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CALL, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WILL BE KEPT ON MUTE UNTIL IT'S TIME FOR PUBLIC COMMENT.I'LL GIVE INSTRUCTIONS FOR PUBLIC COM PUBLIC COMMENT AT THAT TIME.
BUT YOU CAN ALSO FIND INSTRUCTIONS ON THE CITY'S WEBPAGE FOR REMOTE PLANNING BOARD MEETING.
THIS BE MEETING IS BEING VIDEO AND AUDIO RECORDED AND IS BEING STREAMED LIVE ON THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE'S ONLINE MEETING PORTAL AND ON CABLE TELEVISION CHANNEL 22 WITHIN CAMBRIDGE.
THERE WILL ALSO BE A TRANSCRIPT OF THE PROCEEDING.
I'LL START BY ASKING THE STAFF TO TAKE BOARD MEMBER ATTENDANCE AND VERIFY THAT ALL MEMBERS ARE AUDIBLE.
THIS IS JEFF ROBERTS, COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT, H THEODORE COHEN.
ARE YOU PRESENT? AND IS THE MEETING VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE TO YOU? PRESENT, VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE.
MARY FLYNN, ARE YOU PRESENT? AND IS THE MEETING VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE TO YOU? YES.
PRESENT, VISIBLE, AND AUDIBLE.
MARY ECKER, ARE YOU PRESENT? AND IS THE MEETING VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE TO YOU? PRESENT, VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE.
MARY DIEGO MACIAS, ARE YOU PRESENT? AND IS THE MEETING VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE TO YOU? DIEGO APPEARS TO BE ABSENT.
ASHLEY TAN, ARE YOU PRESENT? AND IS THE MEETING VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE TO YOU? PRESENT, VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE.
CAROLYN, ZERN, ARE YOU PRESENT? AND IS THE MEETING VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE TO YOU? PRESENT, VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE.
DAN ANDERSON, ASSOCIATE MEMBER.
ARE YOU PRESENT? AND IS THE MEETING VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE TO YOU? HI, JEFF.
DAN AND THOMPSON VIC, CAN YOU CONFIRM THAT, UH, YOU'RE PRESENT IN THE MEETING IS VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE TO YOU PRESENT, VISIBLE AND AUDIBLE.
SO THAT MEANS THERE ARE, UH, SIX PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS AND ONE ASSOCIATE MEMBER PRESENT.
SO THE FIRST ITEM IS AN UPDATE FROM THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT.
UH, SO PLEASE ALSO INTRODUCE ANY STAFF THAT MIGHT BE PRESENT AT TONIGHT'S MEETING.
UH, ONCE AGAIN, I'M JEFF ROBERTS.
UM, I'M THE DIRECTOR OF REZONING AND DEVELOPMENT FROM MY TEAM.
UH, NOT WITH US THIS EVENING IS SWATHI JOSEPH.
I DON'T REMEMBER THE THE LAST TIME THAT'S HAPPENED, BUT EVAN PETRINI IS HERE AND, AND WE'RE, UH, COVERING FOR THE ZONING TEAM TONIGHT.
ERIC THORTON FROM THE URBAN DESIGN TEAM IS HERE, AND I BELIEVE WE MAY BE EXPECTING DREW CAIN ALSO FROM THE COMMUNITY PLANNING AND DESIGN, UH, DIVISION AT, AT CDD.
UM, SO A A FAIRLY SMALL GROUP TONIGHT.
I'LL, UH, JUST DO SOME QUICK UPDATES, UH, LOOKING AHEAD TO WHAT'S COMING UP.
WE HAVE, UH, TONIGHT'S MEETING.
WE HAVE SCHEDULED TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS, BOTH SORT OF RELATED TO ONE ANOTHER.
UM, A LITTLE BIT OF A DEJA VU 'CAUSE IT'S, IT HAS TO DO WITH SOME ZONING EFFORTS, THE FOLLOW UP FROM SOME ZONING EFFORTS THAT THE BOARD HEARD, UH, LAST YEAR.
SO WE'LL BE GETTING RIGHT INTO THAT AT THE START OF THE MEETING.
WE ALSO HAVE ONE GENERAL BUSINESS ITEM, A, A EXTENSION OF, OF TIME ON A SPECIAL PERMIT.
SO WE'LL GET TO THAT AT THE END.
OUR NEXT MEETING IS SCHEDULED FOR JUNE 16TH, AND WE HAVE ONE PUBLIC HEARING SCHEDULED.
IT'S A, UM, A CASE AT EIGHT WINTER STREET SEEKING SOME MODIFICATIONS TO THE CAMBRIDGE STREET DESIGN, UH, STANDARDS.
SO THAT IS THE MAIN ITEM FOR JUNE 16TH.
WE HAVE ONE OTHER GENERAL BUSINESS ITEM THAT WE'RE, WE'RE STILL LOOKING TO CONFIRM THAT WE'D WANT TO HAVE SCHEDULED THAT NIGHT.
SINCE IT'S NOT CONFIRMED, I I WON'T, UH, PUT IT UP NOW, BUT IT'LL BE POSTED ON THE AGENDA WHEN WE GET IT, UH, WHEN WE GET IT UP AND, AND WE'LL LET EVERYBODY KNOW.
UH, AND FINALLY, TO CLOSE OUT THE MONTH ON JUNE 30TH, WE HAVE OUR ANNUAL UTILITY REPORT.
THIS IS, I WANT TO SAY THE THIRD YEAR WE'VE DONE THIS.
I MIGHT, MAYBE IT'S FOR, UM, THIS, UH, KIND OF SIMILAR TO THE TOWN GOWN REPORTS OR KIND OF INSPIRED BY THE TOWN GOWN REPORTS.
THIS IS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PLANNING BOARD TO HEAR FROM, UH, UTILITY PUBLIC UTILITY PROVIDERS IN THE CITY.
SO THE CITY'S DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS AND WATER DEPARTMENT WILL BE PRESENTING, UM, VICINITY ENERGY, WHICH OPERATES A, UH, A POWER SUPPLIER IN CAMBRIDGE AND EVERSOURCE.
THE, THE ELECTRICAL AND GAS UTILITY IN THE CITY WILL BE, UH, WILL BE GIVING REPORTS ON, UH, JUST THE, THE STATE OF, OF THE INFRASTRUCTURE IN THE CITY AND, AND FUTURE PLANS.
SO, UH, THAT TAKES US TO THE END OF THE MONTH.
THERE'LL BE, UH, WE ANTICIPATE A LOT MORE COMING UP AS WE GET INTO THE SUMMER.
UM, ONE, UH, ACTUALLY TWO ITEMS OF INTEREST AT THE CITY COUNCIL.
UM, THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE WILL BE HOLDING ITS HEARING ON THE ZONING PETITIONS THAT THE PLANNING BOARD IS HEARING TONIGHT.
UH, THAT WILL BE JUNE 16TH, UH, JUST BEFORE THE, THE NEXT PLANNING BOARD MEETING, UM, AT 3:00 PM SO THAT, THAT'S A, THAT'LL BE HEARINGS ON THE, UH, MASS AVE
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AND CAMBRIDGE STREET ACTIVE USE ZONING PETITIONS.AND, UH, JUST POSTED ON JUNE 25TH, THERE WILL BE A DISCUSSION, UM, UH, JOINTLY HELD BY THE CITY COUNCIL'S HOUSING COMMITTEE AND NEIGHBORHOOD AND LONG-TERM PLANNING COMMITTEE.
THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO, UM, A COUPLE OF MEETINGS THAT WERE, THAT HAVE BEEN HELD THROUGHOUT THE, THE SEASON ON THE, UM, HOUSING DEVELOPMENT FOLLOWING THE 2025 MULTIFAMILY ZONING AMENDMENT.
SO WE, WE HAVE, HAVE HAD DISCUSSIONS ON THE ANNUAL HOUSING REPORT, WHICH WE TALKED ABOUT, AND, UM, AND SOME, SOME FOLLOW UP DISCUSSION, UH, WITH INVITED GUESTS, UH, ON THAT TOPIC.
AND WE'LL BE, WE'LL BE TALKING A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT, UH, ABOUT THE MULTIFAMILY ZONING, UM, AT THAT TIME.
SO JUNE, UH, 25TH, UH, IN THE AFTERNOON.
UH, THAT'S I THINK IT FOR UPDATES.
I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO THE CHAIR.
ARE THERE, UH, QUESTIONS FOR JEFF FROM MANY BOARD MEMBERS AT THIS TIME? NO ONE SEEMS TO INDICATE SUCH.
SO I THINK WE'LL MOVE DIRECTLY TO OUR FIRST AGENDA ITEM.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS A PUBLIC HEARING ON A ZONING PETITION BY THE CITY COUNCIL TO AMEND THE CAMBRIDGE ZONING MAP AND ORDINANCE IN ARTICLE 17, THE INTENT OF STRENGTHENING ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ON NORTH MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE.
FIRST CITY STAFF WILL BEGIN BY PRESENTING THIS PETITION.
THEN WE WILL TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE MASS AVE PETITION.
AND AFTER THAT, THE PLANNING BOARD WILL DISCUSS WHEN DISCUSSION IS CONCLUDED, WE'LL PROCEED TO THE PRESENTATION ON THE CAMBRIDGE STREET PETITION, TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT AND DISCUSS.
NOW, SINCE THE MASS AVE AND THE CAMBRIDGE STREET ACTIVE USE ZONING PETITIONS COVER VERY SIMILAR CONTENT, WE'RE GOING TO SAVE THE FINAL VOTES ON THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BOTH PETITIONS UNTIL THE END OF THE SECOND DISCUSSION.
IE THE CAMBRIDGE STREET DISCUSSION MIGHT INFORM SOME OF OUR THINKING ON THE MASS A DISCUSSION AND VICE VERSA.
SO, UH, WE'LL RESERVE THE FINAL VOTE FOR, UM, THE CONCLUSION OF BOTH, UH, PRESENTATIONS.
SO CDT STAFF, UH, WILL SUMMARIZE AND PRESENT.
THIS IS A NEW ZONING PETITION FROM THE CITY COUNCIL, AND THE BOARD'S ROLE IS TO HOLD A HEARING AND MAKE A RECOMMENDATION TO THAT CITY COUNCIL.
UM, AND, AND THANKS TO THE, THE BOARD FOR, FOR HAVING US TONIGHT.
UM, AS, AS JEFF SAID, A LITTLE BIT OF DEJA VU, WE'RE BACK TALKING ABOUT MASS A AND CAMBRIDGE STREET.
THIS TIME, UM, FOCUSED ON ACTIVE USES ON, UH, BOTH CORRIDORS.
SO, UH, JUST A A QUICK HISTORY LESSON, RECENT HISTORY LESSON.
UM, THE NEW MASS ZONING WAS ADOPTED BACK IN DECEMBER.
THE, THE BOARD HEARD, UM, UH, THE, THE PUBLIC HEARING ON, ON THIS POSITION LAST FALL.
UM, THE INTENTION OF THAT ZONING PETITION WAS TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE MASS A PLANNING STUDY.
UM, AND THERE ARE TWO MAIN FEATURES OF THE ZONING THAT ARE RELATED TO TODAY'S CONVERSATION.
UM, ONE, THE, THE PETITION ALLOW OR THE AMENDMENT, UM, AS IT WAS ADOPTED.
SO THE NEW ZONING ALLOWS FOR 12 STORIES OF HOUSING THROUGHOUT MASS AVE.
UM, 18 STORIES IN PORTER SQUARE, UH, WITH A PUD SPECIAL PERMIT.
UM, AND IT INCENTIVIZES ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USES, UH, BY ALLOWING ADDITIONAL RESIDENTIAL HEIGHT.
UM, IN THE, THE MASS 12 DISTRICT, UH, ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED ABOVE EIGHT STORIES.
AND IN THE MASS 12, A DISTRICT ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED ABOUT FOUR, UH, REQUIRED ABOVE FOUR STORIES, AND WE'LL TALK A LOT MORE ABOUT THAT LATER.
SO DURING THE, THE HEARING PROCESS FOR THE INITIAL, UH, MASS AB ZONING COUNCIL, UH, DISCUSSED POTENTIALLY IMPLEMENTING STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ON, ON BOTH MASS A AND CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, BUT WE'RE, UH, KIND OF LI LIMITED BY, UM, THE, THE LEGAL LIMITS ON HOW MUCH A ZONING PETITION CAN CHANGE.
SO WE WERE ABLE TO CREATE THE MASS 12 A DISTRICT, UM, WHICH IS MAPPED JUST SOUTH OF PORTER SQUARE, UM, THAT, AS I JUST SAID, REQUIRES ACTIVE USES ABOVE FOUR STORIES INSTEAD OF EIGHT, WHICH IS, UM, THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE REST OF THE CORRIDOR.
AND THE REASON WE WERE ABLE TO DO THAT IS BECAUSE MASS AB ALREADY HAD AN ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT.
UM, SO WE, WE WERE ABLE TO STRENGTHEN IT THERE,
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UM, BUT NOT OTHER, UH, PARTS OF, OF THE CORRIDOR AND, AND ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET AS WELL.UM, SO DURING THAT PROCESS, BEFORE EVEN THE EITHER ZONING PETITION WAS ADOPTED, COUNCIL, UM, PASSED A POLICY ORDER, UH, HERE DIRECTING STAFF TO DEVELOP A SUBSEQUENT ZONING PETITION TO STRENGTHEN, UM, THOSE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS.
SO THIS PETITION THAT WE'RE GONNA TALK ABOUT TONIGHT HAS ALREADY GONE THROUGH SOME PUBLIC PROCESS WITH COUNCIL.
UM, INSTEAD OF JUMPING RIGHT INTO A NEW PETITION AFTER WE, UH, COMPLETED THE, THE LAST ONE, WE WANTED TO HAVE A MORE DETAILED DISCUSSION TO WEIGH THE PROS AND CONS OF, OF SOME ALTERNATIVE APPROACHES.
AT A HIGH LEVEL, THE CONVERSATION ABOUT ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS IS ABOUT TRADE-OFFS.
UH, STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS WILL MAKE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT MORE DIFFICULT, ESPECIALLY FOR THOSE PROJECTS THAT CAN'T TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE TALLEST HEIGHTS ALLOWED.
UM, BUT ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE IS A LOT OF CONCERN, UH, ABOUT LOSING ACTIVE USES ON, ON BOTH CORRIDORS.
UM, SO THE COUNCIL WITH, WITH THE PLANNING BOARD'S GUIDANCE, WILL NEED TO, TO WEIGH THOSE TWO PRIORITIES, UM, WHICH WE'RE, YOU KNOW, THE TOP PRIORITIES IN BOTH, UM, THE MASS AVE AND CAMBRIDGE STREET PLANNING AND, AND ZONING.
UM, THEY'LL NEED TO WEIGH THOSE, THOSE TWO PRIORITIES TO STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE.
UH, SO THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE HELD TWO PUBLIC HEARINGS, ONE ON MARCH 11TH AND ONE ON, UH, APRIL 6TH.
UH, THERE WAS GENERAL CONSENSUS AROUND THE MASS, A APPROACH FROM, FROM THE FIRST, UH, UH, COMMITTEE MEETING, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE DEBATE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, WHICH I'LL TALK ABOUT IN IN THE NEXT PRESENTATION.
UH, AFTER THAT, THE COUNCIL PASSED A, A SERIES OF POLICY ORDERS DIRECTING CBD TO DRAFT ZONING PETITIONS TO IMPLEMENT THE APPROACH COMING OUT OF THE COMMITTEE DISCUSSION.
SO THAT'S WHAT WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT TONIGHT.
UM, TONIGHT'S THE, THE PLANNING BOARD HEARING AS, UH, JEFF MENTIONED EARLIER, THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE HEARING ON THESE TWO PETITIONS WILL BE, UH, IN A COUPLE WEEKS, JUNE 16TH AT, UM, 3:00 PM OKAY, SO THERE ARE THREE MAIN COMPONENTS TO THE ZONING PETITION.
UM, THE FIRST IS REQUIRING GROUND STORY ACTIVE USES ABOVE FOUR STORIES FROM CAMBRIDGE COMMON TO LINEAR PARK.
UH, THE PETITION DOES THAT IN, IN TWO WAYS.
ONE IS, UH, AN EXPANSION OF THE, THE MASS 12 A DISTRICT.
AND THE SECOND IS, UH, AMENDING THE MASS 18 DISTRICT TO, UH, WHICH IS MAPPED JUST IN PORTER SQUARE, UM, TO REQUIRE ACTIVE USES ABOVE FOUR STORIES.
UH, THE SECOND COMPONENT IS ESTABLISHING A PLANNING BOARD SPECIAL PERMIT TO ALLOW MINOR MODIFICATIONS TO THE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS.
UM, AND THEN THE THIRD COMPONENT IS, UH, JUST A CLARIFICATION THAT THESE REQUIREMENTS, THESE ACTIVE USE REQUIRE REQUIREMENTS ONLY APPLY TO LOTS ABUTTING A PRIMARY STREET, SO NOT, UM, UH, A SIDE STREET REALLY JUST FOCUSING ON MASS AVE AND, AND SOMERVILLE AVENUE IN, IN THIS ZONING DISTRICT.
UH, SO, SO BEFORE JUMPING RIGHT INTO, UH, THE, THE FIRST COMPONENT, I WANT TO JUST GIVE ANOTHER QUICK RECAP OF THE EXISTING STANDARDS.
UM, IN THE NEW MASS, A ZONING ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED TO ENABLE THE TALLEST RESIDENTIAL HEIGHTS ALLOWED.
UM, SO AS I I SAID, SOUTH OF PORTER SQUARE, IN THAT MASS 12, A DISTRICT ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED ABOUT, UH, REQUIRED ABOVE, UH, FOUR STORIES.
SO THE DIAGRAMS HERE ILLUSTRATE, UM, THE MASS 12 A STANDARDS.
UH, YOU CAN BUILD UP TO FOUR STORIES OF, OF JUST RESIDENTIAL, UM, ANYTHING ABOVE THAT.
SO FROM FIVE TO 12 STORIES REQUIRE ACTIVE USES.
SO THAT'S IN THE MASS 12, A DISTRICT.
EVERYWHERE ELSE ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED ABOVE EIGHT STORIES.
AND WE DO THINK THAT THIS IS THE RIGHT APPROACH, UM, REQUIRING ACTIVE USES ONLY ABOVE A CERTAIN HEIGHT OR ONLY FOR, UM, KIND OF LARGER PROJECTS, UH, REQUIRING ACTIVE USES FOR ALL DEVELOPMENTS.
UH, WHICH WAS THE CASE ON MASS A, UH, UH, BE BEFORE THIS NEW ZONING HASN'T WORKED OUT WELL, UH, IN OUR EXPERIENCE FOR MANY PROJECTS.
SO, SO WE, WE THINK THIS IS THE RIGHT APPROACH.
UM, WE DO THINK, THINK MOST DEVELOPMENTS WILL PROVIDE ACTIVE USES TO UNLOCK THOSE TALLER HEIGHTS, BUT IT ALLOWS FOR FLEXIBILITY FOR SOME UNIQUE SITES AND PROJECTS WHERE HEIGHT REALLY ISN'T
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THE PRIORITY.UM, FOR EXAMPLE, A HISTORIC PRESERVATION, UH, PROJECT MIGHT, MIGHT NOT WANT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THOSE HEIGHT LIMITS, BUT STILL PROVIDING AN ACTIVE USE MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE IN THAT PROJECT.
UM, THIS APPROACH ALSO PREVENTS CREATING NEW NONCONFORMITIES FOR EXISTING RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS THAT MAYBE EXCEED THE, THE HEIGHT THAT AT, AT WHICH THOSE ACTIVE REQUIREMENTS WOULD KICK IN.
UM, THAT CAN CREATE A LOT OF PROBLEMS WHEN PROPERTY OWNERS WANT TO, TO MAKE SOME IMPROVEMENTS FOR THEIR PROPERTIES AND, AND THEY HAVE A, A PREEXISTING NONCONFORMITY.
UM, AND JUST GENERALLY WE THINK FORCING COMMERCIAL SPACE AND PROJECTS WHERE IT DOESN'T MAKE SENSE IS, IS GONNA RESULT IN A SUBSTANDARD SPACE THAT, THAT REMAINS VACANT, OR, UH, WORST CASE SCENARIO KILLS THE PROJECT ALTOGETHER.
SO THE FIRST COMPONENT OF THE ZONING PETITION, UH, REQUIRE ACTIVE USES IN BUILDINGS GREATER THAN FOUR STORIES FROM CAMBRIDGE COMMON TO LINEAR PARK.
UM, AS I I MENTIONED, THIS IS DONE IN, IN TWO DIFFERENT WAYS.
THE FIRST, VERY SIMPLY EXPANDING THE MASS 12 A DISTRICT.
UM, SO THE AREAS, UH, SHADED ARE WHAT WOULD BE ALL, UH, MASS 12 A IF THE, THE ZONING PETITION IS ADOPTED.
THE AREAS OUTLINED IN RED ARE THE NEWLY REZONED AREAS TO THAT MAS 12 A.
SO IN ALL OF THOSE AREAS RIGHT NOW, ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED ABOVE EIGHT STORIES.
AND, UH, UNDER THE ZONING PETITION, THOSE AREAS WOULD HAVE A REQUIREMENT ABOVE FOUR STORIES, UM, FOR ACTIVE USES.
UH, AND THEN THE SECOND PIECE IS AMENDING THE MASS 18 DISTRICT, WHICH IS, UM, JUST IN PORTER SQUARE, UM, TO, TO REQUIRE ACTIVE USES ABOVE FOUR STORIES.
