Housing


Students Left ‘Out of Commission’ From Harvard Power Outage

A power outage across Harvard campus early Thursday morning left at least seven residential Houses without hot water for several hours. The electrical outage was caused by a circuit failure on Allston’s Blackstone Street — which is home to Blackstone Steam Plant, the facility that distributes power to many of Harvard’s campus buildings.


Councilor Siddiqui Reflects On the City’s Changing Housing Landscape at PBHA Talk

After landmark zoning reform, Cambridge City Councilor Sumbul Siddiqui and A Better Cambridge co-chair Justin N. Saif ’99 unpacked its implications and  encouraged students to get involved in local politics at a Phillips Brooks House Association event on Tuesday.


In Wake of Multifamily Zoning Ordinance, Developer Postcards Urge Residents to Sell Their Homes

A local developer’s decision to mail 1500 postcards to residents across Cambridge urging them to consider selling their homes, so a taller, higher-value one can be built seems to have given the policy’s vocal group of critics — who warned that the ordinance would be a bonanza for private developers — a small “I-told-you-so” moment.


Harvard Chabad Petitions to Change City Zoning Laws

Harvard Chabad is petitioning the city of Cambridge to change its zoning laws to exempt religious buildings from certain restrictions in an apparent effort to move forward with plans to expand its headquarters, currently blocked by the Board of Zoning Appeals.


Developers Announce Proposed Affordable Development Size Will Not Be Reduced Despite Backlash

Non-profit developers in charge of a proposed eight-story affordable housing project in the Baldwin neighborhood announced Thursday that they will not be reducing the size of the building any further despite backlash from residents who believe the complex will be too large.


With an Increase in Voucher Discrimination, Cambridge Looks to Train Housing Professionals in Prevention

Cambridge human rights officials urged professionals in the real estate industry to avoid disadvantaging rental applicants with government vouchers in a webinar Tuesday, telling The Crimson in interviews after the event that the city is seeing “a rise in complaints” of voucher discrimination.


‘My Heart’s Broken’: Freshmen Fear Renovations, the Quad As Housing Day Approaches

Ahead of Housing Day on March 13, when first-year students are randomly assigned to one of the College’s 12 undergraduate houses, some students hope they do not get Eliot — which will be renovated over the next two years. Others expressed perennial worries about walks to Mather and the Quad.


Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust Makes $3 Million Increase to City Homeownership Resale Fund

The Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust voted unanimously to provide $800,000 in funding to help the construction of 95 affordable rental units on land formerly held by Lesley University, and added $3 million to a fund for repurchasing and rehabilitating affordable housing in a meeting on Thursday.


Cambridge City Council Considers Home Rule Petition To End Broker Fees

Cambridge city councilors will consider formal action to encourage the state-level elimination of broker fees, after hearing from city staff and Greater Boston Legal Services that the city is constrained in its ability to do so in a meeting on Tuesday.


Cambridge To Halt Funding for Transition Wellness Center Shelter as American Rescue Plan Funds Run Out

The City of Cambridge plans to halt funding to the Transition Wellness Center Shelter in June — removing the shelter’s 58 beds as the city struggles to accommodate its unhoused population. The temporary shelter was originally intended to close in 2023.


In ‘Landmark’ Vote, Cambridge Ends Single-Family Zoning

The Cambridge City Council voted 8-1 to approve a proposal eliminating single family zoning city-wide in a meeting Monday night, capping off over a year of laborious dealmaking between activist residents, experts, and councilors.


State, City Officials Emphasize Importance of Design in Addressing Housing Issues at GSD Talk

Officials from across the country said that their experience working in local government underscored the importance of design in improving and innovating cities at a talk hosted by the Harvard Graduate School of Design.


Residents, Former Staff Allege Hostility and Unsanitary Conditions at Bay Cove Shelters

Residents and former staff of three shelters operated by Bay Cove Human Services in Cambridge alleged — in a public meeting, interviews, and more than 500 pages of public records obtained by The Crimson — that staff berated residents and shelters harbored unsanitary conditions.


Here’s How Cambridge Residents Would Solve the Affordable Housing Crisis

The affordable housing crisis has plagued Cambridge for more than a decade. As councilors have failed to reach a consensus on how to address the issue, upzoning proposals consistently occupy Cambridge City council meetings week after week.


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