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I'M CALLING TODAY'S MEETING TO ORDER.
THE CALL OF TODAY'S MEETING IS TO HAVE A CONVERSATION REGARDING ZONING RECOMMENDATIONS TO STRENGTHEN ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET AND MASS AVE.
AS A FOLLOW UP TO THE RECENTLY ADOPTED ZONING PETITIONS FOLLOWING THE OUR CAMBRIDGE STREET PLANNING STUDY AND THE MASS A PLANNING STUDY, PURSUANT TO CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025, HE HASN'T YET ADOPTED BY THE MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR.
THE CITY IS AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL AND ITS COMMITTEES.
PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDS THIS MEETING AND MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FUTURE VIEWING.
IN ADDITION, THIRD PARTIES MAY ALSO BE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING THIS MEETING.
IN ADDITION TO HAVING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, WE HAVE ALSO SET UP ZOOM TELECONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.
EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE THREE MINUTES.
IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO PROVIDE PUBLIC COMMENT, PLEASE VISIT THE CITY COUNCIL SECTION OF THE CITY'S WEBPAGE.
INSTRUCTIONS FOR HOW TO SIGN UP AND SPEAK ARE POSTED THERE.
ONCE YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE SIGNUP PROCEDURE, YOU'LL RECEIVE A LINK TO THE ZOOM MEETING.
TO WATCH THE MEETING, PLEASE TUNE INTO CHANNEL 22 OR VISIT THE OPEN MEETING PORTAL ON THE CITY'S WEBSITE.
WITH THAT, ALL OF TODAY'S VOTES, UH, WILL BE TAKEN BY ROLL CALL AND THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS, UH, ROLL CALL ON MEMBERS PRESENT, MME. CLARK, COUNCIL LORE, ZUBE.
PRESENT PRESENT, COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY.
ABSENT, COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER.
RECORDED IS PRESENT, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT.
SO THE AGENDA FOR TODAY, I MEAN, HOW WE USUALLY RUN THESE IS THAT WE'RE GONNA HEAR FROM THE CITY AND GET THE PRESENTATION FIRST.
UH, WE WILL THEN GO TO PUBLIC COMMENT, UH, AND THEN WE WILL GO TO COUNCIL, UH, COMMITTEE QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION.
UM, AND I APPRECIATE, UH, EVERYBODY'S TIME, SO I, WITHOUT FURTHER ADO, I'M GONNA TURN IT OVER TO ASSISTANT MANAGER.
ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, MELISSA PETERS.
WANNA QUICKLY INTRODUCE STAFF? UM, TO MY RIGHT BEHIND ME IS FRANZ LACA FROM, UH, THE LAW DEPARTMENT, UM, SAFARI, SITTING TO MY RIGHT, OUR DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY AND DEVELOPMENT.
EVANS PETI, OUR SENIOR MANAGER FOR ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT.
JEFF ROBERTS, AS YOU KNOW, DIRECTOR OF ZONING AND DEVELOPMENT.
AND BEHIND JEFF, WE HAVE DREW KANE, WHO IS OUR ACTING DIRECTOR OF COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT, WHILE DANIEL MESS PLAY IS ON PARENTAL LEAVE.
UM, AND JEN KYRA, WHO SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE NOT HAVE MET YET.
SHE'S OUR NEW DEPUTY DIRECTOR FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, OUR DEPUTY CHIEF OF PLANNING.
SO VERY EXCITED TO HAVE HER ON BOARD.
UM, BEFORE YOU JUMP INTO THE PRESENTATION, MADAM CLERK COUNCILOR SIMMONS.
UH, SO TODAY WE'RE, WE'RE GONNA BE TALKING ABOUT ACTIVE USE, UH, REQUIREMENTS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, AS YOU ALL KNOW, THE COUNCIL PASSED THE CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING, UH, EARLIER THIS YEAR.
AND WHILE WE WERE DISCUSSING THAT ZONING PETITION, INCLUDING POTENTIAL AMENDMENTS, THE IDEA OF HAVING MORE, UH, OR STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET CAME UP DURING THE TIME, WE WEREN'T, UM, ABLE IN THE CURRENT ZONING PETITION TO INCLUDE THAT AS AN AMENDMENT BECAUSE OF HOW IT WAS ADVERTISED.
AND SO, UM, AGREED AND JUST DECIDED IT WAS A GOOD IDEA TO COME BACK, UM, WITH A NEW ZONING PETITION TO STRENGTHEN THOSE REQUIREMENTS.
UM, AND SO BEFORE WE ACTUALLY WROTE THE ZONING TEXT THAT WOULD GET REFERRED TO ORDINANCE AND PLANNING BOARD, WE WANTED TO CHECK IN WITH THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE, UH, TO DISCUSS SOME OF THE DIFFERENT WAYS WE CAN, UH, HAVE STRONGER USE REQUIREMENTS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
AND AS WITH ANY POLICY, THERE ARE TRADE-OFFS.
AND SO WE WANTED TO TAKE THE TIME TO KINDA EXPLAIN THE DIFFERENT CHOICES WE HAVE AND THE PROS AND CONS TO EACH OF THOSE, UM, SCENARIOS.
SO EVAN INSPIRI WILL KIND OF WALK THROUGH THE PRESENTATION, BUT ESSENTIALLY, UM, FOR TODAY'S DISCUSSION, IT REALLY IS, UM, A CONVERSATION ABOUT TWO COMPETING GOALS.
WE HAVE OUR DESIRE FOR, UH, SUPPORTING OUR RETAIL DISTRICT HAVE HAD ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR SPACE, UM, WITH OUR DESIRE FOR HOUSING PRODUCTION, UM, INCLUDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
SO, UM, WE'LL TALK THROUGH KIND OF THE DETAILS AND HAPPY TO KIND OF EXPLAIN MORE OF THAT TRADE OFF, UM, GIVEN THE CURRENT DEVELOPMENT ECONOMICS AND HOW PEOPLE ARE LIKELY TO DEVELOP IN THE FUTURE.
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UM, MELISSA GAVE A GREAT INTRO, SO I APOLOGIZE IF, IF ANY OF THIS IS, IS REPETITIVE.UM, BUT, UH, AS, AS MELISSA SAID, WE'RE HERE TO TALK TODAY ABOUT A POLICY ORDER THE COUNCIL PASSED AT THE END, UH, OF THE HEARING PROCESS FOR THE RECENTLY ADOPTED MASS AVE AND CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING AMENDMENTS.
THE COUNCIL WANTED TO CONSIDER STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS, BUT WE WERE LIMITED IN WHAT WE, UH, COULD DO WITH THE ORIGINAL ZONING PETITIONS.
WE WERE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT STRONGER REQUIREMENTS ON A PORTION OF MASS AVE, BUT OTHER AREAS, INCLUDING PORTER SQUARE AND CAMBRIDGE STREET NEED, UM, SUBSEQUENT, UH, ZONING PETITIONS, UH, BECAUSE OF THOSE LEGAL LIMITS ON ON HOW MUCH A ZONING PETITION CAN CHANGE.
WE WANTED TO REVIEW A COUPLE THINGS, UM, WITH YOU TODAY.
SO, UM, WE'RE NOT STUCK IN THAT, THAT POSITION WHERE WE'RE NOT ABLE TO AMEND THE ZONING PETITION, UM, IN, IN THE WAY THAT WE, WE WANT.
SO, SOME QUICK BACKGROUND TO SET THE STAGE.
THE COUNCIL MADE A FEW BIG CHANGES TO THE ZONING CODE IN THE LAST YEAR OR SO.
UH, THE MULTIFAMILY ZONING AMENDMENTS PASSED IN FEBRUARY OF LAST YEAR, MADE SWEEPING CHANGES TO RESIDENTIAL ZONING REGULATIONS, INCLUDING ALLOWING AT LEAST SIX STORIES OF HOUSING IN ALL ZONING DISTRICTS.
THAT INCLUDES OUR MIXED USE ZONING DISTRICTS ACROSS THE CITY, INCLUDING THOSE ON MASS AVE AND CAMBRIDGE STREET.
SO SIX STORIES BECAME THE NEW, UH, RESIDENTIAL BASELINE AFTER THOSE AMENDMENTS.
ONE, UH, IMPORTANT THING TO NOTE IN THE RESIDENCY, ONE DISTRICT, WHICH COVERS MOST OF THE MORE STRICTLY RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS ACROSS THE CITY, SIX STORIES, UH, ARE ONLY ALLOWED IF THE PROJECT MEETS OTHER CRITERIA, INCLUDING A MINIMUM LOT SIZE OF 5,000 SQUARE FEET.
AND THE PROJECT MUST MEET INCLUSIONARY HOUSING REQUIREMENTS.
UH, BUT EVERY OTHER DISTRICT ALLOWS AT LEAST SIX STORIES OF HOUSING WITHOUT ANY ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS, UH, LIKE MINIMUM LOT SIZES.
OR IN THE CASE OF OUR MIXED USE DISTRICT'S ACTIVE USES, UM, INCLUDING THE, THE OLD ZONING THAT WAS, UM, PARTICULARLY ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
MOVING ON TO, UH, THE MASS AVENUE CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING AMENDMENTS, THE COUNCIL WANTED TO ALLOW FOR MORE HOUSING ON THE CORRIDORS AND IMPLEMENT, UM, THE GOALS OF THE PLANNING STUDIES WE HAD CONDUCTED FOR EACH AREA.
UM, WHAT WE ENDED UP WITH WAS 12 STORIES OF HOUSING ON MASS AVE AND SIX STORIES ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, SO WE DIDN'T END UP ALLOWING FOR MORE HOUSING ON CAMBRIDGE STREET OUTSIDE OF, UH, A FEW SELECT AREAS SINCE THE MULTIFAMILY ZONING AMENDMENT HAD ALREADY ESTABLISHED A SIX STORY RESIDENTIAL HEIGHT ON THE CORRIDOR.
AND OF COURSE, UH, ONE OF THE OTHER MAIN GOALS OF THE ZONING ON EACH CORRIDOR WAS TO INCENTIVIZE ACTIVE GROUND FLOORS.
AND THE WAY THE ZONING DOES THAT IS BY REQUIRING ACTIVE USES FOR BUILDINGS THAT EXCEED A CERTAIN HEIGHT.
UH, THIS IS THE CURRENT REQUIREMENT FOR ONE PART OF MASS AVE.
ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED IN ANY BUILDING THAT EXCEEDS FOUR STORIES.
SO AT FIVE STORIES THE REQUIREMENT KICKS IN AND THE OVERALL HEIGHT LIMIT FOR THE DISTRICT IS 12 STORIES.
SO YOU CAN BUILD A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING UP TO FOUR STORIES IN THIS AREA.
BUT TO ACHIEVE THE TALLEST HEIGHTS YOU NEED TO PROVIDE ACTIVE USES ON THE GROUND FLOOR REQUIRING ACTIVE USES FOR ALL DEVELOPMENTS, UH, WHICH USED TO BE THE CASE ON MASS AVE, UM, HASN'T WORKED OUT WELL FOR, FOR MANY PROJECTS.
SO WE DO THINK THIS IS A BETTER APPROACH.
WE THINK MOST DEVELOPMENTS WILL PROVIDE ACTIVE USES TO UNLOCK THE TALLER HEIGHTS ALLOWED IN EACH DISTRICT.
UM, BUT REQUIRING ACTIVE USES ONLY IN PROJECTS THAT EXCEED A CERTAIN HEIGHT ALLOWS FOR FLEXIBILITY FOR SOME UNIQUE SITES AND PROJECTS WHERE HEIGHT, UH, MAYBE ISN'T THE PRIORITY, UH, HEIGHT MIGHT NOT BE THE GOAL OF SOMETHING LIKE A REHAB OF AN EXISTING BUILDING, UM, WHICH COULD BE HISTORIC, MAYBE NOT.
UM, IN A CASE LIKE THAT, PROVIDING ACTIVE USES COULD BE, UM, INFEASIBLE.
THIS APPROACH ALSO PREVENTS CREATING NEW NONCONFORMITIES FOR EXISTING RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS.
THERE ARE SOME EXISTING THREE AND FOUR STORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS ON, ON BOTH CORRIDORS WITH NO, UH, GROUND FLOOR ACTIVE USES.
SO ADDING A REQUIREMENT FOR ALL DEVELOPMENT CAN CREATE ISSUES FOR THOSE EXISTING RESIDENTIAL ONLY BUILDINGS DOWN THE ROAD IF
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THEY WANT TO MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS TO THEIR PROPERTY.AND FINALLY, FORCING COMMERCIAL SPACE AND PROJECTS WHERE IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE WILL LIKELY JUST RESULT IN A SUBSTANDARD SPACE THAT REMAINS VACANT OR KILLS THE PROJECT ALTOGETHER.
JUST AS A REMINDER, MAYBE THIS IS A LITTLE OUT OF ORDER, BUT, UM, ACTIVE USES ARE SIMPLY THOSE THAT ENCOURAGE PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY, UH, USES THAT REGULARLY HAVE VISITORS COMING AND GOING THROUGHOUT DIFFERENT TIMES OF THE DAY.
SO IN THE NEW ZONING, UM, ALL INSTITUTIONAL USES ARE CONSIDERED ACTIVE LIKE DAYCARES AND LIBRARIES.
SOME ACT, UH, EXCUSE ME, SOME OFFICE USES LIKE A DENTIST'S OFFICE OR ACCOUNTANT'S OFFICE.
UM, BUT GENERAL OFFICE USES BANKS AND LABS DO NOT FALL UNDER THE ACTIVE USE CATEGORY.
AND ALL RETAIL AND CONSUMER SERVICES ARE CONSIDERED ACTIVE.
WHERE A PROJECT NEEDS TO PROVIDE ACTIVE USES TO ACHIEVE GREATER HEIGHTS.
UH, THOSE USES MU MUST MEET SOME FLOOR AREA AND LOCATION STANDARDS.
UH, SPECIFICALLY 60% OF THE INTERIOR FLOOR AREA WITHIN 50 FEET OF THE STREET MUST BE DEDICATED TO ACTIVE USES.
THE PLANNING BOARD CAN APPROVE MODIFICATIONS TO THIS FLOOR AREA STANDARD IF THE INTENT OF THE REQUIREMENT IS BEING MET, WHICH OF COURSE IS TO ENCOURAGE, UM, ACTIVE GROUND FLOORS.
THERE'S CURRENTLY A SPECIAL PERMIT OPTION IN, UM, THE MASS AVENUE CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING AS THEY WERE RECENTLY PASSED, UH, TO CONS FOR THE PLANNING BOARD TO CONSIDER OTHER NON-RESIDENTIAL USES AS ACTIVE USES.
IF THEY, IF THEIR PLANNING BOARD FINDS, UM, THAT THAT USE WILL CREATE SOME STREET ACTIVITY.
WE'RE RECOMMENDING ANOTHER KIND OF SPECIAL PERMIT IN THIS UPCOMING PETITION THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR SOME MINOR CHANGES TO THE AMOUNT OR LOCATION OF THE ACTIVE USES.
AND THE INTENT OF THESE SPECIAL PERMITS IS NOT TO ALLOW PROJECTS TO AVOID THE REQUIREMENT ALTOGETHER, BUT TO GIVE THE PLANNING BOARD THE OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER OTHER WAYS OF ACHIEVING THOSE GOALS GIVEN THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF A SITE OR PROJECT.
AND WE THINK THIS IS AN ESPECIALLY IMPORTANT BALANCE TO STRIKE AS WE CONSIDER EVEN STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS.
THIS IS THE EXISTING MASS AVE ZONING MAP.
UM, I MENTIONED BEFORE WE WERE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS IN ONE AREA OF MASS AVE.
THAT'S THE, UM, MASS 12 A DISTRICT OUTLINED IN RED, UM, KIND OF SOUTH OF PORTER SQUARE, UH, IN THAT DISTRICT.
ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED ABOVE FOUR STORIES.
EVERYWHERE ELSE ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED ABOVE EIGHT STORIES.
UNDER THE PREVIOUS ZONING, THIS AREA ALREADY HAD AN ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT, WHICH IS WHY WE WERE ABLE TO IMPLEMENT THE STRONGER REQUIREMENTS, UH, IN THE INITIAL ZONING AMENDMENT.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS ON MASS A IN RESPONSE TO THE POLICY ORDER ARE TO EXPAND THE AREAS WHERE ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED ABOVE FOUR STORIES.
WE THINK THIS APPROACH WORKS ON MOST OF THE CORRIDOR FROM CAMBRIDGE COMMON IN THE SOUTH, ALL THE WAY TO LINEAR PARK.
BEYOND THAT, WE DON'T THINK, UH, INCREASED ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ARE NECESSARY.
WHEN WE DISCUSSED THIS BEFORE, WE INITIALLY HADN'T CONSIDERED NORTH OF PORTER SQUARE, UH, BECAUSE THE RETAIL CONCENTRATION, UH, DROPS OFF A BIT IN THAT SECTION OF THE CORRIDOR, BUT IT ALSO HAS, UH, A LOT OF THE SITES THAT ARE, UM, MORE LIKELY TO REDEVELOP IN THE FUTURE.
SO WE DO THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO FURTHER INCENTIVIZE ACTIVE USES IN THOSE PROJECTS.
UH, MOST OF THE CORRIDOR ALLOWS FOR SIX STORIES OF HOUSING WITH NO ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS, UM, WHICH IS ESSENTIALLY THE SAME AS THE PREVIOUS, UH, BUSINESS.
A ZONING A MASS HAVE THE SIGNIFICANT HEIGHT INCREASES, MAKE THE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT LESS IMPACTFUL.
OVERALL, UM, PROJECTS CAN OFFSET THAT REQUIREMENT WITH SIGNIFICANT ADDITIONAL DEVELOPMENT POTENTIAL.
SINCE WE'RE CAPPED AT A SIX STORY HEIGHT LIMIT ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, WE NEED TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CAREFUL WITH HOW THE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ARE IMPLEMENTED.
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ON CAMBRIDGE STREET WILL MAKE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT MORE DIFFICULT AND IN SOME WAYS, UM, MORE DIFFICULT THAN IN THE MORE STRICTLY RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS.UM, SO HERE'S REALLY WHERE WE'RE LOOKING FOR THE COUNCIL'S DIRECTION AS WE MOVE TOWARDS A ZONING PETITION.
UM, WE'VE LAID OUT A, A COUPLE OPTIONS FOR, UH, THE COMMITTEE TO CONSIDER.
OPTION ONE IS, UH, SIMPLY COPY WHAT WE DID ON MASS AVE, UM, REQUIRING ACTIVE USES ABOVE FOUR STORIES, UM, OR WE COULD GO STRONGER AND REQUIRE ACTIVE USES.
UM, FOR ANY PROJECTS ABOVE THREE STORIES IN BOTH SCENARIOS, UM, WE THINK IT'S LIKELY THAT MOST DEVELOPMENT WILL OPT TO PROVIDE ACTIVE USES AND BUILD TO SIX STORIES.
SO THE DIFFERENCES ARE REALLY IN WHAT HAPPENS TO THOSE PROJECTS ON THE MARGINS.
UH, OPTION ONE IS MORE PERMISSIVE, MAKING REDEVELOPMENT EASIER, BUT COULD RESULT IN SOME FOUR STORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS WITHOUT ACTIVE USES.
UH, OPTION TWO IS MORE RESTRICTIVE.
YOU MIGHT GET SOME THREE STORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, BUT IT'S MORE LIKELY UNDER THIS SCENARIO, UH, THAT PROPERTIES WILL REDEVELOP TO THE FULL SIX STORIES OR NOT AT ALL.
UM, SO OPTION ONE ALLOWS FOR MORE HOUSING TO BE BUILT, UM, BUT COULD RESULT IN, IN A NET LOSS OF, UH, ACTIVE USE SPACE ON CERTAIN SITES.
UM, WHILE OPTION TWO ALLOWS FOR LESS NEW HOUSING AND MAKES REDEVELOPMENT LESS LIKELY OVERALL, UH, WHICH COULD PRESERVE SOME EXISTING ACTIVE USE, UM, ACTIVE SPACE, THAT'S NOT GUARANTEED EITHER.
UM, OF COURSE ZONING CAN MAKE REDEVELOPMENT LESS LIKELY, BUT IT CAN'T, UM, PRESERVE INDIVIDUAL BUSINESSES.
SO THOSE ARE THE TWO, UM, OPTIONS THAT, THAT WE'RE CONSIDERING AND WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR YOUR FEEDBACK ON TODAY.
UM, WE WILL GO NOW TO, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT.
I BELIEVE WE HAVE FOUR PEOPLE SIGNED UP.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE HERE, NONE OF, I DON'T SEE ANY OF YOUR NAMES AS SIGNED UP, SO IF YOU WANT TO SIGN UP TO SPEAK, PLEASE DO THAT.
UM, AND I WILL TURN IT OVER TO MS. STEFAN.
OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS SED JAFFY.
WE WILL GO TO HELEN WALKER, FOLLOWED BY JUSTIN SAFE.
HELEN WALKER, 43 LINEAN STREET.
THANK YOU FOR THIS DISCUSSION ABOUT ZONING TO STRENGTHEN ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USE.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO PROTECT THE UNIQUE SMALL BUSINESSES ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, WHICH ARE AN IRREPLACEABLE ASSET.
THANK YOU FOR CONSIDERING OPTIONS.
THE COMMUNITY WANTS TO SEE ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USE EVEN IN THE LOWER BUILDINGS.
PERSONALLY, I'D LIKE TO SEE THE REQUIREMENT BEGIN AT ABOVE THREE STORIES IN ORDER TO ENSURE MORE OPPORTUNITY FOR ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USE.
THE REQUIREMENT FOR ACTIVE USE COULD BE LOWER ABOVE THREE STORIES TO PREVENT A BURDEN ON DEVELOPER.
PERHAPS THE REQUIREMENT COULD BE 40% ABOVE THREE STORIES, BUT 60% ABOVE FOUR STORIES.
WHATEVER THE HEIGHT OF THE BUILDING WHERE THERE'S AN EXISTING ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USE, THERE SHOULD CONTINUE TO BE ONE AFTER THE BUILDING IS REDEVELOPED.
THE EAST CAMBRIDGE PLANNING TEAM IS RIGHT TO ASK FOR RESTRICTIONS ON FORMULA BUSINESSES, WHICH WOULD HURT LOCAL BUSINESS BY PUSHING UP RENTS.
PLEASE CONSIDER WAYS TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES AFFECTED BY REDEVELOPMENT.