SO SORT OF ROUNDING OUT EVERY PART OF, OF MASS FROM CAMBRIDGE COMMON UP TO LINEAR PARK WOULD REQUIRE ACTIVE USES, UH, UH, GREATER THAN FOUR STORIES.
UM, SO QUICK REMINDER ON ON ACTIVE USES.
SO ACTIVE USES COVER A WIDE RANGE, UM, BUT FUNDAMENTALLY THERE'RE THOSE USES THAT ENCOURAGE PEDESTRIAN ACTIVITY LIKE RESTAURANTS, RETAIL, SOME PUBLIC FACING OFFICES, UM, WHERE THOSE ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED.
SO TO ACHIEVE THOSE TALLER HEIGHTS, UM, ACTIVE USES ALSO NEED TO MEET MINIMUM FLOOR AREA AND LOCATION STANDARDS, SPECIFICALLY 60% OF THE INTERIOR FLOOR AREA WITHIN 50 FEET OF THE STREET.
UM, THAT IS, THAT'S THE STANDARD, UH, IT'S INTENDED TO BE FLEXIBLE, BUT CONCENTRATES THOSE ACTIVE USES ALONG THE PRIMARY STREET.
UM, THE DIAGRAM ON THE, ON THE RIGHT OF THIS, UH, SLIDE IS, UH, 1740 MASS AVE.
YOU'LL, YOU'LL BE FAMILIAR WITH WITH THAT PROJECT.
UM, IT'S, AND IT'S REALLY HELPFUL TO, TO ILLUSTRATE THIS CONCEPT.
SO THAT OUTLINED AREA IN RED IS THE INTERIOR FLOOR AREA WITHIN 50 FEET OF THE STREET, AND THEY'VE SHADED, UH, AT LEAST 60% OF THAT AREA IN BLUE.
AND THAT REPRESENTS THE, THE AREA FOR ACTIVE USES.
SO ACTIVE USE MODIFICATIONS, THE PLANNING BOARD CAN APPROVE MODIFICATIONS TO THE ACTIVE USE STANDARDS IF THE INTENT OF THE REQUIREMENT IS BEING MET.
OF COURSE, THE INTENT BEING, UM, TO ENCOURAGE ACTIVE GROUND FLOORS, THERE'S CURRENTLY A SPECIAL PERMIT OPTION TO CONSIDER OTHER NON-RESIDENTIAL USES, ACTIVE USES, UM, SO THEY COULD QUALIFY.
UM, THEY'RE NOT IN THE, THE, THE LIST OF ACTIVE USES IN THE ZONING, BUT THE PLANNING BOARD CAN GRANT A SPECIAL PERMIT TO SAY, THIS USE WE'RE GONNA SAY IS ACTIVE, AND THAT CAN COVER YOUR ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT.
UM, IF, IF THAT ACTIVE USE WOULD CREATE SOME, SOME STREET ACTIVITY, UH, IF THAT USE WOULD CREATE SOME STREET ACTIVITY.
UH, BUT THIS PETITION, WHICH IS THE, THE SECOND COMPONENT OF THE PETITION INCLUDES A NEW SPECIAL PERMIT THAT WOULD ALLOW FOR SOME MINOR CHANGES TO THE AMOUNT OR LOCATION OF THE ACTIVE USES.
SO, UM, THE ONE THAT EXISTS IS ABOUT ALLOWING DIFFERENT USES.
THIS IS ABOUT, UM, KIND OF CHANGING HOW MUCH FLOOR AREA AND, AND WHERE IT'S LOCATED ON, ON THE SITE.
AND, AND FOR BOTH OF THOSE, UH, SPECIAL PERMITS, THE INTENT IS, IS NOT TO ALLOW TO, UH, PROJECTS TO AVOID THE REQUIREMENT ALTOGETHER, BUT TO GIVE THE PLANNING BOARD AN OPPORTUNITY TO CONSIDER OTHER WAYS OF ACHIEVING THOSE GOALS GIVEN THE UNIQUE CHARACTERISTICS OF A, OF A SITE OR A PROJECT.
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UM, BUT WE DO THINK SPECIAL PERMITS SHOULD BE THE EXCEPTION, NOT THE NORM.UM, SO THIS PETITION INCLUDES SPECIFIC CRITERIA FOR THAT NEW SPECIAL PERMIT.
UM, MODIFICATIONS, UH, MEET THE INTENT OF THE REQUIREMENT.
FLOOR AREA CANNOT BE SUBSTANTIALLY REDUCED FROM WHAT WOULD NORMALLY BE REQUIRED.
UH, AND MODIFICATIONS DIRECTLY, UH, MODIFICATIONS MUST DIRECTLY RESPOND TO SOME UNIQUE CONDITION OF THE SITE.
UM, SO, UH, LOOKING, YOU KNOW, BACK AT THAT DIAGRAM ON THE RIGHT, THE SPECIAL PERMIT WOULD ALLOW FOR PERHAPS A SLIGHT REDUCTION OF THAT BLUE AREA IF THERE WAS SOME SPECIFIC CHALLENGE, UM, WITH THE SITE OR BUILDING.
UM, OR IT COULD ALLOW FOR THE SAME AMOUNT OF FLOOR AREA, UH, THAT WOULD NORMALLY BE REQUIRED, BUT, UM, HAVE IT PROVIDED OUTSIDE OF THAT RED BORDER, UM, IF THAT FOR SOME REASON WORKED BETTER FOR THE PROJECT.
AGAIN, ALL OF THIS IS REALLY JUST ABOUT CREATING FLEXIBILITY, UM, WHERE, UH, YOU KNOW, PROJECTS DIFFER FROM PROJECT TO PROJECT AND, UM, AS LONG AS THE INTENT IS BEING MET, WE WANT TO BE ABLE TO PROVIDE FOR ALTERNATIVE WAYS, UM, TO, TO ACHIEVE COMPLIANCE.
AND THEN THE, THE FINAL COMPONENT OF THIS PETITION, UH, IS, IS JUST CLARIFYING THAT ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ONLY APPLY TO LOTS ABUTTING THE, THE PRIMARY STREETS.
SO ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS, UH, HAVE, ARE, ARE INTENDED TO REINFORCE THE MIXED USE CHARACTER OF THE MAIN STREETS, NOT THE SIDE STREETS.
UM, THIS WAS ALWAYS THE INTENT, UM, BUT ESPECIALLY AS WE'VE BEEN CONSIDERING, UH, STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS, UH, WE WANTED TO, UH, CHANGE SOME, SOME LANGUAGE TO MAKE THAT EXTRA CLEAR.
UH, YOU CAN SEE ON, ON THE MAP THERE ARE, UH, SEVERAL LOTS THAT FALL ENTIRELY OR PARTIALLY WITHIN THE DISTRICT WITH NO FRONTAGE ON MASS AVE.
UM, THOSE LOTS, UH, THEY MIGHT NOT BE ABLE TO BUILD TO, TO 12 STORIES ON THOSE LOTS, BUT, BUT WE DON'T THINK IT MAKES SENSE, UM, FOR, UH, THE STANDARDS TO BE MORE RESTRICTIVE ON THOSE LOTS THAN IT WOULD BE JUST OUTSIDE THE DISTRICT WHERE, UM, THE HEIGHT LIMIT IS, IS LIKELY SIX STORIES.
AND FROM A PLANNING PERSPECTIVE, WE DON'T THINK WE REALLY WANT TO BE INCENTIVIZING ACTIVE USES ON THOSE SIDE STREETS.
SO THOSE ARE, THAT'S A OVERVIEW OF THE PETITION.
UM, WE WANTED TO END THIS PRESENTATION WITH SOME ADDITIONAL CONSIDERATIONS FOR THE PLANNING BOARD TO WEIGH, UH, THE CAMBRIDGE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY IS PROPOSING A SIX STORY 16 UNIT ALL RESIDENTIAL BUILDING ON NORTH MASS AVE.
UM, THIS PROPOSED PETITION WOULD IMPOSE A NEW ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT ON THIS PROJECT, UM, WHICH COULD BE, UM, CHALLENGING TO MEET.
UM, THIS PROJECT, UH, CAME UP AFTER, UH, WE HAD THE, THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETINGS, UM, ACTUALLY WHEN, WHEN COUNCIL WAS REFERRING, UH, THE PETITION TO, TO, UM, TO THE PLANNING BOARD AND ORDINANCE COMMITTEE FOR PUBLIC HEARINGS.
UM, AND DURING THAT DISCUSSION, THE COUNCIL ASKED CDD STAFF TO MEET WITH THE CRA AND DISCUSS THIS CASE TO GET A LITTLE BIT MORE INFORMATION AND COME UP WITH SOME IDEAS THAT, THAT MIGHT ADDRESS SOME OF THE CHALLENGES THAT, THAT THEY'RE FACING.
UM, SO THIS REALLY IS, IT, IT'S A REAL LIFE EXAMPLE OF, OF THE TENSIONS BETWEEN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND, AND ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS.
AND, UM, AND IT COULD ILLUSTRATE THE TRADE-OFFS THAT OTHER PROJECTS OF THIS SCALE AND IN THIS AREA MIGHT FACE.
SO WE DID MEET WITH THE CRAA FEW TIMES SINCE, UH, THE PETITION WAS FILED, AND WE DISCUSSED THE CHALLENGES THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE LOOKING AT.
UM, FROM THOSE CONVERSATIONS, WE DEVELOPED A FEW POTENTIAL MODIFICATIONS TO THE CURRENT ZONING PETITION, UM, THAT, THAT MIGHT APPLY, UH, OR TO A PROJECT LIKE THIS OR, OR, UM, A SIMILAR, UH, SIZE PROJECT.
SO THE FIRST APPROACH IS, UM, JUST KEEPING NORTH MASS AVE IN THE MASS 12 DISTRICT REQUIRING ACTIVE USES ABOVE EIGHT STORIES INSTEAD OF FOUR.
UM, THE SECOND APPROACH WOULD ALLOW SMALLER PROJECTS UNDER A CERTAIN SQUARE FOOTAGE TO EXCEED, UH, FOUR STORIES, BUT, BUT NOT GREATER THAN SIX.
UM, OR, UH, THE, THE FINAL APPROACH COULD, UH, DELAY THE EFFECTIVE DATE SO THAT PROJECTS ALREADY IN THE WORKS COULD PROCEED AS THEY'RE
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CURRENTLY PROPOSED.THE FIRST OPTION IS, IS THE SIMPLEST OPTION, JUST MAKE NO CHANGE.
UH, NORTH OF PORTER WOULD REMAIN IN MASS 12 AND ACTIVE USES WOULD BE REQUIRED ABOVE EIGHT STORIES.
UM, IN THAT SCENARIO, ACTIVE USES WOULD BE MORE HEAVILY PRIORITIZED IN PORTER SQUARE AND SOUTH OF PORTER, UH, WHILE ALLOWING MORE FLEXIBILITY FOR HOUSING NORTH OF PORTER SQUARE.
THE SECOND OPTION WOULD CREATE, UH, AN EXEMPTION FOR SMALLER PROJECTS THAT DON'T HIT A CERTAIN GFA THRESHOLD FROM THOSE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS.
UM, CONCEPTUALLY THIS, THIS WORKS THE SAME WAY AS, AS REQUIRING ACTIVE USES FOR BUILDINGS ONLY ABOVE A CERTAIN HEIGHT.
UM, PROVIDING SOME FLEXIBILITY FOR PROJECTS WHERE ACTIVE USES MIGHT NOT BE SUPPORTABLE.
UH, AND THE THIRD OPTION WOULD JUST DELAY THE EFFECTIVE DATE, UM, OF THE ZONING CHANGE.
SO THIS WOULD, WOULD ALLOW PROJECTS CURRENTLY IN THE PIPELINE TO MOVE FORWARD AS IS, BUT FUTURE DEVELOPMENT, UH, WOULD HAVE TO CONFORM TO THE STRONGER STANDARDS.
AND THAT'S WHERE I'M GOING TO END.
SO I WILL TURN IT BACK TO THE CHAIR.
UM, SO, UM, NOW WE'LL, UH, THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING, SO WE'RE GOING TO, UH, TURN OUR ATTENTION TO SEE IF WE'VE GOT ANY, UH, OF OUR FELLOW COM, UH, COMMITTEE MEMBERS HERE TONIGHT THAT WANT TO BE SPEAK.
ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH SHOULD NOW CLICK, UH, THE BUTTON THAT SAYS RAISE HAND.
IF YOU'RE CALLING IN BY PHONE, YOU CAN RAISE YOUR HAND BY PRESSING STAR NINE.
AND AS OF 5:00 PM YESTERDAY, THE BOARD HAD RECEIVED COMMENTS FROM TOM EVANS AND FROM ETHAN FRANK ON THIS PETITION AND WRITTEN COMMUNICA COMMUNICATIONS THAT HAVE BEEN RECEIVED AFTER 5:00 PM YESTERDAY WILL BE ENTERED INTO THE RECORD.
SO I'LL NOW ASK STAFF TO UNMUTE ANY SPEAKERS, UH, ONE AT A TIME.
AND I'M ACTUALLY, I'M NOT LOOKING AT THE PARTICIPANTS.
WE HAVE AT LEAST THREE PEOPLE RAISING THEIR HAND.
I'LL NOW ASK STAFF TO UNMUTE SPEAKERS ONE AT A TIME.
YOU SHOULD BEGIN BY SAYING YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, AND STAFF CAN CONFIRM THAT WE CAN HEAR YOU.
AND AFTER THAT, YOU'LL HAVE UP TO THREE MINUTES TO SPEAK BEFORE I'LL ASK YOU TO WRAP IT UP.
UM, SO, UH, STAFF'S GONNA MANAGE THE COMMENT.
WE'LL, SO WE HAVE A FEW SPEAKERS.
I'LL JUST GO THROUGH THEM ONE AT A TIME.
PLEASE, UH, RAISE YOUR HAND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE IF YOU'D LIKE TO SPEAK, TO, GIVE US A SENSE OF WHO'S, WHO'S IN THE QUEUE SO WE CAN, WE CAN KEEP THINGS MOVING, UM, FOR THE SAKE OF EVERYONE.
SO THE FIRST SPEAKER IS TESS HOFFMAN, UH, WHO'S FOLLOWED BY KEVIN MCGUIRE, TESS HOFFMAN.
YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF AND BEGIN WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
TESS HOFFMAN, 67 WASHBURN AVE.
BUT SPEAKING TONIGHT, ON BEHALF OF THE CRA, THANK YOU, YOU CAN GO AHEAD.
UH, I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT ON BEHALF OF THE CAMBRIDGE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
FOLLOWING UP ON OUR WRITTEN COMMENT.
FIRST, I WANT TO THANK CDD STAFF FOR HIGHLIGHTING OUR PROJECT IN THE PRESENTATION TONIGHT.
WE REALLY APPRECIATE THE CONSIDERATION THEY HAVE GIVEN TO CRA'S SITE AT 2326 MASS AVE.
THIS IS A SITE THAT THE CRA PURCHASED WITH THE GOAL OF PARTIALLY SUBSIDIZING A MIXED INCOME HOME OWNERSHIP PROJECT.
WE CURRENTLY HAVE A, A DESIGNATED DEVELOPER FOR THE SITE, ASCENT DEV, LLC, WORKING WITH PCA ARCHITECTURE WHO PROPOSED THE BUILDING SHOWN SMALL SITES ON NORTH MASS AVE DO NOT RECEIVE THE BULK OF THE ATTENTION IN THIS CONVERSATION, BUT THEY SHOULD BE CONSIDERED FOR THE CRA.
GIVEN OUR LEVEL OF RESOURCES AS AN AGENCY, DEVELOPING A SMALL SITE WAS A MORE APPROACHABLE PROJECT TO GET OFF THE GROUND ON A SHORTER TIMELINE WITHOUT SPENDING YEARS CORRALLING FINANCING SOURCES.
WE ARE VERY EXCITED TO CONTRIBUTE HIGH QUALITY HOUSING TO THIS CORRIDOR, HOPEFULLY IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
THE PRODUCT WE'RE AIMING TO OFFER IS SIX STORIES, ALL TWO AND THREE BEDROOM CONDO UNITS LOCATED IN EIGHT MINUTE WALK FROM THE RED LINE AT DAVIS, AND HAS NO PARKING.
WE BELIEVE IT LEANS INTO MANY OF THE CITY'S HOUSING GOALS, DENSIFYING THE CORRIDOR, AND OFFERING FAMILY SIZED UNITS CLOSE TO MANY GREAT TRANSIT OPTIONS.
AS OUR LETTER DETAILS, THIS ZONING PETITION REALLY IMPERILS THE PROJECT AS IT'S CURRENTLY ENVISIONED.
THE PLANNED GROUND FLOOR RESIDENTIAL UNIT WITH YARD ACCESS WOULD GO AWAY, AS WOULD THE LOBBY.
WE'RE NOT SURE WHETHER THE BUILDING SYSTEMS AND ELEVATOR CIRCULATION WOULD FIT, POSSIBLY NECESSITATING A VARIANCE FROM THE 60% REQUIREMENT.
ADDITIONALLY, A RETAIL CONDO IS NOT A DESIRABLE FEATURE IN A CONDO BUILDING OF THIS SIZE WITH ONLY 16 OWNERS.
IT CREATES A LOT OF RISK FOR THE DEVELOPMENT AS A WHOLE.
THE UNIT MAY NOT BE SOLD AND WOULD BECOME A PERMANENT RENTAL FOR THE CONDO ASSOCIATION TO MANAGE IN A SOFT RETAIL MARKET.
LASTLY, THIS IS AN ISSUE FOR REVENUES.
[00:30:01]
AS THE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL SPACE IS WORTH APPROXIMATELY HALF OF THE RESIDENTIAL SPACE IN THIS LOCATION.IT'S UNFORTUNATELY NOT AN OPTION FOR US TO INCREASE THE PROJECT HEIGHT, BOTH IN TERMS OF THE OVERALL COSTS AND THE AESTHETIC FORM OF THE BUILDING, WHICH WOULD BECOME TOO TALL AND SKINNY FOR THIS SMALL FOOTPRINT.
WE ASK YOU TO CONSIDER NOT ONLY THE IMPACTS TO THIS CRA PROJECT, BUT TO OTHER PROJECTS LIKE OURS, WHICH MAY NOT HAPPEN GIVEN CASHFLOW CONSIDERATIONS.
UM, WE THINK THE MASS APP CORRIDOR NORTH OF PORTER SQUARE HAS A UNIQUE TRANSITIONAL CHARACTER.
IT DOES HAVE SPARSE OR RETAIL THAN NEARBY SHOPPING HUBS.
WHILE PORTER SQUARE IS A STRONG ANCHOR, AT ONE END, THE RETAIL TAPERS OFF TOWARD THE ARLINGTON LINE WITHOUT ANOTHER STRONG NEIGHBORHOOD ANCHOR AT THE OTHER END.
IT'S STILL A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT ITS MARKET WILL STRUGGLE TO SUPPORT GROUND FLOOR RETAIL IN NEW DEVELOPMENTS ON SMALL SITES.
UM, THE CRA WOULD SUPPORT ANY OF THE ALTERNATIVES PROPOSED BY CDD THIS EVENING, POSSIBLY WITH A PREFERENCE FOR APPROACH NUMBER TWO.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS KEVIN MCGUIRE, WHO'S FOLLOWED BY JUSTIN SAFE.
CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME OKAY? YES.
SO, MY NAME'S KEVIN MCGUIRE AND I TOO AM AFFILIATED WITH, UH, 2326 MASS AVENUE.
UH, THE, THE DEVELOPMENT THAT WAS RENDERED.
I AM, UH, A MEMBER OF ASCENT DEVELOPMENT, LLC, AND WE HAVE REALLY FOCUSED OUR ENERGY ON AFFORDABLE AND MID-TIER OWNERSHIP.
AND I JUST WANT TO HIGHLIGHT SPECIFICALLY WHEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT OWNERSHIP, AND OFTENTIMES WHAT WE TRY TO CALL COMMUNITY SCALE OWNERSHIP, WE SPEND A LOT OF TIME THINKING ABOUT 20 YEARS, WHAT IS THE LIFECYCLE OF THE BUILDING AND THE RESIDENTS AND THE, AND ESSENTIALLY THE WAY THAT THE BUILDING FUNCTIONS.
YOU KNOW, IN SOME WAYS THE, THE BEST PUBLIC BENEFIT IS A WELL-MAINTAINED AND ACTIVE BUILDING.
AND THE INTRODUCTION OF THE COMMERCIAL, OR THE RETAIL, AS TESS WAS SAYING, REALLY DOES ADD A LOT OF COMPLICATIONS.
AS OPPOSED TO HAVING A SINGLE BUILDING OWNER AS YOU WOULD IN A RENTAL BUILDING.
YOU HAVE A COLLECTION OF HOMEOWNERS, UM, WHO HAVE OTHER PROFESSIONAL LIVES AND, AND REALLY DON'T HAVE THE TIME TO BE TRUE ASSET MANAGERS.
AND YOU ARE JUST INTRODUCING ANOTHER COMPLICATED ELEMENT, OR ANOTHER, ANOTHER USER WITHIN THEIR SPACE THAT MAKES ALL DECISIONS, MAKES COMMUNICATION, MAKES DETERMINATION OF CONDOMINIUM FEES, RESOLUTION OF JUST KIND OF SMALL SPACE ISSUES.
IT REALLY BECOMES A, A, A, A CHALLENGE.
