All:
Happy fall.
G’mar Tova. With the Jewish New Year and Days of Awe over, I was proud to see our son Joshua’s picture in the Boston Globe this week – he was the shofar blower at our Yom Kippur services. I loved the service, not only since our son joined us and had a role, but because much of the service was a plea for peace and reflection and commitment to reaching across divides. It provided me with some hope. I also went to a wedding over this past weekend, in rural New York state, and was reminded of the importance of celebrating milestones and taking time away from the screen to connect with family and friends.
A nor’easter is expected to bring strong winds and rain this weekend, which has unfortunately canceled a few fun events. There are other fun events that are inside, including the New School of Music 50th anniversary Open House, a Cambridge Community Center celebration – brave the wind and find a great event to attend. And the first ever CatFest sponsored by Mayor Siddiqui is not cancelled, just postponed until Oct. 3. While having RibFest and Cycle to the Source and other events cancelled due to the impending storm, I am grateful for the rain, as we are still dramatically below our 15-year median reservoir depth, even though our drought has lessened. On the City Council agenda for Monday night is an appropriation for $2.25 million to fund the purchase of supplemental drinking water from the MWRA. Cambridge’s reservoirs are currently operating near minimum sustainable levels, and supplemental MWRA water is likely to be necessary to meet daily demand over the coming months. I have been asking the City to be proactive all summer long about conservation efforts, especially with our largest users.
This week I got a sneak preview of the 4 Mellen St. affordable housing development – with an historic building the city bought from Lesley University saved and a 6 story building added to the back. As with all city affordable housing projects, this one is an incredible addition to our stock of housing for families. The building worked with the Historical Commission, and as with all new residential buildings is fossil fuel free. Thanks to our non profit housing partners and city staff and lenders for making this project a reality.
Register now for the Cambridge Volunteers Fall Volunteer Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 30 from 12:00pm – 1:30pm (more info below).
During Monday night’s Council meeting, we will recess at 6:30pm to hold the annual Tax Rate hearing, which sets the tax rate necessary to fund the FY27 budget that was passed in June 2026. Once again, despite us holding the operating budget growth to a more modest level, taxes will go up for most property owners. I am aware that for many residents and small business owners, this increase is challenging. I will continue to work for greater efficiency and more judicious use of public dollars. For residents who own single, two or three families, average taxes will go up from 8 – 11%. The average condo owner will see very little tax increase, since the residential exemption is a dollar amount that applies to every property. The tax rate is going up about 4%, and with valuations up a few percent. For commercial property owners, rates are going up a lot – 21% – but with most valuations going down most property owners will see closer to a 10% increase in the actual taxes paid. Our rates for both residential and commercial are still much lower than surrounding municipalities – an important note. And we have not had to cut services – we continue to expand investments in housing, child care, public safety, public works, and education. Many neighboring communities have had to cut AND pass a tax override. I am committed to continuing to work for a budget that supports residents without overburdening our taxpayers, to ensure the middle class can still live here.
Below are comments on a few top line items and a few quick notes for Monday’s meeting. If you have questions or comments on these or anything else, please feel free to reach out at any time.
Patty
An early look at the affordable housing project at 4 Mellen Street
Council Updates
Childcare Access Task Force, Meeting 1
The first meeting of the Childcare Access Task Force will be held Thursday evening, October 1, from 4p-6p. The meeting will occur in a hybrid format at the City Hall Annex, but members of the public are invited to view the meeting via zoom. At this first meeting we will go over the scope and the mission of the task force and deliver an Early Childhood Landscape Analysis provided by our Office of Early Childhood. I have been working on this project for over a year now. Expanding access to affordable childcare is one of the most effective things we can do to improve economic mobility for families. This task force, an initiative that came out of Council budget priorities will bring together approximately a dozen experts over 9 months to examine the landscape of the early childhood and childcare system, evaluate policy options for expanding access, affordability, and sector stability, and develop an implementation plan that outlines feasible strategies for increasing access to affordable, high-quality childcare. This work is exciting and I am happy to be leading the effort with Councillor McGovern, the Mayor, and Dr. Ohlson. You can read the task force scope and the appointment memo. I’m excited that this effort, which I have championed for years, is moving ahead.
