* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:01] GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. A [ROLL CALL] QUORUM OF THE CITY COUNCIL BEING PRESENT. I WANTED TO CALL TONIGHT'S APRIL 27TH, REGULAR MEETING OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL. TO ORDER THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS A ROLL CALL OF THE MEMBERS PRESENT PLEASE. COUNCILOR ZUBI. PRESENT. PRESENT, VICE MAYOR ZI. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. ABSENT. COUNCILOR NOLAN. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILOR ZUI. PRESENT. PRESENT, MAYOR SIDIKI. PRESENT. PRESENT. YOU HAVE SIX MEMBERS. RECORDED IS PRESENT AND THREE RECORDED IS ABSENT. FOR THE RULES, PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE. ALLEGIANCE AND PAUSE. FOR MOMENT OF SILENCE, I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. PER CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025, ADOPTED BY MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR, THE CITY'S AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL. IN ADDITION TO HAVING MEMBERS OF THE COUNCIL PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, WE'VE SET UP ZOOM TELECONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU CAN ALSO VIEW THIS MEETING VIA THE CITY'S OPEN MEETING PORTAL OR ON THE CITY'S CABLE. CHANNEL 22 TO SPEAK DURING PUBLIC COMMENT, YOU MUST SIGN UP AT WWW.CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV/PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU CAN ALSO EMAIL WRITTEN COMMENTS FOR THE RECORD TO THE CITY CLERK AT CITY CLERK@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV. WE WELCOME YOUR PARTICIPATION AND YOU CAN SIGN UP UNTIL 6:00 PM 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 PUBLIC COMMENT [PUBLIC COMMENTS] MAY BE MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL LAWS CHAPTER 30, SECTION 20 G AND CITY COUNCIL RULES 20 3D AND RULE 37. ONCE YOU'VE SEEN US FINISHED SPEAKING, THE NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE CALLED, INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ALLOCATE THE REMAINDER OF THEIR TIME TO OTHER SPEAKERS. I ASK THAT YOU STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS FOR THE RECORD AND THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING ON. WE HAVE 93 SPEAKERS WHO HAVE SIGNED UP. EACH SPEAKER WILL HAVE ONE MINUTE, WE'LL GO AHEAD TO PUBLIC COMMENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. PRESENT, PRESENT, PRESENT. OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS MELANIE ABRAMS, FOLLOWED BY ANNIE BARNETT, THEN JEFFREY OCHI. MELANIE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS MELANIE ABRAMS. I'M AT 10 AGASY STREET NUMBER 12 A. UM, AND I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF LEAVING GARDEN STREET AS IS WHILE WE WORK ON SURROUNDING TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENTS FOR CHARTER RIGHT NUMBER ONE TODAY. UM, I, I RELY ON THIS FOR MY PHYSICAL SAFETY. UM, THE, IT WOULD BE REALLY UNSAFE TO HAVE ALTERNATING DIRECTION LANES OF CAR TRAFFIC. AND THE SAME IS EQUALLY TRUE WITH BIKE LANES. IN ADDITION, YOU'RE GONNA HAVE CARS TRYING TO TURN INTO THE BIKE LANES 'CAUSE THEY LOOK WIDE, UBER STOPPING, UM, AT THE SURROUNDING BUILDINGS THAT ARE GOING TO INCIDENTALLY LOSE THEIR PARKING. UM, THIS IS THE SAME REALLY SCARY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT'S ALMOST GOTTEN MY GRANDMOTHER HIT MULTIPLE TIMES ON BRATTLE STREET. UH, DRIVERS ARE WORKING WITH A HUGE INFORMATION OVERLOAD AND NO AMOUNT OF SIGNAGE WOULD HELP, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, THE CONCERNS OF, UM, DRIVERS WHO WANT TRAFFIC TO BE IMPROVED ARE VALID AND I BELIEVE WE CAN REALLY GET OUT OF A ZERO SUM SITUATION, MAKE THINGS BETTER, UM, FOR EVERYONE WHILE ALSO BEING SAFER AND AVOIDING REBOUND EFFECTS THAT DEFEAT THE PURPOSE, UM, OF THE CHANGES. UM, SO THANK YOU. PLEASE KEEP IT AS IS FOR NOW. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANNIE BARNETT. ANNIE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. UM, HI, I AM ANNIE BARN. HI, I'M ANNIE BARNETT. UM, I AMAT 10 AGASSI STREET. UM, I'M SPEAKING ON THE, UH, CHARTER ORDER NUMBER ONE ABOUT THE GARDEN STREET REDESIGN, UM, IN FAVOR OF REEVALUATING THE PROPOSED, UM, TWO-WAY DESIGN IN ORDER TO KEEP, UM, THE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS FOR BOTH CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS, I BELIEVE WILL BE, UM, SAFER WITHOUT THIS REDESIGN OR WITH A DIFFERENT REDESIGN. UM, AND IN ORDER TO ENSURE THAT ALSO PARKING IS STILL KEPT FOR NEARBY, UH, HOMES AND, UM, PEOPLE WHO LIVE ALONG GARDEN STREET OR THE NEIGHBORING STREETS, UM, AND THAT, UH, FOR EXAMPLE, DELIVERY PEOPLE WON'T BE PARKING IN THE BIKE LANES AND WHATNOT BECAUSE, UM, A TWO-WAY BIKE LANE MIGHT BE EASILY MISSABLE. UM, AND THAT, UH, I BELIEVE THAT YEAH, WE CAN FIGURE OUT A BETTER SOLUTION WITH MORE THOUGHT AND CONSIDERATION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JEFFREY OISHI, FOLLOWED BY JULIE GELFIN. THEN JASMINE GOTH EL JEFFREY. [00:05:01] ONE MINUTE JEFFREY, CAN YOU TURN ON THE MIC PLEASE? JUST HIT THE BUTTON. YOU'LL SEE A GREEN LIGHT TURN ON. MY NAME IS JEFF OISHI. I LIVE AT 45 COGSWELL AVENUE IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE. UH, I'M HERE TO TESTIFY IN FAVOR OF KEEPING THE ONE-WAY DESIGN ON GARDEN STREET AS A CYCLIST, AS A PEDESTRIAN, AND AS A MOTORIST. I FEEL THAT THIS IS A EXTREMELY POSITIVE CHANGE TO THE INFRASTRUCTURE AROUND THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, WHICH I SPEND A LOT OF TIME IN. AND I THINK TO REMOVE IT NOW, HOWEVER IT'S BEEN WORKING VERY WELL WOULD BE THE HEIGHT OF MUNICIPAL FOLLY. THE MONEY SPENT CHANGING THE STREET BACK WOULD BE MUCH BETTER SPENT, UM, ON SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY. THANK YOU. I THINK YOUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JULIE GELFIN. JULIE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HELLO, I'M JULIE GELFIN AT THREE GREG GARDENS WEST CORNER OF GARDEN AND THREE GROVE GARDENS WEST. I'VE, I'M SPEAKING ON, UM, CHARTER ITEM NUMBER 2 0 2 6 76, AND I'VE LIVED AT THIS ADDRESS FOR 51 YEARS AND PRIOR TO THE ONE WAY TWO LANE STREET, THERE WERE TWO LANES AND IT'S ONLY 29 FEET ACROSS GARDEN STREET WHERE I LIVE. IF IT'S RETURNED TO TWO LANES, UM, WITH TRAFFIC IN BOTH DIRECTIONS AND BIKE LANES. THE STATE OF MASSACHUSETTS SAYS THAT THIS SHOULD BE 32 TO 34 FEET ACROSS. FOR STARTERS, BEFORE THINGS CHANGED, THERE WERE FREQUENTLY CLOSE CALLS AND NOISY ACCIDENTS WHERE I LIVE. I THINK IT WILL BE VERY DANGEROUS TO CHANGE BACK AND AS SOMEONE WHO USES, UM, A BIKE WALKING ON A CAR, I THINK IT SHOULD STAY THE WAY IT IS NOW. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JASMINE GOTHEL. JASMINE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. GREAT. UM, I'M ALSO SPEAKING ABOUT GARDEN STREET AND I AM IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING IT THE WAY IT IS WHEN THE CHANGE WAS MADE. IT WAS AMAZING THE MORE PARKING ON GARDEN STREET, THE EASE OF DRIVING INSTEAD OF THE MESS THAT WAS THERE BEFORE AND THE SAFETY THAT WE HAVE FELT AS A FAMILY IS SO MUCH GREATER. EVERYTHING IS BETTER SINCE THE CHANGE WAS MADE AND WE'D REALLY LIKE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. I HAVE TWO LITTLE KIDS AND WALKING AROUND THERE HAS MADE, HAS JUST BECOME THAT MUCH SAFER. UM, AND THE IDEA OF SPENDING $250,000 OF OUR TAXPAYER FUNDS ON TURNING IT BACK IS UNACCEPTABLE TO ME. UM, AND IN ADDITION, IT HAS, UM, ENCOURAGED ME TO BIKE MORE AND TO BE ABLE TO BIKE AROUND THERE IN A WAY THAT FEELS SAFE. SO PLEASE LEAVE IT THE WAY THAT IT IS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS EMILY JACOBSON, FOLLOWED BY A AJ SONO CARR. EMILY, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, EMILY, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ONE MINUTE. HI, MY NAME IS EMILY JACOBSON. UM, AND I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY, UM, I'M NOT A RESIDENT OF CAMBRIDGE, BUT WHAT YOU GUYS ARE CONSIDERING TONIGHT AND THE, THE IMPACT OF WHETHER OR NOT CAMBRIDGE DECIDES TO PUT THE SAFETY OF CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS FIRST IN ITS OPINIONS HAS, UH, FALLON EFFECTS ELSEWHERE IN THE REGION. I'M CURRENTLY FIGHTING FOR PROTECTED BIKE LANE IN MY COMMUNITY AND THE WAVERING OF OF CAMBRIDGE OR THE PERCE, THE PERCEIVED WAVERING OF CAMBRIDGE ON THIS ITEM WAS BROUGHT UP AS A WAY TO SAY THAT WE SHOULDN'T EVEN INSTALL THAT, INSTALL THAT BIKE CRANE IN MY COMMUNITY. AND SO I REALLY HOPE THAT THE COUNCIL FORGES AHEAD WITH PUTTING THE SAFETY OF CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS FIRST. I'VE USED THIS BIKE LANE A LOT OF TIMES. IT'S SAFE THE WAY IT IS. I HOPE YOU KEEP IT THAT WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AJ SOKAR, FOLLOWED BY PAMELA THAMIR. AJ AJ HAS NOT JOINED. WE'LL GO TO PAMELA THAMIR. HI, I'M HERE FOR CHARTER, UH, ITEM NUMBER 1 20 20. IF YOU SPEAK DIRECTLY INTO THE MICROPHONE, PLEASE. I'M SORRY. SPEAK INTO THE MIC. OH, I'M SORRY. I'M NEXT IN LINE. SORRY. IF YOU CAN JUST PULL UP THE MIC. WELL, WE'RE HELPING YOU. IT'S OKAY. DO I GET MY FIVE MINUTES BACK? YEAH, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. OKAY, THANK FIVE SECONDS BACK RATHER. OKAY. HONORABLE CHAIR, HONORABLE COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS PAM TAMIR, RESIDING AT 52 GARDEN STREET. I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN THE S SHOW ME STATE OF MISSOURI. TWO [00:10:01] WORDS, SLOW AND RESPECT, SPEED AND STRESS ARE GREAT FRIENDS. PHIL TO MY SECOND COUSIN LIVED TO 98. I ATTRIBUTE HER LONGEVITY TO TWO FACTORS. HER MOTHER TOLD HER NEVER TO STORE ANY FOOD AND PLASTIC AND SHE DIDN'T AND SHE ATE SLOWLY TO DATE. I'M DEEPLY DISAPPOINTED IN THE MAJORITY'S POSITION TO NOT ONLY DISREGARD, BUT SADLY DISRESPECT FOR OUR NEIGHBORS, DISABLED PARENTS TAKING THEIR CHILDREN TO PRESCHOOL AND SENIORS NOW OUR CHICAGO BORN PERUVIAN BREAD. POPE LEO CALLS US TO RESPECT ALL OR IN THE ST. JAMES VERSION OF SCRIPTURE AT MARK 1231. THOU SHALT LOVE BY NEIGHBOR AS THYSELF, SO TO WORDS SLOW AND SHOW AS ARETHA BELTED OUT R-E-S-P-E-C-T KEY GARDEN ONE WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LOUISE VENDEN, FOLLOWED BY LAURA THORN KINCAID. LOUISE LOUISE, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. HELLO? YES, WE CAN HEAR YOU. PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY, VERY GOOD. UH, FIRST OF ALL, THANK YOU. I'M MARY MAYOR SUKI AND, UH, COUNCILOR SUZUKI AND AND PLA UH, FLA FLATTERY. UM, WE ALL KNOW NEIGHBORS WHO HAVE LEFT CAMBRIDGE BECAUSE THEY CANNOT FIND HOUSING THAT FITS THEIR INCOME NOR THEIR FAMILY NEEDS. SHORTAGE OF HOUSING HAS GROWN IN RESPONSE. CAMBRIDGE HAS PASSED SEVERAL ZONING CHANGES SINCE 2020 TO REMOVE BERRIES, BARRIERS AND INCENTIVIZE THE MARKET TO BUILD MORE HOUSING. HOUSING DEVELOPMENT HAS GROWN AND THE PIPELINE HAS INCREASED DRAMATICALLY. BUT ARE THESE PROPOSED HOUSING PROJECTS MEETING OUR GOALS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, MEETING THE NEEDS OF OUR RESIDENTS. CAMBRIDGE'S HOME TO WORLD CLASS RESEARCHERS, YET CAMBRIDGE POLICYMAKERS EMBARKED ON ZONING CHANGES AND STRIPED LEVELS OF REVIEW WITHOUT A COMPLETE UNDERSTANDING OF THE MARKET DYNAMICS. I URGE YOU TO APPROVE POLICY ORDER 82, THAT 92, THAT IT'S 82, THAT, UM, REQUEST THE HOUSING NEEDS STUDY SO THAT YOUR FUTURE DECISIONS WILL BE BASED ON. THANK YOU LOUISE. APOLOGIES, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LAURA THORN KINCAID, FOLLOWED BY ANDREW GANG, THEN MICHAEL ROGOVE. FOR THOSE WAITING, WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 11. LAURA THORN KINCAID. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, THANK YOU. I'M LAURA THORN KINCAID. I LIVE AT 31 STONE AVENUE IN SOMERVILLE AND I AM SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF LEAVING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY AS IT CURRENTLY IS. UM, I'M A PHD STUDENT AT HARVARD UNIVERSITY AND I AND MY COWORKERS AND FELLOW STUDENTS FREQUENTLY USE THE STREET FOR OUR COMMUTE FOR BIKING AND WALKING. AND WE WOULD LIKE TO KEEP THE STREET ONE WAY FOR THE PHYSICAL SAFETY OF EVERYONE USING THE STREET AND ALSO TO AVOID WASTING FUNDS ON DOING A PROJECT THAT HAS ALREADY HAD A POSITIVE CHANGE. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREW GANG, FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL ROGOVE. THEN ALEX DICKEL. ANDREW, ONE MINUTE. ALL RIGHT, THANK YOU AND GOOD EVENING. UH, MY NAME IS ANDREW GANG OF FRANCIS' PLACE. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF CHARTER, RIGHT ITEM NUMBER ONE TO HALT THE RECONFIGURATION OF GARDEN STREET. UH, PLAINLY I LIKE GARDEN STREET THE WAY IT IS NOW. THE BIKE LANES BEING SPACED APART FROM THE CAR TRAFFIC MAKE IT FEEL A LOT SAFER THAN, YOU KNOW, SAY OTHER MAJOR ROADS I COULD TAKE LIKE MASS AVE. UH, ESPECIALLY REGARDING THE RISK OF DOOR COLLISIONS AND HAVING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY FOR CARS WITH THE CHICANES, LIKE IT MAKES IT A LOT CALMER AND SIMPLER TO WATCH FOR OTHER ROAD USERS. I FIND IT MUCH EASIER WHEN DRIVING TOO. UH, IT'S EFFECTIVELY NOW A BIKE HIGHWAY THAT MY FRIENDS WHO LIVE HERE IN CENTRAL SQUARE USED TO VISIT ME IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE AND VICE VERSA. UM, AND I REALLY HOPE THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN KEEP. I DO HAVE A LOT OF SYMPATHY FOR THE FOLKS ON RAYMOND STREET WHO HAVE COMPLAINED ABOUT DANGEROUS TRAFFIC FOR A LONG TIME TO NO AVAIL. AND I THINK THERE'S NOW SOME PROPOSALS ON THE TABLE AND WE SHOULD DIRECT OUR ATTENTION TO THOSE INSTEAD OF WASTING MORE TIME ON DOING OUR PROGRESS. PURSUING SOMETHING THAT THE TRAFFIC STUDIES HAVE ALREADY TOLD US WOULD BE WORSE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHAEL ROGO, FOLLOWED BY ALEX DICKEL. THEN ANDREA CARLS MICHAEL. HI, SORRY. HI, ALL. THANK YOU. I'M MIKE ROGO OF 65 SPARK STREET. I'M IN A BUTTER SHORT WALK FROM GARDEN STREET, UH, WHICH I DRIVE, I WALK AND I BIKE THROUGH. IT'S A FAVORITE WALKING SPOT FOR MY FOSTER DOGS. I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THOSE FOSTER DOGS, A 1-YEAR-OLD, A 9-YEAR-OLD, SOMEONE IN THEIR TWENTIES, A FEW IN THEIR THIRTIES, FORTIES, UH, ONE GRANDPARENT IN THEIR LATE SIXTIES WHO ARE ALL CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS AND VOTERS, SOME OF WHOM HAVE WRITTEN TO YOU ALREADY, AND ALL OF WHOM, UH, HAVE CARETAKING OR WORK COMMITMENTS PREVENTING THEM FROM BEING HERE. NEARLY ALL OF THEM WE'RE SURPRISED TO HEAR WE WOULD BE SPENDING THIS MONEY ON RETURNING TRAFFIC TO TWO-WAY BEFORE GETTING THE SPEED BUMPS WE WERE PROMISED ON SPARKS, AS WE'VE SEEN ON FAIR WEATHER TO GREAT EFFECT ON FIELD STREET TO GREAT EFFECT. UH, TO THEM IT SPEAKS TO PRIORITIES. I KNOW YOU HAVE A TON ON YOUR PLATE. I KNOW YOU DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT THIS ANYMORE, UH, AND WE DON'T NEITHER, BUT, UM, IT'S GONNA BE A LONG NIGHT. PLEASE KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE [00:15:01] WAY AND STAY HYDRATED. I YIELD MY TIME. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALEX STICKLE, FOLLOWED BY ANDREA CARLS, THEN PERRY LUBIN. MY NAME IS ALEX DICK, I 1 41 STIR AND ALSO SPEAKING ON GARDEN. THIS COUNCIL CHAMBER IS NOT A COURTROOM AND TO COMPARE COUNCIL DECISIONS TO RE-LITIGATING A CRIMINAL CASE IN WHICH A LENIENT BUT FINAL PLEA HAS BEEN MADE IS LIKE COMPARING APPLES TO OATMEAL, NOT ORANGES. A CITY COUNSELOR IS ELECTED TO TWO YEAR TERMS FOR A REASON, UNLIKE A JUDGE FOR LIFE PRECISELY SO THAT THE MAKEUP OF THIS COUNCIL CAN CHANGE AND ACCURATELY REFLECT THE WILL OF THE PEOPLE. A COUNCIL WILLING TO REVERSE PAST BAD DECISIONS IS NOT DEMONSTRATING BAD POLICY, NOR IS IT VOTING TO STOP A PROJECT THAT THE CITY'S OWN EXPERTS ARE AGAINST. SPENDING $250,000 TO INCREASE CONGESTION IS BAD POLICY. BEING ELECTED AND DOING EXACTLY WHAT PEOPLE DON'T WANT IS BAD POLICY. AS ALWAYS, I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING A VOICE IN JUST 18 MONTHS IN THE NEXT ELECTION BECAUSE VOTING AGAINST A POLICY ORDER FOR NO REASON OTHER THAN AN ILLOGICAL COMPARISON TO TRIAL LAW IS NOT ONLY DISINGENUOUS, THAT IS BAD POLICY AND BAD POLITICS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREA CARLS, FOLLOWED BY PERRY LUBIN, THEN MARK BOSWELL. MY NAME IS ANDREA CARLS. I LIVE AT 52 GARDEN STREET. I SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF CHARTER, RIGHT NUMBER ONE, PLEASE LISTEN AND HEAR ME. WE NEED SOME PARKING SPACES AND IN AN UNLOADING ZONE ON OUR SIDE OF THE STREET, THAT'S THE BOTTOM LINE. DISTANT PARKING SPACES AND AN ACROSS THE STREET LOADING ZONE WON'T DO PUT YOURSELF IN OUR SHOES. IMAGINE YOU'RE RETURNING WITH A HEAVY LOAD OF GROCERIES AND NEED TO GET YOUR GROCERIES INTO THE BUILDING. THE REALITY IS THAT IN A RUSH TO BE SAFE, YOU WOULD PULL INTO THE BIKE LANE TO UNLOAD. SO TWO WOULD UBERS AND LYFTS WOULD PULL OVER TO PICK YOU UP OR DROP YOU OFF. DELIVERY TRUCKS, ET CETERA MIGHT MOVE INTO THAT SPACE. IF YOUR GOAL IS TO ENSURE BIKER SAFETY AND SPEED TRAFFIC, MAKING GARDEN STREET TWO WAYS FOR VEHICLES AND BARKERS IS DEFINITELY NOT THE WAY TO DO IT. PLEASE DON'T DESTROY THE POSITIVE CHANGES ON GARDEN STREET THAT SO MANY RESIDENTS AND BIKERS HAVE PRAISED. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PERRY LUBIN, FOLLOWED BY MARK BOSWELL, ETHAN FRANK, THEN PHYLLIS SIMKINS PERRY. HI, I'M PERRY LUBIN. I LIVE BETWEEN GARDEN AND RAYMOND ON GRAY GARDENS AND I I HOPE YOU'LL VOTE TO KEEP GARDEN STREET AS IT IS EVEN WITH ALL THE DISCUSSION OF THIS TOPIC OVER MANY, MANY YEARS NOW, I HAVEN'T HEARD ANYBODY EXPLAIN WHY IT MAKES ANY SENSE TO IGNORE THE FINDINGS OF THE CITY'S TRAFFIC ENGINEERS. THE TWO-WAY OPERATION WOULD INCREASE CONGESTION AND DECREASE SAFETY. THE REPORT THAT WAS REFRESHED IN 2025 SAID, RESTORING THE SECTION OF GARDEN STREET FROM LINET TO HURON, UH, TO TWO WEIGHT VEHICLES WOULD REDUCE COMFORT AND SAFETY FOR PEOPLE BIKING AND WALKING AND INCREASE CUES, GRIDLOCK AND CONGESTION NEAR GARDEN, HURON AND SHERMAN. SO FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, AVO VOTE TO KEEP GARDEN STREET AS IT IS, IS A VOTE TO ALLOW THE BEST RECOMMENDATION OF THE CITY'S OWN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO STAND. AND I THINK FOLLOWING THE APPROACH ON THIS AND FUTURE PROJECTS IS THE BEST WAY TO TURN DOWN OR BRING TO A CONCLUSION THIS LONG BACK AND FORTH ON THIS TOPIC, WHICH I'M SURE ALL OF YOU ARE WEARY OF FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS FROM THE JUMP, UH, IT'S BEEN A LONG STRETCH. THANK YOU, PERRY. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARK BOSWELL. MARK, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. UH, HELLO COUNSELORS. UM, MY NAME IS MARK BOSWELL. I LIVE AT 1 0 5 WALDEN STREET IN CAMBRIDGE. I'M SPEAKING ON CHARTER, RIGHT NUMBER ONE, UH, ASK YOU TONIGHT TO PLEASE, PLEASE LEAVE GARDEN STREET AS IT IS, IT'S ONE OF MY FAVORITE STREETS IN CAMBRIDGE DUE TO ITS CALM TRAFFIC. I WAS VERY IMPRESSED BY THE MANY COMMENTERS FROM TWO WEEKS AGO WHO STRONGLY PREFER IT IN ITS CURRENT ONE-WAY CONFIGURATION, AND THAT'S NOT SURPRISING. UH, SENIORS, PARENTS WITH SMALL CHILDREN AND MANY OTHERS ENJOY HOW IT FEELS AND FUNCTIONS AS A CALM NEIGHBORHOOD STREET TODAY INSTEAD OF A TRAFFIC FILLED AUTOMOTIVE THOROUGHFARE. KEEP IN MIND THIS IS A DIRECT AND POPULAR ROUTE FOR STUDENTS CYCLING TO DAN. HE PARK FOR ATHLETIC EVENTS TOO. HOWEVER, I FEAR THE COUNSELORS ARE NOT FULLY CONSIDERING THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS OF TWO-WAY CONFIGURATIONS, SUCH AS DRASTIC PARKING REMOVAL, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, THE SIGNAL CHANGES THAT HURON HAVE. ADDING A TWO LANE, UH, BIKE LANE WILL SURELY CAUSE EXTRA TIMING DELAYS AND CREATE MORE CONGESTION THAN WE SEE TODAY. UM, PLEASE LET'S HEED THE, UH, RECOMMENDATION OF THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND LEAVE IT AS ONE WAY. THANKS. HER NEXT SPEAKER IS ETHAN FRANK, [00:20:01] FOLLOWED BY PHYLLIS SIMKINS, THEN DANA BLISTER. ETHAN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, MY NAME IS ETHAN. I LIVE AT 6 32 MASS AVE. HAVE I TOO WAS MOVED BY THE TESTIMONY FROM RESIDENTS OF GARDEN STREET, UM, SOME WITH MOBILITY IMPAIRMENTS TO FIND THE CURRENT ONE-WAY SETUP MUCH SAFER FOR CROSSING THE STREET. I ALSO APPRECIATED THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT CLARIFYING THAT A TWO-WAY STREET WOULD NEED AN ADDITIONAL PHASE IN THE TRAFFIC SIGNALS, UH, INCREASING QUEUING TIMES AT THE INTERSECTION. SO LET'S LEAVE IT AS IT IS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PHYLLIS SIMKINS, FOLLOWED BY DANA BOLSTER PHYLLIS, ONE MINUTE. I'M PHYLLIS SIMPKINS. I LIVE AT 2 49 HURON. THIS IS MY FIFTH TIME HERE TO SUPPORT RETURNING GARDEN STREET TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC FOR THOSE LIVING ON GARDEN STREET AND THOSE WHO WANNA KEEP IT ONE WAY I ASK WHY IS GARDEN STREET MORE SPECIAL THAN ANY OF THE OTHER STREETS? ALL THE REST OF US ARE COPING WITH INCREASED TRAFFIC, BUT GARDENS SEVEN BLOCKS NOW HAVE MANY FEWER CARS AND UNDERWHELMING BIKE ACTIVITY, PARTICULARLY DURING THE DAY. IF YOUR OBJECTION IS COST, THE CITY SHOULD HAVE KNOWN THE CARS WILL JUST GO ELSEWHERE AND PLAN DIFFERENTLY. THE CITY REPORTS FEWER CARS REGISTERED IN CAMBRIDGE. MY NEIGHBORHOOD HAS 30 UNRESTRICTED PARKING SPACES FILLED BY NON-RESIDENTS. THEY ARRIVE BEFORE 8:00 AM LEAVE AFTER FIVE, TAKE BUSES TO THE SQUARE AND PROCEED ELSEWHERE. ALL THE STREETS HAVE CHILDREN, WE HAVE SENIORS, WE HAVE FAMILIES. WE ALL NEED TO SHARE THE BURDEN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE HAVE REACHED SPEAKER NUMBER 20, DANA BOLSTER, FOLLOWED BY ROB EVERS, SUSAN REED, THEN KATHLEEN CAP. DANA, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. GREAT. UH, MY NAME IS DANA BOLSTER AND I LIVE AT 21 BROOKLINE STREET NUMBER 1 0 5. I AM SPEAKING ON GARDEN STREET. THIS IS A SITUATION WHERE EVEN IF A REASONABLE PERSON COULD LOOK AT GARDEN STREET AND SAY THERE ARE REAL ADVANTAGES TO HAVING IT ONE WAY AND SOME DISADVANTAGES AND THE SAME GOES FOR TWO WAY, UM, EVEN IF IT WERE NOT OBVIOUS, UH, THIS IS A SITUATION WHERE WE NEED QUALIFIED TRAFFIC ENGINEERS, NOT CITIZEN SCIENTISTS, NOT LAYPERSON INTUITION TO BE BROUGHT INTO THE CONVERSATION ON THIS QUESTION. AND TO YOUR CREDIT, YOU ALREADY DID. AFTER YEARS OF PROFESSIONAL STUDY, CITY STAFF AND TRAFFIC EFFORTS, UH, EXPERTS CONCLUDED THAT TRANSITIONING TO TWO-WAY WOULD MAKE TRAFFIC WORSE AND MORE DANGEROUS FOR EVERYONE. PLEASE DON'T MESS AROUND WITH THE SAFETY OF CHILDREN AND FAMILIES. KEEP THE SAFE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT OUR RESIDENTS DESERVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ROB EVERETTS. ROB, ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS ROB EVERETTS. I LIVE AT 20 NEWELL STREET IN CAMBRIDGE. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF RETURNING GARDEN STREET TO TWO WAY. I RIDE MY BIKE IN CAMBRIDGE EVERY SINGLE DAY, UH, AND UNTIL VERY RECENTLY, UH, I COMMUTED FOR 25 YEARS DOWN THAT STRETCH OF GARDEN STREET FOUR SEASONS A YEAR, DAY AND NIGHT DURING DAYLIGHT, DURING NIGHTTIME IN THOUSANDS OF RIDES ON GARDEN STREET. I NEVER FELT UNSAFE AS A CYCLIST, BUT I ALWAYS FELT, I ALWAYS FELT THIS WAS A SOLUTION IN SEARCH OF A PROBLEM. BUT WAY MORE IMPORTANT THAN MY PERSONAL EXPERIENCE IS THE EASILY ANTICIPATED NEGATIVE RIPPLE EFFECTS THAT THIS CHANGE, UH, DID. SO LIKE WE FEEL IT AT THE CORNER OF NEWELL AND STEARNS, WHERE PEOPLE, A LOT OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE TRAFFIC ENDS UP THERE TAKING A LEFT ON A NARROW STREET STEARNS AT TOO HIGH A SPEED. AND I CAN ONLY IMAGINE HOW PEOPLE ON RAYMOND STREET AND SOME OF THE OTHER SMALLER SIDE STREETS THAT WERE NEVER DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE THAT MUCH TRAFFIC. MUST FEEL. PLEASE RETURN IT TO TWO-WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SUSAN REED, FOLLOWED BY KATHLEEN CAPLE. SUSAN, ONE MINUTE. I'M SUSAN REED OF 52 GARDEN STREET AND I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE POLICY ORDER, UH, TO HALT CONSTRUCTION ON GARDEN CHARTER. RIGHT NUMBER ONE, AND ESPECIALLY I WANNA TALK ABOUT WHAT A GREAT ORDER IT IS BECAUSE IT STOPS PITTING NEIGHBOR AGAINST NEIGHBOR. UM, RETURNING GARDEN STREET TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC WAS A PREMATURE DECISION BASED ON A HUNCH NOT HARD DATA. THE TRUTH IS THAT NOBODY KNOWS IF THAT CHANGE WOULD REDUCE TRAFFIC ON SIDE [00:25:01] STREETS BECAUSE THE IMPACT HAS NOT BEEN QUANTIFIED OR FORECASTED. WE WANT OUR NEIGHBORS ON RAYMOND BUCKINGHAM APPLETON AND WALKER TO HAVE THE SAME SAFE STREETS THAT WE ENJOY. THIS SHOULDN'T BE MY STREET AGAINST YOUR STREET. WE ALL TRAVEL IN THE SAME AREAS AND THIS ORDER IS A WIN FOR EVERYONE BECAUSE IT FINALLY LOOKS AT OUR TRAFFIC HOLISTICALLY. IT PRIORITIZES QUICK BUILD SAFETY MEASURES AND DEMANDS A COMMUNITY HEARING FOR REAL SOLUTIONS. LET'S USE ENGINEERING JUDGMENT, NOT GUESSES TO ENSURE OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY MOVES WITH FLUIDITY AND SAFETY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. KATHLEEN CAPPLE, FOLLOWED BY JAMES ZALD AND CHRISTOPHER DORNAN. KATHLEEN, ONE MINUTE. I AM KATHLEEN CAPPLE AND I ALSO LIVE AT 52 GARDEN STREET AND MY SPOUSE IS A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY. THE PROPOSED PLAN WOULD ELIMINATE THE ABILITY OF A DA VE VEHICLES, SHUTTLES, AND OTHER FORMS OF TRANSPORTATION TO SAFELY PICK UP AND DROP OFF MY HUSBAND OR OTHER INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES. THE CURRENT CONFIGURATION WORKS BECAUSE IT KEEPS THAT OPTION OF SAFE RIDES INTACT FOR PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES. BECAUSE OF THIS, I AM IN FAVOR OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET THE WAY IT IS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAMES ZAL, FOLLOWED BY CHRISTOPHER DORN. THEN NATHAN WANG. JAMES, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THIS IS JAMES A 2 0 3 PEMBERTON STREET. I'M SPEAKING FIRST IN FAVOR OF CALENDAR ITEM ONE WITH THE HOPE THAT IT WILL END THE TUG OF WAR OVER. UH, GARDEN STREET TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT ANALYSIS HAS FOUND THAT THE STREET'S PRESENT CONFIGURATION IS PREFERRED FOR GREATER SAFETY AND LESS CONGESTION. THIS ONGOING DEBATE HAS ALSO LED TO DEMANDS THAT THE COUNCIL HELP OTHER NEIGHBORS GET TRAFFIC ROUTED OFF THEIR STREET AND LOADED ONTO SOMEONE ELSE'S. LET'S LEAVE SUCH MATTERS TO BE DECIDED ON THE MERITS BY THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT. SIMILAR POLITICAL CALCULATION SEEMS EMBEDDED IN POLICY ORDERS FOUR AND FIVE, WHICH I HOPE WILL NOT PASS. THE COUNCIL HAS BEEN WORKING ON REDUCING BARRIERS TO HOUSING FOR MANY YEARS. THE A HO HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL. THE RECENT MULTIFAMILY ZONING IS OFF TO A GOOD START. POLICY ORDER FIVE IS NOT THE FIRST CALL TO COUNT HOW MANY HOMES WE'LL NEED IN THE FUTURE IN THE HOPES THAT WE CAN JUST BUILD TO THAT NUMBER AND THEN WASH OUR HANDS OF THE HOUSING SHORTAGE. THANK YOU. JAMES. PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER YOUR TIME EXPIRED. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRISTOPHER DORNAN. CHRISTOPHER HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL GO TO NATHAN WANG, FOLLOWED BY LYNN JOHNSTON, THEN RUBEN ERLING CLAWSON. NATHAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HELLO? UM, MY NAME IS NATHAN WANG. I LIVE NEARBY AT 42 PARKER STREET AND I'M IN FAVOR OF CHARTER ITEM NUMBER ONE, KEEPING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. UM, I COMMUTE FOR WORK AND USE GARDEN STREET VERY FREQUENTLY ON MY BIKE. HOWEVER, I BIKE, DRIVE MY CAR AND WALK FREQUENTLY IN THE AREA. THE CURRENT CONFIGURATION IS EXTREMELY SAFE AND I FIND IT EASY TO USE AS A BICYCLIST, A CAR DRIVER, AND AS A PEDESTRIAN. THE PROPOSED CHANGE THAT WAS PREVIOUSLY PASSED IS VERY DANGEROUS AS IT HAS TWO OPPOSING LANES OF BIKE TRAFFIC THAT CARS HAVE TO LOOK OUT FOR. IN ADDITION, IT'LL COST CAMBRIDGE TAXPAYERS ADDITIONAL MONEY TO CHANGE AND GOES AGAINST THE OBJECTIVE EXPERT BASED FINDINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION. IF CONVERTED BACK TO TWO WAY, IT GOES AGAINST THE WISHES OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS AND THE EXPERTISE OF THE TRANSPORTATION ENGINEERS. UM, I, THAT'S ALL I HAVE TO SAY ABOUT IT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LYNN JOHNSTON, FOLLOWED BY RUBEN ERLING CLAWSON. I AM LYNN JOHNSTON AND I LIVE AT 52 GARDEN STREET. I'M FOR HALTING CONSTRUCTION ON GARDEN STREET. PLEASE KEEP IT THE WAY IT IS. I'VE LIVED HERE FOR SEVERAL DECADES AND HOPE TO CONTINUE, BUT THE PLAN FOR TWO-WAY TRAFFIC IS FORCING, FORCING ME TO RECONSIDER BY REMOVING OUR FRONT CURB ACCESS. YOU ARE ERODING THE INDEPENDENCE OF EVERY SENIOR IN MY BUILDING. WHEN YOU TAKE AWAY THAT ACCESS, YOU AREN'T JUST CHANGING THE STREET, YOU'RE CREATING A PHYSICAL BARRIER. FOR THOSE OF US WI WITH MOBILITY ISSUES, THE FINANCIAL LOGIC IS EQUALLY FLAWED. ONE OF OUR SERVICE PROVIDERS HAS ALREADY INFORMED US THEY'LL CHARGE AN EXTRA $33 PER VISIT, JUSTIFIED PARKING. I PAY TAXES FOR THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF THE CITY, BUT I'M ASKED TO PAY A PENALTY. WE NEED RELIABLE FRONT DOOR ACCESS [00:30:01] TO OUR BUILDING TO REMAIN INDEPENDENT OF THIS COMMUNITY. PLEASE HALT THIS CONSTRUCTION BEFORE YOU PRICE US AND PUSH US OUT OF OUR HOMES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO AN EARLIER SKIPPED SPEAKER. MARK BOSWELL. MARK, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. OH, THANK YOU. BUT I BELIEVE I'VE ALREADY SPOKEN. OH, SORRY. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS REUBEN VEING CLAWSON RUBEN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, MY NAME IS REUBEN BELIN CLAWSON AND I'M A STUDENT AT CAMBRIDGE RIDGE AND LATIN SCHOOL SPEAKING ON POLICY ORDER TWO, I BIKE GARDEN STREET TO GET TO SCHOOL EVERY DAY AND I SEE COUNTLESS OTHER STUDENTS DOING THE SAME. WITH THE CHANGES PROPOSED ON GUARDIAN STREET, INCLUDING THE LOSS OF PARKED CARS, ACTING AS A BARRIER BETWEEN THE CARS AND THE BIKE LANE. THE SAFETY OF STUDENTS WILL BE COMPROMISED. THERE WILL BE A VERY LONG STRETCH WITH ALMOST NOWHERE FOR VEHICLES TO PULL, PULL OVER EXCEPT FOR A SINGLE LOADING ZONE. THIS MEANS TRUCKS, RIDE SHARES AND VANS WILL HAVE TO STOP IN THE BIKE LANE. WHEN THAT HAPPENS, CYCLISTS WILL HAVE TO VEER INTO ONCOMING CAR TRAFFIC. IMAGINE YOURSELF HAVING TO DO THAT EVERY DAY ON YOUR WAY TO SCHOOL. THE CURRENT CONFIGURATION WORKS, PLEASE VOTE YES ON POLICY ORDER TWO AND KEEP GARDEN STREET SAFE FOR THE STUDENTS WHO RELY ON IT AND THE PARENTS WHO CAN TRUST THAT THEIR KIDS WILL GET TO SCHOOL SAFELY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS WESLEY DONAHOE, FOLLOWED BY PATRICK, UH, SORRY. PATRICIA O'NEIL. SORRY, WESLEY HAS NOT JOINED THE ZOOM. WE WILL GO TO PATRICIA O'NEILL, FOLLOWED BY SCOTT KCO. PATRICIA IS NOT WITH US. WE WILL GO TO SCOTT. HI, THIS IS, UH, MY NAME IS PATRICIA O'NEILL. I LIVE AT 91 GARDEN STREET AND I'M IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET AS IS ONE WAY. UH, TWO WEEKS AGO, A NEIGHBOR SPOKE ABOUT, AS AN ENGINEER, THERE'S NO PERFECT SOLUTION. THERE ARE ONLY TRADE-OFFS AND I DON'T BELIEVE ANYONE IN THIS ROOM WANTS TO HAVE AN UNSAFE SITUATION. HOWEVER, UM, IF WE LOOK AT THE TRADE OFF OF FOUR LANES OF MOVING VEHICLES, UM, IN ORDER TO POSSIBLY LESSEN SAFETY, I'M NOT GONNA SAY IT'S UNSAFE, BUT IT COULD LESSEN SAFETY. IT'S A BAD TRADE OFF. PLEASE DO NOT TRADE A MORE SAFE SITUATION FOR THE POTENTIAL OF RELIEVING CONGESTION. IT'S A BAD TRADE OFF AND IT'S NOT ONE I WOULD SUGGEST YOU WANT TO MAKE. KEEP THINGS AS THE ARE. KEEP THE THINGS THAT ARE WORKING, WORKING AND LET'S USE THAT MONEY TO FIX THE THINGS THAT ARE NOT WORKING FOR THE SURROUNDING STREETS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SCOTT KILCOY, FOLLOWED BY JONATHAN FRIEDEN. THEN ALEX HOLMAN. WE'RE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 31. SCOTT, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU. UM, I WOULD, I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING GARDEN AS IS. I PERSONALLY LOVE IT. IT'S, UH, BEEN JUST SUCH A BIG CHANGE AND IMPROVEMENT TO THE CITY AND TO MY EXPERIENCE TO THE CITY. UH, BUT BEYOND THAT, IT IS THE MOST SPECIAL STREET IN THE CITY IN THAT IT'S THE STREET THAT I SEE FAMILIES AND KIDS AND STUDENTS INDEPENDENTLY BIKING AROUND MORE THAN ANYWHERE ELSE. AND THAT'S JUST INCREDIBLE. THAT'S LIKE REALLY SHOWS HOW SUCCESSFUL THIS PROJECT HAS BEEN. AND WE SHOULDN'T BE WHEN THERE'S ISSUES ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY, THE SOLUTION SHOULDN'T BE TO MAKE SOMETHING WORSE, IT SHOULD BE LOOK AT WHAT HAS WORKED GARDEN STREET HAS WORKED AT MAKING IT SAFER AND CALMER. WE SHOULD BE TAKING THAT AS INSPIRATION AND IMPROVING EVERYWHERE ELSE IN THE CITY TO BE AS SPECIAL AS GARDENS SO THAT THE WHOLE CITY IS THAT SPECIAL. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JONATHAN FRIEDEN, FOLLOWED BY ALEX HOLMAN. HI, MY NAME IS JONATHAN FRIEDEN AND I LIVE AT SIX WASHINGTON AVE, WHICH IS THE CORNER OF LINEAN IN WASHINGTON. I'M A DAILY BICYCLE COMMUTER AND CAR OWNER, AND I'M URGING THE COUNCIL TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENT ONE-WAY CONFIGURATION OF GARDEN STREET LIVING AT THIS INTERSECTION, I'VE SEEN THE IMPACT OF THESE CHANGES FIRSTHAND, [00:35:01] AND WHILE I'VE NOTICED AN INCREASE IN TRAFFIC ON LINEAN, ESPECIALLY SHORTLY AFTER THE CHANGE, UH, THE CITY'S OWN LOCAL TRAFFIC ANALYSIS CONFIRMS THAT VOLUMES ON OUR STREET REMAIN LOWER THAN WHAT GARDEN STREET ONCE CARRIED. FOR THOSE OF US LIVING HERE, THE TRADE OFF IS CLEAR. WE HAVE GAINED A SIGNIFICANTLY SAFER NEIGHBORHOOD BEFORE THIS CHANGE. THE INTERSECTION AND LINE, UH, GARDEN AND LINEAN, UH, SEEM VERY TREACHEROUS TODAY. IT'S OBJECTIVELY CALMER. UH, THE CITY'S LATEST DATA SHOWS THAT SIDEWALK RIDING HAS PLUMMETED FROM 7% TO 2% AT GARDEN AND CON CONQUERED. IF WE REVERT TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC, WE AREN'T JUST ADDING CARS, WE'RE REDUCING SAFETY. UM, AND WE SHOULDN'T BE SPENDING A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS TO UNDO A SAFETY IMPROVEMENT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALEX HOLMAN, FOLLOWED BY VANESSA ROUGE. ALEX, ONE MINUTE. HI THERE. THIS IS ALEX HOLMAN, SEVEN GLADSTONE STREET, AND I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY AND MAINTAINING BICYCLE BICYCLE SAFETY. UH, THERE'VE BEEN A TON OF GOOD ARGUMENTS THAT HAVE ALL SPOKEN BEFORE ME AND I'M NOT GONNA REHASH EVERYTHING. AND WHY KEEPING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY IS SAFER, BETTER, MORE EFFICIENT, AND AN OVERALL GOOD DECISION. WHAT I WILL SAY IS THAT THERE HAVE BEEN NUMEROUS STUDIES IN GENERAL THAT SAY ADDING CAR LANES AND ADDING TRAFFIC LANES TO TO THOROUGHFARES DOES NOTHING TO DECREASED CONGESTION AND INCREASED THROUGHPUT, THAT IT MERELY ATTRACTS MORE CARS, MORE USAGE, AND MORE, UH, GRIDLOCK ALONG WITH IT. WE HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY HERE TO CONTINUE TO MAKE CAMBRIDGE A BICYCLING EPICENTER AND AN EPICENTER OF SAFE BICYCLING AND KEEPING CYCLING AS A VIABLE MEANS OF COMMUTING THROUGH OUR CITY. AND I SUPPORT ANY STEPS TO KEEP IMPROVING BICYCLE SAFETY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS VANESSA JE VANESSA, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HELLO, MY NAME IS VANESSA RUGE. I LIVE AT ONE 17 APPLETON STREET. UM, I THINK OVER THE PAST FOUR YEARS WE'VE HEARD ARGUMENTS BOTH FOR AND AGAINST GARDEN AS A ONE-WAY STREET, AND I BELIEVE THAT'S BECAUSE THERE ARE THOUGHTFUL POSITIONS ON BOTH SIDES. I THINK WE ALL WANT SAFE BIKING LANES AND WE ALL WANT A THRIVING, WALKABLE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT IS NOT BURDENED BY EXCESSIVE TRAFFIC. SO WHATEVER GETS DECIDED TONIGHT, I REALLY ENCOURAGE THE CITY TO CONSIDER THAT PEOPLE WALK AND BIKE ALL AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND TO THINK ABOUT WAYS IN WHICH THEY CAN MAKE THAT SAFER AND ENJOYABLE FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST ON A SINGLE CORRIDOR. SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ADAM LUBIN, FOLLOWED BY DOUGLAS BAKER, THEN PVO SHAKTI. ADAM, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, UH, MY NAME IS ADAM LUBAN. I LIVE AT 22 COTTAGE PARK AVE AND I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET A ONE WAY. UM, I'M A GRADUATE STUDENT AT BOSTON UNIVERSITY AND I USE THE GARDEN STREET BIKE LANE, UH, EVERY DAY TO GET ACROSS CAMBRIDGE. THE CHANGES TO GARDEN STREET WILL MAKE IT LESS SAFE FOR MYSELF AND THE MANY OTHER PEOPLE OF ALL AGES, ESPECIALLY STUDENTS AT THE LOCAL SCHOOLS WHO USE THE BIKE LANE EACH DAY. CAMBRIDGE IS CURRENTLY RANKED THE NUMBER FOUR CITY IN THE COUNTRY FOR CYCLING INFRASTRUCTURE. WHILE I UNDERSTAND THAT SOMETIMES CHANGES NEED TO BE MADE TO OUR BIKE LANES, THEY SHOULD BE MADE AS A RESULT OF REASON DECISION MAKING BASED ON DATA, NOT, UH, ON AN ARBITRARY BASIS. THE COUNCIL SHOULD PAUSE THE PROPOSED CHANGES WHILE MORE DATA IS COLLECTED SO THAT AN INFORMED DECISION CAN BE MADE ON WHAT'S BEST FOR ALL USERS OF GARDEN STREET. OTHERWISE, WE ARE WASTING OUR TAX DOLLARS, MAKING SUDDEN ADJUSTMENTS BASED ON THE LOUD VOICES OF A FEW THAT WILL NOT ADDRESS THE PROBLEMS THEY CLAIM TO SOLVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DOUGLAS BAKER, FOLLOWED BY BRAVO CHAKRA BASSI DOUGLAS, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HELLO COUNSEL. THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK. UM, I AM HERE TO SPEAK IN FAVOR OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET IN ITS PRESENT CONFIGURATION AS ONE WAY. UM, AS NUMBER OF PEOPLE HAVE ALREADY STATED, THE, UH, THE ISSUE WAS STUDIED BY THE ENGINEERS AND I THINK IT'S NOT WISE TO, UH, SPEND, I GUESS IT'S ABOUT A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS TO GO BACK ON THE STUDY THAT WAS ALREADY DONE AND IMPLEMENTED. UH, I ALSO JUST WANNA SAY THAT I AM A CYCLIST AND I USE GARDEN STREET OFTEN, BUT I'M ALSO A MOTORIST AND I DRIVE AROUND THE CITY IN THIS. I LIVE, UM, IN THE PORTER [00:40:01] SQUARE AREA. AND SO I UNDERSTAND, UM, NOTHING IS PERFECT AS A DRIVER. I DON'T ALWAYS LOVE THE FACT THAT I CAN ONLY GO ONE WAY ON GARDEN STREET, BUT I THINK FOR THE, THE KIND OF GREATER BENEFIT OF THE CITY, THESE PROTECTED BIKE LANES AND UM, GOING WITH THE STUDIES OF THE ENGINEERS IS REALLY IMPORTANT, EVEN IF IT INCONVENIENCE IN SOME OF US SOME OF THE TIME. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PABLO CHAKRABARTI, FOLLOWED BY SUZANNE BLEIER. THEN KITTY RIZZI PROBABLE YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. PVO, IF YOU CAN TRY TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU DO HAVE THE FLOOR. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. I LIVE AT ONE 17 APPLETON STREET. I URGE THE COUNCIL TO STICK TO ITS DECISION TO RESTORE GARDEN STREET TO TWO-WAY, WHILE ALSO PRESERVING SAFETY AND BIKE LANES IN TWO DIRECTIONS. IT WAS A COMMON SENSE DECISION MADE BY THE COUNCIL. ALL THE MILES AROUND THE ENTIRE NEIGHBORHOOD HAVE BEEN CLOGGED SINCE THE CHANGE WAS MADE. ONLY THAT MILE IS QUIET. TRAFFIC SHOULD BE BALANCED, ESPECIALLY ON THE KEY ARTERIAL ROAD. THE TRAFFIC IS NOT JUST OUTSIDERS, IT'S ALSO CAMBRIDGE PARENTS TRYING THEIR FERRIES, THEIR KIDS AROUND TO SOCCER AND OTHER ACTIVITIES. MY DAUGHTER IS ON A FRESHMAN AT CRLS AND IS ON THE TEAM AT DENNY PARK ON TRACK AND CROSS COUNTRY. AND ALL THE NEIGHBORHOODS AROUND TO GET THERE ARE CLOGGED IN TERMS OF COST. THE, THE, THE 130,000 COST IS LESS THAN THE AVERAGE COST OF THE NINE PARTICIPATORY BUDGETING PROJECTS FROM LAST YEAR. SO IT'S REASONABLE FOR SAFER TRAFFIC THAT ALSO PRESERVES BIKE LANES IN BOTH DIRECTIONS AS THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT OUTLINED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SUZANNE B FOLLOWED BY KATIE RIZZI. THEN BRENDAN COFF. SUZANNE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. SUZANNE BLEIER FIVE FULLER PLACE FIRST ON THE HOUSING NEEDS STUDY POLICY ORDER 82. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI AND THE OTHERS FOR SPONSORING THIS. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO GET THE RIGHT DATA AND, UH, HOPEFULLY OTHERS WILL VOTE WITH THIS AS WELL. ON RESTORING GARDEN STREET TO TWO WAY. IN 2022, THE CITY ACTUALLY NOTED THAT IT WOULD BRING MORE TRAFFIC TO THE SIDE STREETS AND INDEED IT DID. THERE'S ROUGHLY 3000 MORE CARS PER DAY ON THE ADJACENT, MUCH MORE NARROW SIDE STREETS. THIS HAS INCREASED NOT ONLY CONGESTION, BUT IS FAR MORE DANGEROUS. ADDING COSTS AND COMMUTE TIME, A FOURFOLD INCREASE IN ACCIDENTS IN GARDEN AND THE ADJACENT STREETS APPARENTLY IS WHAT HAS HAPPENED SINCE THIS HAPPENED. AND THE CITY NEVER DID THE PROPER ANALYSIS. ANY ANALYSIS ON TRAFFIC NUMBERS ON GARDEN STREET ITSELF OR OTHER STREETS SOUTH OF HURON? KEEP IT TWO WAY. UM, AND, UH, THE BIKE LANES WILL BE THERE. IT IS NOT A BIKE HIGHWAY. IT'S A CRITICAL, UM, ARTERY ROAD FOR TRAFFIC OUT OF CAMBRIDGE NORTH. THANK YOU SO MUCH. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KITA RIZZI, FOLLOWED BY BRANDON COFFEY, THEN NICOLE BARNA KITTY. ONE MINUTE. HI, MY NAME'S KITTY RIZZI. I LIVE AT 47 INMAN STREET AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. I OFTEN GO THAT WAY FOR COMMUTING AND ALSO FOR FUN ON MY BIKE AND WALKING AND RUNNING. IF GARDEN STREET WERE TO GO BACK TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC, IT WOULD CREATE DANGEROUS TURNING CONFLICTS AND LEAVE VERY LITTLE ROOM FOR DELIVERIES AND PICKUPS WILL, WHICH WILL INEVITABLY MAKE PEOPLE BLOCK THE BIKE LANE, WHICH IS A NINE STATES UNSAFE SITUATION AND NAVIGATE ON A BIKE. CITY STAFF HAVE SAID THAT THE NEW DESIGN WILL MAKE TRAFFIC WORSE AND COST 250,000 THAT COULD BE BETTER SPENT IMPROVING SELF SAFETY ELSEWHERE. SO PLEASE KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE WAY AS WELL AS ADDRESS THE SAFETY CONCERNS ON NEIGHBORING STREETS. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SPEAKER NUMBER 40. BRENDAN COFFEE FOLLOWED BY NICOLE BARNA. BRENDAN IS NOT WITH US. WE WILL GO TO NICOLE. NICOLE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS NICOLE BARN AND I LIVE AT 29 BELLA CIRCLE. I'M HERE TO VOICE MY STRONG SUPPORT FOR KEEPING GARDEN STREET, AS IS THE CHARTER NUMBER ONE GARDEN STREET IN ITS CURRENT CONFIGURATION IS ONE OF THE BEST STREETS IN CAMBRIDGE FOR A SAFE AND ENJOYABLE COMMUTE. JUST THE OTHER DAY I RODE A BLUE BIKE FROM DHE TO THE LIBRARY IN UNDER 15 MINUTES. IT WAS MUCH NICER THAN DRIVING, RETURNING GARDEN STREET TO TWO-WAY VEHICULAR TRAFFIC WILL CREATE DANGEROUS BIKE ROUTES, INCREASE TRAFFIC DUE TO THE TIMING OF THE LIGHTS, AND AS MENTIONED BY MANY GARDEN STREET RESIDENTS, [00:45:01] REMOVE CRITICAL PARKING AND CREATE CHALLENGES FOR THOSE WHO LIVE ON THAT STREET. IT IS IMPORTANT THAT OUR CITY GOVERNMENT MAKES INFORMED AND RESPONSIBLE DECISIONS, ESPECIALLY WHEN THOSE DECISIONS INVOLVE SPENDING MONEY. THEREFORE, I URGE CITY COUNCIL TO VOTE TO KEEP GARDEN STREET AS IS. DON'T WASTE OUR CITY DOLLARS BY REMOVING PROGRESS ON GARDEN STREET. INSTEAD, USE THAT MONEY TO IMPLEMENT TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES ON SHERMAN RAYMOND ROBINSON AND OTHER STREETS ACROSS THE CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DANIEL VLOCK. DANIEL HAS NOT JOINED US. WE'LL GO TO YOUNG KIM, FOLLOWED BY CAROLINE FULLER, THEN MARY JANE KKI YOUNG. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. IT WILL BE BY ITSELF. YEAH, IT'S YOUR TURN. YEAH. YOUNG KIM 17 NORRY STREET. I SUBMITTED A LETTER ON TONIGHT'S AGENDA ITEMS AS A LATE HANDOUT. HARD COPIES ARE ON YOUR DESKS BECAUSE THE ISSUES ARE COMPLEX AND INTERCONNECTED AND THE LETTERS LETTER KEPT EVOLVING. AS I WORKED THROUGH THOSE CONNECTIONS, THEY SHARE A COMMON ISSUE. WE ARE MAKING POLICY AND SPENDING DECISIONS WITHOUT A CLEAR, CONSISTENT BASELINE AND THEN ACCOUNTABLE BUDGET PROCESS TYING THEM TOGETHER. I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO DWELL ON EACH ITEM TONIGHT. THEY ARE DETAILED IN THE HANDOUT. MY LETTER HIGHLIGHTS THREE AREAS WHERE THIS GAP SHOWS UP. FIRST, CMA 1, 2, 4, AND 14, WHICH ARE BUDGET PROCESS ACCOUNTABILITY, SECOND CMA 23 AND 24 TO TOGETHER WITH POLICY ORDER FIVE, POLICY SEQUENCING AND BASELINE EVALUATION. THIRD POLICY ORDER OF FOUR, AND, UH, CHARTER RIGHT ONE, IMPLEMENTATION, ALIGNMENT AND SYSTEM, UH, LEVEL PERFORMANCE. I BEG YOU TO, UH, DEBATE THIS IN THIS. YOUR TIME IS EXPIRED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CAROLYN FULLER. CAROLYN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. UH, HI. THANK YOU. UM, MY NAME IS CAROLYN FULLER, 12 DOUGLAS STREET. I'M RIDING AND, OR I'M TALKING IN FAVOR OF POLICY. RIGHT. NUMBER ONE, I'M A 76-YEAR-OLD PEDESTRIAN. I DON'T OWN EITHER A CAR OR BIKE, BUT I WALK ALL OVER THE CITY. GARDEN STREET IS SAFER FOR PEDESTRIANS NOW THAT IT IS A ONE WAY STREET, ESPECIALLY AT THE INTERSECTION OF GARDEN AND CONCORD. 35 YEARS AGO, OUR 7-YEAR-OLD SON RAN ACROSS THAT INTERSECTION TO GREET HIS BEST FRIEND. HE HAD A WALK LIGHT, BUT AT THE, AT THE TIME, ONE OF THE MANY TRAFFIC LANES MERGING INTO THAT INTERSECTION ALSO HAD A GREEN LIGHT. I WATCHED IN HAR HORROR AS AN AMBULANCE DRIVER NEARLY RAN OUR SUN DOWN. THOSE TRAFFIC LIGHTS WERE FIXED MANY DECADES AGO, BUT IT IS STILL A CONFUSING INTERSECTION WHEN BOTH CONCORD AVE AND GARDEN STREET ARE TWO-WAY STREETS. PLEASE KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. IT IS SAFER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARY JANE KOKI UHHUH MARY FOLLOWED, FOLLOWED BY AMY FLAX, MARY JANE KOKI 1 0 3 AVON HILL STREET. UM, I, MY FIRST POINT I WANNA MAKE IS THAT IT STRIKES ME AS BAD GOVERNANCE TO GO BACK AND REDECIDE SOMETHING. I, SO I'M, I'M SURPRISED. I MEAN, A VOTE WAS TAKEN AND, UH, COUNCIL APPROVED SOMETHING AND NOW WE FIND OURSELVES, UM, BACK HERE AGAIN. UH, NUMBER TWO, ACCORDING TO THE CITY'S OWN CRASH DATA, IT ISN'T SAFER. MAYBE GARDEN STREET, THE STREET, GARDEN STREET MAY BE SAFER AND FOR CERTAINLY FOR PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE AND BIKE THERE, IT'S, IT, IT'S A BETTER SITUATION. UNFORTUNATELY, THE SIDE STREETS HAVE THE BURDEN OF, UH, THAT IMPACT. THE SIDE STREETS ARE MORE HEAVILY TRAVERSED. THERE HAVE BEEN ACCIDENTS ON THE, ON THE ADJACENT STREETS, AND I JUST IMPLORE YOU TO THINK BROADLY ABOUT WHAT YOU'RE DOING. I WOULD URGE, UH, A RETURN TO TWO-WAY, BUT I, WHEN I SAY THAT, I KIND OF FEEL LIKE THE SKUNK AT THE GARDEN PARTY. BUT, UM, I THINK IT'S WORTH CONSIDERING THE BROADER IMPACTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AMY FLAX, FOLLOWED BY JACK SILVERSON, THEN JANA ODETTE. AMY, ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU. UM, I REALLY APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND I AM VERY, UH, MY HEART IS VERY WARMED BY HEARING ALL THE COMMENTS ABOUT PEOPLE WHO WANT TO KEEP GARDEN STREET THE WAY IT, THAT IT IS. I LIVE IN THE CAMBRIDGE HIGHLANDS. I'M IN MY SEVENTIES. I'VE LIVED IN CAMBRIDGE FOR 50 YEARS. SO IN ORDER FOR ME TO GET TO OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY, IT'S MY FAVORITE ROUTE [00:50:01] ON, UM, MY BICYCLE. AND I BIKE FOR HEALTH REASONS. AND I ALSO BIKE BECAUSE I WANT TO REDUCE THE EFFECTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE. I AM ALSO A RETIRED PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER, AND I'M VERY EXCITED WHEN I SEE KIDS RIDING ON GARDEN STREET SAFELY, UM, TO SCHOOL OR TO DANAY PARK. IT IS A LINK TO OTHER PARTS OF THE CITY AND FOR SOME, UM, FRAGILE USERS. AND I URGE YOU TO KEEP IT THE SAME WAY. IT'S THE BEST STREET IN THE CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JACK SILVERSON. JACK, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU. 1 0 3 AVON HILL STREET, CAMBRIDGE. LAST YEAR THE COUNCIL VOTED TO RETURN GARDEN STREET TO TWO WAY. WE WERE TOLD, GIVEN THE CITY'S OTHER COMMITMENTS, WE WOULD NEED TO WAIT A YEAR FOR THE CHANGE TO BE IMPLEMENTED. WHY ARE WE HERE TONIGHT? TO RECONSIDER THE ISSUE THAT WAS DECIDED WHEN THERE ARE NO DUE DATA THAT POINTED, THERE'S ANYTHING DIFFERENT TO CONSIDER. IN FACT, AS I UNDERSTAND IT, SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT SUGGESTED MAYBE IT SHOULD BE KEPT ONE WAY, HAVE BEEN RECTIFIED. THERE'S NO REASON TO GO BACK. IT'S BECAUSE SOME MEMBERS OF THE CURRENT COUNCIL WERE NOT HAPPY WITH LAST YEAR'S VOTE. AND THEY BELIEVE BY BRINGING THE DECISION BACK THIS TIME WITH THE NEW COUNCIL, THEY'RE GONNA GET WHAT THEY WANT. IT'S EXACTLY THIS KIND OF MANEUVER THAT MAKES ONE CYNICAL ABOUT HOW THIS COUNCIL GOES ABOUT ITS BUSINESS. I SAY GO BACK ON LAST YEAR'S DECISION, AND I BELIEVE THE COUNCIL WILL EARN AN F IN GOVERNANCE AND LOSE THE TRUST. THEY SO SORELY NEED TO BE EFFECTIVE. IT IS EXTREMELY UPSETTING TO SEE YOU GO BACK ON YOUR WORD. WE WERE TOLD TO WAIT. WE WAITED AND NOW AT THE 11TH HOUR YOU CHANGED THE DECISION. DISCUSS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JANA ODETTE, FOLLOWED BY MARYLEE MEYER, THEN NORMAN DOUS. JANA. HI, MY NAME IS JANA ODETTE. I LIVE AT 1 76 LARGE ROAD. UM, BASICALLY I, I KIND OF FEEL LIKE MARY JANE KOKI WITH BEING A SKUNK AT THE GARDEN PARTY, BUT I, I DO FEEL THAT RETURNING, UM, GARDEN STREET A TWO WAY HAS ITS MERITS BECAUSE OF THE SAFETY ISSUES ON THE SURROUNDING STREETS. AND I I LOVE WHAT, UM, ADAM LUBIN SAID, WHICH WAS THAT WE REALLY NEED HARD DATA ON EVERYTHING. AND THAT IS, UM, POLICY ORDER NUMBER 82, WHICH THE HOUSING NEEDS STUDY POLICY ORDER 81, WHICH IS THE NEIGHBORHOOD GUIDE TO THE MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING. IT'S LIKE, WHY ARE WE DOING SOMETHING THAT SOUNDS GOOD. THAT MAY NOT BE GOOD. UH, I DON'T KNOW. SO I, I TOTALLY RELATE TO WHAT THE SENIORS ON GARDEN STREET ARE SAYING THAT IT'S SAFER THAT THAT IN ORDER FOR LYFT TO COME BY, IT WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, MORE MONEY AND BLOCK BICYCLE LANES. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I WOULD JUST LIKE SOME HARD DATA PLEASE. AND I DON'T KNOW WHOM TO BELIEVE. BLESS YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARYLEE MEYER, FOLLOWED BY NORMAN DOUS MARYLEE. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, MARYLEE MEYER TO DANA STREET REFERRING TO 4 0 5 COUNCIL NEEDS TO FIND BIPARTISAN CLARIFICATION FOR MULTIFAMILY GUIDELINES, OVERSIGHT AND MEASURABLE HOUSING GOALS. DEVELOPERS HAVE ALREADY TAKEN ADVANTAGE BUILDING TO MAXIMUM, UM, DIMENSIONS. AS OF RIGHT, WITHOUT FAIR NEIGHBORHOOD ENGAGEMENT, DATA WAS SORELY LACKING IN THE ELECTION RUSH. AS A RESULT, AT LEAST 107, UH, 17 AFFORDABLE PROPERTIES HAVE BEEN TORN DOWN FOR LUXURY UNITS RAISING LAND PRICES. THE BOSTON GLOBE REVEALS THE DENSITY FOR, UM, FRENZY EXEMPLIFIED BY BALDWIN, INCREASING BY 46, UH, 40 64%, SO RIVERSIDE BY 55% AND HURON E BY 42%. UM, IGNORING THE HOLISTIC, UM, HOUSING, UM, EQUATION IS IMPRACTICAL AND MYOPIC. PLEASE SUPPORT, UM, UH, MORE QU QUANTIFIABLE DATA AND OVERSIGHT FOR MORE RESPONSIBLE, UH, NON IDEALISTIC, UH, IDEOLOGICAL ANALYSIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. UH, WE HAVE REACHED SPEAKER NUMBER 50 NORMAN DOUS, FOLLOWED BY ANDREW ZU THAN WILLIAM VINNEY NORMAN. MY NAME IS NORMA DOUS FROM 1 57 RAYMOND STREET. I'M IN FAVOR OF THE CURRENT POLICY ORDER, WHICH LEAVES THE GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. CURRENT CONFIGURATION IN GARDEN STREET HAS WORKED FINE FOR MORE THAN A YEAR. IT WORKS FINE FOR THE PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT WORKS FINE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE PASSING THROUGH OF WHOM THERE ARE QUITE A FEW. I SUPPORT HAVING ANY FUTURE CHANGES IMPLEMENTED BASED ON BEST ENGINEERING PRACTICES AND THE ANALYSIS OF TRANSPORTATION DATA. AND I TRUST OUR DEPARTMENT OF, UH, TRANSPORTATION TO DO THAT. I EXPECT [00:55:01] THAT AS A RESULT OF THAT, ANY OF THE RECOMMENDED CHANGES WILL BE LESS COSTLY AND CERTAINLY LESS INTRUSIVE TO ALL OUR NEIGHBORS HOODS. FOR THESE REASONS AND MANY OTHERS, UH, WHICH OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED BEFORE AND THE INTEREST OF TIME, I ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS POLICY ORDER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREW ZOO, FOLLOWED BY BILL VINNEY, THEN CAROL LYNN ALPERT. GOOD AFTERNOON. MY NAME IS ANDREW. SO I LIVE AT 2 9 2 PROSPECT STREET AND I SPEAK TODAY IN SUPPORT OF CHARTER RIGHT ONE AND A ONE-WAY GARDEN STREET. MY ARGUMENT IS SIMPLE. THE CURRENT ONE-WAY SOLUTION FOR GARDEN STREET CAME ABOUT AS A RESULT OF MONTHS WORTH OF NEIGHBORHOOD AND PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT. AND FROM THAT EFFORT CAME OUT THIS COM, THIS COMMUNITY SOLUTION, A ONE-WAY GARDEN STREET. IT SHOULD BE CHAMPIONED, IT SHOULD BE HELD AS THE PRIME EXAMPLE OF THE GOOD THAT CAN COME WHEN OUR PUBLIC ENGAGEMENT PROCESS IS DONE RIGHT, OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN CITY STAFF AND RESIDENTS COME TOGETHER AS COLLABORATORS AND NOT AS ENEMIES. SO WHY REJECT IT? THE MOVE BACK TO A TWO-WAY GARDEN STREET IS NOT JUST FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE, NOT JUST RECKLESSLY UNSAFE. THE MOVING BACK TO A TWO-WAY GARDEN STREET IS A PARTISAN INSULT TO OUR CIVIC PROCESS. IT IS AN INDIGNITY, A SPIN, THE FACE OF THE GOOD CITY STAFF AND CAMBRIDGE CITIZENS WHO SAT THROUGH THOSE MEETINGS AND MADE THEIR VOICES HEARD. SO I ASKED THIS COUNCIL, PLEASE SUPPORT THESE PEOPLE, SUPPORT OUR CIVIC PROCESS AND SUPPORT THE ONE-WAY SOLUTION, THE PEOPLE SOLUTION AND VOTE IN FAVOR OF THIS POLICY ORDER TODAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BILL VINNEY. BILL, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. UH, BILL MCNY 12 DOUGLAS STREET. UM, FIRST OF ALL, MAYOR SIDIKI AND COUNSELORS, I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR THE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AROUND THE CITY. UM, AS SOMEONE WHO WALKS ROUGHLY FIVE MILES A DAY, I HAVE NOTICED THAT BETWEEN ROUGHLY 2018 AND 2019 WHEN CROSSING A STREET, I'D EXPERIENCED SOMEONE, UH, UH, RUNNING THAT CROSSWALK, A CAR RUNNING THAT CROSSWALK ABOUT ONCE A WEEK. THAT NUMBER HAS GONE DOWN TO ALMOST ONCE A MONTH. SO THANK YOU. UM, I'M DEFINITELY IN FAVOR OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. PLEASE DON'T REVERT TO THE DAYS WHEN CROSSING THE STREET WAS BASICALLY, UH, YOU BET YOUR LIFE DODGEM CARS GAME. SO THANK YOU FOR WHAT YOU'VE DONE AND DON'T GO BACK. THANKS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CAROL LYNN ALPER. CAROLYN, CAROLYN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. YES. IN STRAWBERRY HILL WE'VE COLLECTED 191 SIGNATURES ASKING FOR PROTECTION FROM SOME OF THE NEW BURDENS WE WILL FACE IF A NEW OVERSIZED LUXURY DEVELOPMENT IS APPROVED AS PROPOSED AT 95 CUSHING, OUR SIGNATORIES HAD LOTS OF QUESTIONS AND THERE WAS NO ONE TO ASK. NO CITY STAFF ATTEND DEVELOPERS NOTIFICATION MEETINGS. ATTENDEES WERE UNAWARE OF THE NEW STANDARDS AND WERE ASTONISHED AT WHAT WAS BEING PROPOSED. IS IT TRUE THAT FOUR STORY, SIX UNIT CONDO BUILDINGS DON'T HAVE TO PROVIDE INCLUSIONARY UNITS NOR PARKING NOR GREEN SPACE? IS IT TRUE THAT THERE IS NO LONGER A WAY TO HAVE NEIGHBORS CONCERNS HEARD? THE CURRENT USER GUIDE TO THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE ZONING ORDINANCE WAS LAST UPDATED IN FALL OF 2004. IT MAKES SENSE TO UPDATE THE USER GUIDE NOW. SO THERE'S A RELIABLE SOURCE OF INFORMATION WE THINK WE SHOULD BE HEARING FROM THE CITY, WHAT HAS BEEN AUTHORIZED NOT FROM DEVELOPERS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DURA WINDER. HELLO, I'M DORO WINDER FROM SHERMAN STREET. YOU HAVE, I'M HERE TO SUPPORT KEEPING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY NOW. OKAY, THERE YOU GO. OKAY. DO I HAVE TO START OVER? OKAY. UM, BIKE SAFETY REMOVAL OF MORE PARKING SCHOOL SAFETY HAVE IMPROVED, BUT MY MAJOR CONCERN IS SOMETHING THAT HAS NOT BEEN ADDRESSED HERE THIS EVENING, WHICH IS THAT THE CHANGE TO CHANGING CAR, UH, GARDEN STREET TO TWO WAYS WILL BE A MAJOR TRAFFIC ISSUE. UM, OFF, UH, ON SHERMAN STREET BEFORE THE CHANGE, SHERMAN STREET WAS BACKED UP IN, UH, TRAFFIC, UM, TO, FROM THE FIRE STATION ALL THE WAY DOWN TO REJA AVENUE. UM, THAT ONLY MADE NEGOTIATING IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD DIFFICULT. [01:00:01] BUT THE TOXIC ADMISSIONS FROM THE IDLING CARS WAS UNHEALTHY. FOR THOSE OF US WHO LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THE TWO WAY GOES THROUGH THE TRAFFIC WILL BE EVEN MORE SIGNIFICANT ON SHERMAN STREET TO INCREASE THE TRAFFIC. SINCE THE CHANGE, SINCE GARDEN STREET BECAME ONE WAY, WE HAVE HAD MUCH LESS TRAFFIC AND LESS IDLING CARS. THE OTHER PROBLEM IS THAT THERE IS A 19 UNIT LOW INCOME PROJECT BEING BUILT AND SEVERAL OTHER PROJECTS AS WELL AS 2000 PLUS UNITS. THANK YOU. DURA. APOLOGIES, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. PLEASE SEND IT TO CITY COUNCIL@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRISTINA ULMAN, FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL YAMAN. THE NATE SHARP. CHRISTINA, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, I'M CHRISTINA ULMAN AT 180 6 WALDEN STREET. I'M, UH, CALLING IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING GARDEN ONE WAY. I LIVE IN THE GARDEN STREET NEIGHBORHOOD AND I DRIVE OR BIKE ON GARDEN STREET AT LEAST ONCE OR TWICE A DAY EVERY DAY TO GET MY KIDS TO THE HIGH SCHOOL AND TO COMMUTE TO MY JOB ON BROADWAY. IN KENDALL SCHOOL, IT IS BY FAR THE SAFEST WAY FOR HIGH SCHOOL KIDS, FAMILIES, AND COLLEGE STUDENTS TO TRAVEL THIS MAJOR ARTERY. WHEN I BIKE THIS STRETCH, I FEEL LIKE I CAN ACTUALLY RELAX AND ENJOY BIKING AND NOT PEDAL FOR DEAR LIFE LIKE I DO THROUGH HARVARD SQUARE AND DOWN BROADWAY. AND WITH THESE GAS PRICES I'M TRYING TO BIKE AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE. THE WIDTH OF THE BIKE LANES RIGHT NOW AND THE FACT THAT CARS ARE NOT TURNING UP THE STREET IS SAFEST. AND I FIND IT'S FORGIVING FOR THE HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETES WHO DON'T TYPICALLY WEAR HELMETS AND THE COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO DON'T TYPICALLY STAY IN THE PROPER LANE. AND, UM, I IT DIDN'T TAKE MORE THAN A FEW WEEKS FOR THE TRAFFIC TO SETTLE DOWN. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHAEL YAMAN. MICHAEL? YES. CAN YOU, UH, WE, WE CAN HEAR YOU. NO, NO. UH, POLICY STATE, STATE 82 81. MY NAME IS MICHAEL YA. I LIVE ON WYMAN ROAD. UH, MICHAEL, I THINK YOU MAY BE SIGNED ON TO TWO DEVICES OR MAYBE YOU'RE PLAYING THE MEETING SOMEWHERE ELSE. SO IF YOU CAN MUTE ONE OF YOUR DEVICES AND THEN I WILL UNMUTE YOU AGAIN. IF YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND UNMUTE YOURSELF. YEAH, YEAH. THAT BETTER? NO, WE'RE WE'RE STILL GETTING SOME FEEDBACK. TRY NOW. OKAY. HOW ABOUT THAT? OKAY. HOW ABOUT THAT? HOW ABOUT THAT? HOW ABOUT, HOW ABOUT WE'RE STILL GETTING THE FEEDBACK. CAN YOU PLEASE SIGN OUT OF THE ZOOM COMPLETELY? SIGN BACK IN AND RAISE YOUR HAND AND I'LL CALL ON YOU AGAIN WHEN YOU'RE BACK IN THE ZOOM, BUT PLEASE SIGN OUT ON ALL YOUR DEVICES. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS NATE SHARP, FOLLOWED BY LESLIE BLISS. NATE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. NATE, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. GREAT. YEAH, SO I'M, UH, SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY, THE WAY IT IS, I THINK THE CONSIDERATIONS THAT WENT INTO MAKING THIS CHANGE IN THE FIRST PLACE WERE WELL CONSIDERED. UM, AND FLIP-FLOPPING LIKE THIS ON MAJOR CONSTRUCTION PROGRE PROJECTS, UH, WOULD NOT SET A GOOD PRECEDENT IN THE CITY TO SAY THE LEAST. UM, AND THAT THERE ARE BETTER, CHEAPER, UM, AND ULTIMATELY MORE EFFECTIVE WAYS TO ADDRESS, UM, THE, THE NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES OF THE CURRENT, UH, CONFIGURATION IN TERMS OF TRAFFIC ON SIDE STREETS AND WHATNOT. UM, AND I ENCOURAGE THE, THE COUNCIL TO FIND WAYS TO, UM, DO SO WHILE KEEPING THE, THE MAJOR INFRASTRUCTURE THE WAY IT IS RIGHT NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LESLIE BLISS, FOLLOWED BY CATHERINE O'CONNOR. ACTUALLY, WE'RE GONNA TRY MICHAEL AGAIN. HOLD ON ONE SECOND. MICHAEL, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YES, I THINK THAT'S BETTER. VERY GOOD. SO MIKE ON WYMAN ROAD, AND I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF, UH, POLICY, UH, 82 IN A CITY AND 81 IN A CITY WITH, UH, DEEP EXPERTISE IN DATA MANAGEMENT. IT IS EXTREMELY NEGLIGENT FOR THE COUNCIL NOT TO SUPPORT A, UH, A STUDY ON HOUSING NEEDS BEFORE PURSUING A DRASTIC UPZONING PROPOSAL. SUPPORTING DEVELOPERS WITH NO DATA THAT WILL ENCOURAGE AFFORDABLE HOUSING ON POLICY STATEMENT 81. THE LACK OF TRANSPARENCY FOR THE DETAILS OF UPS ZONING PUTS RESIDENTS AT AN EXTREME DISADVANTAGE [01:05:01] AND PREVENTS ANY REVIEW OF PERMITS REGARDING TREE CANOPY, FIRE SAFETY, TRAFFIC, ATTENTION TO DESIGN, DESTRUCTION OF NEIGHBORHOODS, INCENTIVIZING DEVELOPERS, AND ENCOURAGING GENTRIFICATION WITH LITTLE OR NO IMPACT ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LESLIE BLISS, FOLLOWED BY CATHERINE O'CONNOR. THEN JORDY OLLIE. LESLIE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. LESLIE BLISS. IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. LESLIE BLISS, 1 27 RAYMOND STREET. I'M A WALKER CYCLIST, EV DRIVER, AND A RESIDENT OF RAYMOND STREET IN FAVOR OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. PERSONALLY, I LOVE BIKING GARDEN STREET. IT'S A PEACEFUL AND SAFE WAY FOR ME TO COMMUTE, BUT THIS IS NOT ABOUT ME, IT'S ABOUT THE KIDS. OUR KIDS VEHICLE TRAFFIC IS DOWN ON LINEAN, MAKING IT SAFER AND MORE PLEASANT FOR KIDS TO WALK, BIKE AND SCOOTER TO SCHOOL THERE ONE WAY. GARDEN STREET PROVIDES A GREAT WAY FOR OUR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BE SAFELY, TO BIKE SAFELY AND INDEPENDENTLY TO ACTIVITIES AT DANEE. I MIGHT POTENTIALLY EXPERIENCE SOME MINOR INCONVENIENCE IN BACKING MY CAR OUT, BUT WHAT, HOW COULD THIS POSSIBLE INCONVENIENCE BE MORE IMPORTANT THAN OUR KIDS SAFETY? I VOTE FOR KIDS SAFETY. PLEASE KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KATHERINE O'CONNOR. KATHERINE HAS NOT JOINED US. WE ARE GONNA GO TO SPEAKER NUMBER 60. JORDY OLLIE. JORDY HAS NOT JOINED. WE WILL GO TO ADAM MITCHELL, FOLLOWED BY ROBERT MASSEY. ADAM, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME ALRIGHT? VERY GOOD. VERY GOOD. WE, WE ARE GETTING FEEDBACK. ADAM. UM, IF YOU HAVE ANOTHER DEVICE THAT YOU'RE SIGNED IN, UH, CAN YOU PLEASE MUTE IT? I'M, I'M NOT SIGNED INTO ANYTHING ELSE. OKAY. PLEASE GO AHEAD. OKAY. THANK YOU COUNCIL MEMBERS FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY TO COMMENT ON GARDEN STREET BIKE LANES TO ASK YOU TO KEEP GARDEN STREET'S CURRENT CONFIGURATION IN PLACE. I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE ONE-WAY TRAFFIC FLOW AND, AND SEPARATED BIKE LANES THAT WERE IMPLEMENTED FOLLOWING A TRANSPARENT PLANNING PROCESS AND EXTENSIVE PUBLIC REVIEW IN 2022 REVERTING GARDEN STREET TO A TWO-WAY TRAFFIC WOULD UNDERMINE THAT PROCESS AND SENDS A CONCERNING PRECEDENT, ONE THAT ESTABLISHES DISSATISFIED GROUPS, SORRY, ONE THAT ENABLES TO SATISFY GROUPS TO OVERTURN ESTABLISHED CITY PROJECTS SIM SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY DISAGREE WITH THEM. I URGE YOU TO KEEP GARDEN STREET, UH, ONE WAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ROBERT MASSEY. ROBERT HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL GO TO EMAR TURNER. CHARING EMAR, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS EMAR TURNER CHARING. I LIVE AT 1 39 OXFORD STREET. UM, THE WEEKEND WAS BIKING BACK, UH, WITH MY WIFE FROM WATERTOWN, UH, TO BORDER SQUARE WHERE WE LIVE. UH, AND ON GARDEN STREET. UH, WE HAD TO SLOW DOWN, UH, FOR A LITTLE LIKE A KID WHO WAS LIKE FOUR, FIVE WAS UH, BIKING, UH, IN THE SEPARATED BY LANE. UH, AND THEIR FATHER SAID JACK WAS WALKING BY THEM ON THE SIDEWALK. SO LIKE, IT IS CURRENTLY A STREET SO SAFE THAT PARENTS ARE FINE JUST WALKING SIDE BY SIDE WITH THEIR VERY YOUNG CHILDREN ON BIKES. UM, AND SO IT'S REALLY NICE TO SEE, UH, AND I WOULD LIKE TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. UH, BUT THERE'S ALSO, UH, NICE OTHER SIDE EFFECTS. LIKE IF YOU CONTINUE, UH, PAST GUARD, LIKE KEEP GOING, UM, YOU END UP IN, UH, PAST THE FIREHOUSE, UH, THERE'S JUST MUCH LESS CAR TRAFFIC GOING THAT WAY. SO WHEN YOU'RE BEGGING TOWARDS DANNY, FOR EXAMPLE, UH, THERE'S JUST A LOT MORE CAR TRAFFIC, SO I HOPE YOU'LL KEEP IT IN WHAT WAY? IT'S, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO DANIEL VLOCK, FOLLOWED BY LYNN MCGREGOR. THEN MARK EISENBERG. DANIEL, IF YOU'RE ABLE TO UNMUTE. HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN PLEASE GO AHEAD. CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW? WE CAN HEAR YOU. YES. MY NAME IS DANIEL, AKA OH, THANK YOU. MY NAME IS DANIEL, AKA 50 BUCKINGHAM STREET. I'M ALSO HEAD OF THE [01:10:01] WEST CAMBRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD COALITION. I'M HERE TO IMPLORE THE COUNCIL FOR THE SAFETY OF OUR CHILDREN TO VOTE NO ON CHARTER. RIGHT ONE. WE SUPPORT BICYCLE ACCESS, SAFETY AND THE INTRODUCTION OF BIKE LANES THROUGHOUT CAMBRIDGE. BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE VALUED SAFETY AND WELLBEING OF OUR NEIGHBORS, WHICH INCLUDES CYCLISTS, PEDESTRIAN, AND CHILDREN IN DATA PROVIDED THE COUNCIL. WE HAVE DOCUMENTED BASED ON THE CITY'S OWN CRASH DATABASE THAT SINCE THE CHANGE TO A ONE-WAY STREET, THERE HAS BEEN CLOSE TO A FOURFOLD INCREASED AND CYCLISTS RELATED ACCIDENTS ON THE RESIDENTIAL STREETS SURROUNDING GARDEN STREET. WE HAVE SPOKEN TO PRO BICYCLE PROPONENTS WHO SUPPORT THE CHARTER. NUMBER ONE, WE HAVE SOUGHT, THEY HAVE SOUGHT TO SHIFT THE BLAME OF THESE ACTIONS TO ANYTHING BUT GARDEN STREET. I AS ONE PROPONENT WHOSE NAME I WILL NOT MENTION THAT IF WE ARE FROZEN TO THE STATUS QUO, WILL HE AT LEAST ACKNOWLEDGE HIS COMPLICITY? SHOULD WE CONTINUE TO SEE MORE CYCLIST RELATED ACCIDENTS? HE RESPONDED BY SAYING, AND I QUOTE, I'M COMFORTABLE WITH MY POSITION AND IT'S NOT MINE ALONE. I WOULD ASK THE COUNCIL TO DO WHAT THOSE PRO BICYCLE PROPONENTS SEEM UNWILLING TO DO AND TO PUT THE SAFETY OF THE SURROUNDING COMMUNITY FIRST. IF NOT, YOU MUST ACCEPT YOUR COMPLICITY IN ANY FUTURE ACCIDENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LYNN MCGREGOR, FOLLOWED BY MARK EISENBERG, THEN GLORIA CORMAN. FOR THOSE WAITING, WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 64. LYNN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS LYNN MCGREGOR. I LIVE AT 72 LEXINGTON AVENUE AND I BIKE ON THE GARDEN STREET, UM, SEPARATED BIKE LANES TWICE A DAY TO COMMUTE BETWEEN MY CHILD'S CHILDCARE FACILITY AND MY OFFICE, UM, IN EAST CAMBRIDGE. AND I, LIKE MANY OTHER SPEAKERS, HAVE REALLY ENJOYED THE CURRENT CONFIGURATION. IT'S A LOT SAFER THAN WHAT WE HAD BEFORE AND IT'S A LOT SAFER THAN THE PROPOSED ALTERNATIVES, ESPECIALLY AT THE INTERSECTION WITH HURON AVE. I'M REALLY CONCERNED ABOUT WHAT IT MIGHT BE LIKE TO LEAVE A COUNTER FLOW BIKE LANE, UM, AT THAT INTERSECTION, WHICH IS ALREADY PRETTY COMPLICATED. AS OTHERS HAVE MENTIONED, A VERY COLLABORATIVE PROCESS WAS ACTUALLY WHAT RESULTED IN THE CURRENT CONFIGURATION WHERE SOME PEOPLE REALLY WANTED TO MAINTAIN PARKING, WHICH THE CURRENT DESIGN DOES. THERE ARE DEFINITELY BETTER WAYS TO ADDRESS THE TRUCK CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC CONCERNS FROM SURROUNDING RESIDENTS. I'D ALSO LIKE TO THANK THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT FOR THEIR HARD WORK KEEPING ALL OF US SAFE, ESPECIALLY THOSE OF US WHO LIKE TO BIKE AND WALK THROUGH THE CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE ARE GONNA GO BACK TO CATHERINE O'CONNOR WHO WAS ABLE TO JOIN US. NOW CATHERINE, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR, CATHERINE, TO UNMUTE FROM THE PHONE. I BELIEVE IT'S STAR SIX. YOU'RE UNMUTED. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI. HI, THANK YOU. MY NAME IS CATHERINE O'CONNOR. I LIVE AT 1 45 HAMILTON STREET IN CAMBRIDGE PORT. I'M CALLING IN SUPPORT OF ONE WAY GARDEN STREET, UM, MAINTAINING THAT DESIGN. UM, I CURRENTLY RIDE A CARGO BIKE UP AND DOWN GARDEN STREET TWO TO THREE TIMES PER WEEK, UM, WITH MY CHILD, UH, AT LEAST IN ONE DIRECTION. AND THIS IS FROM SPRING THROUGH FALL AND SOME WINTER. UM, THIS IS FOR ACCESSING AFTER SCHOOL AND THE PLAYING FIELDS ARE THAT ARE AT DAN, HE, UM, AND IN THAT AREA. AND SO REALLY LIKE TO MAINTAIN THE EXISTING ONE-WAY, UM, CAR TRAFFIC WITH THE SEPARATE BIKE LANES ON BOTH DIRECTIONS. UH, THIS AVOIDS CONFUSION FROM CARS THAT COULD BE TURNING ONTO GARDEN STREET REDUCES THE CHANCES OF CARS AND TRUCKS PARKING INSIDE THE BIKE LANES, UM, WHICH GETS PRETTY TRICKY WHEN YOU HAVE A VEHICLE THAT, UM, CAUSES YOU TO LEAVE A BIKE LANE WHEN THERE ARE TWO LANES OF CAR TRAFFIC. UM, NOBODY WANTS YOU IN THOSE CAR LANES AND ESPECIALLY THE CARGO LIKE, UM, SO CERTAINLY REALLY DO APPRECIATE THE CURRENT. THANKS CATHERINE. YOUR TIME'S EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARK EISENBERG, FOLLOWED BY GLORIA CORMAN AND JAMIE KO. MARK, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. MARK IS NOT IN THE ZOOM. WE WILL GO TO GLORIA CORMAN. GLORIA, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. GLORIA. CORMAN 91 MONTGOMERY STREETS SUPPORTING CHARTER WRIGHT NUMBER ONE, THE CURRENT GARDEN STREET DESIGN WORK AND THAT MATTERS. THE TRAFFIC CALMING CHICANE FLOWS CARS EFFECTIVELY. THE WIDE BIKE LANES GIVE PEOPLE ROOM TO RIDE SAFELY. FAMILIES CAN RIDE SIDE BY SIDE AND FASTER CYCLISTS CAN PASS WITHOUT CONFLICT. IT'S A DESIGN THAT SUPPORTS RIDERS OF ALL AGES AND ABILITIES. AND AS A PERSON WITH A PERMANENT INJURY, SAFETY ISN'T OPTIONAL FOR ME. I DEPEND ON INFRASTRUCTURE THAT [01:15:01] FEELS PREDICTABLE AND SECURE AND IF THIS DESIGN GOES FORWARD, I WON'T FEEL COMFORTABLE BIKING TO WORK ANYMORE AND I'LL PROBABLY DRIVE, AND THAT'S EXACT, THAT'S THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO ACHIEVE AS A CITY. WE WANT FEWER CARS, SAFER STREETS, AND MORE PEOPLE CHOOSING TO BIKE. SO PLEASE SUPPORT CHARTER RIGHT NUMBER ONE AND KEEP A DESIGN THAT'S ALREADY WORKING SAFELY AND EFFECTIVELY FOR THIS COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAMIE KO, FOLLOWED BY FRED. GOOD THEN JILL CRITTENDON. JAMIE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HI, THANK YOU. I'M JAMIE KO. I LIVE AT 12 REZ AVENUE IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE. I DRIVE AND BIKE DOWN GARDEN STREET OFTEN AND I STRONGLY SUPPORT LEAVING IT IN THE CURRENT ONE-WAY CONFIGURATION. UH, I LIVED RIGHT OFF GARDEN STREET FOR FIVE YEARS UNDER THE OLD CONFIGURATION AND I WOULD NOT WANT THE CITY TO GO BACK TO THAT. UH, I'VE JUST FOUND THAT DRIVING, BIKING AND WALKING IS SAFER AND MORE RELAXING WHEN THE STREET IS ONE WAY. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I YIELD MY TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS FRED GOODE. FRED, DO YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE? UH, FRED GOODE, 27 GRAY GARDENS EAST. THE ISSUE IS A 2000 STRETCH OF GARDEN STREET WITH A FIRE STATION AT ONE END AND A MUSIC SCHOOL WITH 300 STUDENTS AT THE OTHER. AND MULTI-FAMILY HOMES ALSO IN BETWEEN ARE THREE SEPARATE STUDENT DORMS. FAMILY GRADUATE COMPLEXES WITH 1600 RESIDENTS AND ADJACENT IS A 300 STUDENT GRAHAM PARK SCHOOL PLUS FOOD SERVICE LOADING DOCKS FOR THE COMPLEXES. AND THERE ARE ENTRANCES FOR A SPORTS COMPLEX. THE HARVARD OBSERVATORY, THE PRESS BUILDING. THIS IS A CONGESTED ACTIVE NEIGHBORHOOD. FOUR YEARS AGO, OUR TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT LISTENED TO AND ENGAGED THE NEIGHBORHOOD OVER MANY, MANY MONTHS. IT WAS CITY MANAGEMENT. AT ITS BEST FOR DECADES, THE CITY HAS BEEN CONVERTING TWO WAY STREETS TO ONE WAY TO MAKE THE STREETS FIT FOR TODAY'S PURPOSE REMAIN. THANK YOU, FRED. SAFE. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JILL CRITTENDEN. JILL, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, JILL CRITTENDEN ONE SEVEN FAIRWEATHER STREET. I'M SPEAKING ON CHARTER, RIGHT NUMBER ONE IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET. ONE WAY I'M VERY PROUD OF OUR CITY COUNCIL FOR WORKING TO CREATE HIGH TRAFFIC CORRIDORS IN OUR CITY SO THAT WALKERS AND BIKERS CAN TRAVEL WITH REDUCED AIR AND NOISE POLLUTION. MY FAMILY AND I TRAVEL ON GARDEN STREET ALMOST EVERY DAY, WALKING, BIKING, AND DRIVING. WE HAVE TWO TEENS THAT BIKE TO THE SCHOOL AND I WALK EVERY DAY AND LOVE HOW MUCH QUIETER AND CLEANER IT IS SINCE IT HAS CHANGED TO HAVE REDUCED CAR TRAFFIC WHEN DRIVING, WE RETURN HOME ON CONCORD OR MASS AVE TO WALDEN STREET WITH NO PROBLEM. WE ARE ALSO MUCH HAPPIER WITH THE REDUCED CONFUSION AT THE FIVE WAY INTERSECTION WITH HERE HURON AND SHERMAN STREET, BOTH AS DRIVERS AND WALKERS AND BIKERS. PLEASE DON'T SPEND THE BUDGET ON DISRUPTING THE PROGRESS YOU'VE MADE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DAVID MARINI. DAVID, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, GOOD EVENING. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS DAVID MARINI. I LIVE ON GARDEN STREET. AND I WOULD LIKE TO START BY THANKING THE MAYOR AND THE CITY COUNCIL FOR THE AMAZING WORK THAT YOU'RE DOING TO IN SERVICE TO OUR COMMUNITY. I KNOW IT'S A DIFFICULT JOB, SO THANK YOU SO MUCH. TONIGHT I WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF, UH, KEEPING GARDEN STREET AS IS. I REMEMBER WHEN THE STREET WAS TWO WAY I FELT UNSAFE BIKING OR CROSSING IT ON FOOT. THE CURRENT DESIGN FEELS SO MUCH SAFER. UH, I WAS ALSO VERY IMPRESSED BY THE PROCESS THAT WAS USED TO ARRIVE AT THIS DESIGN, WHICH INCLUDED EXTENSIVE FEEDBACK FROM THE COMMUNITY AND THE TRANSPORTATION COMMISSIONER. SO I DON'T FULLY UNDERSTAND WHY WE'RE REVISITING THOSE RESULTS, BUT I THINK WHAT WE HAVE IS ELEGANT, IT'S EFFICIENT, AND I THINK IT'S THE BEST TRADE OFF AMONG COMPETING INTERESTS TO ACCOMMODATE CYCLISTS, PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, PARKING SPACES, TRAFFIC FLOW. SO I STRONGLY SUPPORT KEEPING IT UNCHANGED. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DAVID WYMAN, FOLLOWED BY MAGGIE BARATZ. THEN ADAM BARATZ. WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 71. [01:20:02] DAVID, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. DEAR COUNSEL, MY NAME IS DAVID AND MY WIFE BECKY, AND I LIVE ON GARDEN TERRACE JUST OFF OF GARDEN STREET. I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. WE HAVE THREE BOYS AGES SEVEN, SIX, AND FOUR, AND WE BIKE AND WALK AS A FAMILY TO PLACES LIKE ARMANDO HIGH-RISE HONEYCOMB BAGEL OSA. WE FELT THE DIFFERENCE WHEN GARDEN WAS TWO-WAY IT FELT CHAOTIC. NOW IT'S CALMER AND SAFER FOR WALKING AND BIKING WITH OUR KIDS. BOTH THE DATA IN OUR EXPERIENCE SHOW THAT ONE WAY IMPROVES SAFETY. GARDEN ALREADY CARRIES A HEAVY SHARE OF TRAFFIC. IT'S REASONABLE FOR NEARBY STREETS TO SHARE SOME OF THE LOAD. I ALSO SUPPORT MAKING SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS ON NEARBY STREETS. SO WE IMPROVE THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD, NOT JUST SHIFT PROBLEMS. THIS IS ABOUT WHAT KIND OF PLACE WE WANT TO BE. ONE WHERE KIDS CAN SAFELY BIKE AROUND THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. PLEASE KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. THANKS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MAGGIE BARATZ. MAGGIE, ONE MINUTE. I'M MAGGIE BARRETT, 37 WALKER STREET. I'M REPRESENTING 758 OF MY NEIGHBORS WHO'VE SIGNED A PETITION ASKING TO LEAVE GARDEN STREET AS IT IS VOTING AGAINST THIS POLICY ORDER IS A CHOICE TO MAKE CONGESTION WORSE AND TO MAKE CONDITIONS FOR EVERYONE LESS SAFE. BUT YOU HAVE A CHANCE TONIGHT TO VOTE FOR A BETTER OUTCOME. YOU CAN MAKE IT BETTER FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE A HARDER TIME MOVING THEIR OWN BODIES QUICKLY, CROSSING THE STREET, CATCHING RIDES, DOING THE STUFF OF DAILY LIFE YOU'VE HEARD FROM THEM. YOU CAN MAKE IT BETTER FOR STUDENTS GETTING TO CLASS AND SPORTS PRACTICE. UH, BETTER FOR PEOPLE WHO WILL HAVE ALL THEIR PARKING TAKEN AWAY AND BETTER FOR THE SURROUNDING SIDE STREETS BY REQUIRING TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES TO MAKE THEM SAFER TOO. THAT LAST PART I'M SO HEARTENED BY. UM, THIS IS A THOUGHTFUL PROPOSAL TO IMPROVE SA STREET SAFETY THROUGHOUT THE NEIGHBORHOOD RATHER THAN SHIFTING HARM FROM ONE STREET TO ANOTHER, SUPPORTING THIS POLICY ORDER ACCOMPLISHES ALL OF THAT AND WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ADAM BARRETTS. ADAM, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI. UM, I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF THIS POLICY ORDER. MY NAME'S ADAM BARRETT, UM, OF, UH, 37 WALKER STREET. UH, LAST YEAR'S ORDER ONLY DEEPENED, UH, POLARIZATION IN MY NEIGHBORHOOD ABOUT THE CORRECT DESIGN OF GARDEN STREET. IF WE CONTINUE WITH THIS PLAN, A DIFFERENT GROUP OF PEOPLE WILL BE UNHAPPY. UH, THIS NEW ORDER ISN'T SAYING, UH, MAKING THIS, UH, CUT YOUR BABY IN HALF, PICK ONE OVER THE OTHER. IT PROVIDES A WAY OUT LETTING US EXPLORE NEW OPTIONS AND FINDING SOMETHING THAT WILL BE GENUINELY POPULAR. UH, THIS WHOLE PROJECT HAS BEEN DOTTED WITH CRITICISMS OF PROCESS, UH, AND, UH, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, AND THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COUNCIL TO SHOW HOW THEY WANT THINGS DONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RICHARD FRYMAN. RICHARD, ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. RICHARD FRYMAN, UH, 39 RC KELLY STREET. UH, YOU'VE HEARD A LOT OF GREAT COMMENTS TONIGHT. I'D LIKE TO EM AMPLIFY ONE THING. UH, IF GARDEN STREET IS CHANGED BACK FROM ONE WAY, IT WON'T GO BACK TO WHAT IT WAS. IT'LL GO BACK TO A VERY DIFFERENT DESIGN WITH TWO STRAIGHT THROUGH LINES OF TRAFFIC. A A CROWDED BIKE LANE, VERY LITTLE BUFFER, AND NO PARKING BETWEEN THE BIKE LANES AND THE CARS. WE'VE HEARD FROM A LOT OF FOLKS TONIGHT AND, UM, AS MIGHT BE UNUSUAL FOR DISCUSSIONS AROUND BIKES IN CAMBRIDGE, IT'S REALLY BEEN A WONDERFUL CROSS SECTION OF PEOPLE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. GARDEN STREET IS REALLY IMPORTANT TO A LOT OF FOLKS. I'M NOT HERE TO SPEAK AGAINST MY NEIGHBOR'S STREETS BEING MADE SAFER. I JUST DON'T THINK THAT THAT CAN HAPPEN AT THE EXPENSE OF A STREET THAT'S ALREADY WORKING AND AT A COST OF A QUARTER OF MILLION DOLLARS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JANIE KATZ. CHRISTI. JANIE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. JANIE, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. HI THERE. UM, MY NAME IS JANIE KATZ CHRISTIE AND I LIVE AT 1 66 A ELM STREET. UM, I WANTED TO THANK THE CITY STAFF AND THE CITY COUNSELORS WHO CREATED AND SUPPORTED GARDEN STREET'S CURRENT DESIGN. UM, IT WAS EXTENSIVELY DEBATED AND WELL CONSIDERED AND I URGE YOU TO KEEP, TO KEEP IT. UM, AS OTHERS HAVE SAID, YOU HAVE HEARD FROM SO MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN THIS AREA WHO HAVE INCREDIBLY REASONABLE AND COMPELLING REASONS TO KEEP GARDEN [01:25:01] STREET AS IT IS. UM, THEY REPRESENT ALL AGES, ALL MODES OF TRANSPORTATION AND ALL KINDS OF RE REASONS FOR TRAVELING AND WAYS THAT THEY TRAVEL. UM, AND THEY ARE, UM, GREAT GRATEFUL FOR WHAT THEY HAVE AND ARE BEGGING YOU, THE CITY COUNCIL TO KEEP THE CURRENT CONFIGURATION AS IS. I HOPE. UM, UH, IT, IT, I FIND IT HARD TO UNDERSTAND OR TO JUSTIFY UNDOING IT. UM, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN ALL MOVE ON AND PERFECT THE REST OF, UH, NEIGHBORHOOD STREETS AND THEIR SAFETY. THANKS, JANIE. PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENTS. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MATTHEW LUNG, FOLLOWED BY PAUL O'CONNELL, THEN JOSHUA RESNICK. HI EVERYONE. MY NAME IS MATTHEW LIANG AND I LIVE AT 29 GARDEN STREET. LIKE MANY OF MY NEIGHBORS LIVING IN MY BUILDING, WHICH HAS OVER 70 FAMILIES, I'M VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE CITY'S PROPOSED PLAN TO MAKE GARDEN STREET TWO-WAY. I BIKE ON GARDEN STREET EVERY DAY TO GET TO SCHOOL, AND I BELIEVE THAT THE PROPOSED TWO-WAY BIKE LANE WOULD INCREASE CONFLICTS AND CONFUSION AT INTERSECTIONS, PARTICULARLY AT GARDEN AND CONCORD AND GARDEN IN HURON, WHICH IS A FIVE-WAY INTERSECTION AND IS VERY COMPLICATED. THE CURRENT DESIGN WITH TWO SEPARATED ONE-WAY BIKE LANES IS MUCH SAFER FOR CYCLISTS. AND GARDEN STREET IS ALSO HOME TO MULTIPLE SCHOOLS WITH OVER 1500 STUDENTS COMBINED, INCLUDING ME, WHO WALK AND BIKE EVERY DAY. SO FOR THEIR SAFETY AND FOR ALL OF OUR SAFETY, I URGE THE CITY COUNCIL TO PLEASE RECONSIDER AND TO KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PAUL O'CONNELL. PAUL, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HELLO, MY NAME IS PAUL O'CONNELL. I AM RESIDENT AT GARDEN TERRACE OFF GARDEN STREET. I BELIEVE IT WOULD BE DETRIMENTAL TO THE SAFETY OF PEDESTRIANS AND CYCLISTS ON GARDEN STREET IF IT, IF IT WERE RETURNED TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC. AND I THINK THERE'S, UH, SOME STRONG CONSENSUS AROUND THAT, UH, THIS EVENING. AT THE SAME TIME, UH, YOU KNOW, AS A, AS A LOCAL RESIDENT, IT OBVIOUSLY BENEFITS MYSELF AND MY FAMILY, UH, DISPROPORTIONATELY. BUT I WANT TO RECOGNIZE AND HEAR AND UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS OF OTHER RESIDENTS AS WELL ON NEARBY STREETS, UH, ABOUT TRAFFIC CONGESTION. WE EVERYTHING UP. I DON'T BELIEVE THAT THE CITY'S OWN REPORT SUPPORTS THE IDEA THAT CONGESTION WOULD BE SIGNIFICANTLY AMELIORATED BY GARDEN STREET'S REVERSION TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC. AND I DO THINK A PAUSE AT THIS JUNCTURE WOULD GIVE THE CITY MORE TIME TO ADDRESS THE CONGESTION CONCERNS ELSEWHERE. SO I DO SUPPORT MAINTAINING THE CURRENT STATUS, BUT I'M LOOKING FOR A DATA-DRIVEN COMMUNITY, UH, SOLUTION AS SUCH AS TARGETED TRAFFIC COUNTING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE WILL GO TO JOSHUA RESNICK, FOLLOWED BY SARAH BLOCK, THEN KYLE VJO. JOSH, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING. JOSH RESNICK WYMAN ROAD. I SUPPORT PO 81 AND 82, BUT THEY ARE NOT NEARLY ENOUGH. THE MFH ORDINANCE HAS SYSTEMATICALLY HARMED CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS WHILE PROVIDING A WINDFALL MONETARY GIFT TO OUT OF TOWN BILLIONAIRE DEVELOPERS WHO ARE DEMOLISHING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS AND REPLACING THEM WITH HIGH END APARTMENTS, NOT AFFORDABLE HOUSING FOR FAMILIES. THIS IS NOT SUSTAINABLE HOUSING POLICY. IT IS AN ILL-CONCEIVED GIFT TO BILLIONAIRE DEVELOPERS DRESSED UP AS PROGRESSIVE POLICY, WHICH RAISES A QUESTION FOR WHOM DOES THIS COUNCIL ACTUALLY WORK? BECAUSE WHEN OUT OF TOWN DEVELOPERS OF QUESTIONABLE ETHICAL STANDARDS WHO CONTRIBUTED TO YOUR CAMPAIGNS APPEAR BEFORE ZONING BOARDS WITH ACTIVE BUSINESS INTERESTS RESIDENTS HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO ASK, IS THIS POLICY OR IS IT PAY TO PLAY PAST PO 81 AND 82, BUT ALSO IMPOSE AN IMMEDIATE MORATORIUM ON THIS ABSURD LAW BUYING TIME TO DEVELOP ACTUALLY THOUGHTFUL SOLUTIONS THAT ACHIEVE AFFORDABILITY FOR FAMILIES, WHILE ALSO HONORING WHAT MAKES CAMBRIDGE WORTH LIVING IN OUR HISTORY, OUR LIVABILITY, OUR MULTI-GENERATIONAL NEIGHBORHOODS, OUR GREEN SPACE, AND OUR ENVIRONMENTAL LEGACY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SARAH BLOCK, FOLLOWED BY KYLE VANGEL. HI SARAH BLOCK. WE LIVE AT 24 SHEPHERD STREET. UM, WE'VE OWNED A HOUSE THERE SINCE 1976, UM, AND I'M URGING YOU TO KEEP GARDEN STREET AS IS. IT'S A PROJECT THAT ALMOST ALL MY NEIGHBORS ARE SPENT A LOT OF TIME AND ENERGY AND THEIR, UM, BRAINS TO, UH, FIGURE OUT A SOLUTION THAT WORKS REALLY WELL FOR SENIORS, FOR CYCLISTS, FOR PEOPLE WALKING AND EVEN FOR PEOPLE DRIVING. IT'S WHEN YOU GO DOWN [01:30:01] SHEPHERD STREET, IT USED TO BE THAT YOU WOULD GET STUCK THERE FOR A LONG TIME TRYING TO TURN LEFT TO GO TO HARVARD SQUARE BECAUSE THERE WERE CARS COMING TOWARDS YOU. I'M ALSO REALLY WORRIED THAT A LOT OF, UM, PEOPLE THAT I'VE TALKED TO WHO ARE AGAINST THE PROJECT BELIEVE IT WILL MIRACULOUSLY FIX THEIR CONGESTION PROBLEMS. IT WON'T. THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT HAS, UM, PREDICTED IT'LL TAKE TWO TO FOUR MINUTES LONGER TO CROSS THAT INTERSECTION AT THE FIREHOUSE LEADING TO A DEGRADED EXPERIENCE FOR ALL PEOPLE WALKING, DRIVING, AND BIKING THROUGH AN INTERSECTION. SARAH, A LARGER AREA. TIME IS UP. PLEASE DON'T DO THIS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SPEAKER NUMBER 80, KYLE VANGEL. FOR THOSE WAITING, WE HAVE ABOUT 16 SPEAKERS TO GO. KYLE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING. I'M KYLE VANGEL. I'M THE DIRECTOR OF PROJECTS IN PLANNING AT THE CAMBRIDGE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE MASS AVE ACTIVE USE PETITION. UM, SO THE CRA IS INVOLVED IN CREATING HOUSING AND PROMOTING RETAIL VIBRANCY IN MANY PROJECTS THROUGHOUT THE CITY. WE DEEPLY APPRECIATE THESE ISSUES, BUT WE DO HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT AN ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT ON MASS AVE NORTH OF PORTER SQUARE. WE'RE INVOLVED IN TWO PROJECTS IN THIS AREA. UH, ONE OF THESE SITES, 2,400 MASS AVE IS 27,000 SQUARE FEET. IT'S LOCATED AT A PROMINENT QUARTER. IT LENDS ITSELF VERY WELL TO A FUTURE ACTIVE USE ON THE GROUND FLOOR. HOWEVER, WE'RE CONCERNED ABOUT THE OTHER SMALLER SITE, 2326 MASS AVE. THIS IS A 5,000 SQUARE FOOT MID-BLOCK SITE WHERE THE CRA ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR A 16 UNIT CONDO BUILDING WITH THREE AFFORDABLE UNITS. SITES LIKE THIS ARE WELL-SUITED FOR MODESTLY SIZED RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS, BUT THE MARGINS ARE SMALL AND THE GROUND FLOOR MUST BE SURGICALLY DESIGNED TO ACCOMMODATE NEEDED CIRCULATION AND BUILDING SYSTEMS COULD BE DIFFICULT FOR A SMALL CONDO ASSOCIATION TO DEAL WITH AN ACTIVE USE. SO WE APPRECIATE CONSIDERATION FOR OTHER, UH, OPTIONS OR LIMITATIONS ON, ON THE SIDE HERE. THANK YOU, KYLE. THANK YOU. THANKS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS TESS HOFFMAN, FOLLOWED BY IAN MCGOLDRICK, THEN CECILIA COBB. TESS, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. GOOD EVENING, TESS HOFFMAN. I LIVE AT 67 WASHBURN AVE IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE, SPEAKING TONIGHT ABOUT THE MASS AVE ACTIVE USE PETITION. IN ADDITION TO BEING A RESIDENT OF NORTH CAMBRIDGE, I'M ALSO A PROJECT MANAGER AT THE CAMBRIDGE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY. I FOLLOWED THE MAPS PROCESS AND THE MASS AVE REZONING CLOSELY AND WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THIS CHANGE BEING CONSIDERED JUST AT THE CONCLUSION OF OUR RFP PROCESS FOR 2326 MASS AVE, WHICH HAD CONTEMPLATED AN OPTIONAL ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USE. WHILE I STRONGLY SUPPORT RETAIL ON NORTH MASS AVE, I THINK THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS BY SUPPORTING GREATER HOUSING DENSITY WITHOUT NECESSARILY ADDING MORE STOREFRONTS. THIS REQUIREMENT FRUSTRATES ALL DEVELOPMENT BY FORCING A RETAIL COMPONENT INTO EACH POTENTIAL NEW PROJECT. WITHOUT A STRONG MARKET DEMAND, PLEASE CONSIDER CHANGES THAT WOULD ALLOW MORE FLEXIBILITY TO CREATE A VARIETY OF HOUSING TYPOLOGIES AND UNMADE UNMITIGATED GOOD FOR OUR NEIGHBORHOOD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS IAN MCGOLDRICK, FOLLOWED BY CECILIA COBB. IAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, I AM IAN MCGOLDRICK 18 FANWOOD CIRCLE, UH, UNIT NUMBER THREE. UH, THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD NOT BE, UH, DESIGNING STREETS AND, AND REALLY SHOULDN'T BE OVERRIDING THE PROCESS THAT EXPERTS HAVE LAID OUT. UH, THIS FLIP FLOPPING WILL CONTINUE IF ALLOWED TO STAND ON GARDEN STREET, AND IT WILL NOT BE THE LAST TIME THAT EITHER THE EITHER SIDE DECIDES TO SQUEEZE THEIR DESIRES THROUGH A FIVE FOUR VOTE IF ALLOWED TO STAND IN THIS VOTE. UM, PREVIOUS SPEAKERS TONIGHT HAVE POINTED OUT THAT, UH, FLIP FLOPPING, UH, IS BAD GOVERNANCE. UH, THE BAD GOVERNANCE HERE WAS THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL SETTING, A FOOLISH AND DANGEROUS PRESIDENT BY OVERRIDING THE PUBLIC PROCESS THEIR OWN TRAFFIC EXPERTS AND CITY STAFF IN A NARROW FIVE FLOOR BOAT. UH, THIS OPENED THE DOOR TO ALLOW FOR FUTURE COUNCILS TO OVERRIDE OR UNDO A SIMPLE MAJOR BY SIMPLE MAJORITY THE WORK DONE, THE MONEY SPENT, AND THE HOURS OF COMMUNITY PROCESS PUT IN BY BOTH STAFF AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS. THIS WAS THE MOMENT OF BAD GOVERNANCE. UH, IN THIS, IN, IN THIS DEBATE, THE CITY STAFF ARE COMPLETELY DEMORALIZED AND HAVE NO IDEA IF THE WORK THEY HAVE POURED THEIR LIVES INTO FOR YEARS WILL, WILL BE OVERTURNED IN A FLASH BY COUNCIL THAT BELIEVES THEY KNOW BETTER. THIS COUNCIL BEFORE US NOW WAS ELECTED PARTIALLY AS A REFERENDUM TO THE PREVIOUS COUNCIL'S, UH, RECKLESS VOTE GARDEN STREET WAS A MOTIVATING ISSUE FOR SEVERAL CONSTITUENTS TO VOTE ON LAST CYCLE, AND PEOPLE HAVE WEIGHED IN THIS VOTE WAS THEIR ONLY RECOURSE TO WEIGH IN DECISION MADE BY THE LAST COUNCIL. THE PEOPLE HAVE VOTED. PLEASE LISTEN TO THEM. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CECILIA COBB, FOLLOWED BY ANDREA LACEY, THEN MALCOLM BLISS. CECILIA CECILIA, YOU HAVE THE [01:35:01] FLOOR IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. HI, MY NAME IS CECILIA COBB. I LIVE AT 82 HAMPSHIRE STREET. UH, I WOULD LIKE TO VOICE, UH, OPPOSITION TO THE CURRENT ACTIVE USE ZONING ORDINANCE AS IT'S CURRENTLY PROPOSED ON NORTHERN MASS AVE. UH, I THINK IT COULD BE A REALLY GREAT PROPOSAL WITH A COUPLE CHANGES. UM, THE PETITION FIRST GOES AGAINST THE REALLY FANTASTIC MAP STUDY AND PUBLIC PROCESS THAT WAS DONE. UM, AND THAT MAP STUDY, UH, RECOMMENDED A CONCENTRATED ZONE OF RETAIL AT TWO POINTS, UH, THE INTERSECTION OF LINEAR PARK AND AT THE INTERSECTION OF RIDGE AVENUE. UM, I WOULD PROPOSE, UH, MODIFYING THE, THE PROPOSED ZONING CHANGE TO, UH, COMPLY WITH THAT INSTEAD OF GOING IN DIRECT CONFLICT WITH, UH, PREVIOUS, UH, STUDIES. UM, I ALSO HAVE SOME CONCERNS THAT IT COULD HARM THE ABILITY FOR, UH, HOUSING TO CONTINUE TO BE BUILT IN THIS AREA. UH, THIS WOULD BE THE THIRD ZONING CHANGE SEEN IN THIS LITTLE AREA IN THE LAST TWO YEARS, UH, WHICH MAKES IT REALLY NOT, UH, APPEALING FOR FOLKS TO BUILD THERE. UM, AND ALSO I HAVE, UH, CONCERNS THAT AFFORDABLE HOMEOWNERS WILL BE BURDENED WITH THE COST OF VACANT RETAIL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREA LACEY OR EL SAY, I'M SORRY IF I'M MISPRONOUNCING HER LAST NAME. ANDREA, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO. OH, HI. UH, SO I AM, MY NAME IS ANDREA ESE AND I LIVE WITH MY 7-YEAR-OLD SON AT 700 HURON AVENUE. WE USE GARDEN STREET A LOT, BIKING AND WALKING, SOMETIMES DRIVING. HE GOES TO GRAND PARK, HE GOES TO TOBIN, I CAN'T TELL YOU. AND SHE GOES TO ON SHERMAN STREET, THE ROBO HUB, A LOT OF ACTIVITIES IN THAT AREA. AND I CAN'T TELL YOU WHAT RELIEF I FEEL WHEN I FINALLY GET TO GARDEN STREET FROM WHEREVER I AM BECAUSE I FEEL IT'S SO SAFE. SO I STRONGLY SUPPORT THE CURRENT DESIGN. THE CURRENT WAY THE STREET IS, IS, IS DONE. AND I WOULD, SO I HAVE STRONG SUPPORT FOR THIS. I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO EXPRESS MY FRUSTRATION REGARDING THE SIGNIFICANT TIME AND RESOURCES THE COUNCIL HAD DEDICATED TO RECONSIDERING THIS MATTER. IT'S CONCERNING THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD CONSIDER SPENDING ADDITIONAL FUNDS TO UNDO AN INFRASTRUCTURE PROJECT THAT WAS THOROUGHLY RESEARCHED, AGREED UPON, AND PROVEN TO BE EFFECTIVE AND SAFE AND EFFICIENT. SO I URGE YOU TO MAINTAIN THE CURRENT STATE OF GARDEN STREET AND INSTEAD DIRECT THE CONSULTATION TO OTHER PRESSING PROBLEMS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME AND FOR YOUR COMMITMENT TO MAKING A GOOD DECISION FOR ALL OF US. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MALCOLM BLISS, FOLLOWED BY JOSEPH KANAKA. THEN BENJAMIN FLAME. MALCOLM. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS MALCOLM BLISS. I LIVE AT 1 27 RAYMOND STREET BETWEEN WALDEN AND UPLAND. I STRONGLY URGE THE CITY TO LEAVE GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. CITY DATA SHOWS THIS AND SIMILAR DESIGNS RESULT IN MORE BICYCLE TRIPS OR BICYCLE TRIPS, MEANS LESS POLLUTION, LESS CONGESTION, LESS CARBON EMISSIONS, LESS NOISE, LESS WEAR ON OUR STREETS, AND MORE PLEASANT INTERACTION WITH OUR FELLOW CANTE BRIDGES. I LIVE VERY CLOSE TO GARDEN STREET AND MY EXPERIENCE, THE ONE WAY ON GARDEN STREET IS NO BURDEN OR ZERO INCONVENIENCE TO ME. I BACK OUTTA MY DRIVEWAY WITHOUT ANY PROBLEM. PLEASE KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE WAY, USE THE QUARTER MILLION DOLLARS FOR MORE PROGRESS SUCH AS THE ONE WAY ON GARDEN STREET AND OTHER PROJECTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOSEPH KANAKA. JOSEPH, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, CAN, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN PLEASE. GO AHEAD. OKAY, SO, UM, YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO, UH, YEAH, EXPRESS, UM, MY SUPPORT FOR, UM, KEEPING THE, THE CURRENT, THE ONE WAY SETUP FOR CARS ON, ON GARDEN STREET. UM, UH, I, YOU KNOW, BOTH, BOTH DRIVE AND CYCLE A LOT IN, IN CAMBRIDGE AND, UH, YES, SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, KEEPING IT THIS WAY AS OTHER PEOPLE HAVE SAID FOR SAFETY REASONS. UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND THEN THE BIG THING BEING JUST, YOU KNOW, EVEN IF IT WAS SORT OF EQUAL CHANGING IT BACK, IT'S, YOU KNOW, $250,000 OF WORK THAT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, BETTER, BETTER SPENT ON OTHER, UH, STREET SAFETY PROJECTS. AND I'LL JUST SAY, YOU KNOW, A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, UM, NOT IN CAMBRIDGE BY, BY THE WAY, BUT I, UH, YOU KNOW, FELL OFF MY BIKE WHILE IN A, A CROSSWALK. I WAS HIT BY A CAR, FRACTURED SOME RIBS. SO, YOU KNOW, I HAVE SOME APPRECIATION OF, UH, CYCLING SAFETY. ANYWAY, UM, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS [01:40:02] BENJAMIN FLAME. HI. THANK YOU BEN. FLAME 98 RAYMOND. UM, THIS IS A RECURRING ISSUE ON GARDEN STREET BECAUSE IT AFFECTS SO MANY PEOPLE AND IT CAN BE ADDRESSED WITH A SIMPLE COMPROMISE AND SIGNALS. WHAT KIND OF CITY WE WANNA HAVE. MOST NEIGHBORS ALL AROUND THE AREA WANT GARDEN BACK TO TWO-WAY. AND MANY HAVE WRITTEN AND BEGGING FOR TWO-WAY TRAFFIC AND MANY MORE NOT WRITING INTO THE COUNCIL SINCE THEY'RE FRUSTRATED THAT LAST YEAR'S VOTE MIGHT BE REVERSED. AS WE'VE NOTED, THIS ISSUE ISN'T JUST ABOUT GARDEN STREET, IT'S MUCH BROADER. ALL GROUPS SHOULD BE TAKEN INTO ACCOUNT. YES, GARDEN STREET IS NOW GHOST TOWN STREET. THAT'S WONDERFUL FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE. BUT HOW ABOUT THE THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE WHO LIVE AND COMMUTE AROUND THE BOTTLENECK THAT IT'S CREATED? THEY DESERVE A VOICE IN SAFE STREETS AS WELL. THAT'S WHY WE ARRIVED AT A COMPROMISE PROTECTED BY CLAIMS WITH TWO-WAY TRAFFIC. IT WAS PROPOSED BY THE CITY AND THEY CERTIFIED IT AS SAFE. WE THEN IMPROVED ON IT BY WORKING WITH HARVARD TO CREATE A BUMP OUT ACROSS FROM THE APARTMENT BUILDINGS TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF THOSE RESIDENTS. NOTHING IS PERFECT, BUT RETURNING TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC IS THE MOST FAIR TO THE MOST PEOPLE. WE NEED TO DO THE RIGHT THING HERE FOR EVERYONE, NOT JUST THE LOUDEST VOICES IN THE ROOM OR ON THE COMPUTER. THIS FEELS RIGHT BECAUSE IT MAKES LOGICAL SENSE. LET'S REOPEN THIS MAJOR ARTERY THIS SUMMER, PLEASE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DAVID HALPERN. DAVID, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING. UH, DAVID HALPERIN, 14 VALENTINE STREET, UNIT THREE. UM, I'M ALSO, UH, SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF KEEPING GARDEN TREE ONE WAY. UM, I THINK THE CURRENT DESIGN IS REALLY GREAT. UM, IT SHOULD BE THE BEST FOR ALL USE ROAD USERS, UM, EVEN CARS WHO WILL BE DISADVANTAGED BY THE CHANGE TO, TO TWO WAYS BY LOSING PARKING AND INCREASED TRAFFIC DELAYS FROM THE CHANGES TO SIGNAL TIMING AS CITY STAFF HAS INDICATED, UM, THE CURRENT DESIGN ALLOWS FOR MORE TRAFFIC CALMING AND A SHORTER CROSSING DISTANCES FOR PRO FOR PEDESTRIANS. SO IT'LL BE BETTER FOR VULNERABLE ROAD USERS. UM, IT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE FOR THE CITY TO SPEND TIME AND MONEY RECONFIGURING GARDEN SHOOT AGAIN, UM, AFTER A COMMUNITY PROCESS DECIDE ON THIS DESIGN AND AGAINST STAFF RECOMMENDATIONS TO KEEP IT ONE WAY WHEN THERE ARE SO MANY OTHER STREETS, UH, THAT ARE IN NEED OF OUR ATTENTION. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RANDY STERN. RANDY, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. UH, HI. UH, MY NAME IS RANDY STERN. I LIVE AT 12 KENWOOD STREET. I'M SPEAKING TO ASK THE COUNCIL TO REVERSE THE ERROR IN WHICH THE COUNCIL MICROMANAGED THE CITY TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT RECOMMENDATION TO KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. STAFF, AFTER AN EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY PROCESS CAME UP WITH AND IMPLEMENTED A CREATIVE SOLUTION TO PROVIDE OPTIMAL SAFETY, AS WELL AS PARKING FOR ABUTTERS MAKING GARDEN STREET ONE WAY AND ADDING A SAFE BIKE LANE. PLEASE LEAVE GARDEN STREET AS IT IS. PLEASE ALSO REQUEST THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT TO ENGAGE IN A NEW COMMUNITY PROCESS TO DESIGN TRAFFIC CALMING FOR NEARBY STREETS WHERE NEIGHBORS HAVE SAFETY CONCERNS. MAKING GARDEN STREET TWO WAYS WILL JUST SHIFT THE CONGESTION PROBLEMS ELSEWHERE AS THE CITY STAFF HAS INDICATED. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOSEPHINE MULLIN, FOLLOWED BY REKA BRAND, THEN MARK GOLDBERG. WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 90 JOSEPHINE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, UH, JOSEPHINE MULLEN, 40 GOLD STAR ROAD. I WOULD LIKE TO SUPPORT CHARTER RIDE NUMBER ONE. PLEASE KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE WAY. IT'S THE ONLY REALLY SAFE WAY TO TRAVEL BY BICYCLE TO HARVARD SQUARE AND BEYOND FROM NORTH CAMBRIDGE. AND ALSO A TON OF KIDS USE IT TO RIDE TO AND FROM CRLS AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS IKA BRAND. DO YOU KNOW WHAT PATTERN WAS RICO? YES. HELLO. UH, MY NAME IS IKA BRAND. I LIVE AT 35 RAYMOND STREET. I'VE LIVED HERE FOR 20 YEARS AND I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED THAT THE, UH, CITY COUNCIL CHANGED ITS MIND ON A DECISION IT MADE A YEAR AGO. I I DO THINK THAT THAT, UH, LESSENS THE CREDIBILITY OF THE CITY COUNCIL IF IT GOES CHANGING THINGS, YOU KNOW, BACK AND FORTH. UM, I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE WAY THE ONE WAY TRAFFIC ON GARDEN STREET AFFECTS RAYMOND STREET. UH, OUR TRAFFIC HAS INCREASED AND INCREASED OVER THE YEARS, AND WE DO HAVE A STREET WHERE SCHOOL CHILDREN WALK UP AND DOWN TO GRAM PARK SCHOOL AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE TRAFFIC ACCIDENTS IN OUR STREET. UH, A CAR WAS TOTALED RIGHT OUTSIDE OUR HOUSE [01:45:01] BECAUSE OF A PERSON DRIVING TOO FAST AT NIGHT. UM, AND THEREFORE, I, I REALLY FEEL THE CITY NEEDS TO BE MORE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT THE WAY IT ROOTS TRAFFIC THROUGH THE CITY. AND YOU NEED TO LOOK AT HOW NEIGHBORING STREETS ARE AFFECTED. UM, I AM, YOU KNOW, I LIVE ON A STREET THAT'S PARALLEL TO GARDEN STREET AND I, YOU KNOW, I'M HAPPY FOR THE PEOPLE ON GARDEN STREET THAT THEY HAVE A QUIETER STREET, BUT, UM, IT'S REALLY NOT FAIR TO, YOU KNOW, REROUTE TRAFFIC ONTO OTHER PEOPLE'S STREETS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR COMMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARK GOLDBERG, FOLLOWED BY CHARLES FRANKLIN. THEN JUSTIN SAFE. MARK, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. I LIVE ON, UH, RAYMOND STREET. I'VE LIVED IN CAMBRIDGE FOR 40 YEARS. I AM A AVID CYCLIST OVER A THOUSAND MILES A YEAR. I USED TO COMMUTE TO KENDALL SQUARE. I'M 69 YEARS OLD. UH, I RIDE CARGO BIKES, TANDEM BIKES, ROAD BIKES, MOUNTAIN BIKES. I'VE BEEN GOING ACROSS THE CITY FOR 40 YEARS. WHAT CYCLISTS WANT ARE SEPARATED LANES. THE DESI, THE ORIGINAL DESIGN OF GARDEN STREET WAS ILL-ADVISED AND ILL CONSIDERED AND ILL VETTED IT. DID NOT TALK TO THE NEIGHBORS. IT WAS PUSHED THROUGH INTO THE SUMMER. IT DID NOT TALK TO THE SURROUNDING NEIGHBORHOODS. AND YOU GOT A BAD SOLUTION. THE NEIGHBORHOODS MET WITH THE, WITH THE TRAFFIC PLANNERS. THEY PROPOSED MITIGATIONS AND THOSE FAILED. THERE'S NO, NO TRUST WHATSOEVER. THE PROBLEM IS IT WAS POORLY DESIGNED TO BEGIN WITH AND UNIMAGINATIVE. YOU NEED TO CONSIDER OTHER SOLUTIONS THAT TAKE THE FLOW COMPLETELY OFF OF GARDEN COUNSELORS. IS IT ANY SURPRISE THAT THE ONLY PEOPLE WHILE ARE SUPPORTING THIS ARE THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE ON GARDEN? MY GOD. TRY PUTTING THE BIKE PASS INTO THE, TO THE PARKS AND USE THE UNDERPASS OFF RAYMOND TO GO TO CEDAR STREET. THAT WILL HELP. THANK YOU, MARK. YOUR TIME EXPIRED. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHARLES FRANKLIN, FOLLOWED BY JUSTIN SAFE. AND OUR FINAL SPEAKER WILL BE HEATHER HOFFMAN. CHARLES, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. MY NAME IS CHARLES FRANKLIN, 1 6 2 HAMPSHIRE STREET, WHICH IS NOTABLY NOT GARDEN STREET. EVEN THOUGH I SUPPORT THIS PO TO LEAVE GARDEN STREET THE WAY IT IS, I BELIEVE THAT THE CITY STAFF HAS SAID THAT THIS IS THE SAFEST OPTION. AND IF THEY DIDN'T, THEN YOU SHOULD GO WITH WHATEVER THE STAFF SAID IS SAFEST THOUGH. MY RECOLLECTION IS THAT THE CURRENT CONFIGURATION IS THE SAFEST ONE, UM, TO VOTE AGAINST. THEIR RECOMMENDATION FOR THE SAFEST ONE IS TO SAY THAT IT WAS TO ELEVATE SOME OTHER GOAL. SO IF YOU VOTE AGAINST THE RECOMMENDATION FROM THE CITY, PLEASE SAY I'M VOTING AGAINST PROMOTING SAFETY OR REVIEW. WE, UM, REDUCING ACCIDENTS OVER SOME OTHER GOAL. WE SHOULD KNOW WHAT IT IS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JUSTIN SAFE. JUSTIN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HI, JUSTIN. SAFE, UH, ON THE MULTI-FAMILY POLICY ORDERS. UM, I THINK, YOU KNOW, HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT SHOULD NOT HOLD UP NEW HOUSING MOVING FORWARD. WE KNOW WE NEED SIGNIFICANT AMOUNTS OF NEW HOUSING. UH, THE BIGGEST, UH, WAY TO ASSESS THE NEED FOR NEW HOUSING IS BY LOOKING AT RENT RENTS AND HOUSING COSTS. THERE'S SKY HIGH. THEY ABUNDANTLY INDICATE THAT WE NEED MUCH MORE NEW HOUSING IN CAMBRIDGE. UM, IN TERMS OF A GUIDE, I MEAN, A GUIDE SHOULD TALK ABOUT WHY CAMBRIDGE ENDED EXCLUSIONARY ZONING AND THE LONG HISTORY OF RESIDENTIAL SEGREGATION ASSOCIATED WITH IT WHERE APARTMENTS WERE ABANDONED. LARGE PART PORTIONS OF CAMBRIDGE, UH, SHOULD TALK ABOUT THE BENEFITS. YOU KNOW, THERE'S HOUSING COST BENEFITS, BUT THERE'S ALSO THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, THESE PROPOSALS INCLUDE PROPERTY TAX REVENUES INCREASING BY FOUR TO FIVE TIMES AT A TIME WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT CONSTRAINTS AND THE NEED FOR FUTURE BUDGET CUTS. WELL, WE CAN AVOID THAT IF WE BUILD NEW MULTIFAMILY HOUSING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR FINAL SPEAKER IS HEATHER HOFFMAN. HEATHER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HELLO, HEATHER HOFFMAN, TWO 13 HURLEY STREET. I AM UTTERLY THRILLED TO HEAR TWO OF THE BIGGEST BUILD BABY BUILD FOLKS TELLING US THAT THEY ARE TERRIFIED THAT WE MIGHT POSSIBLY STUDY HOUSING AND WHAT CAMBRIDGE NEEDS AND HOW WE MIGHT GET THERE INSTEAD OF JUST GOING WITH IDEOLOGY. SO I REALLY SUPPORT THIS POLICY ORDER. UM, WITH RESPECT TO WORK AROUND CO-OPS, I AM THE MOTHER OF ONE OF THE FOUNDERS OF A WORKER-OWNED CO-OP IN SOMERVILLE, NEW LEAF ESPRESSO. AND I AM ALSO THRILLED TO SEE THAT, UM, WITH RESPECT TO LINEAR PARK AND GOLD STAR MOTHERS PARK. [01:50:01] IN THE CASE OF LINEAR PARK, WE'RE SPENDING A TON OF MONEY THAT WE DON'T NEED TO SPEND SO THAT WE CAN KILL A TON OF TREES. WITH RESPECT TO GOLD STAR MOTHERS PARK, I HOPE THAT WE FIGURE OUT HOW TO MAKE THIS A PARK AGAIN AND FINALLY FLOODING IN EXTREME HEAT. HOW ABOUT SOME TREES INSTEAD OF PAVING EVERYTHING? THANK YOU. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. THAT IS ALL THAT WERE SIGNED UP. THANK YOU NAOMI, FOR LEADING PUBLIC COMMENT ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUEY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOW CLOSED. THERE'S NO SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD. THERE'S NO RECONSIDERATIONS. WE NOW MOVE ON [CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA] TO THE CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA. THERE ARE 25 CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEMS. PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. I'D LIKE TO PULL, UM, ITEMS ONE THROUGH AND INCLUDING 14. 14. COUNCILLOR NOLAN WILL PULL ITEMS ONE THROUGH 14. PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. COUNCILLOR ZUBE. I WOULD LIKE TO PULL ITEM 15. COUNCILOR ZUBIE POLLS. ITEM 15, PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. I'D LIKE TO PULL 25 COUNCILOR ZUZI POLLS. 25. WE'LL ALSO PULL 23 AND 24 AS THEIR ZONING RELATED. ANY OTHERS? MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YEAH. NUMBER 19 AND NUMBER 19. SO FAR WE'VE PULLED ONE THROUGH 15, 19, 23, 24, AND 25. ANY OTHER ITEMS BEFORE WE DO A ROLL CALL ON THE BIDEN? ON THE BALANCE? HEARING NONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL PLEASE. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCIL MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE CONSENT AGENDA IS ADOPTED. THE, THE BALANCE WILL GO TO ALL THE, WILL GO TO THE FIRST ITEM, WHICH WAS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER, RELATIVE SUBMISSION OF THE FFY 2027 BUDGET AND APPROPRIATION ORDERS FOR THE GENERAL FUND, WATER FUND AND PUBLIC INVESTMENT FUND. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. AS A CO-CHAIR OF FINANCE WITH COUNCILLOR ZUBIE. I AM, UH, I THINK IT'S EXCITED TO HEAR THAT. JUST AS A VISUAL, WE ALL GOT OUR BUDGET BOOKS. THEY'RE RIGHT ON OUR, OUR DESK. THEY'VE BEEN DELIVERED. I BELIEVE IT'S PROBABLY ONLINE, BUT I'M, I'M NOT SURE. AND IT'S, IT'S AN, UM, SOMETHING THAT WE WILL RELY ON AS WE HEAD INTO THE BUDGET AND FINANCE COMMITTEE, UH, HEARINGS IN THE NEXT MONTH. SO MAYOR SIDIKI, I'M SURE YOU KNOW THIS, BUT THE, FOR THE FIRST ITEM, I BELIEVE THE CITY MANAGER'S TEAM AND FINANCE TEAM HAS A PRESENTATION THEY WANNA MAKE TO SET THE, IT'S TO SET THE STAGE FOR THE FINANCE COMMITTEE HEARINGS. AND THE REASON IT'S IMPORTANT TO DO IT HERE IS THAT WAY WE WILL NOT BE DOING THAT KIND OF STAGE SETTING DURING THE FINANCE MEETINGS, WHICH ARE ALL DAY MEETINGS IN EARLY MAY. AND MY INTENTIONS FOR ITEMS TWO THROUGH 13 ARE NOT TO DISCUSS THEM TONIGHT. I PULLED THEM JUST SO THAT WE COULD, UH, PAT THEY'RE ALL APPROPRIATIONS. WE WOULD PASS THEM TO A SECOND READING AND THEN REFER THEM TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. SO, AND, AND THOSE WILL BE FULLY DISCUSSED DURING FINANCE MEETINGS. SO I DON'T INTEND TO, TO HAVE DISCUSSION ON THOSE MEETINGS. SO WE HAVE A PRESENTATION, UH, YES, THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO SUBMIT THE FY 27 OPERATING AND CAPITAL BUDGETS TONIGHT. AND WE'RE LOOKING FORWARD TO THE BUDGET HEARINGS OVER THE COMING TWO WEEKS. UM, EVERY YEAR WE ARE LOOKING TO MAKE THIS PROCESS MORE COLLABORATIVE AND VERY GRATEFUL TO OUR TWO FINANCE CO-CHAIRS, UM, COUNCILLOR NOLAN AND COUNSELOR ZUBIE, UH, FOR THE WORK THAT, UH, WE ALL DID TOGETHER OVER, UH, THE LAST MANY MONTHS. UM, AND I THINK THE, THE BEST WAY TO MAKE THESE PROCESSES MORE COLLABOR COLLABORATIVE IS THE MORE INTENTIONAL STRUCTURES THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHED. SO TONIGHT [01:55:01] REALLY ISN'T THE BEGINNING OF BUDGET HEARINGS OR THE BUDGET PROCESS. WE STARTED IN THE FALL OF LAST YEAR AS WE SET THE TAX RATE FOR THE LAST BUDGET AND BEGAN DISCUSSIONS ON THE MACROECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT, SETTING FINANCIAL TARGETS AND HOW WE'RE NAVIGATING NOT JUST ONE BUDGET YEAR, UH, BUT A MULTI-YEAR PLAN. UH, WE'VE HELD SIX COUNCIL MEETINGS TO TALK THROUGH THE OPERATING BUDGET, THE CAPITAL BUDGET, POLICE BUDGET, COUNCIL BUDGET PRIORITIES, ARPA GRANTS, AND OUR RESPONSE TO POTENTIAL FEDERAL CUTS. AND WE'VE WORKED REALLY HARD OVER THE LAST SIX MONTHS TO ALSO ENSURE THAT THIS BUDGET IS BECOMING MORE EFFICIENT, PURSUING BOTH CENTRAL AND DEPARTMENTAL LEVEL SAVINGS. AND THAT HAS HELPED US ENSURE THAT WE ARE MINIMIZING TAX INCREASES DURING AN ECONOMIC DOWNTURN. WHILE WE'RE ALSO PRESERVING THE ABILITY FOR US TO MAKE THE IMPORTANT INVESTMENTS THAT WE KNOW OUR COMMUNITY NEEDS, WE HAVE ALSO CONTINUED TO IMPROVE ON TRANSPARENCY, TO MAKE IT CLEARER AND EASIER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET. UH, FOR THE FIRST TIME, WE ARE SHOWING NOT JUST FULL-TIME POSITIONS, BUT FULL-TIME EQUIVALENTS, AND WE ARE CAPTURING BOTH PART-TIME AND GRANT FUNDED POSITIONS. UM, THERE'S ALSO AN ENHANCED ONLINE INTERACTIVE VERSION OF THE BUDGET THAT YOU CAN CLICK THROUGH. UM, AND SO IF YOU'RE INTERESTED IN NOT JUST FLIPPING THROUGH 500 PAGES OF TABLES, UM, THERE'S A BUNCH OF PIE CHARTS AND, AND GRAPHS THAT, UM, THAT, UH, THAT OUR NEW BUDGET SYSTEM ENABLES. I WANNA ESPECIALLY THANK THE BUDGET AND FINANCE TEAM FOR ALL THE INCREDIBLE WORK, UH, FACILITATING THIS PROCESS, PUTTING THIS DOCUMENT TOGETHER, NAVIGATING THE NEW BUDGET SYSTEM, AND ESPECIALLY OVER THE LAST TWO WEEKS. UH, IT'S ALWAYS AN ENORMOUS CRUNCH. UM, BUT, UM, THANK YOU TO DIRECTOR JENNINGS AND THE ENTIRE TEAM. THIS IS AN INCREDIBLE AMOUNT OF WORK AND I JUST WANNA RECOGNIZE, UM, WE ARE LOOKING TO MAKE THESE IMPROVEMENTS, MAKE THESE CHANGES EVERY YEAR, AND THAT DOES CREATE A LOT MORE WORK AS WE ADAPT TO THOSE CHANGES. UM, AND THIS YEAR'S PROCESS, UM, HAS INCORPORATED A LOT OF THAT AND I'M VERY GRATEFUL THANK YOU AS WELL TO ALL OF THE LEADERSHIP AND STAFF ACROSS DEPARTMENTS, UM, WHO'VE BEEN WORKING HARD TO PULL ALL OF THIS TOGETHER, UM, OVER, OVER A NUMBER OF MONTHS, INCLUDING THE PROGRAMMATIC CHANGES THAT HAVE BEEN MADE AND ARE REFLECTED IN THESE NUMBERS AND JUST PUTTING TOGETHER ALL OF THE CONTENT. UM, AS I SAY, EVERY YEAR, I REALLY BELIEVE THE MOST VALUABLE PICTURE IS RIGHT UP FRONT IN THE CONSOLIDATED SPENDING SECTION. SO THIS BUDGET REPRESENTS THE FUNDING FOR ALL THAT WE'RE ABLE TO DO AS A CITY. IT'S MORE COMPLEX THAT CAN BE BOILED DOWN INTO JUST ONE NUMBER, UH, OR A NUMBER OF NUMBERS. BUT IN TERMS OF THE ISSUES THAT WE'RE ADDRESSING, THE PROGRAMS THAT WE'RE RUNNING, THE PROJECTS THAT WE'RE FUNDING, CONSOLIDATED SPENDING REALLY DOES DO THE BEST JOB OF SHOWING WHERE WE ARE MAKING INVESTMENTS. SO, UH, REALLY WANNA DRAW ATTENTION TO THAT FIRST INTRODUCTION SECTION, UH, WHERE WE'VE PROVIDED, UM, THE CONSOLIDATED SPENDING BUDGET MODIFICATIONS, WHAT'S CHANGED FROM LAST BUDGET TO THIS BUDGET. UM, THOSE ARE SOME OF THE EASIEST TO DIGEST TABLES, UM, THAT REALLY CAPTURE A LOT OF WHAT'S, UH, WHAT'S HAPPENING, UM, IN, IN THIS ENORMOUS DOCUMENT. SO WITH THAT, I WILL TURN IT OVER TO DIRECTOR JENNINGS. UM, HE'S GONNA WALK THROUGH JUST A VERY QUICK OVERVIEW OF THE BUDGET PROCESS AND THE BUDGET SUMMARY, UH, BUT AS WELL MORE CRUCIALLY SOME OF THE CHANGES IN THIS DOCUMENT THAT WILL HELP YOU READ THIS OVER THE COMING WEEK. UM, AND WE'RE, UH, WE'RE HAPPY TO ACTUALLY HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF DISCUSSION OR QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, THE DOCUMENT AND ANY OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE CHANGED WITH THE NEW SYSTEM. SO THANK YOU TAHA. THANK YOU MR. CITY MANAGER. AND THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, DO WE HAVE THE PRESENTATION THAT WE CAN PUT UP ON THE SCREEN? SORRY, ONE SECOND. I'LL JUST WHILE WE ARE WAITING, I'LL JUST KIND OF BRIEFLY SAY THAT THE, THE INTENTION OF THIS PRESENTATION IS REALLY TO PROVIDE SOME CONTEXT, UM, UH, TO THE FY 27 SUBMITTED BUDGET AND REALLY HELP SERVE AS A REMINDER TO HOW WE ARRIVED AT THIS POINT, UM, AT BUDGET SUBMISSION, UH, IN PARTICULAR, AS THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED THROUGH A NUMBER OF ENGAGEMENT EFFORTS WITH COUNCIL, AS WELL AS THE BROADER COMMUNITY, UH, SETTING TARGETS FOR BUDGET GROWTH AND THE TAX LEVY INCREASE REQUIRED TO SUPPORT THAT BUDGET GROWTH. UH, YOU COULD GO RIGHT ONTO THE NEXT SLIDE. THANKS. AND STRATEGIES TAKEN AT BOTH THE CITY AND DEPARTMENT LEVEL TO MEET THOSE TARGETS THAT WE SET. AS THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED THIS YEAR, WE'RE USING A NEW BUDGET SYSTEM FOR THE FIRST TIME. UM, AND THERE ARE SOME KEY CHANGES TO HOW THE BOOK IS ORGANIZED AND LAID OUT THAT I'LL GO OVER. UH, NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, SO FOR MOST OF US, AS WAS MENTIONED, THE FY 27 BUDGET PROCESS ACTUALLY BEGAN BACK IN [02:00:01] FALL OF 2025. AND SINCE THEN, THERE HAVE BEEN SEVERAL MEETINGS AS WELL AS PLANNING AND ANALYSIS AND PREPARATION IN REGARDS TO THE FY 27 BUDGET. UH, WE ARE NOW, YOU COULD SEE THE RED LINE RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE SCREEN, UH, AT BUDGET SUBMISSION, UH, WHICH IS A KEY STEP, BUT NOT NECESSARILY THE FINAL STEP IN THE OVERALL BUDGET PROCESS. UH, WE DO ANTICIPATE, UH, HOPEFULLY THE CITY COUNCIL WILL ADOPT THE BUDGET ON JUNE 1ST. UH, FY 27 ACTUALLY BEGINS ON JULY ONE, AND THE TAX RATE REQUIRED TO SUPPORT THE BUDGET IS OFFICIALLY SET IN THE FALL. SO THERE ARE STILL A NUMBER OF SET, UM, STEPS THAT HAPPEN AS PART OF THE OVERALL FY 27 BUDGET PROCESS. AND IT CONCLUDES WHAT SETTING OF THE TAX RATE IN, UH, EARLY FALL. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, SO AS WAS MENTIONED, UH, THERE'VE BEEN A NUMBER OF PUBLIC MEETINGS AND DISCUSSIONS AND WE'RE ALWAYS CONTINUING TO TRY AND WORK TO, UH, ENHANCE COMMUNICATION AND ENGAGEMENT WHEN IT COMES TO THE BUDGET. AND I THINK THIS PROCESS HAS BEEN REFLECTIVE, REFLECTIVE OF THAT, UH, SEVERAL MEETINGS, PRESENTATIONS AND CONVERSATIONS BEGINNING OF FALL OF 2025 TO UPDATE THE COUNCIL ON SOME OF THE CHALLENGES PRESENTED BY THE MACROECONOMIC ENVIRONMENT, UM, HOW THAT IMPACTED PLANNING FOR THE FY 27 BUDGET STEPS WERE TAKEN TO ADDRESS THOSE IMPACTS, UM, AS WELL AS EFFORTS TO ALIGN THE BUDGET WITH COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY PRIORITIES. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, AND AS WE HAVE, UH, MENTIONED, I THINK THROUGHOUT THIS PROCESS, UH, THIS BUDGET WAS REALLY DEVELOPED IN THE CONTEXT OF A CHALLENGING ECONOMIC AND POLITICAL ENVIRONMENT. UH, THIS IS REALLY HIGHLIGHTED BY FALLING COMMERCIAL VALUES, DECREASE IN DEVELOPMENT ACTIVITY, WEAKENING ECONOMIC TRENDS, AND INCREASED UNCERTAINTY, ESPECIALLY DUE TO FEDERAL ACTIONS AND POLICIES. UM, AND SO THIS, WE HAD TO, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT THE BUDGET IN THE CONTEXT OF ALL THESE THINGS GOING ON. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. AND, AND THOSE, THOSE ISSUES REALLY HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IMPACT CAMBRIDGE IN, UH, SEVERAL WAYS. UH, AND SOME OF THE KEY THINGS ARE OF GREATER DEPENDENCE ON PROPERTY TAXES TO SUPPORT OUR BUDGET, UH, PRESSURE ON AN EXCESS LEVY CAPACITY, WHICH PROVIDES IMPORTANT FLEXIBILITY TO RAISE THE NEEDED TAX REVENUE, UM, AND AN INCREASING RESIDENTIAL TAX BURDEN, UH, WHICH DOES IMPACT OUR, OUR COMMUNITY IN REAL WAYS. NEXT SLIDE. SO IN ORDER TO MITIGATE THESE IMPACTS AND IN COORDINATION WITH CITY COUNCIL, WE HAD SET MULTI-YEAR TARGETS FOR BUDGET GROWTH AND TAX LEVY INCREASES THAT WOULD BE REQUIRED TO SUPPORT THOSE BUDGET. THAT BUDGET. UH, AND THIS IS IMPORTANT, UH, TO REALLY PROTECT OUR ABILITY TO CONTINUE TO BE ABLE TO DO ALL OF THE THINGS THAT MAKE CAMBRIDGE SUCH A SPECIAL PLACE TO LIVE, WORK, AND VISIT. UH, WE'RE NOT SETTING THE TARGETS JUST TO SET TARGETS. WE WANNA MAINTAIN OUR FINANCIAL STRENGTH AND FLEXIBILITY, WHICH HAS ALLOWED US TO DO SO MANY OF THE GREAT INITIATIVES THAT YOU'VE SEEN IN NOT JUST THIS BUDGET, BUT IN BUDGETS PAST. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UM, AND SO TO MEET THESE TARGETS, AND AS AS WE NOTED, UH, SEVERAL STEPS WERE TAKEN AT BOTH THE CITY AND DEPARTMENT LEVEL, UM, DEPARTMENTS WERE ASKED TO IDENTIFY SAVINGS AND EFFICIENCIES WITHIN THEIR OPERATING BUDGETS. UH, OUTTA STATE TRAVEL WAS PAUSED AT LEAST THROUGH, UM, JUNE OF 2027. UH, THERE WAS A MORE RESOURCE CONSTRAINED APPROACH TO CAPITAL PLANNING. UH, WE ENLISTED, UH, THE HELP OF A HEALTH, UH, INSURANCE BROKER TO HELP IDENTIFY SAVINGS, UH, IN THAT AREA. UH, NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. UH, SO THE RESULTS OF THESE EFFORTS, UM, IS A SUBMITTED BUDGET THAT IS AN INCREASE OF 4.1% OVER THE FY 26 ADOPTED BUDGET AND A PROJECTED TAX LEVY INCREASE OF 6.9%. NEXT SLIDE. SO WITHIN THAT 4.1% INCREASE, MOST OF THE FUNDING IS RELATED TO, UH, THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT BUDGET INCREASE AND INCREASES IN SALARY AND BENEFITS FOR STAFF, UM, AS WELL AS SOME INCREASE IN DEBT SERVICE PAYMENTS. SO YOU COULD SELL A, A LOT OF THE BUDGET INCREASE ARE REALLY SOMEWHAT FIXED COSTS RELATED TO SALARIES AND BENEFITS. UH, OUR COMMITMENT TO THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, UH, DEBT SERVICE, WHICH WE ARE, WE NEED TO PAY. UM, AND SO IT'S IN THESE OTHER AREAS IN A LOT OF CASES THAT DEPARTMENTS HAD TO LOOK AND FIND SAVINGS. SO I, I DO WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THAT. NEXT SLIDE, [02:05:01] PLEASE. UH, AGAIN, OVERALL THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT BUDGET IS ALMOST 30% OF THE CITY'S TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET, UM, OF OVER A BILLION DOLLARS. NEXT SLIDE. THIS IS THE SECOND YEAR SUBMITTING A BUDGET WITHIN THE FRAMEWORK OF MEETING GROWTH TARGETS. UM, YOU CAN SEE FOR FY 26 AND FY 27 THAT THE BUDGET OPERATING BUDGET INCREASE IS, UH, FAIRLY SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER THAN, UH, MORE RECENT YEARS, UH, WHERE WE HAD THINGS LIKE NEW COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT, UH, NEW POSITIONS, UM, AN EXTENDED SCHOOL DAY AT THE SCHOOL, UH, UPK FUNDING AND, AND SIGNIFICANT INCREASES IN DEBT SERVICE. UM, AND WE EXPECT THIS TREND TO WE'LL MONITOR CLOSELY, BUT WE EXPECT THIS TREND TO CONTINUE AS WE, YOU KNOW, TRY TO MEET OUR TARGETS, UH, IN FY 28 AND BEYOND. NEXT SLIDE, PLEASE. UH, PROPERTY TAXES ARE, ARE MOST SIGNIFICANT SOURCE OF REVENUE TO SUPPORT THE CITY'S OPERATING BUDGET. AND AGAIN, WITH AN OPERATING BUDGET OF OVER A BILLION DOLLARS, THAT MEANS WE HAVE TO GENERATE AT LEAST THAT MUCH REVENUE TO SUPPORT IT. UM, AND SO IN FY 27, THERE'S 315.5 MILLION IN NON-PROPERTY TAX REVENUE, WHICH MEANS WE NEED TO GENERATE OVER $725 MILLION OF PROPERTY TAX REVENUE TO SUPPORT THE BUDGET. UH, THE ACTUAL LEVY WILL BE FINALIZED IN SEPTEMBER, UH, WHEN THE TAX RATES ARE SET. NEXT SLIDE. AND AG, JUST TO POINT OUT, THE PERCENTAGE OF PROPERTY TAXES AS A REVENUE SOURCE CONTINUES TO INCREASE. UM, AND WHAT THAT MEANS IS THAT, UH, BUDGET GROWTH WILL HAVE A MORE DIRECT IMPACT ON, UH, PROPERTY TAXES. UH, SO WE, WE DEFINITELY WANNA MONITOR HOW, UH, THAT CONNECTION AND, AND WORK TO CONTINUE TO MODERATE OUR BUDGET GROWTH. NEXT SLIDE. BUT AS THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, WE ARE STILL, UM, INVESTING IN IMPORTANT COUNCIL AND COMMUNITY PRIORITIES. UH, THIS CHART COMES DIRECTLY FROM THE CONSOLIDATED SPENDING SECTION WITHIN THE BUDGET BOOK, AND IT JUST GIVES A OVERALL SENSE OF SPENDING WITHIN DIFFERENT PRIORITY AREAS. THERE IS A POTENTIAL FOR SOME OF THESE NUMBERS TO OVERLAP HERE. THIS IS NOT, THIS IS MORE OF AN ART THAN SCIENCE. THIS INCLUDES ESTIMATED STAFF TIME AND POSITIONS. IT INCLUDES CAPITAL AND GRANT FUNDS, UH, BUT IT GIVES A GENERAL SNAPSHOT OR A SENSE OF WHERE CITY DOLLARS ARE GOING, UH, RELATED TO THESE, UH, PARTICULAR AREAS. NEXT SLIDE. SO AS WAS ALSO MENTIONED, UH, THE BUDGET AND THE BOOK THAT YOU HAVE IN FRONT OF YOU WAS CREATED USING A NEW BUDGET SOFTWARE SYSTEM. UH, IT'S A MORE MODERN SYSTEM WITH MUCH MORE CAPABILITIES AND TOOLS, BOTH IN THE BACKEND AND CREATING THE BUDGET, BUT ALSO SOME FORWARD FACING THINGS AS WELL. AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO, UH, CONTINUING TO IMPROVE THE BOOK AND ONLINE VERSIONS AND CAPABILITIES AS WE, UH, USE THE SYSTEM MORE AND MORE. UH, NEXT SLIDE. ONE KEY ITEM THAT IS NOTICEABLE IN THE BOOK IS A SHIFT FROM USING FULL-TIME, USING A FULL-TIME POSITION COUNT, UH, TO CALCULATING FULL-TIME EQUIVALENCIES OR FTES. AND WHAT THIS DOES IS IT HELPS GIVE A FULLER PICTURE OF THE CITY'S WORKFORCE. UH, SO FOR EXAMPLE, IF, UH, THERE IS, IN THE PRIOR YEAR BUDGET, IF THERE WAS A PART-TIME POSITION, SAY THEY WORKED 25 HOURS OUT OF THE 37 AND A HALF HOUR WORK WEEK, THEY WOULD NOT SHOW UP ON THE POSITION COUNT. UH, WE WOULD ONLY COUNT FULL-TIME PERMANENT POSITIONS IN THE POSITION COUNT UH, BEGINNING IN THE FY 27 BUDGET, AND AS YOU'LL SEE IN, IN SOME OF THE DEPARTMENT PAGES, THAT SAME POSITION WORKING 25 HOURS A WEEK WOULD BE COUNTED AS A 0.67 FTE. UM, AND SO WHAT THIS SAYS JUST GIVES A BETTER SENSE OF THE ACTUAL WORKFORCE IN THE CITY BY CAPTURING GRANT AND, AND, UH, PART-TIME EMPLOYEES. UM, AND SO THAT'S REFLECTED THROUGHOUT THE BOOK. AND IF YOU GO TO THE NEXT SLIDE, UM, YOU SEE THIS IS AN EXAMPLE OF HOW IT WILL LOOK IN THE BOOK, UH, WHEN WE'RE COMPARING BETWEEN DIFFERENT BUDGET YEARS. SO WE HAVE AN FY 25 ACTUAL, AGAIN, THAT'S JUST THE FULL-TIME POSITION COUNT, AS YOU WOULD SEE IN PRIOR BUDGET BOOKS. SAME THING WITH FY 26. UM, BUT FOR THE EXAMPLE I JUST TALKED ABOUT FOR FY 27, IT WOULD ACTUALLY SHOW IT'S 5.67. [02:10:01] FOR MANY DEPARTMENTS. IT'S VERY STRAIGHTFORWARD. SOME OF THE NUMBERS ARE STILL EXACTLY THE SAME BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE ANY PART-TIME POSITIONS. SOME DEPARTMENTS HAVE A LOT MORE FULL, UM, PART-TIME POSITIONS, SO YOU'RE GONNA SEE A DIFFERENT NUMBER BETWEEN FY 26 AND FY 27. UM, BUT THEY, IT IS EXPLAINED, UM, IN THROUGHOUT THE BOOK IN SECTION TWO, UM, OF THE BOOK AND ALSO IN SOME OF THE DEPARTMENT PAGES. NEXT SLIDE PLEASE. ANOTHER KEY CHANGE, UH, THAT'S REFLECTED IN THE BOOK IS HOW DEPARTMENTS ARE GROUPED AND ORGANIZED. AND WHAT WE DID FOR FY 27 IS WE ORGANIZED DEPARTMENTS ACCORDING TO PROGRAMMATIC AREA. UM, AND THIS MORE CLOSELY REFLECTS THE CITY'S OVERALL ORG STRUCTURE AND HOPEFULLY MAKES IT A LITTLE BIT MORE TRANSPARENT AND EASY TO READ AND USE THE BUDGET BOOK TO BE ABLE TO FIND THE DEPARTMENT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR. THE PREVIOUS ORGANIZATION WAS SOMETHING WE USED MORE FOR ACCOUNTING PURPOSES. WE STILL HAVE THAT CAPABILITY WHEN IT COMES TO THOSE NEEDS. UH, BUT IN ORDER TO MAKE THE BOOK A LITTLE BIT MORE USER-FRIENDLY AND READABLE, UH, IT MADE SENSE TO GROUP THE DEPARTMENTS ACCORDING TO THE, THE NINE KIND OF CABINET AREAS THAT WE, UM, SHOW ON THE SCREEN. NEXT SLIDE. AND AGAIN, WE'RE ALSO REALLY EXCITED ABOUT NEW AND ENHANCED CAPABILITIES IN THE ONLINE VERSION OF THE BUDGET BOOK. UH, WE STARTED IMPLEMENTING SOME OF THESE FEATURES FOR FY 27, UH, BUT WE BELIEVE THERE'S EVEN MORE IS POSSIBLE IN FUTURE YEARS AS WE REALLY, UM, GET A CHANCE TO WORK, UH, A LITTLE BIT DEEPER IN THE, IN THE NEW SYSTEM AND UNDERSTAND THE CAPABILITIES, UM, AND WHAT SOME OF THE DEMANDS ARE FOR INFORMATION OUT THERE. NEXT SLIDE. UH, SO JUST SOME KEY TAKEAWAYS. UH, THE BUDGET BOOK HAS A LOT OF INFORMATION. I THINK A GOOD STARTING POINT STILL, AND I ALWAYS MENTION THIS IS THE CITY MANAGER'S MESSAGE IN SECTION ONE OF THE BOOK, UH, JUST TO PROVIDE A, A GENERAL OVERVIEW. I THINK THE REST OF SECTION ONE. ALSO IN TERMS OF SOME OF THE BUDGET HIGHLIGHTS, CONSOLIDATED SPENDING, UH, SIGNIFICANT MODIFICATIONS TO THE BUDGET THAT, UH, LEAD TO THE 4.1% INCREASE. THAT'S VERY GOOD OVERALL INFORMATION. UH, THE BEGINNING OF SECTION TWO OF THE BOOK ALSO PROVIDES SOME, UH, USEFUL INFORMATION ON HOW TO ACTUALLY READ THE BOOK, AND THAT'S PROBABLY A GOOD THING TO REVIEW AS WELL, ESPECIALLY WITH SOME OF THE CHANGES IN ORGANIZATION AND, AND LAYOUT. UH, NEXT SLIDE. UM, AND SO I THINK THE NEXT STEPS IN THE PROCESS ARE, UH, HOPEFULLY, UH, MEETINGS BEFORE THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, WHICH ARE SCHEDULED FOR MAY 5TH, UH, MAY 6TH IN THE EVENING FOR THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT, MAY 12TH, UH, MAY 14TH IS A BACKUP DATE. UM, WE AND THE STAFF WILL, UH, COORDINATE WITH FINANCE CO-CHAIRS TO HOPEFULLY TRY AND GET, UM, QUESTIONS AND POTENTIAL DEPARTMENT PULLS AHEAD OF TIME. I THINK IT MAKES FOR A MORE MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION AT THE HEARINGS WHEN DEPARTMENTS HAVE A CHANCE TO UNDERSTAND WHAT SOME OF THE QUESTIONS ARE AND HAVE TIME TO, UH, PREPARE. UM, AND AGAIN, WE ANTICIPATE, UH, BUDGET ADOPTION ON MONDAY, JUNE 1ST. UH, AND BEFORE I WANT, BEFORE I CONCLUDE, I DO ALSO WANNA RECOGNIZE AND THANK, UH, SOME OF THE KEY STAFF INVOLVED THROUGHOUT THE PROCESS. OF COURSE, THE CITY MANAGER AND DEPUTY CITY MANAGER, KATHY WATKINS, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER FOR FISCAL AFFAIRS, CLAIRE SPINNER, UH, DEPUTY FINANCE DIRECTOR, MICHELLE KINCAID. I WANT TO THANK LEO CAMILLIS FROM THE STRATEGY OFFICE. UH, LOIS WU, OUR MANAGER OF PUBLIC INVESTMENT, AND OF COURSE THE, THE BUDGET TEAM, OR, AND YOU KNOW WHAT, I LIKE TO REFER TO THEM AND OTHER PEOPLE HAVE FOR ME AS WELL. THE, THE DREAM TEAM. UH, FORMER DEPUTY BUDGET DIRECTOR, ANGELA ALFRED, UH, PRINCIPAL BUDGET ANALYST, DANIEL LISS, PRINCIPAL BUDGET ANALYST, JOANNE MALKI, UH, PB AND ENGAGEMENT COORDINATOR, MELISSA LIU. UH, THIS IS THE EIGHTH BUDGET I'VE ACTUALLY HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PREPARE, AND THEY'RE ALWAYS UNIQUE. UH, BUT THIS YEAR, AS THE CITY MANAGER MENTIONED, IT SEEMED TO BE A LITTLE BIT EXTRA LAYER OF CHALLENGES AND THINGS TO CONSIDER AND THINGS WE WERE ASKING OF DEPARTMENTS. UH, AND ON TOP OF THAT, WE'RE LEARNING AND IMPLEMENTING A NEW BUDGET SYSTEM. AND, UH, THE AMOUNT OF EXTRA TIME AND EFFORT THAT THE STAFF IN THE BUDGET OFFICE WILLINGLY PUT IN TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN IS REALLY WHAT MADE THIS POSSIBLE. UM, SO WITH THAT, I THINK I'D BE HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY GENERAL QUESTIONS, BUT REALLY LOOKING FORWARD TO MORE DETAILED DISCUSSIONS AT FINANCE COMMITTEE OVER THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS. THANK YOU. [02:15:02] THANK YOU. WE'LL GO BACK TO COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANKS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. STAFF. I JUST WANNA REITERATE, IT'S A CHALLENGING YEAR, AND YET PRETTY MUCH EVERY OTHER MUNICIPALITY IN THE STATE WE HAVE SEEN IS NOT IN A POSITION WHERE THE BUDGETS ARE ACTUALLY GROWING. WE ARE NOT FACING A DEFICIT FOR THIS YEAR AND HAVING TO CHANGE THINGS MIDSTREAM, WHICH, WHICH MANY, MANY CITIES IN THE COMMONWEALTH ARE. SO WHEN I SAY THAT TO, TO THANK, I THINK THIS COUNCIL, THE ONE AREA IN OUR LIVES WHERE WE'RE A LITTLE CONSERVATIVE IS FINANCIAL PLANNING. AND THE CITY STAFF WHO, AS DIRECTOR JENNINGS NOTED, IS A FULL COMPLIMENT OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE BOOK WORKED REALLY HARD TO CONTINUE OUR GROWTH, AND AT THE SAME TIME HAVE SOME GROWTH WHILE WE'RE IMPOSING SOME KIND OF A FISCAL DISCIPLINE. I JUST WANNA, UM, REMIND COUNSEL THAT, UH, WE HAD THROUGH, UH, CLERK CRANE SENT OUT, UH, COUNCIL ZUBIE AND I SENT OUT A REQUEST FOR BUDGET QUESTIONS. NOW THAT YOU HAVE THIS BUDGET BOOK, YOU CAN GO THROUGH IT. THOSE QUESTIONS WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL TO HAVE IN BY THIS FRIDAY, MAY 1ST IS, IS THE DEADLINE AND GOING THROUGH AND ASKING ANY OF THE QUESTIONS RELATED TO THE ANY DEPARTMENT IS EXACTLY WHAT WE, WHAT WE NEED IS WHAT DEPARTMENTS YOU INTEND TO PULL, WHAT QUESTIONS YOU WOULD LIKE ANSWERED. AND JUST A REMINDER THAT THE QUESTIONS SHOULD BE ABOUT THE BUDGET. IF THERE ARE QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, OPERATIONS OR NON-BUDGET RELATED QUESTIONS, THAT'S GREAT. JUST DON'T HAVE THEM. THEY WILL NOT BE ANSWERED, ANSWERED AND SHOULD NOT REALLY BE BROUGHT UP IN THE, IN THE CONTEXT OF OUR FINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS. 'CAUSE THOSE ARE REALLY FOCUSED ON, ON THE FINANCE AND THE BUDGET. IT IS, THERE'S MUCH OF, UH, WHAT'S IN THE BUDGET BOOK INCLUDES OBJECTIVES AND MEASURES THAT, UH, ARE THE ONES THAT WILL BE USED TO MEASURE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE BUDGET. AND THOSE ARE APPROPRIATE QUESTIONS. UM, AND I THINK THAT'S IT. SO I, I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DISCUSSIONS. I VERY MUCH THANK THE STAFF AND ALSO LOOK FORWARD TO ALL OF US. AGAIN, WHAT WE NEED FROM YOU BY FRIDAY IS WHAT DEPARTMENTS YOU WANT TO PULL SO THAT THE STAFF CAN PREPARE AND ANY QUESTIONS THAT YOU MIGHT ASK SO THAT THEY CAN BE BETTER PREPARED TO ANSWER THEM. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS PRESENTATION? COUNCILOR FLAHERTY THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR, JUST ONE QUICK QUESTION. WHEN I'M READING THIS AND I'M LOOKING AT THE, UH, FULL-TIME EQUIVALENT, UH, NUMBER, WHICH IS GONNA BE REFLECTED IN THIS BUDGET BOOK AND, AND IT'S REFLECTED IN A, UH, IN A DECIMAL, IS THERE AN IDENTIFICATION, UM, AS TO HOW MANY OF THAT, MAYBE 5.6, UH, FULL-TIME EQUIVALENCY POSITIONS ARE PART-TIME AS OPPOSED TO FULL-TIME? OR IS IT JUST THE FINAL NUMBER THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, AND TRYING TO UNDERSTAND YOUR QUESTION? SO, I, I THINK THERE IS A, UM, YOU COULD, THERE, THERE IS A COMPARISON FOR DEPARTMENT, DEPARTMENT BY DEPARTMENT, BUT I, THERE'S NO, YOU KNOW, ONE LINE THAT SAYS, UH, YOU KNOW, FOR, YOU KNOW, LIBRARY, THESE ARE ALL PART-TIME POSITIONS, RIGHT. YOU KNOW, IT'S JUST, IT'S A NUMBER. WE CAN EXPLAIN IT FOR SURE. UM, IF THERE'S A QUESTION ABOUT ANY OF THE DEPARTMENTS OR THE CHANGES LIKE WHERE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS MADE UP OF THIS MANY FULL, THIS MANY FULL-TIME POSITIONS, THIS MANY PART-TIME POSITIONS ARE NOW INCLUDED IN THAT COUNT, AND THAT'S HOW YOU GET A DECIMAL POINT. UM, SO I THINK WE, WE HAVE THAT INFORMATION AVAILABLE IF, IF NEEDED. GOT IT. BUT IT'S NOT INCLUDED IN THE BUDGET FOR CLARITY. YES. YOU, YOU. IF I NEED IT, I CAN GET IT, BUT IT'S NOT IN THE BOOK. I GUESS MY QUESTION. NO, NO, NOT IN THE BOOK. IT IS AVAILABLE THOUGH IN THE PERSONNEL SHEETS, IN THE BUDGET BACKUP, WHICH IS PROVIDED TO COUNSELORS. SO THERE IS, THEY THERE IS A DETAILED LISTING OF THAT. EXCELLENT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. YEAH. VICE MAYOR ZIM. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF CONGRATS IS THE RIGHT WORD, BUT I DID WANNA SAY IT'S NOTABLE THAT WE HAVE OUR FIRST BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET. UM, SO THAT'S A PRETTY BIG CHANGE FROM WHEN I STARTED. UM, I GUESS THE ONLY REAL QUESTION I HAD WAS THAT IF, JUST FOR HIGH LEVEL TAKEAWAYS, I SAW THAT LIKE WE HAD AN OVERALL INCREASE IN THE BUDGET ABOUT 7%. AND, UM, UH, THE COST OF LIVING ADJUSTMENT, EVEN THOUGH MOST OF OUR PAYS AND SALARIES, IT WAS ONLY 2.5%. AND SO IS IT THAT, UM, OH, JUST A TAX LEVY INCREASE WAS 7%, NOT THE OVERALL BUDGET INCREASE. SO THAT'S WHY THE COST THE COLA IS SMALLER. AND THEN I GUESS THE BIGGEST SINGLE EXPENSE INCREASE WAS THE HEALTHCARE. UM, I, AND I'VE BEEN HEARING, UH, YOU KNOW, UM, I THINK THE CITY MANAGER SAY THAT WE WERE TWO YEARS BEHIND MICHELLE, WE'LL, AT LEAST DOWN A SCREENSHOT OF SOME SPEECH. AND SO I JUST WAS WONDERING FOR A LITTLE BIT OF THAT CONTEXT AND JUST HOW YOU FEEL THE BUDGET IS GOING TO THE FUTURE, UH, CITY MANAGER. SURE. UH, THROUGH YOUR MAYOR CKI. [02:20:01] UM, YES, I THINK COUNCILOR, UH, VICE MAYOR, UM, BEING TWO YEARS BEHIND BOSTON IS MOSTLY IN REFERENCE TO THE COMMERCIAL RESIDENTIAL TAX SHIFT. AND SO SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT, UH, BOSTON HAS BEEN HAVING IS, UM, AT A CERTAIN POINT, UM, STATE LAW ALLOWS US TO HAVE A DIFFERENTIAL TAX RATE BETWEEN COMMERCIAL AND RESIDENTIAL. UM, NOT EVERY COMMUNITY HAS THAT. UM, I THINK YOU HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH COMMERCIAL TO ACTUALLY SET SEPARATE TAX RATES. UM, AND, UH, THE MAX SHIFT IS 175%. UM, AND SO ONCE YOU REACH THAT, UM, THEN MORE OF THE BURDEN OF TAX RATE INCREASES ENDS UP ON THE RESIDENTIAL SIDE. AND THAT GETS EXACERBATED EVEN MORE. AND, AND WE EXPERIENCED SOME OF THIS IN THE FALL. BOSTON IS EXPERIENCING THIS TO A GREATER EXTENT, BUT WHEN THE VALUATIONS ARE CHANGING, THE TAX RATES, UH, WILL HAVE A DISPROPORTIONATE IMPACT. AND SO, UH, WHAT WE'RE EXPERIENCING AS A REGION IS COMMERCIAL VALUATIONS ARE SLOWING DOWN WHILE RESIDENTIAL VALUATIONS MAY CONTINUE TO RISE, AND THAT CHANGE IN THE VALUATION GROWTH IS GOING TO IMPACT THE TAX RATE. SO AS COMMERCIAL VALUES GO DOWN, THE COMMERCIAL TAX RATE, IF IT STAYS FLAT, COMMERCIAL TAXES OVERALL WILL ACTUALLY NOT INCREASE THAT MUCH. AND WE'LL SEE MORE OF THE BURDEN OF TAX INCREASES, UH, ON THE REVENUE SIDE HIT RESIDENTIAL, UH, OUR RESIDENTIAL, UM, PROPERTY OWNERS. AND SO THAT, THAT'S SORT OF WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT IN TERMS OF BEING BEHIND BOSTON. SO THIS YEAR WE'RE STILL ABLE TO ACTUALLY MAINTAIN THOSE DIFFERENT TAX RATES. WHAT WE'RE ANTICIPATING IS WHEN WE COME BACK HERE IN FY 28, THAT WE WON'T BE ABLE TO FURTHER SHIFT, UH, MORE OF THAT BURDEN ONTO COMMERCIAL AND WE'LL END UP SEEING A MUCH HIGHER RESIDENTIAL TAX RATE AS A RESULT OF THAT VICE. THAT'S ALL FOR ME. THANK YOU. OTHER QUESTIONS ON THIS BEFORE WE GO ON? YEAH, CITY MANAGER. UM, JUST ONE ADDITIONAL NOTE I WANTED TO, UM, JUST GET IN FRONT OF THE CITY COUNCIL IS WHEN YOU'RE LOOKING THROUGH WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT BUDGETS, UM, WHAT WE'RE SHOWING, AND THIS IS BY STATE LAW, IS AN FY 25, ACTUAL AN FY 26 BUDGET AND AN FY 27 BUDGET. AND BECAUSE I THINK THIS QUESTION CAME UP A LOT IN LAST YEAR'S BUDGET, WHAT I WANTED TO CALL OUT IS, ONE OF THE BIG CHANGES WE MADE IN THE FY 26 BUDGET IS WE PULLED A LOT OF ALL THE HEALTH BENEFITS OUT OF DEPARTMENTS AND PUT THEM INTO EMPLOYEE BENEFITS. UM, AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE FY 25 ACTUALS FOR MANY DEPARTMENTS, IT LOOKS LIKE THE SALARIES AND WAGES NUMBER GOES DOWN A LOT BETWEEN FY 25, ACTUAL AND FY 26 BUDGET. THAT'S BECAUSE WE SHIFTED A LOT OF THOSE HEALTH BENEFITS TO BE MORE CENTRALIZED SO THAT WE COULD TRACK IT BETTER. AND THAT'S ACTUALLY PART OF HOW IT WAS EASIER FOR US TO GO AFTER HEALTH BENEFITS AS A SAVINGS CATEGORY. SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR WHERE ALL THAT MONEY WENT, IT'S ON PAGE 2 94 IN EMPLOYEE BENEFITS WHERE IF YOU LOOK AT FY 25, WE WERE AT 19 MILLION, AND THEN FY 26, IT WENT UP TO 139 MILLION. UM, SO IT MAKES IT A LITTLE HARDER TO COMPARE SALARIES AND WAGES BETWEEN 25 AND 26. BUT THE 26 TO 27 BUDGET TO BUDGET IS, UM, IS PROBABLY WHERE I WOULD, I WOULD FOCUS IN TERMS OF APPLES TO APPLES CHANGES. ANY QUESTIONS? OH, YES. KOR SIMMONS. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. TO THE CHAIR, TO MR. JENNINGS, I WANNA THANK YOU FOR THAT PRESENTATION. IT WAS VERY HELPFUL HAVING READ, YOU KNOW, WE GOT THE BUDGET, THE, EXCUSE ME, THE CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA ON THURSDAY. AND READING THROUGH THE NUMBER OF APPROPRIATIONS THAT WE WERE ASKED TO VOTE ON, I WAS A BIT CONCERNED GIVEN THE CONVERSATION THAT WE HAD HAD, WHICH I'M VERY PLEASED THAT WE HAD IT STARTED, UH, IN THE LAST TERM. THAT GAVE US AN OVERVIEW OF THE FISCAL PICTURE WITHOUT SEEING MORE DETAIL. I WAS, I WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THE BALANCE BETWEEN WHERE WE ARE AND WHERE WE NEED TO BE FROM A FISCAL PERSPECTIVE. SO I REALLY DID APPRECIATE THE PRESENTATION AND KNOWING THAT THE BUDGET BOOK IS NOW AVAILABLE TO US. SO YOU CAN SEE THAT DETAIL. AND I JUST WANNA URGE US AS WE CONTINUE WITH THIS BUDGET JOURNEY THAT WE CONTINUE TO ENGAGE THE COMMUNITY. IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT THAT WE HAD THOSE EARLY BUDGET ROUND TABLES AND THEN, AND YOU CALLED IT SOMETHING DIFFERENT. I CAN'T REMEMBER WHAT IT WAS CALLED, BUT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE COMMUNITY TO LEAN IN AND GET A BETTER SENSE OF WHAT WE WERE DOING, WHY WE WERE DOING IT, WHERE THE MONEY WAS, WHERE IT WAS COMING FROM, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE WORK THAT'S GONE INTO, 'CAUSE I'VE GOT A BETTER SENSE AND I WILL START TO REVIEW THE BUDGET BOOK, HAVE EVEN MORE INFORMATION. [02:25:01] I, I THOUGHT IT WAS WORTH SAYING, 'CAUSE I WAS A BIT CONCERNED WHEN I READ THE AGENDA, NOT HAVING BEEN ABLE TO SEE A LITTLE BIT MORE SPECIFICITY. SO WITH THAT, I JUST WANTED TO, UH, ACKNOWLEDGE THAT, UH, I'LL, I'LL COME OFF THE LEDGE AND, UH, I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING FURTHER BUDGET CONVERSATIONS OVER THE NEXT FEW DAYS. I YIELD THE LAW. THANK YOU, COUNSELOR SIMMONS. UM, I'M ALSO IN ADDITION TO ACKNOWLEDGING, UM, CITY TEAM, I WANNA ACKNOWLEDGE THE FINANCE COACHES AS WELL. UH, WE'VE, THERE HAVE BEEN A LOT OF MEETINGS. UH, THERE'S GOING TO BE MORE MEETINGS, SO, UH, APPRECIATE THE, UH, YOU ALL KEEPING US ON TRACK, UH, BECAUSE IT'S ALWAYS FUN TO BE IN THOSE DAY LONG BUDGET HEARINGS. SO, UH, WE LOOK FORWARD TO THAT. SO WE HAVE A FEW VOTES IN FRONT OF US. THE FIRST ONE WILL BE TO REFER THIS COMMUNICATION TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. SO LET'S DO, GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON THAT. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE CITY MANAGER AGENDA. ITEM NUMBER ONE IS REFERRED. SO NOW WE HAVE THE APPROPRIATION ORDERS THEMSELVES. THE, UH, THE NEXT STEP ON THESE IS TO PASS THEM TO A SECOND READING AND REFER TO FINANCE COMMITTEE. BUT BEFORE THAT, COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YEP. AND THIS WOULD BE FOR ITEMS TWO THROUGH 13. ANY QUESTIONS ON THAT? YES. COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. WELL THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I GUESS, UH, FOR PURPOSES OF DISCUSSION, WE'RE GONNA DO THIS AT THE FINANCE COMMITTEE OF THE BUDGET HEARINGS. COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. YES, AND THANKS FOR THE QUESTION. THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME GOING THROUGH THIS. YES. WHAT WILL HAPPEN IS WE ARE PASSING THEM TO A SECOND READING. SINCE THEY'RE LOAN AUTHORIZATIONS, IT MEANS WE WILL HAVE TO TAKE ANOTHER VOTE ON THEM BY PASSING THEM TO A SECOND READING TONIGHT. THEY ARE THEN REFERRED TO FINANCE COMMITTEE. ALL OF THESE LOAN ORDERS WILL BE DISCUSSED IN THE, UH, CAPITAL EXPENDITURES, UH, SECTION, WHICH IS, UH, SCHEDULED AS PART OF THOSE DAY LONG HEARINGS. AND THEN ONCE WE'RE IN THAT MEETING, THEY'LL ALL BE DISCUSSED INDIVIDUALLY AS AS MUCH AS WE, AS MUCH AS THE COUNCIL WANTS. AND THEN FROM THERE, THEY WILL BE REFERRED BACK TO THE FULL COUNCIL FOR ADOPTION. IF THAT ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION, THROUGH MAYOR SIDIKI TO COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. EXCELLENT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS ON THIS BEFORE WE DO A ROLL CALL ON CITY MANAGER? AGENDA ITEMS NUMBER TWO THROUGH 14. 13. 13, HEARING NONE. COUNCILOR ZUBY? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED THE AFFIRMATIVE. THOSE ITEMS HAVE BEEN PASSED TO A SECOND READING AND REFERRED TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. WE'LL GO TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 14. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO AWAITING REPORT. ITEM NUMBER 26 DASH 20 REGARDING A REPORT ON MA ON MAJOR CAPITAL INITIATIVES AT OR ABOVE 15 MILLION FOR THE PERIOD FROM FY 21 TO FY 26. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU, MAYOR DEACON, JUST WANTED TO, THIS, UM, AGENDA ITEM IS TO ACCEPT THE REPORT. I THINK IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE TO REFER THIS ALSO TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. UM, AND WE DON'T HAVE, UH, WE MIGHT NOT WANNA DISCUSS THIS IN DEPTH TONIGHT, BUT IT'S A REALLY GOOD IN-DEPTH REPORT. AND IT GOES A LONG WAY TO IDENTIFYING THE LARGE CAPITAL BUDGET SPENDING INITIATIVES FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS. THIS IS BASED ON A POLICY ORDER, UH, BROUGHT IN, I BELIEVE, ON THE LEAD SPONSOR BY COUNCILOR SUZI. I'M NOT SURE IF SHE WANTS TO SPEAK TO THIS. UM, AND IT SHOWS HOW STAFF PRIORITIZES CASH FLOW AND APPROPRIATION REQUESTS OVER TIME. SO IT, IT, I THINK IT'S BEEN REALLY GOOD TO HAVE THIS REPORT BECAUSE IT BREAKS IT UP TO PROJECT-BASED SPENDING. LIKE THERE'S A SEPARATE PAGE ON THE FIREHOUSE. THERE'S SEPARATE PAGES ON MASS F FOUR AND ONGOING SPENDING INITIATIVES LIKE THE MUNICIPAL, MUNICIPAL FACILITIES IMPROVEMENT PLAN. IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. WE'VE ALWAYS ASKED ABOUT THIS. AND THE POLICY ORDER THEN LED TO THIS REPORT. I DO THINK, UM, AS WE SAID IN A, OR AT LEAST HOPEFULLY IT WAS CONVEYED IN A MEETING THAT I HAD TO MISS FOR SOMETHING, WHICH WAS, UM, THE CITY STAFF WAS, UH, VERY GOOD ABOUT REVIEW, PREVIEWING THIS, INTERESTED IN TRYING TO BREAK DOWN SOME OF THIS DATA MORE BY PROJECT TYPE. FOR EXAMPLE, PUT ALL THE SEWER SEPARATION TOGETHER. THERE [02:30:01] MAY BE THREE OR FOUR NOW, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THE, UH, STREETS INITIATIVES. LET, LET'S MAKE SURE WE JUST HAVE A, A SUMMARY AND ALSO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE THE FULL FIVE AND 10 YEAR BUDGETS FOR ALL OF THOSE. BUT AGAIN, IT'S A TERRIFIC START SO THAT WE CAN ALL UNDERSTAND THIS. AND, UH, LOVE TO REFER THIS ALSO TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. 'CAUSE THEN IT WILL BE BEFORE US IF WE SO CHOOSE TO USE IT, UNLESS, UH, FOLKS WANNA HAVE A SEPARATE MEETING ON THIS. THANK YOU. I YIELD. SO COUNCILOR NOLAN, UM, HAS MADE A MOTION TO REFER THIS TO FINANCE, BUT WE'LL CONTINUE TO HAVE DISCUSSION. COUNCILLOR UZI, I, UH, THANK YOU THROUGH YOU, UH, MAYOR SIDIKI. I ALSO JUST WANTED TO THANK THE FINANCE COMMITTEE AND THE WHOLE CITY STAFF FOR THE BUDGET BOOK AND FOR THIS DOCUMENT THAT WE HAD REQUESTED. UM, THE, THESE ARE VERY BIG NUMBERS, AND WHAT I'VE LEARNED IS, UM, IT REQUIRES AN EXERCISE IN TRUST. RIGHT? I KNOW. WE'RE, YOU'RE DOING A GREAT JOB. AND, UM, WE'RE, WE'RE GRATEFUL TO YOU. I THANK YOU FOR BREAKING DOWN COSTS. UM, I HOPE THAT SOME COSTS WILL BE BROKEN DOWN EVEN MORE LIKE THE COST OF CARL BARON PLAZA. PEOPLE HAVE ASKED FOR AGES FOR THE TRUE COST OF THE BIKE LANES. AND I, AND, UH, WE DID HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF A PRE-MEETING, AND I THINK AT, AT, AT WHEN, LATER ON. I THINK WE SHOULD TALK A LITTLE BIT ABOUT, I KNOW PROJECT COSTS GROW AS, AS WE GET CLOSER TO ACTUALLY DOING THE PROJECTS, THE BUDGETS BECOME MORE CLEAR. BUT, UM, MANY RESIDENTS HAVE REACHED OUT TO US. AND THERE, THERE ARE CONCERNS IN PROJECT GROWTH, UH, COST GROWTH, LIKE WITH LINEAR PARK. UH, AS OF OCTOBER OF LAST YEAR, LINEAR PARK WAS GONNA COST 7.2 MILLION TO 7.8 MILLION. AND NOW WITH, UM, THE NEW STREET PATH, IT'LL BE 16 MILLION. SO THAT'S A, THAT'S A BIG, A BIG JUMP. AND THEN WITH GOLD STAR MOTHERS PARK IN NOVEMBER OF 25, WE WERE TOLD THE WHOLE PROJECT WOULD BE 10 MILLION, AND NOW IT'LL BE 14 MILLION PLUS A MILLION FOR DESIGN WITH THE FIRST STREET GARAGE. I KNOW WE WERE TALKING ABOUT A FEW MILLION AND NOW WE'RE UP TO 10 MILLION. SO I, I LOOK FORWARD TO FURTHER MORE IN DEPTH CONVERSATIONS ABOUT LIKE, HOW THOSE NUMBERS REALLY GREW. UM, I APPRECIATE YOUR WORK HEARTILY AND I, I FEEL VERY LUCKY THAT YOU'RE LEADING US, BUT FOR THE SAKE OF TRANSPARENCY, I, I THINK IT'LL BE IMPORTANT TO SHARE WITH ALL OF US, UM, WHY, WHY THESE NUMBERS GROW SO EX EXPO EXPONENTIALLY. IT'S NOT JUST A MATTER OF, UM, $500 HERE, $500, THEY'RE EVEN $1,500 OR $15,000. BUT SOMETIMES BUDGETS ARE, ARE DOUBLING IN MILLIONS. SO WE'RE EAGER TO HEAR MORE AS WE ENTER BROADER CONVERSATIONS. THANK YOU. YES, CITY MANAGER, UH, THANK YOU THROUGH YOU, MAYOR. I THINK WE CAN PROBABLY CLARIFY SOME OF THOSE. COUNCILORS UI, JUST TO CLARIFY AT LEAST ONE OF THOSE, UH, I THINK ON PAGE THREE OF THE REPORT, UM, THE $16 MILLION IS NOT JUST FOR LINEAR PARK. IT INCLUDES LINEAR PARK AND DANEE NEW STREET PATH. SO THE ESTIMATE THAT WE GAVE IN THE FALL FOR LINEAR PARK REMAINS WHAT IT WAS. UH, AND DEPUTY CITY MANAGER WATKINS CAN JUMP IN WITH ANY ADDITIONAL DETAIL, BUT MY UNDERSTANDING IS THE LINEAR PARK BUDGET REMAINS, I THINK ABOUT SEVEN, SEVEN AND A HALF MILLION DOLLARS. YEAH. UM, THROUGH YOUR MAYOR SIDIKI. ONE THING, AND I THINK, UM, THIS REPORT IS HELPFUL AND I THINK, AGAIN, SHOUT OUT TO LOIS WU, WHO HAS, UH, JOINED THE TEAM RECENTLY. AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS WE'VE REALLY WORKED ON IS TRYING TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT ABOUT THE INFORMATION AND THE PROCESS. AND SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, PULLING THIS INFORMATION TOGETHER, REALLY EVEN JUST SORT OF GRAPHICALLY LOOKING AT THE INFORMATION IS MUCH MORE USEFUL. AND SO LOIS DID A LOT OF WORK ON PULLING THAT INFORMATION TOGETHER. AND, YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE UPDATED BUDGET SYSTEM AND THINKING ABOUT UPDATED FINANCIAL SYSTEMS, REALLY THINKING ABOUT HOW DO WE SHARE THIS INFORMATION MORE TRANSPARENTLY? AND SO WE DON'T HAVE THE PERFECT SYSTEMS TO DO THAT. I THINK THIS IS A CONTINUED WORK IN PROGRESS, AND THIS IS ONE PIECE OF THAT. UM, BUT I THINK THIS REPORT DOES A REALLY NICE JOB OF SORT OF SAYING LIKE, THESE ARE THE PROGRAMS AND, YOU KNOW, WE TALKED ABOUT PROGRAMS AND PROJECTS THAT ARE, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN OVER $15 MILLION OVER THAT SIX YEAR PERIOD. AND SO IT REALLY GOES INTO DE DETAILS ON THOSE. UM, AND SO I HOPE IT IS SORT OF PART OF THAT. HOW DO WE CONTINUE TO SHOW MORE TRANSPARENCY, SHOW A FULLER PICTURE. UM, YOU KNOW, SOMETIMES THE COST ESTIMATES ARE CHALLENGING. LIKE WITH GOLD STAR MOTHERS BARK, WHEN WE FIRST RAISED THAT ISSUE, IT WAS, THERE ARE SO MANY UNKNOWNS. [02:35:01] AND SO WE'RE COMING TO COUNCIL AND SHARING INFORMATION AS SOON AS WE CAN. BUT THAT OFTEN MEANS WE DON'T HAVE ALL OF THE DETAILS AND WE DON'T KNOW WHAT THE FINAL NUMBERS ARE GONNA BE. AND THAT CONTINUES TO BE THE CASE. HOWEVER, WE WANNA START SHARING INFORMATION AS SOON AS WE CAN WITH FOLKS, PARTICULARLY IN THAT KIND OF SCENARIO WHERE WE HAD SUCH A SIGNIFICANT ISSUE WITH HAVING TO CLOSE THE PARK AND WANTING TO BE ABLE TO RESPOND AND OPEN THE PARK AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. AND SO, UM, THAT ESTIMATE IS $15 MILLION, WHICH IS CONSISTENT, I BELIEVE, WHEN WE CAME FORWARD WITH THE $1 MILLION FREE CASH APPROPRIATION TO REALLY BE ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD ON THE DESIGN, TO THEN FOLLOW UP ON THE CONSTRUCTION. AND IT IS TRUE THAT AS PROJECTS ARE DEFINED AND MORE OF THOSE UNKNOWNS ARE KNOWN, WE GET BETTER COST ESTIMATES. AND SO SOMETIMES THAT MEANS PROJECTS INCREASE. SOMETIMES THAT MEANS PROJECTS DECREASE. LIKE IF YOU LOOK AT MASS AVE AND CENTRAL SQUARE AND THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, IT HAS REDUCED SIGNIFICANTLY FROM WHAT WE ESTIMATED LAST YEAR. AND SO EVERY YEAR WE ARE TRYING TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS. AND, UM, THE OTHER THING I WOULD SAY ABOUT THE CAPITAL BUDGET IS THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE TALKED ABOUT, UM, HAD THAT SORT OF PRE-MEETING ABOUT THE CAPITAL BUDGET, WE TALKED ABOUT HOW MUCH THE CAPITAL BUDGET HAS BEEN GROWING OVER THE LAST FIVE, 10 YEARS, AND HOW MUCH HIGHER IT WAS GROWING COMPARED TO THE OPERATING BUDGET. AND YOU KNOW, SO WE TALKED ABOUT A CONCERTED EFFORT TO BRING IT DOWN MORE IN LINE WITH THE OPERATING BUDGET. AND WE SAID, YOU KNOW, WE THOUGHT THAT WAS GONNA TAKE A COUPLE YEARS BECAUSE OUR PROJECTS ALREADY LINED UP IN THE QUEUE AND UNDERWAY. UM, WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE INCREASE IN DEBT SERVICE IN THIS YEAR'S BUDGET, IT ACTUALLY INCREASED 4.3%. SO THAT WAS SUBSTANTIALLY LESS THAN WHAT WE HAD ESTIMATED LAST YEAR. AND IS A RESULT OF REALLY LOOKING CLOSELY AT OUR PROJECTS, THINKING ABOUT THE TIMING OF THOSE, THINKING ABOUT THE SCOPE OF THOSE, AND THEN ALSO WITH THE LOW INTEREST RATES THAT WE GOT ON THE BONDS. ALL OF THOSE COMBINED TO WHAT I THINK IS A REALLY POSITIVE STORY IN TERMS OF THE ACTUAL INCREASE IN THAT DEBT SERVICE BEING AT 4.3%, WHICH WAS SUBSTANTIALLY LOWER THAN WE THOUGHT IT WAS GONNA BE WHEN WE HAD THAT PRE-MEETING WITH THE COUNCIL. SO I SAY ALL OF THAT IN THE CONTEXT OF THESE ARE VERY COMPLEX PROJECTS AND THEY'RE HARD TO SORT OF DESCRIBE AND, YOU KNOW, A PARAGRAPH EACH, BUT IT IS AN EFFORT TO REALLY BE MUCH MORE TRANSPARENT AND BE SHARING THAT INFORMATION. SO THANK YOU COUNCILOR ZUZI. YEAH. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AGAIN, I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL OF YOUR WORK AND I LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, FURTHER DISCUSSIONS. I YIELD COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, THROUGH YOU. JUST, UM, QUICKLY, UM, I JUST WANTED TO COMMENT AND, AND THANK YOU AS WELL, UM, IN THE LAST, THE LAST DISCUSSION ABOUT THE OVERALL BUDGET, COUNCILOR NOLAN MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, OTHER CITIES AND TOWNS, AND I THINK THERE WAS, I THINK THE GLOBE REPORTER THAT THERE WAS SOMETHING LIKE 21 TOWNS THAT WENT FOR PROP TWO AND A HALF OVERRIDES, OF WHICH I THINK ONLY ONE PASSED. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU'RE LOOKING AT THESE AREN'T, YOU KNOW, THESE ARE TOWNS THAT SOME OF THESE TOWNS ARE TOWNS THAT HAVE MONEY, RIGHT? AND, AND YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON IN, UM, YOU KNOW, IN BROOKLINE AND LEXINGTON AND BOSTON AND, UM, YOU KNOW, OTHER, OTHER PLACES THAT WE OFTEN COMPARE OURSELVES TO. AND SO WHEN YOU LOOK AT THESE CAPITAL PROJECTS, AND I, I AGREE WITH COUNCILOR UZI IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, AS MUCH AS WE CAN BE AS CLEAR AS POSSIBLE WITH, WITH HOW THE MONEY IS BEING SPENT, I THINK IS GOOD BECAUSE I ALSO THINK IT TELLS A GOOD STORY. THERE ARE NOT A LOT OF COMMUNITIES THAT ARE DOING THE KIND OF INFRASTRUCTURE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING. AND I, I LIVE IN CENTRAL SQUARE, I AM SO SICK OF DRIVING DOWN RIVER STREET AND BEING A MESS. I KNOW HOW FRUSTRATING CONSTRUCTION AND THAT STUFF CAN BE. BUT I WOULD RATHER LIVE IN A COMMUNITY THAT ALLOCATES MONEY TO MAKE SURE THAT WE HAVE SAFE WATER AND SAFE STREETS AND PARKS AND PLAYGROUNDS AND, UM, SAFE INFRASTRUCTURE THAN A COMMUNITY THAT CAN'T AFFORD TO DO THAT. SO, UM, I JUST THINK WE, WE ARE A VERY DEMANDING COUNCIL. WE ARE A DEMANDING COMMUNITY. WE EXPECT A LOT. THAT'S GOOD. UM, BUT I DO THINK THAT SOMETIMES PAUSING TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE GOOD THINGS THAT WE ARE DOING AND HOW WE'RE SPENDING MONEY IS IMPORTANT TO APPRECIATE WHAT WE'RE DOING HERE IN THE CITY. AND WE ARE CONTINUING TO DO FAR MORE THAN MOST OTHER PLACES. SO I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP ON THAT. UM, IT'S GONNA GET TOUGHER IN THE UPCOMING YEARS, BUT, UM, I THINK WE'RE ALL COMMITTED TO MAKING SURE THAT WE REMAIN A, A FORWARD THINKING CITY. SO, UH, THANK YOU. A YIELD. OTHER QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS ON THIS BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND MOVE ON? HEARING NONE. WE HAVE A MOTION FROM COUNCILOR NOLAN TO REFER CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 14 TO THE FINANCE COMMITTEE. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCIL [02:40:01] OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE CITY MANAGER AGENDA. ITEM NUMBER 14 IS REFERRED. WE ARE GOING TO CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 15. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO RESPONSE TO AWAITING REPORT NUMBER 26 DASH 23 REGARDING THE CAMBRIDGE PRESCHOOL PROGRAM. THIS WAS PULLED BY COUNSELOR ZUBIE. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. I WOULD LOVE TO BE ABLE TO UNPACK THIS IN THE HUMAN SERVICES AND VETERANS COMMITTEE. SO I'LL MOVE A MOTION TO REFER TO COMMITTEE SO THAT WE CAN BETTER UNDERSTAND THE MODELS THAT ARE PRESENTED, AS WELL AS FURTHER QUESTIONS THAT MY COLLEAGUES MIGHT HAVE ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE THIS WAS ALSO AN ITEM THAT WAS RECENTLY VOTED ON AS A COUNCIL PRIORITY IN THE FINANCE COMMITTEE, ALL YIELD. SO COUNCIL ZUBIE HAS MADE A MOTION TO REFER THIS COMMUNICATION TO THE HUMAN SERVICES AND VETERANS, UH, COMMITTEE FOR FURTHER, UH, DISCUSSION. SO, WE'LL, I'LL STILL GO TO MY COLLEAGUES IN CASE THEY HAVE COMMENTS ON THIS. COUNCILOR NOLAN, THANK YOU. YES, I AGREE. THIS IS A REALLY IMPORTANT REPORT BASED ON SOME OF THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, AND AS COUNCILOR ZUBIE JUST SAID, IT'S ONE OF THE THREE PRIORITIES FOR THE COUNCIL. SO WE DO WANNA MOVE FORWARD. IT'S, UH, A GOOD JOB OF SETTING THE TABLE FOR FUTURE POLICY DISCUSSIONS. I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING, UH, THE COUNCIL AND THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND OTHERS INVOLVED AS WELL AS WE DETERMINE HOW IT IS THAT WE CAN MOVE FORWARD SINCE THIS IS CLEARLY A HIGH PRIORITY AND I LOOK FORWARD TO HAVING IT BE EXPANDED. SO THANK YOU. I'LL SUPPORT THAT. ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM MY COLLEAGUES? UH, I'LL JUST BRIEFLY SAY, UH, I THINK THE RESPONSE WAS REALLY THOROUGH. UH, AND I THINK, UM, THERE'S A LOT OF, TO COUNCILOR AL'S POINT AND COUNCILOR NOLAN'S POINT TO UNPACK AND HAVE A DISCUSSION. THERE'S NO DECISIONS BEING MADE. UH, BUT I THINK, UH, WE WANNA FIGURE OUT A PROCESS TO MAKE DECISIONS. AND I DO THINK ON SOME OF THE POLICY, UM, REALLY POLICY RELATED, IT'S ALL POLICY RELATED, BUT WHETHER THAT'S THE CITY, UH, TODDLER WORKING GROUP, UM, TO PERHAPS, UH, CONTINUING THE WORKING GROUP THAT, UH, WE HAD WITH THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE IN THE PAST AND A, AND THE CITY COUNCIL, UH, TO KIND OF REALLY MAKE SURE THAT THERE'S INPUT FROM THESE BODIES AS, AND ALSO JUST TO GET UPDATES AND INFORMATION AS CHANGES ARE MADE, UH, WILL BE HELPFUL. SO, REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO, UM, EVERYONE WORKING TOGETHER ON THIS. SO THANK YOU. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON REFERRING CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM 15 TO THE HUMAN SERVICES AND VETERANS COMMITTEE. COUNCILOR ZUBY? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNSELOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNSELOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE CITY MANAGER AGENDA. ITEM NUMBER 15 IS REFERRED. WE'LL MOVE ON TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER 19. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO PEACE COMMISSION APPOINTMENTS. COUNSELOR NOLAN, YOU HAVE THE FOUR. THANK YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI. THIS, UM, I JUST PULLED ONE. THERE ARE SEVERAL OTHER APPOINTMENTS TO MULTI-MEMBER BODIES THAT WE PASSED, UH, TONIGHT. AND I THINK THE QUESTION HERE IS, IS BROAD, BUT ALSO SPECIFIC TO THE PEACE COMMISSION OF UNDERSTANDING THIS, UH, COUNCIL IN THE CITY. AND WE'VE TALKED A LOT ABOUT CONSIDERING HOW TO STREAMLINE, CONSOLIDATE, AND CONSIDER CHANGES TO ALL OF THE MULTI-MEMBER BODIES TO ENSURE THAT THEY CAN BE EFFECTIVELY WORKING ON, UM, ON THE AGENDAS THAT ARE SET FORWARD. AND IN PARTICULAR, GIVEN THAT THE PEACE COMMISSION HAS HAD A CHANGE OF, OF STRUCTURE AND, UH, LEADERSHIP AND ALSO THE PEACE COMMISSION WAS ESTABLISHED AT A TIME AND, AND ITS WHOLE FOUNDING WAS A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT TIME OF WHERE WE ARE NOW. SO THE, THE QUESTION THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI TO EITHER THE CITY MANAGER OR THE TEAM, IS WHERE ARE WE IN THE PROCESS OF THAT? UH, LOOK AT HOW TO CONSIDER STREAMLINING, CONSOLIDATING AND COORDINATING CHANGES IN THE, IN THE EXISTENCE OF MANY OF THESE MULTI-MEMBER BODIES. CITY MANAGER, UH, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTION. COUNCILOR NOLAN. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK, UH, WAS EXCITED TO SEE THESE REAPPOINTMENTS AND NEW INDIVIDUALS WHO ARE LOOKING FORWARD TO BEING PART OF THE PEACE COMMISSION. UM, I THINK IT'S A GREAT QUESTION IN TERMS OF THE ORIGINAL PURPOSE OF THE PEACE COMMISSION AND HOW, UH, THE COMMISSION, UH, [02:45:01] CAN CONTINUE TO HAVE THE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE WORK THAT IT'S DOING. UM, AND THEN WHAT, UH, WHAT TO CONTINUE TO PICK UP. UM, SO MAYBE I'LL, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AMAR TO SHARE SOME THOUGHTS. BUT I KNOW IN, UH, IN THE REPORT, UH, WE'VE ALSO SEEN, UH, CERTAINLY IN THE LAST, UM, IN THE LAST YEAR, MORE INTEREST IN THE SISTER CITY RELATIONSHIPS. UM, AND THAT'S ACTUALLY AN AREA WHERE THE PEACE COMMISSION HISTORICALLY HAD, UH, A PRETTY, UH, HAD A ROLE, BUT THEN IT REALLY KIND OF FELL AWAY DURING COVID BECAUSE PEOPLE WEREN'T TRAVELING. AND SO I THINK THERE ARE IDEAS LIKE THAT, THAT WE'RE WORKING THROUGH. UM, BUT I'LL HAVE, UH, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AMAR SHARE A LITTLE BIT MORE. UM, AND, UH, THANK YOU FOR THE DISCUSSION. UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, COUNCILOR NOLAN, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION. UM, I THINK WE'RE IN A SORT OF LIKE A CROSSROAD OR I WILL PRELUDE, UM, THE CONVERSATION BY SAYING THAT WE'RE HAVING LIKE A CHICKEN OR THE EGG, WHICH COMES FIRST PROBLEM. UM, WE DO WANT TO BADLY UPDATE THE ORDINANCE, BUT IN ORDER TO DO THAT, WE NEED MEMBERS. SO WE ARE TRYING TO ONBOARD MEMBERS. AND YOU MIGHT HAVE NOTICED IN THE ORDINANCE IT SAYS WE HAVE TO HAVE UP TO 20 MEMBERS. WE DO NOT, LIKE, I'M NOT INTERESTED IN APPOINTING 20. THAT'S A LOT. UM, SO I'M HOPING TO APPOINT, UM, OR BRING YOU TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR CONSIDERATION, 13 MEMBERS WITH AN INTEREST IN RECRUITING POTENTIALLY TWO HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS TO BE PART OF THIS, UM, COMMISSION. AND THEN LATER IN SUMMER INTO EARLY FALL, UM, DO AN EXTENSIVE COMMUNITY OUTREACH, WHICH CAN THEN INFORM WHATEVER SCOPE OF WORK SHOULD BE KEEPING IN MIND THAT WE DO HAVE A VERY OUTDATED ORDINANCE. AND THEN BRING A PROPOSAL TO THE CITY COUNCIL TO UPDATE THE ORDINANCE. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YEAH. THANK YOU. THAT'S GREAT. I WOULD HOPE THAT THE COUNCIL'S INVOLVED IN THOSE DISCUSSIONS SINCE THE COUNCIL IS ACTUALLY THE ONE THAT DID THE ORDINANCE IN THE FIRST PLACE. SO I THINK IT, IT SHOULD BE, UH, I HOPE IT'S A COLLABORATIVE PROCESS, UM, AND I'M GLAD TO HEAR THAT IT WOULD BE INCLUDE THE COMMUNITY AS WELL. I, I THINK THE, THE BROADER QUESTION IS, UM, I I, AND AGAIN, THIS IS WHERE I ONLY PULLED THE PEACE COMMISSION, BUT IT'S IN THE CONTEXT OF WE HAVE HAD A DISCUSSION ABOUT THE ENTIRE MULTI-MEMBER BODIES, NOT JUST WHAT DIRECTOR ANWAR IS, BUT IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT AS WE STREAMLINE AND THINK ABOUT HOW IT IS THAT THE CITY IS BEING BEST SERVED, WHETHER TO CONTINUE TO HAVE THE, THE MULTI-MEMBER BODIES CONSTITUTED THE WAY THEY'RE CONSTITUTED OR MERGED OR MELDED OR CHANGED OVER TIME. SO I I, I THINK IT'S, IT'S GREAT TO HAVE THE MEMBERS ORDER TO DISCUSS THIS. YOU DON'T NEED MEMBERS TO DISCUSS AN ORDINANCE 'CAUSE THAT CAN HAPPEN JUST IN COUNCIL OR IN A COMMUNITY. BUT IT CERTAINLY WOULD BE GREAT TO HAVE PEOPLE WHO ARE INTERESTED IN THE TOPIC TO, UH, BE DISCUSSING IT. AND THEN OF COURSE, SINCE IT'S AN ORDINANCE, IT WOULD, UH, IT WOULD BEHOOVE ALL OF US TO ENSURE THAT THE LARGER COMMUNITY AND ALSO THE COUNCILS INVOLVED. SO I, I LOOK FORWARD TO NOT JUST THIS COMMISSION, BUT OTHERS, AND I HOPE THAT THE, THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI, THAT THE, THE CITY MANAGERS WORKING ON THAT LARGER PROJECT. THANK YOU. I YIELD CITY MANAGER. AND THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. UH, YES. I THINK THIS IS MORE LIKE A TIMING THING THAT WE WANTED TO BRING FORWARD, UM, SOME NEW MEMBERS THAT CAN HELP US BEGIN THIS WORK. BUT, UH, I THINK THIS ACTUALLY IS A NICE ILLUSTRATION OF WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO BOTH, UH, ENGAGE WITH EXISTING MEMBERS OF COMMISSIONS. SOME COMMISSIONS DON'T HAVE ENOUGH MEMBERS, OR, YOU KNOW, JUST BECAUSE TERMS ARE UP, THERE'S A NEED TO ACTUALLY DO REAPPOINTMENTS OR NEW APPOINTMENTS. UM, AND THEN WE ARE PUTTING TOGETHER, UM, A, UH, A SET OF WORK THAT WILL BRING TO THE COUNCIL THAT WILL PAINT A BIGGER PICTURE OF ALL OF OUR BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS AND HOW WE'RE GOING TO PRIORITIZE AND TALK ABOUT WHICH OF THESE, UH, WHICH ORDINANCES IT MAKES SENSE FOR US TO REVIEW. AND, AND ALSO, AS YOU'RE NOTING COUNCILLOR NOLAN, UM, TO HAVE SOME ROLE FOR THE COUNCIL IN THAT WHOLE PROCESS. ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, COUNCILLOR ZUZI. UH, THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. I JUST WANTED TO ECHO COUNCILLOR NOLAN'S COMMENTS BECAUSE I THINK IT IS, UM, ONCE YOU, UM, ONCE YOU PUT PEOPLE ON A COMMITTEE, THERE'S AN INHERENT DESIRE FOR THE COMMITTEE TO CONTINUE, RIGHT? SO IT, IT WOULD MAKE SENSE TO TALK, HAVE A CONVERSATION, AND, UM, COME TO A CONCLUSION ABOUT WHAT WE WANNA DO WITH THE COMMITTEES BEFORE YOU PEOPLE, THE COMMITTEES. UM, THANK YOU. I YIELD HEARING NO ONE ELSE ON THIS. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON PLA PROVING AND, UH, PLACING THE COMMUNICATION NUMBER 19 ON FILE. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS? [02:50:01] YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE CITY MANAGER. AGENDA 19 IS APPROVED AND PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL GO TO CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM 23. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO A MASS ACTIVE USE ZONING PETITION. WHAT THE COUNCIL NEEDS TO DO HERE IS ADOPT THIS AS A CITY COUNCIL ZONING PETITION AND REFER TO THE PLANNING BOARD AND ORDINANCE COMMITTEE FOR A HEARING AND REPORT. DO MY COLLEAGUES HAVE QUESTIONS? YES. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, I JUST WANNA ALSO REMIND, 'CAUSE WE DID HEAR A FEW COMMENTS FROM, FROM, UH, THE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY TONIGHT. UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF I MISSED PREVIEW THEIR PREVIOUS COMMENTS OR IF THIS, THIS SOUNDED LIKE THE FIRST NIGHT I I HEARD ABOUT THE, I THINK IT'S THE, SO, UM, BUT JUST TO REMIND FOLKS OF THE PROCESS, UM, AS YOU SAID MADAM MAYOR, THIS IS GOING TO, THIS WOULD TO REFER TO THE PLANNING BOARD INTO ORDINANCE. AND SO IF IT, THERE CAN BE ADDITIONAL CHANGES AND AMENDMENTS, UM, ONCE WE GET TO THAT POINT. SO IF WE CAN, IF THAT'S A, IF PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT SORT OF WHAT THE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY SAID TODAY, SINCE IT'S NEW INFORMATION, THERE WILL BE TIME TO ADDRESS THOSE CONCERNS AND THOSE QUESTIONS ONCE WE REFER THIS. SO I DON'T WANT, I JUST DIDN'T WANT ANYONE THINKING THAT THIS WAS A, THIS WOULD BE A DONE DEAL, A DONE DEAL TONIGHT. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR, VICE MAYOR. UM, I WILL VOTE TO FORWARD BOTH THIS AND THE OTHER PETITION, UM, TO, UH, ORDINANCE TONIGHT. I JUST WANTED TO MAKE NOTE THAT LIKE, YOU KNOW, THIS IS NOW THE SECOND PROJECT THAT WE'VE HEARD OF THIS IN THE WINTER STREET PROJECT WHERE IF WE REQUIRED FIRST FLOOR RETAIL, THEY WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PROCEED. AND WE'VE NOT HAD YET A PROJECT ON THE OTHER WAY WHERE WE FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BE DRAMATICALLY IMPROVED WITH THIS REQUIREMENT. AND SO I JUST WANTED TO NOTE THAT. AND IN PARTICULAR, YOU KNOW, THE CRA IS A PUBLIC AGENCY THAT'S TRYING TO BUILD MIDDLE INCOME AND LOW INCOME HOUSING, HOME OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, AND, YOU KNOW, THEY'RE NOT ABLE TO FIT ALL OF THAT AND THE OTHER THINGS THAT THEY, THAT WE'RE ASKING 'EM TO DO ON A SINGLE LOT. AND I THINK THAT'S JUST SOMETHING FOR US TO REFLECT ON. THANK YOU. I THINK TO THAT POINT, I WOULD ASK THE CDD TO THE, TO KIND OF REVIEW THE COMMENTS FROM THE REDEVELOPMENT. UH, THEY'RE ASKING US TO CONSIDER SOME MODIFICATIONS, UH, TO THE PROPOSAL, UM, WHETHER THAT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, LIMITING IT TO ONLY SITES OF A CERTAIN SIZE OR WITH A CERTAIN AMOUNT OF FRONTAGE. SO I THINK WHEN THIS IS BACK BEFORE US, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL, UH, TO MAKE SURE THOSE CONVERSATIONS, UH, HAVE HAPPENED. SO THANK YOU FOR DOING THAT IN ADVANCE. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUZI. YEAH, I JUST WANTED TO MENTION, SO IN IN READING THE PROPOSALS, IT DID SAY THAT THERE WOULD BE AN OPTION FOR PEOPLE TO OPT OUT OF FIRST FLOOR RETAIL RIGHT THERE. THEY CAN GET A SPECIAL PERMIT AND THERE'S AN EXEMPTION FOR, THERE'S AN OP, THERE'S AN OPTION TO BE RELEASED OF THAT REQUIREMENT ALREADY IN THE ZONING, ISN'T THERE? DIRECTOR ROBERTS, UH, THANK YOU. I'LL NEVER FIGURE OUT THIS. MIKE, THROUGH THE, THROUGH THE MAYOR TO COUNCILOR ZUI. YES, THAT'S CORRECT. THERE, THERE, THE IDEA WITH THIS ZONING IS THAT THE HEIGHT WOULD BE BASED ON WHETHER OR NOT, UH, ACTIVE USES ARE PROVIDED AT THE GROUND FLOOR. SO ON MASS AVE, IN THE AREA WHERE WE HAD, UH, THE COUNCIL HAD ORIGINALLY, UM, ADOPTED THE MASS APP ZONING, IT'S A, IT COULD, THE HEIGHTS COULD ONLY GO UP TO FOUR STORIES WITHOUT, UM, THE ACTIVE USE. AND THIS PETITION WOULD EXPAND THAT TO OTHER AREAS AS, AS THE COUNCIL HAD ASKED US TO, TO LOOK AT DOING. UM, THE CONCERN, I THINK, IS THAT IT, IT'S NOT A, THERE IS, THERE IS A SPECIAL PERMIT PROVISION THAT'S BEEN ADDED TO ALLOW FOR SOME MODIFICATION IN CASE SOME OF THE KIND OF THE, THE MORE SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS ARE DIFFICULT TO MEET. BUT, UM, IF THE, IT WAS, UH, THIS, WE TALKED ABOUT THIS AT THE LAST HEARING, BUT ONE OF THE CONCERNS ABOUT HAVING JUST A COMPLETE SPECIAL PERMIT WAIVER IS IT, IT COULD JUST SET, IT COULD JUST SET A STANDARD OF SAYING, WELL, ANY DEVELOPMENT NOW WOULD JUST GO AND GET THAT SPECIAL PERMIT. AND THAT WOULD BE THE, THE ASSUMED PROCESS. SO THAT'S CERTAINLY SOMETHING THAT WE CAN CONTINUE TO DISCUSS THROUGH THE HEARING PROCESS. UM, AND I THINK IF, IF THERE WERE, UH, WAIVERS OR EXEMPTIONS OR OTHER, UM, KIND OF THE ALTERATIONS TO BE CONSIDERED, ONE OF THE KEY CONSIDERATIONS IS, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE CRITERIA FOR, FOR DOING THAT? LIKE, WHAT ARE THE INSTANCES WHERE WE THINK IT WOULD BE WISE TO ALLOW THAT AND OR NOT ALLOW IT? AND, UM, NOT TO HAVE IT BE JUST A, [02:55:01] A KIND OF A REGULAR DISCRETIONARY REVIEW THAT, UM, THAT, YOU KNOW, MIGHT BECOME THE NORM RATHER THAN THE EXCEPTION ZUZI. YEAH. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THAT REALLY HELPS. THANK YOU. HEARING NO ONE ELSE ON THIS, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON ADOPTING THIS ITEM NUMBER 23 AS A CITY COUNCIL ZONING PETITION AND REFERRING TO PLANNING BOARD AND ORDINANCE COMMITTEE FOR HEARING AND REPORT. COUNCILOR ZUBY? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO CITY MANAGER. AGENDA ITEM 24. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM IAN WONG, CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO A CAMBRIDGE STREET ACTIVE USE ZONING PETITION. SO THIS IS THE SAME VOTE. PROCEDURALLY, ANY QUESTIONS ON THIS BEFORE WE GO AHEAD AND VOTE? HEARING NONE, WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON ADOPTING THIS AS A CITY COUNCIL ZONING PETITION AND REFERRING TO PLANNING BOARD AND ORDINANCE COMMITTEE FOR A HEARING AND REPORT. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THOSE TWO ITEMS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED AS ZONING PETITIONS AND REFERRED TO PLANNING BOARD AND ORDINANCE COMMITTEE FOR HEARINGS AND REPORTS. WE'LL GO TO CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEM ATTORNEY FIVE. THIS IS A COMMUNICATION TRANSMITTED FROM YAN HUANG CITY MANAGER RELATIVE TO A SURVEILLANCE TECHNOLOGY IMPACT REPORT FOR SMS NON-EMERGENCY ALERT NOTIFICATIONS REQUESTED BY THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT. COUNCILLOR UZI, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YEAH. UM, THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. UH, SO MIKE, MY QUESTION WAS, UM, FOR WHAT SORT OF MESSAGES, WHAT SORT OF MESSAGES, NON-EMERGENCY MESSAGES WOULD YOU BE RELAYING? AND I, I KNOW THAT I AM OVERWHELMED BY COMMUNICATIONS AND I DON'T EVEN DO SOCIAL MEDIA. I, YOU KNOW, I GET HUNDREDS OF EMAILS, I GET TEXTS, I GET PHONE CALLS AND EVEN, EVEN BEFORE I WAS ON THE CITY COUNCIL. SO I, I WORRY THAT, UM, THIS, THAT IT MIGHT BE BETTER JUST TO HAVE THESE NOTIFICATIONS WHEN THERE ARE MAJOR EMERGENCIES. BUT I'M CURIOUS TO KNOW HOW YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT USING THIS. AND I REALIZE THAT YOU'VE GOT A FREE PILOT, SO YOU MIGHT AS WELL TRY IT, RIGHT? YEAH. SORRY, IS THAT ON DIRECTOR? THANK YOU. YOU AND I WANTED TO JUST, THIS, I THINK I READ REQUESTED BY THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, BUT I THINK IT'S THE, UM, COMMUNICATIONS AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT DEPARTMENT. SO THERE'S A TYPO ON THIS. SO GO AHEAD. THANK YOU THREE. YOU MAYOR. YEAH. SO THE INTENT OF THIS IS REALLY TO EXPERIMENT AND GET A SENSE OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF A NON-EMERGENCY BASED SMS NOTIFICATION SYSTEM. UH, WE WOULD HAVE UP TO 10,000 TEXT CREDITS. SO ONE TEXT TO ONE PERSON IS ONE CREDIT. UM, AND WE'D REALLY TRY TO DO SOME HYPER-LOCAL TARGETED NOTIFICATIONS. A ROAD RACE, UM, YOU KNOW, A REAL IMPACT THAT THIS COULD HAVE HAD WAS DURING THE SNOW EMERGENCY PARKING BAN WHEN WE WERE HAVING ISSUES WITH COMPLIANCE. AND THE OPPORTUNITY WE COULD HAVE HAD TO THIS WHEN WE WEREN'T REACHING PEOPLE EFFECTIVELY THROUGH OUR CITY COMMUNICATION MEANS THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AN ALTERNATIVE TO THAT, TO ELEVATE THE OUTREACH A LITTLE BIT FURTHER, UH, BEYOND WHAT WE COULD DO WITH OUR, OUR MAIN CHANNELS. SO THOSE ARE EXAMPLES, BUT THE IDEA WITH THE PILOT IS TO REALLY BE HYPERFOCUSED NEIGHBORHOOD CENTRIC. UM, AND WE DO THAT THROUGH SOME, SOME OF OUR MEANS, BUT GET A SENSE OF IF THIS WOULD BE EVEN MORE EFFECTIVE THAN WHAT WE'VE DONE THROUGH A NEXTDOOR, AS AN EXAMPLE. UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THAT'S HELPFUL. SO YOU'D BE JUDICIOUS, YOU WOULDN'T BE SPAMMING EVERYONE. THAT SOUNDS GOOD. THANK YOU COUNCIL FLAHERTY. AND THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. MY QUESTION IS, WHEN YOU, UM, USE THE SMS NON-EMERGENCY ALERT NOTIFICATION, IS THERE A, A LIMITATION TO HOW IT'S USED? UH, LIKE FOR INSTANCE, COULD IT BE USED FOR, YOU KNOW, UM, UH, ALERTING THE PUBLIC ABOUT ACTIONS THAT WE AS THIS BODY, THE CITY COUNCIL TAKES THROUGH YOU, MAYOR? SO THE IDEA WITH A PILOT REALLY WOULD BE A MORE DISCIPLINED APPROACH TO GET A SENSE OF WHAT WOULD GENERATE THE INTEREST, WHAT WOULD OPEN, CREATE [03:00:01] THE OPEN RATES, UM, BE VERY SPECIFIC TO CITY PROGRAMMINGS AND EVENTS THAT WOULD AFFECT RESIDENTS AT THAT LOCAL LEVEL. UM, AND THEN FROM THERE, YOU KNOW, TO DETERMINE A BROADER STRATEGY IF IT WERE TO BE EFFECTIVE AND TO SEE WHERE ELSE WE COULD SCALE THIS. BUT INITIALLY THROUGH THE PILOT WOULD BE VERY HYPERFOCUSED COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. NO, THAT'S GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. BUT THERE'S NO SPECIFIC LIMITATION ON ITS USE. IT COULD BE USED FOR OTHER MATTERS THROUGH YOUR, IT COULD BE USED IN A BROADER SENSE. YES. GREAT. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. OTHER QUESTIONS? YES, COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANKS. UM, I KNOW IT'S JUST A PILOT, I GUESS JUST FOR 10,000, WHICH IS RELATIVELY SMALL, BUT THE TWO QUESTIONS ARE, WHAT PROBLEM ARE WE TRYING TO SOLVE AND IS THERE ANY SENSE THAT THE INFORMATION GATHERED HERE COULD BE REQUESTED AND USED BY ANY ENTITY OUTSIDE THE CITY? SO I'LL START WITH THROUGH YOU, MAYOR. I'LL START WITH WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE AND REALLY THE FACT THAT OUR RESIDENTS, OUR COMMUNITY RECEIVES INFORMATION IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS AND HAS PREFERENCES FOR SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS. AND THE FACT THAT WE DO HAVE LIMITATIONS IN TERMS OF HOW WE CAN REACH PEOPLE AT THAT HYPER LEVEL. UM, SO THAT IS THE PROBLEM WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE AND SEE IF THIS IS A SOLUTION TO ADDRESS THAT. I WOULD SAY THAT'S THE FIRST PART. I KNOW ON THE SECOND PART, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO SOLICITOR BEAR. UH, THANK YOU DREW, YOU MADAM MAYOR. AND I ALSO HAVE, UM, ASSISTANT CITY SOLICITOR SIDNEY WRIGHT ON WHO MIGHT JUMP IN IF I MISS ANYTHING, BUT, UM, ON THE ZOOM. BUT I, I DO THINK IT'S POSSIBLE WE COULD GET A PUBLIC RECORDS REQUEST JUST LIKE WE DO FOR ANY NUMBER OF CITY RECORDS. UM, SOME OF THIS INFORMATION IS ALREADY PUBLIC, UM, THROUGH THE ELECTION COMMISSION, THE VOTER REGISTRATION INFORMATION, YOU CAN GET PEOPLE'S ADDRESSES AND NAMES, UH, HERE, WHERE IT'S THEN ALSO MATCHING WITH PHONE NUMBER. UM, PHONE NUMBERS ARE EXEMPT UNDER THE PUBLIC RECORDS LAW, SO THOSE WOULD BE REDACTED OR, OR PHONE NUMBERS, MAYBE NOT IN EVERY SITUATION, BUT RESIDENCE PHONE NUMBERS, UM, ON THIS TYPE OF DOCUMENTATION WOULD LIKELY BE EXEMPT. SO WE WOULD LIKELY REDACT ALL OF THAT INFORMATION. AND I'M NOT SURE WHAT ELSE, IF ANY OTHER INFORMATION IS CAPTURED. YEAH, THE PRIMARY INFORMATION THAT WE WOULD RECEIVE IF SOMEONE WERE TO OPT IN WOULD BE THE NAME, THE PHONE NUMBER, AND THE ADDRESS, AND THEN THE RESIDENT COULD CORRESPOND WITH OUR OFFICE IN THE EVENT THAT THEY HAD ANY CORRESPONDING QUESTIONS OR INQUIRIES RELATED TO THE INFORMATION THAT WE PUSH OUT AT THAT HYPER LEVEL. COUNCILOR NOLAN, THANKS. I MEAN, GIVEN THAT LATER ON TONIGHT, WE'LL PROBABLY BE ORDAINING OUR WELCOMING CITY ORDINANCE TO ENSURE THAT CERTAIN INFORMATION IS NOT SHARED ACROSS ANYONE. I THINK PART OF IT IS, I, I, I DON'T KNOW HOW THIS COULD BE USED BY SOMEONE, UH, OUTSIDE OF THE CITY, BUT AGAIN, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WE, WE BEAR THAT IN MIND TO ENSURE THAT THAT WOULD NOT HAPPEN. ESPECIALLY IF IT'S, WE CAN REDACT PHONE NUMBERS. PERHAPS IF I REQUEST IT, THEN YOU'RE NOT GONNA GIVE IT TO ME. BUT IF OTHER ENTITIES OR GOVERNMENT ENTITIES DO, IF WE CAN'T REDACT THAT, THEN WE SHOULD JUST BE AWARE OF THAT. SO I DON'T KNOW IF WE'VE AN ANSWER TO THAT, BUT, BUT THOSE ARE THE KINDS OF QUESTIONS I THINK WE NEED TO BE EXPLORING AND ENSURING THAT ANY OF THIS, WHICH IS WHY YOU'RE BEFORE US, THIS IS A VERY STRONG AND ROLE MODEL, SURVEILLANCE ORDINANCE PRECISELY FOR THIS REASON. AND I WOULD EXPECT AND HOPE THAT THOSE QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED BEFORE WE MOVE FURTHER ALONG WITH THIS. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, JUST THROUGH YOU. I JUST, I WANTED TO SAY, I THINK THIS IS KIND OF EXCITING THAT WE'VE TALKED BEFORE ABOUT, UM, UH, HOW WE CAN EXPAND WAYS IN WHICH TO COMMUNICATE WITH RESIDENTS. WE THINK, YOU KNOW, SO OFTEN WHEN, WHEN MEETINGS HAPPEN AND DECISIONS GET MADE, WE HEAR FROM FOLKS WHO SAY, I NEVER GOT THE MAILING, OR I DIDN'T SEE THE THING ON MY DOOR, OR WHAT. SO ANOTHER WAY TO NOTIFY FOLKS OF THINGS THAT ARE MEETINGS AND IMPORTANT EVENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. UM, I, I AGREE. I WOULD HATE TO GET 500,000 OF THESE, OF, OF THESE, BUT I TRUST IT TO BE USED JUDICIOUSLY. BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE CAN'T, YOU KNOW, WE TALK ALL THE TIME ABOUT WHAT WE'RE DOING CURRENTLY TO COMMUNICATE WITH RESIDENTS ISN'T WORKING THE WAY WE WANT. HERE'S ANOTHER TOOL, YOU KNOW, TO ENHANCE THAT COMMUNICATION. AND, UM, AND SO I'M EXCITED TO SEE HOW IT WORKS. SO, UH, I JUST WANTED TO THANK YOU AND, UM, HOPEFULLY THIS GOES FORWARD AND IS SUCCESSFUL. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. GOD BLESS YOU. HEARING NO ONE ELSE ON THIS, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON APPROVING AND PLACING THIS ITEM 25 ON FILE. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. [03:05:01] COUNSELOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNSELOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE CITY MANAGER AGENDA. ITEM NUMBER 25 IS APPROVED AND PLACED ON FILE. WE NOW MOVE [POLICY ORDERS] ON TO POLICY ORDERS AND RESOLUTIONS. IT'S ABOUT 8 36 RIGHT NOW. PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL. ON ITEMS ON POLICY ORDERS, THEY'D LIKE TO PULL COUNCILLOR UZI, UH, THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE. COUNCILLOR UZI IS GOING TO PULL POLICY ORDERS FOUR AND FIVE. DID SHE SAY THREE, FOUR AND FIVE? DID YOU SAY THREE? YES. THREE. OKAY. THREE, FOUR, AND FIVE. ANY OTHERS? HEARING NONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON ADOPTING THE BALANCE OF POLICY, POLICY ORDER NUMBER ONE AND POLICY ORDER NUMBER TWO. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THOSE TWO POLICY ORDERS HAVE BEEN ADOPTED. WE'RE GOING TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER THREE THAT THE CITY COUNCIL ENCOURAGE MASS DOT TO IMPLEMENT INFRASTRUCTURE IMPROVEMENTS TO THE MU TO MUSEUM WAY IN CHARLES RIVER DAM ROAD, INDIRECT INTERSECTION. THIS IS FILED BY COUNCILLOR ZUZI, COUNCILLOR, SABRINA WHEELER, COUNCILLOR NOLAN AND VICE MEZE. COUNCILLOR ZUZI. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MAYOR. UM, I HOPE YOU ALL WILL SUPPORT THIS TONIGHT. I THINK IT'S A NO-BRAINER. THIS IS THE SCARIEST INTERSECTION I'VE EVER EXPERIENCED. IT'S NEXT TO THE MUSEUM OF SCIENCE PARKING LOT WHERE CYCLISTS, PEDESTRIANS, AND DRIVERS, INCLUDING DUCK BOATS, ALL GET THE GREEN LIGHT AT THE SAME TIME. SO THEY ALL THINK THEY HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY AND NONE OF THEM HAVE THE RIGHT OF WAY. AND, UH, COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER AND I WERE THERE AT THE SITE WITH OUR INCREDIBLE AIDES, AND WE SAW SCREAMING RUNNERS, PEDESTRIANS TRYING TO TAKE THEIR CHILDREN TO PRESCHOOL, UH, DOWN MUSEUM WAY ALMOST GETTING HIT. UH, THE BOX WAS BLOCKED. WE SAW CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS ALMOST GETTING RUN OVER BY CARS. IT'S A TERRIBLE, TERRIBLE INTERSECTION. UM, SADLY GIN LOST HER LIFE AT THIS INTERSECTION IN 2018, AND, UH, AND MAS DOT DID MAKE IMPROVEMENTS, BUT THEY JUST DON'T WORK. THIS IS A MAS DOT ASSET. AS, UH, JEFF PTI SAYS THAT WE NEED TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY TO GET FIXED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I WANTED TO THANK MY AIDE, NATALIE SANDOVAL, FOR HER INCREDIBLE WORK ON, UH, IMPROVING THIS INTERSECTION. UM, AND ALSO THANK CAMBRIDGE'S ASSISTANT COMMISSIONER FOR STREET SAFETY, JEFF PERENTE AND THE CAMBRIDGE BICYCLE SAFETY COMMITTEE, ALL, ALL FOR THEIR GOOD IDEAS FOR IMPROVING THE INTERSECTION. UM, A FEW WEEKS AGO, WE ALL MET WITH STAFF AT EDUCATION FIRST AND AT HOLT COLLEGE. UM, AND TOGETHER WE DEVELOPED SOME RECOMMENDATIONS FOR HOW TO IMPROVE THE INTERSECTION. SOME OF THE SHORT TERM IMPROVEMENTS ARE LISTED IN THE POLICY ORDER, BUT WE'RE ALSO EAGER FOR MAS.TO CONTEMPLATE SOME LARGEST LARGER CHANGES TO IMPROVE SAFETY. UM, AS IS THIS INTERSECTION IS REALLY A, A DEATH TRAP, AND ESPECIALLY AS MORE AND MORE BIKES ARE ON THE ROAD AND THE DUCK BOATS ARE, UH, YOU KNOW, DIVING IN AND OUT OF THE RIVER, WHICH 'CAUSE THEY ENTER, THEY ENTER THE RIVER AT MUSEUM WAY. SO PLEASE SUPPORT THIS TODAY. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH, COUNCILOR SERENA WHEELER. THANKS, MADAM MAYOR. YEAH. AS, UH, COUNCILOR SUZI NOTED, YOU KNOW, UH, MULTIPLE SITE VISITS WITH CITY STAFF, MEMBERS OF CAMBRIDGE STATE DELEGATION, CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE NEAR THE INTERSECTION. I THINK, UM, COUNCILLOR SUSIE'S OFFICE SET UP THE MOST RECENT VISIT WE DID, AND MY OFFICE SET UP THE FIRST ONE A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, UH, NOW, AND WE STILL HAD SNOW ON THE GROUND. UM, YOU THINK YOU, IN PARTICULAR TO JEFF PTI, UH, WHO'S BEEN THERE FROM THE CITY FOR, FOR MULTIPLE REASONS, DONE A LOT OF WORK, UH, ON THIS ALREADY. UM, JUST IN THE, YOU KNOW, SHORT TIME WE WERE THERE AT THESE COUPLE SITE VISITS, UH, THERE WERE SOME REALLY TERRIFYING AND NEAR MISSES. A LOT OF, UH, YOU KNOW, ANGRY FOLKS, UH, AND CARS, BIKES, PEDESTRIANS, JUST NOT WORKING WELL FOR ANYONE. UH, I THINK PART OF THE CHALLENGE AS COUNCILORS, ZUI MENTIONED, IS THAT THE STATE GOVERNMENT [03:10:01] HAS JURISDICTION OF THE, THE ROAD HERE, BUT CITY STAFF AND, UH, YOU KNOW, LOTS OF FOLKS FROM CAMBRIDGE HAVE BEEN DOING A LOT OF ADVOCACY TO TRY TO IMPROVE THIS BEFORE SOMEONE GETS, UH, KILLED OR SERIOUSLY INJURED, UH, IN THE FUTURE HERE. SO HOPEFULLY WE CAN MAKE IMPROVEMENTS. UM, WITH THAT, I GO BACK OTHER COMMENTS ON THIS HEARING NONE ON A ROLL CALL BY, I'M ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR ZUZI TO ADOPT POLICY, OR NUMBER THREE, WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNSELOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNSELOR FLAHERTY. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. I THINK I COUNSELOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SID DEKIN. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE POLICY. ORDER NUMBER THREE IS ADOPTED. WE ARE GOING TO GO TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER FOUR, THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO DIRECT APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENTS TO DEVELOP AN ASSESSABLE NEIGHBOR'S GUIDE TO THE MFH ORDINANCE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. THIS IS FILED BY COUNCILLOR ZI, COUNCILLOR NOLAN, MYSELF, AND COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. COUNCILLOR ZUZI, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. UH, THANK YOU SO MUCH, MADAM MAYOR. UM, IF YOU'VE SEEN THE LIST THAT I'VE CROWDSOURCED, YOU'LL KNOW THAT THERE ARE OVER 80, UH, MULTIFAMILY HOUSING PROJECTS IN PLAY ALL OVER THE CITY. AND ANOTHER THAT 30 THAT WILL BE HAPPENING VERY SOON BECAUSE THERE ARE NOT CLEAR GUIDELINES OR AN OUTLINE OF THE DEVELOPMENT AND PERMITTING PROCESS. UM, ONLINE RESIDENT RESIDENTS ARE FREAKING OUT. UH, THEY'RE FRANTICALLY CALLING INSPECTION SERVICES THE HISTORICAL COMMISSION, I ASSUME THEY'RE CALLING CDD. THEY'RE DEFINITELY CALLING THE CITY COUNCILORS, SEEKING ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PROCESS. UM, IT'S ESSENTIAL THAT THIS INFORMATION IS POSTED SOMEWHERE ON THE CITY WEBSITE. JUST FOR THE SAKE OF TRANSPARENCY, THIS, THIS IS IN FAIRNESS TO OUR RESIDENTS AND ALSO BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A WASTE OF TIME FOR CITY STAFF AND COUNSELORS TOO. OF COURSE, WE WANNA HEAR FROM CONSTITUENTS, BUT OVER THE PAST WEEK I'VE BEEN RECEIVING HUNDREDS OF COMMUNICATIONS RELATING TO THIS, AND I'M, I'M SURE I'M NOT ALONE. GOOD GOVERNANCE REQUIRES TRANSPARENCY AND CLARITY ABOUT PROCESS. THE PROPOSED NEIGHBORS GUIDE TO THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE WOULD PROVIDE THIS BY JUNE 30TH, AND I HOPE SOONER FOR ALL OF OUR SAKES, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR, THROUGH YOU. YOU, UM, SO I, YOU KNOW, I DON'T THINK THIS, I THINK THIS IS A FINE IDEA. UM, I, I DO THINK, AND I DON'T KNOW IF ASSISTANT MANAGER PETERS WANTS TO, IS THAT OKAY, MR. MANAGER? YEAH. UM, UM, SO I, I BELIEVE THAT SOME OF THIS INFORMATION ALREADY EXISTS ON YOUR WEBSITE, BUT I WILL ADMIT IT. I, IT, YOU DO HAVE TO DO A FAIR AMOUNT OF DIGGING TO FIND IT, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, WILL, SOME PEOPLE WON'T DO THAT. RIGHT? SO YOU DO HAVE SOME OF THIS INFORMATION AVAILABLE NOW. CAN WE MOVE THAT TO THE, TO A MORE PROMINENT PLACE IN THE LANDING PAGE OF YOUR DEPARTMENT OR SOMETHING TO AT LEAST MAKE WHAT WE HAVE NOW EASIER FOR PEOPLE TO FIND? BLESS, YES. THROUGH YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. HAPPILY, I, UH, SUPPORT PROVIDING MORE ACCESSIBLE, CLEAR DATA. SO WE'RE HAPPY TO REPACKAGE IT AT ANY ADDITIONAL INFORMATION TO HELP WITH CLARIFICATION AND, AND GET IT IN A MORE PROMINENT SPOT ON OUR WEBSITE. OKAY. AND, AND, AND ONE THING I I THINK, UM, MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU, UM, ONE THING TO POSSIBLY, YOU KNOW, INCLUDE, UM, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF CONFUSION AROUND AFFORDABILITY, QUOTE UNQUOTE, RIGHT? AND HOW WE TALK ABOUT THAT. THERE'S LOTS OF DIFFERENT WAYS TO LOOK AT THE WORD AFFORDABLE AND THE DEFINITION WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING, RIGHT? SO ONE WAY IS IF YOU SPEND 30% OR LESS OF YOUR INCOME ON YOUR HOUSING, THEN THAT HOUSING IS AFFORDABLE TO YOU AS AN INDIVIDUAL, RIGHT? AND IT'S GONNA BE DIFFERENT FOR EVERYBODY DEPENDING ON THEIR INCOME, RIGHT? UM, ANOTHER WAY IS SOMETHING MORE AFFORDABLE THAN THE ALTERNATIVE, RIGHT? SO YOU LOOK AT WHAT'S GOING ON NOW, IN SOME CASES WHERE PRIOR TO THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE, A, A DEVELOPER MIGHT HAVE BUILT A LARGE [03:15:01] QUOTE UNQUOTE MCMANSION PEOPLE WERE SORT OF USING THAT TERM IN, IN THE BACK OF A, OF A HOUSE OR IN A BACKYARD, UM, THAT SOLD FOR $3 MILLION. AND NOW AFTER MULTIFAMILY HOUSING, THEY'RE BUILDING FIVE TOWNHOUSES THAT MIGHT SELL AT $1.8 MILLION, RIGHT? THAT'S ANOTHER WAY TO LOOK AT AFFORDABILITY. A $1.8 MILLION TOWNHOUSE IS MORE AFFORDABLE THAN A $3 MILLION SINGLE FAMILY. UM, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY ANOTHER WAY IS, I THINK THE WAY WE MOSTLY TALK ABOUT IT IS REALLY SUBSIDIZED HOUSING, LOW INCOME HOUSING, AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN THAT WAY. AND SO I THINK WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THIS, I, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN WE WENT THROUGH THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE, TO ME, AND I THINK IN GENERAL, WE, IT WAS NOT MOSTLY ABOUT AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN TERMS OF SUBSIDIZED HOUSING, LOW INCOME HOUSING, WE TALKED ABOUT INCLUSIONARY UNITS THAT WOULD BE CREATED, AND THAT'S GOOD. BUT THE PRIMARY REASON FOR DOING IT WAS TO ADD MORE HOUSING TO THE HOUSING STOCK, BE ABLE TO BUILD MORE UNITS THAT WOULD BE CHEAPER AND, OR, SORRY, LESS EXPENSIVE AND MORE AFFORDABLE. AND ADD TO THE SUPPLY OF, OF HOUSING. THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERLAY WAS ALL ABOUT SUBSIDIZED HOUSING. THAT IS IT, THAT IS THE ONLY THING IT'S ABOUT. AND SO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF CONFUSION WHEN PEOPLE SAY, WELL, THIS, YOU KNOW, THESE FOUR UNITS DON'T HAVE ANY LOW INCOME HOUSING IN IT. BUT THAT WASN'T REALLY WHAT THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING WAS. THAT WASN'T THE MAIN GOAL OF THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING. SO I THINK TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, IN THIS AND TRYING TO EXPLAIN THOSE DEFINITIONS AND DOING ALMOST LIKE A MINI HOUSING 1 0 1 IS IMPORTANT BECAUSE I THINK WE HAVE TO, WE GET CONFUSED AND, AND WE USE THESE THINGS INTERCHANGEABLY, AND IT KIND OF, IT'S HARD TO HAVE AN APPLES TO APPLES CONVERSATION. SO, UM, BEYOND THE KIND OF BULLET POINTS OF THE ZONING AND THE SETBACKS AND THIS AND THAT, I THINK TALKING ABOUT WHAT THE GOAL OF THIS IS, WHY IT WAS DONE, AND SORT OF EDUCATING PEOPLE ON, ON THE PURPOSE, UM, WOULD BE IMPORTANT. AND I WILL, I WILL YIELD, I HAVE VICE MAYOR AND THEN COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. UM, I WAS JUST GOING TO MAKE A QUICK POINT, WHICH IS THAT, UM, I THINK IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO FRAME THIS AS LIKE, THERE'S A DEVELOPMENT HAPPENING NEAR YOU. WHAT DOES A PROCESS LOOK LIKE? WHAT IS YOUR ABILITY TO MAKE PUBLIC COMMENT? JUST BECAUSE I THINK THIS IS VERY MINUTIA. I THINK IN GENERAL, THIS IS A GREAT IDEA. I ALSO HAD A BUNCH OF CALLS THIS MORNING ABOUT THIS, UH, SORT OF THING. UM, BUT, YOU KNOW, JUST TECHNICALLY, LIKE A BUNCH OF DEVELOPMENTS ARE HAPPENING BECAUSE OF THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. A BUNCH OF DEVELOPMENTS ARE HAPPENING BECAUSE OF NORTHERN MASS AVE ZONING AND CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING, AND A BUNCH OF DEVELOPMENTS ARE HAPPENING BEFORE BECAUSE OF THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERLAY. AND I THINK THAT IN GENERAL, IT'S JUST HELPFUL FOR PEOPLE TO HAVE A PLACE OF, LIKE, THERE'S SPECIFIC ACTUAL QUESTIONS. LIKE, THERE'S A DEVELOPMENT HAPPENING NEAR ME, WHAT CAN I DO? WHAT DOES A PROCESS LOOK LIKE? AND IT MIGHT CHANGE SLIGHTLY DEPENDING ON IT, BUT IT'S LIKE, I DON'T THINK THAT IT'S SPECIFICALLY ABOUT LIKE WHAT ZONING AMENDMENT MADE IT, BUT, YOU KNOW, IT'S LIKE THERE'S A DEVELOPMENT HAPPENING. SO THAT WAS JUST LIKE A SMALL TECHNICAL POINT I JUST WANTED TO BRING UP. THANK YOU. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, AND THEN COUNCILLOR NOLAN THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR. THESE ARE HELPFUL SUGGESTIONS. AND I THINK THE CONVI CONFUSION THAT I'VE EXPERIENCED IN SPEAKING WITH OUR RESIDENTS OF MY NEIGHBORHOOD AND OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS THROUGHOUT THE CITY IS THAT THERE IS NO PUBLIC COMMENT. THERE'S JUST SIMPLY A NEIGHBORHOOD NOTIFICATION MEETING, WHICH IS REALLY, UH, ILL-EQUIPPED TO DEAL WITH RESIDENTS WHO'VE GOT SIGNIFICANT QUESTIONS ABOUT, UM, PROPOSALS THAT ARE BEING BUILT IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. EVERYTHING FROM SETBACKS TO PARKING, TO SIZE, TO DENSITY, TO, UH, ALL THE COLLATERAL ISSUES THAT COME ALONG WITH THAT. AND I DON'T WANNA BELABOR THE POINT NOW AND TALK ABOUT THE OUTLIERS WE'VE SEEN, AND OTHER COUNCILS HAVE DONE THIS AT 95 CUSH STREET AND NINE WYMAN STREET. BUT THESE ARE SIGNIFICANT DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE HAPPENING POPPING UP ALL AROUND, UM, NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE HAVING MASSIVE IMPACTS ON RESIDENTS' LIVES. AND THEY WANT TO KNOW, THEY WANNA KNOW WHAT'S HAPPENING. WHERE DO I HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO ATTEMPT TO AT LEAST, TO, UH, INFLUENCE DECISIONS THAT ARE BEING MADE THAT IT IMPACT MY LIFE, MY FAMILY'S LIFE, MY PROPERTY VALUE, THE HISTORY OF OUR FAMILY IN THIS CITY. AND IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING FOR NEIGHBORS. AND IT'S, I CAN TELL YOU FROM MY PERSPECTIVE AS A CITY COUNCIL, IT'S BEEN VERY FRUSTRATING TRYING TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONS BECAUSE THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ZONING ORDINANCE IS COMPLEX. IT IS COMPLICATED. AND EVEN AS A LAWYER BY TRADE, THERE'S NOT EVERYTHING ABOUT IT THAT I UNDERSTAND. AND, AND IT'S AS I THINK AS IMPORTANT TO MAYBE HAVE A, UH, A DIAGRAM, A FLOW CHART, IDENTIFYING THE DIFFERENT STEPS IN A [03:20:01] DEVELOPER'S, UH, PLAN TO GET FROM POINT A TO A BUILDING PERMIT AS IT IS TO GIVE TIMELINES, UM, ALL OF THAT INFORMATION, BECAUSE IT REALLY IS, I CAN TELL YOU, UM, THIS, AS OF RIGHT, DEVELOPMENT WITH ANY LACK OF PUBLIC INPUT IS CAUSING ENORMOUS FRUSTRATION AND CONFUSION AND UNCERTAINTY, UM, ALL THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AND, UH, IN MY OWN NEIGHBORHOOD, IT'S, IT'S, UM, IT, IT'S, IT'S AT EPIC PROPORTIONS, I'LL SAY. SO WHATEVER YOU CAN DO TO, TO FIND THAT. AND I'VE SEARCHED THROUGH CDD, AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, IT'S A, IT'S ALSO A ROBUST WEBSITE. THERE'S A LOT OF INFORMATION THERE. THE CITY HAS CONTAINS A TON OF INFORMATION ON ITS, UH, ON ITS WEBSITE. AND SOMETIMES IT'S, IT'S VERY DIFFICULT TO, TO NAVIGATE. AND I KNOW WE'RE WORKING THROUGH SOME OF THAT, UH, INTERNALLY IN THE CITY, BUT I THINK SPECIFICALLY FOR THIS ISSUE ON THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ZONING ORDINANCE, AND, AND AGAIN, NOT TO GO ON AND ON AND ON ABOUT THIS, BUT IN KNOCKING DOORS, THERE ARE, THERE'S A SIGNIFICANT POPULATION WITHIN THE CITY THAT DON'T EVEN KNOW THAT THIS EXISTS. PEOPLE COME TO KNOW ABOUT IT AFTER A PROPOSAL IS, UH, IS HAPPENING, AND THEY GET A NOTIFICATION ON A, ON A DOORWAY, UH, ON THE STREET THAT THEY LIVE ON. SO IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING. IT'S, UH, IT'S UNUSUAL. IT'S A CHANGE. UH, AND MAYBE IT WON'T ALWAYS BE THIS WAY, BUT I THINK IN THE, IN THE SHORT ORDER, THIS IS ABSOLUTELY REQUIRED. SO, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT ANYBODY HAS ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT IT, I THINK IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS DONE AS QUICKLY AS WE CAN. THANK YOU. AND I YIELD, BUT THANK YOU FOR YOUR EFFORTS AND THANKS FOR BRINGING THE POLICY ON. I'LL GO TO COUNCILOR NOLAN, THEN TO YOUR ASSISTANT SENIOR MANAGER. THANK YOU. I AGREE IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE THIS BECAUSE IF WE ALL GET QUESTIONS OR IF NEIGHBORS ASK NEIGHBORS, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE UNDERSTAND THE, THE ROLES. I THINK IT IS FOR CLARITY, IT'S FOR TRANSPARENCY, IT'S FOR INFORMATION. SOME PEOPLE WILL NOT BE HAPPY TO HAVE THE ANSWERS, BUT AT LEAST THEY'LL HAVE THE ANSWERS AND NO MEANING, THEY WON'T BE HAPPY TO KNOW. I HAVE HAD SEVERAL NEIGHBORS, WHAT DO YOU MEAN? I CAN'T EVEN SAY ANYTHING ABOUT THIS. I CAN'T CHANGE ANYTHING. IT'S ALL AS OF RIGHT, IS A CONCEPT. BUT WE NEED TO COMMUNICATE THAT AND MAKE SURE WHAT'S AS OF RIGHT, WHAT'S NOT AS OF RIGHT. WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENTS? I WILL, I'LL SAY A COUPLE THINGS. IT, THIS IS ABOUT MULTIFAMILY ZONING, WHICH IS IMPORTANT, AS WAS POINTED OUT. THERE'S ALSO OTHER DEVELOPMENTS THAT HAPPEN. IT WOULD BE REALLY HELPFUL FOR FOLKS TO HAVE ANSWERS TO THOSE QUESTIONS AS WELL. UM, TWO THINGS, UH, OR THREE THINGS. WE ARE IN THE PROCESS OF DOING SOME STREAMLINING. IT WOULD ALSO BE REALLY GOOD TO DO AS MUCH STREAMLINING AS WE CAN SO THAT SOMEONE WHO UNDERSTANDS WHAT THE REQUIREMENTS ARE HERE DOESN'T THEN FIND OUT, OH, NO, WE HAD TO CHANGE THAT BECAUSE OF SOME OTHER ORDINANCE WE HAD. I HOPE THAT, UH, MOVES FORWARD, UH, UH, VERY QUICKLY. PLAN, ALL PLANS SHOULD BE AVAILABLE ONLINE RIGHT NOW. WE DON'T HAVE THEM. IT ISN'T UNTIL YOU GET A BUILDING PERMIT. WE ALL PLANS ARE SUBMITTED ONLINE. THEY SHOULD, COULD BE, UM, SENT AS DRAFT. THERE IS NO REASON FROM A TECHNICAL POINT OF VIEW, I'VE TALKED TO OUR TECHNICAL STAFF AND, UM, ISD SAID, IT'S CERTAINLY POSSIBLE AS LONG AS WE SAY, HEY, THIS IS, UM, IN PROCESS. THIS MAY NOT BE FINAL, BUT IT'S REALLY SOMETHING WE COULD DO FOR ALL OF OUR RESIDENTS TO, TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT AND OPEN ABOUT IT. THE OTHER THING IS, THIS IS A PERFECT USE TO USE AI TO, TO GENERATE THIS. AND THEN IT DOESN'T HAVE TO TAKE TWO MONTHS. THIS IS EXACTLY THE KIND OF THING WE HAVE CO-PILOT. WE ARE, THE CITY IS LOOKING AT IT. I'M STILL WAITING FOR THAT CHAT BOX ON OUR FRONT PAGE OF OUR WEBSITE TO, TO HAVE IT BE AVAILABLE TO ALL USERS TO COME FORWARD AND SAY, WHAT IS MY NEIGHBOR ALLOWED TO BUILD WOULD BE A PERFECT ANSWER. BUT SHORT OF THAT, AT LEAST THIS COULD BE, UH, DONE REALLY QUICKLY, UH, WITH THE POWERFUL TOOLS OF LARGE LANGUAGE MODELS, UM, IN AI. SO I, I HOPE THAT'S HAPPENED. AND IT'S LONG BEFORE JUNE 30TH THAT WE GET THE RESPONSE. THANK YOU. I YIELD, IS THIS A CITY MANAGER? YEAH, THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. SO, YEAH, ABSOLUTELY. I WAS GONNA ADD THAT, YOU KNOW, IN ADDITION TO PROVIDING MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THE MULTIFAMILY ZONING ORDINANCE, WE ARE GOING THROUGH A ROBUST PROCESS OF REVIEWING THE PERMITTING PROCESS AND LOOKING FOR EFFICIENCIES AND OPPORTUNITIES TO BE MORE TRANSPARENT. SO, ALREADY BEEN FLAGGING SOME OF THESE THINGS AND EXCITED TO BRING THAT BACK TO YOU. I, I DID JUST WANT TO, UM, UNDERSCORE WHAT'S BEEN SAID BY COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY AND, AND COUNCILLOR NOLAN, THAT CERTAINLY WE SUPPORT MORE TRANSPARENCY AND INFORMATION SHARING. UM, AND I KNOW COUNCIL UNDERSTANDS THIS, BUT I, I DO WANNA MAKE IT CLEAR TO THE PUBLIC AND WE CAN CON CONVEY THIS MORE CLEARLY THAT, UM, THEY, IT ISN'T AS OF RIGHT PERMITTING PROCESS. SO EVEN IF THEY, THEY HAVE THE INFORMATION, THEY KNOW THE DEVELOPMENT'S HAPPENING. I THINK PART OF THE CONCERN, PEOPLE FEEL [03:25:01] AS THEY DON'T HAVE ANY RECOURSE OR ABILITY TO INFLUENCE THE PROJECT. AND SO I THINK THE MORE WE CAN CLARIFY WHAT, YOU KNOW, HOW THE PROCESS WORKS, THAT'LL BE HELPFUL. BUT I, I JUST WANNA JUST UNDERSCORE THAT THERE STILL MIGHT BE THAT UNDERLYING FRICTION THAT WE HAVE IN THE COMMUNITY THAT PEOPLE CAN'T INFLUENCE PROJECTS THAT THEY MAY NOT LIKE THE OUTCOMES OF OUT CITY MANAGER. UM, THANK YOU, UH, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR. I THINK, UM, I THINK THIS IS GREAT AND, AND I THINK ULTIMATELY, UM, GETTING MORE INFORMATION OUT AND, AND I AGREE WITH ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER PETERS, UM, THAT, THAT HAVING IT MORE CLEAR WHAT, UM, WHAT VOICE PEOPLE HAVE GIVEN THE ORDINANCE IS GONNA ACTUALLY BE IMPORTANT. IT MAY NOT ACTUALLY HELP PEOPLE WITH A SENSE OF FRUSTRATION IF, UH, IF THE CHALLENGE IS ACTUALLY THAT THESE ARE DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE AS OF RIGHT UNDER THE NEW ZONING. UM, BUT I DO THINK IT GIVES MORE CLARITY. UM, I WILL SAY I WAS, I WAS JUST CHECKING, AND I THINK THERE IS A BIT OF, YOU KNOW, HOW WE'RE THINKING ABOUT THE WEBSITE AND WHAT WE PUT UP FRONT AND HOW PEOPLE CAN FIND SOME OF THIS INFORMATION MORE CLEARLY, UM, DURING THE ACTUAL ORDINANCE PROCESS. UM, THERE WAS A VERY LATE PFAQ THAT I THINK CAME OUT OF SOME OF THE DISCUSSIONS BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WE HAD A LOT OF INTEREST AS WE WERE DEBATING WHAT WAS GOING TO BE IN THE ULTIMATE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. UM, SO IN, IN SORT OF LATE NOVEMBER, 2024, THERE'S AN FAQ POSTED. YOU HAVE TO CLICK THROUGH A COUPLE OF PAGES TO GET THERE, BUT THERE'S 78 QUESTIONS AS WE WERE DEBATING WHAT WAS GONNA GO INTO THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. AND I DO THINK THIS IS A GOOD STARTING POINT. WE'LL WORK THROUGH WHAT QUESTIONS I THINK PEOPLE ARE ASKING TODAY. AND WE CAN PROBABLY EXPAND ON THIS A LITTLE BIT. UM, BUT I DO THINK AN UPDATED LIST NOW THAT THE ORDINANCE IS ACTUALLY PASSED, UM, IS, IS IMPORTANT. UM, AND WE CAN FIND A MORE PROMINENT PLACE TO POST IT. YES, GO ZUZI. I JUST WANTED TO CLARIFY. I THINK IT NEEDS TO BE TWO LISTS. SO MAYBE THERE WOULD BE ONE ON THE CDD WEBSITE AND MAYBE THEY'D LINK TO ONE ANOTHER, BUT THE OTHER MIGHT BE ON THE ISD LIST, BECAUSE A LOT OF THE LISTS ARE PRACTICAL ONES. LIKE, WELL, I KNOW THE BUILDING NEXT DOOR IS GONNA BE DEMOLISHED. LIKE, BUT HOW WILL I BE NOTIFIED? AND WHEN, I MEAN, THERE'S THINGS THAT SPECIFIC, I'M HEARING A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE GETTING NOTICES OF DEMOLITIONS THE NEXT DAY. AND SO WHAT IS THE DEVELOPER'S RESPONSIBILITY AND NOTIFYING? AND THEN, UM, YEAH, AND THEY, THEY, THEY'RE EAGER TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THE RE WHEN THEY CAN HAVE ACCESS TO PLANS. SO IT'S, IT'S LIKE A, IT'S, THERE'S A LOSS OF CONTROL. UM, SO IT WOULD BE GOOD FOR PEOPLE TO KNOW WHEN THEY HAVE ACCESS TO PLANS AND WHERE, AND HOW THEY CAN ACCESS PLANS AND HOW THAT RELATES TO THE COMMUNITY MEETING AND HOW THAT RELATES TO WHEN A PROJECT IS PERMITTED. SO THOSE, THOSE THINGS MIGHT BE MORE, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, I, IT SEEMS LIKE YOU'D GO BOTH TO INSPECTION SERVICES AND CDD, BUT I FEEL I, I FEEL LIKE ON THE CDD WEBSITE, WHAT I'D REALLY WANNA SEE WOULD BE, UM, WHAT DOES THIS ORDINANCE MEAN? LIKE, MAYBE FOR ME, BUT THEN, AND THEN MORE SPECIFICALLY, YEAH, WHAT IS THE PROCESS WITH THE BUILDING PERMIT AND HOW WILL I BE NOTIFIED OF A VARIOUS THINGS? SO THEY'RE SORT OF TWO THINGS. THEY'RE RELATED, BUT, UM, SO ANYWAY, I, I LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR CREATING THIS. AND I, I THINK IT WILL RELIEVE, UM, I THINK IT'LL RELIEVE A LOT OF FRUSTRATION ACROSS THE CITY AND, AND SAVE ALL OF US A LOT OF TIME. IT, IT, IT WILL MAKE EVERYONE HAPPY, BUT I, I JUST FEEL LIKE BEING TRANSPARENT IS ALWAYS A GOOD THING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. IT'S 9:00 PM NOW. SO WE WILL GO AHEAD IF THERE'S NO OTHER COMMENTS AND DO A ROLL CALL, UM, ON ADOPTING THE ORDER. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE POLICY. ORDER NUMBER FOUR IS ADOPTED. WE'RE GOING TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER FIVE, THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO WORK WITH RELEVANT STAFF TO EXPLORE OPTIONS FOR COMMISSIONING A HOUSING NEEDS STUDY THROUGH A QUALIFIED RESEARCH INSTITUTION TO ESTABLISH A CLEAR EVIDENCE-BASED UNDERSTANDING OF EXISTING HOUSING CONDITIONS, RESIDENT NEEDS, AND MEASURABLE HOUSING GOALS TO GUIDE FUTURE DECISION MAKING. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR ZUZI, MYSELF AND COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. COUNCILLOR ZUZI, YOU HAVE THE FOUR. UM, THANK YOU SO MUCH. AND AGAIN, COUNCILLOR SIDIKI AND, AND A CHIEF OF STAFF LEE. THANK YOU, SETH. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR YOUR HELP WITH THIS. UM, IN 2019, THE METROPOLITAN AREA PLANNING COUNCIL PROVIDED THE 12,500 NUMBER, UH, 2030 GOAL FOR OUR CITY [03:30:01] PLAN. ENVISION CAMBRIDGE. SINCE THEN, ALMOST A DECADE LATER, MUCH HAS CHANGED. WE HAD A PANDEMIC. THERE HAVE BEEN SUPPLY CHAIN ISSUES. WE'VE INFLATION HIGHER COST TO BUILD HIGHER INTEREST RATES. AND THEN THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION'S CUT CUTS TO SCIENCE FUNDING TAXES ON OUR UNIVERSITY ENDOWMENTS, RESTRICTING FOREIGN WORKERS IN, IN LIMITING VISAS FOR FOREIGN WORKERS AND MORE. THESE THINGS CUMULATIVELY HAVE CHALLENGED OUR ECONOMIC LIFEBLOOD, OUR UNIVERSITIES, RESEARCH INSTITUTIONS AND LIFE SCIENCE INDUSTRY, CREATING HOUSING VACANCIES AND SLOWING HOUSING PRODUCTION. UH, THE IDEA OF OUR DOING A HOUSING NEEDS STUDY IS INSPIRED IN PART BY PROVINCETOWN HAVING DONE A HOUSING NEEDS ASSESSMENT, SO IT WOULD ANALYZE OUR EXISTING HOUSING CONDITIONS RESIDENT NEEDS, AND COME UP WITH MEASURABLE HOUSING GOALS TO GUIDE FUTURE DECISION MAKING. UM, IN PROVINCETOWN, APPARENTLY IT HAS BEEN INCREDIBLY HELPFUL BECAUSE IT HELPED THEM TO INFORM HOUSING POLICIES. UM, IT HELPED THEM FIGURE OUT HOW THEY WANTED TO ALLOCATE RESOURCES, AND IT ALSO HELPED THEM DEFINE HOW THEY WANTED TO USE THEIR LAND. SO THIS STUDY, PLEASE DO NOT BE THREATENED BY THE IDEA OF CONSIDERING WHO WE'RE HOUSING AND WHETHER WE HAVE VACANCIES. IT'S NOT TO STYMIE HOUSING PRODUCTION. IT'S TO THINK MORE THOUGHTFULLY ABOUT WHO DO WE, WHO ARE WE BUILDING HOUSING FOR? ARE WE BUILDING HOUSING FOR YOUNG PEOPLE, YOUNG FAMILIES, FOR OUR ELDERLY, FOR OUR WORKERS, FOR BIOTECH WORKERS? WHO, WHO WOULD, WHO, WHO DO WE WANNA HOUSE IN THE MOST? AND THEN WE HAVE FINITE RESOURCES. SO THIS COMING YEAR, WE'LL BE SPENDING OVER 49 MILLION ON HOUSING. WHERE DO WE WANT TO DEDICATE THAT FUNDING? UH, DO WE WANT IT TO BE MORE FOR SOCIAL HOUSING? DO WE WANT IT MORE FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, COMPLETELY AFFORDABLE HOUSING? UM, DO WE WANNA BE SUPPORTING A COMMUNITY LAND TRUST? WHO, WHO ARE WE HOUSING? AND, AND WE REALLY NEED TO EVALUATE THE VACANCY RATES AND, AND THINK ABOUT WHERE ARE THEY, UH, WHAT SORT OF, UH, GROUPS, THOSE, THOSE APARTMENT SUPPORT SO THAT WE CAN REALLY BE MORE STRATEGIC ABOUT WHO AND WHAT WE'RE BUILDING FOR. UM, SO THAT'S THE, THAT'S THE GOAL OF THIS IDEA. UM, AND, AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. I KNOW YOU'RE OVERWHELMED. UM, THANK, THANK YOU FOR ALL THAT YOU'RE DOING. BUT THE IDEA WOULD BE TO OUTSOURCE THIS TO MAYBE THE UMASS DONAHUE INSTITUTE. THAT'S WHAT PROVINCETOWN DID. OR MAYBE IT WOULD BE SOME OTHER GROUP, BUT I, I KNOW YOU WOULD NEED TO BE ENGAGED. UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT WOULD NEED TO BE ENGAGED SOMEWHAT, BUT SOMEBODY ELSE WOULD BE DOING THE ANALYSIS, THE WRITING. BUT I THINK THIS WOULD JUST BE SO VALUABLE TO US AS WE GO FORWARD. IT'S BEEN, AGAIN, LIKE ALMOST A DECADE SINCE WE CAME UP WITH THAT, UH, 20, YOU KNOW, 12,500 NUMBER. IT WOULD BE GOOD TO, TO BE LOOKING AT THAT NUMBER AGAIN, THINKING ABOUT, AGAIN, WHO ARE WE GONNA PRIORITIZE HOUSING? AND THEN WE SHOULD BE REALLY LOOKING AT THE 2040 NUMBER SINCE THE WORLD HAS SHIFTED. THANK YOU. I YIELD, I HAVE VICE MAYOR AZI, COUNCILOR ZUBIE, AND THEN COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UM, I THINK THAT THE STUDY IS A GOOD IDEA. I WAS GOING TO SAY THAT, UM, I THINK THAT IT MIGHT BE WORTHWHILE TO GET BUY-IN ON THE PROCESS BEFORE WE DO THIS STUDY IN THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, I, WE TALK ABOUT ENVISION AND THAT 12,500 NUMBER, AND INSTEAD OF IT BEING A UNITING FORCE WHERE EVERYONE'S LIKE, THIS IS A NUMBER THAT WE SHOULD BUILD TOWARDS, WHAT'S HAPPENED IS THAT IF YOU WANT MORE HOUSING TO BE BUILT, YOU POINT THAT OUT AND YOU SAY LIKE, OH, WE'VE ONLY BUILT 25% OF THAT TO THAT NUMBER, AND IF YOU OPPOSE IT, YOU'RE LIKE, WELL, ACTUALLY THAT NUMBER, LIKE THIS ACTUAL PART IN THE PROCESS WAS WRONG IN THE FIRST PLACE. AND SO I WORRY THAT WE SPEND A LOT OF RESOURCES AND DO THE STUDY AGAIN, AND WE END UP IN THAT SAME PLACE WHERE WE JUST USE IT TO JUSTIFY OUR PRIOR BELIEFS. AND SO, AT LEAST HAVING A PROCESS OF LIKE, THIS IS HOW WE'RE GONNA COME UP WITH THAT NUMBER. HERE'S SOME METHODOLOGIES, AND AT LEAST IT FEELING FAIR TO PEOPLE, LIKE BEFORE WE ACTUALLY SEE THE RESULTS, YOU KNOW, IN A WAY THAT, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN NEVER HOLD US PURELY INTELLECTUALLY HONEST IN THAT, LIKE, THE COLLEAGUES CHANGE AND THE NEW PEOPLE WILL SAY LIKE, WELL, I WASN'T THERE WHEN IT HAPPENED. BUT I DO THINK THAT AS MUCH AS WE CAN, IT IS HELPFUL TO HAVE SOME THINGS THAT EVERYONE AGREES ON ARE FAIR BEFORE WE SEE THE RESULTS OF THAT STUDY. UM, AND THEN SECONDLY, I JUST WANTED TO SAY THAT, UM, I ALSO THINK THAT, [03:35:01] YOU KNOW, UM, I, I BY AND LARGE AGREE WITH WHAT COUNCILORS LUCY SAID, IS THAT IT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO UNDERSTAND THE CURRENT STATE OF THE HOUSING, WHAT SORT OF HOUSING WE HAVE, WHAT WE DON'T HAVE, RIGHT? THERE'S GAPS. LIKE I THINK THAT SROS ARE AN UNDER MET NEED IN TERMS OF HOUSING, PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSITIONING, YOU KNOW, AND TRYING TO BUILD BACK THEIR LIVES. BUT I ALSO WANNA SAY THAT LIKE, UM, YOU KNOW, WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT VALUES ON WHO BELONGS IN THIS CITY, AND THAT IS LIKE LANGUAGE THAT KIND OF MAKES ME NERVOUS. AND ALSO OUR ABILITY JUST CONTROL THAT IS VERY LIMITED. LIKE, I THINK WE REALLY ENCOURAGED TWO AND THREE BEDROOMS TO BE, UH, BUILT. 'CAUSE WE WANTED MORE FAMILY SIZED UNITS. AND, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN STILL SAY THAT WE WANT MORE FAMILIES IN CAMBRIDGE, BUT THE PRACTICAL REALITY I THINK THAT HAPPENED IS THAT PEOPLE WHO WOULD'VE PREFERRED TO LIVE BY THEMSELVES INSTEAD OF JUST GOT A BUNCH OF ROOMMATES, AND NOW WE HAVE PEOPLE IN THEIR MID TWENTIES AND THIRTIES WHO ARE LIVING WITH ROOMMATES WHEN THEY MAY MAYBE WOULD'VE PREFERRED BY THEMSELVES. BUT ALSO, IT'S NOT LIKE FAMILIES ARE NECESSARILY OCCUPYING THOSE UNITS. I SEE THAT THAT IS THE PREDOMINANT PEOPLE WHO HAVE FILLED THOSE SORT OF TYPES OF UNITS. AND SO JUST HAVING SOME HUMILITY ABOUT WHAT WE CAN REALLY CONTROL AND WHAT THE EFFECTS OF WHAT WE DO ARE. UM, SO THAT'S ALL I HAD TO SAY. THANK YOU. WE HAVE COUNCILOR ZUBI, COUNCILOR GOVERN, COUNCILLOR ZUZI, I'M SORRY, COUNSELOR FLAHERTY AND THEN COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. THANK YOU. THREE. MADAM MAYOR, I AM INTERESTED IN THIS, ESPECIALLY THE QUESTION OF HOUSING FOR WHOM THAT COUNCILOR ZUZI NOTED, ALTHOUGH I DO WISH THERE WAS MORE CLARITY IN THE POLICY ORDER ON THAT. AND ALSO I BELIEVE IT NEEDS TO CONTAIN NEW INFORMATION AND BE FOCUSED. SO THIS IS WHY I PUT THE MOTION ON THE FLOOR TO AMEND THE POLICY ORDER TO INCLUDE AN ORDERED ASKING CDD TO SHARE PROS AND CONS ON OPTIONS, AS WELL AS SHARE KEY DATA GAPS. BECAUSE FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, AS OF RIGHT NOW, WE HAVE A, A LOT OF STUFF THAT SHARES IN DEPTH QUESTIONS AROUND DEMOGRAPHICS AND AFFORDABILITY. LIKE IN OUR NEIGHBORHOOD STATISTICAL PROFILE, WHICH WAS LAST UPDATED IN 2023, WE ALSO HAVE DEMOGRAPHIC INFORMATION AVAILABLE FROM THE CENSUS. THERE'S ALSO 2016 REPORT CALLED THE CAMBRIDGE HOUSING PROFILE, UH, THAT'S FOCUSED ON THE CITY'S OVERALL HOUSING STOCK. MAYBE A QUESTION THAT WE LOOK AT AS UPDATING THIS 10 YEARS LATER WHEN IT COMES TO HOUSING DEMAND. FROM MY UNDERSTANDING, WE HAVE WAIT WAITING LISTS FOR EVERY TYPE OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING, CHA. JUST TO START, AS A FEW EXAMPLES, WHEN IT COMES TO REPORTS ABOUT, ABOUT HOUSING PRODUCTION, WE HAVE A DEVELOPMENT LOG FROM CDD, WE HAVE AN ANNUAL REPORT ON THE A HO, WE HAVE DATA ON BUILDING PERMITS. AGAIN, AS A FEW EXAMPLES, I WANT US TO BE FOCUSED AND INTENTIONAL WITH THIS IF WE ARE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH IT. I THINK MAYBE A PART OF THE CONVERSATION IS CONSOLIDATING WHAT WE HAVE. AND I ALSO DO THINK WE ALSO HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW WE DEFINE AFFORDABILITY. UM, NOT NECESSARILY JUST AL JUST GETTING THE LAY OF THE LAND. THOSE ARE JUST SOME OF THE THOUGHTS. AFTER SOME DIGGING AND HOPE THAT WE CAN PASS THIS AMENDMENT, I'LL YIELD, SO THERE IS AN AMENDMENT BEFORE US, SO WE CAN JUST INCLUDE THAT IN OUR DISCUSSIONS. I'LL GO TO COUNSELOR, UH, MCGOVERN, AND THEN FLAHERTY, AND THEN COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UH, THANK, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. UM, JUST REAL QUICKLY, I, YOU KNOW, I, I APPRECIATE WHAT THE VICE MAYOR SAID. UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK BACK TO TRYING TO LOOK AT WHO WAS HERE WHEN WE, I THINK, GOSH, MAYBE IT WAS JUST ME AND COUNCILLOR SIMMONS WHEN WE VOTED FOR ENVISION CAMBRIDGE. UM, AND YOU KNOW, I REMEMBER AT THE TIME SOME OF THE CONVERSATION, I THINK COUNSELOR TOOMEY BROUGHT THIS UP. I I MENTIONED IT THAT, YOU KNOW WHAT, WE'RE GONNA GO THROUGH THIS WHOLE PROCESS AND SPEND HOWEVER MANY MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ON THIS PROCESS. AND THEN WHAT WE WERE AFRAID OF IS THAT WHEN THE RESULTS CAME OUT, AS THE VICE MAYOR SAID, THE, THE PEOPLE WHO LIKED THE RESULTS SAID THIS WAS THE GREATEST REPORT IN THE WORLD. THIS IS WONDERFUL. AND A LOT OF THE PEOPLE WHO WERE PUSHING US TO DO THE ENVISION CAMBRIDGE, THEY WERE THE ONES COUNSELOR CARONE, AND A LOT OF THOSE FOLKS PUSHED FOR IT. AND THEN WHEN THE RESULTS CAME OUT, AND THEY WEREN'T NECESSARILY THE RESULTS THAT THEY LIKED, THEY SAID, OH, THIS IS, WE SHOULDN'T PAY ATTENTION TO THIS. THIS ISN'T, YOU KNOW, THE METHODOLOGY WAS BAD THAT, YOU KNOW, THE NUMBER'S BAD. I REALLY HOPE WE DON'T DO THAT AGAIN. AND, AND IT DOES SORT OF WORRY ME THAT WE DO THESE STUDIES AND WE DO THESE THINGS, AND THEN PE YOU KNOW, THE PEOPLE WHO LIKE WHAT THEY SAY, THINK IT'S GREAT, THE PEOPLE WHO DON'T TRASH IT. AND THERE WAS A PART OF ME HAVING GONE THROUGH THIS MANY TIMES THAT THAT'S KIND OF WHERE WE'RE GONNA END UP AT THE END OF THIS. AND, AND I HOPE NOT. I, UM, HOPE I'M WRONG ABOUT THAT. UM, I GUESS MY QUESTION, AND, AND THIS, THIS, UH, THE ORDER DOES CALL FOR THIS TO BE, YOU KNOW, CONTRACTED OUT. UM, YOU KNOW, I DO SOMETIMES I, I, I DO SOMETIMES TAKE A LITTLE STEP BACK WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THINGS LIKE COMMISSIONING A, UM, [03:40:01] UH, YOU KNOW, A QUALIFIED RESEARCH INSTITUTION. I DON'T WANT FOLKS TO THEN INTERPRET THAT, THAT WE DON'T HAVE QUALIFIED RESEARCH PEOPLE HERE IN THE CITY. UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND, AND I THINK WE DO. AND, UM, IN FACT, FOLKS WHO WORK IN OUR DEPARTMENTS IN THE CITY ARE OFTEN THE OUTSIDE CONSULTANTS THAT OTHER COMMUNITIES TURN TO, YOU KNOW, UM, FOR, FOR OUTSIDE ADVICE. AND SO, YOU KNOW, I JUST WANNA MAKE SURE THAT, THAT, THAT, THAT WE'RE NOT SORT OF DOING THAT BECAUSE WE DON'T TRUST THE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR US. UM, BUT MY QUESTION IS ABOUT, UM, EVEN IF YOU DO CONTRACT THIS OUT, ASSISTANT ASSISTANT, CITY MANAGER, UM, YOU OBVIOUSLY ARE STILL INVOLVED IN IT, IT'S STILL WORK, ADDITIONAL WORK FOR YOU. UM, YOU, HOWEVER MANY WEEKS AGO YOU DID COME FORWARD WITH YOUR PLAN FOR THE NEXT YEAR OR TWO FOR CDD AND ALL THE DIFFERENT THINGS THAT YOU'RE CURRENTLY WORKING ON. SO, UM, HOW WILL THIS FIT INTO THAT? ARE WE TALKING ABOUT TO DO THIS MEANS WE HAVE TO NOT DO SOMETHING THAT WE'VE ALREADY AGREED TO DO? OR IS THIS SOMETHING THAT CAN FIT INTO THAT, THAT WORK PLAN, YOU KNOW, SEAMLESSLY AND, AND WE CAN CONTINUE TO DO THE THINGS THAT WE'VE ALREADY DECIDED WE'RE GONNA DO THANK YOU THROUGH, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR. SO, YOU KNOW, THE WORK PLAN WE PRESENTED WAS VERY AMBITIOUS. UM, AND WE COMMITTED TO A LOT IN A SHORT PERIOD OF TIME. I THINK I'D WANNA GO BACK AND IF THIS WERE TO BE PASSED AND, AND TALK WITH THE TEAM ABOUT, UM, WHEN THIS COULD GET SLOTTED IN, IN THAT CURRENT FRAMEWORK, AND WE COME BACK WITH, HERE'S A REALISTIC SCHEDULE OF WHEN WE COULD START THIS, IF IT WAS DESIRED THAT THIS WERE TO, YOU'D WANT THIS TO START SOONER, I THINK WE'D HAVE TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS ABOUT PRIORITIES OF WHAT OTHER WORK WOULD NEED TO TAKE A BACK SEAT WHILE THIS GOT PRIORITIZED. SO HAPPY TO TAKE THE LEAD ON COUNCIL ON THAT, BUT CERTAINLY WE, WE ARE, UM, YOU KNOW, WORKING FULL PRESS RIGHT NOW ON THE CURRENT LIST OF PRIORITIES THAT COUNCIL GAVE US. OKAY. YEAH. UH, THROUGH YOU, MAD THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. I MEAN, AGAIN, I, I, I'LL VOTE TO SUPPORT THIS, UM, BUT IF, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WHAT COMES BACK IS WE HAVE TO DELAY CENTRAL SQUARE AGAIN, OR WE HAVE TO DELAY, UM, THE INCLUSIONARY REPORTS OR ANY OF THAT OTHER STUFF THAT WE'RE DOING, THEN I, I WOULDN'T WANNA DELAY ANY OF THOSE THINGS, YOU KNOW, TO HAVE THIS REPLACE ANY OF THOSE THINGS. AND THEN THE, THE OTHER, THE, THE ORDER SAYS, UM, A WORK PLAN BY JUNE, 2026, IS THAT A REALISTIC TIMELINE JUST GIVEN, IF YOU ARE GONNA CONTRACT THIS OUT, I MEAN, IS THAT GONNA HAVE TO GO THROUGH AN RFP PROCESS? YOU HAVE TO WRITE IT, YOU HAVE TO GET BIDS, YOU HAVE TO, I DON'T, JUNE IS CLOSER THAN WE THINK. SO, UM, CITY MANAGER THROUGH UNIVERSITY, YOU KNOW, I THINK I WOULD PROBABLY SPLIT THIS OUT INTO LIKE, YOU KNOW, HAPPY FOR THE COUNCIL TO DISCUSS IF, IF THERE'S A VOTE TODAY, WE CAN BRING BACK A MORE FORMAL RESPONSE. I WOULD SEPARATE OUT THE QUESTION FIRST OF, UM, WHAT'S THE SCOPE OF THIS STUDY AND IS IT GOING TO BE USEFUL? AND, AND I THINK THAT'S THE FIRST QUESTION. AND I THINK THE SECOND QUESTION WOULD THEN BE HOW WOULD WE RESOURCE IT AND WHEN WOULD WE DO IT? AND JUST TO NOTE THAT, YOU KNOW, ULTIMATELY THE CONVERSATION ABOUT SCOPING DOES ALSO STILL TAKE SOME AMOUNT OF TIME. AND I THINK WE'RE HAPPY TO DO THAT. UM, I SHARE SOME OF THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED, YOU KNOW, IN TERMS OF, UM, A HOUSING NEEDS STUDY IS GOING TO ONLY BE USEFUL IF WE'RE ACTUALLY SITUATING IT INTO SOMETHING THAT WILL TURN INTO A DIFFERENCE IN DECISIONS THAT WE'RE GOING TO MAKE. UM, AND SO I KIND OF RECOGNIZE, AND, AND COUNCILOR ZUBIE, I THINK YOU DID A GOOD JOB OF NOTING, THERE'S A LOT OF DATA THAT WE ALREADY HAVE. UM, WE ARE PRIORITIZING IT IN SO MANY WAYS. WE HAVE, UM, BEEN, UH, WORKING ON HOUSING FOR SENIORS, FOR FAMILIES, FOR VERY LOW INCOME INDIVIDUALS, FOR PEOPLE WHO ARE TRANSITIONING OUT OF HOMELESSNESS. TO THE EXTENT THAT THE COUNCIL ACTUALLY WANTS US TO BE PURSUING A DIFFERENT MIX OF THAT, I THINK THAT'S ACTUALLY A WORTHY CONVERSATION. I DON'T THINK THAT RUNNING REALLY CONCRETE NUMBERS ON THOSE NEEDS IS NECESSARILY GOING TO DRIVE THAT BECAUSE IT'S ULTIMATELY A VALUES CONVERSATION. THE REALITY IS ACROSS ALL OF THOSE NEEDS, WE ARE SHORT IN THAT THE HOUSING COSTS ARE REALLY HIGH AND THERE IS REALLY HIGH DEMAND ACROSS ALMOST ALL OF THOSE PROGRAMS. UM, AND SO I, I, I THINK IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY MORE, I WOULD PROBABLY BE MORE INTERESTED IF THE COUNCIL WANTS TO SAY, WE FUNDAMENTALLY THINK THAT THERE SHOULD BE MORE THAN WE'RE CURRENTLY PROVIDING FOR SENIORS, THEN I THINK THAT'S ACTUALLY VERY HELPFUL GUIDANCE AND WE CAN BRING THAT TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING TRUST. WE [03:45:01] CAN HAVE THAT CONVERSATION. I DON'T ACTUALLY THINK THE HOUSING NEEDS STUDY IS NECESSARILY GOING TO DO THAT IN TERMS OF PRODUCING A HUNDRED PAGE REPORT. AND, AND I THINK IF, IF THERE'S A REQUEST FOR DATA, WE COULD PROBABLY PULL THAT REASONABLY QUICKLY WITHOUT THE NEED FOR LIKE CONTRACTING OUT A STUDY. UM, WE HAVE A LOT OF THIS INFORMATION, I THINK THAT'S ALREADY BEEN TRACKED. UM, I ALSO DID JUST READ THROUGH, YOU KNOW, THE PROVINCETOWN REPORT, AND I THINK THERE WAS A VERY COMPREHENSIVE 130 PAGE REPORT THAT, UM, THE DONAHUE INSTITUTE DID. I THINK MY SENSE IS IN MANY WAYS, PROVINCETOWN WAS AT THE BEGINNING OF THAT JOURNEY AND WANTED TO DO A BASELINE ANALYSIS OF LIKE, WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE IN TERMS OF THE EXISTING HOUSING STOCK AND WHAT KIND OF DEMAND THERE IS OUT THERE. UM, THAT REPORT CAME OUT IN SEPTEMBER, 2024. UM, AND I THINK THEY'VE USED IT TO THEN MOVE INTO DISCUSSIONS OF, WELL, WHAT DO WE DO ABOUT THIS? AND THEY PRODUCE NOW AN ANNUAL REPORT ON WHAT THEY'VE ACTUALLY BEEN DOING IN THE LAST REPORT FOR 2025 CAME OUT JUST IN A COUPLE OF MONTHS AGO IN FEBRUARY, 2026. AND I WILL SAY, I MEAN, THEY'RE IN THE SAME SPOT WE'RE IN, WHICH IS LIKE THEY'RE REPORTING ON A LIST OF THINGS THAT THEY HAVE DONE AND A LIST OF THINGS THEY'VE BEEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH. AND IN MANY WAYS, A LOT OF THE, YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF SIMILAR, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR IDEAS IN TERMS OF GENERATING FUNDING FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING, MAKING THOSE INVESTMENTS. UM, THERE ARE SOME DIFFERENCES IN TERMS OF THE LEVERS THEY'VE PULLED. UM, BUT I THINK, I THINK THAT'S THE CONVERSATION WE'RE ALREADY IN, WHICH IS THE WORK PLANS THAT WE'VE BEEN, WE'VE BEEN BUILDING. UM, SO I THINK I, I FEEL A LITTLE MORE IN TERMS OF IF THERE'S DEBATES ABOUT WHETHER THE EXISTING WORK PLAN IS THE RIGHT WORK PLAN, THOSE ARE THE CONVERSATIONS WE SHOULD HAVE. UM, I DON'T KNOW IF A SIGNIFICANT STUDY THAT ARTICULATES WHAT WE ALREADY KNOW, THAT THERE IS SIGNIFICANT NEED IS GOING TO CHANGE THE DECISION TO THIS COUNCIL OR THE DIRECTION THAT WE'RE MOVING IN. UM, MADAM MAYOR, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, UM, IT'S, IT'S, IT'S FUNNY 'CAUSE I WAS ACTUALLY JUST IN PROVINCETOWN AND, UM, I WENT INTO THEIR TOWN HALL AND JUST KIND OF SCOPED IT OUT. IT'S BEAUTIFUL BUILDING. UM, I DIDN'T GET TO MEET WITH DAN RUBO, WHO'S THE ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER DOWN THERE. WE MISSED EACH OTHER, FORMER CAMBRIDGE EMPLOYEE. UM, BUT I DID TALK TO A FEW PEOPLE ABOUT SOME OF THE ISSUES THAT THEY'RE FACING. AND WE TALKED ABOUT DEVELOPMENT, AND IT'S JUST, IT'S, IT'S JUST INTERESTING BECAUSE WE DIDN'T TALK SPECIFICALLY ABOUT THIS, ABOUT THIS STUDY, BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY WENT THROUGH THIS STUDY, BUT THEY'RE STILL, WHATEVER THAT STUDY RECOMMENDS AND SAYS, THEY'RE STILL GOING THROUGH THE SAME THING WHERE PEOPLE ARE, THEY'RE UPSET THAT THERE ARE LARGER BUILDINGS THAT ARE GONNA, THAT THERE ARE SOME LARGER BUILDINGS BEING BUILT IN PROVINCETOWN THAT DON'T FIT INTO PROVINCETOWN'S TYPICAL SORT OF FOOTPRINT. UM, AND EVEN THOUGH THEY HAVE THIS STUDY, IT DOESN'T MAKE ANYBODY FEEL BETTER ABOUT HAVING A SIX STORY BUILDING BUILT NEXT TO THEM IF THAT WASN'T WHAT WAS THERE BEFORE. SO AGAIN, IT JUST COMES DOWN TO THE USEFULNESS. I MEAN, IF, IF YOU WE'RE GONNA DO THIS, WE'RE GONNA SPEND MONEY, WE'RE GONNA SPEND TIME, WE MIGHT DELAY OTHER THINGS. AND AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF SOMEONE'S STILL BUILDING A FOUR STORY BUILDING NEXT TO YOU, YOU'RE NOT GONNA SAY, OH, WELL THE STUDY SAID THAT IS WHAT WE NEEDED. SO THAT'S OKAY, BECAUSE YOU'RE NOT GONNA LIKE IT ANYWAY IF YOU DON'T LIKE IT, YOU KNOW? SO, I DON'T KNOW. MORE INFORMATION'S FINE. I, I DON'T KNOW AT THE END OF THE DAY HOW MUCH THIS IS GONNA HELP BRIDGE THE DIVIDE THAT WE SEEM TO HAVE IN THIS CONVERSATION. UM, BUT I'M HAPPY TO SUPPORT IT AND, AND HOPEFULLY, UH, I'LL BE WRONG. THANK YOU. WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL FLAHERTY THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. AND I'D JUST LIKE TO CONGRATULATE ALL MY COLLEAGUES FOR THIS VERY THOUGHTFUL CONVERSATION. AND, UM, VICE MAYOR COUNCIL MCGOVERN, THE CITY MANAGER, UM, THIS, THIS IS IN MY VIEW, REALLY IS A DISCUSSION ABOUT VALUES AND WHAT'S THE FUTURE OF THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UH, I MEAN, IT'S PROBABLY IMPORTANT TO ASSIMILATE ALL THE DATA THAT COUNCIL ZUBIE MENTIONED THAT WE ALREADY HAVE AT OUR FINGERTIPS. SO WE CAN HAVE A BASELINE FROM WHICH TO SAY, DO WE OR DO WE NOT NEED 12,500 ADDITIONAL UNITS BY 2030? AND IT'S IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND, I THINK THAT THIS STUDY, NOT ONLY SHOULD IT LOOK AT HOUSING NEEDS, NOT WANTS, BUT HOUSING NEEDS AND, AND DO AN OVERLAY OF WHAT THE IMPACT OF THAT IS ON THE CITY WITH WRIT LODGE, OUR SERVICES, OUR SCHOOLS, OUR UTILITIES, OUR WATER, OUR SEWER, ALL OF THAT. UH, SO THAT WE DO HAVE SOME SORT OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN. BUT I, I THINK THE POINT IS WELL MADE THAT, YOU KNOW, TALKING AS, UH, THE VICE MAYOR MENTIONED, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOTTA HAVE HUMILITY AND WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TWO BEDROOMS AND [03:50:01] THREE BEDROOMS AND FAMILIES, IN MY VIEW, AND IT MAY JUST BE ONLY MY VIEW IN THIS CONCEPT, IT MAY NOT BE EVERYONE ELSE'S, IN MY VIEW, TO HAVE A SUSTAINABLE CITY THAT'S THRIVING, THAT LASTS MANY GENERATIONS AFTER EVERYONE IN THIS CITY COUNCIL CHAMBER IS GONE. UH, I THINK WE NEED FAMILIES IN THE CITY. I MEAN, THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT A CITY IS. AND THAT'S A DISCUSSION OF VALUES. THAT'S NOT NECESSARILY A DISCUSSION ABOUT DATA AND STATISTICS AND RUNNING NUMBERS. AND, UH, TO THE EXTENT THAT MAYBE A STUDY LIKE THIS, WHICH I THINK IS GOOD AND I'LL VOTE FOR IT, UH, GETS US TO THAT POINT WHERE WE CAN DISCUSS REALLY, I THINK THE ANSWER THAT WE ALL NEED TO THINK ABOUT. THE, THE, THE QUESTION WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT IS WHAT'S THE FUTURE OF THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE? WHAT'S THE FUTURE OF THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE? AND, UH, IF WE CAN COME TO THAT AND, AND UNDERSTANDING THEN, UH, MAYBE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD. SO I YIELD THANK YOU VERY MUCH, COUNCILOR SIMMONS, TO THE CHAIR OF, TO THE COUNCIL, I CERTAINLY, OR TO THE MAKER, THE MA THE LEAD SPONSOR, AND CO MAKERS. THANK YOU FOR BRINGING THIS FORWARD. AS WE KNOW, HOUSING IS A NUMBER ONE PRIORITY TO, UH, US AS A POLICY MAKING BODY AND TO THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. UH, THERE'S NOTHING THAT HAS BEEN SAID THAT I WOULD NOT, UM, AGREE WITH. I, I THINK THE VICE MAYOR FOR HIS STATEMENTS IN ZUBIE FOR HER FOLLOW UP, YOU KNOW, KIND OF OUTLINING SOME OF THE THINGS THAT I WAS THINKING ABOUT 'CAUSE WELL, THE FIRST THING I CAME TO MIND WHEN I READ IT WAS WHAT IS IT THAT WE'RE TRYING, WHAT IS IT THAT YOU'RE TRYING TO FIGURE OUT? WHAT'S THE ANSWER? DO WE ALREADY HAVE THIS INFORMATION? AND I KNOW WE ARE NOT SHY ABOUT HIRING CONSULTANTS, AND I APPRECIATE THE THOUGHTFULNESS COUNCIL, UM, SUZY, THAT WE DON'T IMPACT OUR, UH, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HOUSING DIVISION. 