AND SO, YOU KNOW, I'M JUST HERE TO VOICE, UM, YOU KNOW, ACTIVE STREETS, ACTIVE FRONT GROUND FLOOR USAGE IS IMPORTANT, AND CAMBRIDGE IS AN AMAZING PLACE.
UM, I JUST HOPE THAT PARTICULARLY IN AN OWNERSHIP SITUATION, LESS THAN 20 UNITS OR LESS THAN 25 UNITS, PEOPLE ARE REALLY BEING THOUGHTFUL ABOUT LONG-TERM FUNCTIONALITY OR PROBABILITY OF SUCCESS.
UH, BECAUSE WHEN RETAIL'S ADDED TO A SMALL OWNERSHIP CONDOMINIUM, THE CHALLENGES ARE EX PROBABLY EXPONENTIALLY INCREASED AS OPPOSED TO JUST, UM, ADDED ON TO OTHER CHALLENGES.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS JUSTIN SAFE, WHO'S FOLLOWED BY TOM EVANS.
GOOD EVENING, JUSTIN SAFE, 72 4 NINTH STREET.
UM, I WANNA SAY THAT WE, YOU KNOW, NEED NEW HOUSING IN CAMBRIDGE TO ALLOW KIDS TO FIND APARTMENTS AFTER HIGH SCHOOL OR COLLEGE TO ALLOW NEW HOUSEHOLDS TO FORM AND TO ALLOW RESIDENTS TO MOVE TO OR WITHIN CAMBRIDGE WITHOUT DRIVING UP HOUSING COSTS AND CAUSING DISPLACEMENT.
OUR ENVISION CAMBRIDGE GOAL SET IN 2018 WAS TO BUILD 12,500 NEW HOUSING UNITS BY 2030 IN AN ANNUAL AMOUNT THAT WOULD INCREASE THE VACANCY RATE AND HELP TO LOWER RENTS.
SADLY, WE'VE FALLEN SO FAR SHORT, WE'VE THROWN IN THE TOWEL AND GIVEN UP ON ACHIEVING OUR 2030 GOAL, AND WE'VE BUILT LESS THAN 10% OF OUR ANNUAL GOAL OVER THE PAST FEW YEARS.
HOUSING AFFORDABILITY IS FAR AND AWAY THE MOST IMPORTANT ISSUE TO CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS HAS SEEN IN THE ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC SURVEY, AND WE ARE FAILING ON IT.
ADDING THIS, UH, EXPENSIVE UNFUNDED FIRST FLOOR ACTIVE USE MANDATE WILL RESULT IN GETTING THE WORST OF ALL WORLDS.
WHERE WE WILL GET NO RETAIL, WE WILL GET NO HOUSING, WE WILL BE STUCK IN AMBER.
[00:35:01]
WITH MORE CREATIVE OPTIONS THAN THE THREE PRESENTED TONIGHT.FIRST OF ALL, IT IS COMPLETELY UNACCEPTABLE TO HAVE A ONE-OFF THAT JUST HELPS ONE PROPOSAL THAT MAKES NO SENSE FOR CITYWIDE ZONING.
YOU KNOW, TO THE EXTENT THAT CAMBRIDGE STREET AND MASS AVENUE ARE GOING TO BE A PATTERN FOR FUTURE OTHER CORRIDOR ZONING, WHICH IS HIGHLY LIKELY.
UM, WE'VE ALSO HEARD FROM ANOTHER BUILDING, THE FORMER DUNKIN DONUTS, THE THIRD IN THE MCGRATH, THAT THIS MANDATE WOULD ALSO KILL THEIR INCLUSIONARY PROJECT.
AND THE UNITS YOU'RE GONNA LOSE ARE GOING TO TO BE THE INCLUSIONARY UNITS.
THOSE ARE THE ONES THAT WILL GO FIRST.
SO YOU'LL GET ONLY THE MARKET RATE UNITS, THEN YOU'LL GET SMALLER BUILDINGS BECAUSE THEY WILL AVOID THIS.
UM, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE, THERE'S NO FREE LUNCH.
WE HAVE TO PROVIDE EITHER ADDITIONAL HEIGHT, WHICH AT LEAST MASS AB DOES, CAMBRIDGE STREET DOES NOT.
AND, YOU KNOW, EITHER TAX ABATEMENT INCENTIVES OR ELSE RELIEF FROM OTHER ZONING REQUIREMENTS LIKE
BUT IF THEY'RE NOT ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE, THEY WON'T HAPPEN.
AND THIS MAKES THEM LESS ECONOMICALLY FEASIBLE.
I MEAN, IT'S SAD THAT IT TOOK THE CAMBRIDGE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY COMING FORWARD TO INFORM THE CITY THIS, WHEN IT'S BEEN OBVIOUS AND PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, HAVE BEEN SAYING IT FROM THE OUTSET.
AND THE CITY HAS DONE, YOU KNOW, VERY LITTLE IN TERMS OF TRYING TO SQUARE THIS CIRCLE AND MAKE BOTH, UH, THE HOUSING AND THE FIRST FLOOR ACT OF USE POSSIBLE.
UM, BUT I THINK WE NEED TO GO BACK TO THE DRAWING BOARD WITH MUCH MORE CREATIVE APPROACHES THAN THOSE THAT ARE ON OFFER TONIGHT.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS TOM EVANS, WHO'S THE LAST HAND RAISED AT THIS TIME.
UM, THANK YOU CHAIR AND PLANNING BOARD MEMBERS.
UM, TOM EVANS, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE CAMBRIDGE REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY.
OUR OFFICE IS AT, UH, 2 55 MAIN STREET.
UM, AND I JUST WANNA FOLLOW UP ON THE COMMENTS FROM TESS AND KEVIN SPECIFIC TO, UM, THE PROJECT THAT WAS DESCRIBED.
I WAS LOOKING BACK ON THE POLICY ORDER FROM DECEMBER, UM, AND IT DID ASK FOR A REVIEW OF ACTIVE USES ON CAMBRIDGE STREET AND THE PORTER SQUARE PUD SUBDISTRICTS.
UM, AT THAT TIME IT DIDN'T SPECIFICALLY MENTION NORTH MASS AVE, WHICH IS, UH, ONE OF THE REASONS WHY WE WENT AHEAD WITH OUR PROCUREMENT AND NOT, UH, DID NOT PAY AS CLOSE ATTENTION TO THESE ONGOING, UM, ACTIVE USE, UH, CHANGES.
SO WE CAME IN A LITTLE LATER INTO THE CONVERSATION AT CITY COUNCIL, UH, BECAUSE OF THE ADDITION OF THE NORTH MASS AVE, UM, SECTION.
UH, I JUST WOULD WANNA POINT OUT THAT IT'S FULLY EXPECTED THAT YOU MIGHT ZONE DIFFERENT PARTS OF THE CITY DIFFERENTLY.
WE THINK, UH, NORTH MASS AVE IS DIFFERENT THAN CAMBRIDGE STREET, UM, AND WE THINK SOME THOUGHTFUL TREATMENT OF SMALLER PROJECTS, SMALLER PARCELS, SMALLER DEVELOPMENT SIZE, UH, MAKES SENSE AS A STRATEGY TO ALLOW HOUSING TO MOVE FORWARD ON THE CORRIDOR.
UH, STILL ALLOW AND, UH, MANDATE, UH, RETAIL FOR LARGER PROJECTS, UH, WHICH SHOULD PROVIDE THE BULK OF THE ACTIVE USE ALONG THE CORRIDOR.
UM, BUT DIDN'T, UH, BURDEN SMALLER PROJECTS, AS KEVIN SPOKE ABOUT THAT MIGHT NOT REALLY, UH, HAVE THE WHEREWITHAL TO CREATE THE KIND OF ACTIVE USE I THINK WE ENVISION HAPPENING ON THE CORRIDOR, UM, INSTEAD MIGHT END UP WITH USES THAT ARE MAYBE EVEN LESS ACTIVE THAN A RESIDENTIAL LOBBY.
SO, UH, WE APPRECIATE ALL THE WORK THAT STAFF HAS DONE TO, UH, LOOK AT SOME ALTERNATIVES.
UM, AS TESS MENTIONED, I THINK, UH, ANY OF THOSE APPROACHES WOULD WORK FOR US, UM, AND WE LOOK FORWARD TO THE ONGOING CONVERSATION.
WE DO HAVE SOME MORE HANDS RAISED JUST IN THAT LAST ONE.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS TODD CHAPIN, UH, WHO'S FOLLOWED BY HEATHER HOFFMAN.
HI, UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND, AND BEGIN WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS, PLEASE.
I LIVE AT 4 62 CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, I'M WONDERING IF IT WAS CONSIDERED TO OFFER, INSTEAD OF MAKING A MANDATE, OFFER A BENEFIT TO OF SOME KIND TO, UH, BUILDINGS, WHICH WOULD ADD AN ACTIVE USE, UH, OFFERING ON THEIR FIRST FLOOR.
YOU KNOW, AS I WALK AROUND, UH, PREDOMINANTLY EAST CAMBRIDGE, I SEE A LOT OF EMPTY RETAIL AND COMMERCIAL SPACE ON THE FIRST FLOOR.
UM, SO I JUST WANTED TO ASK THAT.
[00:40:02]
AND THE NEXT SPEAKER IS HEATHER HOFFMAN, WHO IS THE LAST HAND RAISED AT THIS TIME.CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF AND BEGIN.
HELLO, HEATHER HOFFMAN, TWO 13 HURLEY STREET.
I WAS GONNA WAIT FOR CAMBRIDGE STREET TO SPEAK, BUT I COULD NOT LET THE, UM, THE OUTRIGHT FALSELY THAT, UM, MR. SAFE FELT COMPELLED TO ADD TOWARDS THE END OF HIS STATEMENT TO SIT HERE AND CONFUSE PEOPLE.
THE PROJECT AT, ON THIRD STREET AT THE O'BRIEN HIGHWAY IS CURRENTLY UNDER CONSTRUCTION.
IE IT ALREADY HAS A BUILDING PERMIT, SO ANY ZONING CHANGE THAT WE WERE TO MAKE NOW WOULD NOT AFFECT THAT PROJECT.
I, I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT THAT MY BROTHER AT THE BAR KNEW BETTER THAN THAT, BUT I WAS, I APPEARED TO HAVE BEEN WRONG.
I BELIEVE THAT IS THE LAST SPEAKER, SO I'LL TURN IT BACK OVER TO THE CHAIR.
UH, JEFF, WE'LL, WE'LL NOW MOVE FROM PUBLIC COMMENT TO BOARD DISCUSSION, AND ANY ADDITIONAL COMMENTS, UH, WILL BE SUBMITTED FOR THE WRITTEN COMMENTS WILL BE SUBMITTED FOR THE, UH, FOR THE RECORD.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, DO UH, BOARD MEMBERS HAVE ANY SPECIFIC QUESTIONS FOR CDD STAFF ON THE, UH, ON THE PETITION? UH, TED, THANK YOU.
UH, I HAVE A QUESTION ABOUT THE CHART THAT WAS SHOWN ON THE, UH, PRESENT.
WELL, WHAT WAS PRESENTED, UH, THAT WAS SENT TO US, HAD A, A, A ZONING CHART THAT WAS CHANGED.
IS IT POSSIBLE TO PUT THAT UP? UM, SURE.
I, SORRY, GIMME A, A MINUTE TO PULL THAT BACK UP.
CAN YOU, CAN YOU REMIND ME THE, IT'S THE TABLE 17.80 4.3 MM-HMM
I'M NOT, UM, I'M NOT SURE WHERE THAT WAS IN THE PRESENTATION.
IT WAS IN THE MATERIALS THAT WERE PRESENTED.
OH, IN, WAS IT IN THE, SORRY, IN THE, UM, THE COVER MEMO TO THE PAGE NINE OF THE PETITION.
I GUESS IT WAS IN THE, THE MEMO.
HERE I WILL, UM, SORRY, APOLOGIES.
SO WHERE IT SAYS RESIDENTIAL USES, WHICH HAD BEEN MOVED FROM TWO SPOTS ABOVE FOR MASS MAS 12 AND 12 A AND 18, THEY ALL SAY 145 FEET AND 12 STORIES ABOVE GRADE.
SO THIS IS, UH, THIS IS SORT OF JUST A RESTRUCTURING OF HOW THE ZONING WAS, UM, OR THIS TABLE WAS SET UP.
SO BEFORE WE HAD A, UH, A RESIDENTIAL USES.
AND THEN THE, THE SECOND LINE WAS RESIDENTIAL USES WITH ACTIVE GROUND FLOORS.
SO IT WAS THE, THE TALLEST HEIGHTS WAS RESIDENTIAL.
THEY WERE BOTH RESIDENTIAL USES.
WHAT WE'VE DONE IS WE TOOK OUT THE RESIDENTIAL ONLY LINE, AND WE, WE PUT IT EARLIER, UM, IN THESE CHANGES THAT, UH,
[00:45:01]
BASICALLY, UH, YEAH, THE, THESE BULLETS NOW SAY ABOVE A CERTAIN HEIGHT, RIGHT? THOSE, THOSE BUILDINGS ARE REQUIRED TO HAVE ACTIVE USES.SO, SO WE'RE SORT OF JUST REFRAMING IT AS, UM, RESIDENTIAL USES ARE ALLOWED UP TO, UP TO THE TALLEST HEIGHTS, THAT 12 STORIES IN, UM, IN ALL OF THOSE DISTRICTS, EXCEPT FOR THE, THE MASS SIX, UM, WHICH IS, IS SIX STORIES.
SO IT'S ALLOWED UP TO 12 STORIES, BUT ABOVE, UM, UH, FOUR OR EIGHT STORIES YOU'RE REQUIRED TO, UH, PROVIDE THOSE ACTIVE USES.
SO IT'S, IT WAS SORT OF JUST RESTRUCTURING THINGS AROUND.
WE THOUGHT THIS WAS A LITTLE CLEARER THAN, THAN HAVING THAT IN THE TABLE.
BUT THE 1 45 FEET AND 12 STORIES FOR THE THREE, UH, DISTRICTS IS, IS ALL ACCURATE? YEP.
UH, THANK YOU THAT, THAT'S MY ONLY QUESTION RIGHT NOW.
SO, UH, IF I UNDERSTAND THE, UH, PROPOSED CHANGES CORRECTLY, DOES THAT MEAN, UM, IF SOMEONE IS PROPOSING A NON-RESIDENTIAL, ANOTHER NON-RESIDENTIAL USE THAT'S NOT IN THE LIST OF ACTIVE USES, THEY CAN COME TO THE PLANNING BOARD FOR A SPECIAL PERMIT, BUT, YOU KNOW, SAY FOR EXAMPLE, IN THIS CASE THE CRA OR ANYONE ELSE, THEY'RE PROPOSING A RESIDENTIAL USE ON THE GROUND FLOOR, THEN THEY WOULD, WOULD THEY STILL USE A SPECIAL PERMIT OR, OR IS IT LIKE A VARIANCE FROM THE ZONING BOARD AND IS THAT A CONCERN? SO YEAH, THANK, THANK YOU FOR, FOR THE QUESTION.
UM, THIS SPECIAL PERMIT ALLOWS FOR, FOR MINOR MODIFICATIONS TO, TO THE SIZE AND LOCATION OF THE ACTIVE USE OR CONSIDERING ANOTHER NON-RESIDENTIAL USE AS AN ACTIVE USE.
THOSE ARE THE TWO SPECIAL PERMITS.
ONE, THE, THE LADDER IS ALREADY IN THE ZONING.
IT DOESN'T, UM, IT, IT WOULDN'T ALLOW FOR JUST A, A WAIVING OF THE, THE REQUIREMENTS.
SO I THINK IN THAT CASE YOU WOULD, YOU WOULD PROBABLY NEED TO GET A, A VARIANCE THEN THAT WAS THE INTENT THAT, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SPECIAL PERMIT WOULDN'T BE A WAY TO, TO JUST JUST WAIVE THE, THE REQUIREMENT ENTIRELY.
IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST TO KIND OF MODIFY IT A A LITTLE BIT ON THE EDGES.
ASHLEY, UM, CAROLYN, THANK YOU.
UM, I WAS THINKING ABOUT THE PROJECT THAT WE REVIEWED NOT LONG AGO, THE HO PROJECT, I THINK AT 2072, MASS AVE, THE EIGHT STORY CLT MM-HMM
PROJECT, WHICH I THINK UNDER THE, IF I'M UNDERSTANDING THIS RIGHT, UM, UNDER THIS PROVISION WOULD REQUIRE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
AND I, I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER IF GROUND FLOOR RETAIL IS IN HIS PLANS IN THE CAPSTONE TEAM'S PLANS.
AND I'M CURIOUS IF YOU TALKED TO THAT TEAM AT ALL ABOUT WHETHER OR NOT GROUND FLOOR RETAIL WOULD HAVE KILLED THAT PROJECT.
SO I THINK WE'RE ALL PRETTY EXCITED ABOUT THAT PROJECT AND ITS IMPACT.
THAT'S, UM, SO THAT'S A, IT'S AN AFFORDABLE HOUSING OVERLAY PROJECT.
SO IT, UM, IT, IT'S ACTUALLY UNDER A, A DIFFERENT SET OF, OF RULES.
SO IT DOESN'T NEED TO, UM, ADHERE TO, UH, THE, THE, THE MA ANY OF THE, THE MASS A, UM, ZONING FOR THE, FOR THE MOST PART.
UM, SO THIS WOULDN'T APPLY TO, TO THAT PROJECT.
UH, THEY, INTERESTINGLY, THEY, THEY DID IN AN EARLIER VERSION HAVE ACTIVE GROUND FLOORS, UM, OR AN ACTIVE USE ON THE GROUND FLOOR.
UM, BUT I, I THINK THEY ALSO, YOU KNOW, FOUND IT CHALLENGING TO, TO MAKE THAT WORK.
AND THAT'S, IT'S SORT OF HARD TO, TO COMPARE THOSE PROJECTS TOO MUCH BECAUSE AFFORDABLE PROJECTS HAVE COMPLICATED FINANCING STRUCTURES THAT THAT CAN IMPACT DIFFERENT, WHAT USES MAKE SENSE AND, AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.
BUT, UM, BUT, BUT YEAH, THAT, SO THIS, THIS ZONING PETITION WOULDN'T IMPACT THAT PROJECT.
GREAT REMINDER, YOU WOULD THINK I WOULD HAVE THAT ONE DOWN BY NOW.
UM, SECOND QUESTION, UM, IF YOU'LL FORGIVE ME, UM, AND RELATED TO THE CRA EXAMPLE, UM, AND GIVEN, GIVEN BUILDING CODE AND THE KIND OF SIX STORY STICK BUILT KIND OF PROTOTYPE THAT IS PROBABLY LIKELY FOR MOST RESIDENTIAL BUILDING
[00:50:01]
ON MASS AVE AT THIS POINT, EXCEPT FOR THE SUPER TALL STUFF THAT WILL HAVE GROUND FLOOR RES, UH, ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, UM, I'M CURIOUS IF YOU CONSIDERED A SIX, ANYTHING, SIX STORIES AND ABOVE AS OPPOSED TO FOUR STORIES AND ABOVE, UM, AND THOUGHT AND KIND OF ALLOWED FOR THAT POSSIBILITY AS ONE OF THE THIRD, ONE OF THE POSSIBILITIES FOR ADDRESSING THAT.YEAH, I, I THINK WE, WE DID TALK ABOUT THIS, UM, A LITTLE BIT.
I'M TRYING TO REMEMBER EXACTLY, UH, WHERE WE, WE SORT OF LANDED ON THAT.
YEAH, WE, WE DID, WE DID TALK ABOUT THIS.
SO YEAH, WHAT THE, THE RESULTS OF THIS ARE, UM, THE OUTCOME OF A LOT OF CONVERSATIONS WHERE WE DID A LOT OF WHAT IF THING AND, AND LOOKING AT DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
AND I THINK THE, THE IDEA WAS EXACTLY AS YOU SAID, YOU KNOW, THE CITY COUNCIL WAS CONCERNED ABOUT SEEING, YOU KNOW, MOSTLY SIX STORY DEVELOPMENT, BUT NOT HAVING GROUND FLOOR USE.
AND SO THE CURRENT ZONING ONLY WOULD ONLY HAVE THAT.
AND AND THIS IS ALL, IT'S KIND OF A, IT'S ALWAYS HARD TO DESCRIBE WHETHER THIS IS A REQUIREMENT OR AN INCENTIVE 'CAUSE IT'S REALLY JUST SAYING, WHERE'S THAT SORT OF CUT OFF WHERE YOU CAN GO HIGHER OR NOT.
UM, AND IN THE, THE ORIGINAL PROPOSAL FROM LAST YEAR, IT WAS EIGHT STORIES, AND THE COUNCIL WAS CONCERNED ABOUT THAT, YOU KNOW, SIX STORIES BEING MORE THE NORM.
AND SO WE LOOKED AT HOW DO WE GET TO THAT SIX STORIES WITH, WITH THE ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR.
AND WE THOUGHT THAT IF WE REALLY WANTED TO BE AN INCENTIVE, WE WOULD WANT THAT GAP TO BE EITHER, YOU KNOW, FOUR STORIES WITHOUT THE ACTIVE USE OR SIX STORIES WITH THE ACTIVE USE.
SO ESSENTIALLY YOU'RE GETTING THAT ADDITIONAL, YOU'RE GETTING THE ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR AND AN ADDITIONAL STORY OF HOUSING AS, AS THE INCENTIVE TO GO TO, TO SIX STORIES.
SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS THE THINKING, AND THAT'S WHY, AND AS EVAN DESCRIBED, THAT'S, THAT'S THE ZONING THAT'S CURRENTLY IN PLACE IN THE, UM, THE SOUTH OF PORTER SQUARE PART OF MASS AVE.
AND YOU KNOW, THE BOARD HAS, YOU KNOW, RECENTLY LOOKED AT A PROJECT THAT IS LIKE SIX STORIES WITH THE ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR, BUT IT'S ON A MUCH BIGGER SITE, UM, OR SOMEWHAT, YOU KNOW, SUBSTANTIALLY BIGGER SITE.
AND SO THAT'S THE, UH, AND SO THAT WAS THE, THE LOGIC BEHIND THE FOUR STORIES BEING THE CUTOFF TO THEN GET UP TO SIX STORIES.
YOU COULD ALSO DO IT STARTING AT SIX STORIES, BUT IT'S NOT AS MUCH OF AN INCENTIVE FROM FIVE STORIES WITHOUT THE ACTIVE USE TO SIX STORIES WITH THE ACTIVE USE.
THIS IS ACTUALLY, UM, A FOLLOW ON.
CAROLYN ASKED, ASKED MY QUESTION ABOUT THE SIX STORIES.
UM, AND UH, SO THANK YOU FOR THAT ANSWER.
I GUESS THE FOLLOW ON IS, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT YOUR THINKING ABOUT EXTENDING, I GUESS, MA 12 A TO LINEAR PARK.
UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE ALL AWARE THAT THAT, UH, RETAIL TAPERS OFF FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS NORTH OF PORTER SQUARE.
AND SO MAYBE JUST A LITTLE BIT OF THINKING, UH, ON THAT EXTENSION OF M EIGHT 12.
YEAH, I CAN, I CAN SPEAK TO THAT.
AND, AND THERE'S MAYBE SOME, SOME ADDED COLOR TO GOING, GOING ALL THE WAY BACK TO THE, THE PLANNING ON THIS.
YOU KNOW, SOME OF THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE MASS APP PLANNING STUDY, UM, TALKED ABOUT CREATING THESE, THESE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS WHERE THERE WOULD BE STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS THROUGHOUT MASS AVE.
AND IT INCLUDED, YOU KNOW, LIKE TROLLEY SQUARE AND, AND SOME OTHER AREAS ON NORTH MASS AVE THAT, THAT WEREN'T IN THE INITIAL PETITION.
AND THE REASON THAT THEY WEREN'T IN THE INITIAL PETITION IS WHEN WE, UM, WHEN WE STARTED TRYING TO DRAW THE BOUNDARIES, UM, OF, OF THOSE KIND OF NEIGHBORHOOD CENTERS, IT BECAME REALLY DIFFICULT TO SAY, WELL, WHY HERE AND WHY NOT HERE WHEN YOU'RE, YOU KNOW, LOOKING JUST A BLOCK OVER.
UM, SO, SO WE, WE WEREN'T ABLE TO BE, YOU KNOW, AS, AS NUANCED AS, AS WE KIND OF THOUGHT MAYBE IN THE, IN THE PLANNING, UM, THAT WOULD MAKE SENSE IN THIS GO AROUND.
UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE LOOKED AGAIN AT, AT NORTH MASS AVE.
AND, AND ONE OF THE REASONS WHY IT MIGHT MAKE SENSE TO, TO BE A LITTLE, UH, STRONGER ON ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS IS THAT THERE ARE A LOT MORE OF THOSE LARGER REDEVELOPMENT SITES ON THIS PART OF, OF MASS WHERE, WHERE YOU REALLY WOULD WANT TO SEE, UM, ACTIVE USES.
SO I THINK THAT WAS, THAT WAS PART OF THE, THE CONCERN WAS
[00:55:01]
YOU LOOK AT THESE, THESE LARGE SITES AND, AND MAYBE THE WORRY WAS THAT YOU, YOU'RE GONNA GET, YOU KNOW, A, A WHOLE BUNCH OF SIX STORY OR, YOU KNOW, EIGHT, EIGHT STORY WOULD BE ALLOWED UNDER THE, THE EXISTING ZONING OF JUST RESIDENTIAL AND, AND NOT HAVE THOSE, THOSE ACTIVE USES.SO IT'S KIND OF A COMBINATION OF, WE, WE THOUGHT IT WAS, IT WAS KIND OF REALLY DIFFICULT TO TRY TO BE NUANCED AND GO GET IN THERE WITH A SCALPEL AND SAY, WELL, THIS IS GONNA HAVE, UH, ABOVE FOUR STORIES AND THIS IS GONNA HAVE ABOVE EIGHT STORIES.
UM, AND, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HAVING THOSE LARGER REDEVELOPMENT SITES MADE US THINK MAYBE IT, MAYBE IT MAKES SENSE JUST TO, TO BRING THAT ALL THE WAY UP TO, TO LINEAR PARK BEING, YOU KNOW, A S SOMETHING OF A, UH, A MORE, UH, CONCRETE BOUNDARY THAT WE CAN, UM, WE CAN CLINGING TO.
I WAS WONDERING IF YOU COULD SPEAK A LITTLE BIT MORE TO THIS AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION, THE SECOND CONSIDERATION OF WHAT WOULD IT LOOK LIKE TO EXEMPT SMALLER PROJECTS FROM THE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS.
SO FOR EXAMPLE, THE WAY THE PETITION READS IT REALLY IS ALL ABOUT HEIGHT.
IS IT SOMETHING WHERE YOU WOULD CONSIDER THE FRONTAGE LENGTH, SAY, OR THE, THE LOT SIZE MAYBE, UH, SPEAK TO THAT IDEA A LITTLE BIT MORE? YEAH.
AND, AND YOU KNOW, THIS, THAT IDEA IS STILL SORT OF A, A WORK IN PROGRESS.
I, I THINK, UM, BUT WE, WE DISCUSSED A, A COUPLE DIFFERENT SCENARIOS.
THOSE, THOSE WERE TWO OF THEM, UM, FRONTAGE LOT SIZE.
UM, I, WHAT WE SORT OF LANDED ON WAS, UM, A-A-G-F-A THRESHOLD, UM, MADE THE, THE MOST SENSE TO US.
YOU COULD, YOU COULD THINK ABOUT IT FROM A, A FRONTAGE STANDPOINT, MAKE SENSE FROM A, A PLANNING PERSPECTIVE WHERE YOU DON'T WANT, YOU KNOW, A, A A LONG FACADE WITHOUT ANY ACTIVITY.
UM, BUT IT'S, IT'S, UH, IT'S HARDER TO WORK THROUGH THE SORT OF, UH, ECONOMIC IMPACTS ON A PROJECT.
'CAUSE LOTS COULD BE WIDER OR, OR, YOU KNOW, DEEPER OR THAT COULD HAVE VERY DIFFERENT IMPACTS.
UM, SO, SO WE KIND OF LANDED ON, ON HAVING A GFA THRESHOLD, AND THAT WOULD BE IN ADDITION TO THE HEIGHT THRESHOLD.
SO BASICALLY, AND, AND I THINK THE, THE EXACT SQUARE FOOTAGE WE, WE DON'T PROBABLY NEED TO THINK ABOUT A LITTLE BIT MORE IF THAT'S THE WAY THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE END UP GOING WITH ANY MOD IF THERE IS A MODIFICATION TO THE PETITION, UM, COULD BE AROUND, YOU KNOW, 25,000 SQUARE FEET OR SOMETHING, SOMETHING IN THAT RANGE.
UM, BUT SO, SO WE HAVE TO, YOU KNOW, FIGURE OUT WHAT THAT, THAT IS, UM, A LITTLE BIT MORE, BUT IT, IT MADE MORE SENSE TO US AS A, A MORE PREDICTABLE, UH, SORT OF MEASUREMENT OF, OF THE, I THINK, ECONOMIC IMPACT.
OH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS GONNA SAY.
IT WOULD, HOW IT WOULD FUNCTION IS A PROJECT COULD EXCEED THE, THE FOUR STORIES UP TO SIX STORIES IF IT'S LESS THAN SAY 25,000 SQUARE FEET.
SO IT BECOMES A LITTLE BIT MORE COMPLICATED, BUT IT STILL FUNCTIONS IN THE SAME, UH, CONCEPTUALLY THE SAME WAY OF, YOU KNOW, SMALLER PROJECTS ARE NOT, UM, YOU KNOW, AREN'T REQUIRED TO, TO PROVIDE THESE ACTIVE USES.
WOULD THAT CRA PROJECT FALL WITHIN THAT, IN THAT CASE AS AN EXAMPLE? I, I BELIEVE SO.
AGAIN, WE'RE STILL, YOU KNOW, THINKING WHAT, WHAT THE RIGHT SQUARE FOOTAGE MIGHT BE, UM, CERTAINLY ON THE, THE HEIGHT, UM, LIMIT THAT, THAT MAKES SENSE.
UM, SO, UH, YEAH, THAT THERE'S STILL SOME, SOME PIECES TO, TO WORK OUT WITH, WITH THAT SECOND OPTION.
UH, MARY FLYNN, UH, THANK YOU.
UM, SO I FIND THIS ALL A, A LITTLE BIT CONFUSING, UM, IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, WHAT HEIGHT YOU GET AND THEN YOU KNOW, WHAT SPECIAL PERMITS CAN DO.
I, I UNDERSTAND IT'S, IT'S VERY, VERY NARROW, BUT IT SEEMS TO ME THAT, YOU KNOW, WE WANT MORE HOUSING AND WE'RE ALSO UNCERTAIN ABOUT THE RETAIL CLIMATE.
UM, WE KNOW IT'S NOT GREAT AT THE MOMENT.
WE'RE NOT SURE WHAT IT'S GONNA BE, WE LATER ON.
UM, AND SO I'M JUST WONDERING IF MAYBE IF, IF YOU HAD FURTHER DISCUSSIONS
[01:00:01]
ABOUT SPECIAL PERMITTING AND WHETHER OR NOT THERE SHOULD BE THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THE PLANNING BOARD TO WAIVE THE REQUIREMENT COMPLETELY FOR RETAIL SO THAT, YOU KNOW, UM, A PROJECT COULD, COULD DO ALL HOUSING AND MAKE THE CASE, I MEAN, IF WE'RE GONNA SEE EMPTY STOREFRONTS LONG MASS, A THERE'S NO POINT IN HAVING THAT REQUIREMENT IN THERE.AND I, I THINK THAT THE POINT THAT SOME OF THE, UH, MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC MENTIONED ABOUT WHERE YOU HAVE HOME OWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES, UM, THE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL IS REALLY GOING TO BE, UH, AN, UH, VERY NEGATIVE.
I MEAN, I'M, I'M PART OF A, A CONDOMINIUM STATION UP IN MAINE, AND I CAN TELL YOU IT'S HARD ENOUGH JUST MANAGING THE, THE, THE OWNERS, BUT WE HAVE TO RENT OUT TOO.
SO WE HAVE A BUSINESS ON THE SIDE AND IT MAKES IT VERY, VERY, VERY DIFFICULT.
BUT WE HAVE LIKE 200 SOME ODD UNITS, SO IT IS EASIER WHEN YOU GET DOWN TO 16.
I JUST CAN'T IMAGINE HOW, HOW, UM, YOU COULD HANDLE THAT BURDEN.
SO I GUESS, YEAH, WHATEVER DISCUSSIONS YOU HAD, YOU COULD MAYBE HELP INFORM US AND, UM, MAYBE WE COULD THINK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE SPECIAL FORMAT.
I, I CAN START, AND JEFF, MAYBE YOU CAN JUMP IN.
I THINK WHEN WE, UH, WERE THINKING ABOUT THIS SPECIAL PERMIT AND, AND YOU KNOW, I'VE, I MENTIONED IN THE PRESENTATION, THE CREATING THIS NEW SPECIAL PERMIT OPTION AND, AND ALL THE SPECIAL PERMIT OPTIONS THAT ARE IN THERE ARE INTENDED TO, TO PROVIDE SOME FLEXIBILITY.
I THINK WHEN WE, YOU KNOW, WHEN WE'RE THINKING ABOUT A SPECIAL PERMIT, UM, TO, TO WAIVE THE, THE REQUIREMENT ALTOGETHER, THE CONCERN WAS HOW DO WE, HOW DO WE WRITE THE CRITERIA FOR WHICH YOU NEED TO, YOU KNOW, YOU NEED TO MEET TO GET THAT SPECIAL PERMIT IN A WAY THAT IT DOESN'T BECOME THE DEFAULT THAT EVERY PROJECT THEN SEEKS A SPECIAL PERMIT TO WAIVE THE REQUIREMENT BECAUSE THEN, THEN THE REQUIREMENT JUST BECOMES SORT OF MEANINGLESS.
UM, SO THAT, THAT WAS, AND THAT'S REALLY HARD, I THINK TO DO, UM, IF, IF, UH, IF THE COUNCIL WANTED US TO, OR IF THAT'S THE PLANNING BOARD'S RECOMMENDATION, WE COULD, WE COULD THINK A LITTLE BIT HARDER ABOUT WHAT THAT CRITERIA WOULD, MIGHT NEED TO BE.
AND, AND CERTAINLY IF, IF THE PLANNING BOARD HAS SUGGESTIONS ON WHAT THOSE CIRCUMSTANCES, UH, WOULD BE, UM, THAT WOULD BE OF, OF HELP
UM, BUT YEAH, SO I MEAN, JUST THINKING ABOUT THAT, UM, IT BECAME PRETTY DIFFICULT TO, TO FIGURE OUT WHAT, WHAT, WHAT ARE THE CIRCUMSTANCES THAT WE WOULD SAY IT'S FINE TO BUILD, YOU KNOW, AT ANY HEIGHT, UM, WITHOUT ACTIVE USES, UM, UNDER, YOU KNOW, THESE CONDITIONS.
AND, AND I WOULD ADD, JUST BECAUSE THIS, SOME OF THIS HAS TO DO WITH, YOU KNOW, THE HIGHER LEVEL THINKING THAT, YOU KNOW, WE'RE DOING AROUND ZONING AND ZONING FOR HOUSING IN PARTICULAR WHERE WE'RE TRYING TO LEAN A LITTLE LESS HEAVILY ON THE SPECIAL PERMIT.
AND, YOU KNOW, BECAUSE AS, AS WE'VE HEARD, YOU KNOW, THIS, THIS ELEMENT OF A PROJECT CAN BE A PRETTY SIGNIFICANT FACTOR IN SORT OF ECONOMICS OF IT.
SORT OF HAVING, HAVING THAT REST SORT OF ON THE PLANNING BOARD AND HAVING TO LOOK AT EVERY CASE AND WONDER LIKE, WELL, IS DOES THIS ONE DESERVE IT? DOES THIS ONE NOT DESERVE IT? YOU KNOW, HOW, YOU KNOW, WHERE DO WE, WHERE DO WE SORT OF DRAW THE LINE? YOU KNOW, DOES IT JUST BECOME THAT, YOU KNOW, WHEN YOU, IF YOU DO IT ONCE, IS IS EVERYONE JUST GONNA SAY, WELL, NOW WE JUST KNOW WE HAVE TO GO TO THE PLANNING BOARD AND GET A SPECIAL PERMIT AND WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THIS.
UM, IT, IT CAN, IT CAN BE HARD, IT CAN BE KIND OF A BURDEN ON THE, ON, UM, ON THE PLANNING BOARD.
AND WE'RE ALSO TRYING TO BE MINDFUL OF, YOU KNOW, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO PROMOTE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND A BIG PIECE OF THAT THAT WE'RE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE'RE ALWAYS HEARING FROM DEVELOPERS IS A MORE PREDICTABLE PROCESS, UM, IS REALLY, IS REALLY KEY, ESPECIALLY FOR SMALLER DEVELOPMENT.
THEY, THEY DON'T WANT TO HAVE TO COME, YOU KNOW, NOT, NOT TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF ANYBODY, BUT THEY, YOU KNOW, THE, I'M SURE ANY DEVELOPER WOULD LIKE TO HAVE IT BE CLEAR WHAT THE RULES ARE IN THE ZONING, YOU KNOW, BEFORE THEY PROCEED AND NOT HAVE TO THINK FOR, FOR A PROJECT LIKE, OR A CASE LIKE THE ONE THAT WE SAW, UM, AND HEARD ABOUT, YOU KNOW, HAVING TO MOVE FORWARD AND SAY, WELL, THIS, THIS DEPENDS ON WHETHER WE CAN GET THE APPROVAL FROM THE PLANNING BOARD OR NOT IN ORDER TO, TO GO FORWARD.
UM, SO I, I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE, WE CAN DO THE PLAN PLANNING, BOARD REVIEW IS REALLY HELPFUL.
AND I THINK WHEN IT COMES TO FIGURING OUT LIKE, WELL IS, YOU KNOW, THE 60% REQUIREMENT, COULD IT, YOU KNOW, IN SOME CASES MIGHT IT WORK JUST AS WELL IF IT WAS 55%? LIKE THOSE ARE THINGS THAT WE COULD, THAT WE COULD INVESTIGATE THROUGH A SPECIAL PERMIT PROCESS.
BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, THE, THE KEY DETERMINANT OF, OF WHETHER THERE'S,
[01:05:01]
WHETHER IT'S A MIXED USE PROJECT OR A RESIDENTIAL ONLY PROJECT, WE THINK SHOULD BE AS CLEAR AS WE CAN MAKE IT UPFRONT.UM, JUST BUILDING ON THE, ON, UH, JEFF'S DESCRIPTION AND, AND EVAN'S ANSWER TO THE QUESTION, UM, ABOUT MARY, UH, SUGGESTING THAT THE PLANNING BOARD BE GIVEN SOME DISCRETION AROUND A SPECIAL PERMIT.
I WAS THINKING BACK TO MY TIME ON THE ZONING BOARD WHERE WE USED TO ENTERTAIN 40 BS AND THERE WAS A CRITERIA, UM, A THRESHOLD CRITERIA THAT ALLOWED DEVELOPERS TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF FOUR DB, WHICH WAS IF THERE WAS PUBLIC FUNDING, PUBLIC DOLLARS INVOLVED.
AND I'M WONDERING IF WE MIGHT CONSIDER, UM, THAT THRESHOLD IN LIGHT OF THE CRA PROPOSAL, FOR INSTANCE, UH, THOSE PUBLIC DOLLARS ARE OBVIOUSLY FLOWING TO AFFORDABLE HOUSING.
UH, WHETHER THAT'S THE THRESHOLD IN WHICH THE PLANNING BOARD MIGHT BE GIVEN SOME DISCRETION AROUND WHETHER, UM, UH, ACTIVE USE WAS ALLOWED ON THE FIRST FLOOR.
I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU, WHAT YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT, JEFF OR EVAN? OFF THE TOP OF MY HEAD, I'D HAVE TO SAY IT'S PROBABLY SOMETHING, I MEAN, SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK INTO WITH, PROBABLY NEED TO CONSULT THE LAW DEPARTMENT ON THIS.
I'M NOT REALLY, UM, IT MIGHT BE STRETCHING THE BOUNDS OF WHAT CAN BE CONSIDERED WITHIN A, A ZONING SPECIAL PERMIT.
YOU KNOW, 40 B IS A WHOLE DIFFERENT PIECE OF LEGISLATION.
UM, SPECIAL PERMITS ARE A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENT, SO I'M NOT SURE IF, IF SPECIAL PERMITS CAN, CAN REALLY CONSIDER THE FUNDING OKAY.
OF THE PROJECT OR THE FINANCIAL ASPECTS OF THE PROJECT IN ORDER TO MAKE A DETERMINATION.
SOME OF THE LAWYERS, I SEE SOME OF THE LAWYERS ON THE BOARD NODDING, MAYBE I'M, MAYBE I'M ONTO SOMETHING.
SO WE, WE CAN DEFINITELY LOOK INTO THAT, BUT, BUT I'M NOT SURE WHAT THE ANSWER WOULD BE.
IT SEEMS SO EASY AT THE ZONING BOARD YOU JUST SAID, DO YOU, DO YOU HAVE PUBLIC FUNDING? YES.
AND, YOU KNOW, THEY WOULD PROVIDE SOME DOCUMENT THAT SUGGESTED THEY WERE DOING THAT.
SO HERE'S ANOTHER QUESTION NOW.
UM, NOT TO ACTIVE USE, BUT TO, UH, URBAN FORM.
UM, IT'S THE DIMENSION OF MASS AVE AND THE DIMENSION FROM MASS.
THE, THE WIDTH OF MASS AVE, AT LEAST THE WAY I PERCEIVE IT BETWEEN HARVARD SQUARE AND PORTER SQUARE SEEMS NARROWER THAN THE DIMENSION, UM, NORTH OF PORTER SQUARE.
CERTAINLY, ONCE YOU GET BEYOND THE CARRIAGE BUILDING OVER PEMBERTON MARKET AND NORTH, IT SEEMS MUCH WIDER.
NOW THAT I, I DON'T KNOW THAT, I GUESS THAT'S A QUESTION.
IS IT WIDER? I BELIEVE THE ANSWER IS NO.
I THINK YOU PROBABLY HAVE MORE BUILDINGS THAT ARE PUSHED FURTHER FROM THE STREET NORTH, GREATER SETBACK, UH, DREW'S ON THE CALL.
I DON'T KNOW IF, IF HE'S ABLE TO SPEAK TO THAT.
UM, AND MAYBE I'M COMPLETELY WRONG OR MAYBE NO, YOU'RE, I CAN SPEAK TO IT AND YOU'RE NOT COMPLETELY WRONG, EVAN.