Please write to the Council (at council@cambridgema.gov) or come speak at the meeting (sign up here) about any of the items below.
City Council Meeting - Monday, September 28, 2026
Multifamily Housing Zoning Ordinance
The Council has been working through the annual review process for the Multifamily Housing Zoning Ordinance, which I worked to require in the ordinance. To summarize where I stand on the zoning: Do I still support allowing multi-family apartment buildings across the city and more density? Yes. Did the amendments I worked out with Councillors Toner, McGovern, and Azeem make the zoning better than the more extreme original? Yes. Do I think what we passed was potentially problematic and not what I would have preferred – and voted for? Yes. Would I support even more amendments and do I think some of the projects (9 Wyman being a poster child) are clear evidence that the current zoning is too extreme? Yes. Do I think a majority of the council would vote for much more restrictive amendments? No.
At this point we have had four separate meetings to review the zoning (which you can rewatch here) that included City staff as well as outside experts. Our last meeting was on Wednesday, Sept. 16 and we reviewed several changes recommended by CDD that will help maintain the core concept of enabling multifamily development in all neighborhoods of the city, but will add clarity to the process, improve objectives for stormwater regulation, green factor, and building code requirements, add more transparency to the process, and hopefully create more functional open space requirements – without negatively impacting housing production, per CDD’s analysis. Amendments include changes to dimensional requirements like setbacks, which are still more permissive than previous zoning; creating clearer standards for green factor, stormwater requirements, and building code regulations; adding some incentives to reduce projects with larger unit sizes in a few cases; and clarifying textual references that resolve uncertainty within the zoning, especially on corner lots. I introduced a motion with Councillor Al-Zubi to ask staff to prepare formal language on those recommended amendments along with Councillors Al-Zubi and Sobrinho-Wheeler (full text here). The motion was passed 5-0 by the Housing Committee and 4-1 by the NLTP Committee. That motion is now a policy order and will be voted on Monday night. More housing is good, and as we build, we must also preserve public health, ensure stormwater mitigation happens, consider impact to existing solar, and urban design, planning and livability. I hope that we adjust the zoning to continue to build more housing, without extreme projects. One step in analyzing the impacts of the zoning changes is better communicating the actual rules of the new development, which includes much more than zoning – it also includes stormwater regulations, traffic impacts for large buildings, green factor calculations, fossil fuel free regulations, and more. It’s important for all residents to understand what protections are in place for local neighborhoods and the environment so we can have clear conversations about impact. I hope these amendments represent a reasonable compromise that will still make Cambridge a leader in Massachusetts in terms of multifamily housing production while adding more clarity, improving outcomes for open space and stormwater regulation, and setting better expectations for residents and builders, and I hope the full council passes the policy order.
Huron Avenue Bike Lanes
A policy order sponsored by Councillors Zusy, Simmons, and Flaherty asks to postpone installation of separated bike lanes on Outer Huron Avenue for 5 years. I have read the large petition by advocates who are concerned about parking impacts and loading zone impacts, and I agree with working to mitigate those concerns, and know that many residents are concerned. The City did make some adjustments for the Community Center. Honestly, I would not have chosen this particular stretch of road for implementation now, for all sorts of reasons (I live on Huron, use that stretch of road by car and bike, and know how relatively few cyclists use it. Other streets in mid Cambridge and west have far more bike traffic and are greater safety hazards and deserve separated bike lanes.) We can do more to solve those problems without permanently stalling installation of separated bike lanes. These won’t be highly utilized bike lanes in the city right now, and still I believe in the vision of the Cycling Safety Ordinance and the need for a completed network. I would have, and did, encourage DOT staff to prioritize more important sections of bike lanes, like on North-South connections throughout the City. I will not support the policy order to delay these bike lanes for 5 years.