'CAUSE THEY'RE ALREADY WORKING OVERTIME ALL THE TIME AND EVERY TIME TO FILL THE NEEDS IN THE POLICY INITIATIVES THAT WE ALREADY HAVE STARTED. AND I CLEARLY DON'T WANT ANYTHING TAKEN AWAY FROM THIS. UH, SO THIS IS WHAT I'M GONNA SUGGEST. I WOULD, I WISH WOULD'VE PREFERRED THAT THIS HAD GONE TO THE HOUSING COMMITTEE. I'M NOT THE CHAIR. I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S SOMETHING THAT CHAIRS WOULD WANNA TAKE UP, BUT I WOULD LIKE TO OFFER THEM THE OPPORTUNITY TO AT LEAST TALK WITH THE LEAD SPONSOR ABOUT THIS. MAYBE GET US SOMETHING THAT TAKES INTO CONSIDERATION WHAT, UM, MY COLLEAGUES HAVE ALREADY SAID. BECAUSE YOU CAN, WE, YOU CAN HEAR THAT THERE IS A DESIRE TO SUPPORT A STUDY, BUT THERE'S A HESITANCY AS WELL THAT WE COULD FLESH SOME OF THAT OUT. I WOULD HOPE THAT, UM, THE LEAD SPONSOR MIGHT CONSIDER SENDING THIS TO THE HOUSING COMMITTEE FOR, TO BE FLESHED OUT A LITTLE BIT MORE BASED ON EVEN WHAT JUST THE CITY MANAGER HAS SAID. BECAUSE AT THE END OF THE DAY, EVEN IF YOU HIRE OUTSIDE CONSULTANT WITH THE OUTSIDE CONSULTANT, IN MY THINKING, IT'S GONNA HAVE TO COME TO THE HOUSING DIVISION AND MAYBE EVEN TO THE TRUST. SO WITH THAT IN MIND, I'M GONNA EXERCISE MY CHARTER, RIGHT, COUNSELOR SIMMONS EXERCISES HER CHARTER, RIGHT. SO, UH, WE WILL MOVE ON TO THE CALENDAR, AN UNFINISHED BUSINESS. WE HAVE A CHARTER [CHARTER RIGHT] RATE FOR THE POLICY ORDER SAYING THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO DIRECT THE CAMBRIDGE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND ANY OTHER RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS TO HALT ANY FURTHER DESIGN, ENGINEERING, PROCUREMENT, OR CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITIES RELATED TO IMPLEMENTING A RECON RECONFIGURATION OF GARDEN STREET TO RESTORE TWO-WAY MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC. UM, BEFORE I GO TO COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY AS THE MEMBER, UH, WHO EXERCISES CHARTER RIGHT ON THIS, I WANNA JUST SAY A FEW, UH, WORDS. UH, I WANNA KIND OF ACKNOWLEDGE THE FRUSTRATION, UM, THAT PEOPLE HAVE FELT, UM, IN THE ROOM AND PROBABLY, UM, THOSE WATCHING FROM HOME, UM, AND WHAT THEY'RE FEELING. UM, UM, I I SHARE THE FRUSTRATION. UH, I I THINK OVERALL THE ABILITY TO MOVE AROUND SAFELY AND FAIRLY IS A REALLY IMPORTANT TOPIC. AND MAKING POLICY DECISIONS THAT SATISFY ALL DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVE IS, IS NOT ALWAYS EASY. AS WE TALK AND CONTINUE THIS DISCUSSION, I WANNA JUST ASK MY COLLEAGUES AND MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC TO REALLY JUST RESPECT EACH OTHER'S PERSPECTIVES. UM, AS A BODY, WE, WE REPRESENT THE FULL COMMUNITY. UH, AND THAT MEANS AS INDIVIDUAL COUNSELORS, SOMETIMES WE'RE GOING TO HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS ON WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US. UH, AND WE'RE GOING TO LOOK AT THE SAME SET OF FACTS AND COME TO DIFFERENT CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE RIGHT COURSES OF ACTION. AND THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANYONE'S VIEWS INVALID. UM, AND I WANNA JUST SAY THAT THERE ARE ALSO DIFFERENT [03:55:01] WAYS TO THINK ABOUT PRECEDENT HERE. SOME WOULD SAY, AND HAVE SAID, REVISITING THIS DECISION SETS THE PRECEDENT OF REVERSING A PRIOR COUNCIL VOTE. OTHERS HAVE SAID THAT LAST YEAR'S VOTE ITSELF REFERS CITY LED PROCESS THAT INCLUDED COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. SO I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO ACKNOWLEDGE BOTH THOSE REALITIES. SO WITH THAT, I'LL PASS IT TO COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY WHO EXERCISED HIS CHARTER. RIGHT? THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. AS EVERYONE KNOWS, I EXERCISED MY CHARTER RIGHT TWO WEEKS AGO, AND ONE OF THE REASONS I DID IT FOR MANY REASONS, BUT I DID IT AS, UH, THE MAYOR MENTIONED BECAUSE I FELT AS THOUGH THAT THE REVERSAL OF A DECISION THAT WAS MADE LAST TERM IN MY VIEW WAS BAD PUBLIC POLICY. IT'S SOMETHING THAT WAS, UH, HOTLY DEBATED AND CONTESTED AND, UM, I WASN'T A MEMBER OF THE BODY THAT VOTED ON IT, BUT I RESPECT THAT VOTE. AND, UH, RACE JUDICATE, AS I MENTIONED, IS A LEGAL PRINCIPLE THAT IS A, UH, IT'S LATIN FOR THE TERM, A MATTER OF JUDGE. ONCE SOMETHING HAS BEEN, UH, DECIDED IT SHOULDN'T BE RE RELI RE-LITIGATING FOR A NUMBER OF REASONS. AND I WENT THROUGH THAT. I WON'T TALK ABOUT THAT NOW. BUT, UH, MORE IMPORTANTLY, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY I, UH, EXERCISED MY CHARTER RIGHT IS BECAUSE IT BECAME ABUNDANTLY CLEAR TO ME AS I SAT HERE ON THAT MONDAY NIGHT THAT WERE I NOT A MEMBER OF THE CITY COUNCIL, I'D HAVE NO IDEA THAT THIS POLICY AUDIT WAS BEING, UH, VOTED ON THAT MONDAY NIGHT. I JUST WOULDN'T, YOU KNOW, WE'VE ALL GOT BUSY PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL OBLIGATIONS IN OUR LIVES, AND WE DON'T OFTEN, AT LEAST I DON'T, UH, PAY, UM, PARTICULAR DETAILED ATTENTION TO EVERYTHING THAT HAPPENS IN CIVIC LIFE, UH, BECAUSE OF THOSE OBLIGATIONS. AND SO, UM, I EXERCISE MY CHARTER, RIGHT? AND IN, IN THE INTER INTERVENING, UM, DAYS SINCE THEN, UM, I'VE DONE SOME OUTREACH MYSELF IN THE GARDEN STREET NEIGHBORHOOD TO TRY AND DETERMINE, UM, IF PEOPLE KNEW ABOUT IT, DID THEY HAVE AN OPINION? WOULD THEY SHARE, SHARE IT WITH ME. AND LAST WEEKEND, UM, I DROPPED, I DON'T KNOW, SOMETHING LIKE 650 FLYERS AROUND THAT NEIGHBORHOOD AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HURON, RAYMOND UPLAND, WALKER BARN, ROBINSON BELLEVUE, UM, UH, MADISON, ALL THE STREETS IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I KNOCKED ON, I DON'T KNOW HOW MANY DOORS, AND I THINK I GOT, I THINK THE NUMBERS ARE 258 PEOPLE SPOKE TO ME, MAYBE 75% PREFERRED THE TWO WAY TRAFFIC. THESE ARE PEOPLE THAT LIVED IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. I ALSO HAD SORT OF LIKE A QA SURVEY AND I, IT WAS MORE LIKE, UH, THE PEOPLE THAT RESPONDED ON THE SURVEY WERE MORE 90% IN FAVOR OF, UH, UH, TWO-WAY, UM, TRAFFIC ON GARDEN STREET. BUT, UM, I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY IMPORTANT, UM, FOR ME PERSONALLY AND FOR THIS BODY TO ENGAGE WITH THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD THAT ARE MOST DIRECTLY IMPACTED BY, UH, THESE DESIGN CONFIGURATIONS. AND I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY, VERY IMPORTANT. I STILL BELIEVE, I FIRMLY BELIEVE IT'S CRITICALLY IMPORTANT NO MATTER WHAT YOUR OPINION IS ON GARDEN STREET, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, THAT WE ENGAGE WITH THE RESIDENTS WHO LIVE THERE. AND, YOU KNOW, I, I LISTENED TO EVERYONE HERE AND I FULLY RESPECT THEIR OPINIONS. AND, UH, I LIVED AT THE BOTTOM OF GARDEN AND CAR FOR 10 YEARS. I KNOW THIS AREA VERY, VERY WELL. AND AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, I'VE LIVED IN CAMBRIDGE MY ENTIRE LIFE AND RODE A BIKE UP AND DOWN GARDEN STREET FOR MANY YEARS. PLAYING BASEBALL AT THE OLD DIAMOND ON CAMBRIDGE, CARMEN, AND GARDEN STREET, OBVIOUSLY IS KARMA AND MORE PLEASANT NOW THAN IT HAS BEEN IN THE PAST. BUT IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT GARDEN STREET, IT'S ABOUT THE STREET NETWORK. UH, AND IT'S ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE IN THAT SURROUNDING AREA, UH, AND THE TRAFFIC AND THE CUT THROUGH AND MOST IMPORTANTLY AND, UH, THE PARAMOUNT, UH, CONCERN AND ALL OF THIS HAS TO BE SAFETY. SO, UM, THAT'S THE REASON WHY I EXERCISED, UH, MY CHARTER, RIGHT. AND I'M GLAD THAT WE'VE HAD THE ENGAGEMENT AND I'M GLAD I'VE LEARNED SO MUCH THAT I'VE LEARNED ABOUT SOME OF THE, UH, THE FOLKS THAT LIVE ON THOSE STREETS AND SPOKE HERE TONIGHT. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT DIDN'T SPEAK HERE TONIGHT, HOW THEY FELT ABOUT IT. AND THEY'VE GOT OBLIGATIONS IN THEIR LIFE THAT PREVENT THEM FROM BEING HERE TODAY. UM, SO I WILL, I, I WILL YIELD AND I'LL LET EVERYBODY ELSE SPEAK THEIR PEACE. BUT THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR ZUBIE, COUNCILOR NOLAN AND COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. I, I KNOW LAST TIME THIS WAS ON THE FLOOR, WE HEARD FROM THE CITY MANAGER AND COMMISSIONER MCKENNA ABOUT THE SUPPORT OF MAINTAINING A ONE-WAY STREET. [04:00:01] I PUT THIS ON THE FLOOR WITH MY COLLEAGUE FOR MULTIPLE REASONS, SO I'LL GO AHEAD AND NAME A FEW. FIRST, I DON'T BELIEVE A RETURN TO GARDEN STREET TO TWO-WAY ADDRESSES THE REASONABLE CONCERNS THAT PEOPLE HAVE AROUND TRAFFIC AND SAFETY, TRAFFIC AND SAFETY LIKE ON RAYMOND STREET FOR EXAMPLE. SO I THINK WE DO NEED TO ADDRESS THOSE WITH INTENTION AND THAT'S PART OF WHAT THIS POLICY ORDER ASKS FOR. SECOND, IT WOULD PLACE US IN A TOUGHER SITUATION FROM A LOADING ZONE PERSPECTIVE, BOTH LOGISTICALLY AND FINANCIALLY. THIRD, THE CITY'S ANALYSIS DOES NOT SUPPORT A RETURN TO TWO-WAY OPERATION. IN FACT, IT INDICATED THAT CONVERTING GARDEN STREET BACK TO TWO-WAY OPERATION WOULD LIKELY INCREASE CONGEST CONGESTION AND DELAY AT KEY INTERSECTIONS AND REDUCE SAFETY FOR PEOPLE WALKING AND BIKING WITHOUT NECESSARILY DELIVERING THOSE MEANINGFUL REDUCTIONS IN NEIGHBORHOOD CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC. AND FOURTH, I WORRY ABOUT GOING THROUGH ANOTHER RECONFIGURATION THAT WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT COST AND WOULD FURTHER CONFUSE RESIDENTS ABOUT ROAD DIRECTION THAT COULD LEAD TO MORE HARM. ANY RECONFIGURATION REQUIRES ADJUSTING AND THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE REALLY NEED TO CONSIDER HERE TO COUNCILOR FLAHERTY'S POINT ON THIS BEING BAD PUBLIC POLICY. TO REVISIT THIS, I'M GONNA HAVE TO RESPECTFULLY DISAGREE BECAUSE FROM MY UNDERSTANDING TO AN EXTENT WE'RE REVISITING THE MULTI-FAMILY ZONING ORDINANCE, I BELIEVE WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO RE-EXPLORE ANY WORK THAT WE'VE PASSED THAT WARRANTS A NECESSARY CONVERSATION. AND I BELIEVE THIS IS ONE OF THEM. AT THE END OF THE DAY, I KNOW IT CAN FEEL LIKE AN ETERNITY SITTING AND NAVIGATING TRAFFIC WHEN FOLKS ARE TIRED AND EXHAUSTED FROM A LONG DAY AT WORK. AND WE GOTTA WORK ON WAYS TO ADDRESS THAT. I DO THINK A RETURN TO TWO-WAY OPERATION WOULD RISK UNDERMINING THOSE SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS WHILE NOT NECESSARILY RESOLVING THE UNDERLYING NEIGHBORHOOD TRAFFIC CONCERNS. SO IN OTHER WORDS, WE COULD BE BACK HERE WITH THE SAME CONCERNS WITH A RECONFIGURATION. SO THIS IS WHY THE POLICY COURT POLICY ORDER CALLS ON THE CITY MANAGER AND THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION TO ADDRESS RESIDENTS CONCERNS AROUND TRAFFIC CALMING APPROPRIATELY. I WOULD WELCOME CO-SPONSORSHIP ON THE FLOOR AND I'LL YIELD COUNCILOR NOLAN, COUNCILOR MARIA WHEELER AND THEN COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. THANKS. UM, THIS IS A TOUGH ONE, . I KNOW WE SPENT A LOT OF TIME ON IT AND IT'S REALLY CLEAR THE COMMUNITY IS VERY SPLIT. THERE'S NOT A CONSENSUS AND I'M REALLY GRATEFUL, UM, THAT COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY, YOU WENT OUT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND GOT ALL THAT INFORMATION THAT I DID NOT DO AS EXTENSIVE A WORK. HOWEVER, I DID WALK THE NEIGHBORHOOD. I ASKED FOLKS, I DID SPEAK WITH PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND OVERWHELMINGLY MORE PEOPLE THERE WANTED TO RESTORE TWO-WAY TRAFFIC THAN WANTED THE ONE WAY. AND MOST OF THEM HAD NOT WRITTEN TO COUNCIL AND HAD NOT SHOWED UP AT A MEETING. EVEN WHEN I ASKED THEM AND BEGGED THEM, THEY JUST FELT WHY BOTHER THE CITY DOESN'T LISTEN. THE VERY FACT THAT THIS IS BEING RECONSIDERED SAYS TO ME IT'S NOT GONNA MATTER. AND THESE ARE, UH, MOSTLY THE, UM, A LOT OF THEM ARE WORKING CLASS, UH, CANTE BRIDGES WHO HAVE BEEN HERE FOR A LONG TIME AND HAVE LIVED FIRSTHAND WITH THE, SOME OF THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS. AND THAT TRACKS WITH THE EMAILS WE'VE RECEIVED HAVE INCLUDED MANY WHO ARE SHOCKED TO HEAR THE COUNCILS EVEN CONSIDERING NOT HONORING THE VOTE TO REVERT TO TWO WAY. UM, SO WHEN THE CITY FIRST EXPLORED GARDEN STREET CHANGES AND ENDED UP TAKING AWAY A TRAVEL LINE LANE, MANY RESIDENTS DID NOT REALIZE SUCH CHANGES WERE BEING CONSIDERED COUNTER TO WHAT SOME HAVE STATED. WE DID A GOOD JOB OF TRYING, BUT IT WAS TRUE. AND I WAS AT SOME OF THOSE MEETINGS, THERE WAS, IT WAS REALLY CLEAR PALPABLE IN THE ROOM AND THE CITY STAFF BORE THE BRUNT OF IT TO SAY WE DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT THIS. I THINK WE'VE LEARNED SINCE THEN TO DO PUBLIC OUTREACH, UH, MUCH BETTER AND CERTAINLY AS THEN COUNCILLOR AISHA WILSON WHO LIVED THERE NOTED THAT. AND IT'S ONE OF THE REASONS SHE GOT INVOLVED AND TRIED TO FIGURE OUT WHETHER THIS MADE SENSE. AND SINCE THE ONE WAY HAS BEEN IN PLACE, MANY RESIDENTS HAVE BEEN LIVING WITH THE ADVERSE IMPACTS AND WANT TO REVERT TO TWO WAY, WHICH IS WHY THIS ISSUE WAS CONSIDERED AND VOTED LAST YEAR. IT WASN'T TO OVERTURN OR TO DO NEFARIOUS OR TO PRIORITIZE ONE OR TWO UH, PRIVILEGED PEOPLE. IT WAS REALLY TO SAY, HEY, WE'RE HEARING A LOT OF INFORMATION THAT WE DIDN'T KNOW AT THE TIME WE INSTALLED QUICK BUILD SO WE CAN MAKE A JUDGEMENTS IF APPROPRIATE. AND IMPORTANTLY, FOR ALL OF US CONCERNED ABOUT SAFETY TWO-WAY CAR TRAVEL WITH BIDIRECTIONAL BIKE LANES IS SAFE, WE HAVE THE BIDIRECTIONAL BIKE LANE ON BRATTLE, WHICH WORKS WELL. AND OF COURSE SOME PEOPLE MOSTLY THOSE ON AND NEAR GARDEN OR PEOPLE WHO USE IT LIKE THEIR QUIETER STREET, THAT MAKES SENSE. BUT GARDEN STREET IS A PUBLIC WAY AND THE ENTIRE CITY'S IMPACT SHOULD BE CONSIDERED. AND EVEN WE, IF WE REVERT TO TWO WAY, IT DOESN'T MEAN WE SHOULDN'T ALSO DO THE TRAFFIC CALMING ON STREETS. OVERALL, THE PROPOSED CHANGE DOES INCLUDE TWO-WAY PROTECTED BIKE LANES. MANY PEOPLE I TALKED TO WHEN I EXPLAINED WHY I AM FINE WITH IT AS A CYCLIST WHO USES THAT ROUTE A LOT ACTUALLY, [04:05:01] THEY DIDN'T UNDERSTAND THAT IT WAS ACTUALLY GONNA CONTINUE WITH PROTECTED TWO-WAY BIKE LANES. AND WHEN THAT WAS EXPLAINED THEY SAID, WELL THEN FINE, EITHER PLAN IS FINE AND NOTE WITH A PROTECTED BIKE LANE THERE WON'T BE CARS OR TRUCKS STOPPING IN THE BIKE LANE COUNTER TO THE FEARS. SO IT'S IMPORTANT FOR US TO RECOGNIZE THAT AND LET FOLKS KNOW WHO ARE AFRAID OF THAT, THAT THAT'S NOT GONNA BE A SAFETY ISSUE. NOW FOR SOME, A BIDIRECTIONAL LANE IS NOT INTUITIVE, BUT NEITHER IS A CONTRAFLOW BIKE LANE. AT LEAST HAVING BOTH BIKES AND CARS IN BOTH DIRECTIONS WOULD SIGNAL TO DRIVERS AND CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS TO LOOK BOTH WAYS AT ALL TIMES. ANOTHER KEY SAFETY ELEMENT TO CONSIDER BY RESTORING TWO-WAY CAR TRAVEL AND HAVING A BI-DIRECTIONAL BIKE LANE ON JUST ONE SIDE OF THE STREET, THE NUMBER OF INTERSECTIONS WHERE CARS CROSS A BIKE LANE WOULD BE CUT IN HALF UNDER THE DESIGN THAT FOR TWO-WAY CAR AND BIKE TRAVEL CARS COMING FROM LINEAN, SHEPHERD WALKER OR ROBINSON GRAY GARDENS WILL NO LONGER HAVE TO CROSS A BIKE LANE. THAT DOES MEAN THERE WOULD BE MORE TRAFFIC ON THE OTHER SIDE. SO I'M NOT SUGGESTING IT'S JUST A HUNDRED PERCENT ONE WAY, BUT IT ALSO IS DEMONSTRABLY TRUE. THERE WOULD LITERALLY BE THE HALF THE NUMBER OF INTERSECTIONS WHERE ACRO A CAR CROSSES A BIKE LANE, WHICH IS IMPORTANT 'CAUSE WE KNOW INTERSECTIONS ARE WHERE MOST ACCIDENTS HAPPEN, AND THE BIKE LANE, AT LEAST NOW WITH THOSE INTERSECTIONS, IS CONTRAFLOW, WHICH IS NOT INTUITIVE. THE DATA ON ONE WAY VERSUS TWO WAY SPEED IS MIXED ONE WAY. TRAVEL, ESPECIALLY WITH A WIDER LANE, WHICH IS THE CASE NOW ON GARDEN BETWEEN LINEAN AND HURON, TENDS TO ALLOW OR ENCOURAGE FASTER SPEEDS THAN A TWO WAY STREET WITH NARROW LANES OF TRAVEL, WHICH I SEE WHEN I BIKE THERE, AS I DID TODAY. AND THERE WAS DEFINITELY SPEEDING ALONG THAT AIR THAT, UH, SECTION. AS FOR THE SECTION FROM LINEAN TO CHAUNCEY, WHEN THERE'S TWO-WAY TRAVEL ON A NARROW STREET, CAR SPEED IS NOT HIGHER THAN SINGLE SPEED AND MIGHT BE LOWER. SO WHEN THE VOTE WAS TAKEN TO RESTORE TWO-WAY, A MAJOR CONCERN WAS A LACK OF A DELIVERY LOADING ZONE. THANKS TO COUNCILORS WILSON TONER AND SUZY, THAT ISSUE HAS BEEN ADDRESSED. A SOLUTION FOUND NOT PERFECT, DEFINITELY NOT PERFECT, BUT THE CITY WASN'T SURE IT WAS POSSIBLE TO BEGIN WITH, AND THEN WORKED CLOSELY WITH HARVARD AND FOUND A FIX. AND IT'S A POSITIVE CHANGE FROM WHAT WAS THOUGHT POSSIBLE. I ALSO SAY I AGREE, WE SHOULD BE FISCALLY RESPONSIBLE. $250,000 FOR THIS CHANGE IS MONEY. IT'S WELL WORTH IT IF IT HELPS THE CITY AS A WHOLE, WHICH I BELIEVE IT DOES. AND IT'S ESPECIALLY INTERESTING THAT NOBODY SAYING WE SHOULDN'T SPEND THIS 250,000 IS SAYING ANYTHING AT ALL ABOUT THE TENS OF MILLIONS OF DOLLARS WE'RE SPENDING INSTALLING BIKE LANES IN THE REST OF THE CITY SPENDING, WHICH I FULLY SUPPORT. SO I'M NOT SAYING WE SHOULDN'T DO THAT, BUT I DO THINK THE CONTRAST SHOULD BE SOMETHING WE MIGHT WANNA CONSIDER. AND THOSE OF US WHO SUPPORT THE TWO-WAY TRAFFIC, NO, IT WON'T FIX CONGESTION. HOWEVER, IT WILL BY DEFINITION SPREAD TRAFFIC OUT MORE. THE IMPACT OF GARDEN STREET, TAKING AWAY A MAJOR ROUTE OUTTA THE CITY FROM HARVARD SQUARE TO NORTH, LED US EVENTUALLY TO INSTALLING TURN RESTRICTION ON LINEAN AND ON BRATTLE THAT SHOWS THE IMPACT IS NEIGHBORHOOD WIDE, NOT JUST ON RAYMOND. THE BACKUP ON HERE ON IN CONCORD WHERE I LIVE AND SEE DAILY IS EVIDENCE HOW THE TRAFFIC IMPACT FLOWS OVER INTO A WIDE AREA. I CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THIS COUNCIL IS DIFFERENT, AND YET I STILL COME BACK TO UNDOING THIS VOTE SHOULD ONLY BE DONE FOR GOOD REASON. AND I DON'T SEE ANY GOOD REASON OR NEW INFORMATION HERE. THE NEW INFORMATION, LIKE THE LOADING ZONE, IS ACTUALLY POSITIVE. UM, WE SHOULD REMAIN FOCUSED ON THE MORE DANGEROUS PARTS OF TRAVEL BY BIKE, THE PART OF GARDEN STREET BEYOND HURON WITH NO BIKE LANE. AND I HOPE WE VOTE NOT TO REVERSE OUR VOTE AND INSTEAD GET TO WORK ON ISSUES OF CONSEQUENCE ENFORCEMENT, PUBLIC EDUCATION, MANAGING E SCOOTERS, OTHER MICRO MOBILITY, RED LIGHT TRAFFIC, CAMERA ENFORCEMENT. THOSE ARE ALL REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUES FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD. SO I, UM, UNDERSTAND THAT THE, UM, AND I AGREE WITH MAYOR SIDIKI, CERTAINLY THE, UH, PUTTING THIS POLICY ORDER FORWARD IS IN THE, FROM THE BEST INTENTION FROM THE, UH, COUNSELORS WHO DID IT. BUT I WILL NOT SUPPORT IT BECAUSE I BELIEVE THE COMPROMISE THAT WAS FASHIONED LAST YEAR AND IT IS A COMPROMISE IS BEST FOR THE WHOLE CITY. I HAVE A FEW PEOPLE I HAVE, UH, COUNCILOR ENA WHEELER, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, VICE COUNCILOR ZI. THANKS MADAM MAYOR. I'LL, UH, TRY TO BE BRIEF. I WILL BE SUPPORTING THE POLICY ORDER BEFORE US TONIGHT. I THINK, UH, UH, A LOT ABOUT HOW, NOT JUST IN THIS, BUT IN, I THINK EVERY DECISION THE CITY MAKES, THERE ARE RARELY CHANGES THAT MAKE EVERY SINGLE PERSON HAPPY. UH, WE REACH THE CURRENT DESIGN AFTER PAINSTAKING WORK BY CITY STAFF, HOURS AND HOURS OF COMMUNITY MEETINGS, THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS OF WORK AND LABOR TO GET TO THE CURRENT ONE-WAY DESIGN. AND I ACTUALLY AGREE WITH COUNCILOR FLAHERTY THAT WE SHOULDN'T RELITIGATE THAT PROCESS. THAT'S WHY I DON'T THINK THE COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE TRIED TO OVERTURN ALL THE WORK THAT WENT INTO THAT PROCESS ON A NARROW FIVE TO FOUR VOTE, VOTE LAST TERM. SO MUCH OF THE FRUSTRATION ABOUT CITY STREETS COMES FROM CONSTRUCTION AND, [04:10:01] AND CHANGE. I THINK ABOUT RIVER STREETS RIGHT NOW WHERE I'VE HEARD FROM COUNTLESS RESIDENTS VIA EMAIL AND PERSON TEXT, UH, YOU KNOW, EXPRESSING FRUSTRATION. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE CHANGE IN THE DESIGN, IT'S ABOUT THE, JUST THE CONSTRUCTION AND THE, THE FACT OF HAVING TO NAVIGATE THAT AND, AND DEAL WITH THAT OR, UM, OR ABOUT HAMRE STREET WHEN WE REDID THAT STREET. AND, BUT IN PROTECTED BY LANES, THERE WAS A LOT OF, UH, FRUS FRUSTRATION AND CONFUSION AND UPSET ABOUT, UH, THE CHANGE. WHAT, WHAT THOSE THINGS BOTH HAVE IN COMMON IS THAT THE FRUSTRATION IS ABOUT THE, THE DESIGN CHANGE. IT'S NOT ABOUT THE THE NEW PATTERN. IT IS ABOUT RIPPING UP THE STREETS, PUTTING IN A NEW THING, FORCING PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH THAT CONSTRUCTION, FORCING PEOPLE TO, TO DEAL WITH A NEW, NEW PATTERN OF TRAFFIC FINISHED HAMRE STREET. NOW, IT'S NOT THAT THE IMPACTS OF THAT HAVE GONE AWAY. IT'S NOT THAT EVERY SINGLE PERSON LOVES HAMPSHIRE STREET. THE REASON WE DON'T HEAR PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, UP IN ARMS ABOUT HAM STREET ALL THE TIME IS THAT FOLKS HAVE, HAVE GOTTEN USED TO IT. FOLKS HAVE ADAPTED TO THE NEW PATTERN. FOLKS HAVE ADAPTED AND AND GOTTEN USED TO THE NEW PATTERN OF, OF GARDEN STREET. THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT'S HAPPY FOR EVERY SINGLE PERSON, BUT RIPPING IT UP, SPENDING ANOTHER QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS, FORCING PEOPLE TO DEAL WITH MORE CONSTRUCTION, PUTTING MORE CITY STAFF ON THE STREETS ISN'T ISN'T GONNA SOLVE THE ISSUES HERE. THERE'S JUST THINGS THAT NOT EVERYONE AGREES ON THE SINGLE, UH, PIECE OF IT, BUT IT IS THE BEST DESIGN. AND WE HAVE TO ACCEPT THAT TRANSPORTATION STAFF HAVE SAID ALL ALONG THAT THE CURRENT, CURRENT DESIGN OF GARDEN STREET IS THE SAFEST FOR EVERYONE. IT'S THE SAFEST FOR PEDESTRIANS. IT'S THE SAFEST FOR CYCLISTS. IT'S THE SAFEST FOR DRIVERS. WE'VE HEARD THAT OVER AND OVER AGAIN FROM RESIDENTS TONIGHT, INCLUDING FOLKS WHO'VE LIVED ON THE STREET FOR DECADES OF HOW DANGEROUS IT WAS PREVIOUSLY AND HOW THEY FEEL SAFER WITH THE CURRENT DESIGN. AND IN ADDITION TO, TO BEING THE SAFEST STREET, IT ALSO SAVES THE MOST AMOUNT OF PARKING. THIS IS A, A CASE WHERE THE PEOPLE WANTING TO PRESERVE PARKING AND THE PEOPLE WANTING THE SAFEST STREET ARE IN AGREEMENT THAT THE CURRENT DESIGN DOES BOTH OF THOSE THINGS. AND THAT'S WHY WE HAVE SEEN SUCH A DIVERSITY OF RESIDENTS IN TERMS OF AGE, IN TERMS OF FAMILY STATUS COME OUT TONIGHT AND SAY THAT THEY'RE IN FAVOR OF THE CURRENT DESIGN, WHICH WE DON'T ALWAYS SEE IN STREET CHANGES. THIS BROAD SWATH OF CAMBRIDGE AGREEING, UH, THAT THE CURRENT DESIGN IS BEST. IT ALSO SAVED THE CITY A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF MONEY AT A TIME WHEN THE BUDGET IS TIGHT. WE HAVE A CHOICE OF THE NIGHT TO SPEND A QUARTER OF A MILLION DOLLARS RIPPING UP THE STREET AND PUTTING A BUNCH OF NEW CONSTRUCTION. OR WE CAN SAY, YOU KNOW WHAT? OUR BUDGET IS REALLY TIGHT. THIS IS THE SAFEST DESIGN. THIS IS THE ONE THAT SO MANY RESIDENTS AGREE WITH. WE CAN, WE CAN KEEP IT THE WAY IT IS. SO RATHER THAN RIPPING UP THE STREET AND SPENDING ANOTHER $250,000, LET'S PASS THIS POLICY ORDER TONIGHT TO RESPECT THE COMMUNITY PROCESS AND WORK OF CITY STAFF THAT LED TO THE CURRENT DESIGN. I YIELD BACK, COUNCILOR GOVERN, AND THEN THE VICE MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR, UH, THROUGH YOU. UM, JUST A COUPLE QUESTIONS AND THEN COMMENT. UM, TO, UM, MS. MCKENNA, UM, WE, WE HAD PASSED A POLICY ORDER. I MEAN, I THINK IT WAS IN THAT POLICY ORDER THAT REVERTED TO GO BACK TO TWO-WAY ABOUT TRAFFIC CALMING AND SPEED CALMING ON THE SIDE STREETS, WHICH HASN'T HAPPENED. UM, I GUESS DID IT, HAS THAT, DID THAT NOT HAPPEN BECAUSE IT WAS GONNA BE TIED INTO THE SAME PROJECT OF GOING BACK TO TWO A? UM, BECAUSE I DO THINK, YOU KNOW, I CONTINUE TO SUPPORT THAT WE SHOULD, YOU KNOW, WE, WE SHOULD BE TRYING TO SLOW TRAFFIC DOWN ON, ON, ON THOSE SIDE STREETS, RIGHT? REGARDLESS OF WHERE WE END UP, YOU KNOW, WHERE THE VOTE ENDS UP TONIGHT. SO WHY DIDN'T, WHY DIDN'T WE GO FORWARD WITH THAT? AND IS THE PLAN TO STILL GO FORWARD WITH THAT REGARDLESS OF HOW THIS, THIS PARTICULAR VOTE ON GARDEN STREET COMES OUT THROUGH YOU, MADAM MAYOR? UM, YES, WE HAVE, UM, SPEED HUMPS FOR RAYMOND STREET IN, IN PARTICULAR ON OUR LIST FOR THIS SUMMER. UM, WE JUST STARTED THE, THE PILOT OF THE SPEED HUMP PROGRAM LAST SUMMER, AND IT DIDN'T MAKE IT ONTO THAT FIRST CUT OF, UM, LOCATIONS. BUT WE ARE PLANNING TO DO AT LEAST TWO SPEED HUMPS ALONG RAYMOND STREET, AS WELL AS SOME OTHER, UM, SOME OTHER INTERVENTIONS LIKE, UM, UH, SPEED FEEDBACK SIGNS, UM, AND SOME DAY LIGHTING AS WELL. AND I THINK THAT AS OTHER, UM, SIDE STREET LOCATIONS ARE IDENTIFIED, I THINK RAYMOND IS THE ONE THAT WE HAVE HEARD MOST ABOUT SO FAR. BUT WE CAN CERTAINLY LOOK AT OTHER LOCATIONS AS WELL. OKAY, THANK YOU. AND THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR, UM, YOU KNOW, I MEAN THERE'S, AGAIN, THERE'S PLUSES AND MINUSES TO ALL OF THIS, RIGHT? SO IF WE'RE GONNA PUT SPEED CALMING AND TRYING TO SLOW PEOPLE DOWN, AND THAT MEANS YOU MIGHT SEE SOME MORE TRAFFIC ON, ON, ON YOUR STREET, RIGHT? SO, I MEAN, I'D RATHER SLOW PEOPLE DOWN AND DEAL WITH THE TRAFFIC THAN HAVE PEOPLE SPEEDING. UM, A LITTLE PLUG ON, IF YOU'RE PUTTING UP SPEED LIMIT SIGNS, UM, I, [04:15:01] I REALLY LOVE THOSE SIGNS THAT ARE THE DIGITAL, THIS IS HOW FAST YOU'RE GOING. I MEAN, 'CAUSE SOMETIMES, YOU KNOW, YOU SEE SO MANY SIGNS THAT YOU JUST KIND OF GO BY 'EM SOMETIMES. AND, BUT WHEN YOU SEE SOMETHING THAT SAYS SPEED LIMIT 20 MILES AN HOUR, YOU'RE GOING 28 MILES AN HOUR, THAT'S LIKE, OH DAMN. LIKE I, YOU KNOW, SO I'D LIKE THOSE, YOU KNOW, MORE OF THOSE AROUND THE CITY. BUT, UM, CERTAINLY TO CONSIDER THOSE ON, ON IN THIS INSTANCE. UM, AND THEY'RE, THERE WAS OBVIOUSLY, I MEAN, I, I DON'T DOUBT NOBODY DOUBTS THAT THERE'S BEEN AN INCREASE IN IN CAR USAGE OR, YOU KNOW, UM, ON THESE SIDE ON, ON THE SIDE STREETS. BUT DO WE HAVE ANY SENSE OF, LIKE, I DON'T EVEN KNOW IF WE HAVE THIS INFORMATION OR HOW YOU WOULD GET IT, BUT IS IT OUT OF LINE WITH WHAT WE KIND OF SEE ON A LOT OF STREETS IN, IN CAMBRIDGE? I MEAN, OBVIOUSLY IF YOU GO, IF YOU HAVE, IF YOU'RE USED TO A HUNDRED CARS COMING DOWN YOUR STREET AND THEN YOU HAVE 200 CARS COMING DOWN YOUR STREET, YOU CAN LOOK AT THAT AND SAY, THAT'S A HUNDRED PERCENT INCREASE. BUT 200 CARS COMING DOWN A CITY, A A A CUT THROUGH STREET IS REALLY NOT A LOT OF CARS AT AT IN THE SCHEME OF THINGS. SO DO WE KNOW, LIKE, IS IT, IS IT REALLY, IT'S AN INCREASE, BUT IS IT AN INCREASE THAT HAS MADE THAT STREET KIND OF OUTTA WHACK WITH WHAT IS SORT OF WHAT WE WOULD EXPECT THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR? UM, FIRST WE ARE LOOKING AT THOSE ELECTRONIC SPEED FEEDBACK SIGNS THAT YOU MENTIONED. UM, SO WHAT I WOULD SAY IS WHEN WE DID THIS ANALYSIS BEFORE THE PRIOR VOTE, WHAT WE HAD FOUND IS THAT WHILE WE DID SEE INCREASE IN VOLUMES ON, ON SOME SIDE STREETS, THOSE STREETS WERE STILL IN KEEPING WITH WHAT WE WOULD EXPECT ON SIMILAR STREETS AROUND THE CITY. SO IT SEEMED LIKE, YOU KNOW, CLEARLY WHEN YOU MAKE A BIG CHANGE, LIKE THE ONE WAY CONFIGURATION, THOSE CARS ARE GOING SOMEWHERE. BUT IT DID SEEM LIKE IT WAS SPREAD OUT AND THAT IT WASN'T HAVING DISPROPORTIONATE, UM, IMPACTS, UM, THAN WE WOULD EXPECT. I THINK THE OTHER THING I WOULD ADD IS THAT, YOU KNOW, THE TIMING OF, OF THIS PROJECT AFTER COVID WHEN PEOPLE'S, UM, TRAVEL PATTERNS CHANGED A LOT. UM, I THINK THAT ALSO IT, IT BECOMES VERY DIFFICULT TO, UM, TO CHANGE, TO KIND OF PULL APART WHAT IS CAUSING IMPACTS ON ANY GIVEN STREET. IT'S NOT A HUNDRED PERCENT CLEAR THAT SOMETHING CAN BE LINKED DIRECTLY TO GARDEN STREET, OR MAYBE IT'S BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE WHO USED TO TAKE THE, THE WHO USED TO TAKE THE BUS OR THE TRAIN, NOW THEY DRIVE 'CAUSE THEY'RE ONLY GOING INTO THE OFFICE TWO DAYS SO THEY CAN AFFORD TO PAY FOR PARKING OR THINGS LIKE THAT. SO IT'S, IT'S CHALLENGING TO FIND A COMPLETE CORRELATION. YES, YOU MAKE A CHANGE HERE AND THIS IMPACTS X, Y, AND Z BEYOND KIND OF THE MOST, UM, KIND OF THE REALLY CLEAR, THE ONES WHERE IT'S VERY CLEAR AND FOR THE, UM, WHERE THE NEXUS IS VERY CLEAR. AND FOR THOSE, IT DID SEEM LIKE THOSE STREETS WERE STILL IN AN APPROPRIATE, YOU KNOW, AT APPROPRIATE LEVELS COMPARED TO OTHER SIMILAR STREETS ACROSS THE CITY. OKAY, THANK YOU. UM, SO, UM, I MADAM MAYOR, I I, I APPRECIATE YOUR COMMENTS AT, AT, AT THE BEGINNING. I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A, A THIS IS CHALLENGING BECAUSE, UM, YOU KNOW, I DON'T, I WOULD SORT OF DISAGREE WITH, THERE'S THE P THERE'S OVERWHELMING SUPPORT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. TO GO BACK TO TWO-WAY, UM, WE CERTAINLY HEARD FROM A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD TONIGHT, NOT JUST PEOPLE ON GARDEN STREET WHO, WHO SUPPORTED ONE WAY, AND THAT'S WHAT KIND OF MAKES IT DIFFICULT, RIGHT? IS THAT THIS IS, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD WHO LIKE IT THE WAY IT IS. AND THERE ARE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO DON'T. AND NEITHER ONE OF THOSE OPINIONS SHOULD BE DISCOUNTED OR CRITICIZED OR BLAMED OR, YOU KNOW, UM, AND, AND THERE'S VALID POINTS. UM, AND SO, UH, YOU KNOW, IT IS COMPLICATED, RIGHT? IF IT IT BECAUSE IT IS SPLIT, UM, IN TERMS OF REVISITING THE VOTE, YOU KNOW, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE, THIS IS KIND OF WHAT HAPPENS IN IN POLITICS. I MEAN, YOU KNOW, I'M CERTAINLY HOPING THAT I SPEAK FOR MYSELF, BUT I THINK I SPEAK FOR MANY OF US THAT I CERTAINLY HOPE THAT IF THE DEMOCRATS TAKE BACK THE HOUSE AND THE SENATE AND THE WHITE HOUSE EVENTUALLY, THAT THEY'RE GOING TO REVISIT A HELL OF A LOT OF POLICIES THAT ARE, HAVE BEEN PASSED RECENTLY AND NOT SAY, OH, WELL, REPUBLICANS PASSED IT. WE CAN'T GO BACK AND, AND, AND FIX IT OR CHANGE IT. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, AND SO I, AGAIN, I DON'T THINK IT'S SOMETHING WE WANT TO DO ALL THE TIME. UM, BUT IT, THIS IS NOT A COURT, IT'S A, IT, IT'S A LEGISLATIVE BODY. PEOPLE RUN ON DIFFERENT, UH, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT ISSUES. THIS WAS CERTAINLY A BIG ISSUE IN THE LAST ELECTION. UM, AND THE VOTES HAVE SHIFTED. UM, YOU KNOW, WE [04:20:01] COULD ALSO ARGUE THAT THIS COUNCIL WAS SUPPORTIVE OF THE CITY'S PLAN TO GO TO ONE WAY AND THEN VOTES SHIFTED ON THE COUNCIL, AND THEN THE VOTES WERE THERE TO GO BACK TO TWO WAY. AND THAT'S WHY IT WAS FILED, BECAUSE THE VOTES WERE THERE. SO THAT WAS A, THAT WAS A, A REVOTE OF A POSITION THAT THE COUNCIL HAD, YOU KNOW, HAD SUPPORTED. BECAUSE NOW THE FOLKS WHO WANTED TO GO TO GO BACK TO TWO A HAD THE FIVE. AND SO THEY, THEY WEREN'T CONCERNED ABOUT REVISITING IT AT THAT POINT. THEY HAD THE VOTES. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT HAPPENS IN, IN, IN SOME SITUATIONS. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, I, I WILL, YOU KNOW, I'VE ALWAYS SUPPORTED IT BEING ONE WAY. UM, I SUPPORTED IT WHEN THE CITY RECOMMENDED IT. I WAS ONE OF THE FOUR PEOPLE WHO VOTED TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. I HAVEN'T SEEN ANYTHING THAT'S CONVINCED ME TO CHANGE MY OPINION ON THAT. UM, I, I DO THINK THAT WE NEED TO MOVE MORE QUICKLY ON DEALING WITH SOME OF THE TRAFFIC AND SPEEDING ISSUES ON THE SIDE STREETS. I I, I DO UNDERSTAND PEOPLE'S FRUSTRATION WITH THAT. UM, AND AGAIN, REGARDLESS OF HOW THIS VOTE TURNS OUT, I, WE NEED TO DO THAT AND WE NEED TO DO THAT SOONER RATHER THAN LATER. UM, BUT I WILL BE, UH, I WILL BE VOTING, UH, YES ON THE POLICY ORDER. THANK YOU VICE MAYOR ZIM. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. WELL, I HAD AN EXCITING, I HAD AN EXCITING ANNOUNCEMENT. I THINK, UH, I'M GONNA SAY THAT WE SHOULD KEEP CARD INDUSTRY TWO WAYS, AND COUNCILOR FLAHERTY IS GONNA SAY HE'S THE BIGGEST FAN OF THE MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE AND WE'RE NOT GONNA CHANGE ANYTHING FROM LAST TERM. UM, ON A MORE SERIOUS NOTE, I MEAN, I THINK THAT FOR ME IT'S AT LEAST ABOUT LIKE, UH, I THINK THAT IT DOESN'T REALLY MATTER TO ME WHICH POLICY ORDER PASSED LAST TERM OR THIS TERM, BUT ACTUALLY WHAT'S THE EFFECT ON THE GROUND? LIKE, I THINK THAT HONESTLY TWO WAYS, THERE'S A CASE TO BE MADE FOR IT THAT'S VERY STRONG, RIGHT? PEOPLE NEED TO GET AROUND TOWN. UM, THE HARVARD SHUTTLES SOMETIMES USE THAT. UM, THERE'S A PRETTY, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, INTERESTING CASE ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HOW YOU CAN MAKE, YOU KNOW, BIKE LANE EXPANSIONS ON HURON AAV. UM, AND I GET IT, AND I THINK THAT IF WE HAD DONE TWO WAYS THE INITIAL TIME, OR THIS HAD JUST BEEN CHANGED A TWO WAY LAST YEAR AFTER THE INITIAL POLICY ORDER HAS VOTED, AND THE VOTE TODAY WAS LIKE, ACTUALLY YOU SHOULD DO CONSTRUCTION AGAIN AND CHANGE IT BACK TO ONE WAY, UM, I WOULDN'T VOTE FOR THAT. AND ALSO THE REALITY ON THE GROUND RIGHT NOW IS THAT IT IS A ONE WAY, AND I THINK THAT WE TALKED ABOUT LIKE, WELL, PEOPLE SUPPORT THIS OR PEOPLE SUPPORT THE ALTERNATIVE VERSION. I THINK MOSTLY PEOPLE JUST KIND OF GET USED TO THE STATUS QUO. AND IF YOU'RE CHANGING THE STATUS QUO, YOU BETTER HAVE A GOOD REASON TO DO SO. UM, AND SO I THINK THAT THERE'S JUST NOT, LIKE, I THINK THAT MOST PEOPLE HAVE JUST KIND OF GOTTEN USED TO IT BEING A ONE WAY AT THIS POINT. AND UNLESS WE HAVE A REALLY COMPELLING REASON, WE SHOULDN'T CHANGE IT. AND I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, YES, THERE'S MORE TRAFFIC ON SIDE STREETS, UM, BUT WE'RE ALSO JUST REALLY SHIFTING TRAFFIC AROUND AND WHO GETS TO SUFFER FROM IT. I'D RATHER INVEST MONEY IN SOMETHING THAT WILL MAKE AN IMPROVE, A NET IMPROVEMENT RATHER THAN SHIFTING AROUND THE PROBLEM. UM, AND I THINK THAT MATCHES MY GENERAL PHILOSOPHY TOO. I THINK IN SOME QUARTERS I WOULD BE KNOWN AS A COLLEAGUE WHO PUSHES ALL THESE BOOK CHANGES. AND THEN ON THE OTHER HAND, I WOULD SAY I'M PROBABLY THE COUNSELOR WHO INTRODUCES THE LEAST AMOUNT OF POLICY ORDERS IN THAT I FEEL LIKE IF YOU'RE TRYING TO REALLY CHANGE SOMETHING, YOU BETTER HAVE A PRETTY STRONG REASON TO DO SO. AND I JUST DON'T SEE IT FOR NOW. SO I'LL VOTE FOR THIS POLICY ORDER AS IS. UM, YEAH, THANK YOU COUNSELOR SUZY, AND THEN COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UM, I FEEL AS THOUGH WE'VE BEEN PUT IN A REALLY TOUGH SPOT, NOT JUST THE COUNCIL, BUT THE RESIDENTS. I LIKE DON'T UNDERSTAND WHEN WE PASS THIS POLICY ORDER LAST MAY, THAT IT WASN'T IMPLEMENTED, IT COULD HAVE BEEN IMPLEMENTED. UH, UH, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHEN NEIGHBORS WALKED WITH THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND TALKED ABOUT TRAFFIC COMBING MEASURES LAST JUNE, THAT LIKE, NOTHING HAS CHANGED. THAT DOESN'T MAKE ANY SENSE TO ME, AND I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY. AND I KNOW YOU'RE ROLLING OUT THE BIKE LANES AND, AND THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT IS BUSY, BUT, YOU KNOW, THERE WERE OVER 600, 700 PEOPLE THAT SIGNED THE PETITION LAST YEAR THAT WANTED THE ROAD TO STAY TWO WAY, RIGHT? OR TO GO BACK TO TWO WAY, UM, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT DIDN'T DO TRAFFIC COUNTS OF IMPACTED NEIGHBORHOODS ON, IN, IN REVIEW CELL PHONE DECK, UH, TRACKING TO IDENTIFY WHERE THE WESTBOUND GARDEN STREET TRAFFIC WAS DISPLACED TO, TO VERIFY WHAT NEIGHBORS WERE SAYING, TO SEE IF, IF WHAT THEY WERE SAYING WAS VALID. I DON'T THINK THE NEIGHBORS ARE JUST LIKE MAKING THINGS UP, THAT [04:25:01] IT'S TAKING THEM ANOTHER 12 TO 15 MINUTES TO GET HOME, THAT THERE ARE MORE ACCIDENTS IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD THAT, UH, THEY FEEL LESS SAFE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOODS. I MEAN, I'VE SEEN SOME STATS THAT SAY, UM, YOU KNOW, TRAFFIC ON RAYMOND APP, APPLETON SHEPHERD, WALKER RIDGE, BUCKINGHAM, IT'S ALL UP 25 TO 30% ON APPLETON AND RAYMOND. IT'S UP 50 TO 60% IN THE MORNING. THIS IS APPARENTLY FROM CITY DATA IN THE EVENING ON RAYMOND AND APPLETON. UH, TRAFFIC IS UP 25 TO 30% APPLETON, 45 TO 50% RIDGE, UM, IN BUCKINGHAM, 35 TO 40%. I JUST, I, I THINK, I DON'T THINK PEOPLE ARE MAKING THAT UP. I'VE HEARD PEOPLE THAT HAVE BEEN LIKE SO CONCERNED, THEY'RE HANGING OUT ON STREET CORNERS TRYING TO FIGURE OUT WHERE THE TRAFFIC'S GOING. AND THEY SAY A LOT OF IT, A LOT OF IT IS COMMUTERS. IT'S PEOPLE FROM KENDALL FROM BOSTON THAT ARE TRYING TO GET BACK OUT, BACK OUT TO SHERMAN AND TO ROUTE TWO IN THE WESTERN SUBURBS. BUT, UM, CLEARLY, UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF CARS DETOURING THROUGH OUR RESIDENTIAL NEIGHBORHOODS THAT WEREN'T THERE BEFORE. UH, GARDEN STREET BECAME A ONE WAY. UM, SO I, I JUST FEEL LIKE WE OWE IT TO THOSE HUNDREDS OF RESIDENTS TO AT LEAST DO SOME TRAFFIC COUNTS AND LOOK AT THE CELL PHONE DATA AND TRACK WHERE PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY GOING. I JUST, I FEEL LIKE IF, I DON'T FEEL LIKE THE CITY COUNCIL SHOULD HAVE TO WRITE A POLICY ORDER EVERY TIME THERE'S A PROBLEM. I MEAN, WE HAVE GOTTEN HUNDREDS OF LETTERS ABOUT THIS OVER THE LAST YEAR. UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT A ONE-WAY GARDEN STREET IS CALMER. AND I CAN APPRECIATE WHY CYCLISTS AND PEDESTRIANS AND GARDEN STREET RESIDENTS ESPECIALLY, WOULD ALL PREFER TO KEEP IT THAT WAY. I ESPECIALLY NOT TO LOSE THEIR PARKING PLACES. I APPRECIATE THAT, AND I DON'T THINK THERE IS A PERFECT SOLUTION HERE, BUT I, I THINK THAT A TWO-WAY GARDEN STREET WITH TWO BICYCLE LANES IS PROBABLY THE BEST SOLUTION. I, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE DATA AND I WISH THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT WOULD HAVE AT LEAST EVALUATED NEIGHBORS CONCERNS. UM, AND I, I THINK IF WE RESTORE GARDEN STREET TO TWO WAY, IT'LL BE BETTER FOR THE FIRE DEPARTMENT. THEY'LL BE ABLE TO BETTER PUT OUT FIRES. 