COULD THERE BE HELP RELOCATING? COULD THERE BE A RIGHT OF RETURN? PLEASE REQUIRE SPACES TO BE SET ASIDE, ESPECIALLY FOR SMALL BUSINESSES.
COULD THERE BE A SLIDING SCALE? FOR EXAMPLE, IF TENNIS TENANT SPACES ARE SMALL, A BUILDING MIGHT SET ASIDE 50% OF THE AREA WITHIN 50 FEET OF THE STREET.
IF TENANT SPACES ARE LARGE, THEN A GREATER PERCENT COULD BE REQUIRED, MAYBE 60 OR 65 OR 70.
FINALLY, I WANNA THANK CO-CHAIR MCGOVERN FOR CHAMPIONING THE NEIGHBORHOOD MEETING THAT WAS WRITTEN INTO MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ZONING.
AND FOR DEFENDING ITS APPLICATION FOR RELIGIOUS PURPOSES, PLEASE EXTEND THE INFORMATIONAL MEETING TO THE CAMBRIDGE STREET AND MASS ZONING DISTRICTS AS WELL.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JUSTIN SAFE, FOLLOWED BY DAVID HADIS.
YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
HI, I'M PICKING MY KIDS UP FROM SCHOOL, SO I MEAN, IT'S NOT GREAT.
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CONCERNS ABOUT THE FACT THAT CDD HAS DETERMINED THIS WILL BLOCK NEW HOUSING AND WE HAVE A HOUSING SHORTAGE.THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE IN THE CITY IS HOUSING AFFORDABILITY.
UH, AND WE'RE NOT ADDRESSING THAT HERE.
UH, SO I HOPE THAT WE CAN, UH, FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT WORK WHERE IT DOESN'T BLOCK NEW HOUSING, UM, THROUGH INCENTIVES, UH, GREATER HEIGHT OR DENSITY OR FEWER SETBACK OR SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES.
UH, I, UM, THE, UH, MAIN GOAL OF, UH, THESE PROCESSES NEEDS TO BE COMPLIMENTARY AND NOT CONTRADICTORY.
WE'RE DOING ALL WE CAN TO ENABLE READER HOUSING, WE SAY IN ONE BREATH, AND THEN WE HAVE THESE DISCUSSIONS WHERE IT'S CLEAR THIS WILL BLOCK HOUSING.
UM, I'VE SEEN AN ESTIMATE THAT HAS A HALF MILLION DOLLAR IMPACT, 10,000 SQUARE FOOT VOTING, UH, AND THAT'S SIGNIFICANT AND COULD EASILY FLIP IT FROM, UH, A NEW CONCLUSIONARY HOUSING PROJECT TO NOTHING HAPPENING, UH, WHICH IS WORSE FOR EVERYONE, WORSE FOR PEOPLE WHO RENT WORK FOR TAXPAYERS WHO, UH, DON'T SEE ANY NEW BUILDINGS AND ANY NEW INCOME SOURCES FOR THE CITY, UH, TO TRY TO OFFSET EXPECTED FEDERAL CUTS.
UM, AND SO I HOPE WE STUDY THAT IMPACT AND, UH, DO NOT MOVE FORWARD, UH, BEFORE WE'VE COME UP WITH INCENTIVES LIKE AN OFFSET THE COST AND ADJUSTMENT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DAVID HATIS.
DAVID, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
UM, YEAH, I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL REQUIREMENT.
HOUSING IS REALLY HARD TO BUILD THESE DAYS IN CAMBRIDGE.
THERE'S BEEN VERY LITTLE MARKET RATE HOUSING BUILT, UM, SPEC SPECIFICALLY SINCE 2022 THAT WE'RE BEHIND ON OUR ENVISION GOALS FOR WITH OUR TOTAL HOUSING GOAL AND OUR AFFORDABLE HOUSING GOAL.
AND WE'RE JUST GETTING FURTHER AND FURTHER BEHIND.
AND SO I THINK WE SHOULD BE MAKING IT EASIER TO, TO BUILD HOUSING RATHER THAN ADDING MORE AND MORE REQUIREMENTS.
UM, AND IT SHOULD BE ALSO JUST QUICKLY MAKE THE POINT THAT MORE HOUSING HELPS RETAIL IF YOU, UM, YEAH, MORE, MORE HOUSING MEANS MORE CUSTOMERS AND MORE THAT MEANS MORE CUSTOMERS FOR LOCAL RETAIL.
AND YEAH, I, I THINK ABOUT DEVELOPMENTS LIKE 10 55 CAMBRIDGE STREET, ONE OF THE ONLY NEW MARKET RATE BUILDINGS THAT HAVE BEEN PERMITTED SINCE 2022, AND THAT HAS RETAIL ON THE GROUND FLOOR AND IT'S CURRENTLY VACANT, AND I THINK IT'S BEEN VACANT FOR, FOR SOME TIME.
SO I THINK WE SHOULD STUDY THIS A LITTLE MORE.
LIKE IS THERE, LIKE WHAT'S OUR VACANCY RATE OR RETAIL IN CAMBRIDGE? IS IT LOW, IS IT HIGH? AND SO FOR ADDING THIS REQUIREMENT, UM, IT JUST SEEMS LIKE THE TRADE OFF IS THAT WE'RE GONNA GET LESS HOUSING AND LESS AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BERYL LIPTON.
BERYL, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
BERYL, IF YOU CAN TURN THE MIC ON, PLEASE.
HELLO, BERYL, LIPTON OAK STREET.
UM, I'LL BEGIN WITH AN UPDATE ON MY PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST.
UH, MRS. LEVY, MS. LEVY GAVE ME THE RECORDS YESTERDAY, AT LEAST SOME OF THEM.
MUCH APPRECIATION TO ALL OF YOU FOR GIVING ME, UH, SOME OF WHAT YOU HAD RELATED TO THE ECONOMIC ANALYSIS.
I KNOW THAT YOU ALL HAVE LOTS TO DO.
UM, I HAVE HEARD MULTIPLE COUNSELORS REFERENCE, UM, MAKE LETTING DEVELOPERS, HELPING DEVELOPERS, PENCIL, UH, THE NUMBERS HAVEN'T REALLY GOTTEN THOSE NOTES, SO I'LL, I'LL FOLLOW UP WITH PUBLIC RECORDS ABOUT THAT.
BUT I DO APPRECIATE BEING ABLE TO START LOOKING AT THOSE MATERIALS.
UM, I, I FULLY SUPPORT THE CITY TAKING A CREATIVE AND CONSCIENTIOUS APPROACH TO SUPPORTING SMALL AND LOCAL BUSINESSES.
I THINK HOUSING AND THE CREATION OF HOUSING IS A SHARED GOAL, BUT LOOKING BACK AT THE, OUR CAMBRIDGE STREET STUDY SUPPORTING OUR SMALL LOCAL BUSINESSES WAS LISTED AS AMONG THOSE OTHER GOALS ALONGSIDE CLIMATE RESILIENCE AND, UM, OTHER IMPORTANT ELEMENTS THAT HELPED
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TO MAKE OUR COMMUNITIES STRONGER.I WOULD LOVE TO SEE THE LOCAL BUSINESSES WE ALREADY HAVE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET GET MORE FOOT TRAFFIC.
AND SO I THINK I AGREE WITH PEOPLE WHO THINK WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO THINK MORE DEEPLY ABOUT HOW SOME OF THESE NUMBERS WORK, BECAUSE I WOULDN'T, UM, AS MUCH AS I SUPPORT HOUSING AT FOREST STORIES, I THINK HAVING HOUSING AT SIX STORIES WITH ACTIVE USE WOULD BE GREAT.
AND SO IF THERE ARE WAYS TO SORT OF MAKE THIS WORK FOR EVERYONE AND ADDRESS A LOT OF THE GOALS THAT WE HAD SHARED AS A COMMUNITY THAT, UM, WOULD BE WORTH FIGURING OUT HOW TO DO, UH, RESPONSIBLY.
UM, I ALSO FULLY SUPPORT FINDING A WAY TO RESTRICT THE SORTS OF CHAIN BUSINESSES THAT, UM, COULD BE DEVELOPED.
UH, WE HAVE A MALL AT THE END OF CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, I PERSONALLY DO NOT SHOP AT A LOT OF BUSINESSES THAT I DON'T SEE ALIGNING WITH MY VALUES.
UM, AND SO IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE CAMBRIDGE STREET A PEDESTRIAN FIRST CORRIDOR, WHICH IT SEEMS LIKE THERE IS A LOT OF SUPPORT FOR, I THINK THAT WE NEED TO CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THE LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT, UM, ARE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ARE WALKABLE FROM, FROM WHERE WE LIVE.
UM, I THINK ALL OF THIS SORT OF, UM, HAS TO DO WITH THE SORT OF CULTURE AND THE VALUES THAT WE WANT TO HAVE IN THAT COMMUNITY AND IN THE GREATER CAMBRIDGE AREA.
UM, AND I THINK WE SHARE A LOT OF THOSE VALUES.
UM, I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO SEE, UM, IN ADDITION TO, YOU KNOW, UH, SERVICES AND GOODS, UM, I PERSONALLY, UM, AM DISAPPOINTED AT, UM, HOW WE CAN'T SUPPORT SOME OF THE LOCAL BOOKSTORES THAT WE USED TO BE ABLE TO SUPPORT.
RIP, LAME DUCK, RIP, SHE HOFS.
UM, I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO DO SOMETHING FOR OUR ARTISTS AND OUR MUSICIAN MUSICIANS, R-I-P-E-M-F.
UM, AND SO I JUST REALLY ENCOURAGE THE COUNCIL TO CONTINUE TO PROCEED IN GOOD FAITH.
I LOOK FORWARD TO THE CONVERSATION IN NEIGHBORHOOD PLANNING AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, HEARING MORE OF THE CREATIVE THINKING THAT I THINK CAN COME OUT OF CDD ON THIS PROPOSAL.
NEXT WE HAVE HEATHER HOFFMAN, FOLLOWED BY JASON ALPS.
HELLO, HEATHER HOFFMAN, TWO 13 HURLEY STREET.
I WANNA THANK, UH, HELEN AND BERYL FOR THEIR WORDS, AND I SUSPECT I'M GOING TO AGREE WITH A LOT OF WHAT JASON HAS TO SAY AS WELL.
THE THING THAT REALLY STRIKES ME IN ALL OF THE BLATHERING THAT'S GONE ON IN THE CITY COUNCIL AND IN COMMITTEES ABOUT ALL OF THIS ZONING IS THAT I THINK WE'VE LOST SIGHT QUESTION.
WHAT IS DEVELOPMENT FOR FOUR IS DEVELOPMENT JUST FOR BUILDING STUFF, NO MATTER WHAT IT IS, IS IT FOR BUILDING MILLION DOLLAR APARTMENTS ON TOP OF STARBUCKS? WHAT'S IT FOR? SO WE MAYBE HAVE A DISCUSSION OF THAT.
WE SAY WE WANT HOUSING, AND THEN WE TALK ABOUT AFFORDABILITY.
AND YET WE DO ABSOLUTELY NOTHING IN THE ZONING TO MAKE THINGS MORE AFFORDABLE.
IN FACT, AS WE'VE SEEN THE ZONING THAT WE'VE PASSED TO GREAT, YOU KNOW, CHEST POUNDING AND BACK SLAPPING PRODUCES MILLION DOLLAR APARTMENTS, $2 MILLION APARTMENTS.
SO WHAT ARE WE DOING ALL OF THIS FOR? IS IT TO CHALK UP WIND THAT WE PASS THE THING AND WE'RE EVER SO WONDERFUL? WHY DON'T WE THINK ABOUT WHEN PEOPLE SAY, OH, WE NEED MORE HOUSING, AND HOUSING WILL MAKE, UM, FOR MORE RETAIL.
IF WE TRY TO SAY, WELL, YOU NEED TO PUT RETAIL IN THERE.
WE TALK ABOUT 15 MINUTE CITIES AND, AND YET WE'RE, WE'RE, WE HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE WEARY OF PUTTING THE RETAIL AND OTHER THINGS THAT MAKE IT A 15 MINUTE CITY IN THERE.
WE REALLY NEED TO FIGURE OUT WHY WE ARE DOING ANY OF THIS.
UM, ONE OF THE, THE THINGS THAT HASN'T BEEN MENTIONED IS THAT I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD HAVE ANYTHING THAT ALLOWS LABS WITHOUT A SPECIAL PERMIT, WITHOUT AN ACTUAL CONSIDERATION OF WHETHER THESE LABS ARE DOING ANYTHING GOOD FOR US
[00:30:01]
OTHER THAN THESE DAYS BEING EMPTY.UM, SO PERHAPS WE NEED TO STEP BACK AND ASK OURSELVES WHAT THE REASON FOR DOING ANY OF THIS IS, AND HOW WHAT WE HAVE DONE ADVANCES THOSE GOALS BECAUSE I FAIL TO SEE THE CONNECTION IN ANY OF IT.
OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JASON OWLS.
JASON, YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES.
HI, UH, JASON OWLS, DIRECTOR OF EAST CAMBRIDGE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, 5 44 C STREET.
I BELIEVE IT WAS THE MAYOR THAT PUT IN THIS POLICY ORDER THAT'S GOTTEN US HERE.
UM, I THINK THIS IS AN IMPORTANT DISCUSSION AND I APPRECIATE THE WORK THAT, UH, MELISSA AND CDD HAVE DONE TO, TO GET US HERE.
SO, UH, I AM HERE TO, UM, WE TALKED TO BOARD MEMBERS, WE TALK TO OUR MEMBERSHIP, WE TALK TO FOLKS THAT BUILD HOUSING, FOLKS THAT BUILD COMMERCIAL SPACES.
UM, WE THINK THAT OPTION TWO BEING MORE RESTRICTIVE IS PROBABLY THE WAY TO GO HERE.
AND I THINK THAT IF YOU WANT HOUSING PRODUCTION, YOU SHOULD ALSO THINK THAT I DO NOT, I'M NOT CONVINCED THAT THIS IS GOING TO BLOCK HOUSING IN ANY WAY.
BUT, UM, THERE'S ABOUT, AND THIS IS JUST FROM, UH, I'M EMBARRASSED TO SAY, BUT AI AIED IT, BUT THERE'S ABOUT 126 MILES OF STREET IN CAMBRIDGE.
THERE'S LIKE SIX MILES WHERE YOU CAN BUILD COMMERCIAL SPACES THAT CAN SUPPORT THE SMALL BUSINESSES.
THERE'S NOT A LOT OF PLACES TO BUILD THIS.
WE NEED TO REALLY LOOK AT THIS AS A, UM, WHILE HOUSING IS A GOAL, WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT A BUSINESS DISTRICT.
AND BUSINESS NEEDS NEED TO GO FIRST.
UM, IF YOU BELIEVE IN SUPPLY AND DEMAND ON HOUSING, AND IT'S GONNA BRING DOWN PRICES.
THE SAME SHOULD HOLD TRUE HERE.
IF THERE'S MORE COMMERCIAL SPACES AVAILABLE, SMALL BUSINESS RENTS SHOULD THEORETICALLY GO DOWN IF YOU BELIEVE IN THAT ARGUMENT.
UM, I HAVEN'T TALKED TO A DEVELOPER THAT SAID THAT THIS IS GONNA HINDER THEM IN ANY WAY.
AND IN FACT, THEY'D SAY, EVEN IF IT DID, IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO BECAUSE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT THE BUSINESS DISTRICT AND WE NEED THESE SPACES.
NOW, THE COUNCIL, AND, AND I GUESS THIS IS MY, MY MAIN POINT WHY I THINK THAT YOU SHOULD SUPPORT TOO, IF YOU WANT MORE HOUSING, THE COUNCIL PASSED THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING I THINK IN FEBRUARY.
I THINK MOST OF YOU ENVISIONED THAT THE BUILDINGS THAT WE'RE GONNA GET BUILT, WE'RE GONNA BE SIX STORY BUILDINGS WITH AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
WHAT WE'RE SEEING IS NOT THAT.
I CAN THINK OF A PROJECT THAT IS A FIVE UNIT BUILDING THAT'S BEING TAKEN DOWN, AND THEY'RE GONNA REPLACE IT WITH FOUR TOWNHOUSES THAT ARE GONNA SELL FOR $2 MILLION EACH.
IF YOU DON'T WANT THAT, YOU CAN USE THE COMMERCIAL REQUIREMENTS TO BE A TOOL TO, UH, PRODUCE THE BUILDING THAT YOU ENVISION THE MIXED USE BUILDING ON CHEMISTRY THAT YOU ENVISION.
IT'S A REQUIREMENT THAT WILL BE THERE RIGHT FROM THE START.
NO ONE'S GONNA BUILD A COMMERCIAL SPACE UNDER A, UNDER A TOWNHOUSE, RIGHT? IT'S GONNA BE THE BUILDING WITH THE MORE HOUSING SO YOU CAN MAXIMIZE THE AMOUNT OF HOUSING ON SOME OF THESE PARCELS BY PUTTING IN THIS REQUIREMENT.
THAT'S KIND OF A FLIP ON THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, IS IT, IT'S NOT GONNA PREVENT IT.
I THINK IT'S GONNA ACTUALLY ENCOURAGE THE RIGHT KIND OF PROJECT THAT YOU, THAT YOU WANT AND THAT YOU ENVISION EVEN IN THE MULTIFAMILY.
UM, SO I THINK THINK ON THAT IF HOUSING IS YOUR KEY, UM, THAT'S THE COUNTERPOINT TO THAT.
UH, LASTLY, I THINK THE, THE PREEXISTING NON-CONFORMING IS SOMETHING WE DON'T WANT TO HAMPER ANYBODY IN THAT THIS PROBABLY, IF YOU START AT THREE STORIES, THERE'S PROBABLY NOT A LOT OF PLACES THAT WOULD BECOME PRE-EXISTING NON-CONFORMING.
AND, UM, THE GOOD NEWS IS BECAUSE OF THE CHANGES YOU'VE REALLY CLEARED THE, YOU'VE REALLY CLEARED THE, THE, THE WORKLOAD OF THE BZA.
SO IT WOULD PROBABLY BE NOT TOO LONG TO GET SOMETHING OF THAT CLEARED UP.
UM, SO ANYWAY, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING, MR. CHAIR.
THAT WAS ALL THAT WERE SIGNED UP.
UM, I, SAYED, JAFFY I GUESS IS TRYING TO GET INTO THE ZOOM, BUT I DO NOT SEE THEM AT THIS TIME.
UM, SO WE, WE, CAN WE CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT AND JUST IF THEY COME, THEY COME IN, WE'LL LET THEM SPEAK BECAUSE THEY'VE ALREADY SIGNED UP, BUT WE'LL CLOSE IT FOR NEW SIGNUPS.
UM, ON A MOTION LIKE COUNCILOR NOLAN TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT, COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES.
AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE.
UM, AND STEFAN, JUST JUMP IN, YOU KNOW, FEEL FREE TO INTERRUPT IF, IF THEY GET ON.
WE WILL, UH, THANK YOU EVERYONE.
UM, WE WILL NOW OPEN IT UP TO COMMITTEE, COMMENTS, QUESTIONS, LOOKING FOR HANDS.
[00:35:01]
SABRINA WHEELER.THROUGH, THROUGH YOU THANKS TO CITY STAFF AND FOR THIS PRESENTATION AND, AND DISCUSSION.
UM, IT'S, YOU KNOW, UH, HELPFUL TO, TO THINK ABOUT THESE SORT OF TRADE OFFS ON THIS AND HOW WE INCENTIVIZE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
UM, AND THE COUPLE OPTIONS HERE, I DO THINK WE SORT OF NEED TO THINK MORE EXPANSIVELY ABOUT THIS.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, GOING UP TO SIX STORIES AND REQUIRING, UH, GROUND, GROUND FLOOR RETAIL THEN MAKES IT, UM, MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE CITY.
'CAUSE WE'VE NOW ALREADY ALLOWED SIX STORIES CITYWIDE.
UM, AND SO ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, WE WOULD END UP IN A, IN A EVEN A SIX STORY DEVELOPMENT WITH LESS AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, THAN ANY OTHER STREET IN THE CITY.
UM, BECAUSE THE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL IS, IS TAKING AWAY FROM THE 20%, UH, IS TAKING AWAY FROM THE NUMBER OF UNITS THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO, TO HIT THE INCLUSIONARY.
UM, SO MY PREFERENCE, YOU KNOW, OF THE, OF IS SORT OF LOOKING BEYOND THESE TWO OPTIONS UP GOING UP TO SEVEN OR EIGHT STORIES.
'CAUSE THAT'S HOW WE'RE ACTUALLY GONNA GET MORE INCLUSIONARY UNITS HERE.
UM, AND THEN I THINK WITH EITHER WAY, SORT OF LOOKING AT THE FEASIBILITY OF, UH, GROUND FLOOR RETAIL AND REQUIRING IT HERE, I THINK IT'S ONE THING TO, TO, UH, PUT REQUIREMENTS IN THE ZONING.
IT'S ANOTHER THING TO LIKE, WE PASSED THIS AND THEN NOTHING GETS BUILT JUST 'CAUSE IT'S NOT, UH, POSSIBLE.
UM, SO I THINK HAVING SOME OF THAT ANALYSIS WOULD BE HELPFUL IN THINKING THROUGH THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS.
UM, I'LL YOU BACK, DID, UM, COUNSELOR, UH, SPRINGER WHEELER, DID YOU HAVE A SPECIFIC, YOU WANT THEM TO RESPOND TO ANYTHING OR IT'S JUST A GENERAL COMMENT? JUST A GENERAL COMMENT.
UH, COUNCILOR ZUBY, THANK YOU, CHAIR MCGOVERN.
I HAVE A FEW QUESTIONS JUST TO WANNA BETTER UNDERSTAND, UM, THE HISTORY OF LOCAL BUSINESSES ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
SO ARE YOU ABLE TO WALK US THROUGH MAYBE HOW THE LOCAL BUSINESS ATMOSPHERE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET COULD, LIKE, COULD LOOK DIFFERENT HISTORICALLY? WHY? MY UNDERSTANDING IS SOME OF THE BUSINESSES THAT RUN ON CAMBRIDGE STREET ARE REALLY GROUNDED IN LIKE FAMILIAL RELATIONSHIPS.
AND I'M CURIOUS JUST TO HEAR MORE IF ABOUT THAT HISTORY AND HOW THAT'S INFORMING HOW YOU GUYS ARE VIEWING SOME OF THIS, UH, THROUGH YOU CHAIR.
