Council Updates, AHO 2.0, Back to School, And More

AHO 2.0
I have written at length about the new amendments to the Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) in past newsletters and through email, so I will keep this brief, but this week I submitted a policy order along with Councillor Toner asking the City Manager to clear up still unanswered questions about the AHO 2.0 proposal. We have discussed this proposal numerous times over the last year and I still remain concerned about the corridors chosen, the heights chosen, and the effect it will have on middle income housing. The corridors do not, at this time, reflect the designs of the Envision Plan, and I am not yet convinced that these heights are the right heights for these locations. If the call from affordable developers was for more flexibility, why not amend based on base zoning instead of an across-the-board height? I remain concerned that this process is happening before the scheduled 5-year review, but since we are here, I am committed to work through this process as thoughtfully as possible. I know this has become an intense issue within the city over the last year, and I hope we can still find time and space for more thoughtful deliberation. I voted to keep the amendments in committee for more debate and hopefully more data. It is my hope that by passing this policy order we will have a bit more data at the next meeting, where the council will finally have to vote on these amendments. I’m disappointed that several of my colleagues have led us down this path to considering amendments before the review process, but I will continue to work towards compromise and a more thoughtful approach to zoning reform.

Short-Term Rentals Ordinance
This week I sponsored a policy order along with Councillor Azeem and Mayor Siddiqui to ask for a review of the Short-Term Rentals Ordinance (aka Airbnb). A little background on this is that in August 2017 the Cambridge City Council amended the Zoning Ordinance to include “Short-Term Rentals” in order to make the operation of short-term rentals legal for Cambridge residents. The intent was to protect the safety of renters and residents, ensure that the primary use remains residential, ensure that short-term rentals will not be a detriment to the character and livability of the surrounding residential neighborhood, and to ensure that it did not lead to increased pressure on the availability or cost of housing. There are some state and municipal requirements for reporting this use, but over the years, there have been instances reported to the City Council of neighbors who believe that the rules are not being followed and some short-term rentals are not owner occupied or owner adjacent. These rules can be challenging to enforce, and other cities have taken stronger action here to ensure these rentals are in line with the intent of the ordinance, New York City most recently. My policy order asks the City Manager to compile data available from local and state sources and provide a report on short-term rental use in the City. At that point we will be able to better assess the issue as it exists in Cambridge.

Rodent Control Update
Living in a city, we deal with rats. In some ways it’s inevitable, but there is a lot we can do to mitigate the issue and keep our streets safe and clean. This week I have cosponsored a policy order along with Mayor Siddiqui, Vice Mayor Mallon, and Councillor Simmons, to ask for an update from the City Manager on rodent control measures. I’ve worked on this issue a lot over the years and I have been pleased with increased efforts in the last year, but it’s time to measure the effectiveness of those efforts to see where we lack and how we can move forward. I look forward to continuing to work with the City staff on this issue.

Green Roof / Solar Update
After a hard fought initiative to get a green roof ordinance, led by Mothers Out Front, we are now asking for a solar mandate. This mandate for solar on all new buildings would not be in place of green roofs, but would be an addition to our current green roofs ordinance – and in places where green roofs do not make sense, like parking spaces. I am hoping we move forward on this important addition to our environmental ordinances.

Hen-Keeping in Cambridge
In August, I cosponsored a policy order asking the City staff to consider text that would legalize and regulate “chicken-keeping” in Cambridge. This week, the City Manager has delivered a zoning recommendation for hen-keeping. I’m looking forward to moving forward on this legislation. Urban farming is an important part of maintaining a vibrant local ecosystem and with the proper safeguards and pest control, can be a benefit to Cambridge. The zoning in question was recommended not only by the Community Development Department, but also by the Public Health Department and Inspectional Services to ensure cleanliness, regular inspections, and public safety.

Participatory Budgeting
As co-chairs of the Finance Committee, Councillor Carlone and I have been meeting with City staff over the last few months to discuss the Participatory Budgeting (PB) program. This Monday, the City will launch the 10th cycle of Participatory Budgeting. The City will allocate a record-high $2 million for this year’s process, which doubles the previous budget of $1 million. The types of projects eligible for funding this fiscal year will be expanded to include capital and operating projects. The 10th PB process in Cambridge will kick off with Idea Collection on September 11, 2023. Proposal development will take place between October 2023, and March 2024. The PB10 Vote is scheduled to take place in late March 2024. For updates and the latest information about the Participatory Budgeting process, please visit www.pb.cambridgema.gov, contact the Budget Office at 617-349-4270, or email pb@cambridgema.gov. My role as a councillor, and as Finance co-chair is to ensure that the budget reflects the needs and the will of the people of Cambridge. In PB, that means making sure that this democratic process is fair, transparent, engaging, and reflective of the priorities of Cambridge residents. I have also worked to make sure the timing of PB better works into the budget process more broadly, so that the input received from PB can be better reflected in the overall budget. The Cambridge PB program has become a national model over the last several years, and I am looking forward to improving upon that reputation. I am also working to schedule a Finance Committee meeting so that all of us can better understand the process by which projects are vetted, selected for voting, and ultimately make it to the ballot.

Supporting Bicycle Safety and On-Street Dining
At the last meeting, I sponsored a policy order that is meant to work out some details within the Cycling Safety Ordinance to clear up some ambiguity within the language to better accommodate for temporary on-street dining while maintaining vertical protections for cyclists. We have heard from some folks about what I believe are some misconceptions about what that means for cycling safety. I support separated, protected bike lanes across the city. I have consistently advocated for better street safety of all modes: improving pedestrianization, automated traffic enforcement, and better implementation of bike lanes. And I voted for the timelines in the CSO, which will not be affected by any changes being contemplated. And, along with other bike lane advocates, I support small businesses and believe that separated protected bike lanes can and should be installed in a way that does not hurt small businesses. We have great bike lanes and outdoor dining in so many places across the city and they do not need to be in conflict with one another – I bike most days around the city and I have dined outdoors often. And, we absolutely should work with small businesses to see if there are things that can be done to help them. Including the possible language to allow for this type of change would show a respect for the small businesses open to collaboration. Our hope is that the Traffic, Parking, and Transportation Department will work collaboratively with the business associations and the bike committee and community to consider the issue and come to a solution that addresses the concerns raised about the current status. I believe we can and should be sensitive to the needs of both cyclist safety AND small businesses. These conversations have already been happening the past few weeks since we started working on this and I believe the city is close to a solution which will ensure access to on-street dining while safe separation for cyclists. I hope that we can have a respectful discussion, trust that the city staff is working on behalf of all of us, – residents, cyclists, business owners – and allow recommendations to come out of discussions.