'CAUSE THEY WON'T HAVE TO DETOUR ALL OVER TOWN. UM, WE'LL REMOVE THE TRAFFIC IMPACTS FROM THE NEIGHBORHOODS. AND, UH, AND I'M, I'M SORRY FOR THE PARKING LOT. I RECOGNIZE THE CHALLENGE WITH DELIVERIES. UM, WE HAVE MANY, MANY COMPETING PRIORITIES HERE, BUT, UM, I, I THINK I, I THINK, YOU KNOW, USUALLY I, I ACTUALLY PAY ATTENTION TO DATA. I PAY ATTENTION TO STUDIES. I APPRECIATE THAT YOU DID, UH, STUDY, BUT WHAT I UNDERSTAND IS THAT THE STUDY DIDN'T EVALUATE, UH, THE, THE TRAFFIC ON GARDEN STREET OR CONCORD OR THE ROADS, UM, THE NEIGHBORHOOD SOUTH OF HURON IN CONCORD STREET. SO I FEEL LIKE THE STUDY, IT WASN'T A BROAD ENOUGH STUDY TO GIVE US THE DATA THAT SHOULD HAVE INFORMED US IN 2022. SO THAT, THAT'S WHY, AND I FEEL LIKE THE STUDY MIGHT HAVE HAD A BIAS, WHICH IS WHY I'M DISREGARDING THE STUDY. UM, ANYWAY, WHAT I REALLY WISH IS THAT THE TRAFFIC DEPARTMENT COULD DO THE DATA ANALYSIS THAT IT SHOULD HAVE DONE TO, TO SEE, YOU KNOW, TO DO TRAFFIC COUNTS, LOOKING AT THE NEIGHBORHOOD SOUTH OF HURAN AND CONCORD STREET, YOU KNOW, IDENT, YOU KNOW, SEEING WHETHER WHAT NEIGHBORS ARE SAYING IS VALID, AND THEN LOOKING AT THE CELL PHONE DATA TO, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE TRAFFIC PATTERNS. THAT'S WHAT I REALLY WISH WOULD HAPPEN BEFORE WE MOVE THINGS FORWARD. BUT, UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. SO THOSE, THOSE ARE MY IDEAS. I, I HAVE AN AMENDMENT THAT I CAN, UH, INTRODUCE RELATING TO THIS, UH, IF THERE WOULD BE SU SUPPORT, UM, BECAUSE I, I DO THINK THAT DECISIONS THAT WE MAKE SHOULD BE BASED ON DATA, BUT I, I GUESS I'M, I'M HOPING THAT WE'VE GOT THE VOTES TO, TO JUST NOT PASS THIS ANY, I'D LOVE SOME FEEDBACK FROM COLLEAGUES. SO, COUNCILOR ZUZI, YOU HAVEN'T SENT THAT AMENDMENT. YOU HAVEN'T SENT THAT AMENDMENT [04:30:01] TO THE CLERK. THE CLERK WANTS TO CLARIFY BECAUSE I'M REALLY HOPING BECAUSE, UM, MAYOR SIDIKI, WE DON'T KNOW HOW YOU'RE GONNA VOTE. SO I, UM, SO I, I I WILL SEND IN MY AMENDMENT, BUT I WOULD REALLY LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU HOW YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT THINGS. I'LL, I'LL SHARE MY AMENDMENT NOW WITH, UM, THE CLERK. I'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, AND THEN I WILL SHARE COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR, I'LL THROUGH YOU TO MY COLLEAGUE COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA THANK HIM FOR EXERCISING HIS CHART CHARTER RIGHT? ONLY BECAUSE IT GAVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO REACH OUT TO A LARGER AUDIENCE OF INDIVIDUALS WHO MAY NOT BE, UM, MAY NOT HAVE BEEN A AWARE THAT THIS VOTE OR THIS POLICY ORDER INITIATIVE TO REVERSE THE ACTION PREVIOUSLY TAKEN BY THE COUNCIL IN THE LAST TERM, UH, WAS, WAS BEFORE. SO THANK YOU COUNCILOR FLAHERTY THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR TO COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, I BELIEVE, AND PLEASE CORRECT ME IF I'M WRONG, ARE YOU PLANNING, OR HA HAVE YOU PLANNED TO HAVE A MEETING ON THIS DIS ON GARDEN STREET? I'M HAPPY TO HAVE A MEETING, MEETING COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. I'M HAPPY TO HAVE A MEETING ON GARDEN STREET. YES, I AM COUNCILLOR SIMMONS FOR YOU. MADAM CHAIR TOO. COUNCIL FLAHERTY, IS THAT DATE SET FOR THAT MEETING? I HAVEN'T SET IT YET, BUT I'M ALL EARS FOR YOU COUNCILOR SIMMONS. WELL, THAT'S VERY NICE TO HEAR. UH, I WOULD RECOMMEND, UH, AGAIN, THIS IS PART OF WHY, OF WHAT THE COMMITTEE, THE C THE COMMITTEE, THEY, IT'S NOT SUBCOMMITTEES, BUT THE, THE COMMITTEES THAT TAKE UP PARTICULATE ISSUES ARE SET UP FOR, TO FLUSH THINGS OUT. THEY HAVE A MORE FULL, ROBUST CONVERSATION. AND I, I WOULD'VE HOPED OR WOULD HOPE THAT RATHER THAN PASSING OR VOTING ON THIS, WE WOULD REFER THIS WHOLE IDEA TO THE TRANSPORTATION. IS IT TRANSPORTATION COUNCIL CLARITY? YES. IT'S THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE HAVE A VENTING, AND THEN WHATEVER COMES FROM THAT, WHETHER IT IS, YES, WE SHOULD GO AND REVERSE IT OR NOT. IT, IT, IT HAD HA WE'VE HAD AN OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MORE OF A CONVERSATION ABOUT THOSE IMPACTS. SO, I DON'T KNOW. I MEAN, THAT WOULD BE MY MOTION IS TO SEND IT TO, TO COMMITTEE TO TALK ABOUT IT FIRST RATHER THAN VOTE TO REVERSE IT. AND THEN WE'RE VOTING TO REVERSE A, A VOTE THAT WE TOOK LAST TERM. AND IF, IF THERE'S, UH, I, I DON'T THINK WE HAVE ANY STAFF THERE, BUT I DON'T THINK WE, THE COUNCIL EVER VOTED TO MAKE IT A SINGULAR WAY. I THINK IT WAS SOMETHING THAT THE, UH, NOW CALLED THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT BROUGHT FORWARD. DID IT, HAD A COMMUNITY PROCESS, DID IT, AND THEN THE, THAT'S WHERE THE ANGST BEGAN. SO THIS, THAT VOTE THAT WE TOOK IN THE 25, UM, 24 25 TERM WAS TO REVERSE AN ACTION AND NOT A VOTE, IF I RECALL ADEQUATELY. SO FOR ME, UM, AND COUNCIL, SORRY, I I THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS IS, I THINK IT REALLY DOES SOMETHING TO, UM, AND INDIVIDUALS, THE VOTERS BELIEF AND TRUST IN US, IF WE VOTE ON SOMETHING AND THEN THE TURN OF THE ELECTION CYCLE, WE NOW VOTE TO REVERSE IT. BECAUSE IF I WAS SITTING BACK LISTENING THIS TO THIS, I SAID, WELL, YOU KNOW, THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, UH, DRAGS ITS FEET OR, OR DOES SOMETHING, WE COULD BRING THIS UP IN THE 28, 29 YEAR. I'M NOT GONNA VOTE TO SUPPORT THIS. I WAS ON THE PREVAILING SIDE LAST TERM TO TAKE IT BACK TO WHAT IT WAS. THE IDEA THAT PEOPLE GET USED TO IT, I THINK IS A FALSE NARRATIVE. YES, THEY GET NER USED TO IT, BUT THEY ALSO GET SOMETHING ELSE. THEY, THEY GET OR START TO DEVELOP A MISTRUST FOR, UM, THE COUNCIL AND WHAT IT VOTES TO SAY THAT WE'LL DO, UH, I HOPE THAT IT, UH, THE VOTE TO LET IT LET THE PREVIOUS VOTE PREVAILS AND THAT IF IT'S ABOUT GETTING USED TO IT, THE PEOPLE THAT WILL GET USED TO IT, GOING BACK TO, UH, A TWO-WAY THOROUGHFARE, I THINK IT'S THE FAIR AND JUST THING TO DO. I WILL YIELD THE FLOOR. SO, COUNSELOR SIMMONS, HAVE YOU, YOU'VE MOVED TO SEND THIS TO COMMITTEE? I'M MOVING TO SEND IT TO COMMITTEE, MAYBE LAY ON TABLE AND MOVE TO THE COMMITTEE. IT'S, YOU KNOW, SEEING THAT TRANSPORTATION WAS, HASN'T DONE ANYTHING. AND THANK YOU LUCY, FOR REMINDING US. 'CAUSE IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DONE AND IT WASN'T. UH, MAYBE THIS IS, TAKE THIS OPPORTUNITY, TAKE A LITTLE ADDITIONAL TIME, LAY ON THE TABLE. TAKE LET, LET COUNCIL CLARITY HAVE HIS MEETING. UH, [04:35:01] IT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THAT, THAT THE, UM, INITIATIVE, POLICY INITIATIVE THAT'S BEFORE US DOESN'T COME BACK FOR OR DOESN'T GET VOTED. JUST AS WE HAD TOOK, TOOK TIME TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE . SO THAT'S MY MOTION TO SEE THE PASSES. SO COUNCILOR SIMMONS, LAYING ON THE TABLE IS NOT A DEBATABLE MOTION, SO WE'D HAVE TO PROCEED TO THAT VOTE. SO THEN LET'S PROCEED HAPPENS AND GO FROM THERE. SO TO MY CITY COUNCIL COLLEAGUES, COUNSELOR SIMMONS HAS MOVED TO LAY THE POLICY ORDER ON THE TABLE, WHICH MEANS THAT IF THAT PASSES, THEN THAT STAYS ON THE TABLE. UH, AND IT WOULD TAKE FIVE VOTES TO TAKE IT OFF THE TABLE AT A FUTURE MEETING. IF THAT FAILS, WE CAN CONTINUE DISCUSSION AND THE BODY CAN VOTE, THE POLICY ORDER UP OR DOWN AS AN OPTION, UH, OR ANY OTHER MOTION THAT COMES FORWARD. SO, TO THE CLERK, WE HAVE TO GO TO THE VOTE. COUNCILOR ZUBE? NO, NO. VICE MAYOR ZI? NO. NO. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER? NO. NO. COUNCILOR ZUI? YES. NO, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT, WAIT. I, NO, I WANNA LAY IT ON THE TABLE. I WANNA LAY IT ON THE TABLE. SO THAT'S A YES. YES, YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. NO, NO. YOU HAVE FOUR MEMBERS. UM, YOU, I'M SORRY. YOU HAVE FIVE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRM. IN THE NEGATIVE FOUR IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE VOTE TO LAY ON THE TABLE FAILS. SO, COUNCILOR SIMMONS, HAVE YOU YIELDED THE FLOOR? I MOVE TO DEFER TO TRANSPORTATION. THEN I SECOND. SO COUNCIL SECOND MOTION. SO COUNSELOR SIMMONS IS MOVING TO REFER THIS POLICY ORDER TO TRANSPORTATION FOR FURTHER FURTHER DISCUSSION. WE CAN HAVE DISCUSSION ON THAT. I WILL BE VOTING, NO, I THINK WE SHOULD DISPOSE OF THIS TONIGHT. UM, SO I CAN HEAR FROM OTHERS, UH, BEFORE WE GO ON VOTING TO MOVE THIS TO TRANSPORTATION VICE, UM, JUST A POINT FOR, UM, TECHNICAL DETAILS. I WANTED TO JUST ASK, UM, STAFF OF WHEN THEY NEED AN ANSWER ON THIS BUY, IF THE GOAL WOULD BE TO HAVE CONSTRUCTION THIS SUMMER, COMMISSIONER THROUGH YOUR MADAM MAYOR. UM, WE DEFINITELY NEED TO START MOVING QUICKLY IF WE, UM, WANT TO DO ANYTHING THERE THIS SUMMER. AND THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF UTILITY WORK THERE, SO IT'S NOT IN GREAT SHAPE. SO IT'S, IT'S NOT GREAT TO, TO POSTPONE DOING ANYTHING, UH, REGARDLESS OF WHICH WAY WE END UP GOING. VICE MAYOR, I THINK THAT JUST BECAUSE OF THE TIMING OF THE POLICY ORDER, AND WE SAW LAST YEAR WHERE WE VOTED FOR IT AND THEN, YOU KNOW, HERE WE ARE A YEAR LATER WHEN CONSTRUCTION WAS ABOUT TO BEGIN. I THINK THAT IT'S JUST HELPFUL FOR, FOR PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND THAT IF WE DID FORWARD THIS TO COMMITTEE AND IT TOOK US A COUPLE WEEKS TO ORGANIZE A MEETING AND THEN COMES BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL AND THEN WE HAVE TO VOTE ON IT, IT PROBABLY MEANS THAT IT'S NOT CONSTRUCTION JUST TIME-WISE CANNOT HAPPEN THIS YEAR. YEAH. ARE THERE OPINIONS ON, AGAIN, GETTING THIS TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE? YES. COUNCILLOR ZUZI? UM, I, I WOULD SUPPORT THAT IF THE, I FEEL LIKE IT WILL ONLY BE A PRODUCTIVE CONVERSATION IF THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT DOES SOME ANALYSIS OF IF THEY DO TRAFFIC COUNTS AND IF THEY DO SOME ANALYSIS OF CELL PHONE DATA IN ADVANCE. I MEAN, WE, WE, WE NEED NEW DATA, OTHERWISE WE'RE JUST BATTLING OVER THE SAME THING AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN WITHOUT ADDITIONAL DATA. I, I WOULD THINK THAT, AND I GUESS THIS IS A QUESTION FOR THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT. WOULDN'T TRAFFIC COUNT INFORMATION AND CELL PHONE DATA HELP YOU PERHAPS TO COME UP WITH OTHER IDEAS IN ADDITION TO TRAFFIC CALMING TO IMPROVE THE SITUATION, UH, THROUGH SIKI? UM, I MEAN, I THINK WE'RE COMMITTED TO, WE ARE COMMITTED TO DOING CONTINUED TRAFFIC CALMING, UH, REGARDLESS. AND SO I THINK IN RECOGNITION OF, UH, SOME OF THE NEEDS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS, UM, WE ARE IN THE CURRENT PLAN, UM, GOING TO BE PUTTING OUT SOME INITIATIVES. WE'RE HAPPY TO DISCUSS MORE OF THAT. UM, I THINK COUNCILOR ZUI, THIS IS A BIT SIMILAR TO THE CONVERSATION ON HOUSING. I WOULD JUST SAY LISTENING TO THIS DISCUSSION, IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME THAT THE COUNCIL WOULD BE READY TO COMMIT TO SAY, IF TRAFFIC ON X STREET WAS FOUND TO HAVE GONE UP BY 20% VERSUS 30% VERSUS 40%, THAT IT WOULD CHANGE A DECISION. UM, I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT REASONS THAT PEOPLE [04:40:01] ARE PREFERRING ONE OPTION TO THE OTHER. AND I WOULD, I WOULD ALSO RECOGNIZE THIS AS A HEALTHY DEBATE AND THAT IT'S A CLOSE CALL AND THAT PEOPLE ON BOTH SIDES HAVE A LOT OF, THERE'S DIFFERENT WAYS OF LOOKING AT THIS THAT, UH, THAT ARE LANDING PEOPLE IN DIFFERENT PLACES. SO I THINK MY, MY CHALLENGE IS LIKE, I DON'T KNOW THAT THE DATA WILL CHANGE PEOPLE'S OPINIONS OR THEIR VOTES. AND SO I'M, I'M A LITTLE HESITANT FOR US TO SAY WE SHOULD GATHER THIS DATA, GET TOGETHER AND EXPECT THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO SEE THE ISSUE DIFFERENTLY. UM, COUNCILLOR ZUZI. YEAH. UM, THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. SO, BUT IF THE CELL PHONE DATA CONFIRMS WHAT WE'VE HEARD FROM NEIGHBORS, THAT PEOPLE ARE CUTTING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS THEY TRY TO GET TO SHERMAN STREET ENOUGH TO ROUTE TWO TO THE WESTERN SUBURBS, THAT ACTUALLY WOULD BE REALLY USEFUL DATA, RIGHT? BECAUSE THEN, THEN WE KNOW WE HAVE ALL THESE PEOPLE, WE WANT THESE WORKERS ACTUALLY TO BE WORKING AT KENDALL SQUARE, RIGHT? THEY, THEY ARE, UM, THEY'RE AT KENDALL SQUARE IS ONE OF OUR ECONOMIC, IT IS OUR ECONOMIC CENTER. WE, WE WANT WORKERS TO BE ABLE TO GET TO WORK AND TO, AND TO GO HOME AFTER A LONG DAY AT WORK. SO IF THE CELL PHONE DATA DEMONSTRATED THAT, YEAH, THIS IS MOSTLY COMMUTERS THAT ARE CUTTING THROUGH THE NEIGHBORHOOD AS THEY'RE TRYING TO GO WEST, WOULDN'T THAT BE IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO UNDERSTAND, UH, THROUGH YOU, ME, SADIKI? UM, I DON'T THINK IT WOULD CHANGE THE DECISION BECAUSE EVEN IF WE FOUND THAT, FOR INSTANCE, SOME OF THE TRAFFIC ON SURROUNDING STREETS WAS POTENTIALLY HIGHER BY 20 OR 30%, I THINK ALSO IT WOULD REMAIN TRUE THAT THAT TRAFFIC MAY BE LOWER BY 20 OR 30% THAN MANY OTHER STREETS ACROSS THE CITY. AND SO, I, I JUST THINK THIS ISN'T TO SAY THAT ONE VIEW IS RIGHT AND ANOTHER VIEW ISN'T RIGHT. I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF DIFFERENT WAYS THAT WE CAN LOOK AT TRADE-OFFS, AND I THINK THIS IS ONE OF THE CHALLENGES THAT, ONE OF THE PARTICULARLY HARD CHALLENGES THAT WE FACE IN, IN THIS CHAMBER AND AS A CITY AND A COMMUNITY WHERE, UM, I DON'T KNOW THAT UNLESS WE WERE TO AGREE ON VERY CLEAR THRESHOLDS THAT WE ARE THEN MAKING DECISIONS ON THE DATA IS NOT GOING TO CHANGE. YOU KNOW, HOW PEOPLE ARE SAYING, YOU KNOW, IF WE THINK THIS IS A GOOD IDEA OR NOT A GOOD IDEA, IT COMES WITH SUZY. YEAH. BUT I GUESS THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH, SO I WOULD LOVE TO SHARE MY OPINION. I'M, I'M ABOUT, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH. I'M ABOUT DONE. I JUST WANTED TO SAY, I JUST DON'T THINK, LIKE, I THINK WE'VE ALL RECEIVED THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF BACKUPS ON BUCKINGHAM. WE'VE ALL RECEIVED THE PHOTOGRAPHS OF BACKUP ON CONQUERED BACKUP ON HER, ON BACKUPS ON RAYMOND. UH, LIKE, I, I JUST THINK THOSE THINGS ARE TRUE. AND SO, SO I, I JUST FEEL LIKE OUR JOB OR THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, UH, UM, DEPARTMENT'S JOB AS TRAFFIC PLANNERS IS TO LIKE, TO COME UP WITH SOME SAFETY VALVES. HOW CAN WE RELIEVE SOME OF THE PRESSURE? THAT'S WHAT I'M REALLY EAGER FOR YOU TO DO. I, I DON'T, I DON'T THINK THESE NEIGHBORS ARE JUST LIKE COMPLAINING FOR NO REASON. I THINK THEIR LIVES ARE BEING IMPACTED AND THEY FEEL THEY'RE, AND CLEARLY THEY'RE MORE ACCIDENTS TOO. UM, SO I'LL, I'LL, I'LL YIELD NOW, BUT I, I THINK THAT WHAT NEIGHBORS ARE SAYING IS REAL. UH, SO I THINK TO IGNORE THEM COMPLETELY, LIKE, ISN'T SOLVING THE PROBLEM WE NEED TO LIKE, SOLVE HELP TO MAKE THE PROBLEM, UH, LESS PROBLEMATIC, RIGHT? IS I ISN'T ISN'T THAT WHAT TRANSPORTATION, TRANSPORTATION PLANNERS DO? I THINK IT IS. THANK YOU. I YIELD, IT'S 10 14, SO I WANNA KEEP THIS, I'LL KEEP AS BRIEF AS I CAN. UM, I WANNA THANK EVERYONE ON ALL SIDES OF THE ISSUE WHO'VE EMAILED AND SPOKEN, UH, TO ME ABOUT THEIR OPINION, WHETHER THAT WAS FOR STORING IT TO TWO WEIGHT OR TO KEEP IT ONE WAY. UM, IT HAS BEEN A BIT OF BACK AND FORTH FOR ME. UM, YOU KNOW, AND, AND I THINK EVERYTHING MY COLLEAGUES HAVE SAID, I'VE OVER THE LAST FEW WEEKS HAVE TAKEN INTO, UH, CONSIDERATION, UM, FOR ME, UM, ULTIMATELY I WILL BE VOTING YES ON THIS POLICY ORDER. UM, I VOTED TO KEEP GARDEN STREET ONE WAY LAST YEAR, AND WHILE I DON'T THINK IT'S BEST PRACTICE TO BRING FORWARD A POLICY ORDER EVERY TIME THERE'S DISSATISFACTION WITH THE DECISION, MY VOTE TONIGHT IS BASED ON WHAT'S IN FRONT OF US RIGHT NOW. AND NOT WHETHER OR NOT IT SHOULD HAVE BEEN DISCUSSED IN THE FIRST PLACE. UM, I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS A LOT, AS I'VE SAID IN THE PAST MANY WEEKS AND AFTER MANY CONVERSATIONS AND INTO THAT, INTO THAT END, I'VE WANTING TO REALLY REMAIN CONSISTENT WITH HOW I APPROACHED THIS ISSUE LAST YEAR AND CONSISTENT WITH THE PROFESSIONAL RECOMMENDATIONS OF, UH, CITY STAFF. I AGREE WITH COUNSELOR ZUBIE WHO THOROUGHLY LAID OUT THAT THIS DOES NOT MEAN THERE ARE NOT STILL REAL CONCERNS. AND AS MANY, MOST OF YOU [04:45:01] HAVE LAID OUT ABOUT MANY OF THE SURROUNDING STREETS. AND SO I APPRECIATE THAT THIS POLICY ORDER ATTEMPTS TO ADDRESS THAT. I AM ALSO GLAD THAT COUNCILOR MCGOVERN BROUGHT UP THE TRAFFIC COMMENTING MEASURES AFTER WE TALKED ABOUT TRYING LAST YEAR. AND I'M GLAD COMMISSIONER, UH, MCKENNA HAS SPOKEN TO THOSE PLANS. AND I WANT, I DO WANT THERE TO BE A WRITTEN DOCUMENT THAT GETS BACK TO US ABOUT THE TIMELINE AND ANY OTHER, UM, TRAFFIC COMING THAT THE CITY WILL BE DOING AS IT RELATES TO THE OTHER STREETS, UH, AS WELL. I MENTIONED IN THE PO POLICY ORDER, I WANTED TO RECOGNIZE THERE HAVE BEEN RESIDENTS WHO DID THAT WALKING AUDIT. UM, YOU KNOW, I, JEFF, YOU WERE THERE. UH, THERE WERE NO NEXT STEPS REALLY ON THAT. AND, UH, THAT KIND OF ANALYSIS THAT WAS PRESENTED IN THAT DOCUMENT WAS, IS REALLY IMPORTANT. AND, UM, THERE MAYBE SHOULD BE MORE. AND I THINK IT KIND OF HIGHLIGHTS THAT THERE'S A LOT OF UNDERLYING ISSUES OF USERS OF THE STREETS, UH, THAT WE NEED TO PAY ATTENTION TO. AND SO I THINK AS YOU'RE RESPONDING TO THIS, UM, REALLY HAVE THAT AUDIT IN MIND. AND, UH, AGAIN, THERE'S MANY OTHER STREETS, UH, THAT ARE MENTIONED IN THIS AND RESIDENTS HAVE BROUGHT UP. AND I DO THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE, UM, NOT IGNORE THOSE VOICES. UM, AND WE HAVE, UH, IN THE PAST, UH, MAY FOR PROBABLY VARIOUS REASONS, TIMING OTHER THINGS, BUT, UM, WE SHOULDN'T HAVE. AND SO I DO THINK GETTING US THE COUNCIL A RESPONSE TO THIS ABOUT WHAT EXACTLY THE DEPARTMENT WILL BE DO, DOING IT ON THAT TIMELINE AND RESPONDING TO, UM, WHAT'S BEEN ASKED IN THE PAST AND WHY IT HASN'T BEEN DONE WOULD BE REALLY, UH, IM IMPERATIVE. UH, AND SO I'LL YIELD, I THINK EVERYONE HAS SAID GONE AROUND MAYBE ONCE OR TWICE. SO I'LL, I'LL GO BACK TO COUNCILOR FLAHERTY AND, AND THEN I THINK WE SHOULD MOVE TO THE VOTE. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY, THANK YOU. JUST IF I COULD, AND THANK YOU FOR RECOGNIZING ME, MADAM MAYOR. SO I COULD, I KNOW IT'S NOT THE FINAL WORD, BUT IT'S ONE OF THE FINAL WORDS I'LL BE VOTING NO WITH MY NEIGHBORS. UH, AND I KNOW FROM KNOCKING ON DOORS AND DROPPING FLIES THAT IT'S 75.2% OF THE PEOPLE THAT I SPOKE TO WANTED THIS TO BE RETURNED TO TWO-WAY STREET, TO A TWO-WAY STREET. AND THAT'S BASED UPON THEIR LIVED EXPERIENCES. SIMILAR TO MY LIVED EXPERIENCES, AS MANY OF YOU KNOW, I LIVE IN THE CORNER OF HURON AND FRESH POND PARKWAY. I'D LIKE TO SEE FRESH POND PARKWAY, UH, A ONE WAY STREET. I WOULD, SO I COULD RIDE MY BIKE ON, I COULD WALK WITH MY CHILD THERE, BUT THE IMPACT ON THE STREET NETWORK WOULD BE CATASTROPHIC. NOW, GARDEN STREET IS AN ARTERIAL STREET. THERE'S COLLECTOR STREETS, THERE'S LOCAL STREETS. THE DOORS THAT I KNOCKED ON WERE LOCAL STREETS, ALL OF THE STREETS THAT I MENTIONED. AND THOSE PEOPLE SUFFER THE CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC SAFETY IS DIMINISHED. THERE'S A WOMAN I SPOKE TO ON ROBINSON STREET WHO WORRIES ABOUT THE KIDS ON THE DAYCARE WHEN PEOPLE ARE CUTTING THROUGH. THIS HAPPENS DAILY, IT HAPPENS DAILY. AND, UM, THANKFULLY NOTHING CATASTROPHIC HAS HAPPENED. UM, AND HOPEFULLY IT NEVER WILL. UM, BUT THE TRUE ISSUE HERE IS NOT THE NUISANCE, THE TRAFFIC, THE CONGESTION, IT'S THE SAFETY CONCERNS OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE ARE A LOT OF KIDS AROUND THERE, THERE ARE FAMILIES AROUND THERE. THERE IS EXCESSIVE SPEEDING ON CUT THROUGH TRAFFICS. I SEE IT EVERY SINGLE DAY WHEN I BACK OUTTA MY DRIVEWAY AND I DRIVE DOWN HERE ON AVE AND IT TAKES ME 20 MINUTES TO GET FROM THE END OF ONE END OF HURON AVE TO ST. PETER'S TO COACH CYO BASKETBALL. AND PEOPLE ARE CUTTING THROUGH AND ACROSS HERE ON AVE. IT'S DANGEROUS. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S, THERE'S EVIDENCE AND STATISTICS AND ABOUT FLOW AND, AND, UM, TRAFFIC COUNTS. I'M VERY FAMILIAR WITH ALL OF IT. I'VE READ ALL THE REPORTS. I LOOK AT ALL OF IT. BUT THERE'S NOTHING THAT I'VE READ THAT HAS CONVINCED ME THAT ONE LANE GARDEN STREET TRAFFIC HAS IMPROVED THE SAFETY OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. IT MAY HAVE IMPROVED ON GARDEN STREET WHEN I WAS WALKING THERE KNOCKING DOORS THIS WEEKEND. THERE WASN'T A SOUL TO BE SEEN. THERE WASN'T A BICYCLE UP AND DOWN GARDEN STREETS, EXTRAORDINARILY PLEASANT. BUT THE SURROUNDING STREET NETWORK ON RUSH HOURS IS SIGNIFICANTLY IMPACTED BY THE CUT THROUGH TRAFFIC. THE SPEEDING AND TRAFFIC CALMING MEASURES. UM, BE THAT, BE THE, AS THEY MIGHT BE, UH, BENEFICIAL. UM, I DON'T THINK WE'LL, UH, DO WHAT RETURNING GARDEN STREET TO TWO-WAY TRAFFIC WITH BILATERAL SEPARATED BIKE LANES WILL DO. THIS IS A ARTERY IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. IT'S NOT A COLLECTOR STREET. IT'S NOT A LOCAL STREET. IT HAS A SEVERE AND SIGNIFICANT [04:50:01] IMPACT TO BE, UH, CONVERTED TO A ONE LANE, UH, ROAD IN ONE DIRECTION. AND HISTORICALLY, I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT FOR ALL OF US TO RECOGNIZE AS, UH, WE MENTIONED FOR A HUNDRED YEARS, IT'S BEEN A TWO-WAY STREET, AND THEN IT WAS CONVERTED TO ONE, ONE LANE. AND, UH, PUBLIC OPPOSITION CAUSED THIS BOARDING, WHICH I WAS NOT A MEMBER OF IT, TO VOTE, TO RETURN IT TO TWO LANE, TWO LANE TRAFFIC. AND, UH, IT APPEARS TODAY THAT WE'RE GONNA, UH, KEEP IT AS ONE LAY TRAFFIC. I THINK THAT'S A MISTAKE. AND, UM, I HOPE TO GOD THAT, UM, NOBODY SUFFERS A, UH, CATASTROPHIC INJURY AS A RESULT OF THIS. AND, UM, I'LL YIELD, BUT I'LL BE VOTING. NO, THANK YOU. SO IT'S 10 22. I WOULD SUGGEST THAT WE MOVE FORWARD WITH THE VOTE. UM, YES. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I, AND I'LL MAKE IT BRIEF. I COULD SAY A LOT OF SOME OF THE THINGS THAT HAVE BEEN SAID, BUT I, I REALLY DON'T WANT, YOU KNOW, TO HEAR SOME COLLEAGUES SAY THAT, TO SUGGEST THAT IF WE DON'T SUPPORT GOING BACK TO TWO LANES, THAT WE'RE NOT LISTENING TO PEOPLE OR THAT WE'RE NOT TAKING THE CONCERNS OF PEOPLE ON THE SIDE STREETS. SERIOUSLY, WE ARE TAKING THOSE SERIOUSLY. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE YOUR LEADERSHIP IN SETTING THAT TONE THAT, YOU KNOW, WE SHOULD BE SETTING AN EXAMPLE, UM, AND NOT, YOU KNOW, INTER FIGHTING OVER THIS. THIS IS A HARD DECISION. UM, I THINK WE HAVE ALL LISTENED. I'VE GONE OUT THERE. I THINK MOST OF US HAVE GONE OUT THERE. IF NOT ALL OF US HAVE GONE OUT THERE AND TALKED TO PEOPLE. I TOO AM LISTENING TO NEIGHBORS REGARDLESS OF HOW WE VOTE. THERE ARE, THERE WAS A PETITION OF OVER 700 PEOPLE WHO SAID, KEEP IT ONE WAY. SO I DON'T KNOW WHY A PETITION OF 700 PEOPLE WHO SAY MAKE IT TWO WAYS IS SOMEHOW MORE VALUABLE THAN A PETITION THAT SAYS, KEEP IT ONE WAY. RIGHT? THAT'S THE HARD PART OF THIS. AND SO NOBODY HAS, SHOULD BE CLAIMING THAT THEY, UH, THAT THIS IS A SLAM DUNK IN EITHER WAY. THIS IS WHY IT'S HARD. SO I'M GONNA YIELD THERE. I COULD SAY MORE, AND I WOULD AGREE. I WILL CALL THE QUESTION. SO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN HAS CALLED THE QUESTION. FIRST WE HAVE TO DO A VOTE ON CALLING THE QUESTION, AND THEN WE HAVE TO PROCEED TO THE, THE VOTE. ONE SECOND. UM, MAYOR YES. COUNCIL, MAYOR, I HAD SENT MY AMENDMENT EARLIER. DID I? I SENT IT BOTH TO THE CLERK AND, UH, TO THE ASSISTANT TO THE COUNCIL. SO, COUNCILLOR ZUZI, I HADN'T HEARD THAT YOU HAD MOVED THE AMENDMENT, SO, UH, YOU DON'T HAVE IT. CITY CLERK. I, MADAM MAYOR, I HAVE THE AMENDMENT. IT WASN'T CALLED. SO IF WE'RE CALLING IT, I CAN PUT IT UP ON SCREEN. I YIELD AND COUNCILOR MCGOVERN WILL YIELD. WE'LL GO TO YOUR AMENDMENT. COUNCILOR ZUZI, THANK YOU VERY MUCH. I'M SORRY. I DIDN'T REALIZE I HAD TO SAY SO. 'CAUSE I, I, I HAD MENTIONED IT EARLIER. UM, BUT THE AMENDMENT IS TO DO WHAT I HAD ASKED. SO IT, IT'S, IT'S AN ORDER THAT FITS BETWEEN THE TWO ORDERS OR THERE ARE A BUNCH OF ORDERS, BUT IT, IT'S, UH, THAT THE CITY MANAGER DIRECT THE CITY'S TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO DO TRAFFIC AND ACCIDENT COUNTS, AND GATHER AND ANALYZE CELL PHONE DATA ON GARDEN STREET AND IN THE GREATER GARDEN STREET NEIGHBORHOODS, INCLUDING SIDE STREET SOUTH OF HURON AND CONCORD AVENUE, TO BETTER ASCERTAIN BROADER TRANSPORTATION PATTERNS AND IMPACTS OF A ONE WAY GARDEN STREET TO INFORM BETTER TRANSP TRANSPORTATION PLANNING AND BE IT FURTHER. SO WHAT THIS, UH, AMENDMENT WOULD DO IS THAT IT WOULD ACTUALLY PROVIDE US WITH THE DATA THAT ACTUALLY WOULD HELP US. IT WOULD EITHER, UH, CONFIRM OR, UM, OR, OR, OR, OR SAY WHAT WE'VE BEEN HEARING ISN'T TRUE. BUT IT WOULD HELP. I, I FEEL LIKE THERE ARE, UM, IN, IN COUNSELOR ZUBIE ORDER, THE GOAL IS TO, YOU KNOW, TO ENCOURAGE SURE, YOU KNOW, QUICK FIX THINGS, TRAFFIC CALMING IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. SO THAT IS GREAT. I'M GLAD THE CITY'S GONNA DO THIS. BUT THIS WOULD ALSO ORDER THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO DO AN ANALYSIS OF WHAT ALL THESE PEOPLE ARE COMPLAINING ABOUT. SO THAT, UH, AND THEN, AND THEN THE LAST ORDER WOULD READ THAT THE CITY MANAGER BE IN HEREBY IS REQUESTED TO PROVIDE THE CITY COUNCIL WITH A WRITTEN UPDATE AND ANALYSIS BY OCTOBER 26TH WITH RECOMMENDATIONS FOR APPROPRIATE NEXT STEPS PRIOR TO RECONFIGURING GARDEN STREET ONCE AGAIN. SO THIS WOULD, INSTEAD OF SAYING WE'RE, WE'RE NEVER GONNA GO BACK TO TWO-WAY, WHAT THIS WOULD ALLOW FOR IS FOR, IT WOULD [04:55:01] DIRECT THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO GATHER THE DATA THAT WE ACTUALLY NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT'S GOING ON, TO COME UP WITH REAL SOLUTIONS TO MAKE TRAFFIC FLOW BETTER AND TO MAKE EVERYONE SAFER IN THE NEIGHBORHOODS. SO IT WOULD DO, UM, COUNSELOR ZUBE, IT WOULD, SO IT WOULD DELAY, UH, RESTORING GARDEN STREET TO TWO WAY. BUT WHAT IT WOULD REQUIRE IS, UM, SOME STUDY AND ANALYSIS OF TRAFFIC PATTERNS THAT WOULD HELP THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO BETTER IMPROVE EXISTING CONDITIONS, WHICH ARE BAD. UH, SO I, I FEEL LIKE IT WOULD BUILD ON, UH, COUNCIL ZUS ORDER AND IT WOULD ACTUALLY GIVE US, WITH THE DATA THAT WOULD HELP THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. MADAM MAYOR COUNCILLOR ZA. MAYOR WHEELER. THANKS. JUST BRIEFLY, I WOULD JUST SAY THIS COULD BE A SEPARATE POLICY ORDER. THE WHOLE POINT OF THE POLICY ORDER TONIGHT IS TO NOT DO ANY ADDITIONAL CHANGES. IF WE DON'T MAKE ANY CHANGES, WE CAN, WE CAN DO MORE ANALYSIS ON GARDEN STREET. THIS COULD BE A SEPARATE POLICY ORDER AT THE NEXT COUNCIL MEETING. I WOULD VOTE NO ON THE AMENDMENT, PASS THE ORIGINAL POLICY ORDER, AND THEN WE CAN, CAN HAVE MORE CONVERSATIONS IF WE WANT. COUNCIL ZUBIE, UH, I WOULD LIKE TO CALL THE QUESTION ON THE AMENDMENT IF THAT'S POSSIBLE. YES. SO, REMINDER ROBERT RULES 1 0 1 CALLING THE QUESTION IS NON DEBATABLE. SO WE HAVE TO GO PROCEED TO THAT VOTE AND THEN WE CAN GO FROM THERE. SO COUNCIL ZUS MOTION IS TO CALL THE QUESTION. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. OH, YES. ON THE AMENDMENTS? YES. WE'RE CALLING THE QUESTION, WHICH YES. WHICH ON THE A ON THE AMENDMENT. VOTING. ON THE AMENDMENT. VOTING ON THE VOTING ON TO VOTE ON THE AMENDMENT. TO VOTE ON THE AMENDMENT, YES. TO GO DIRECTLY THE VOTE WITHOUT DISCUSSION. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. ABSENT COUNCILLOR. SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. WE NOW GO DIRECTLY TO VOTING ON COUNCILLOR SUZIE'S AMENDMENT. MADAM CHAIR, WE ARE IN, WE HAVE TO MOVE TO THE VOTE. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. MADAM CHAIR. I WAS SAYING YES. OKAY, GREAT. WE RECORDED YOU. SO YOU HAVE NOT YOU POINTED ME AS ABSENT. YOU RECORDED AS, YES. I THOUGHT YOU SAID ABSENT. OKAY, CLERK, WHERE ARE WE AT NOW? WE, WE HAVE TO VOTE ON THE AMENDMENT. OKAY. AMENDMENT. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? NO. NO. VICE MAYOR. NO. NO. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNSELOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER? NO. NO. COUNCILLOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI? NO. NO. AND YOU HAVE FOUR MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE, IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. FIVE. RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. THE AMENDMENTS DO NOT PASS. WE DO HAVE TO DISPOSE OF A PRIOR MOTION THAT WAS FROM COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, UNLESS SHE WITHDRAWS IT, WHICH WAS REFERRING THIS TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, I CAN'T HEAR YOU. CAN YOU, CAN YOU I'D LIKE TO VOTE PLEASE. YOU'D LIKE TO PROCEED TO THE VOTE? YES, MA'AM. YES. YES. OKAY. DISCUSSION COUNCILOR NICK NOLAN? YEAH. ARE WE ON THE OVERALL OR ON THE MOTION REF THE REFERRAL TO THE TRANSPORTATION. YEAH, IT'S, I'LL, I'LL JUST BE SHORT. I MEAN, I, I, I DO THINK IT'S BAD POLICY. AND ALSO I THINK THERE'S A LOT OF TRUST THAT HAS BEEN REALLY SHREDDED FOR ME TONIGHT ON JUST THE WAY WE'RE APPROACHING THIS. AND JUST TO REMIND FOLKS, AND I APPRECIATE THE STAFF WHO HAS BEEN VERY CLEAR, THEY PREFER ONE THING, BUT THE IDEA THAT ONE IS SAFER THAN THE OTHER IS NOT TRUE. AND IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT. SO THOSE OF US WHO SUPPORT ONE OR THE OTHER WE'RE, IT'S STILL CLEAR THAT BOTH OF THEM ARE SAFE. AND I THINK THAT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT NARRATIVE. 'CAUSE OTHERWISE WE'RE BEING ACCUSED OF NOT WANTING SOMETHING SAFE. [05:00:01] AND I KNOW THERE'S PROS AND CONS, BUT I DO THINK IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT THAT WE'RE ABLE TO TRUST THE PROCESS, WHICH RIGHT NOW I'M NOT FEELING VERY GOOD ABOUT. I DON'T SEE ANYONE ELSE ON REFERRAL. SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND GO TO THE VOTE. COUNCILOR ZUBE? NO. NO. VICE MAYOR ZE? NO. NO. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR NOLAN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. NO. NO. COUNCILOR SY. WAIT, I'M SORRY. I'M VOTING ON THE, THIS POLICY ORDER. NO, THIS IS THE REFERRING TO THE TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE. OH, MY, UH, YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. NO. NO. AND YOU HAVE THREE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND SIX MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. SO WE'VE DISPOSED OF ALL IN ANY MOTIONS THAT WERE BEFORE US. WE'VE HEARD FROM EVERYONE WHO'S WANTED TO SPEAK. WE CAN GO AHEAD ON VOTING ON THE POLICY ORDER. COUNCILOR ZUBI? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? NO. NO. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? NO. NO. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. NO. NO. COUNCIL. I'M SORRY. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE FIVE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND RECCO. FOUR RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. ADAM MAYOR. YES. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN MOVE SUSPENSION OF THE RULES TO MOVE RECONSIDERATION. HOPING THE SAME WILL NOT PREVAIL. COUNCIL MCGOVERN HAS MOVED SUSPENSION. SO THERE WILL BE TWO VOTES. FIRST ON THE SUSPENSION AND THEN ON THE RECONSIDERATION. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY. POINT OF ORDER. IS IT A MOTION FOR RECONSIDERATION ONLY BY AN AGGRIEVED PARTY? YES. NO, YOU CAN DO, NO, NO. HERE YOU CAN AFTER IT PASSES. IF IT WERE TO PASS, THEN SOMEONE COULD MOVE FROM POOR RECONSIDERATION. BUT IF IT'S AFTER THE VOTE, ANY, ANY, ANYONE CAN MAKE THAT MOTION. YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE MAJORITY. YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE MAJORITY. YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE, IN THE MAJORITY, THE PREVAILING MAJORITY. IN ORDER TO MOVE FOR RECONSIDERATION. YES. YES. SUSPENSION AND THEN RECONSIDERATION. IT'S TOO CLOSE. SO IT'S TO ME, ON SUSPENSION. THIS IS ON SUSPENSION. YEAH. NO. COUNCIL ITY IS NO. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. NO, I'M SORRY. WAS THAT A NO, COUNSELOR? YES. IT'S A NO. UHHUH COUNCILOR. SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. NO. NO. MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE FIVE, SIX MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND THREE RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. SO WE'RE NOW ON IN SUSPENSION AND NOW WE HAVE TO VOTE ON THE RECONSIDERATION. SO MADAM MAYOR. YES. COUNSEL, JUST TO JUST CLARIFY FOR NEW FOLKS WHAT THAT MEANS. RIGHT. SO IF YOU WANT THE, IF YOU WANT THE, THE OPTION FOR SOMEONE TO FILE RECONSIDERATION, YOU WOULD VOTE YES. IF YOU WANT THE CASE TO BE CLOSED TONIGHT AND YOU WOULD VOTE, VOTE NO. DOES THAT MAKE SENSE? SURE. . SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO THAT. COUNCILOR ZUBE? NO. NO. VICE MAYOR ZIM? NO. NO. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. NO. NO. COUNCILOR EY? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. NO. NO. AND YOU HAVE FOUR MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND FIVE RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. SO WE'VE MOVED ON FROM THE CHARTER, RIGHT? WE HAVE TO GO TO UNFINISHED [UNFINISHED BUSINESS] BUSINESS NUMBER ONE. WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. THANKS. MAD MAYOR. THIS IS TO ORDAIN THE UPDATES TO THE WELCOMING CITY ORDINANCE. WE PASSED THIS TO A SECOND READING AT OUR LAST COUNCIL MEETING. THEY WERE ELIGIBLE TO BE ORDAINED ON APRIL 20TH TO THEIR, UH, WE CAN MAKE ORDAIN THEM TONIGHT. I WILL MAKE THE MOTION TO ORDAIN. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER MOVES TO ORDAIN. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. WE HAVE ORDAINED [05:05:01] THE AMENDMENTS TO THE WELCOMING CITY. WELCOMING COMMUNITY ORDINANCE. THERE ARE NO APPLICATIONS AND PETITIONS. THERE ARE 397 [COMMUNICATIONS] COMMUNICATIONS. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN ON FILE. COUNCILOR SIMMONS MAKES A MOTION TO PLACE ALL THE COMMUNICATIONS ON FILE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBY? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE. ABSENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNSELOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THE COMMUNICATIONS ARE PLACED ON FILE. WE'RE ON TO [RESOLUTIONS] THE CONSENT RESOLUTIONS. THERE ARE TWO ON A MOTION BY COUNSELOR MCGOVERN TO ADOPT THE RESOLUTIONS, MAKING THEM UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBI? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE. ABSENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNSELOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THE RESOLUTIONS ARE ADOPTED. THERE ARE TWO COMMITTEE REPORTS. [COMMITTEE REPORTS] I DON'T SEE ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO PULL THEM. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR ZUZI TO ACCEPT THESE REPORTS AND PLACE THEM ON FILE. DO A ROLL CALL. COMMITTEE REPORT. ACTUALLY, WE DO HAVE TO PULL TO COMMITTEE REPORT YET WE, WE, WE HAVE GOTTEN TO COMMITTEE REPORTS. RIGHT. COMMITTEE REPORTS. SO WE'LL PULL, WE'LL ADOPT, UM, NUMBER ONE AND DO A ROLL CALL. AND THEN WE WILL, I'LL PULL NUMBER TWO. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZE. ABSENT. COUNCILOR OF FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE. AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. COMMITTEE REPORT NUMBER ONE IS ADOPTED. WE HAVE COMMITTEE REPORT NUMBER TWO, WHICH WAS ABOUT A PUBLIC HEARING ON MONDAY, MARCH 30TH. TO REVIEW THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS ORDINANCE AND DISCUSS POTENTIAL UPDATES, INCLUDING ALLOWING THE ALL ALLOCATION OF FUNDING TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FOR CAPITAL PROJECTS. THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE VOTED FAVORABLY TO FORWARD THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE COMMUNITY BENEFITS ORDINANCE TO THE FULL CITY COUNCIL WITH THE FAVORABLE RECOMMENDATION. SO WE HAVE TO ADOPT THESE AMENDMENTS AND PASS THEM TO A SECOND READING. SO WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON ACCEPTING THE REPORT AND PLACING ON FILE FIRST, MADAM. YEAH, WE CAN, WE CAN DO THE, NO, WE HAVE TO, LET'S DO THE AMENDMENTS IN THE PASS AND THEN WE CAN DO THE REPORT. OKAY. ON THE AMENDMENTS. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ABSENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. ABSENT. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE AND TWO RECORDED AS ABSENT. WE ADOPTED THE AMENDMENTS AND PASSED 'EM TO A SECOND READING. AND NOW WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL AND ACCEPTING THE COMMITTEE REPORT NUMBER TWO AND PLACING IT ON FILE. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ABSENT. COUNCIL OF FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. ABSENT COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND TWO, RECORDED IS ABSENT. COMMITTEE REPORT NUMBER TWO IS ACCEPTED AND PLACED ON FILE. WE'RE GOING TO COMMUNICATIONS [COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS] AND REPORTS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON PLACING THE ONE COMMUNICATION REPORT ON FILE. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. ABSENT. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE, AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. THE COMMUNICATION REPORT FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS IS PLACED ON FILE. ARE THERE ANY LATE RESOLUTIONS? THERE ARE NONE. THERE'S NO LATE POLICY ORDERS. THERE ARE NONE. AND WE NOW MOVE ON TO ANNOUNCEMENTS. ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE BODY. WE DO HAVE A NUMBER OF COMMITTEE HEARINGS THIS WEEK. WE HAVE ONE IN TRANSPORTATION TOMORROW. COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. YES. I'LL BE HOSTING, UH, WITH, UH, VICE MAYOR HAM AZIM A, UH, A TRANSPORTATION COMMITTEE, ME MEETING ABOUT THE, UH, PROPOSED INCREASE IN THE PARKING PERMIT. SO IF YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT IT, PLEASE UH, [05:10:02] ZOOM IN, SHOW UP, SAME BAT CHANNEL. AND THAT'S AT THREE 3:00 PM SAME BAT CHANNEL. AND WE ALSO HAVE ANOTHER HEARING ON THURSDAY. YES. OR WAS IT WEDNESDAY? NO, WE HAVE ONE IN, I THINK WE HAVE PUBLIC SAFETY ON SHOT SPOTTER. AND THEN ON THURSDAY WE HAVE ONE, OR IS IT WEDNESDAY? ON THURSDAY? THE PILOT ECON ON PILOTS, SO, RIGHT. YEAH. YES. COUNSELOR ALVI. I ALSO WANNA ADD THAT THERE'S GONNA BE A MAY 1ST EVENT, UM, ON SECESSION PLANNING RIGHT HERE. I BELIEVE IN SULLIVAN CHAMBER AS WELL. AND THAT'S AT NINE 30? I BELIEVE IT'S AT NINE. NINE 9:00 AM YEAH. 9:00 AM OKAY. FOR SMALL BUSINESSES. YEAH. ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR ZUZI TO ADJOURN? WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBY? YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. ABSENT. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE EIGHT MEMBERS RECORDED THE AFFIRMATIVE AND ONE RECORDED IS ABSENT. WE ARE ADJOURNED. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.