UM, NO, THAT A HUNDRED FEET'S FAIRLY CONSISTENT UP AND DOWN THE STRETCH MUST WATERHOUSE ALL THE WAY UP TO ARLINGTON.
THERE MIGHT BE SOME VARIETY THERE.
I THINK AT OCCASIONS THE SIDEWALKS MAY BE A LITTLE BIT NARROWER, BUT IN GENERAL IT'S FAIRLY CONSISTENT.
YOU KNOW, I THINK ONE OF THE BIG DIFFERENCES MIGHT BE THAT YOU HAVE MORE BUILDINGS ALONG THAT STRETCH OF MASS SIDE AND TO MEET THE BACK OF THE SIDEWALK TO EVAN'S POINT.
AND NOT ONLY THAT, BUT A MORE CONSISTENT BUILDING FABRIC, WHICH I THINK DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE THERE A LITTLE MORE.
WELL, I WOULD VENTURE INTO WHERE I'M GOING.
I SUSPECTED IT WAS THE SAME DIMENSION, BUT OTHERS WERE NODDING.
IT FEELS WIDER, RIGHT? SO IT IS THE SETBACK PROBABLY.
UH, THERE'S MORE FRONT YARD SETBACKS ON SOME OF THOSE LOTS AS WE GET BEYOND PEMBERTON.
EVEN PEMBERTON MARKET SETBACK.
UM, UH, BUT IT'S HEIGHT
AND SO YOU GET A SENSE OF ENCLOSURE AND YOU DO SENSE THE STREET'S NARROWER, YOU KNOW? MM-HMM
UNTIL WE GET THE HORSE DRAWN, UH, CARRIAGE, WHICH IS, UH, THE HORSE DRAWN TROLLEY, WHICH WOULD, I THINK WE SHOULD, I THINK WE SHOULD TRY TO GET BACK 'CAUSE IT'S NOT FOSSIL FUELS DRIVING IT.
WOULD REALLY, ONE, MAKE THE, USE THE RIGHT DIMENSION OF THE STREET AND MAKE IT BE AWFULLY LOVELY TO JUST GO FROM HARVARD TO PORTER SQUARE ON A HORSE DRAWN TROLLEY.
BUT PROBABLY THE, UM, THE, UH, ANIMAL RIGHTS PEOPLE WILL BE WRITING ME EMAILS TOMORROW.
UM, BUT THE MASS HAVE IS MADE FOR SOME, SOME, UH, SOME TROLLEY TO GO DOWN THE MIDDLE.
AND IT'S NOT THE KIND OF STREET THAT I THINK ABOUT AMLING DOWN BECAUSE OF ITS, ITS SIZE IS MORE AKIN TO NEW YORK STREET THAN A CAMBRIDGE STREET.
BUT IT LEADS ME TO THIS QUESTION, WHICH IS ITS HEIGHT.
I BELIEVE THAT ITS HEIGHT THAT WE NEED, RIGHT? AND, AND, UH, ESPECIALLY NORTH OF QUARTER SQUARE AND, UH, TO TRIP UP DEVELOPMENT, UH, WITH MAYBE A, A SOMETHING THAT MAKES, UH, PROPOSALS ON ECONOMIC.
[01:10:01]
WOULDN'T GET THE HEIGHT AND YOU'D START DEVELOPING AT FOUR STORIES.'CAUSE IT'S ALLOWED, I, I, I THINK WOULD BE A MISSED OPPORTUNITY.
SO FROM A PLANNING PERSPECTIVE, I THINK THAT THE CITY, AND I'M BEGINNING TO OPINE AND GET INTO THE OPINION SIDE OF THIS, RATHER THAN THE QUESTION, I THINK THAT WE, UH, SOME DISCUSSION AROUND HEIGHT.
I THINK WE NEED, NEED TO FIGURE OUT, THAT'S THE BALANCE HERE THAT YOU, YOU, YOU STATED RIGHT AT THE OUTSET THAT, UM, WE'VE GOTTA FIGURE THAT OUT BECAUSE I THINK WE, WE DO WANT THE HEIGHT, UH, NORTH OF, UH, BORDER SQUARE.
AND I, I DON'T WANNA PUT UP A BARRIER EITHER TO THE HOUSING OR TO THE HEIGHT BECAUSE IT'S BAD URBAN FORM AND IT'S NOT WHAT THIS CITY NEEDS, UH, WHICH IS MORE HOUSING.
SO, UM, MAYBE OTHERS FEEL DIFFERENTLY ABOUT THE HEIGHT QUESTION NORTH OF MASS AVE.
THAT'S YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD DAN, SAVING ME.
UM, YEAH, THANK YOU FOR MOVING US INTO COMMENT.
UM, SO ARE WE INTO COMMENT NOW?
AND SO THEN, AND I, I DON'T HAVE QUESTIONS.
I USUALLY HAVE STRONG OPINIONS ABOUT WHAT I THINK WE SHOULD DO, BUT
LET'S MOVE INTO CO WE'LL MOVE INTO IT.
NOW, DAN, I'M NOT SHY ON COMMENTS.
UM, I, I WOULD SECOND YOUR, UM, QUERY AND, AND PUT IT MORE IN THE TERMS OF DENSITY.
SO, UM, AND I'M, I'M REALLY TORN ON THIS BECAUSE ACTIVE STREET FRONTS ARE WHAT WE KNOW AND LOVE, BUT WE CAN'T HAVE ACTIVE STREET FRONTS WITHOUT DENSITY.
AND, UM, I THINK I WAS REALLY PLEASED TO SEE 1740 PUT UP AS AN EXAMPLE BECAUSE, UH, THAT DEVELOPER WAS VERY CANDID ABOUT WHY HE WOULDN'T BUILD TO 12 STORIES.
IT WAS FOR HIM ECONOMICALLY INFEASIBLE.
UM, AND THAT'S A LOCATION THAT HAS A LOT OF RETAIL, AND HE WAS ABLE TO WORK THAT INTO A SIX STORY BUILDING.
SO NOW DOES THAT WORK AS YOU MARCH FURTHER TOWARDS ARLINGTON? I, I, I DON'T KNOW, BUT, UM, THERE ARE SOME REAL IMPEDIMENTS TO GETTING DENSITY ABOVE SIX STORIES IF IT'S JUST, UM, IF IT'S OVERLY BURDENED.
SO I, I, I AM TORN ON THIS, BUT I THINK THAT THERE'S AN ARGUMENT THAT SAYS, LET'S NOT BURDEN IT MORE, LET'S GET MORE DENSITY AND FURTHER DOWN THE ROAD IF WE'VE PLANNED IT CORRECTLY.
AND HAVING A MANDATED 15 FOOT HIGH GROUND STORY HEIGHT WOULD ALLOW FURTHER, YOU KNOW, FUTURE TRANSFORMATION IF ECONOMICS CHANGE.
SO THERE'S, THERE'S SOME THINGS THAT I THINK ARE, ARE BAKED IN THERE.
MAYBE EXEMPTING SOME SMALLER PROJECTS MIGHT MAKE SENSE.
BUT ULTIMATELY THE CONVERSATION FOR ME IS HOW DO WE GET THAT HOUSING DENSITY? 'CAUSE WITHOUT THE HOUSING DENSITY, WE WON'T GET THE ACTIVE STREETS.
AND I'M GONNA, UH, JUST BACK YOU UP ON THAT.
HAVING JUST ATTENDED AN A PA PRESENTATION ROTATION WHERE A URBAN DESIGNER BY THE NAME OF DAVID DIXON CITED THIS STATISTIC THAT FOR, UM, UH, ACTIVE RETAIL YOU NEED FOR AN ACTIVE STREET, YOU NEED 2000 UNITS WITHIN A QUARTER MILE.
SO, UM, CENTRAL SQUARE APPROACHES THAT RIGHT? UH, AND PORTIONS OF MASS AVE.
WHETHER OR NOT WE HAVE THAT KIND OF DENSITY NORTH OF PORTER SQUARE, I DOUBT IT.
AND SO YOU'RE ABSOLUTELY RIGHT, DAN, THAT THAT'S, OH, YOU WANT THE ACTIVE STOREFRONTS, YOU NEED PRETTY HIGH DENSITY OF HOUSING TO MAKE THAT WORK.
SO I THOUGHT I'D BE AN OUTLIER IN THIS DISCUSSION, UM, BECAUSE MY THOUGHTS ARE VERY DIFFERENT FROM THE CITY COUNCIL'S APPARENT THOUGHTS.
UM, FIRST OF ALL, WE HAVE SUCH A NEED FOR HOUSING THAT I THINK THAT OVERRIDES VIRTUALLY EVERYTHING ELSE WE ARE DISCUSSING.
SECONDLY, UH, TIED TO THAT IS WE, YOU KNOW, RETAIL IS IN THE TOILET.
UM, AND I DON'T SEE, I DON'T FORESEE PEOPLE CHANGING THEIR HABITS DRAMATICALLY IN THE NEAR FUTURE OR IN THE DISTANT FUTURE.
AND SO THE ACTIVE USES SEEM TO ME, UH, REALLY MINIMAL.
THERE ARE SO MANY EMPTY SPACES ON MASS AVE, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, THROUGHOUT ALL OF CAMBRIDGE AND HARVARD SQUARE, THAT MANDATING THAT THERE HAVE TO BE ACTIVE USES, TAKING UP A LARGE PORTION OF THE FIRST FLOOR THAT COULD BE HOUSING OR COULD BE A NICE LOBBY FOR THE, FOR THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE
[01:15:01]
THERE, OR COULD BE AN ELEVATOR BANK.UM, WHEN I INTERVIEWED FOR THE PLANNING BOARD MANY, MANY YEARS AGO, I SAID, I THOUGHT MASS HAVE SHOULD BE A MINIMUM OF SIX STORIES FROM ONE END TO THE OTHER.
AND SO I THINK THE FOUR STORY IS JUST WRONG.
AND THAT, YOU KNOW, AS A MINIMUM, YOU SHOULD BE AT SIX STORIES EVERYWHERE.
AND THAT OCCASIONALLY YOU WILL HAVE THE LARGER BUILDING OVER IT.
UM, AND IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT NORTH CAMBRIDGE, AND IT'S, YOU KNOW, I'VE WALKED THAT STRIP FOR 45 YEARS ON AN ALMOST DAILY BASIS.
SO IF YOU LOOK AT THE TALLEST BUILDING AT 2353, THERE ARE DENTAL OFFICES IN THERE.
YOU DON'T SEE PEOPLE COMING AND GOING.
RIGHT NEXT TO THAT IS TROLLEY SQUARE, WHICH IS A LOVELY DEVELOPMENT.
IT'S THREE, MAYBE FOUR STORIES.
IT HAS NO ACTIVE USE EXCEPT A SMALL RESTAURANT AT ONE END.
OTHER THAN THAT, IT'S PURELY RESIDENTIAL.
THE REMAINS, AS YOU WALK UP AND DOWN, YOU KNOW, YEAH, PEMBERTON MARKET IS GREAT, UH, THAT DRAWS A LOT OF PEOPLE, BUT IT'S NOT A RESIDENTIAL USE.
BUT MOST OF YOUR RESIDENTIAL USES, YOU KNOW, DON'T HAVE ACTIVE USES.
AND I THINK MANDATING THEM IS NOT A GOOD IDEA.
UM, I THINK WE SHOULD NOT GIVE UP, UH, THE POSSIBILITY OF MORE HOUSING UNITS FOR AN ACTIVE USE THAT'S LIKELY TO END UP WITH AN EMPTY BUILD.
UM, I HAD BEEN THINKING ABOUT SOME SORT OF MORE EXPANSIVE SPECIAL PERMIT THAT WOULD ALLOW THE PLANNING BOARD TO, YOU KNOW, JUST EXEMPT ALMOST ANY KIND OF DEVELOPMENT IF IT FOUND A RATIONALE FOR IT.
I CAN UNDERSTAND THAT'S DIFFICULT.
UM, I, I, I THINK ONE OF THE PUBLIC'S COMMENTS ABOUT MAKING IT, UH, MORE OF A BENEFIT THAN A MANDATE, MAYBE THAT'S SOMETHING THAT COULD BE, UH, FURTHER EXAMINED TO SEE WHETHER THAT COULD GO ANYWHERE.
UM, BUT I AGREE WITH WHAT TOM AND DAN HAVE BEEN SAYING IS THAT YOU NEED THE DENSITY IN ORDER TO, YOU KNOW, FIND THAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO WANNA HAVE THE ACTIVE USES.
AND WE JUST DON'T HAVE THAT DENSITY YET.
AND I THINK IT'S JUST NECESSARY TO BUILD TALLER AND BIGGER AND HAVE MORE PEOPLE THERE.
AND THOSE PEOPLE WALKING UP AND DOWN THE STREETS ARE GOING TO PROVIDE YOUR ACTIVE USE.
UH, YOU KNOW, THE CONCEPT OF MIXED USE IS GREAT.
20 YEARS AGO, I PROBABLY WOULD'VE COME OUT ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THIS DEBATE, BUT THAT WAS BEFORE THE INTERNET AND BEFORE AMAZON AND BEFORE PEOPLE.
SIMPLY ORDERING EVERYTHING ONLINE AND THE THE NUMBER OF EMPTY SPACES, UH, JUST APPALLS ME ALL THE TIME AND MANDATING THAT THERE BE MORE EMPTY SPACES RATHER THAN HOUSING, UH, I JUST THINK IS WRONG.
UM, SO I HAD THE BENEFIT OF, UM, HAVING MY WASHING MACHINE BREAK DOWN A FEW MONTHS AGO.
AND I LIVED NOT TOO FAR FROM THIS AREA, AND SO I HAD TO WALK DOWN THIS PORTION OF MASS TO, UM, THE LAUNDROMAT, WHICH IS AT THE CORNER OF LANIER PARK, YOU KNOW, EVERY WEEK,
AND, UM, I, I, I JUST WANNA FIRST DISPEL THE NOTION THAT RETAIL, UM, TAPERS OUT ON THIS AREA.
AND ACTUALLY THERE'S ACTUALLY, I WOULD SAY MAYBE OTHER THAN FIVE, UM, LIKE BUILDING FRONTS.
THE REST IS ACTUALLY, ACCORDING TO OUR DEFINITION, ACTIVE USE.
THERE MAY BE 10 MASSAGE PARLORS.
THERE MAY BE
THERE'S PLENTY OF CAFES, A LOT OF ETHNIC GROCERY, OR NOT A LOT.
THERE'S LIKE THREE ETHNIC GROCERY STORES.
IT'S ACTUALLY A VERY, UM, A LOT OF DENTAL OFFICES, I SAID POINT OUT, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, IN THIS DEFINITION IT FALLS UNDER ACTIVE USE.
SO THAT'S ANOTHER DISCUSSION TO HAVE, WHETHER IT IS TRULY ACTIVE, BECAUSE, UM, THE DENTAL OFFICES, YOU KNOW, TEND TO, UM, BLOCK OFF THE, UM, WINDOWS.
IT IS VERY, AS I UNDERSTAND WHERE THE CITY COUNCILS COMING FROM, BECAUSE I, I SEE WHY THEY WANNA MAINTAIN, UM, THESE USES.
[01:20:01]
AND THEY'RE, FRANKLY, QUITE RARE USES IN CAMBRIDGE AND OR SOME OF 'EM ARE.AND, UM, SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE BEST BALANCE IS.
MAYBE IT IS, UH, REQUIRING ACTIVE USES FOR LARGER PROJECTS ABOVE A CERTAIN GFA OR AT LEAST MORE THAN SIX STORIES, UM, BY, I DO SEE VALUE IN WHAT CITY COUNCIL'S TRYING TO DO.
I, I, AT LEAST IN BIGGER PROJECTS, THERE DEFINITELY ARE, YOU KNOW, SMALLER, UM, LOTS RIGHT NOW THAT IT JUST WOULDN'T MAKE SENSE FOR, BUT, AND SO I THINK I'M, I, I WOULD BE COMFORTABLE WITH THE PROPOSAL IF IT WAS FOR LARGER PROJECTS OR ABOVE A HIGHER NUMBER OF STORIES.
BUT THAT'S WHERE I CURRENTLY AM AT.
I THINK, LIKE, UM, WE DO HAVE A LOT OF NORTH CAMBRIDGE FOLKS ON THIS
UM, SO I WOULD, I WOULD REALLY REITERATE, I THINK WHAT ASHLEY TOUCHES ON IS THERE IS A LOT OF RETAIL.
IT'S LIKE, JOE SENT ME GREEK CORNER.
I WALK MY KIDS TO PEABODY, AND THE DOMINICAN B BEGA GUY KNOWS MY KIDS.
RIGHT? IT'S LIKE, THERE'S A LOT OF ACTIVITY ALL THE WAY DOWN.
UM, AND THERE, YOU KNOW, EVERYONE KNOWS PEMBERTON, RIGHT? IT'S MM-HMM
YOU KNOW, AND, AND PART OF IT, IT'S THE GAPS BETWEEN IT, RIGHT? WHEN THERE'S LIKE A GAS STATION OR SOMETHING LIKE, LIKE THAT.
AND SO I THINK I'M KIND OF FALLING AS, AS, AS DAN KIND OF STARTED WITH, IT'S, IT'S A DENSITY THAT I THINK IT NEEDS TO REALLY AMPLIFY THAT.
UM, I, I THINK THAT'S KIND OF WHERE I'M FALLING ON IT, IS I I WOULD BE VERY WARY OF, UM, OVERBURDENING PROJECTS, UM, ESPECIALLY AT THE SMALLER SIZE.
AND I THINK, UM, TO TED'S POINT, I, I THINK THAT TALLER HEIGHTS ALONG MASS AVE IN THIS AREA WOULD BE ENTIRELY APPROPRIATE.
AND, AND I LOVE TOM THINKING ABOUT THAT, THAT IT IS, IT'S LIKE THE PERCEPTUAL NARROWING, UH, OF THAT STREET.
UM, YOU KNOW, IF, IF THERE WAS, UM, SOME SORT OF REQUIREMENT, I THINK THE ONLY, THE VERSION THAT WOULD BE WORTH OBVIOUSLY EXPLORING IS EXEMPTING BASICALLY FINDING A WAY TO MAKE SMALLER BUILDINGS.
IT REALLY IS ONLY IF THERE'S LIKE SOME STRANGE DEVELOPMENT THAT'S ABLE TO PARCEL TOGETHER A HUGE AMOUNT, THEN I WOULD MIGHT BE CONCERNED IF YOU HAD LIKE A WHOLE BLOCK OR TWO.
SO TO ME, IN SOME WAYS, IT'S ALMOST FRONTAGE MORE THAN GROSS SQUARE FEET.
'CAUSE IF YOUR ISSUE IS ABOUT ACTIVATING THE STREET, WHO CARES HOW DEEP AND BIG IT IS.
IF IT'S LIKE 20 SQUARE, 20 LINEAR FEET, YOU'RE FINE, RIGHT? SO TO ME, IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE IT'S LINEAR FRONTAGE.
THAT MIGHT BE THE THING YOU LOOK AT IF YOU KEEP LOOKING AT THAT.
UM, AND TRULY, I DON'T KNOW IF WE'RE AT THE POINT WHERE IT FEELS LIKE RESIDENTIAL AND HOUSING IS DEVELOPING ENOUGH WHERE THE CITY COUNCIL AND OR THE CITY FEELS LIKE ADDING MORE CONSTRAIN, NOT CONSTRAINTS, BUT ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS IS SOMETHING THAT WOULDN'T SLOW DOWN, SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
SO I THINK GENERALLY, I'M KIND OF FOLLOWING WITH OTHERS HERE THAT I DON'T SEE AN OVERWHELMING NEED TO ADD OR CHANGE THE WAY IT IS CURRENTLY, UM, OUTLINED IN THE, IN THE ZONING.
UM, I WILL ALSO THOUGH MAKE A PITCH THAT WHEN WE LOOKED AT THE ORIGINAL PLANNING STUDY, AND, AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN HERE, IS IT FEELS LIKE THE CITY'S APPROACH GENERALLY TO THE TREATMENT OF MASS AVE IS VERY REACTIONARY AND DEPENDS ON DEVELOPERS TO DO SOMETHING.
THERE IS NOT, UH, AN OPEN SPACE, A WHAT IS MASS AVE? WHAT IS ITS VISION, RIGHT? AND THAT ALSO TIES INTO, IN ADDITION TO SAY, RESTAURANTS OR, YOU KNOW, ACTIVE USES, UM, CHURCHES.
WE ALSO GO BY THAT CHURCH, UH, RIGHT NEAR PEMBERTON.
AND THERE'S THE BIG SCULPTURE, THE BIG GUY IN THE SKY, THAT'S WHAT WE CALL 'EM, RIGHT? SO THESE ARE KIND OF THESE ICONIC THINGS ALONG HERE.
UM, UM, THERE ARE PLAYGROUNDS.
THERE'S THE CLARENDON AVENUE PLAYGROUND THAT'S KIND OF AN ACTIVE POCKET OFF OF IT.
SO IN SOME WAYS, I WOULD, ASIDE FROM THIS OR IN BALANCE WITH THIS, I WOULD REALLY HOPE THAT THE CITY CONSIDERS EXPLORING WHAT IS YOUR VISION FOR NORTH MASS AVE, RIGHT? THAT IS NOT DEPENDENT ON PRIVATE INVESTMENT AND DEVELOPMENT TO MAKE IT HAPPEN.
UM, SO THAT'S ESSENTIALLY WHERE I'M FALLING ON THIS ONE.
UM, SO I, I'M GENERALLY IN SUPPORT OF THE DIRECTION THE CONVERSATION IS GOING.