UM, UH, I THINK JASON COULD PROBABLY GIVE YOU A FULL HISTORY OF CAMBRIDGE TREE RETAIL, BUT I'LL, I'LL TRY TO HELP WITH THAT.
SO, UH, CAMBRIDGE TREE, LIKE MANY OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY IS, UH, QUITE UNIQUE IN HOW RETAIL IS FORMED, BUT ESPECIALLY AS WE'VE HAD A STRONG PORTUGUESE, UM, IMMIGRANT COMMUNITY IN EAST CAMBRIDGE, A LOT OF THE BUSINESSES, ESPECIALLY OUR LEGACY LONG-TERM BUSINESSES ARE, UM, OWNED, UH, HAVE BEEN OWNED BY MANY PORTUGUESE FAMILIES ALONG CAMBRIDGE STREET.
THAT'S WHY YOU OFTEN SEE MANY OF OUR FISH MARKETS ALONG CAMBRIDGE STREET, UH, PORTUGUESE, UH, RESTAURANTS AND, UH, BAKERIES, UM, SO THAT A LOT OF THOSE, UH, PORTUGUESE FAMILIES HAVE HISTORICALLY ACTUALLY EVEN OWNED MANY OF THE BUILDINGS OR HAVE BEEN ABLE TO PURCHASE THE BUILDINGS.
UM, AND SO THAT'S WHY WE'VE SEEN A LOT OF LONG TERM, UH, LEGACY BUSINESSES AS WELL AS LIKE JUST LONG-TERM OWNERSHIP AND SOME OF THOSE MIXED USE.
UM, BUT OF COURSE, LIKE OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY, WE'VE SEEN, UH, NEW BUSINESSES POP UP.
UM, IF YOU THINK ABOUT C STREET FROM INMAN ALL THE WAY TO LECHMERE, UM, WE'VE SEEN REALLY INMAN BECOME KIND OF A LITTLE BIT OF A CRAFTING AREA, UM, UNIQUE, UH, IN, IN, UH, BUSINESS OWNERS WHO DO BOTH WHOLESALE AND RETAIL ARE COMING IN AND, UM, CREATING SPACES FOR THEM AS WELL AS OTHER PARTS OF CHEMISTRY.
UM, KIND OF, YOU SEE THAT OVERFLOW A LITTLE BIT INTO OTHER PARTS OF CHEMISTRY TO EVEN AS YOU GO BEYOND THE, UM, TRACKS.
AND THEN I THINK WE'RE SEEING, UH, THE OTHER, UM, CHANGES IN OUR IMMIGRANT POPULATION, IN OUR CULTURAL DIVERSITY AS YOU, UM, NEW RESTAURANTS ARE OPENING ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, UM, AND NEW COFFEE SHOPS AS WELL, MEETING THE DEMAND.
SO, UM, MIXTURE OF NEW AND OLD, I WOULD SAY.
WE EVEN HAVE BUSINESSES O LESS THAN A YEAR OPEN, AND THEN ALL THE WAY TO OVER 50 YEARS OF BEING, BEING IN BUSINESS COUNSELOR.
ZU, THANK YOU FOR GIVING ME A LITTLE MORE OF THAT CONTEXT.
I, I WOULD NEED SOME MORE TIME TO LIKE THINK THIS THROUGH, BUT IN, IN MY MIND, I AM, I'M HOLDING THE PIECE WHERE SOME OF THOSE LEGACY BUSINESSES, LIKE HOW ARE THEY GOING TO ENGAGE WITH CHANGES TO ZONING AND HOW DO WE MAKE SURE THAT WE KEEP SOME OF THOSE CULTURAL INSTITUTIONS, THOSE LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT HAVE MEANT SO MUCH TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS.
UM, AND I, I THINK TO A POINT THAT SOMEONE SAID IN PUBLIC COMMENT, YOU KNOW, EXPLORING WAYS ON RESTRICTING, RESTRICTING CHAINS, IF THERE IS AVENUES TO DO THAT, UM, JUST FOR THE SAKE OF MAINTAINING THE LOCAL FABRIC OF A NEIGHBORHOOD, I'D LOVE TO HEAR IF THERE ARE PATHWAYS OR OPPORTUNITIES FOR US TO DO THAT.
BUT I WOULD IMAGINE THAT WE WOULD BE A LITTLE RESTRICTED.
UM, BUT THROUGH YOU CHAIR, UM, SO, UH, WE, WE CAN, UM, THIS IS STATE LAW AND
[00:40:01]
OTHERS CAN CHIME IN ON THIS MORE, UM, WITH THEIR EXPERTISE, BUT WE'RE NOT ALLOWED TO REGULATE BASED ON OWNERSHIP, BUT BASED ON USE.UM, AND THERE HAVE BEEN WAYS THROUGH, AND I'LL LET ZONING TEAM, UH, TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT HOW WE'VE, UM, TRIED TO, UM, HELP WITH, UM, I GUESS THE FORMULA BUSINESS.
UH, I'M GONNA LET JEFF AND EVAN SPEAK MORE TO THIS, BUT, UH, I WILL JUST SAY WE CAN'T REGULATE, SO WE COULD BAN ALL COFFEE SHOPS, BUT WE CAN'T BAN ONLY STARBUCKS.
SO I THINK THAT THAT'S JUST SOMETHING WE HAVE TO TAKE INTO CONSIDERATION.
BUT I'LL LET, UM, EVAN AND JEFF SPEAK MORE TO WHAT WE HAVE DONE IN THE, SORRY, I WISH I HAD MORE CORD HERE.
UM, THE, UH, THROUGH THE CHAIR TO, TO COUNCIL ZUBIE, ONE OF THE, JUST TO KIND OF REITERATE WHAT PARTIES HAS SAY, THIS IS ONE OF THE MORE COMPLICATED ISSUES THAT WE DEAL WITH, PROBABLY FOR THE PAST 20 PLUS YEARS, WE'VE KIND OF HAD THAT QUESTION COME BACK TO US WITH LIKE, WELL, HOW CAN WE, HOW CAN WE USE ZONING TO HELP, YOU KNOW, THESE BUSINESSES, YOU KNOW, COMPETE AGAINST THOSE BUSINESSES? AND IT DOESN'T, DOESN'T REALLY WORK.
IT'S NOT REALLY WITHIN KIND OF THE PURVIEW OF ZONING.
'CAUSE ZONING IS, IS LAND USE REGULATION.
IT SAYS WHAT'S ALLOWED, WHAT'S NOT ALLOWED, UM, FROM A USE PERSPECTIVE AND, AND DOESN'T, UM, KIND OF, IT DOESN'T DEAL WITH, YOU KNOW, WHO OWNS THE BUSINESS OR HOW LONG THE BUSINESS HAS BEEN THERE OR ANYTHING.
UM, YOU KNOW, ONE, BECAUSE PARTIES MENTIONED IT, I'LL, I'LL, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT FORMULA BUSINESS REGULATIONS.
IT'S, I THINK ONE OF THE MORE MISUNDERSTOOD, UM, TOOLS THAT HAS BEEN APPLIED IN ZONING.
'CAUSE I THINK IT'S OFTEN SORT OF OVERSIMPLIFIED AS, YOU KNOW, RULES AGAINST CHAIN BUSINESSES.
BUT WHAT, WHAT IT REALLY IS, BECAUSE ZONING FROM A LEGAL PERSPECTIVE CAN'T REGULATE CHAIN BUSINESSES.
IT CAN'T, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, BECAUSE IT DOESN'T REGULATE BASED ON OWNERSHIP, UM, BUT BECAUSE IT CAN REGULATE, UM, DESIGN, UH, AND THINGS LIKE SIGNAGE, UM, THERE ARE SOME RULES THAT ARE IN PLACE IN, IN MANY COMMUNITIES THAT DEAL WITH, UM, RESTRICTING SIGNAGE THAT FOLLOWS A KIND OF FORM SIGNAGE OR OTHER DESIGN FEATURES THAT FOLLOW KIND OF A FORMULA PATTERN.
SO AN EXAMPLE THAT WHERE YOU OFTEN SEE THIS IS IN SORT OF HISTORIC, YOU KNOW, MAYBE TOURIST DRIVEN AREAS LIKE ON THE CAPE.
UM, YOU SEE REGULATIONS LIKE THIS WHERE, YOU KNOW, IF YOU HAVE A STARBUCKS FOR EXAMPLE, YOU KNOW, THE STARBUCKS CAN'T NECESSARILY USE THE STANDARD LIKE STARBUCKS SIGNAGE AND COLOR AND MAYBE IT HAS TO USE LIKE A MORE HISTORIC KIND OF AESTHETIC IN, IN TERMS OF ITS SIGNAGE AND DESIGN.
UM, SO THAT'S REALLY WHAT FORMULA BUSINESS REGULATIONS DO.
THEY SAY YOU CAN'T USE, IF, IF YOU ARE A BUSINESS THAT'S REQUIRED BY A, UM, BY SOME KIND OF A, A FRANCHISE AGREEMENT OR SOMETHING TO USE A STANDARDIZED, YOU KNOW, COLOR SCHEME OR LOGO SCHEME OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT, THEN IT, IT HAS TO ADHERE TO A, UM, TO A, A A DIFFERENT KIND OF AESTHETIC THAT'S MORE, MORE IN KEEPING WITH THE AREA.
AND WE HAVE FORMULA BUSINESS REGULATIONS, UM, IN CENTRAL SQUARE THEY APPLY SO THAT, UM, FORMULA BUSINESSES NEED TO GET A SPECIAL PERMIT FROM THE PLANNING BOARD.
WE'VE REVIEWED SOME, YOU KNOW, THE, THE JERSEY MICS THAT JUST OPENED HAD TO GO THROUGH THE PLANNING BOARD FOR SIGNAGE REVIEW.
AND IT CAN BE A, IT CAN IN SOME WAYS BE A, I THINK I'VE, I'VE FOUND IT CAN BE A HELPFUL OPPORTUNITY TO, UM, TO TAKE A LOOK AT, UH, HOW THOSE KINDS OF, UM, YOU KNOW, FORMULA BUSINESSES ARE BEING DESIGNED AND MAKING SURE THAT THEY'RE IN, IN CHARACTER AND KEEPING WITH THE, UM, WITH THE AREA.
BUT THEY REALLY DO FOCUS JUST ON DESIGN.
THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT REALLY A TOOL THAT WE COULD USE TO, TO KEEP CHAINS OUT.
IT WOULD JUST BE A, A WAY TO, TO REVIEW THOSE, THOSE AESTHETIC CHARACTERISTICS THROUGH YOU CHAIR, IF YOU'RE OKAY WITH THAT.
I HAVE ANOTHER QUESTION GO, BUT I'M HAPPY TO YIELD GO FOR IT.
UM, ON THE, THE TWO OPTIONS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET RECOMMENDATIONS, COULD YOU WALK US THROUGH HOW THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING REQUIREMENTS WOULD FIT INTO EITHER OPTIONS AND, AND MAYBE THE TRADE-OFFS THAT COULD POTENTIALLY HAPPEN? SURE.
I'LL, UH, JEFF ROBERTS AGAIN THROUGH THE CHAIR.
UH, THE, SO INCLUSIONARY REQUIREMENTS JUST TO KINDA LAY OUT THE, THE BASELINE, UM, APPLY TO JUST THE RESIDENTIAL PORTION OF A MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT.
SO IN, IN TERMS OF WHAT THE INCLUSION REQUIREMENTS DO, UM, IF THE RESIDENTIAL COMPONENT IS MORE THAN, UH, AT LEAST 10, 10 UNITS OR 10,000 SQUARE FEET, THAT TRIGGERS THE INCLUSIONARY REQUIREMENTS.
AND 20% OF THE NET FLOOR AREA IN THE BUILDING HAS TO BE DEDICATED TO, UM, UH, LOW TO MODERATE INCOME, UM, HOUSEHOLDS.
AND THERE'S THE INCOME QUALIFICATION AND THE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, PRICE RESTRICTIONS AND ALL OF THOSE, THOSE THINGS THAT APPLY TO, TO ENSURE THAT THAT'S THE CASE.
UM, SO THE, THE NON-RESIDENTIAL COMPONENT IS SORT OF CARVED OUT.
[00:45:01]
INTO THE EQUATION.UM, IT DOES, YOU KNOW, POTENTIALLY MAKE A DIFFERENCE BECAUSE IT, WHEN, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT, SAY, YOU KNOW, A FOUR STORY RESIDENTIAL BUILDING VERSUS A FOUR STORY BUILDING, WHERE THE GROUND STORY IS, IS AT LEAST PARTIALLY NOT RESIDENTIAL.
THAT MEANS ULTIMATELY IT'S LESS, LESS RESIDENTIAL.
YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST THE, YOU KNOW, THERE BECAUSE A PORTION OF THAT BUILDING IS, IS NON RESIDENTIAL.
SO THAT COULD MEAN, UM, WELL, IT'LL MEAN LESS, LESS HOUSING, LESS RESIDENTIAL USE IN GENERAL.
UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE IT'S A PERCENTAGE, IT WOULD BE LESS INCLUSIONARY.
IF IT TRIGGERS INCLUSIONARY, IT COULD MEAN THAT IT, YOU KNOW, IF THE PROJECT WOULD OTHERWISE BE, UM, YOU KNOW, MORE THAN 10,000 SQUARE FEET.
IF, IF THE, IF HAVING, YOU KNOW, COMMERCIAL USE OF THE GROUND FLOOR MEANS THE WHOLE PROJECT IS LESS THAN 10,000 SQUARE FEET, THAT COULD BE ANOTHER THING THAT IMPACTS THE APPLICABILITY OF, OF INCLUSIONARY.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT'S JUST HOW THE REGULATIONS WORK.
UM, THERE, THE, THE ACTIVE NON-RESIDENTIAL USE WOULD BE KIND OF SEPARATED OUT FROM THE RESIDENTIAL WHEN APPLYING, APPLYING THE INCLUSIONARY REQUIREMENTS.
THROUGH, THROUGH YOU, THROUGH YOUR CHAIR.
UM, SO JUST SO THAT I MAKE SURE I UNDERSTAND THIS, THE GROUND FLOOR PIECE WOULD NOT BE A PART OF THE EQUATION THAT WOULD COME INTO THE RESIDENTIAL AND INCLUSIONARY ZONING PIECE? THAT'S CORRECT.
UM, DEFINITELY ON UH, PASS OF THIS, I, THE, THE MASS HALF PIECE, UH, SEEMS A LITTLE MORE SELF-EXPLANATORY AND, UM, I, I REALLY APPRECIATE YOU ALL WALKING US THROUGH THIS AND IT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO BE ABLE TO TALK THROUGH THIS.
UM, THE, THE SECOND OPTION ON THE CAMBRIDGE STREET PIECE SEEMS LIKE A WAY THAT WE CAN ALSO GUARANTEE THAT SOME OF THE, THE NATURE OF OUR CAMBRIDGE STREET IN TERMS OF HOW WE CREATE ROOM FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES, UH, CAN HAPPEN.
AND IT ALL JUST KIND OF, IT'S USUALLY IN THESE CONVERSATIONS.
LIKE IT DEPENDS ON WHAT THE DEVELOPER WANTS TO BUILD AND THE OPPORTUNITY TO BE ABLE TO EXPLORE THAT PIECE THROUGH THIS OPTION, UM, I THINK COULD BE HELPFUL.
UM, I'LL YIELD FOR NOW, BUT I'M, YEAH.
UM, BEFORE I GO TO CONSULAR AZI, OUR SPEAKER IS, WAS ABLE TO GET ON MS. STEFAN, YOU WANNA S JEFFREY YOU HAVE THREE MINUTES, PLEASE GO AHEAD.
GO AHEAD MR. JAFFY, YOU MAY HAVE TWO DEVICES LOGGED INTO THE ZOOM.
IF YOU CAN MUTE ONE, THEN WE'RE GETTING FEEDBACK IN THE ROOM.
SO IF YOU CAN MUTE YOUR OTHER DEVICE OR JUST BE ON ONE, I WILL UNMUTE YOU AGAIN.
HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU HEAR ME? CAN YOU, YOU, ME, WE CAN HEAR YOU.
IS THEIR THEIR ECHO THOUGH? ECHO THOUGH THOUGH NOW, NOW I REALLY APOLOGIZE.
I'M ONLY LOGGED INTO MY COMPUTER OR NO OTHER DEVICE, WHICH IS STRANGE.
HELLO? HELLO? HELLO? HOLD ON ONE SECOND.
ALRIGHT, I REMOVED YOUR SECOND DEVICE.
TRY NOW IT'S GONE MR. CHAIR, PLEASE PROCEED.
WE'LL TRY AGAIN IF HE LOGS BACK IN.
UM, SO I AGREE WITH WHAT MUCH, UH, OF WHAT HAS BEEN SAID.
I THINK THAT LIKE, UM, UH, PUTTING A LOT OF PRESSURE TO MAKE SURE THAT THERE IS FIRST FLOOR RETAIL ON CAMBRIDGE STREET IS VERY IMPORTANT, RIGHT? WE ONLY HAVE A FEW BUSINESS DISTRICTS IN THE CITY AND IT WOULD BE SAD TO LOSE FIRST FLOOR RETAIL, UM, WHICH I THINK IT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
UM, AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT AS MUCH IS LIKE NORTHERN MASS AVE, WHERE IT'S VERY EASY TO DO.
SO I THINK THAT THE DIFFICULTY THAT WE'RE HAVING ON CAMBRIDGE STREET IS THAT, UM, EXACTLY WHAT COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER SAID, WHICH IS THAT WE BASICALLY DIDN'T MAKE A CHANGE TO CAMBRIDGE STREET, RIGHT? LIKE THE ZONING NOW IS THE SAME AS THE ZONING BEFORE WE PASSED ANY CHANGES.
AND SO IF WE NOW ADD AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT, CAMBRIDGE STREET WILL BE MORE RESTRICTIVE THAN THE REST OF THE CITY.
AND FUNDAMENTALLY THE PROBLEM IS THAT FIRST FLOOR RETAIL USUALLY IS NOT NET PROFITABLE.
AND SO, UM, WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS THAT BASICALLY IF WE MAKE CAMBRIDGE STREET MORE
[00:50:01]
RESTRICTIVE THAN LITERALLY THE WHOLE REST OF THE CITY, IS THAT YOU CAN JUST BUILD A SIX STORY BUILDING WITH HOUSING ONE BLOCK AWAY OR IN ANY OTHER PART OF THE CITY.AND IF IT'S LESS PROFITABLE TO DO ON THE CHEMISTRY, WE JUST WON'T GET ANY CONSTRUCTION ON ALL ON CONSTRUCT ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
AND SO IT KIND OF PUTS US IN THIS WEIRD PLACE WHERE I THINK BY REQUIRING FIRST FLOOR RETAIL, BUT NOT OFFERING ANY FORM OF DENSITY BONUS, WE'RE BASICALLY SAYING THAT ALL DEVELOPMENT SHOULD HAPPEN NOT ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, AT LEAST THAT'S THE WAY THAT I SEE IT.
AND SO IT KIND OF PUTS IT IN A DIFFICULT PLACE.
I FEEL LIKE I WAS LIKE VERY EXCITED FOR THIS CONVERSATION AND VERY, VERY SUPPORTIVE WHEN WE WERE GOING TO PASS CAMBRIDGE STREET A STORY IS BECAUSE IT WAS LIKE WE'RE GIVING ADDITIONAL HEIGHT, BUT WE ALSO HAVE ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS.
SO ON ONE HAND YOU'RE GIVING AN EXTRA INCENTIVE AND ON THE OTHER HAND YOU'RE ADDING EXTRA REQUIREMENTS, RIGHT? AND KIND OF LIKE, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SPIDER MANAGER WITH GREAT, UH, POWER COMES GREAT RESPONSIBILITY.
UM, AND SO I THINK THAT NOW THAT NOTHING HAS CHANGED, IT'S A HIGH OF A HARD TIME JUSTIFYING AN ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENT.
UM, AND, AND SO THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I AM AT.
AND SO MUCH SO THAT I WOULD SAY THAT LIKE, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF YOU TAKE THE FOUR STORY BASE AND THEN ADD THE TWO STORIES SUCH THAT YOU KNOW, IF YOU'RE BUILDING FIVE OR SIX STORIES, YOU HAVE TO BUILD FOUR STORE RETAIL.
I THINK THAT BASICALLY NO ONE WILL BUILD RETAIL IN THAT CASE EITHER, BECAUSE, UM, THE FUNDAMENTAL TRUTH OF IT IS LIKE FIRST FLOOR RETAIL DOESN'T NET ISN'T REALLY THAT PROFITABLE.
AND SO AT FOUR STORIES YOU'D HAVE HOUSING, WHICH IS DECENTLY, UM, PROFITABLE AT SOME SCALE AND YOU JUST START LOSING MONEY ONCE YOU GO TO THE SIX STORY.
'CAUSE YOU'LL MAKE A LITTLE BIT MORE MAYBE ON THE EXTRA UNITS OF HOUSING, BUT THEN YOU'D LOSE IT ON THE FIRST FLOOR RETAIL.
AND SO THE ECONOMICS OF THIS ARE JUST LIKE VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
AND I DON'T HAVE A GREAT ANSWER RIGHT NOW.
I FEEL LIKE BY DEFAULT I JUST FEEL LIKE WITHOUT ANY CHANGES, LIKE WE DIDN'T REALLY MAKE ANY CHANGES TO CAMBRIDGE STREET, SO WE SHOULD JUST STICK WITH THAT AND JUST NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO CAMBRIDGE TREE.
UH, COUNCIL COUNCILOR JUZI, UH, THANK YOU CHAIRMAN MCGOVERN.
UM, MY QUESTIONS ARE ECONOMIC ONES TO START WITH AND, AND THEY ARE, I THINK WHAT'S MADE CAMBRIDGE STREET SO SPECIAL IS THAT THERE ARE LONG TIME OWNERS WHO OWN THEIR BUILDINGS, RIGHT? SO THEY CAN CHARGE LOW RENTS THERE, IT'S TO SUP AND SUPPORT LEGACY BUSINESSES.
BUT, SO I GUESS THESE ARE QUESTIONS REALLY FOR DIRECTORS, UM, SOFT FREE.
UM, DO WE KNOW, LIKE I I JUST REMEMBER FROM CAMPAIGNING IN EAST CAMBRIDGE THERE WERE A LOT OF VERY OLD PEOPLE IN EAST CAMBRIDGE OR A LOT OF THE CURRENT LAND OWNERS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
ARE THEY OLD AND IS IT LIKELY THAT THEY'LL BE SELLING THEIR PROPERTIES IN THE NEXT DECADE? AND THEN I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND ALSO, UM, SORT OF GOING TO COUNCILOR EM'S ARGUMENT.
