Cambridge City Council
Harvard, Cambridge Fail To Reach New PILOT Agreement by End-of-Year Deadline
Harvard and the city of Cambridge have missed their end-of-year deadline for renegotiating Harvard’s Payment in Lieu of Taxes program, which replaces a portion of the property taxes that the University is otherwise exempt from paying.
Committee Reduces Proposed Height Limit in Contentious Upzoning Proposal
Following months of contentious debate, the Cambridge City Council’s Ordinance Committee presented a set of amendments to the proposal to allow multifamily housing citywide — significantly reducing the proposed maximum height and density requirements.
Cambridge Planning Board Punts on Proposal to End Single-Family Housing in Final Vote
After hours of back-and-forth, the Cambridge Planning Board voted on Tuesday not to take a stance on a hotly contested proposal to allow six-story apartment buildings, instead passing a general statement of support for multifamily housing to the Cambridge City Council.
Cambridge City Council Gives High Marks to City Manager Huang, Seeks Contract Renewal
The Cambridge City Council gave City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 largely positive feedback in his second annual performance review released last week, praising him as “a collaborative leader who has a strong work ethic” in its final report.
Cambridge Will Consider Restoring Two-Way Traffic Along Garden Street
The Cambridge City Council unanimously passed a policy order Monday asking the city to devise a plan to restore Garden Street to two-way automobile traffic while retaining its two-way bike lanes by April 2025.
Cambridge Is Nearing a Massive Zoning Overhaul. Here’s What That Means.
Cambridge officials are considering a dramatic change to the city’s zoning code in an effort to spur housing development and address what local politicians and advocates have described as a severe and far-reaching housing shortage.
City Council Requests Update to Cambridge Bicycle Plan
The Cambridge City Council unanimously adopted a policy order on Monday to request that the city update the Cambridge Bicycle Plan, a report on cycling trends and policy affecting bike lane infrastructure, for the first time in four years.
Cambridge City Council Takes First Step Toward Eliminating Broker Fees
The Cambridge City Council took the first step in forcing landlords rather than tenants to pay broker fees, unanimously voting at a Monday meeting to hold a future hearing to discuss its feasibility.
Cambridge Residents Slam Reappointment of Inflammatory Blogger to City Committee
More than a dozen residents and a City Councilor criticized the reappointment of civic blogger Robert Winters to the Central Square Advisory Committee at a Council meeting Monday, citing his history of offensive social media posts.
City Manager Says He Met Most Goals But Failed to Form Reparations Commission
Cambridge City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 said he had met nearly all of the City Council’s goals for him in the second annual City Manager Performance review, but conceded that he had failed to establish a commission for reparations to the descendants of enslaved people.
Cambridge Residents Celebrate Opening of Binney Street Park
Cambridge residents and city officials gathered Friday morning to celebrate the opening of Binney Street Park — the last of three new green spaces developed in East Cambridge.
Cambridge City Councilors Float Proposal to Force Landlords to Pay Broker Fees
The Cambridge City Council will discuss a proposal to force landlords, rather than tenants, to pay broker fees at its next meeting on Monday, according to the Council’s meeting agenda.
City Council Advances Plan to Create Flexible Parking Corridors, Ease Restrictions
The Cambridge City Council’s Ordinance Committee advanced a zoning petition to create “flexible parking corridors” in an effort to reduce restrictions on off-street parking at a Thursday meeting.
Cambridge Budget Growth May Require 8% Property Tax Increase, City Officials Say
City staff are projecting that even if Cambridge’s operating budget grows at a conservative rate, the city may need to raise property taxes by at least 8 percent in the future, according to officials at a Tuesday City Council hearing.
Cambridge School Committee Faces ‘Difficult’ Decisions to Close Achievement Gaps
The Cambridge School Committee raised the possibility of school and resource reorganization to close persistent achievement gaps in the district’s standardized test scores at a four-hour meeting on Tuesday night.
Cambridge Planning Board Appears Sympathetic to Upzoning But Punts Vote
The Cambridge Planning Board punted a vote on their official recommendation for a proposal to eliminate single-family zoning in Cambridge on Tuesday.
Cambridge Will Ask State Legislature to Allow Use of Traffic Cameras
The Cambridge City Council unanimously voted on Monday to draft a petition asking the Massachusetts State Assembly to allow the city to implement automatic traffic enforcement.
State, City Agencies Commit to Finishing Mem. Drive Safety Improvements by End of Year
More than 100 locals gathered at Boston University and on Zoom as local and state officials reaffirmed their commitment to completing $1.5 million worth of improvements at the intersection of Memorial Drive and the BU Bridge by the new year.
Net Zero Transportation Plan Discussed During Cambridge Community Meetings
The City of Cambridge invited residents to discuss the Net Zero Transportation Plan — an initiative aimed at removing greenhouse gas emissions from transportation in Cambridge — in a two-day set of community meetings.
‘Radical and Irresponsible’: Residents Blast Zoning Upheaval at Planning Board Hearing
A Cambridge Planning Board hearing Tuesday became an eruption of frustration as more than 35 residents raised objections to a city proposal to eliminate single-family zoning city-wide.
Cambridge DSA, Sobrinho-Wheeler Demand Harvard Cough Up $100 Million in PILOT Payments
In the 2023 fiscal year, Harvard paid the City of Cambridge $4.3 million in lieu of property taxes. Some activists — including a sitting city councilor — are demanding the University cough up $96 million more.
City Council Acknowledges Massachusett Tribe as ‘Original Inhabitants’ of Cambridge
The Cambridge City Council acknowledged the “Massachusett Tribal Nation as the original inhabitants of Cambridge” and pledged to establish a memorial for the tribe and hang a plaque in City Hall.
Despite Resident Fears, City Officials Optimistic About Impact of Multifamily Zoning
Cambridge officials said they were optimistic about the city’s ability to accomodate the population growth that could accompany eliminating single-family zoning.
Here Are All Cambridge’s Bike Lane Projects — And Where They Stand
Cambridge’s bike lane politics are not only contested but complicated, with a flurry of deadlines, delays, and competing proposals. Here are the different bike lane projects in progress in Cambridge — and where they all stand.
Cambridge City Budget Facing ‘Inflection Point,’ Officials Say
As fears of austerity and budget cuts have dawned on Cambridge officials, the City Council and School Committee met Monday to discuss the city’s shaky fiscal position.