I, I THINK YOU'RE PUTTING MORE REQUIREMENTS,
[01:25:01]
UM, ON DEVELOPERS, UM, IS IN A TIME WHERE, AGAIN, RETAIL IS, IS IN FLUX, AND MANY PEOPLE ARE GONNA WANNA STAY AWAY FROM IT.I MEAN, THE EXISTING ONES THAT ARE THERE ARE FABULOUS.
I DON'T KNOW HOW EASY IT WOULD BE AT THIS POINT IN TIME TO REPLACE SOME OF 'EM, PARTICULARLY IF IT'S A NEW CONSTRUCTION BUILDING AND RENTS ARE GONNA GO UP.
UM, SO I'D RATHER HAVE SOME FLEXIBILITY, WHICH I THINK THAT CURRENT ZONING AS IT'S ADOPTED, GIVES US MORE THAN, THAN THE, THE OTHER PROPOSALS.
I THINK THE DENSITY ISSUE IS, IS THE PIECE OF IT.
UM, THAT'S, THAT'S NEEDED BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, PARTICULARLY AS WE GET FURTHER AND FURTHER INTO RESTRICTING, YOU KNOW, PARKING AND, AND, YOU KNOW, AND SO WE'RE ABLE TO PROVIDE, UM, YOU KNOW, REALLY TOP OF THE LINE FIRST, FIRST CLASS, UH, PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, YOU KNOW, EVERYBODY'S GOING TO DEPEND ON THE DENSITY AROUND THEM, THE, THE, THE RETAILERS TO, TO BE THEIR COMMUNITY OF SUPPORT.
UM, SO, SO I, I WOULD SAY THAT, UM, WHERE WE ARE RIGHT NOW IS PROBABLY WHERE WE, WE SHOULD BE.
AND THAT OVER TIME IS, YOU KNOW, ECONOMICS CHANGE AND SITUATION CHANGES.
YOU KNOW, WE COULD LOOK AT IT AGAIN IF, YOU KNOW, IF SUDDENLY THERE'S, YOU KNOW, AMAZON GOES BELLY UP AND, AND WE HAVE A, YOU KNOW, NEW RETAIL BOOM, UM, YOU KNOW, THINGS MIGHT CHANGE.
BUT I WOULDN'T, I THINK IT, WHAT, WHAT I LIKE ABOUT THE CURRENT, UM, ZONING, UM, IS THAT IT GIVES YOU THE SMALLER PROJECTS THAT FLEXIBILITY UP TO THE, THE, UM, THE EIGHT STORIES AND DOESN'T PUT THAT ADDITIONAL BURDEN ON THEM.
UM, AND TO ME, I THINK, YOU KNOW, TED'S POINT IS, YOU KNOW, WE NEED THE HOUSING.
I DON'T, AND I CERTAINLY DON'T WANNA DO ANYTHING THAT, UM, THAT'S GONNA DETER A SMALLER DEVELOPER FROM, FROM WANTING TO, AND BEING ABLE TO DO THAT.
BARRY ECKER, SECOND TURN AT THE LIGHT.
THIS IS THE THING I WAS GONNA, I REMEMBERED.
UM, ALL THESE BUSINESSES, I LOVE THEM.
I'VE ALSO SEEN, RIGHT, THAT DEVELOPMENT WE LOOKED AT RIGHT ACROSS FROM THE FRIENDLY I CALL THE FRIENDLY CORNER, THE ONE WITH THE LAUNDROMAT THAT ASHLEY USES.
UM, WE SAW THAT DEVELOPMENT, IT WAS A GREAT DEVELOPMENT, AND THEN IT DIDN'T, HASN'T HAPPENED.
IT HASN'T BEEN ABLE TO GET THE FINANCING TO WORK FOR WHATEVER REASON.
AND THE CHA BRIDAL, RIGHT? AND MUCK MUCKY KIDS, I THINK WAS ALREADY CLOSED, BUT THAT ONE HAD TO MOVE DOWN BY MONOMY DOWN IN ARLINGTON.
AND SO WE'VE HAD AN EMPTY STOREFRONT.
SO I THINK THE OTHER THING THAT I WOULD HOPE COUNCIL, UM, THINKS ABOUT IN CITIES THROUGH THIS PROCESS IS HOW DO YOU, HOW DO YOU, UM, HOW DO YOU SUPPORT THE BUSINESSES THAT ARE ALREADY IN THIS AREA, RIGHT? SO THAT WHEN NEW DEVELOPMENTS HAPPEN, WHAT ARE THE MECHANISMS? AND I REALIZE THIS IS A QUESTION BEYOND JUST ZONING, BUT HOW DO WE SUPPORT THOSE BUSINESSES TO REMAIN WHERE THEY ARE OR, UM, FIND A NEW PLACE WITHIN THIS, THIS COMMUNITY? SO THAT'S JUST ANOTHER KIND OF LAYER TO BE THINKING ABOUT.
THANK YOU, MARY, DAN? YEAH, JUST ONE, ONE PIECE.
I, I, UM, REALLY APPRECIATE ASHLEY AND, AND AND MARY MENTIONING THE KIND OF, UH, RETAIL THAT IS THERE, UM, THAT HAS BEEN GRADUALLY ERODED, UM, PARTLY DUE TO TRANSIT, UM, BUS LANES AND, AND, AND BIKE LANES AND OTHER THINGS, WHICH JUST MAKE IT HARDER.
UM, I, I KIND OF COME BACK A LITTLE BIT TO THE, HOW DO WE INCENTIVIZE TO GO BEYOND SIX STORIES? BECAUSE, UH, AGAIN, AS OUR DEVELOPER FOR EVEN 1740 MASS SOUTH SAID, YOU KNOW, WHICH IS IN A, UH, A, A MUCH, UH, MORE DENSE NEIGHBORHOOD, OR LET'S JUST SAY CLOSER TO TRANSIT, UM, BETWEEN HARVARD AND, AND, AND PORTER, UM, IT IS TOUGH WHEN YOU GET OVER THAT 70 FEET OF HEIGHT AND ARE INTO HIGHRISE CODE, ALL OF THE THINGS AND COST INCREASE THAT COME WITH THAT.
UM, I'M, I'M WITH TED AND SAYING, HEY, YOU KNOW, IT WOULD BE GREAT AT LEAST TO GET SIX STORIES, BUT IF THE KIND OF DEBT THAT WE WERE TALKING ABOUT, THE KIND OF 2000 PEOPLE PER QUARTER MILE, UM, METRIC, TOM THAT YOU, UM, MENTIONED, THE 12 STORIES IS, IS A, A, AN ASPIRATION THAT'S TOUGH TO GET TO RIGHT NOW.
SO, UM, I, I, I DO SEE THE DESIRE TO HAVE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL AND ACTIVE STREETS, BUT I THINK THAT IT'S NOT REQUIRED NOT ONLY PROVIDING, REQUIRING IT AS A, UM, AS A POTENTIALLY DISINCENTIVE, IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT WE GET THE HIGHER DENSITY IN, IN ORDER FOR THE EXISTING RETAIL TO WORK.
'CAUSE IT'S TAXPAYER BLOCKS, RIGHT? IT'S SINGLE STORY.
IT'S STUFF THAT, YOU KNOW, IS IN A FAMILY TRUST AND THERE'S
[01:30:01]
UH, IT CAN BE LOW RENT 'CAUSE IT'S, IT'S CASH FLOW, RIGHT? AND SO, UH, UM, I, I'D KIND OF PUT IT OUT THERE AGAIN TO SAY, HOW, HOW CAN THERE BE AN INCENTIVE TO GET TO THE HIGHER HEIGHT RATHER THAN NECESSARILY AN IMPEDIMENT TO, UM, UM, JUST HITTING A BASIC SIX STORY.SO, UM, THAT'S MY LAST PIECE OF OPINION.
AND, AND, UH, TED, I'M NOT SURPRISED THAT THERE'S, YOU KNOW, FAIRLY CLOSE ALIGNMENT, NOT COMPLETE.
YOU'RE NOT YOU UNANIMOUS AGREEMENT, UH, WITH YOUR POINT OF VIEW.
I, I'M WITH DAN, AS I'VE STATED, THE DENSITY IS WHAT WE NEED.
UM, BUT I THINK MARY'S GOT THE, THE SOLUTION IN WHAT SHE WAS TALKING ABOUT, WHICH IS TO SAY IT'S, IT'S NOT ABOUT HEIGHT, IT'S ABOUT LOT SIZE, RIGHT? IT'S ABOUT FRONTAGE.
UM, AND COULD, UH, CDD, UH, QUICKLY BETWEEN NOW AND THE 16TH WHEN THE HEARING IS WITH THE, WITH THE CITY, UH, WITH CITY COUNCILORS SUGGEST SOME RULES BY WHICH IT'S ACTUALLY THE FRONTAGE.
THEY'RE ALREADY STARTING DOWN THAT AVENUE, I THINK WISELY SUGGESTING, YOU KNOW, WHERE LOTS THAT FRONT ON THE, A BODING STREETS, NOT ON MASS AVE GET EXEMPTED FROM THIS, BUT, UM, ALSO NARROWNESS ON THE STREET, RIGHT? SO, UM, THAT MAY ALSO FREE UP, UH, THE CRA PROPOSAL IN FRONT OF US, BECAUSE THAT'S A FAIRLY SMALL LOT THAT, THAT, UH, DEVELOPMENT IS SITTING ON.
AND, UM, I THINK THAT'S THE WAY TO LOOK AT IT.
I DON'T THINK WE GIVE UP ENTIRELY ON, UH, SOME INCENTIVES FOR, FOR RETAIL.
IF YOU'VE GOT A FULL BLOCK THAT YOU REDEVELOP, YOU'RE ABLE TO ASSEMBLE LARGE AMOUNTS OF PARCELS.
UM, UH, BUT, UH, I, I'M, I'M REALLY WORRIED ABOUT TWO THINGS, TRIPPING UP OUR ABILITY TO PRO PRODUCE HOUSING, AS EVERYBODY I THINK HAS SAID, UM, UH, AND TED SO ELOQUENTLY STARTED THIS WITH, UM, BY PUTTING IN, BY PUTTING IN A PROVISION HERE AND, UH, ENDING UP WITH, WITH VACANT, VACANT LOTS, UH, VACANT, UH, STOREFRONTS, WHICH ISN'T GOOD EITHER.
SO, UM, UH, BUT IF, IF THE ZONING SITS AS IT STANDS, RIGHT? I THINK WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE STILL LOOKING AT FAIRLY LOW.
WELL, YOU KNOW, NOT OVER WHAT'S EXISTS TODAY, BUT LOWER, UH, UH, HEIGHT THAN, UH, THAN WHAT, WHAT WE COULD TOLERATE THERE.
SO I THINK WE COULD GO TO 12 STORIES.
SO, UH, I DON'T KNOW, UH, UH, I JUST WOULD NOW TURN TO STAFF AND SAY, OKAY, WE'RE ABOUT TO, I THINK MY SENSE IS WE SHOULD MOVE ON TO THE NEXT STREET.
BUT, UM, UH, DO YOU HAVE QUESTIONS FOR THE BOARD OR, YOU KNOW, I KNOW YOU TAKE CAREFUL NOTES ON, ON THE, THE WISDOM THAT WE
UM, I THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO MOVE ON TO THE, THE CAMBRIDGE STREET PETITION AND, AND TALK ABOUT THAT ONE AND THEN COME BACK TO RECOMMENDATIONS.
UM, FOR BOTH AT, AT THIS POINT.
AND, AND WE CAN, AND MAYBE JEFF CAN SUPPLEMENT MY, MY NOTES AS WELL WHEN WE GET BACK THERE.
UM, WE'LL, WE'LL TRY TO SUMMARIZE MAYBE WHERE THE DIRECTION WAS GOING A MASS AVE AND, AND SEE IF ANYTHING CHANGES FOR CAMBRIDGE STREET OR HOW YOU, YOU THINK ABOUT BOTH OF THOSE, OR, UH, THE SAME OR DIFFERENTLY.
YEAH, I DIDN'T NOTICE THAT, UH, I HAD MUCH SUPPORT FOR MY HORSE DRAWN TROLLEY, SO I DON'T THINK THAT'S GONNA MAKE IT, UH, TO THE RECOMMENDATIONS.
SO LET'S MOVE TO, UM, LET'S MOVE TO CAMBRIDGE STREET.
AND WITH THAT, LET'S SEE, I HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF TEXT HERE.
SO WE'LL MOVE TO AGENDA ITEM NUMBER TWO.
WE'LL LEAVE THAT ONE OPEN MASS.
HAVE THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS A PUBLIC HEARING ON ZONING PETITION BY THE CITY COUNCIL TO AMEND THE CAMBRIDGE ZONING MAP AND ORDINANCE IN ARTICLE 17, WITH THE INTENT OF STRENGTHENING ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET AND REQUIRING A SPECIAL PERMIT FOR FORMULA BUSINESSES.
UH, THE CITY STAFF WILL BEGIN BY PRESENTING THE PETITION, THEN WE'LL TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT ON THE CAMBRIDGE STREET PETITION.
AFTER THAT, THE PLANNING BOARD WILL DISCUSS THE PETITION AND DECIDE WHETHER TO TRANSMIT RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BOTH ZONING PETITIONS TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
SO WITH THAT, I'LL TURN IT OVER TO EVAN, WHO I'LL SUMMARIZE AND PRESENT WHAT, WHAT'S BEFORE US.
UM, UH, A LOT OF THE THINGS IN THIS PETITION ARE, ARE THE SAME OR SIMILAR TO, TO MASS A.
SO I'LL, I'LL SKIP THROUGH A LOT OF, UH, THE SLIDES AND, AND TRY TO FOCUS ON THE CAMBRIDGE STREET SPECIFIC ITEMS SO WE CAN GET BACK TO, UM, UH, PUBLIC COMMENT AND, AND QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSION
UM, SO AGAIN, STARTING WITH JUST SOME, SOME QUICK BACKGROUND.
UH, THE CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING WAS, WAS ADOPTED BACK IN JANUARY, IMPLEMENTING THE, UH, OUR CAMBRIDGE STREET STUDY, WHICH WAS, UH, UH, CONDUCTED,
[01:35:01]
UM, 20 21, 20 22, UH, COMPLETED IN, IN 2023.UM, IT ALLOWS, UH, THE NEW ZONING ALLOWS FOR SIX STORIES OF HOUSING THROUGHOUT CAMBRIDGE STREET, AND, UH, 10 STORIES IN LECHMERE, AND 12 STORIES IN THE WEBSTER, WINDSOR AREA.
AGAIN, ALSO INCENTIVIZES ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USES BY ALLOWING, UH, FOR ADDITIONAL RESIDENTIAL HEIGHT ABOVE SIX STORIES.
UM, THAT'S ONLY IN LECHMERE AND, UH, WEBSTER WINDSOR, THE REST OF THE CORRIDOR, YOU'RE ALLOWED TO GO UP TO SIX STORIES WITH NO ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT.
UM, AS I, I TALKED THROUGH THIS BEFORE, UM, COUNCIL WANTED TO, TO IMPLEMENT STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, MAYBE MORE SO THAN, THAN THEIR DISCUSSION ON, ON MASS AVE.
UH, WE COULDN'T DO THAT IN, IN THE INITIAL PETITION BECAUSE THERE, THERE WASN'T AN EXISTING ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT.
UM, SO, SO THE, THE POLICY ORDER, YOU KNOW, DIRECTING US TO, TO DEVELOP THAT SUBSEQUENT ZONING PETITION TO STRENGTHEN ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS, UM, BOTH OF THESE QUARTERS HAVE BEEN TALKED ABOUT, UH, THROUGH THE, THE TWO ORDINANCE COMMITTEE, UH, MEETINGS I, I JUST MENTIONED.
THERE'S MORE DEBATE ON, UH, THE CAMBRIDGE STREET APPROACH, UH, THAN, THAN ON MASS AVE.
UM, THE CENTRAL QUESTION WAS, UH, AT WHAT HEIGHT SHOULD ACTIVE USES BE REQUIRED? SO, UM, THE CONVERSATION WAS BETWEEN, UH, ACTIVE USE, ACTIVE USES REQUIRED ABOVE THREE STORIES OR FOUR STORIES, UM, FOUR STORIES BEING THE SAME AS MASS AVE THREE BEING A LITTLE BIT STRONGER.
UM, AND SO, SO AGAIN, THIS IS, UH, IT'S ABOUT TRADE-OFFS BETWEEN HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS.
UM, STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS MAKE HOUSING DEVELOPMENT MORE DIFFICULT.
UM, AND ON THE OTHER HAND, THERE IS, THERE IS CONCERN, UM, ABOUT THE LOSS OF, OF ACTIVE USE SPACE, ESPECIALLY ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, BUT AFTER, AFTER THEIR DISCUSSION, ORDINANCE COMMITTEE, UH, VOTED TO, TO MOVE FORWARD, UH, DIRECTING CITY STAFF TO DEVELOP A POSITION THAT WOULD REQUIRE ACTIVE IS ABOVE THREE STORIES IN ALL, UM, CAMBRIDGE STREET DISTRICTS.
SO THAT'S THE, THE PETITION THAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT TONIGHT.
SO THIS PETITION A, UH, A LITTLE BIT MORE IN HERE THAN, THAN ON MASS AVE.
IT'S GOT FIVE COMPONENTS INSTEAD OF THREE, UM, REQUIRING ACTIVE, UH, AS I I JUST SAID, REQUIRING ACTIVE USES, UM, ABOVE THREE STORIES IN ALL CAMBRIDGE STREET DISTRICTS.
UH, TWO AND THREE, ESTABLISHING A PLANNING BOARD SPECIAL PERMIT, UM, FOR MINOR MODIFICATIONS.
UM, AND CLARIFYING REQUIREMENTS ONLY APPLY ON PRIMARY STREETS ARE, ARE THE SAME AS, AS ON MASS AVE.
UM, THEN WE GET INTO THIS, THIS PETITION HAS, HAS, UH, ONE ZONING CHANGE REZONING A, A PORTION OF O'BRIEN HIGHWAY, UH, BACK TO A BUSINESS, A DISTRICT.
SO OUT OF THE, THE CAMBRIDGE STREET DISTRICTS, AND I'LL, I'LL TALK A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THAT.
UM, AND THE PETITION WOULD, UM, REQUIRE A, UH, SPECIAL PERMIT TO ALLOW, UH, FORMULA BUSINESSES, UH, IN ALL CAMBRIDGE STREET DISTRICTS.
SO, UH, VERY QUICKLY, THE CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING WORKS THE SAME AS MASS.
HAVE ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED TO ENABLE THE TALLEST RESIDENTIAL HEIGHTS ALLOWED.
UM, AGAIN, THIS IS ONLY APPLICABLE IN IN LEACH MIRROR, UM, AND IN THE WEBSTER WINDSOR AREA THAT ALLOW, UH, BUILDINGS TALLER THAN SIX STORIES.
AND THERE'S NO, UH, ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT ON THE REST OF, OF CAMBRIDGE STREET.
YOU'RE ALLOWED TO GO UP TO SIX STORIES, UH, RESIDENTIAL, UH, WITHOUT ANY ACTIVE USES.
UM, SO AGAIN, WHAT, I WON'T GO INTO THIS, THIS AGAIN, BUT BASICALLY WE WANT MIXED USE TO BE THE NORM.
UM, BUT WE THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO HAVE AN ALTERNATIVE PATHWAY FOR CASES WHERE ACTIVE USES ARE NOT FEASIBLE OR PREFERRED.
UM, FOR EXAMPLE, IN UNUSUAL SITE HISTORIC PRESERVATION PROJECT, UH, SMALL ADDITION TO, UH, EXISTING BUILDING, ET CETERA.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S WHERE THE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ONLY ABOVE A CERTAIN HEIGHT, UM, CAME FROM.
UH, SO THE FIRST COMPONENT, UH, VERY SIMPLE ZONING PETITION WOULD CHANGE REQUIREMENTS.
SO ANY NEW BUILDING ABOVE THREE STORIES, UH, WOULD NEED TO PROVIDE AN ACTIVE USE.
[01:40:01]
FLOOR AREA AND LOCATION STANDARDS AS MASS A APPLY ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.60% OF THE INTERIOR FLOOR AREA WITHIN 50 FEET OF THE STREET NEEDS TO BE, UM, ACTIVE USE IN THOSE AREAS WHERE, UH, OR FOR THOSE PROJECTS THAT, UM, EXCEED SIX STORIES AND, AND NEED THAT ACTIVE USE.
UH, AGAIN, UM, UH, APOLOGIES LOOKING, LOOKING AT THE WRONG, UM, SLIDE HERE.
SO THE, UH, THIS PETITION INCLUDES THE SAME SPECIAL PERMIT, UH, FOR FLOOR AREA, LOCATION, FLOOR AREA, AND LOCATION MODIFICATION.
UM, UM, THE SAME LANGUAGE AS AS MASS AVE.
UM, SO THAT PIECE IS THE SAME.
THESE REQUIREMENTS WOULD NOT APPLY TO, UM, LOTS NOT ON, UH, THE PRIMARY STREET.
SO THAT'S PRETTY STRAIGHTFORWARD AS WELL.
SO, UM, THE, THE FOURTH COMPONENT OF THIS PETITION IS, UH, A, A MAP CHANGE.