I WANTED TO UNDERSTAND, DO YOU UNDERST IS THE COST OF LAND ON CAMBRIDGE STREET OR NORTH MASS SOUTH, BUT LET'S FOCUS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET RIGHT NOW.
WOULD IT BE MORE OR LESS EXPENSIVE THAN LAND IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD? UH, BECAUSE WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT INCENTIVIZING DEVELOPMENT AND WHETHER YOU'RE GONNA DEVELOP A SIX STORY BUILDING ON CAMBRIDGE STREET OR IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE TO INCLUDE A LOSS LEADER RETAIL, UM, IT WOULD THE LAND BE CHEAPER OR WOULD IT BE MORE EXPENSIVE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET? AND THEN DOES IT, DO WE HAVE, UH, AGAIN, I LOVE THE RETAIL THAT'S AT CAMBRIDGE STREET.
NOW DO, AND I KNOW YOU DON'T HAVE A CRYSTAL BALL, BUT UH, DO YOU SEE A LONG-TERM MARKET FOR RETAIL ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET? HAVE THERE BEEN ANY ECONOMIC STUDIES THAT WOULD UM, SAY DEFINITIVELY, UH, YES, THERE'S A MARKET.
IF WE BUILD IT, THEY WILL COME.
SO MAYBE DIRECTORS FAR YOU TAKE THE, SOUNDS LIKE QUESTIONS ONE AND THREE ARE MORE, ARE MORE IN YOUR, YOUR AREA.
AND THEN MAYBE ASSISTANT MANAGER, PETER'S ON THE SECOND ONE.
UH, THANK YOU THROUGH YOU CHAIR.
UM, SO I WOULD SAY PROPERTIES, UM, THERE, LEMME TAKE A STEP BACK.
NOT ALL THE LEGACY BUSINESSES OWN THEIR PROPERTIES ON CAMBRIDGE STREET OR THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
UM, YES, MANY OF THEM COULD BE CONSIDERING SELLING IT.
[00:55:01]
YOU KNOW, PASSING IT ON TO YOUNGER, UH, FAMILY MEMBERS AS WELL.UM, WHICH WE'VE OBVIOUSLY SEEN THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
SO I CANNOT SAY FOR CERTAIN THAT WE'RE GONNA SEE A MASSIVE TURNOVER OF SELLING A PROPERTIES BECAUSE I'M NOT SURE WHAT FOLKS WILL BE DOING.
UM, IN REGARDS TO YOUR THIRD QUESTION, 'CAUSE I WILL SKIP WITH THE LAND PRICE QUESTION.
WE'RE SEEING, UH, QUICK TURNOVER.
UM, A LOT OF, UM, SPACES ARE BEING TURNED FROM MAYBE LIKE TRADITIONAL RETAIL TO, UM, FOOD.
AND I WILL SAY ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I THINK, UH, ESPECIALLY IN MEN SQUARE AND PARTS OF CAMBRIDGE STREET REALLY BENEFITED FROM DURING THE PANDEMIC IS THE RESIDENTS SURROUNDING THE STREET.
UM, WERE WORKING FROM HOME AND PEOPLE ARE STILL DOING THAT.
AND IN MEN AND PARTS OF CAMBRIDGE STREET ARE BECOMING THEIR KIND OF PLACES FOR LUNCH OR GATHERING.
UM, AND MAYBE IN SOME OF OUR, UH, COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS WHERE IT'S PRIMARILY BEEN COMMERCIAL USES, YOU DON'T, YOU DIDN'T SEE THAT AS MUCH.
SO I THINK CAMBRIDGE STREET HAS BENEFITED FROM, UH, SOME OF THOSE KIND OF SOC SOCIETAL CHANGES.
UM, AND CITY COUNCIL REZONED, ALL OF THE NEIGHBORHOODS SURROUNDING ALL OF OUR COMMERCIAL DISTRICTS.
SO HOPEFULLY AS MORE HOUSING IS BUILT, WE'LL SEE MORE ACTIVITY ON OUR COMMERCIAL CORRIDORS.
THANKS THROUGH YOU CHAIRMAN MCGOVERN.
UM, SO I WOULD SAY, YOU KNOW, LAND IS VALUED BASED ON WHAT YOU CAN BUILD ON THE SITE AND LOCATION.
I WOULD SAY UNDER CURRENT ZONING, CAMBRIDGE STREET AND NEIGHBORING RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS ARE PROBABLY VALUED PRETTY SIMILARLY.
I THINK PART OF THE CONVERSATION TODAY IS AS YOU ADD MORE REGULATIONS, UM, YOU COULD, UH, INHIBIT LESS ABILITY TO REDEVELOP, YOU CAN, UH, LOWER THE VALUE OF LAND AND THEREFORE THE LESS LIKELIHOOD FOR REDEVELOPMENT.
SO, BUT I THINK IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY 'CAUSE IT'S ALL PARCEL BY PARCEL AND THEN CERTAINLY WHAT A PARTICULAR DEVELOPER AND END PRODUCT THEY'RE TRYING TO SELL AND WHO THE END TARGET IS.
AND, UH, JUST ONE OTHER QUESTION THAT'S PART OF THOSE OTHER QUESTIONS IS, SO BUILDING ON COUNSELOR ZUBIE QUESTION.
SO IF YOU, UH, WERE GONNA BUILD, UH, HOUSING AND YOU WERE GONNA ADD THE TWO STORIES FOR INCLUSIONARY, WELL, WELL MAYBE TWO FLOORS AND, AND YOU HAD RETAIL, WOULD THAT BE AS OF RIGHT OR WOULD THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL PERMITS? SO IF YOU WERE GONNA GO TO SEVEN STORIES NOW, WHICH WOULD BE BASICALLY THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING, UH, WHAT'S ALLOWED, ALLOWED UNDER MULTIFAMILY HOUSING, BUT WITH THE REQUIRED RETAIL, WOULD THAT REQUIRE SPECIAL PERMITS THAT, UH, WOULD THAT BE OR NO? UH, THROUGH YOU CHAIR? SO THE SPECIAL PERMIT REQUIREMENT IS AT 75,000 SQUARE FEET.
SO GIVEN THE SIZE OF PARCELS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, THESE WOULD BE AS OF RIGHT.
UH, BUT CERTAINLY IF THEY GO ABOVE THAT THEY, AND THEY GO OVER THE 75,000 SQUARE FEET OF NEW GFA, THEN THEY WOULD REQUIRE A SPECIAL PERMIT.
UM, SO MY CONCERN, I WANNA KEEP THE RETAIL THAT SEEMS, UH, ESSENTIAL, BUT I, I GUESS, BUT WHAT I'M REALIZING IS THE NATURE OF THE RETAIL MAY BE CHANGING WITH TIME WITH DEVELOPMENT ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, AND I'M UNDERSTANDING, UM, COUNSELOR EM'S SORT OF COUNTERINTUITIVE ARGUMENT, WHICH IS THAT IF YOU REQUIRE RETAIL AT THREE STORIES RATHER THAN FOUR STORIES, HE MIGHT ACTUALLY, UM, WHAT YOU'RE, WHAT YOU MAY REALLY BE DOING IS ENCOURAGING MORE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS RATHER THAN ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE SORT OF SHARING EARLIER TOO.
IS THAT RIGHT? YEAH, I THINK, UM, IF, IF YOU WERE A RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPER, IT WOULD BE EASIER TO BUILD, SAY ON NOR NORFOLK STREET THAN IT WOULD BE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, AND IS THERE ANY WAY, I JUST HEARING FROM, UH, EAST CAMBRIDGE NEIGHBORS, THEY, THEY, I KNOW WE'RE NOT TALKING ABOUT OPEN SPACE TODAY, BUT THEY WERE TALKING ABOUT IF YOU'RE IN TRYING TO CREATE AN ENVIRONMENT THAT WILL ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO SHOP, YOU ALSO NEED TO CREATE OPEN SPACES, RIGHT? WHERE THEY CAN GO AND EAT THEIR QUA OR THEIR SANDWICH OR DRINK THEIR COFFEE.
AND IS IT, WOULD THERE BE, UM, ANYWAY, I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU ABOUT SO WAYS TO, ARE THERE WAYS THAT, SHOULD WE BE CONSIDERING INCENTIVIZING RETAIL VERSUS CONSIDER, UH, INCENTIVIZING OPEN SPACE AND ARE, IF WE'RE GOING TO, IF
[01:00:01]
THERE, ARE THERE WAYS THAT WE CAN BE INCENTIVIZING RETAIL THAT WOULD THEY NEED TO BE PART OF THIS ZONING, UH, REDRAFTING OR WOULD THEY NOT BE PART IF LIKE, SO PEOPLE HAVE RECOMMENDED TO INCENTIVIZE RETAIL, UM, AND LOCAL RETAIL, WE COULD GIVE, UM, PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR FIRST FLOOR RETAIL, NOT ADDITIONAL HEIGHT.WE COULD CONSIDER THE CREATION OF AFFORDABLE RETAIL UNITS, WHICH WOULD REGULATE RENTS, BUT PROVIDE PROPERTY TAX RELIEF TO THE OWNER.
WOULD THOSE THINGS BE PART OF THE ZONING OR WOULD THEY BE SOMETHING ELSE? YEAH, UH, GREAT QUESTION THROUGH YOU CHAIR.
SO, UM, THOSE CAN CANNOT BE PART OF ZONING AND AS JEFF AND PICE WERE EXPLAINING EARLIER, ZONING CAN ONLY REGULATE USE.
THOSE ARE CERTAINLY CONCERNS WE HAVE.
I THINK WE ALL SHARE THE GOAL OF PRESERVING THE UNIQUE LOCAL BUSINESSES THAT WE HAVE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, BUT I KINDA SEE THAT AS A SEPARATE SUITE OF TOOLS THAT WE SHOULD TALK ABOUT AND HAVE AN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE HEARING ON TO TALK ABOUT WHAT ARE THOSE TOOLS AND HOW WE CAN BETTER SUPPORT, UM, BUSINESSES STAYING IN PLACE, UH, SUCCESSION PLANNING, HOW DO THEY COME BACK TO A PLACE OR STAY IN THE DISTRICT? SO THERE'S CERTAINLY TOOLS WE CAN DO.
UNFORTUNATELY, ZONING IS NOT ONE OF THOSE.
BUT HAPPY TO CONTINUE THAT CONVERSATION OUTSIDE OF, UH, THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE.
I YIELD THANK YOU COUNCILOR FLAY.
I'M WONDERING, UM, YOU KNOW, AS WE HAVE THIS DISCUSSION, AND I GUESS WE'RE TRYING TO BALANCE THE INTEREST OF ACTIVE RETAIL USE VERSUS CONSTRUCTION OF MORE HOUSING WITH A SUBSET OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, HOW MUCH OF, UH, LIVABILITY AND, UM, USE SORT OF FROM A HUMAN PERSPECTIVE FACTORS IN TO THE DRAFTING AND THE ZONING REGULATIONS? UH, ABSOLUTELY.
WHEN WE DO A PLANNING STUDY THAT ENDS UP WITH, AGAIN, ZONING IS ONE SET OF TOOLS THAT'S USED TO, UH, ENABLE THE FULL VISION OF A PLANNING STUDY.
WE LOOK AT, UH, LIVABILITY, STREET SCAPE, UH, OPEN SPACE, WHAT IT FEELS LIKE TO WALK IN THE DISTRICT, UH, PATRONIZE SHOPS, MEET NEIGHBORS, UM, HAVE HOUSING, HAVE A DIVERSE COMMUNITY.
SO IT'S CERTAINLY, YOU KNOW, THIS IS ONE WAY THAT THOSE, UH, KIND OF COME TOGETHER AND, AND AGAIN, THERE'S NO, THERE'S NO RIGHT CHOICE.
IT'S JUST A BALANCE OF TRADE-OFFS.
I THINK AS WE'VE BEEN HEARING IN THE DISCUSSION, UM, IT'S REALLY A, YOU KNOW, WE WANT BOTH, WE WANT BOTH HOUSING AT THE MAXIMUM WITH THE AFFORDABLE UNITS THAT THAT PROVIDES.
AND WE WANT ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR SPACE.
AND I THINK THE CHALLENGE IS WHEN UM, YOU DON'T GIVE ADDITIONAL INCENTIVE IN THE FORM OF HEIGHT OR DEVELOPMENT CAPACITY, YOU END UP HAVING TO CHOOSE BETWEEN THE TWO.
AND SO LIKE ON MASS AVE, BECAUSE WE HAVE HIGHER HEIGHTS, WE'RE ABLE TO GET BOTH AND THAT'S GREAT.
I KNOW THERE ARE CERTAINLY PEOPLE WHO FEEL LIKE THERE ARE NEGATIVE IMPACTS TO THE HEIGHT.
AND, AND AGAIN, THOSE ARE TRADE OFFS AND WE ALL HAVE TO BALANCE WHAT IT IS THAT WE WANT TO GET OUT OF DEVELOPMENT.
UM, IN CAMBRIDGE STREET, BECAUSE IT'S AT SIX STORIES, THERE COULD BE, UM, DEVELOPERS WHO CHOOSE THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S TOO DIFFICULT TO DEVELOP WITH GROUND FLOOR SPACE, I'M NOT GONNA DEVELOP.
AND IF WE HAVE A REQUIREMENT THAT MEANS NO DEVELOPMENT.
AND IF WE DON'T HAVE A REQUIREMENT, THAT MEANS WE GET NO ACTIVE GROUND FOR USE.
AND SO AGAIN, BOTH, WE WANT THE DEVELOPMENT BECAUSE WE WANT ALL OF THE, THE HOUSING THAT COMES WITH THAT.
UM, BUT IF WE DON'T GET THE ACTIVE GROUND FOR USE, THAT'S, THAT'S THE TRADE OFF THAT WE'RE DISCUSSING.
AND I, AND I, I RECOGNIZE IT'S NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, A SLAM DUNK AND THERE ARE COMPLICATIONS.
I DO THINK THAT, UM, GIVEN CURRENT CONSTRUCTION TYPES, MOST DEVELOPMENT WILL DEVELOP TO SIX STORIES, WOOD FRAME CONSTRUCTION, UM, AND WE WOULD GET THE ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR SPACE.
I, I DON'T THINK THAT'S TRUE IN ALL FOR ALL PARCELS ALONG THE CORRIDOR.
SO YOU MIGHT GET SOMEWHERE, UM, PARTICULARLY IN PLACES ALONG CAMBRIDGE STREET THAT MIGHT NOT UM, GARNER AS MUCH RENTS IN OTHER PARTS, THAT THEY MIGHT DO AN ALL RESIDENTIAL BUILDING.
I THINK THE QUESTION FOR YOU ALL TO HELP WEIGH IS, IS THAT, IS THAT A, IS THAT A BAD OUTCOME OR IS THAT A GOOD OUTCOME OR AN OUTCOME WE CAN LIVE WITH? AND I, THE WAY I WOULD WOULD THINK WE SHOULD THINK ABOUT IT IS, ARE THERE PARTS OF CAMBRIDGE STREET SINCE THAT'S WHERE WE'RE MOSTLY TALKING ABOUT, AND WHERE IT'S ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL THAT WE NEED TO GUARANTEE THAT WE HAVE IT.
AND IS THAT INMAN SQUARE? IS THAT, YOU KNOW, PARTS, YOU KNOW, BY WEBSTER, WINDSOR
[01:05:01]
OR CLOSER TO LECHMERE? AND ARE THERE OTHER PARTS WHERE IT MIGHT BE OKAY THAT IT'S ALL RESIDENTIAL AND IN FACT, IF YOU WALK THE CORRIDOR TODAY, IT'S NOT ALL ACTIVE GROUND FOR USE.THERE ARE SOME, UM, ALL RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS, SOME ALL INSTITUTIONAL BUILDINGS, UM, AND, YOU KNOW, DEPENDING ON YOUR PERSPECTIVES, THAT CAN KIND OF PROVIDE A, A RESPITE FROM THE ACTIVE USE AND ALSO CREATE NODES THAT CONCENTRATES RETAIL TO MAKE IT EVEN MORE, UM, SUCCESSFUL.
SO I THINK THOSE ARE THE TYPES OF THE TRADE OFFS TO THINK OF.
I, UM, CERTAINLY, UM, IT'S NOT AN EASY DECISION AND THERE'S NO RIGHT DECISION.
SO JUST AS A FOLLOW UP, THE WAY THAT I THINK OF LIVABILITY, AND I APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONSE, THAT'S VERY THOUGHTFUL.
I THINK OF PEOPLE, AND I THINK OF THE CONSEQUENCES, THE DECISIONS WE MAKE HERE WILL HAVE IN PEOPLE'S LIVES.
AND I WAS THINKING ABOUT THIS LAST NIGHT 'CAUSE I HAPPENED TO BE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, AND I IMAGINED BOTH SIDES OF CAMBRIDGE STREET AS I WAS TRAVELING TOWARDS LECHMERE GOING TO 65 OR 75 FEET.
AND I THOUGHT OF THE LOSS OF SUNLIGHT, AND I THOUGHT OF THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED THERE.
AND THEN WHEN I GOT HOME, I THOUGHT EVEN MORE ABOUT IT.
AND I REMEMBERED KNOCKING DOORS IN EAST CAMBRIDGE DURING THE CAMPAIGN.
AND I GUESS I KNOCKED ENOUGH DOORS, BUT ON ONE DOOR I WAS, I MET A MAN WHO, UH, OWNED A PLUMBING STORE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET EAST CAMBRIDGE PLUMBING AND SUPPLY.
AND AS I WAS SPEAKING WITH THIS FELLA, I HAPPENED TO COME ACROSS A NOTE THAT WAS ON HIS DESK, AND I TOOK A PHOTOGRAPH OF IT.
SO I SEARCHED FOR IT LAST NIGHT BECAUSE I WANTED TO SHARE IT WITH ALL OF YOU, BECAUSE I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THE IMPACT OF PEOPLE'S LIVES WHEN WE HAVE ACTIVE RETAIL USE ON THE FIRST FLOOR.
UH, DEAR MIKE, I WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU'VE DONE FOR MY
I TOLD THE STORY IN MY OFFICE THE OTHER DAY, AND NO ONE COULD BELIEVE IT.
MY MOTHER, GOD REST HER SOUL, DECIDED SHE HATED THE POT OF GAS STOVE AND DECIDED TO HAVE IT TAKEN OUT.
SHE HAD NO IDEA WHAT WE WERE GONNA USE FOR HEAT.
SHE JUST DECIDED SHE HATED THAT STOVE.
WE WENT TWO WINTERS WITHOUT HEAT.
MY MOTHER AND I, EXCUSE ME, WOULD P**S HER PANTS LAUGHING.
I WOULD SAY THINGS LIKE, MA, WHERE'S MY HAT? I'M GOING TO BED.
WE LITERALLY PUT ON OUR WINTER COATS, HATS, AND GLOVES ON AND WOULD GO TO BED AND LAUGH LIKE HELL.
I WAS, I WAS IN MY YOUNG TWENTIES AT THE TIME WORKING IN THE COURTHOUSE.
I REMEMBER I GOT MY TAX CHECK THAT YEAR AND CALLED YOU AND SAID, I THINK I HAVE, I THINK IT WAS 800 BUCKS, WOULD YOU PUT IN A HEATING SYSTEM? AND I PROMISED TO PAY YOU $50 A MONTH.
I REMEMBER MY MOM AND I DANCING IN THE KITCHEN THAT NIGHT.
I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT ACT OF KINDNESS.
YOU WERE SUCH A CREDIT TO OUR COMMUNITY, ANGELA PERRY.
SO WHEN I THINK OF HOW WE IMPACT PEOPLE'S LIVES BY ELIMINATING ACTIVE RETAIL FRONTAGE IN AN AREA LIKE CAMBRIDGE STREET OF EACH CAMBRIDGE, IT'S SHOCKING TO ME.
IT, IT'S, IT'S SUCH A INTEGRAL, UH, PIECE OF THE FABRIC OF THAT COMMUNITY.
AND WHEN YOU'RE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET AND YOU SEE THE, THE, THE COMMUNITY THERE, UM, I I, AND I APPRECIATE WHAT VICE MEZE WAS SAYING ABOUT PROFITABILITY AND THE ECONOMIC FACTORS ASSOCIATED WITH DEVELOPMENT THERE AND THE NEED FOR HOUSING.
AND I THINK WE REALLY ARE TALKING ABOUT CREATING MARKET HOUSING, NOT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, UH, TWO VERY DIFFERENT THINGS.
AND I THINK WE HAVE TO KEEP IN MIND THAT IN THE WAKE OR JUST BEFORE WE UP ZONE THE ENTIRE CITY, WE SPENT $2.2 BILLION EXTENDING THE GREEN LINE INTO SOMERVILLE AND MEDFORD TO MAKE THOSE PLACES MORE ACCESSIBLE TO EAST CAMBRIDGE.
AND WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT ALL OF THIS, I THINK WE REALLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT ARE THE CONSEQUENCES OUR DECISIONS HAVE AND HOW WE IMPACTING THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN EAST CAMBRIDGE.
AND WHEN I THINK OF THAT, AND I READ ANGELA'S NOTE, WHO'S MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBOR FROM MANY YEARS AGO, AND I, I, I THINK OF MIKE WHO I MET THAT DAY.
UH, AND I THINK OF HOW SPECIAL EAST CAMBRIDGE IS.
I DON'T WANNA LOSE THAT IN CAMBRIDGE.
UH, AND YOU KNOW, I, I REALLY, I WONDER WHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF PROFITABLE THAT'S PROFITABLE TO ME? SO, UM, AS WE GO FORWARD IN THIS DISCUSSION, I WOULD LIKE EVERYONE TO THINK ABOUT THAT AND TO THINK ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE DECISIONS WE MAKE IN THIS CHAMBER AND HOW THEY IMPACT REAL PEOPLE'S LIVES.
AND IF WE'RE, IF WE'RE INTERESTED IN CREATING HOUSING, FOR WHOM ARE WE INTERESTED IN CREATING FAMILY FRIENDLY HOUSING SO WE CAN BE A SUSTAINABLE CITY WHERE FAMILIES ARE
[01:10:01]
LOCATED IN EAST CAMBRIDGE AND KIDS GO TO THE SCHOOLS AND WE BECOME A SUSTAINABLE, UM, THRIVING COMMUNITY, UH, THROUGHOUT THIS CITY.AND I THINK THAT APPLIES TO ALL OF THE ZOO ZONING DECISIONS THAT WERE MADE BEFORE I WAS A MEMBER OF THIS ESTEEMED BODY.
