This month's newsletter features:

• The latest, greatest zoning news.
• What's coming up at the Planning Board.
• More about the Cambridge Zoning Centennial.
• The launch of our NEW Storymap collection!
• Last month's trivia results

What's New

Meetings on the Citywide Multifamily Housing Zoning Petition

On September 30, the City Council voted to advance a set of zoning changes to promote the creation of multifamily housing (like apartments and condos) across the city. These changes aim to:

• Allow multifamily housing in all neighborhoods of the city.
• Allow residential buildings of up to 6 stories in all neighborhoods and districts of the city.
• Remove some requirements that make it more difficult to build multifamily housing like: minimum lot sizes, limits on the number of housing units, and amount of floor area.
• Continue to encourage the creation of permanently affordable housing through the City's inclusionary housing requirements and Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO).

There will be a series of meetings in the coming months for the public to learn about this proposal. The meetings will also allow the community to give input on the proposal to the Planning Board and City Council. So far, the City has scheduled the following meetings:

• Thursday, October 24, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. – Virtual Information Session
• Tuesday, October 29, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. – Open House at Cambridge Senior Center, 806 Massachusetts Ave - Come and go any time 
• Tuesday, November 12, 6:30 p.m. – Planning  Board Hearing (Virtual) – Public Comment

There will also be more meetings in the future. Check the project website (cambridgema.gov/multifamilyzoning) for details about meetings and for other information. You can also sign up for future e-mail announcements about this zoning proposal.

Central Square Rezoning

The third and final Central Square Rezoning meeting took place on Thursday, September 12. At this meeting, the project team shared the first round of recommendations for changes to the zoning, including the district boundary, the maximum allowable heights for residential buildings, rules for shaping buildings, and what kinds of building uses to incentivize. The presentation was followed by discussion; participants asked questions and shared their reactions, ideas, and concerns. The meeting recording, slide presentation, and chat log can be accessed on the project website.

CDD’s Community Planning & Design Division will be celebrating the engagement phase for the Central Square Rezoning Project with a block party!

Central Square Rezoning BLOCK PARTY

Saturday, October 19, 1-5 p.m.

Norfolk St (between Mass Ave and Bishop Allen Drive)

Art, activities, dancing, and more!

This event is to share the final recommendations for updates to Central Square's zoning, thank the community for their involvement, raise awareness for other City-led projects and initiatives around Central Square, and come together and celebrate Central Square.

MBTA Communities Law

At an event on October 1, Governor Maura T. Healy announced that Cambridge was one of 33 communities to have its zoning approved by the Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities under the “MBTA Communities Law.” This law requires communities with MBTA access to zone for multifamily housing. These communities are eligible to apply for the new MBTA Communities Catalyst Fund, which provides communities financial support for housing and infrastructure projects.

100 Years of Zoning in Cambridge

Thanks to all who attended our special event on September 24! Extra special thanks to our panelists, Les Barber, Molly Brady, Amy Dain, John Infranca, and Charles Sullivan, who brought a wealth of knowledge and fascinating insights into how zoning has shaped Cambridge and the entire country over the past century.

Missed the event? Watch the recording online! 

What's Coming Up

Featured at the Planning Board

The Planning Board is made up of Cambridge residents who make recommendations and decisions about urban development on behalf of the City.

October 22, 6:30 p.m.: Did you know that in Central Square, a special permit is needed for a “Formula Business?” A formula business shares its name, logo or other branding with many locations across the state or worldwide. The Planning Board will hear a proposal for a formula business, called “StretchMed,” to be located at 425 Massachusetts Avenue (PB-405).

See the Planning Board Meetings web page for more information about this and upcoming cases.

Just for Fun: Did You Know...?

Zoning Time Machine

This month, we are hopping in our time machine to take you all the way back to the first Zoning Ordinance and Map in Cambridge history! As part of the City’s Zoning Centennial this year, the Zoning & Development staff will be putting together a series of story maps that walk you through the major milestones of our 100-year zoning history.

The year is 1924, when a unified Zoning & Building Code was first adopted in the City. Enjoy this interactive tool that illustrates the major features of the first iteration of our zoning, and how it all worked. 

Image: Interactive 3D version of 1924 Zoning Map

Special thanks to our Zoning & Development Intern, Grant Perry, for his work in assembling this information and designing the map. We’d also like to thank the Cambridge Historical Commission staff, and the City’s IT Department, for their help in putting this material together.

A reminder to check www.cambridgema.gov/zoning100 for more information related to Cambridge’s Zoning Centennial. 

Last Month's Trivia Results

We knew this was a tough one and we loved to see so many of you participate!

We asked: What zoning districts currently do NOT allow multifamily dwellings?

A. Residence 1 and 2 districts

B. Residence B and C districts

C. Residence A and B districts

D. None of the above

33% of you chose C, which was the correct answer.

To put this in perspective, about 26% of you chose answer A, 11% chose B, and 30% chose D. Everyone gets a round of applause for effort. We're excited to watch everyone learn about our favorite topic - zoning!

NOTE: There is no new trivia this month. Instead, check out our new online Storymap (an animated and interactive website) to learn about the very first Cambridge Zoning Ordinance.

Remember, you can look at zoning amendments that have been adopted or are being considered on the CDD web page, and you can always reach out to our team at cddzoning@cambridgema.gov with questions.

We hope you enjoyed this newsletter. We’ll be back next month!  

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