SO WHEN WE WERE, WERE WORKING ON THIS AND DISCUSSING WITH THE CITY COUNCIL, UM, YOU KNOW, LOOKING AT STRONGER ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, UH, WE WANTED TO TAKE, UH, A CLOSER LOOK AT SOME OF THE OUTLYING AREAS OF THE DISTRICT TO, TO SEE IF STRONGER REQUIREMENTS, UM, WOULD STILL MAKE SENSE IN THOSE, UH, PARTS OF THE DISTRICT.
UH, SPECIFICALLY WE LOOKED AT, UM, THIS AREA OF O'BRIEN HIGHWAY, UM, SORT OF WEST OF, OF LEACH MIRROR, UM, AND ALSO THE, THE WARREN STREET, UM, SPUR THAT'S SORT OF RIGHT IN THE, THE MIDDLE OF THE CORRIDOR ON, UM, O'BRIEN HIGHWAY.
SO, SO THIS AREA WASN'T REALLY A BIG FOCUS OF THE ARC CAMBRIDGE STREET PLAN.
UM, IT WAS INCLUDED IN THE INITIAL REZONING PRIMARILY TO, TO ALLOW FOR, UH, MORE HEIGHT FOR HOUSING, WHICH, UM, IF YOU RECALL, THE INITIAL CAMBRIDGE STREET PETITION HAD A, UM, HEIGHT OF, OF EIGHT STORIES.
SO THAT WAS, THAT WAS KIND OF THE, THE INTENT THAT GOT, UM, AMENDED DOWN TO, TO SIX.
SO SORT OF ENDED UP AT THE SAME HEIGHT IN A LOT OF THE, THE DISTRICT THAT, UM, THAT WE HAD BEFORE.
SO, SO REALLY THE, THE IDEA BEHIND INCLUDING THAT AREA WAS, WAS TO ALLOW FOR, FOR MORE, UM, HEIGHT FOR HOUSING.
UM, O'BRIEN HIGHWAY IS A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE THAN CAMBRIDGE STREET AND, AND PROBABLY DESERVES ITS OWN PLANNING STUDY, UH, FOCUSED ON, ON BOTH SIDES OF, OF THE HIGHWAY THERE.
UM, AND SO WE, WE DON'T REALLY THINK ACTIVE USES ARE, ARE A HIGH PRIORITY HERE.
UH, WE, WE STILL WANT TO ALLOW FOR A MIX OF USES.
UM, SO, UH, SO THE PETITION REZONES, UM, THIS, THIS AREA BACK TO THE BUSINESS, A ZONING, WHICH IT WAS BEFORE THE, THE CAMBRIDGE STREET, UM, ZONING WAS ADOPTED.
THE OTHER KIND OF SMALL CHANGE THAT, THAT IT MAKES OVER ON O'BRIEN HIGHWAY OR, OR THAT SORT OF AREA IS, UM, THIS NEW BA DISTRICT, UH, INCORPORATES THE, THE CORNER OF GORE STREET AND THIRD STREET, UM, THAT'S CURRENTLY A RESIDENCY ONE.
UM, THERE'S AN EXISTING RETAIL SPACE THERE, UH, IN, IN SORT OF THE ONLY PART OF THAT BLOCK THAT'S, THAT'S ZONED RESIDENTIAL.
SO WE THINK IT MAKES SENSE TO PULL THE BUSINESS DISTRICT DOWN TO THAT CORNER AND, AND MAKE THAT EXISTING RETAIL USE CONFORMING.
SO THAT'S, THAT'S ANOTHER KIND OF MINOR, UH, MAP CHANGE THERE ON WARREN STREET.
UM, WE, WE CONSIDERED REZONING THIS AREA AS WELL.
BUT, UM, AFTER, UH, UH, DISCUSSING WITH, WITH COUNCIL, UH, THE, THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE VOTED TO, TO KEEP THIS WITHIN THE, THE CAMBRIDGE STREET SIX DISTRICT, UM, WARREN STREET DOES SHARE MANY, I THINK, BUILT FORM CHARACTERISTICS, UH, WITH CAMBRIDGE STREET, UM, AND, AND SOME MIX OF, OF, UH, HOUSING AND, AND, UM, MORE COMMERCIAL USES.
UM, IT COULD POTENTIALLY DEVELOP INTO A, A CONNECTOR BETWEEN CAMBRIDGE STREET AND, AND SOME OF THE RECENT MIXED USE DEVELOPMENT ACROSS THE BORDER IN SOMERVILLE.
SO THE PETITION BY, BY KEEPING, UM, WARREN STREET WITHIN THE, THE CAM SIX, UH, IT MAINTAINS THE SAME DESIGN STANDARDS AND SETBACK REQUIREMENTS, UH, AS THE REST OF CAMBRIDGE STREET.
BUT, UM, BECAUSE OF THIS, THIS OTHER CLARIFICATION
[01:45:01]
THAT WE'RE MAKING, UH, ACTIVE USES WOULD ONLY BE REQUIRED ON THOSE LOTS, UM, ABUTTING CAMBRIDGE STREET, SO NOT ALL OF WARREN STREET.UM, MOST OF THE, THE LOTS WOULD BE ABLE TO, TO GO UP TO SIX STORIES WITHOUT, UM, THOSE ACTIVE USES.
UM, SO THIS AREA COULD DEVELOP INTO A MORE ACTIVE STREET IN THE FUTURE, BUT WE DON'T THINK, UH, THE RULES SHOULD BE TOO HEAVY HANDED IN THIS AREA.
SO THAT'S, UM, SO THAT'S NOT A PART OF, OF THE PETITION.
THE PETITION KEEPS WARREN STREET WITHIN THE CAMBRIDGE STREET DISTRICTS.
UH, AND FINALLY, SO THE, THE LAST PIECE OF THE CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING PETITION IS REQUIRING A, UM, IT, IT ESTABLISHES LANGUAGE THAT WOULD REQUIRE A SPECIAL PERMIT FOR FORMULA BUSINESSES, UM, IN ALL OF THE CAMBRIDGE STREET DISTRICTS.
UH, SO THIS CAME OUT OF DISCUSSION WITH THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE.
UM, THERE WAS A DESIRE, UH, REALLY ABOUT LIMITING, UM, CHAINS AND SUPPORTING, UM, SMALL BUSINESSES.
UH, THE BOARD IS, IS PROBABLY FAMILIAR WITH THIS CONCEPT.
THESE, THESE ARE THE SAME RULES THAT APPLY IN THE CENTRAL SQUARE OVERLAY DISTRICT.
UM, THE PICTURE IS ON THIS SLIDE ARE, ARE EXAMPLES OF, UM, RECENT EXAMPLES OF, UH, FORMULA BUSINESSES THAT RECEIVED A, A PLANNING BOARD SPECIAL PERMIT, UM, ZONING CAN'T DIRECTLY REGULATE OWNERSHIP STRUCTURES OR, OR BUSINESS PRACTICES.
SO THE, THE DEFINITION OF A FORMULA BUSINESS, UM, REALLY CENTERS ON, UH, EXTERIOR ARCHITECTURE, DESIGN, SIGNAGE, UM, THOSE KINDS OF THINGS, UM, HAVING, YOU KNOW, LO LOGOS IN, IN COMMON WITH, WITH OTHER, UH, UH, ESTABLISHMENTS.
UM, SO REALLY WHAT THE SPECIAL PERMIT IS ABOUT IS, UM, REVIEWING AND, UH, PLACING CONDITIONS ON HOW THE DESIGN OF THE SPACE AND THE FACADE AND SIGNAGE FITS WITHIN THE CHARACTER OF THE DISTRICT.
FROM WHAT WE'VE SEEN, THE FORMULA BUSINESS SPECIAL PERMIT IS, IS NOT AN EFFECTIVE WAY TO LIMIT CHAINS OR, OR TO SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESSES, UM, CHAINS.
LARGER, YOU KNOW, CORPORATIONS ARE, ARE WILLING TO GO THROUGH THE PLANNING BOARD PROCESS, UM, DESPITE THE ADDED COSTS, THEY'RE WILLING TO MAKE CHANGES TO THEIR, THEIR SIGNAGE AND THEIR FACADE DESIGN TO BE IN THE LOCATION THAT THEY WANT TO BE IN.
UM, HOWEVER, THERE'S A, THERE'S NOT NO VALUE TO THIS.
UM, IT, IT, WE HAVE SEEN, YOU KNOW, POSITIVE CHANGES TO FACADES AND SIGNAGE IN CENTRAL SQUARE.
SO, SO WE THINK IT DOESN'T REALLY ACCOMPLISH MAYBE THE GOAL OF, OF SORT OF SUPPORTING SMALL BUSINESSES OR, OR LIMITING CHAINS, BUT, BUT IT CAN HAVE, YOU KNOW, A POSITIVE AESTHETIC EFFECT.
UH, AND, AND THAT'S THE END, UM, OF THIS.
SO WE CAN TURN IT BACK, UH, TO THE CHAIR.
SO WE'RE GONNA, UH, NOW TAKE PUBLIC COMMENT.
THIS IS A PUBLIC HEARING, SO ANY MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC WHO WISH TO SPEAK SHOULD NOW CLICK THE BUTTON THAT SAYS, RAISE HAND.
IF YOU'RE CALLING IN BY PHONE, YOU CAN RAISE YOUR HAND BY PRESSING STAR NINE AS THE 5:00 PM YESTERDAY.
THE BOARD HAD RECEIVED COMMENTS FROM ETHAN FRANK ON THIS PETITION AND WRITTEN COMMUNICATIONS RECEIVED AFTER 5:00 PM YESTERDAY WILL BE ENTERED INTO THE RECORD.
I, SO I DON'T SEE, OTHER THAN MY HAND, I SEE A, A COUPLE OF PEOPLE, UH, WISHING TO SPEAK.
UM, SO AT THIS POINT, I'LL ASK, UH, EVAN TO, UH, OR, UH, JEFF TO MANAGE THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
UM, SO WE HAVE A COUPLE OF HANDS RAISED.
THE FIRST IS HEATHER HOFFMAN, WHO'S FOLLOWED BY JASON ELVES.
HELLO, HEATHER HOFFMAN, TWO 13 HURLEY STREET.
UM, I WANT YOU TO THINK LONG AND HARD ABOUT THE IDEA THAT YOU WANT DENSITY OF PEOPLE IN ORDER TO SUPPORT BUSINESSES, BUT YOU DON'T WANT TO HAVE A PLACE FOR BUSINESSES TO BE, WE HAVE THIS CONCEPT THAT OCCASIONALLY WE TOUT THE 15 MINUTE CITY THAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO WALK TO ALL OF THE STUFF
[01:50:01]
THAT YOU NEED WITHIN 15 MINUTES.I UNDERSTAND THAT I AM AN OUTLIER.
I DON'T HAVE STUFF DELIVERED TO ME.
I, I MAIL ORDER VERY, VERY LITTLE, AND IT'S VERY SPECIFIC THINGS, SO I GO TO STORES.
UM, BUT THAT DOES NOT MEAN THAT STORES THAT ARE SOMETHING OTHER THAN COOKIE CUTTER CAN'T ATTRACT CUSTOMERS.
BUT WE DO A LOT OF THINGS TO MAKE IT HARD FOR THEM, TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY HAVE TO HAVE INVENTORY DELIVERED.
WE DON'T PROVIDE GOOD LOADING AREAS ANYWHERE NEAR AND IN A SAFE PLACE FOR THEM TO ACTUALLY GET DELIVERIES MADE.
WE DON'T, TO THE EXTENT THAT THEY'RE, UM, GETTING STUFF DELIVERED TO PEOPLE.
WE ALSO DON'T HAVE LOADING AREAS FOR THE PEOPLE PICKING UP.
UM, SO IF YOU WANNA HAVE ALL OF THIS IMMENSE DENSITY IN GIANT WAREHOUSES THAT TURN OVER PEOPLE ON A REGULAR BASIS, BECAUSE THAT'S THEIR BUSINESS MODEL, AND I'VE ASKED THEM PLENTY OF TIMES, EVERY LAST DEVELOPER I'VE TALKED TO OF BIG APARTMENT BUILDINGS SAYS THAT THEY EXPECT 50 TO 100% TURNOVER ANNUALLY.
THOSE ARE NOT HOMES, AND WE SHOULD ASPIRE TO BETTER BECAUSE WE KEEP SAYING THAT PEOPLE NEED HOMES.
AND I TOTALLY AGREE WITH THAT.
SO PERHAPS WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT WHAT CREATES HOMES.
AND PART OF WHAT CREATES HOMES IS NEIGHBORHOODS AND PLACES THAT PEOPLE CAN GATHER.
THAT INCLUDES PARKS THAT IN INCLUDES, UM, COFFEE SHOPS AND ALL SORTS OF PLACES WHERE PEOPLE CAN GO AND GET TO KNOW THE OTHER PEOPLE IN THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD.
SO IT'S NOT SIMPLE AND WE SHOULDN'T TRY TO THINK THAT IT'S, THANK YOU.
THE NEXT SPEAKER IS JASON ALVES, AND WHO IS FOLLOWED BY JUSTIN SAFE.
JASON, A YOU CAN GO AHEAD AND BEGIN WITH YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS.
I'M THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF EAST CAMBRIDGE BUSINESS ASSOCIATION, 5 44 CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UH, I, I WANNA START OFF BY SAYING THAT MY, MY FEAR AND CONCERN WITH THIS ENTIRE PROCESS CONTINUES HERE TONIGHT BECAUSE CAMBRIDGE STREET KEEPS GETTING LUMPED IN WITH MASS AVE, AND WE ARE VERY, VERY UNIQUE FROM MASS AVE.
UM, SO ALL THE QUESTIONS THAT YOU ASKED ABOUT MASS AVE AND THE ANSWERS YOU GOT, I GUESS I'M JUST GONNA ASK THAT YOU THROW THOSE OUT THE WINDOW BECAUSE WE ARE VERY, VERY DIFFERENT PLACE, UM, CHEMISTRY PER ANY STUDIES THAT HAVE BEEN DONE.
UM, WE, AN AMAZING AMOUNT OF THINGS ARE, ARE NEED TO HAPPEN ON C STREET.
ONE OF THAT IS BEING ONE OF MAYBE SIX TOTAL MILES IN THE CITY WHERE COMMERCIAL SPACE FOR SMALL BUSINESSES CAN BE MADE.
UM, THAT'S VERY, VERY IMPORTANT.
I THINK THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO RESPOND TO HERE IS, UM, IT'S NOT ABOUT BUILDING A BUILDING AND REQUIRING GROUND FLOOR ACTIVATION SPACE.
IT'S THE RISK THAT WE'RE HEADING INTO OF REMOVING SUCCESSFUL RETAIL.
FOR INSTANCE, I SENT A LETTER TODAY, I HOPE YOU HAD A CHANCE TO READ IT.
INMAN SQUARE, IF WE THINK ABOUT THE BLOCK WITH THE POST OFFICE ALBERTINE PRESS, UM, WE THIEVES, FIT LAB, PILATES, CHRISTINA'S, THERE ARE SEVEN SMALL BUSINESSES IN THAT ONE STORY BUILDING PRIME TIME FOR REDEVELOPMENT.
IF WE ARE NOT TRYING TO FIND WAYS TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'RE NOT LOSING THOSE SPACES, WE'RE GONNA HAVE A PROBLEM.
UM, I ALSO HAVE TO DISPEL THIS NOTION THAT THERE'S A, A, A VACANCY PROBLEM ON CHEMISTRY.
BY MY COUNT, THERE'S ABOUT SEVEN TRUE VACANCIES ON THE STREET RIGHT NOW.
THERE ARE SEVEN BUSINESSES OR, OR SPACES THAT ARE UNDER DEVELOPMENT OR CONTRACT TO BE FILLED.
UM, THE CRA THEMSELVES ARE ABOUT TO INFUSE THE STREET WITH FIVE SMALL BUSINESSES THAT ARE GRADUATING OUT OF A PLACE LIKE BOW MARKET, RIGHT? THERE IS STILL A NEED FOR RETAIL.
UM, SO THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE, WE'RE, WE'RE TRYING TO SOLVE HERE WITH THIS.
UM, ANOTHER EXAMPLE, THE, THE PLACES WHERE THERE ARE VACANCIES ARE SURROUNDED BY PLACES WHERE THE STREETSCAPE HAS BEEN INTERRUPTED.
9 59, WHAT'S THE ADDRESS? THE VINFEN BUILDING THAT IS A DEAD SPOT ON THE STREET.
OUR VACANCIES ARE AROUND THAT.
[01:55:01]
ARE, THESE ARE THE THINGS THAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TO PREVENT IT.I'M SORRY I'M RACING HERE, BUT THREE MINUTES.
I HAVE A LOT TO SAY ABOUT THIS.
I'M NOT GONNA GET TO ALL OF IT.
UM, I WOULD LOVE TO TAKE ANY OF YOU AROUND CAMBRIDGE STREET AND HAVE A FURTHER CONVERSATION ABOUT THIS.
IT SOUNDS LIKE EVERYBODY'S FROM NORTH CAMBRIDGE HERE.
I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S TRUE OR NOT.
BUT, UM, WE, YOU KNOW, THIS, AGAIN, WE'RE TRYING TO RESPOND TO THE NEEDS OF HOW DO WE HELP THE SMALL BUSINESSES HERE AS WE'VE CHANGED THE RULES AND INCENTIVIZED TEAR DOWNS.
THROW OUT EVERYTHING THAT YOU JUST HEARD ABOUT MASS AB AND CONSIDER IT FROM THAT PARTICULAR ANGLE.
UM, AND IF IT'S NOT THIS, I AM OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS.
UH, ALWAYS INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT HOW WE CAN HELP, UH, SUPPORT THE SMALL BUSINESS, UH, COMMUNITY, THE BEST THAT WE CAN.
SO, UH, HOPE YOU TAKE US INTO CONSIDERATION.
AND THE NEXT SPEAKER IS JUSTIN SAFE.
UH, 72 THORN DECK STREET, WHICH IS IN EAST CAMBRIDGE, TWO BLOCKS FROM CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UH, CAMBRIDGE STREET IS A GREAT PLACE.
UH, IT'S A GREAT PLACE TO ENCOURAGE BOTH HOUSING AND ACTIVE USE.
IT'S GOT NEARBY KEY STOPS, INCLUDING THE NEW UNION SQUARE STOP, FREQUENT BUS SERVICE.
UH, IT ALSO HAS HOUSING PRESSURES COMING FROM THE, UH, POINT AND YARDS DEVELOPMENT, WHICH IS, UH, JUST A FEW BLOCKS, UH, FROM CAMBRIDGE STREET, UH, IN SOMERVILLE.
THAT'S, UH, CURRENTLY NOT FILLED.
BUT, YOU KNOW, AS THE, UH, MARKET RETURNS FOR LABS, IT WILL, UH, EVENTUALLY REFILL.
AND AS IT DOES, UH, PUT MORE PRESSURE ON THE NEARBY HOUSING MARKET, UM, I HOPE WE CAN WORK TO MAXIMIZE BOTH RETAIL AND HOUSING HERE.
BUT I THINK THE CURRENT PETITION MISSES THE MARK.
UM, I THINK WE WILL NOT GET ADDITIONAL HOUSING, WILL NOT GET ADDITIONAL NEW GROUND FLOOR USES, AND WE'LL NOT GET ADDITIONAL CUSTOMERS FOR THE BUSINESSES ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, NOR ADDITIONAL TAX REVENUE FOR THE CITY THAT THE COUNCIL COULD USE.
CDD TESTIFIED AT A PRIOR HEARING THAT THEY SPOKE TO THE BUILDERS OF THE INCLUSIONARY BUILDING ON THIRD STREET.
AND CDD RECORDED THAT THESE BUILDERS SAID IT WOULD NOT BE VIABLE WITH THE FIRST FLOOR RETAIL MANDATE IN PLACE.
I'M SURE CDD STAFF WOULD BE HAPPY TO GIVE MORE DETAILS ON THOSE CONVERSATIONS AS THEY DID JUST TOUCH ON THE ZONING.
AND THE PLANNING BOARD REALLY NEEDS AND DESERVES TO HEAR THAT INFORMATION TO HAVE A BETTER INFORMED DISCUSSION.
TONIGHT, THE PETITION WILL GIVE CAMBRIDGE STREET THE ZONING THAT WILL BE LEAST CONDUCIVE TO HOUSING IN THE ENTIRE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE.
THE PLANNING BOARD SHOULD TELL THE COUNCIL IN CDD AGAIN THAT THEY NEED TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO HAVE BOTH.
THEY NEED TO INCENTIVIZE RETAIL AND HOUSING, WHETHER IT'S BY TAX, ABATEMENTS, ZONING RELIEF, WHAT HAVE YOU.
THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT CREATIVE FORMS IT COULD TAKE, BUT, UH, NOTHING, WHICH IS THE CURRENT FORM IT TAKES JUST AN UNFUNDED MANDATE IS NOT THE OPTIMAL WAY TO GET THE BEST OUTCOME FOR EVERYONE HERE.
AND, UH, JUST ADD THAT THE INCLUSION OF WARREN STREET MAKES LITTLE SENSE GIVEN ITS LACK OF FOOT TRAFFIC AND SHOULD BE REMOVED.
IT'S GOT ESSENTIALLY NO PROSPECT FOR ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USE.
AND CDD WAS CORRECT, IN MY OPINION, TO PROPOSE REMOVING IT ORIGINALLY.
IT APPEARS, UH, FROM MY DESKTOP ANYWAY, THAT WE MIGHT HAVE EXHAUSTED PUBLIC SPEAKERS.
MAYBE, UH, JEFF, YOU COULD MAKE ONE MORE CALL.
I'LL, I'LL JUST GIVE A SECOND IN CASE ANYONE WAS, WAS STILL LOOKING FOR THE RAISE HAND BUTTON.