UH, AND, AND THE WAY THAT WE MAKE THE DECISIONS GOING FORWARD.
BECAUSE I THINK THAT IS PARAMOUNT.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO ME, AND I KNOW, UH, FROM MY CONVERSATIONS, AND I'M SURE ALL OF YOU IN THIS CHAMBER KNOW AS WELL FROM YOUR CONVERSATIONS WITH THE PEOPLE IN EAST CAMBRIDGE, THAT THAT IS THEIR HOME.
AND, AND, UH, IT, ANYTHING THAT WE DO THAT CAUSES THE FURTHER DISPLACEMENT OF THE MIDDLE CLASS, UH, IN EAST CAMBRIDGE OR ANYONE ELSE, ANYWHERE ELSE IN CAMBRIDGE, UH, REALLY FOR THE DISPLACEMENT AND FOR THE REPLACEMENT OF THOSE PEOPLE WITH, UH, THOSE OF GREATER MEANS.
UH, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I THINK IT'S, THE WORD IS AXI MATIC, THE PEOPLE WITH MORE MONEY WILL SPEND IT TO LIVE WHERE THEY WANT TO LIVE.
AND CAMBRIDGE IS A VERY DESIRABLE CITY.
AND TO THE EXTENT THAT WE MAKE THESE ZONING DECISIONS AND WE ARE THINKING ABOUT CREATING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, LET'S KEEP THAT AT THE FOREFRONT OF OUR DECISIONS AND FOR WHOM IS THAT FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING CREATED AND WHAT IS OUR ULTIMATE GOAL? IS IT TO BE A SUSTAINABLE, THRIVING CITY OF FAMILIES AND REAL NEIGHBORHOODS? AND THAT'S MY GOAL.
SO I WOULD ASK EVERYONE TO KEEP THAT IN MIND.
AND I APPRECIATE YOUR RESPONSE.
THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILOR NOLAN.
UM, I THINK WE ALL ARE KEEPING THAT IN MIND.
I THINK THE ISSUE HERE IS IT'S NOT CLEAR WHICH WAY FOR CAMBRIDGE STREET TO GO FORWARD, I'LL SAY ON THE MASS A, IT SEEMS LIKE A CLEAR RECOMMENDATION, RIGHT? I, I BELIEVE THROUGH YOU CHAIR MCGOVERN TO THE STAFF YOU ARE LOOKING TO HAVING THIS MEETING TO GET FEEDBACK FROM THE COUNCIL ON HOW TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO, AND IN THE SPIRIT OF THAT, IT SEEMS LIKE THE MASS HAVE RECOMMENDATIONS, UM, LIKE SUPPORT, IT MAKES SENSE THERE.
SO IF SOMEONE ON THE COUNCIL, YOU KNOW, WANTS CHANGE, THEN WE SHOULD SAY IT NOW.
BUT IF THERE'S NOT, THEN IT SEEMS LIKE THAT IS IN PLACE TO, TO MOVE FORWARD.
SO, UM, WE'LL SEE IF, IF THAT'S THE CASE.
BUT CERTAINLY FOR ME, IT SEEMS LIKE THE MASSIVE RECOMMENDATIONS MAKE SENSE FOR CAMBRIDGE STREET.
IT'S, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD BE DOING WHAT'S BEST FOR THE CITY.
I THINK WE WANNA INCENTIVIZE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
WE ALSO WANT TO HAVE ADDITIONAL DENSITY AND HOUSING ALONG THE CORRIDOR BECAUSE THAT ACTUALLY IS THE BEST THING FOR GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
UM, EITHER OF THESE OPTIONS IS BETTER THAN WHAT'S EXISTING BECAUSE IT REQUIRES SOME GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
SO THAT'S WHAT I'M JUST COMING BACK TO RIGHT NOW.
THERE'S NOT THE REQUIREMENT FOR GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, IS THAT CORRECT? I'M SEEING YES, NODS MAKE SURE.
SO AGAIN, THERE, THERE, THE TWO OPTIONS ARE SLIGHTLY DIFFERENT, BUT BOTH OF THEM WOULD LEAD TO MORE PRESUMABLY GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
THERE'S A CHANCE THAT SOME OF THE EXISTING WOULD BE REPLACED WITH HOUSING UNDER, UNDER SOME OF THEM.
BUT IN GENERAL, RIGHT NOW THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT FOR GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
THIS PROVIDES SOME INCENTIVE AND REQUIREMENT FOR GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, DEPENDING ON, UM, IT PARTICULARLY ABOVE FOUR STORIES OR ABOVE THREE STORIES.
I WILL SAY MOSTLY I WANT US TO DECIDE AND MOVE ON BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF OTHER THINGS ON OUR AGENDA.
I'M REALLY GLAD WE'RE HAVING THESE DISCUSSIONS AND WORKING ON THIS.
I'M VERY GLAD THAT WE DID COME TO THAT COMPROMISE ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
WE ARE NOW TALKING ABOUT ONE ADDITIONAL CHANGE TO CAMBRIDGE STREET.
BUT JUST TO REMIND US ALL, WE DID MOVE FORWARD WITH CHANGES ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, UH, AND THE WHOLE MASS AVE, WHICH THIS IS THE END OF A LONG PROCESS, INCLUDING MANY OF THESE ISSUES THAT WE ARE BEING DISCUSSED, WERE DISCUSSED IN ONE CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, AND SO WE NEED TO FIGURE OUT HOW IT IS THAT WE CAN BEST MOVE FORWARD.
I THINK WHAT I'D LIKE TO, TO KNOW AND JUST ELABORATE ON A LITTLE BIT, MAYBE THROUGH YOU, THE, THE CHAIR OF THE STAFF IS THIS ALONE ISN'T GONNA PRODUCE ANYTHING THERE.
THERE'S SO MANY OTHER FACTORS THAT ARE GONNA GO INTO BUILDING PARTICULARLY AND DEVELOPMENT IN PARTICULAR.
AND SMALL BUSINESSES WE KNOW ARE GETTING KILLED NOT ONLY BECAUSE OF SOME KIND OF ZONING, BUT WE HAVE THROUGHOUT THE CITY.
EVERYONE SAYS THEY TOTALLY LOVE THE LOCAL BUSINESSES AND THEN THE ORDERING FROM AMAZON.
AND THAT HAS KILLED MORE SMALL BUSINESSES IN THIS CITY, I THINK, THAN ANY OTHER THING THAT THE COUNCIL HAS ACTUALLY DONE OR THAT THE CITY HAS.
SO WHATEVER HAPPENS WITH THE ZONING, IF IT'S AN APPROPRIATE QUESTION, UM, THROUGH YOU CHAIR MCGOVERN TO SAY THERE'S A LOT OF OTHER THINGS WE COULD BE DOING TO INCENTIVIZING BUSINESSES.
IS THAT TRUE? AND WHATEVER WE PASS ON ZONING, I THINK I'M LEANING TOWARDS OPTION ONE BECAUSE IT SEEMS
[01:15:01]
SIMPLER AND CLEAR AND IN LINE WITH THE OTHER REST OF THE CITY, UM, TO MOVE FORWARD.THERE'S OTHER KINDS OF THINGS I BELIEVE THAT DIRECTOR, UM, UH, PARTIES TALKED ABOUT.
ANYTHING ELSE WE SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE PLANS THERE THAT MAY INFLUENCE THE ZONING DECISION ABOUT MAKING SURE THAT REGARDLESS OF THE ZONING, THERE ARE MANY OTHER THINGS THAT THE CITY IS PLANNING AND WORKING ON TO INCENTIVIZE SMALL BUSINESS? 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT I THINK ALL OF US ARE SAYING, WE REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE HAPPENS, UM, THROUGH YOU CHAIR, UM, AS FOLKS MAY KNOW.
WE, WE OBVIOUSLY HAVE OUR FINANCIAL AND EDUCATIONAL TRAINING PROGRAMS. WE'RE WORKING A LOT.
I KNOW ACTUALLY STAFF, UM, WE'RE, WE WERE DISCUSSING SOME THINGS ABOUT YOUTH ENTREPRENEURSHIP.
UM, OBVIOUSLY WE'RE WORKING ON SUCCESSION PLANNING EFFORTS, UM, AND MAKING SURE THAT, UH, AS BUSINESS OWNERS RETIRE, THEY ARE, UM, THINKING ABOUT EXIT STRATEGIES, WHETHER THAT'S EMPLOYEE OWNERSHIP OR SELLING THEIR BUSINESS OR, UM, A VARIETY OF THINGS.
UM, AND SO THOSE ARE A LOT OF OUR EDUCATIONAL AND FINANCIAL PROGRAMS ARE AVAILABLE.
UM, WE'RE ALSO THINKING ABOUT, UM, THE THINGS THAT, UH, MANY OF OUR, THE PUBLIC HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT AROUND ANTI DISPLACEMENT OR IF SOMEONE MOVES OR NEEDS TO MOVE, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UM, WE'RE TRYING TO BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT TOOLS ARE AVAILABLE TO US AND, UM, YOU KNOW, YEAH.
SO WE'RE LOOKING AT ALL OF THAT.
UM, SO I WOULD SAY YEAH, THE NON ZONING EFFORTS, WE, WE ARE CONTINUING TO WORK ON THOSE.
AND THROUGH YOU, WE HEARD FROM, UH, JASON OWLS IN THE ECBA WHO HAS A PREFERENCE FOR OPTION TWO ALSO HAS WORKED ON AND I THINK WANTS SOMETHING TO HAPPEN TO MOVE FORWARD.
IS THERE ANY OTHER INPUT THAT YOU'VE RECEIVED FROM EITHER THE WIDER COMMUNITY OR, OR OTHER BUSINESSES OR YEAH.
UM, THROUGH YOU CHAIR? UH, I MEAN, I THINK, UM, UH, I GUESS I'LL SAY TWO THINGS.
ONE IS, UH, YOU KNOW, JASON OBVIOUSLY GAVE HIS OPINION ON OPTIONS ONE AND TWO THAT ARE FOR YOUR CONSIDERATION.
UM, I THINK THE OTHER THING IS THROUGH OUR CAMBRIDGE STREET AND THE MASS APP STUDY, YOU KNOW, UM, AND AS MANY OF THE FOLKS IN PUBLIC COMMENT MENTIONED, UH, PEOPLE REALLY VALUE ACTIVE USES.
AND I WAS JUST, AS YOU KNOW, EVAN SHOWED ACTIVE USE COULD BE, YOU KNOW, THE DAYCARE, IT COULD BE YOUR GROCERY STORE, IT COULD BE YOUR CAFE, WHATEVER IT MAY BE, UM, OR YOUR DENTIST FOR THAT MATTER.
AND SO, UM, I THINK, UH, YOU KNOW, IT'S, I THINK IT'S, IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE THOSE.
I THINK I GET, I WILL SAY FROM OUR PERSPECTIVE, WE'RE REALLY EXCITED ABOUT THE MASS AVE EXPANSION.
UM, THAT'S A MA MAJOR COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR.
CAMBRIDGE STREET IS ALSO A MAJOR COMMERCIAL CORRIDOR THAT DOES NOT HAVE DIRECT, LIKE RED LINE ACCESS, FOR EXAMPLE, OR A GREEN LINE.
I MEAN, THERE IS LEACH MIRROR, BUT, UM, THAT'S, DEPENDING ON WHERE YOU ARE IN CAMBRIDGE STREET, IT MIGHT BE HARD TO GET TO.
UM, AND SO AS YOU'RE ALL, AS WE'RE BUILDING MORE HOUSING, UM, I THINK THERE'S GONNA BE A NEED FOR RETAIL.
AND I GUESS I WOULD JUST SAY PERSONALLY, I THINK, UM, IT'S HARDER TO GO BACK AND PUT RETAIL INTO BUILDINGS.
IT'S, UM, EASIER TO THINK ABOUT IT NOW.
AND IF THERE'S MORE HOUSING AND THERE'S MORE DEMAND, WE'RE GONNA SEE MORE.
YOU KNOW, THERE'S GONNA BE A NEED FOR RETAIL.
SO I GUESS I WOULD JUST SAY THAT PERSONALLY IS, IS YOU ALL ARE THINKING ABOUT YOUR OPTIONS AS, AS THE FUTURE OF CAMBRIDGE CHANGES.
UM, AND THERE'S DIFFERENT DEMANDS.
HOW ARE WE THINKING ABOUT WHAT THE NEEDS MAY BE IN FIVE TO 10 YEARS OR IN EVEN TWO TO FIVE YEARS? UM, YOU KNOW, NOW.
'CAUSE WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT THAT NOW IN THE REQUEST OF WHAT YOU WANT ON THE GROUND FLOOR.
AND AS YOU KNOW, AS WE MOVE FORWARD, ONE, MY CONCERN IS IF WE DON'T MAKE A DECISION SOON, RIGHT NOW, WE DON'T HAVE A REQUIREMENT AT ALL ON THIS CORRIDOR.
SO REGARDLESS OF EITHER OPTIONS, IF WE DON'T TAKE A DECISION TO MOVE FORWARD AND GIVE DIRECTION TO THE STAFF, THEN IT'LL BE JUST DELAYED A LITTLE BIT LONGER.
I KNOW IT MAY ONLY BE A COUPLE MONTHS, BUT STILL IT MAY BE IN THIS ERA, SOMETHING TO CONSIDER.
BEFORE I, I, I HAVE A LONG LIST OF THINGS AND IN TYPICAL FASHION, I'VE WRITTEN THEM ON 12 PIECES OF PAPER AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE THEY ARE.
UM, BUT MS. STEFAN, I BELIEVE WE HAVE THE TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES SQUARED AWAY.
UM, MR. JAFFY, SYED, UH, IF YOU CAN TRY ONE MORE TIME.
YOU'RE UNMUTED, PLEASE GO AHEAD, MA'AM.
CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN YOU HAVE THE FLOOR THREE MINUTES.
MY, MY DEEP APOLOGIES FOR THE TECHNICAL ISSUES.
UM, SO HONORABLE MAYOR IN, UH, CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL.
UH, MY NAME IS SAYA JOFFREY AND, UH, I'M THE DEVELOPER OF, UH, A SIX STORY 23 CONDOMINIUM BUILDING AT EIGHT WINTER STREET.
UH, AND MY COMMENTS ARE, UH, RELATED TO THE ORDINANCE 2 0 2 5 DASH
[01:20:01]
17.SO SINCE, UH, LAST YEAR, WE HAVE BUILT, UH, THE FOUNDATION AND ARE ALMOST DONE WITH THE FRAMING OF THIS BUILDING USING, UH, LIGHT GAUGE STEEL INSTEAD OF WOOD.
UH, TWO WEEKS AGO, I WAS, UH, INFORMED THAT OUR PROJECT HAS NOW MOVED, UH, FROM BA ZONING TO CAM SIX ZONING.
AND THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, OBVIOUSLY TODAY IS, UH, CONSIDERING FURTHER CHANGES THAT MIGHT REQUIRE US TO HAVE ACTIVE COMMERCIAL SPACE AT GROUND LEVEL.
OUR LOCATION IS AT THE INTERSECTION OF WINTER STREET, THIRD STREET AND O'BRIEN HIGHWAY.
IT IS SUCH A HIGH TRAFFIC BUSY CORNER WITH ALMOST NO PUBLIC PARKING AVAILABLE AT THIS STAGE OF OUR PROJECT.
IF WE HAVE TO MAKE STRUCTURAL CHANGES AND ADJUSTMENTS THAT CAN HAVE A DISASTROUS FINANCIAL IMPACT FOR US, I'M ALREADY MORE THAN $7 MILLION INTO THIS PROJECT AND I HAVE ANOTHER SEVEN TO GO.
AND THAT WILL BE A MASSIVE PROBLEM FOR US, THAT IF I, IF I HAVE TO GO AND NOW DISMANTLE AND BREAK DOWN WHAT WE HAVE ALREADY BUILT, THESE ZONING CHANGES HAVE ALREADY STALLED AND THREATENED TO HAL A PROJECT THAT THE CITY COUNTS AMONG THEIR ALREADY COMPLETED AFFORDABLE HOUSING STOCK.
AND, UM, WE NOW MAY HAVE TO SEEK A VARIANCE TO BUILD HOUSING AT THIS.
SO I WOULD APPRECIATE VERY MUCH YOUR CONSIDERATION ON MY COMMENTS, AND I THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
UM, I'M GONNA GO FOR A LITTLE BIT, UM, AND JUST SOME GENERAL COMMENTS AND THEN SOME MORE POINTED QUESTIONS.
UM, I ACTUALLY AGREE WITH COUNSELOR.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT COUNSELOR FLAHERTY SAID THAT THE PEOPLE, WHEN YOU SAID THE PEOPLE WITH, UH, MORE MONEY WILL LIVE WHERE THEY WANT, THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE NEED TO BUILD MORE HOUSING, BECAUSE WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW IS THAT THE PEOPLE WITH MORE MONEY ARE OUTBIDDING THE TEACHER, THE SOCIAL WORKER FOR THE LIMITED SUPPLY OF HOUSING WE HAVE.
SO YEAH, WE WANT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT THEM TO HAVE MORE OPPORTUNITY TO CHOOSE SOMETHING ELSE.
THEY'RE COMING, THEY'RE ALREADY HERE, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE ALREADY BUYING PEOPLE OUT AND PRICING PEOPLE OUT.
SO I, I JUST, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S TRUE.
I WOULD AGREE WITH THAT, BUT THAT'S ALSO WHY I SUP I SUPPORT ADDING MORE SUPPLY.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK A COUPLE OTHER THINGS, UM, IN THIS SORT OF GENERAL DISCUSSION, I MEAN, WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT HOW FOR-PROFIT DEVELOPERS ARE JUST MOTIVATED BY PROFIT.
I, I THINK THAT'S ALL THEY WANT IS PROFIT.
AND I WOULDN'T NECESSARILY DISAGREE WITH THAT.
UM, AND YET WE SAY, OH, WE'RE GONNA PUT THIS LAUNDRY LIST OF REQUIREMENTS ON THEM.
AND EVEN THOUGH IT'S GONNA MAKE THAT PROFIT, UH, THAT PROJECT NOT ONLY LE LESS PROFITABLE, BUT IS GOING TO MAKE THAT PROJECT MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE, THEY'RE GONNA DO IT ANYWAY, YOU KNOW? WELL, I DON'T KNOW HOW I, I MAKE SENSE OF THOSE TWO THINGS.
LIKE IF THEY, IF, IF WE MAKE THE, THE HARDER WE MAKE IT TO BUILD THINGS, AND THESE ARE ALL GREAT IDEAS.
I, I MEAN, YOU KNOW, NO ONE'S AGAINST GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, NO ONE'S AGAINST OPEN SPACE, NO ONE'S AGAINST.
I MEAN, WE COULD LIST, WE COULD LIST A MILLION THINGS THAT WE ALL WANT TO SEE IN DEVELOPMENT.
YOU KNOW, I, I MEAN, I LOOK AT OLD CONSTRUCTION, I LOVE MARBLE BUILDINGS, YOU KNOW,
YOU KNOW, YOU WOULDN'T GET ANY, I MEAN, WE CAN, WE CAN SIT AND WE CAN COME UP WITH A LAUNDRY LIST OF ALL THESE THINGS WE WANT, BUT WE HAVE TO UNDERSTAND THAT THE MORE YOU ADD TO THAT LIST, THE MORE EXPENSIVE THE PROJECT AND THE LESS LIKELY IT IS THAT YOU'RE GONNA GET THAT DONE, THAT YOU'RE GONNA SEE A PROJECT HAPPEN.
THAT'S, THAT'S THE ECONOMICS OF IT.
IT'S NOT, NOT SAYING I LIKE IT OR ANYTHING ELSE, BUT THAT, YOU KNOW, SO IT IS A QUESTION AS ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER, PETER SAYS, IT IS A QUESTION OF TRADE-OFFS.
IT IS A QUESTION OF PRIORITIES.
UM, YOU KNOW, IT IS A QUESTION, AND I, I WOULD CERTAINLY ASK THIS OF, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO WERE GONNA HAVE A NEIGHBORHOOD AND LONG-TERM PLANNING MEETING, YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE FOLKS WHO ARE CONCERNED ABOUT ALL THOSE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT COUNCILOR UZI LISTED OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO DO ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
NOW, WE, YOU COULD REQUIRE ALL OF THOSE THINGS.
IF YOUR ULTIMATE GOAL IS NOT TO SEE ANY DEVELOPMENT.
BUT IF YOUR GOAL IS TO ACTUALLY SEE DEVELOPMENT HAPPEN, YOU CAN'T HAVE EVERYTHING BECAUSE IT DOESN'T WORK.
AND SO WE HAVE TO MAKE TOUGH CHOICES.
[01:25:01]
YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT, UM, UH, YOU KNOW, ON THE ECONOMICS AND IN TERMS OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD, I, I, YOU KNOW, I, I, I THINK LOCAL PEOPLE SHOP LOCALLY FOR THE MOST PART.I, YOU KNOW, AND, BUT I AGREE WITH COUNCILOR NOLAN AND HOW DO WE SUPPORT, HOW DO WE SUPPORT IT WITH OUR DOLLARS, RIGHT? I, I, I, WHEN I WAS MAYOR AND RYS WAS CLOSING, RIGHT? AND BEING SOLD THE, YOU KNOW, THE JAZZ CLUB, I HAD A COUPLE COME IN TO SEE ME AND SAID, YOU HAVE TO STOP THIS SALE.
AND I SAID, WELL, IT'S A PRIVATE SALE.
UM, AND THE, I WENT AND TALKED TO THE OWNER OF RYLES AND I SAID, YOU KNOW, WHY ARE YOU SELLING? WHAT'S GOING ON? HE WAS LOSING ABOUT EIGHT TO $10,000 A MONTH.
AND WHEN I ASKED THIS COUPLE, WOW, LIKE THIS, YOU ARE LIKE, YOU CAME ALL THE WAY IN HERE TO LIKE ADVOCATE FOR RYLES.
LIKE, YOU MUST, YOU MUST LOVE IT.
HE SAID, YEAH, WE GO ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR.