Local Events/Notes
Cambridge Volunteers
Cambridge Volunteers are pleased to share that with support from the City of Cambridge, they are hosting their annual citywide remote Volunteer Fair on Wednesday, September 30th, from 12:00 to 1:30pm. Joining them at the event. Thank you for your consideration and continued support of volunteerism and community engagement in Cambridge! THe fair provides a range of opportunities and helps match people and volunteer opportunities – it is a GREAT way to understand the many many places that can use your help.
Participatory Budgeting in Cambridge
Participatory Budgeting in Cambridge has four stages. The city is currently in the first stage of the 13th PB cycle: Idea Collection! During this stage, community members submit ideas they have for projects to improve Cambridge. The last day to submit ideas for PB13 is October 11, 2026, which marks the end of PB13 Idea Collection. The second stage of PB Cambridge is Proposal Development! During this stage, volunteer Cambridge residents (who we call PB Delegate) work together for 3 months to read, review, and develop the submitted ideas into 20 ballot projects for the PB ballot in March 2027! If you would like to get more involved with the PB process, work alongside fellow Cambridge residents, and learn more about the City, sign up to volunteer as a PB Delegate!
Thermal Energy Network Planning
On Tuesday, Sept. 29 at 6 p.m., the city invites all interested parties to join a virtual presentation and Q&A on the City’s feasibility study, exploring what it would take to build a neighborhood-scale Thermal Energy Network in Cambridge. Register here. The City of Cambridge has been studying whether a shared local network of underground pipes could provide safe and reliable heating and cooling for buildings without using fossil fuels. A thermal energy network connects multiple buildings and often uses geothermal energy, which is the Earth’s natural temperature, as a source of clean energy. During this webinar info session, learn how the City explored the possibilities for this technology, and what it would take to build a thermal energy network here in Cambridge.
Apply to the Cambridge Preschool Program Beginning October 1
The Cambridge Preschool Program (CPP) provides access to free school-day, school-year preschool for all Cambridge 4-year-olds and prioritized Cambridge 3-year-olds. The CPP application for the 2027–2028 school year will be open from Thursday, October 1 through Friday, November 13. You can apply to CPP if: Your child is a Cambridge resident; Your child will turn 4 years old or 3 years old by August 31, 2027 (please note: there are limited seats for 3-year-olds). Families can choose from a variety of Cambridge-based preschool programs on the CPP application, including Cambridge Public Schools, the Department of Human Service Programs (DHSP), and community-based programs. CPP covers the cost of the school-day, school-year portion of preschool programs. Depending on a family’s income, there may be additional costs for programs that provide full-day, full-year (including summer) preschool.
Street Closures and Traffic Impacts
Several events will bring street closures and traffic impacts across the city from Friday, September 25 through Sunday, September 27. Plan ahead, watch for posted detours and parking restrictions, and check the full list of closures before heading out. The Harvard Square Thai Market will be postponed to 10/3 due to the forecast, and Rib Fest has been canceled. See all weekend traffic impacts.
Carl Barron Plaza Ribbon Cutting Celebration
Join us for the Opening Celebration of Carl Barron Plaza, 632 Mass Ave., on Friday, October 2, from 2–4 p.m. The celebration will include a speaking program, refreshments, live entertainment, art activities, and more. Community members are invited to join the City and project partners to celebrate the opening of the reimagined plaza and experience a glimpse of what is to come at the new space. Learn more.
CDOT Launches Website for Intersection Safety Program
The Cambridge Department of Transportation (CDOT) has formalized its data-driven approach to improving safety at higher crash intersections through the Intersection Safety Program. Every two years, CDOT will use crash data to identify and rank Higher Crash Locations, evaluate priority intersections, implement safety improvements, and track their impact over time. Visit the new Intersection Safety Program website to explore the interactive map, learn about our Safety Treatment Toolkit, and see where improvements are planned, underway, or completed. Learn more.
Thank You
Thank you to everyone for reading. If there are any topics you want me to cover in future newsletters, I’m always happy for the input! As always, please feel free to reach out to my aide, Patrick (phayes@cambridgema.gov), or me for any of your City Council needs.
You can find all previous newsletters on my website. Please share with anyone you think would be interested: https://pattynolan.org/news/