Staff Writer Summer E. Rose can be reached at summer.rose@thecrimson.com.