I, OKAY, SO THIS GUY IS LOSING $10,000 A MONTH BECAUSE YOU GO ONCE OR TWICE A YEAR TO SPEND A HUNDRED BUCKS ON A COUPLE BEERS AND WINGS, RIGHT? THAT'S NOT SUPPORTING LOCAL BUSINESSES.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, AND I APPRECIATE, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, BERYL WHO SAID THAT SHE CHOPS AT THESE, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, THAT'S GREAT.
THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE TO DO, AND WE HAVE TO DO MORE OF THAT.
UM, BUT LOCAL PEOPLE DO THAT, RIGHT? I MEAN, I THINK OF A'S TOO, TWO, YOU KNOW, NOBODY'S, THERE'S 12 PIZZA PLACES BETWEEN NORTH CAMBRIDGE AND ARAS, AND I DOUBT THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE FROM NORTH CAMBRIDGE THAT ARE DRIVING TO ARAS TO GET A PIZZA.
UM, CERTAINLY NOBODY FROM OUT OF TOWN, VERY FEW, BUT LOCAL PEOPLE WILL, RIGHT? AND SO ADDING MORE HOUSING TO EAST CAMBRIDGE OR TO ANY NEIGHBORHOOD IS BETTER FOR LOCAL BUSINESSES.
UM, SO, UH, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER THING WE HAVE TO REMEMBER IS THAT THE ZONING, JUST ZONING JUST TELLS PEOPLE WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO, RIGHT? AND WE HAVE A LOT OF, WE'VE HAD MANY EXAMPLES IN CAMBRIDGE WHERE WE HAVE REQUIRED RETAIL.
AND, AND THIS IS ANOTHER THING, WE KEEP SAYING RETAIL, WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ACTIVE USE, RIGHT? AND THAT'S NOT, WHEN I THINK RETAIL, I THINK OF, YOU KNOW, YOU GO IN AND A CONVENIENCE STORE OR A, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER, WE'RE TALKING ACTIVE USE.
SO THAT COULD BE COMMUNITY SPACE, RIGHT? THAT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, OTHER THINGS THAT THAT, THAT WE WANT TO SEE BESIDES WHAT WE THINK OF AS TRADITIONAL RETAIL.
BUT WE HAVE HAD SITUATIONS WHERE WE, WE HAVE REQUIRED THAT, AND THOSE PLACES HAVE STAYED EMPTY FOR YEARS AND YEARS BECAUSE YOU CAN REQUIRE RETAIL OR ACTIVE SPACE.
SOMEBODY HAS TO WANNA RUN THAT DRY CLEANER.
SOMEBODY HAS TO WANT TO OPEN THAT CONVENIENCE STORE.
SOMEBODY WANTS TO, HAS TO OPEN THAT BAGEL SHOP.
SO WE CAN REQUIRE THIS, AND WE CAN SAY TO A DEVELOPER, YOU HAVE TO DO THIS.
AND EVEN IF THEY DO DO IT, THERE IS NO GUARANTEE THAT THAT SPACE IS GONNA GET FILLED, RIGHT? SO, UM, YOU KNOW, IT JUST, IT'S ANOTHER, ANOTHER SORT OF PIECE OF THIS, RIGHT? IT DOESN'T, THE ZONING DOESN'T REQUIRE THAT ANY OF THIS IS ACTUALLY GONNA HAPPEN.
AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT IF THAT'S WHAT WE WANT TO HAVE HAPPEN, HOW DO WE MAKE IT POSSIBLE FOR THAT TO HAPPEN? AND THAT'S WHERE SOME OF THOSE INCENTIVES COME IN.
SO, YOU KNOW, COULD WE REQUIRE, IF WE'RE GONNA REQUIRE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, DO WE NEED TO RE-LOOK AT THE HEIGHTS, RIGHT? AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, MAYBE SIX STORIES WITH A REQUIREMENT OF GROUND FLOOR RETAIL ISN'T GONNA WORK.
UM, MAYBE WE HAVE TO GO BACK TO THE EIGHT IF WE REQUIRE GROUND FULL OF RETAIL, UM, TO MAKE THAT ECONOMICS WORK BETTER.
UM, YOU KNOW, WHEN I THINK OF THE CHARACTER OF CAMBRIDGE STREET AND THE BUSINESSES OF CAMBRIDGE STREET, YOU KNOW, THOSE BUSINESSES ARE BUILT RIGHT UP TO THE LOT LINE, RIGHT? THERE'S NO, THERE, THERE'S NO SETBACKS, THERE'S NO, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT OPEN SPACE IN FRONT OF THOSE BUSINESSES, MOST OF THEM.
UM, YOU KNOW, SO THE MORE AND MORE WE REQUIRE, THE MORE AND MORE DIFFICULT WE'RE GOING TO, IT'S GONNA MAKE IT TO SEE DEVELOPMENT.
AND THAT'S GREAT IF YOU DON'T WANNA SEE DEVELOPMENT, RIGHT? MAKE THE LIST 50 THINGS.
I WANT TO SEE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
AND SO I WANT TO FIGURE OUT HOW DO WE BALANCE, YOU KNOW, THE, THE THINGS THAT WE VALUE AND PRIORITIZE THOSE THINGS THAT WE VALUE.
AND WE MIGHT HAVE TO MAKE SOME TOUGH CHOICES AROUND THAT TOO, BUT ALSO NOT PUT SO MANY REQUIREMENTS IN PLACE THAT IT LEADS TO NOTHING HAPPENING.
SO I GUESS, YOU KNOW, I GUESS A SORT OF A, A SIDE QUESTION, UM, THAT WAS MENTIONED WHEN YOU MENTIONED THE, THE DEFINITION OF ACTIVE USE, AND YOU SAID BANKS AND LABS ARE NOT, I CAN SORT OF SEE MAYBE WHY A LAB ISN'T, BUT WHAT, HOW DO WE DEFINE LIKE WHY? I MEAN, A BANK ISN'T ACTIVE, IT'S AS ACTIVE AS AN INSURANCE COMPANY, RIGHT? PEOPLE COME IN AND OUT, THEY DO THEIR BUSINESS, YOU KNOW, WHY, WHY ARE CERTAIN THINGS? HOW, HOW DID THAT DEFINITION COME ABOUT? YEAH, THANK
[01:30:01]
YOU.I'LL, I'LL TRY TO ANSWER THAT.
UM, I, AND NOT THAT I LOVE SEEING A BUNCH OF BANKS EITHER, I'M JUST CURIOUS AS TO HOW WE DREW THAT LINE BETWEEN, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IS, WHAT FALLS INTO THAT CATEGORY AND WHAT DOESN'T.
I WOULD SAY SPECIFICALLY WITH BANKS, THEY'RE, THEY'RE PROBABLY NOT AS ACTIVE ANYMORE AS, AS YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD THINK.
AND THAT'S SORT OF WHAT WE SEE IN A LOT OF PLACES WHERE THEY DON'T ACTUALLY HAVE THE, THE STREET PRESENCE THAT MAYBE THEY, THEY HAVE, UM, HISTORICALLY.
SO, UM, SO THAT'S WHY THEY'RE, THEY'RE NOT REALLY INCLUDED IN THIS.
AND TO THE CHAIR, I CAN JUST, JUST TO KIND OF SUPPLEMENT THAT, I THINK THE MANY ON THE COUNCIL ARE, ARE FAMILIAR WITH CONVERSATIONS WE'VE HAD ABOUT BANKS SORT OF O OVER AND OVER WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT ISSUE THAT, YOU KNOW, BANKS ARE AS BEING A FAIRLY UNIQUE USE WHERE THEY DO HAVE SOME RETAIL FUNCTION, BUT THEY ALSO, YOU KNOW, THE, THE, THE ACTUAL ACTIVITY IN FOOT TRAFFIC OFTEN TENDS TO BE LOW COMPARED TO THE AMOUNT OF FRONTAGE AND SPACE THAT THEY TEND TO OCCUPY.
THEY ALSO TEND TO BE SOME OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE HIGHER RENT PAYING, UM, TYPES OF BUSINESSES THAT CAN POTENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, INCREASE EXPECTATIONS FOR, FOR RENTS, WHICH CAN BE, CAN BE, MAKE IT A BIT CHALLENGING FOR OTHER TYPES OF BUSINESSES THAT WANT, MIGHT WANT TO COMPETE FOR THAT SPACE.
UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE'S A, A BUNCH OF REASONS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE THEN IT MADE SENSE FOR BANKS TO BE IN A DIFFERENT CATEGORY.
WE CERTAINLY COULD THINK ABOUT DIFFERENT WAYS TO APPROACH IT.
AND, AND WE'VE, WE'VE OFTEN HEARD FROM, UM, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO ARE LOOKING AT LEASING RETAIL SPACE TO SAY, WELL, SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, LEASING TO A BANK CAN HELP BECAUSE IT CAN, YOU KNOW, OFFSET SOME OF THE EXPECTATIONS OF RENTS FOR OTHER PARTS OF THE BUILDING.
UM, SO, YOU KNOW, WE COULD EXPLORE OPTIONS THAT, YOU KNOW, THAT MAYBE WOULD, WOULD ALLOW BANKS, AND IN FACT, THE, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S IN THE ZONING NOW WOULD ALLOW BANKS, YOU JUST WOULD HAVE TO HAVE, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD HAVE UP TO 40% FOR THE BANK AND UP TO SIX 60% FOR ANOTHER TYPE OF ACTIVE USE.
SO THAT'S PART OF THE STRATEGY OF TRYING TO KEEP SOME FLEXIBILITY BUILT INTO THE ZONING.
WE'RE NOT NECESSARILY BANNING BANKS, AND I'M NOT SUGGESTING YOU SHOULD GO BACK AND LOOK AT IT AND CHANGE IT.
I'M NOT, I'M JUST, I WAS JUST CURIOUS AS TO, YOU KNOW, HOW THAT, HOW THOSE DECISIONS WERE MADE AND THAT MAYBE THAT'S A SIDE POINT.
UM, SO I GUESS, UM, MS. PETERS, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU'RE THE EXPERT.
YOU'RE, YOU'RE THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT.
UM, YOU KNOW, ARE THERE OTHER INS, ARE THERE THINGS THAT WE COULD DO IF, IF WE WANTED TO GO WITH THE MORE RESTRICTIVE OPTION, ARE THERE THINGS THAT WE COULD DO THAT WOULD MORE LIKELY INCENTIVIZE THOSE PROJECTS TO HAPPEN? RIGHT.
IF WE DON'T THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE DON'T THINK THAT, UM, WE'RE GONNA SEE A LOT OF DEVELOPMENT IF WE, IF WE, YOU KNOW, IF WE REQUIRE IT ON, ON, UM, WITH THE, WITH THOSE HEIGHTS, YOU KNOW, IS, IS, IS IS OFFERING MORE HEIGHTS SOMETHING WE THAT COULD HELP WITH THAT IS OFFERING, I DON'T THINK WE CAN DO THE TAX THING.
I MEAN, THAT'S SORT OF, MOST OF THE TAX ISSUES ARE BEYOND OUR CONTROL.
UM, SO I'M NOT SURE WE WOULD GET PERMISSION TO GIVE SOMEONE A TAX BREAK.
AND I THINK WE'VE ALREADY TALKED ABOUT HOW, I'M NOT SURE LEGALLY WE COULD DO THAT ANYWAY.
UM, I MEAN, WHAT, WHAT IS YOUR BUILDING HOUSING IS CONSISTENTLY THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE BROUGHT UP IN THE CITY ON OUR CITY SURVEY.
I DON'T, IT'S NOT ME BRINGING IT UP AND TO, TO BALANCE WHAT WE'RE HEARING AND CONCERN AROUND.
CAN WE REQUIRE THAT IF YOU, IF YOU'RE REBUILDING A, IF YOU'RE RENOVATING OR REBUILDING A BUILDING THAT HAD GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, CAN WE REQUIRE THAT YOU HAVE TO PUT GROUND FLOOR RETAIL BACK IN TO THOSE BUILDINGS TO AT LEAST PRESERVE THE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL THAT WE HAVE AND, YOU KNOW, IT WILL BE DIFFERENT PLACES, RIGHT? UM, AND, AND SO IS, IS THAT AN OPTION, RIGHT? IS THAT SORT OF A WAY TO SAY, OKAY, WELL, YOU KNOW, MAYBE YOU DON'T GET IT IN PLACES THAT DON'T ALREADY HAVE IT, YOU MIGHT, UM, BUT AT LEAST WE'RE PROTECTING WHAT'S ALREADY THERE.
IS THAT FEASIBLE? YEAH, AND WE'VE, WE'VE CERTAINLY DISCUSSED THAT, UH, TO YOU CHAIR.
I, I THINK IT'S, THAT'S MORE COMPLICATED A STRATEGY AND, AND JEFF CAN GO INTO MORE OF THE DETAILS, BUT ESSENTIALLY WHEN YOU DO ZONING, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A, A UNIFORM APPROACH FOR THE DISTRICT.
AND BY JUST CALLING OUT, UM, BY REFERENCING CURRENT CONDITIONS, IT MAKES, UH, UH, THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE ZONING AND COMPLIANCE
[01:35:01]
MORE COMPLICATED.SO IT'S SOMETHING WE DON'T RECOMMEND.
UM, I DUNNO, JEFF, IF YOU WANNA TALK, AND JUST WHILE YOU'RE THINKING OF THAT, JEFF, I MEAN, BUT WE DO HAVE, I MEAN, JUST EVEN ON MASS AVE, WE HAVE DISTRICTS THAT REQUIRE ON NORTHERN MASS AVE, WE JUST SAW THE DISTRICTS THAT REQUIRE CERTAIN HEIGHTS AND CERTAIN THINGS, AND THEN OTHER FURTHER DOWN THE STREET, IT'S SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
SO IT'S NOT LIKE WE DON'T HAVE DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS, CO COR CORRECT.
WE CAN DO DIFFERENT REQUIREMENTS, BUT IT'S MORE, UM, AWKWARD FROM A JUMPING PARCEL TO PARCEL NEXT DOOR.
YOU DON'T HAVE A CURRENT, IT'S ALL RESIDENTIAL, SO THAT COULD STAY ALL RESIDENTIAL, BUT THE BUILDING NEXT DOOR HAS AN OLD TRAVEL INSURANCE COMPANY, SO THAT IS REQUIRED TO DO IT.
IT, SO I, I DO THINK ONE OF THE STRATEGIES WE CAN THINK ABOUT ARE MORE OF A, A NODES APPROACH.
SO LOOKING AT AREAS WHERE WE ABSOLUTELY DO WANNA KEEP THAT CLUSTER OF ACTIVE USES, UM, VERSUS OTHERS WHERE THERE'S MORE RESIDENTIAL CHARACTER COULD WORK.
AND I KNOW CAMBRIDGE STREET IS VERY UNIQUE AND IT'S PROBABLY THE MOST UNIQUE AND, UM, CHERISHED COMMERCIAL DISTRICT, UM, FOR ITS UNIQUE IDENTITY.
BUT I, I, AND, AND SO IT'S REALLY HARD AND WE'VE ACTUALLY DONE THIS ANALYSIS WHERE WE KIND OF TRIED TO SAY, WHERE COULD WE DRAW THAT LINE? AND THERE'S NO PERFECT SOLUTION.
I THINK THERE ARE OPTIONS, BUT THAT IS SOMETHING WE CAN DO THAT AGAIN, IT WON'T BE PERFECT BASED ON A REVIEW OF CURRENT CONDITIONS, UM, WHAT THAT WOULD MEAN FOR NONCONFORMITIES AND, AND FUTURE GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT AND ADJACENCIES TO COMMUTER RAILS.
WE CERTAINLY CAN DO THAT PLANNING SETTING.
AND I THINK THERE ARE IMPERFECT SOLUTIONS AND WE'RE HAPPY TO BRING THAT FORWARD.
SO THAT WOULD BE ONE APPROACH WHERE WE COULD SAY, THESE NODES WERE MORE RESTRICTIVE, THESE OTHER NODES WERE LESS RESTRICTIVE.
I THINK THERE'S BE SOME PEOPLE WHO THINK THE WHOLE THING SHOULD BE MORE RESTRICTIVE, SO IT'S NOT GONNA PLEASE EVERYONE, BUT THAT IS A PATH FORWARD.
UM, TO YOUR OTHER POINT ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO TO INCENTIVIZE THE BUILD THIS BUILDING THAT WE WANT, UM, I THINK IT'S, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LEGAL COMPLICATIONS ON THE TAX SIDE FOR ABATEMENTS.
THERE'S, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S COMPLICATED LIKE WE'VE TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, COULD YOU DO MORE OF A, UM, OF, OF HOW CAN YOU GET AFFORDABLE COMMERCIAL SPACES? AGAIN, LEGAL COMPLICATIONS, HAPPY TO TALK THROUGH THOSE ISSUES WITH OUR LAW DEPARTMENT AND THE COUNCIL.
SO THERE ARE DEFINITELY THINGS THAT WE'D LOVE TO LOOK AT, BUT I THINK FUNDAMENTALLY IT'S, ARE THESE PROJECTS FINANCIALLY VIABLE? AND, UM, IF THEY'RE NOT FINANCIALLY VIABLE, THEY WON'T MOVE FORWARD.
UM, IF IF THEY ARE, THEY WILL.
AND I THINK IT'S, THAT ANSWER IS GONNA BE DIFFERENT ON DIFFERENT SITES WHERE SOME PEOPLE ARE GONNA BE ABLE TO MAKE SIX STORIES WITH GROUND FLOOR ACTIVE USE WORK, OTHERS ARE NOT.
UM, YOU KNOW, THAT I THINK IS BECOME EVIDENT IN THIS DISCUSSION IS THAT THE ADDITIONAL HELP PROVIDES THAT SUBSIDY TO CROSS-SUBSIDIZE, UH, OTHER USES AND PUBLIC BENEFITS.
AND SO WHEN YOU LIMIT THAT, YOU, YOU START TO HAVE THESE HARDER CONVERSATIONS AROUND TRADE-OFFS.
UM, I MEAN, I CERTAINLY THINK, AND IT MAY BE COMPLICATED, BUT YOU KNOW, I, I THINK IF WE CAN'T, UM, YOU KNOW, E EVEN IF WE, EVEN IF WE DON'T MAKE IT A REQUIREMENT, I DON'T THINK PEOPLE WANNA LOSE AT THE, AT THE VERY LEAST, IF PEOPLE DON'T WANT TO LOSE WHAT'S THERE, RIGHT? IT'D BE GREAT.
I MEAN, MR. ALS AND I MET THE OTHER DAY, WE TALKED ABOUT, I, I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A LOT OF RETAIL AND A LOT OF BARS AND RESTAURANTS, LIKE ALL ALONG CAMBRIDGE STREET, THE WHOLE WAY.
I MEAN, YOU KNOW ME, I'M LIKE, LIGHT UP CENTRAL SQUARE, LET'S GO, LET'S HAVE A PARTY, LET'S MAKE SOME NOISE.
LIKE I, I WANNA SEE OUR SQUARES BE BE VIBRANT.
UM, I DON'T SEE CAMBRIDGE AS A SMALL LITTLE, YOU KNOW, TOWN.
AND I WOULD LOVE THAT FOR CAMBRIDGE STREET TOO.
DO I WANT IT AT THE EXPENSE OF BUILDING MORE HOUSING? I, YOU KNOW, THAT'S THE QUESTION.
BUT I CERTAINLY DON'T WANT TO, I DON'T WANNA LOSE, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO TRY TO AT LEAST PROTECT WHAT'S, YOU KNOW, WHAT'S THERE.
SO THAT MAY BE SOMETHING WE WANNA, YOU KNOW, WE WANT TO THINK ABOUT A LITTLE, A LITTLE MORE.
BUT, UM, SO I MEAN, BASICALLY IS YOUR POSITION, CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, IS THAT, UM, YOU KNOW OF AND AS CLEAR AS YOU CAN BE THAT, YOU KNOW, IF THE GOAL IS TO SEE MORE HOUSING CONSTRUCTION, WHICH ONE OF THESE OPTIONS ARE MORE LIKELY TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN? AND I KNOW IT'S, THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT FACTORS AND EVERY SITE IS DIFFERENT AND WE CAN, YOU KNOW, NOBODY WANTS TO BE ON THE RECORD AS SAYING THIS IS DEFINITE BECAUSE THERE'S ALWAYS SOMETHING DIFFERENT THAT HAPPENS, BUT YOU KNOW, IS GOING MORE RESTRICTIVE GOING, I MEAN, JUST BY THE NATURE OF THE WORD RESTRICTIVE, I ASSUME THAT'S GONNA MEAN THAT IT'S GONNA MAKE THINGS A LITTLE MORE DIFFICULT.
[01:40:01]
YOU KNOW, IF THE GOAL IS TO BUILD MORE HOUSING, WHICH ONE WOULD YOU RECOMMEND TO US? SO IF THE GOAL IS TO BUILD MORE HOUSING, THEN I WOULD RECOMMEND OPTION ONE, THE LESS RESTRICTIVE.IF THE GOAL IS TO GUARANTEE, UH, AND PRESERVE GROUND FLOOR ACTIVE SPACE, I'D GO WITH OPTION TWO.
AND WHICH DO YOU THINK WOULD, I MEAN, I WOULD LOVE TO GUARANTEE ACTIVE USE ON THE FIRST FLOOR IF IT MEANT THAT WE WOULD SEE DEVELOPMENT.
WHICH ONE DO YOU THINK WOULD MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT? SO IT WOULD BE, WOULD, WOULD MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT? WOULD THAT MAKE, WOULD OPTION TWO MAKE IT MORE DIFFICULT TO SEE THAT HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND MAYBE GET AND MAYBE GET NOTHING? THAT'S CORRECT.
UH, I THINK COUNCILOR MCGOVERN COVERED A LOT OF, UM, SOME OF MY THOUGHTS, UH, AND QUESTIONS, I GUESS GOING TO THE NODE APPROACH, UM, THROUGH YOU CHAIR MCGOVERN, UH, AS FAR AS IF WE DO THE NODE APPROACH, UM, YOU KNOW, LET'S SAY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE NOT CONSIDERING, UM, O'BRIEN, WE'RE JUST, UH, LOOKING AT PARTICULAR NODES.
WOULD YOU SAY YOUR ANSWERS TO WHAT, UH, COUNCIL MEMBER GOVERN SAID FOR WANTING, AND TWO YOU, THEY REMAIN CONSTANT FOR THE OPTIONS? I THINK THE ANSWERS TO THE QUESTION ABOUT IF ONE YIELDS MORE HOUSING PRODUCTION STAY THE SAME, REGARDLESS OF WHERE OF WHERE.
I JUST WANTED TO, UH, MAKE SURE THAT I HAD THAT RIGHT.
I THINK ULTIMATELY WHAT I AM THINKING AROUND THIS IS, UM, TO PASS ANY ZONING, WE NEED SIX VOTES, RIGHT? AND WHERE IS THERE CONSENSUS IN THIS SPACE? UM, AND WHAT I AM HEARING IS, WELL, IT'S TWO THINGS I'M HEARING.
I THINK WE ULTIMATELY, TO COUNCILOR GOVERNOR'S POINT, UH, THERE ARE TRADE OFFS HERE AND IT'S THE COUNCIL'S CHOICE TO DECIDE WHERE WE LAND ON THIS.
UH, IT DOES SEEM LIKE IT'S, UM, RETAIL VERSUS LESS HOUSING IN SOME WAYS, RIGHT? UM, AND I THINK WE ARE WHERE WE ARE WITH THE, THE HEIGHT THAT WE HAVE, WE HAVEN'T, YOU KNOW, THE COUNCIL CAN DECIDE IN A FEW YEARS, WHENEVER TO RAISE THE HEIGHT.
UM, BUT WE ARE WITH WHERE WE ARE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I THINK, I'M TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IF WE CAN GET TO A PLACE WHERE WE CAN EVEN AGREE TO GET TO ONE OR TWO.
AND I, I DON'T KNOW, I JUST, I DON'T, FROM WHAT I'M HEARING, IT'S, I'M AN, I'M KIND OF IN DOUBT WHERE FOLKS ARE.
I THINK I'VE HEARD COUNSELOR ZUZI AND COUNSELOR FLAHERTY, I THINK MORE TOWARDS NUMBER OPTION TWO.
I THINK I'VE HEARD COUNSELOR NOLAN, YOU'VE SAID ONE, UM, COUNSELOR ZUBIE, I, I THINK YOU MAYBE HAD SAID, I'M ACTUALLY NOT SURE, BUT
UM, COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER, I THINK I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE ON YOUR END.
AND THEN I THINK FROM COUNSELOR ZE, PROBABLY ONE IF YOU HAD TO CHOOSE BECAUSE OF THE LEAST RESTRICTIVE, BUT AGAIN, NOT SURE, UM, YOU COULD COUNSELOR NOON, YOU COULD GO EITHER WAY.
COUNSELORS MCG, AND I THINK YOU AND I, WE PROBABLY THINK WE'RE LIKE, OKAY, WELL, I THINK IT'S, AGAIN, IT'S A, IT'S THESE TRADE OFFS.
I WILL SAY, I THINK GIVEN THE HISTORY OF HOW UNIQUE THE STREET IS, PARTICULARLY IN BIN SQUARE AND OTHER THINGS, I THINK RETAIL IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO PROTECT.
I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE ARE DOING, WE ARE DOING A LOT TO BUILD HOUSING.
UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, I THINK I, I REALLY WANT, I LOVE INMAN SQUARE AND I LOVE THE, AND I WANT SOME OF THESE BUSINESSES A YOU KNOW, TO YOUR POINT, TO ALWAYS EXIST.
BUT THEN I ALSO WANT TO MAKE SURE, UM, PEOPLE ARE BUILT, WE, WE HAVE, UM, MORE RETAIL BECAUSE RETAIL WILL HELP KIND OF THE OVERALL WILL HELP EVERYTHING ELSE.
AND I KNOW HOUSING WILL HELP EVERYTHING ELSE TOO.
BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK I'VE, HAVING TALKED TO EAST CAMBRIDGE BUSINESS ASSOCI ASSOCIATION, HAVING TALKED TO A FEW FOLKS, I HAVE, YOU KNOW, COME TO MORE LEAN TOWARDS OPTION TWO.
UM, BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, IF THERE'S THINGS THAT WE CAN DO TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE CONSENSUS, UM, I'M, I'M OPEN TO THAT.
[01:45:01]
UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE BODY HAS A CHOICES TO SEE IF IN FIVE YEARS OR 10 YEARS, IF THERE'S REALLY NO HOUSING GETTING BILL, UM, BECAUSE OF THESE ACTIVE FLOOR, YOU KNOW, RETAIL, THEN WE CAN EVALUATE.BUT A PART OF IT IS, I THINK, SEEING WHERE WE, WE LAND.
SO ANYWAY, I'LL SAY THAT, UH, I'M IN A SIMILAR BOAT TO WHERE I THINK SOME OF WHAT COUNCILOR NOLAN SAID AND SOME OF WHAT COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN SAID, THANK YOU.
I HAVE COUNCILLOR ZI AND THEN COUNCILLOR ZI.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO, UM, THANK YOU.
I, UH, I, I WANTED TO PICK, PICK UP HELEN WALKER'S, UH, RECOMMENDATION, WHICH I THOUGHT WAS INTERESTING AND I'D LOVE TO HEAR CD'S, THOUGHTS ABOUT IT.
SHE, UM, DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, SHE RECOMMENDED, HOW ABOUT 40% RETAIL AT GROUND FLOOR, IF ABOVE THREE STORIES AND 60% IF OVER FOUR STORIES THAT WOULD BE LIKE, SO THERE WOULD BE, THAT WOULD BE LESS OF A LOSS LEADER ON THE FIRST FLOOR.
UM, DOES, IS, DOES THAT SEEM LIKE A POSSIBILITY TO YOU? IT WOULD, IT WOULD REQUIRE SOME, SOME RETAIL, BUT IT, IT WOULD ONLY REQUIRE, UM, 40% IF IT WAS UNDER THREE STORIES OR UNDER, OR I GUESS I, I I GUESS SHE WAS SUGGESTING 40% ABOVE THREE, 60% ABOVE FOUR.
YEAH, I, SO CURRENTLY THROUGH YOUR CHAIR, WE DON'T REQUIRE THE ENTIRE FRONTAGE AS EVAN EXPLAINED TO BE ACTIVE.
SO I DON'T BELIEVE THAT ADDITIONAL SAVINGS IS, AGAIN, WITHOUT SEEING INDIVIDUAL PERFORMANCE.
IT'S REALLY HARD TO SAY, BUT I, I THINK THAT MIGHT JUST OVERCOMPLICATE THINGS AND MIGHT NOT HAVE THE EFFECT WE INTENDED TO.
THAT'S, UH, THAT'S GOOD TO HEAR.
UM, AND THEN I JUST WANTED TO, UM, SPEAK FOR HAVING A COMPLETE VISION.
AND I, YOU KNOW, I'VE SHARED BEFORE MY SISTER WORKED FOR THE PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE REDEVELOPMENT CORPORATION, WHICH WAS, YOU KNOW, PENNSYLVANIA AVENUE IN WASHINGTON WAS A DISTRESSED AREA.
AND THEY WERE ABLE TO SELL DEVELOPERS ON MAKING IT WHAT IT IS TODAY BY COMING UP WITH A COMPELLING VISION FOR THE STREET.
THAT, THAT IS WHY I CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR OPEN SPACE, FOR SETBACKS, FOR WIDE SIDEWALKS, FOR TREE PLANTINGS.
BECAUSE I THINK IF WE HAVE A MATURE VISION FOR CAMBRIDGE STREET, WE'RE MORE LIKELY TO ENCOURAGE DEVELOPERS TO WANT TO INVEST THERE.
UM, AND IF WE STOP CHANGING OUR ZONING EVERY FEW MONTHS, AGAIN, WE'LL CREATE A MORE STABLE ENVIRONMENT FOR DEVELOPERS WHO ARE RISK ADVERSE, RIGHT? BECAUSE IT'S THEIR MONEY THAT'S AT STAKE.
UM, SO I JUST, I, I THINK, UM, I THINK IT'S, THAT IS WHY I AM SO INSISTENT IN HAVING A BROADER CONVERSATION ABOUT OTHER THINGS RELATING TO CAMBRIDGE STREET OTHER THAN THE HEIGHT OF BUILDINGS.
AND I, I FEEL LIKE THIS CONVERSATION IS A VERY IMPORTANT ONE, BUT I THINK WE'VE, WE'VE GOTTA BE THINKING OF IT AS A, AS A WHOLE ECOSYSTEM, UH, IN INVITING ECOSYSTEM WHERE PEOPLE WILL WANT TO LIVE, WORK, EAT, UH, AND WANDER.
UM, I HAVE A FEW BRIEF COMMENTS AND THEN MAYBE LIKE A PROPOSAL TO SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE.
UM, I JUST WANTED TO FOLLOW UP ON THE FIRST FLOOR RETAIL PART.
SO IF WE REQUIRE FIRST FLOOR RETAIL, WHAT HAPPENS TO LIKE THE, UH, EAST CAMBRIDGE SAVINGS BANK, IF THEY EVER WANT TO MAKE THE REDEVELOP OR DO ANYTHING WITH THAT PROPERTY, WHO WANTS IT? THANK YOU.
THROUGH YOU CHAIR, IF WE, SO THE, THE PROPOSAL WILL BE TO REQUIRE, UM, ACTIVE GROUND FLOORS, UM, FOR PROJECTS THAT EXCEED A, A CERTAIN HEIGHT.
SO IF THERE WAS A REDEVELOPMENT THAT EXCEEDED, YOU KNOW, THREE STORIES OR FOUR STORIES, THEN THEY WOULD BE, THEY WOULD HAVE TO PROVIDE THAT, THAT USE.
UM, BUT THAT IS NOT OPTION TWO, RIGHT? SO OPTION, OPTION ONE IS WE WOULD, THAT REQUIREMENT WOULD, UM, KICK IN FOR PROJECTS ABOVE FOUR STORIES.
AND OPTION TWO WAS, UH, FOR PROJECTS ABOVE THREE STORIES.
SO WE, WE BELIEVE THAT REQUIRING ACTIVE USES FOR ALL PROJECTS IS IT CAN BE PROBLEMATIC.
[01:50:01]
UM, AND THAT'S WHAT WE'VE SEEN IN THE OLD, UM, MASS OVERLAY DISTRICT.UM, SO, SO WE DO THINK ALLOWING FOR SOME RESIDENTIAL ONLY DEVELOPMENT IS, IS GOOD FOR, FOR DIFFERENT KINDS OF EDGE CASES.
UM, SO THAT'S WHY WE TOOK THAT APPROACH.
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT, WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT BETWEEN OPTIONS ONE AND TWO IS REALLY WHERE, UM, AT WHAT HEIGHT DO THOSE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS KICK IN COMM ZIM? UM, SOUNDS GOOD.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO BRING, UM, THAT PIECE INTO IT AS WELL.
UM, UH, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT THIS CONVERSATION IS COMPLICATED 'CAUSE I THINK THAT LIKE, YOU KNOW, WE WE'RE VERY DEFENSIVE OF THE CITY.
WE HAVE AND I WOULD SAY LIKE CAMBRIDGE STREET AND INMAN SQUARE HAVE FIRST FLOOR RETAIL WITHOUT REQUIRING IT, RIGHT? CLOSETS ARE NOT PART OF BUILDING CODES YET.
MASS A HAS FOREVER BEEN AT LEAST SIX STORIES.
AND YOU SEE SOME TONS OF ONE STORY BUILDINGS STILL EVEN OUTSIDE OF CAMBRIDGE STREET.
SO, YOU KNOW, UM, TO COUNCIL FREDDY'S POINT, LIKE I DON'T THINK YOU'LL SEE SIX STORY BUILDINGS ON BOTH SIDES, RIGHT? LIKE THAT'S JUST NOT HOW IT WORKS.
EVEN ON LONGER TIMESCALES, UM, MASS HAS NEVER BEEN LESS THAN SIX STORIES AND YET IT STILL HAS ONE STORY BUILDINGS, RIGHT? SO ALL OF THIS IS VERY, VERY SLOW.
IT'S KIND OF LIKE FREE SPEECH WHERE YOU CAN SAY ANYTHING, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT YOU WILL SAY EVERYTHING, YOU KNOW, LIKE THERE'S LIMITS.
UM, SO MY THOUGHT PROCESS A LITTLE BIT IS THAT LIKE, UM, AND FINALLY I WOULD JUST SAY LIKE THERE'S OTHER SORTS OF TRAGIC EXAMPLES THAT WE NEVER THINK ABOUT UNTIL THEY COME UP.
LIKE I REMEMBER IN MY FIRST TERM THERE WAS A CASE OF AN EIGHT UNIT BUILDING, UM, THAT WENT ON FIRE AND BURNT DOWN.
AND THEN BECAUSE OF ZONING THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO REBUILD IT.
SO EIGHT PEOPLE JUST LIKE LOST THEIR HOMES, RIGHT? AND THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO REBUILD IT, THE RE SAME.
AND SO YOU CAN IMAGINE THERE'S LIKE A FOUR OR FIVE OR SIX STORY BUILDING IN CAMBRIDGE STREET THAT GOES ON FIRE AND THEN THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED TO REBUILD IT BECAUSE THE FIRST FLOOR NOW HAS TO BE RETAIL AND THEN LIKE, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LESS UNITS AVAILABLE AND ALL THAT SORTS OF SITUATION.
THAT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT LIKE THE LIKELY SCENARIO, BUT JUST TO SAY LIKE THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT AND SORTS OF LOTS AND DIVERSITY.
UM, SO I WOULD SAY THAT I HAVE OF TWO MINDS.
MY INITIAL THOUGHT WAS LIKE, PERHAPS WE JUST SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE AND JUST REQUIRE FIRST FLOOR RETAIL, EITHER AN OPTION ONE OR OPTION TWO, PREFER.
IT'LL BE OPTION ONE, UM, ON JUST LIKE ABOUT LIKE HALF OF CAMBRIDGE STREET, RIGHT? AND THEN WE'LL JUST HAVE A NATURAL EXPERIMENT WHERE WE CAN SEE WHAT HAPPENED ON LIKE HALF THE AREA WHERE WE THOUGHT THAT MADE SENSE TO REQUIRE AND HALF THE AREA WHERE IT DOESN'T.
AND THEN WE JUST HAVE SOMETHING TO MEASURE BY IF WE COME BACK TO THE CONVERSATION OR FIVE OR 10 YEARS.
UM, OR IF WE WANT, I KNOW LIKE COUNSELOR, UH, ZUZI ACTUALLY BROUGHT UP WHAT I THOUGHT WAS A VERY GOOD POINT, WHICH IS LIKE, MAYBE WE SHOULD STOP LIKE TWEAKING OUR ZONING LIKE EVERY COUPLE OF MONTHS.
'CAUSE WE HAVE THIS, WE HAVE COUNSELORS WHO SEES OTHER SUGGESTION ON LIKE CHANGES SHE WANTS TO CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF THINGS THAT ARE TOUCHING THIS IN THE SAME WAYS AND MAYBE IT MAKES SENSE TO TAKE A STEP BACK AND CONSIDER IT MORE WHOLLY.
UM, SO I'LL LEAVE IT TO MY COLLEAGUES TO THE SIDE, BUT THOSE ARE AT LEAST A FEW OF MY THOUGHTS.
SO IF WE WEREN'T SURE WHERE WE WERE LANDING BEFORE, NOW WE HAVE MORE OPTIONS
UM, HAVING HEARD FROM EVERYONE, I DO THINK THERE'S SOME, UM, FOLKS WHO WANNA MOVE FORWARD AND WHO WANNA MAKE SURE WE HAVE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ON MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE AND CAMBRIDGE STREET.
AND IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S MORE OF A CONSENSUS AROUND OPTION TWO, PARTLY BECAUSE WHILE IT IS A LITTLE MORE RESTRICTIVE, IT ALSO COULD ALWAYS BE AMENDED IF WE DON'T SEE WHAT WE WANT, WHICH I'VE ALSO HEARD, AND ONE OF THE OTHER ISSUES THAT HASN'T BEEN MENTIONED WITH OPTION ONE IS THAT IF PEOPLE THEN, YOU KNOW, WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT PEOPLE PUTTING TOGETHER PLOTS THAT THEN COULD HAPPEN AND COULD LEAD TO EVEN LESS, UH, COMMERCIAL SPACE.
SO I WANNA PROPOSE A MOTION THAT CDD AND RELEVANT STAFF BE DIRECTED TO PREPARE A DRAFT OF A ZONING PETITION TO STRENGTHEN ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ON MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE PER THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND OPTION TWO ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
DO I SEND THAT TO THE CLERK? OKAY.
SO, AND, AND I JUST WANNA SAY WHAT I WANNA DO IS HAVE US MOVE FORWARD.
WE KNOW WE CAN ALWAYS AMEND IT ALONG THE WAY.
I JUST AM REALLY WORRIED THAT THE MORE WE EXTENUATE THIS OUT, WE'RE NOT GONNA HAVE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ON ANY LENGTH OF CAMBRIDGE STREET OR HALF OF MASS AVE.
AND I THINK WE DO NEED TO MOVE FORWARD ON, ON, ON SOME OF THIS WORK.
AND, AND, AND I'D LIKE THE STAFF TO, TO BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD ON THIS AND THEN TO GET TO THE OTHER LONG LIST THAT WE REVIEWED IN OUR MEETING ON MONDAY, THAT THIS IS ONLY ONE OF MANY THAT WE'RE ASKING THEM TO DO.
SO I'M HAPPY, EVEN THOUGH I WAS SOMEWHAT TORN AND I HAD LEANED TOWARD OPTION ONE, I FEEL LIKE I'M HAPPY TO SUPPORT OPTION TWO.
AND I THINK THAT'S A, A SAFER BET BECAUSE IT, UH, SUPPORTS IS MORE LIKELY TO SUPPORT GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
[01:55:03]
YEAH.FIRST, LET'S, LET'S CLEAN THIS UP RIGHT NOW.
UM, LET'S EXTEND THE MEETING TILL, UM, QUARTER, UH, 3 45.
IF WE DON'T NEED IT, WE DON'T NEED IT.
UM, NO, 'CAUSE COUNCILOR SIMMONS ISN'T HERE.
SOMEBODY CAN COMPLAIN TO ME ABOUT IT.
UM, AND THEN WE OPENED IT UP TO DISCUSSION.
BEFORE WE DO THAT THOUGH, I JUST KIND OF WANT TO ASK, WE HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS HERE.
IF THIS GETS FOUR VOTES AND THEN WE MOVE, SOMEONE MOVES TO GO FORWARD WITH OPTION ONE AND THAT GETS FOUR VOTES.
SO I GUESS TO FRANZ AND THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT, NEITHER ONE OF THOSE, WE GET A MAJORITY.
AND I KNOW THIS ISN'T ZONING LANGUAGE, THIS IS JUST DIRECTIVES TO CDD, BUT DOES THAT COM IF BOTH OF THESE THINGS FAIL, UM, DOES THAT COMPLICATE, CAN THEY BE BROUGHT BACK UP? CAN THEY, I DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT.
UM, SO THAT'S, YOU KNOW, SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT.
I WILL OPEN IT UP TO DISCUSSION ON COUNCILLOR NOLAN'S MOTION.
JUST A QUICK, I GUESS, POINT OF INFORMATION.
WOULD, COULD WE ALSO DISCUSS COUNT VICE MAYOR EM'S POINT ON COUNCILOR SUSIE'S PIECE AS WELL? OR DOES IT HAVE TO BE BETWEEN VOTING ON A MOTION FOR EITHER OF THE TWO OPTIONS? SO COUNCILOR NOLAN HAS PUT FORWARD A MOTION TO GO WITH OPTION TWO.
UM, IF YOU WANT TO MAKE A MOTION, YOU HAVE TO WRITE IT OUT.
YOU WANT TO MAKE A MOTION, UM, TO ASK CDD TO, YOU KNOW, LOOK, LOOK AT SOMETHING OR, OR, OR, YOU KNOW, DO ANOTHER STUDY OR WHATNOT.
UM, YOU WOULD JUST BRING THAT IN.
YOU COULD BRING THAT IN AS A SEPARATE, AS A SEPARATE MOTION.
UM, YOU KNOW, I I WILL SAY, YOU KNOW, I, I KIND OF FELT LIKE I, I WAS KIND OF HOPING THAT, AND I DO WANT TO GET THINGS DONE SOON.
'CAUSE I KNOW WE JUST DID THE CD'S WORK, UH, THEIR WORK PLAN ON MONDAY NIGHT, AND IT IS SIGNIFICANT AND I WANT THEM TO BE ABLE TO GET TO OTHER THINGS AS WELL.
UM, I WAS GOING TO SUGGEST POTENTIALLY IF THERE WERE THINGS THAT WE WANTED, YOU KNOW, WE'VE BEEN PRESENTED WITH TWO OPTIONS.
WE'VE HAD A LOT OF REALLY GOOD DISCUSSION TODAY.
I WAS GONNA HOPE THAT WE COULD MAYBE ASK CD TO GO BACK AND SEE IF THERE WAS A WAY TO COME FORWARD WITH A THIRD OPTION TO KIND OF INCORPORATE SOME OF THIS STUFF.
AND WE WOULD JUST KEEP THIS IN COMMITTEE.
BUT NOW THERE'S BEEN A MOTION TO GO WITH OPTION TWO.
IF MY BACK IS AGAINST THE WALL, UM, TO TAKE A VOTE TODAY.
UM, I'M NOT GONNA VOTE FOR SOMETHING THAT'S GONNA MAKE HOUSING LESS LIKELY.
UM, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S, YOU KNOW, WE'LL HAVE TO VOTE FOR IT.
I WOULD'VE PREFERRED THAT WE KEPT IT IN COMMITTEE, UM, AND HAD CDD COME BACK WITH OTHER OPTIONS.
BUT, UM, THAT'S NOT WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US.
OTHER QUESTION FOR YOU, FRANZ.
UM, THE CLERK ASKED, UM, BECAUSE WE HAVE A RULE THAT SAYS POLICY ORDERS MUST HAVE TWO COUNSELORS ON IT, GIVEN THAT THIS MOTION WILL BE A POLICY ORDER.
DOES IT, DOES SOMEONE NEED TO SECOND IT? I'D SAY YES.
DOES SOMEONE WANTS TO SECOND THIS MOTION? I'LL SECOND IT.
SO MADAM MAYOR, UM, WE'RE IN DISCUSSION.
SO I HAD A QUESTION FOR THE STAFF.
UH, COUNCIL THROUGH YOU CHAIR MCGOVERN, YOU BRING UP THIS.
UM, IS THERE A THIRD OPTION, YOU KNOW, I GUESS TO THE STAFF REALISTICALLY, BASED ON WHAT YOU'VE HEARD, IS THERE A THIRD OPTION THAT YOU CAN SEE POSSIBLE HERE? I'M JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THAT BECAUSE IF THERE'S REALLY NOT THEN, YOU KNOW, I I DO THINK WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD.
UM, BUT I, I KNOW WE'RE ASKING YOU ON THE FLY, BUT BASED ON THIS DISCUSSION, WHAT DO YOU THINK? I THINK THE O WELL THERE'S, THERE'S, THERE'S TWO MORE OPTIONS.
ONE, LEAVE THE CURRENT ZONING AS IS, WHICH I DON'T RECOMMEND.
UM, AND THEN WE COULD LOOK AT AN OPTION AGAIN WHERE WE SPLIT THE DIFFERENCE AND DO OPTION ONE ON SOME PARTS OF THE CORRIDOR WHERE, UM, WE DON'T SEE AS MUCH GROUND FLOOR ACTIVE SPACE OR IT WOULD
[02:00:01]
BE A, UM, A REASONABLE AND A GOOD OUTCOME TO GET ALL RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT.AND THEN OPTION TWO, FOR THE PLACES THAT ARE MORE CRITICAL FOR THE HEALTH OF, UM, THE DISTRICT.
I, IT, I, I KNOW CAMBRIDGE STREET EXTREMELY WELL.
IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO DIVIDE THAT UP IN A, IN A, A WAY THAT I THINK WOULD GET CLEAR CONSENSUS FROM THIS GROUP.
WE COULD CERTAINLY DO IT AGAIN, IT'S NOT GONNA BE PERFECT, BUT I THINK IT, IT MIGHT BE BETTER THAN CHOOSING BETWEEN OPTION ONE AND TWO.
SO I'M HAPPY TO, TO LOOK AT THAT.
I, I SUSPECT THERE'S GONNA BE A LOT OF PUSHBACK ON WHERE WE DRAW THOSE LINES.
UM, AND SO AGAIN, I DON'T, YOU KNOW, THAT CAN, HAPPY TO TAKE THE TIME TO DO THAT AND TO GET FEEDBACK ON THIS, BUT IT IS A, UM, JUST THE HISTORIC DEVELOPMENT OF THE STREET, UM, IS REALLY UNIQUE AND IT'S HARD TO DRAW LINES AROUND IT IN THAT WAY.
COUNCILOR, UH, COUNCILOR MADAM MAYOR,
SO TO THAT, I'D SAY, I THINK WHERE I'M CURIOUS IS, YOU KNOW, I THINK IF WE GO THROUGH THAT EXERCISE, COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN, UM, WE STILL, I THINK AT THE END OF END OF THE DAY, UM, YOU KNOW, THE DECISION THAT THE COUNCIL WILL HAVE IS WHETHER TO PASS A ZONING AND WE NEED SEX.
AND SO I THINK I, I AM UNCLEAR.
I, YOU KNOW, IF WE DO THIS OPTION THREE AND HAVE YOU LOOK INTO IT, UM, I CAN'T REALLY SAY FOR CERTAIN THAT'S ACTUALLY WE'RE GONNA LEAD.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT'S ACTUALLY GOING TO HAPPEN EVEN FOR THIS.
SO I'M NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT SURE AROUND IF WE DO ASK, I'M OPEN TO THAT, YOU KNOW, I AM.
BUT I ALSO SEE THE, THE RISK IN, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU DECIDE WHAT THE NODES ARE.
AND SO I, I JUST, I I THINK I WORRY ABOUT THAT.
YEAH, I'M GONNA, UM, I'LL YIELD THANK YOU.
BEFORE I GO TO COUNCILLOR FLAY, I WOULD JUST IN RESPONSE TO THAT, I, JUST SPEAKING FOR MYSELF, I MEAN, I'M SURE WHEREVER WE, NO MATTER WHAT WE DO, WHEN I'M NOT GONNA GET TO A PLACE WHERE EVERYBODY'S GONNA FEEL GOOD ABOUT IT AND I DON'T NECESSARILY SEE A NINE ZERO VOTE COMING ON ANY OF IT, UM, PERSONALLY, I WOULD BE MORE WILLING TO FIND A COMPROMISE THAT BALANCES HOUSING DEVELOPMENT WITH RETAIL THAN I WOULD TAKING A VOTE TODAY FOR SOMETHING THAT I TRULY BELIEVE WILL LIMIT HOUSING DEVELOPMENT.
SO, UM, AGAIN, IF I'M GONNA TAKE THIS VOTE TODAY ON THIS POLICY ORDER, I'M GONNA VOTE NO.
UM, IF YOU CAME BACK WITH SOMETHING THAT DREW SOME LINES AS IMPERFECT AS THEY MAY BE, AND I'M SURE YOU'LL RELY ON THE EAST CAMBRIDGE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION AND OTHERS TO SORT OF THINK ABOUT THAT AND WHERE THOSE WOULD BE, I WOULD, I WOULD ASSUME YOU WOULD DO THAT.
UM, YOU KNOW, I MAY THINK IT SHOULD BE ONE BLOCK MORE THIS WAY OR ONE BLOCK MORE THAT WAY.
BUT IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT IS A COMPROMISE THAT WILL GUARANTEE SOME RETAIL IN SOME PLACES, BUT ALSO WILL ALLOW, YOU KNOW, WON'T RESTRICT HOUSING TO THE SAME EXTENT, I PERSONALLY WOULD BE MORE INCLINED TO VOTE FOR THAT THAN I'M GONNA BE TO VOTE FOR OPTION TWO.
SO, UM, SO TO I, I GUESS TO YOUR QUESTION, YOU KNOW, COMMENT, MADAM MAYOR, THAT, JUST SPEAKING PERSONALLY, UM, AGAIN, I, I'D HAVE THE DEVIL WOULD BE IN THE DETAILS I HAVE TO SEE, BUT I'M CERTAINLY MORE OPEN TO THINKING ABOUT THAT THAN I AM TO WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US RIGHT NOW.
UM, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY QUICKLY, AND, AND I DON'T KNOW IF I HAVE THIS RIGHT, BUT IS THERE A ROLE FOR A SPECIAL PERMIT HERE IF WE WERE TO ADOPT OPTION NUMBER TWO THAT IF YOU WANTED TO DEVIATE FROM IT, YOU COULD THROUGH THE AWARD OF A SPECIAL PERMIT MEETING, CERTAIN CRITERIA OR, OR AM I DOING THAT IN REVERSE? THANK YOU.
UM, PART OF THIS, AND WE HAVEN'T KIND OF FIGURED OUT ALL OF THE DETAILS, BUT, BUT PART OF THIS WAS, UM, THINKING ABOUT A SPECIAL PERMIT, UH, OPTION TO AMEND SOME OF THOSE, UH, UH, ACTIVE USE LOCATION AND, AND FLOOR AREA STANDARDS.
UM, WE DON'T, UH, THAT WOULDN'T BE TOO, UH, KIND OF ELIMINATE THE REQUIREMENT OR, UM, AT LEAST WE HADN'T THOUGHT ABOUT IT IN, IN TERMS OF THE, UM, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE, THE, THE REQUIREMENT KICKS IN, WHAT, WHAT HEIGHT LIMIT, UM, BUT THAT, THAT'S PART OF THE, THE CONVERSATION THAT WE'VE, WE'VE HAD COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, SO I GUESS MAYBE, OR IT'S JUST HASN'T BEEN THE, THROUGH THE CHAIR, JUST TO, AND I ASK ONLY BECAUSE I, I TRULY DON'T
[02:05:01]
REALLY UNDERSTAND.THE, SO THE SPECIAL PERMITS, AS EVERYONE WAS SAYING, ARE, ARE REALLY HELPFUL AS A TOOL TO USE, TO PROVIDE SOME KIND OF RELIEF TO DEAL WITH UNIQUE KIND OF CASES AND CIRCUMSTANCES.
THAT'S DEFINITELY A, AN IMPORTANT PART OF THIS STRATEGY.
I THINK WHERE WE HAVE TO BE A LITTLE BIT CAREFUL IS NOT ENDING UP WITH A SCENARIO THAT JUST, IT TURNS INTO, WELL NOW ANYTHING'S POSSIBLE IF YOU GET A SPECIAL PERMIT.
SO, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WANT TO, AND, AND THAT'S PART OF THE RATIONALE FOR HAVING, YOU KNOW, A REAL, A REALLY CLEAR INCENTIVE, YOU KNOW, WHATEVER YOU WANNA CALL IT, INCENTIVE OR MANDATE APPROACH SAYING THAT, YOU KNOW, IF YOU WANT TO BUILD TO THE SIX STORIES, YOU HAVE TO DO THIS, BUT YOUR ALTERNATIVE, IF YOU'RE NOT, IF YOU'RE NOT PROVIDING AN ACTIVE USE, IS THIS LOWER HEIGHT RATHER THAN GOING TO GET A SPECIAL PERMIT.
'CAUSE YOU KNOW, YOU COULD SOMETIMES HAVE SITUATIONS, AND WE'VE HAD THIS BEFORE, WHERE YOU HAVE A REQUIREMENT, YOU ALLOW A SPECIAL PERMIT WAIVER, AND IF IT TURNS OUT THAT THE MARKET, YOU KNOW, WANT, WANTS TO BUILD HOUSING BUT DOESN'T WANNA SUPPORT THE ACTIVE USE, THEN YOU JUST GET A STRING OF, OF PROJECTS ALL SAYING, WELL, I'M GONNA GET A SPECIAL PERMIT, A SPECIAL PERMIT, SPECIAL PERMIT, SPECIAL PERMIT.
AND IT'S ALL, YOU KNOW, JUST, AND, AND IT, IT KIND OF UNDERMINES THE, THE OBJECTIVE.
UM, SO THE, YOU KNOW, SIMPLE ANSWER IS YES, SPECIAL PERMITS ARE AN IMPORTANT TOOL, BUT THEY'RE NOT, THE WHOLE STRATEGY DOESN'T HANG ON A SPECIAL PERMIT.
NO, I THINK I, I THINK I UNDERSTAND HOW IT OPERATES BECAUSE IT'S, IT'S SORT OF A LOW BAR, RIGHT? MR. ROBERTS, THE, SORRY, THROUGH THE CHAIR.
THE SPECIAL PERMIT IS KIND A LOW BAR, RIGHT? WELL I THINK THIS, THAT THROUGH THE CHAIR, THE SPECIAL PERMIT IS IMPORTANT, UM, AGAIN, AS A WAY TO DEAL WITH SITE BY SITE CIRCUMSTANCES, BUT THE ZONING STILL HAS TO HAVE PRETTY, FOR THE SPECIAL PERMIT TO REALLY WORK WELL, IT HAS TO BE, HAVE PRETTY CLEAR CRITERIA IN THE ZONING.
IF THE CRITERIA ARE SORT OF TOO BROAD IN GENERAL, THEN YOU KNOW, IT, IT, THE SPECIAL PERMITS JUST KIND OF, THEY'RE, THEY'RE HARD TO DENY AND THEY JUST KIND OF KEEP GETTING GRANTED.
ANY OTHER DISCUSSION ABOUT THE MOTION THAT'S IN FRONT OF US? COUNCILOR NOLAN, I HAVE A QUESTION.
I, I REALLY WANT US TO BE MOVING FORWARD AND SO MY QUESTION THROUGH YOU TO THE STAFF IS IF WE, HOW WE'RE HAVING THIS MEETING AND WE DON'T HAVE ORDINANCE LANGUAGE BEFORE US, THE NEXT STEP IS ONCE YOU GET DIRECTION DEV ORDINANCE LANGUAGE, AND THAT'S WHAT I'M TRYING TO PUSH US FORWARD TO DO, WOULD IT BE ONEROUS OR ACTUALLY HELPFUL TO SAY TO ADD OPTION TWO OR A VARIATION, YOU KNOW, JUST ADD THOSE WORDS AND THEN TO, TO MOVE FORWARD WITH ORDINANCE STARTING THE PROCESS OF ORDINANCE LANGUAGE? 'CAUSE THAT TAKES SOME TIME OR IS THAT TOO CONFUSING? I THINK, I THINK THAT MAY, MAY GET US THERE.
I'M JUST TRYING AGAIN TO, TO HAVE US GET TO A POINT WHERE I I, WELL, I DON'T WANT YOU TO DO A WHOLE BUNCH OF WORK ON VARIOUS OPTIONS.
I DO THINK WE, WE PRETTY MUCH KNOW SOME OF THE BOUNDARIES OF THIS AND THE CLO THE SOONER WE CAN GET TO ACTUALLY ORDINANCE LANGUAGE MAKES SENSE.
I DUNNO IF THAT SATISFIES SOME OF THE COLLEAGUES, BUT THAT MIGHT BE SOMETHING THROUGH YOU CHAIR, WHETHER THE STAFF THINKS THAT IS APPROPRIATE.
UM, WE ARE IN A PLACE WHERE WE'VE KIND OF WRITTEN THE MAJORITY OF THE ZONING, SO IT'S REALLY A PLUGIN PLAY.
AND SO IN TERMS OF THE TIME SAVINGS THAT WOULDN'T BE, UM, NEEDED.
I MIGHT GET MORE COMPLICATED IF WE, UM, DRAFT SOMETHING AND THEN START BEING MORE CREATIVE.
I, I WOULD SAY GENERALLY THOUGH, IF WE WANTED TO START THE CLOCK ON THE ZONING PETITION, WE COULD FILE THE, UM, PETITION, UM, AT OPTION TWO BECAUSE YOU CAN ALWAYS AMEND, CORRECT ME, FRANZ AND JEFF, IF I GET THIS RIGHT, YOU CAN ALWAYS AMEND OPTION ONE, BUT YOU CAN'T GO FROM ONE TO TWO.
UM, DID I JUST, DID I GET THAT THE WRONG WAY? I'LL, I'LL PICK UP ON THAT.
I'M ACTUALLY HAVE TO RUN, I HAVE A, A CHILDCARE OBLIGATION, SO, BUT I, BUT I WILL, I THOUGHT I WOULD WANNA SAY THIS BEFORE I GO.
SO FROM A, UM, IF THE DESIRE IS TO KIND OF MOVE FORWARD WITH A PETITION AND HAVE THAT BE FORMALLY UNDER CONSIDERATION, UM, THEN IT'S IMPORTANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY CHANGE YOU MIGHT BE CONSIDERING ADOPTING IS INCORPORATED IN THAT PETITION.
THERE'S ALWAYS AN OPPORTUNITY TO KIND OF TAKE THINGS OUT.
LIKE IF YOU SAY, WELL, WE WANT TO ADD THIS REQUIREMENT AND THEN SAY, WELL ACTUALLY NO, MAYBE WE DON'T WANNA ADD THAT REQUIREMENT.
IT COULD BE SORT OF AMENDED OUT DURING THE HEARING PROCESS, BUT YOU CAN'T INTRODUCE SOMETHING NEW.
SO LIKE NEW, IF YOU WERE TO, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE PEOPLE, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU, THE, THE COUNCIL WOULD BE INTERESTED IN THIS, BUT SINCE IT CAME UP A COUPLE TIMES, YOU KNOW, THAT THERE WAS DISCUSSION OF LIKE, WELL, WHAT ABOUT, YOU KNOW, RECONSIDERING MORE HEIGHT? IF THAT ISN'T PART OF THE PETITION, IT CAN'T BE CONSIDERED DURING THE HEARING PROCESS, JUST AS AN EXAMPLE.
[02:10:01]
I THINK I, WHAT MELISSA SAID IS, IS GENERALLY BRIGHT FROM A, FROM A PROCESS STANDPOINT, I THINK THAT YOU MIGHT HAVE HAD THE OPTIONS FLIPPED.SO IF, IF THE COUNCIL WANTS TO IS NOT SURE, YOU KNOW, WANTS TO HAVE A MORE RESTRICTIVE REQUIREMENT IN TERMS OF LIKE YOU HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, LIMITING THE HEIGHT IF THERE'S NO ACTIVE USE, IF YOU CONSIDER THE, THE MOST RESTRICTIVE VERSION OF THAT AND HAVE THAT BE THE PETITION, YOU COULD GO BACK TO BEING LESS RESTRICTIVE.
UM, BUT YOU CAN'T SORT OF ADD SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS ON TOP OF THAT.
THAT'S THE, AND I DON'T KNOW IF FRANZ NEEDS TO TELL ME IF I'VE, IF I'VE KIND OF GOT THAT RIGHT OR NOT.
BUT THE GENERAL IDEA IS THE FUNDAMENTAL CHARACTER OF THE PETITION IS, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE PROPOSING TO CHANGE FROM THIS TO THIS.
IF YOU WANT TO PICK SOMETHING IN BETWEEN DURING THE HEARING PROCESS, THAT CAN GENERALLY WORK, BUT YOU CAN'T GO BEYOND THAT AND YOU CAN'T KIND OF GO IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF WHAT YOU ORIGINALLY PROPOSED.
DON'T I STILL THE FLOOR BEFORE YOU OKAY.
WE HAVE, I THINK WE SHOULD EXTEND AGAIN.
YEAH, BECAUSE COUNCILOR REGIME WANTS TO SAY SOMETHING AND THERE MAY BE IF, DEPENDING ON WHAT HAPPENS HERE, THERE MAY BE ANOTHER YEAH, I, I CAN'T EXTEND MORE THAN ANOTHER FIVE MINUTES.
BUT MY POINT IS IF WE DO OPTION TWO, THAT MEANS IT SOUNDS LIKE WE COULD ACTUALLY SCALE IT BACK THEN IF WHAT I'M HEARING IS, IF THE LANGUAGE IS OPTION TWO, THEN WE COULD GO FOR A HYBRID OR OPTION ONE.
'CAUSE THAT'S LESS RESTRICTIVE.
BUT WE COULD, SO THIS DOESN'T STOP US, BUT WE COULDN'T DO SOME, COULD, WOULD THAT ALLOW US TO DO SOMETHING LIKE SAYING, OKAY, WE WANT TO INCREASE THE HEIGHT TO OFFSET THIS, OR IT DOESN'T SOUND LIKE WE CAN NO, NOT THE HEIGHT.
HEIGHT WOULD BE OFF THE TABLE, BUT YOU COULD, SO IT WOULD ELIMINATE GO ANYWHERE BETWEEN THREE TO SIX.
UM, CAN I GO TO COUNSELOR ZE? UM, I JUST HAVE TO LEAVE IN A MINUTE AS WELL.
AND I WAS JUST GOING TO SUGGEST THAT, UM, MY PREFERENCE WOULD BE IF COUNCILOR NOLAN AND SIE DON'T WANNA WAIT FOR THE NEXT ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING WOULD JUST BE TO FILE THIS FOR NEXT, UH, CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND THAT WE CAN DISCUSS ONTO THE FLOOR.
I THINK WE'VE GOTTEN INTO OUR SPOT SPOT WHERE LIKE WE'RE RUSHING FOR FIVE MINUTES HERE AND THEN JEFF HAS TO GO AND EVERYONE ELSE AND IT, THIS HAS TO GET FORWARDED TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL ANYWAYS.
AND SO, UH, IT MIGHT BE EASIER JUST TO INTRODUCE IT THERE.
ACTUALLY, CAN I MAKE ANOTHER RECOMMENDATION, UM, FOR CONSIDERATION IN A MINUTE? I MIGHT SUGGEST I, I MAYBE JUST CONTINUING THIS MEETING TO NEXT WEEK OF THE FOLLOWING WEEK WHERE WE CAN COME BACK WITH A NODE OPTION FOR CONSIDERATION.
UM, AND THEN AT THAT MEETING DECIDE IF WE WANT OPTION ONE, TWO, OR THREE.
I I DON'T NECESSARILY RECOMMEND MOVING FORWARD WITH A ZONING PETITION UNTIL WE HAVE MORE CONSENSUS AND CLARITY.
I THINK IT JUST CONFUSES THE, THE PUBLIC PROCESS.
AND AGAIN, JUST AROUND TIMING AND WITH ZONING PETITIONS, THERE ARE REQUIREMENTS FOR THAT.
YOU CAN'T TAKE LONGER THAN A CERTAIN AMOUNT.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T DO IT FASTER, RIGHT? SO JUST BECAUSE IF THIS COMES FORWARD WITH ZONING AND WE HAVE TO WAIT, SIX ZONING SAYS YOU CAN'T, YOU HAVE TO CALL A MEETING WITHIN 65 DAYS.
THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN'T CALL IT THE NEXT DAY.
IT JUST MEANS YOU CAN'T CALL IT AFTER 66 DAYS.
SO WE CAN MOVE THIS QUICKLY IF WE WANTED TO.
SO RIGHT NOW, HERE'S A SITUATION.
WE'RE RIGHT UP AGAINST THE CLOCK.
I WOULD PREFER JUST WE TO KEEP THIS WHERE IT IS.
THERE'S A, I HAVE A, WE HAVE TO DIRECT YOU IF WE WANT YOU TO DO THAT NODE STUDY.
SO I HAVE SOMETHING WRITTEN OUT FOR THAT.
BUT WE DO HAVE THIS MOTION IN FRONT OF US.
SO I'M GONNA ASK COUNCILLOR NOLAN, DO YOU WANT TO WITHDRAW IT OR DO YOU WANT US TO VOTE IT? OKAY.
I'M HAPPY TO WITHDRAW IT OR LEAVE IT IN COMMITTEE.
LIKE NOT, NOT HAVE A VOTE ON IT, BUT LEAVE IT ON THE TABLE IN COMMITTEE SO WE DON'T HAVE A VOTE ON IT AND IT'LL BE DISCUSSED AT THE NEXT MEETING.
UM, SO I'M GONNA MAKE A MOTION.
UM, THIS IS THE SIMPLEST LANGUAGE I COULD COME UP WITH THAT.
CDD EVALUATE THE POSSIBILITY OF CREATING ACTIVE USE NODES IN QUOTES ALONG CAMBRIDGE STREET AND REPORT BACK TO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE.
AND THAT JUST GIVES THEM, THEY NEED A FORMAL DIRECTIVE TO DO THAT.
UH, SECONDED BY COUNSELOR NOLAN, ANY DISCUSSION ON THAT? SEEING NONE, ROLL CALL.
VICE I ABSENT COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES.
AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED THE AFFIRMATIVE AND TWO RECORDED HIS ABSENT.
AND WE WILL GET THIS MEETING SCHEDULED HOPEFULLY FOR NEXT WEEK, UM, OR AS SOON AS CD'S READY TO GO.
UM, ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR NOLAN TO ADJOURN.
[02:15:01]
ZUI.AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND TWO RECORDED IS ABSENT.