I BELIEVE THAT'S ALL THE SPEAKERS.
WE WILL NOW, UM, MOVE TO FROM PUBLIC COMMENT TO BOARD DISCUSSION.
UM, AND AS I SAID, ANY ADDITIONAL WRITTEN COMMENTS WILL BE SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD.
SO DISCUSSION FROM THE BOARD, UM, OR QUESTIONS.
UH, FOR STAFF AROUND THE, THIS PARTICULAR PETITION, OBVIOUSLY THE STREET IS VERY DIFFERENT FROM MASS AVE.
TED, I I JUST HAVE A QUICK QUESTION FOR EITHER JEFF OR EVAN.
ARE YOU AWARE OF ANY, UM, COMPANY THAT WOULD HAVE NEEDED A FORMULA, UH, SPECIAL PERMIT THAT REFUSED TO GO FORWARD BECAUSE OF THE REQUIREMENT FOR THE SPECIAL PERMIT? UH, JEFF'S BEEN AROUND LONGER THAN
[02:00:01]
I HAVE, BUT I, I HAVEN'T, WELL, I, I'M NOT AWARE OF ANYTHING, BUT I, I DON'T KNOW THAT I WOULD BE ABLE TO PUT MUCH INTO THAT BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT IF, IF A BUSINESS WERE LOOKING AT AN AREA THAT HAD A, A FORMULA BUSINESS REQUIREMENT AND DIDN'T WANT TO PURSUE IT FOR THAT REASON, WE PROBABLY WOULDN'T BE HEARING FROM THEM AT ALL.SO IT'S HARD TO SAY, BUT I, I CAN SAY THAT, AND THE PLANNING BOARD KNOWS THIS, THAT, YOU KNOW, CASES WHERE FORMULA BUSINESSES HAVE BEEN PROPOSED IN CENTRAL SQUARE, YOU KNOW, THEY'VE, THEY'VE GONE THROUGH THE SPECIAL PERMIT PROCESS AND IT'S, IT'S USUALLY BEEN A PRETTY, UM, YOU KNOW, PRODUCTIVE KIND OF DESIGN REVIEW PROCESS AND NOT NECESSARILY A, A, A MAJOR IMPEDIMENT.
YEAH, I DON'T RECALL THE BOARD EVER TURNING DOWN ONE, UH, WE WOULD NEGOTIATE CONDITIONS MM-HMM
UM, BUT I, I WAS JUST CURIOUS IF, IF THAT WAS AN IMPEDIMENT TO SOMEBODY ACTUALLY, UH, OPENING AN A, UH, A BUSINESS BECAUSE OF THE, THE REQUIREMENT.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS FOR EVAN OR JEFF? THIS, OR DREW? WELL, LET'S MOVE TO DISCUSSION AROUND THIS ONE.
OBVIOUSLY WE'RE FAMILIAR WITH THE MECHANISMS 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT WE DESCRIBED AND WE'RE, UH, EDUCATED ABOUT.
UH, THIS IS DIFFERENT OBVIOUSLY IN TERMS OF THE HEIGHT.
WHAT SHOULD WE DO? WHAT SHOULD WE RECOMMEND? HOW CAN WE BE HELPFUL TO THE CITY COUNCIL? PERHAPS BY REMAINING MUTE
SO I, I, FORGIVE ME, UM, THE TWO MARY'S AND I BELIEVE MARY FLYNN, UH, HIT THE BUTTON FIRST.
UM, AND THIS, THIS IS A TOUGH ONE, UM, BECAUSE I THINK CAMBRIDGE STREET REALLY IS A DIFFERENT ANIMAL, EVEN THOUGH, YOU KNOW, KEEP SAYING THAT THEY'RE, THEY'RE SIMILAR TO ME.
YOU KNOW, CAMBRIDGE STREET IS THE RETAIL, YOU KNOW, AND THAT'S, THAT'S THE NEIGHBORHOOD, THAT'S WHERE, YOU KNOW, PEOPLE CONGREGATE, THEY GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER.
AND THEN THERE'S, YOU KNOW, OBVIOUSLY THE NEIGHBORHOOD AROUND IT.
BUT I, I WORRY THAT, UM, THAT THE, THAT WE'RE TRYING TO CHANGE THIS TOO QUICKLY WITHOUT REALLY THINKING ABOUT SORT OF WHAT THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS ARE OF, UM, SOME OF THE CHANGES THAT ARE RECOMMENDED.
I MEAN, FOR EXAMPLE, IF WE WERE TO SWITCH WITH HAVING THREE STORIES, ONLY RESIDENTIAL, IS THAT EVER GONNA HAPPEN? AND, AND IT, YOU KNOW, I MEAN, TO ME IT SEEMS LIKE PROBABLY MOST OF THE RESIDENTIAL THAT WE HAVE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET IS IN A, IS IN THREE STORY BUILDINGS WITH, WITH RETAIL UNDERNEATH.
I MEAN, I KNOW THERE ARE SOME APARTMENT BUILDINGS AND THINGS LIKE THAT, AND OBVIOUSLY PUBLIC HOUSING.
BUT AS I THINK ABOUT THAT STRETCH, IT SEEMS TO ME LIKE, YOU KNOW, IF, IF WE WERE TO SAY THREE STORIES, RESIDENTIAL ONLY, A LOT OF IT IS JUST GONNA STAY THE SAME OR IT'S GONNA GET TORN DOWN, AND THEN WE'RE GOING TO BE AT LEAST INTO THIS SIX STORY, UM, ALTERNATIVE.
AND WHILE I DON'T HAVE A, A PROBLEM NECESSARILY WITH THE HEIGHT AND THE DENSITY OF IT, I DO WORRY ABOUT THE ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS BECAUSE I THINK, YOU KNOW, AS WAS MENTIONED, A LOT OF THE, THE BUSINESSES ALONG THE STREET AND, YOU KNOW, EVEN ALONG MASS HAVE THEY, YOU KNOW, THEY ARE, THEY'RE NOT THE FORMULA BUSINESSES.
AND I JUST WORRY ABOUT WHEN YOU START RIPPING THOSE DOWN TO BUILD HIGHER BUILDINGS, THE THE RENTS ARE GONNA GO UP AND YOU'RE GONNA START TO SEE A VERY DIFFERENT CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GOOD OR THAT'S BAD, BUT I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE REALLY LIKE CAMBRIDGE STREET THE WAY IT IS TODAY.
SO I'M JUST, I'M JUST VERY, VERY TORN, UM, ABOUT WHAT TO DO HERE.
BUT THE, UH, I THINK THE THREE STORY RESIDENTIAL ONLY DOESN'T DO MUCH TO ACHIEVE OBJECTIVES FOR HOUSING AND IT REALLY DOESN'T HELP THE RETAIL.
BUT I ALSO AM JUST, YOU KNOW, AND MAYBE IT GOES TO LIKE COMMENTS THAT, THAT MARY AND AND DANIEL HAVE MADE BEFORE ABOUT HOW MAYBE THE CITY NEEDS TO STEP IN MORE AND, YOU KNOW, THINK ABOUT INCENTIVES FOR HAVING THAT EXISTING BUSINESSES STAY OR, OR, OR, YOU KNOW, OR OTHER REASONS WHY TO BUILD MORE HOUSING, BUT STILL TRY TO MAINTAIN THAT QUALITY THAT'S THERE NOW.
SO I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT'S VERY HELPFUL TO ANYBODY, BUT IT'S JUST KIND OF WHERE, WHERE I AM AT THE MOMENT.
NOT REALLY SURE WHERE I AM ON THIS.
IT'S A LOVE LETTER TO CAMBRIDGE STREET, MARY ECKER.
YEAH, I MIGHT, I MIGHT FOLLOW THAT TREND A LITTLE BIT.
[02:05:01]
TO WORRY, BEFORE LIVING IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE, I DID LIVE FOR 10 YEARS BY INMAN SQUARE.SO IT IS ALSO MY OTHER KIND OF BELOVED PLACE.
AND I WOULD REITERATE, I THINK WHAT, WHAT SOME OF THE COMMENTERS AND, AND MARY HA FLYNN HAS DESCRIBED IS IT IS VERY DIFFERENT THAN NORTH MASS AVE.
AND IT IS REALLY CHALLENGING TO THINK OF THESE TWO IN THE SAME BUCKET.
'CAUSE THEY ARE TWO DIFFERENT ANIMALS FOR CAMBRIDGE STREET, THAT KIND OF GROUND FLOOR RETAIL.
AND TO THINKING OF TOM'S KIND OF PERSPECTIVE ON THE NARROWNESS OF THE STREET, THAT'S THE IDENTITY AND CHARACTER IN PLACEMAKING OF THAT CORRIDOR.
UM, AND SO I HAVE A HARDER TIME FIGURING OUT WHERE I MIGHT COME DOWN ON THIS RE SO I, I THINK MAYBE ONE THING TO THINK ABOUT MAYBE FOR EVERYBODY IS PART OF WHAT WE'RE SENDING TO COUNCIL, I WOULD IMAGINE IS OUR THOUGHTS, RIGHT? NO SOLUTIONS EXACTLY, BUT THOUGHTS.
IT'S LIKE, THIS IS AN EXTREMELY DIFFERENT THING WHERE, UM, YOU KNOW, EVEN THE THING, LIKE THE FORMULA BUSINESS, I, I HAVE LESS OF A PROBLEM WITH IF IT FEELS IMPORTANT TO THIS COMMUNITY, I HAVE THAT AS A PIECE OF THIS THAT SEEMS REASONABLE, RIGHT? BECAUSE I THINK JUST LIKE CENTRAL SQUARE, IT'S JUST AS, AS VIABLE AS, YOU KNOW, YOUR IDENTITY'S GROUNDED IN THIS PLACE.
IF THAT, IF THAT SEEMS IMPORTANT, I WOULD BE OKAY WITH THAT SORT OF, UM, COMMITMENT.
UM, SOMETHING THAT A COMMENTER, UH, BROUGHT UP THAT I THINK IS IMPORTANT RELATIVE TO THIS AND NORTH MASS HAVE, IS THAT RISK OF DISPLACING SUCCESSFUL RETAIL OR RETAIL.
I THINK WE SPOKE A LOT IN THE LAST ONE ABOUT THERE IS RETAIL, THAT DOESN'T MEAN IT WILL BE THERE IF CERTAIN THINGS CHANGE, RIGHT? YEAH.
AND SO I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING THAT'S REALLY RELEVANT TO BOTH OF THESE IS WHAT ARE THE WAYS TO CREATE, UM, INCENTIVES OR STRATEGIES TO KEEP OR TO SUPPORT THE EXISTING, UM, RETAILS OR CREATE SPACE FOR, UM, ENTRY OPPORTUNITIES INTO RETAIL OR, OR SMALL BUSINESS, RIGHT? THAT SEEMS LIKE SOMETHING THAT FOR, FOR, UM, CAMBRIDGE, UM, STREET ESPECIALLY IS, IS A REAL PRIORITY.
SO I JUST WANNA KIND OF HIGHLIGHT THAT AGAIN, KIND OF FOR COUNCIL, UM, TO BE THINKING ABOUT.
AND THEN I THINK A FEW TIMES PEOPLE HAVE SPOKEN ABOUT ARE THERE WAYS TO CREATE BENEFITS OR INCENTIVES VERSUS MANDATES? WHAT DOES, WHAT DOES THAT LOOK LIKE? UM, YEAH.
SO THOSE ARE, SO THOSE ARE MY THOUGHTS.
SO, UM, YEAH, UM, I WAS PARTICULARLY STRUCK BY, UM, YOU KNOW, THE APPEAL NOT TO LOSE EXISTING RETAIL.
UM, AND, AND YOU KNOW, THIS IS, AND HAS BEEN A VERY ACTIVE NEIGHBORHOOD WITH NEIGHBORHOOD RETAIL, UM, WOULD BE, YOU KNOW, IT'S EN ENVISIONING THESE KINDS OF CHANGES AND SAYING, HEY, WHAT WOULD THIS LOOK LIKE WITH, UM, YOU KNOW, WITH NO ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR, UM, WOULD BE A REAL SHAME.
BUT IT'S VERY HARD TO SAY, HOW DO YOU IN INCENTIVIZE THIS AND KEEP SOME OF THAT NEIGHBORHOOD CHARACTER? BUT, YOU KNOW, I, UM, STRUCK BY, UM, BARRY'S FIRST COMMENT JUST ON, YOU KNOW, IF IT'S THREE STORIES RESIDENTIAL ONLY, THEN IT'S GONNA STAY THAT WAY, RIGHT? IT'S, THERE'S NO INCENTIVE FOR BUILDING MORE HOUSING.
UM, I THINK THINKING ABOUT THE STREET AS, YOU KNOW, FOUR STORIES TO SIX STORIES WITH RESIDENTIAL GROUND FLOOR AND, AND REVIEWING, UM, YOU KNOW, UM, FRANCHISES OR CHAIN STORES WITH A SPECIAL PERMIT SEEMS, SEEMS REASONABLE.
BUT, UM, UH, AGAIN, IT'S A, IT'S A PARTICULARLY CHALLENGING PIECE GIVEN IT THE FABRIC GIVEN THE, THE, THE SCALE AND DENSITY OF THE STREET, UM, TO SAY, HOW, HOW IS IT THAT WE'RE GOING TO REALLY INCENTIVIZE HOUSING AND MAINTAIN, UM, THAT, UH, THAT CURRENT GROUND FLOOR ACTIVITY.
UM, I GUESS IT'S, I'M COMING AROUND TO SAYING THIS ONE, THIS ONE IS, IS, IS SIT DOESN'T SIT ANYWHERE NEAR FOR ME IN THE SAME, UM, CATEGORY AS MASS AVE.
AND I'M, I'M IN A GENERAL SENSE MORE COMFORTABLE WITH THE, UM, WITH THE PROPOSAL AS IT IS, ALTHOUGH I THINK THAT IT, IT SORT OF STRADDLES NOT HITTING EITHER OBJECTIVE.
SO I'M, I'M, UH, AT A QUANDARY ABOUT IT.
AND LORD AND MARY OCCURRED BEFORE LIVING IN NORTH CAMBRIDGE.
I ALSO LIVED IN EAST CAMBRIDGE, THOUGH I MISS GOING TO THE FISH MARKET
AND, AND I THINK WHAT MAKES, UM, CAMBRIDGE STREET SO UNIQUE IS ALL THE VERY UNIQUE BUSINESSES, AND I'VE BEEN THERE A LONG TIME.
UM, AND I DON'T KNOW IF THE CITY COUNCIL HAS THE ABILITY AT THIS POINT TO PICK DIFFERENT PORTIONS OF THE, UM,
[02:10:01]
PETITION, BUT, YOU KNOW, AS EVAN LAID OUT, THERE WERE MORE COMPONENTS TO THIS PETITION.I, I THINK IT SEEMS LIKE THE NEIGHBORHOOD IS IN SUPPORT OF THE REQUIREMENT, A SPECIAL PERMIT FOR A, UM, FORMULA BUSINESSES.
I THINK THAT HAS SHOWN TO BE NOT TOO MUCH OF A HARM IN CENTRAL SQUARE.
SO I'M COMFORTABLE WITH THAT REZONING.
UM, THE HIGHWAY, OR AT LEAST ONE OR TWO OF THOSE PARCELS SEEMS TO MAKE SENSE AS WELL.
AND THE OTHER CLEANUP CHANGES ALSO SEEM TO MAKE SENSE.
I THINK, THINK THE ONE I STRUGGLE WITH IS, UM, AS OTHERS HAVE SAID ABOUT, IS, UH, LIMITING TO THREE STORIES.
AND SO, UM, IT'S KIND OF WHAT I'M THINKING, BUT I ALSO DON'T KNOW IF IT'S
SO, UH, I TOO LIVED IN INMAN SQUARE FOR MANY YEARS BEFORE MOVING, UH, TO OTHER PARTS OF CAMBRIDGE.
AND SO YEAH, CAMBRIDGE STREET IS DIFFERENT.
UM, I, I, I GUESS MY CONCERN IS THE LIMITATION TO THREE STORIES.
UH, IT DOES NOT SEEM IT'S GOING TO DO MUCH OF ANYTHING, UH, TO, TO PROMOTE THE DEVELOPMENT OF MORE HOUSING, WHICH I THINK FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY NOT HAVE GROWN CHILDREN, THIS IS NOW A VERY HOT AREA BECAUSE OF THE EXTENSION OF THE GREEN LINE AND CERTAINLY THE UNION SQUARE STATION, THE WEBSTER STREET AREA IS, IS VERY HOT FOR, YOU KNOW, UH, OUR CHILDREN WHO ARE IN THEIR, THEIR LATE TWENTIES AND THIRTIES.
IT'S A GREAT AREA TO LIVE IN NOW.
SO I THINK THERE IS GOING TO BE A LOT OF PRESSURE TO BUILD MORE HOUSING AND, UM, YOU KNOW, HOW THIS FITS IN, UH, WITH THE MANDATE.
YOU KNOW, I'M AFRAID THAT EVEN WITH THE MANDATE, IF THEY TEAR DOWN EXISTING RETAIL AND MANDATE NEW RETAIL, UM, IT'S GOING TO END UP BEING VERY DIFFERENT AND, UH, MUCH MORE EXPENSIVE AND MORE GENTRIFIED, AND IT'S GOING TO BE DIFFERENT FROM THE EXISTING, UH, RETAIL THAT'S THERE.
I, I I THINK CAMBRIDGE FOOD IS A, A MUCH MORE DIFFICULT ISSUE TO DEAL WITH.
AND, UM, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK AS DAN SAID, YOU KNOW, IT DOESN'T SEEM TO ADDRESS EITHER OF THE, THE DESIRES OF MORE HOUSING AND TO PRESERVE RETAIL.
UM, I HESITATE TO ASK THIS QUESTION.
I'M GOING BACK TO THE QUESTION PERIOD FOR A MINUTE HERE.
UM, BUT IN THE SPIRIT OF KIND OF THROWING THINGS AGAINST THE WALL AND, UM, UM, UH, PLAYING ON THE OTHER SIDE OF MARY LATTIMER'S, UM, THOUGHT FOR MASS AVE ABOUT, UM, HAVING A, UM, KIND OF GIVING AN EXEMPTION TO SMALLER FRONTAGES, IS THERE ANYWHERE IN CAMBRIDGE THAT HAS A LIMIT ON RETAIL FRONTAGES? SO NO MORE THAN 50 FEET IN CERTAIN NEIGHBORHOODS? IS THERE ANYTHING I, AND I I, I, I THINK WE SHOULDN'T BE ADDING MORE REQUIREMENT, RIGHT? LIKE, TO THE, TO THE POINT ABOUT MASSIVE, I MEAN, WE NEED TO KIND OF, TO SOME DEGREE HAVE THE MARKET DO WHAT THE MARKET IS GONNA DO, LET'S GET DENSITY AND THEN MORE RETAIL.
BUT IS THERE ANYWHERE IN CAMBRIDGE, EVAN, THAT YOU KNOW OF, OR JEFF, UM, THAT HAS ANY LIMIT ON THE RETAIL FRONTAGE? I DO THINK THE VINFEN BUILDING BREAKS UP THE FEEL OF WALKING DOWN CAMBRIDGE.
AND SO I'M JUST CURIOUS IF, YOU KNOW, IF THAT WERE TO GET TAKEN OUT AND A GIANT, YOU KNOW, SOMEONE ELSE WERE TO BUILD IN THAT BLOCK AND HAVE SOME MASSIVE RETAIL SPACE, TAKE UP THE WHOLE BLOCK, IS THERE ANYTHING TO EXEMPT TO LIMIT THAT? YEAH, SO THERE ARE, UM, CERTAIN AREAS THAT HAVE LIMITS ON FRONTAGE FOR SPECIFIC USES.
LIKE, I BELIEVE IT'S HARVARD SQUARE HAS A, UM, UH, LIMIT ON, UH, FRONTAGE FOR BANKS.
UM, SO THAT'S, THAT, UM, EXISTS.
I'M NOT SURE IF THERE'S SORT OF A LIMIT ON FRONTAGE FOR, UH, SORT OF ALL, ALL KIND OF RETAIL USES.
UM, ON MASS AVE, IN THE OLD MASS AVE ZONING, THERE, THERE WAS A, A LIMIT ON GFA FOR, UM, UH, ACTIVE, YOU KNOW, NON, NON-RESIDENTIAL USES ON THE GROUND FLOOR.
AND, YOU KNOW, WE, WE TALKED ABOUT THAT WHEN WE WERE WORKING ON THE NEW ZONING, UM, BEFORE, AND, AND THE, THE ADVICE THAT, THAT WE GOT FROM OUR, OUR COLLEAGUES IN, IN THE ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY
[02:15:01]
AND DEVELOPMENT DIVISION OF CDD, UM, THEY, THEY SORT OF STEERED US A AWAY FROM HAVING THOSE SORT OF LIMITS ON RETAIL SIZE BECAUSE IT, IT, IT CREATES A LOT MORE CHALLENGES AND, UM, AND IT LIMITS YOU, YOU KNOW, IN FINDING THE RIGHT KINDS OF USE.LIKE, YOU CAN'T, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO HAVE A, A GROCERY STORE EVEN IF IT WAS LIKE A, A SMALL ONE OR, YOU KNOW, THINGS LIKE THAT.
SO, SO WE LEFT THAT, THAT SORT OF THING OUT.
UM, I DON'T KNOW IF JEFF, YOU HAVE ANYTHING TO, TO ADD TO THAT? NO, I, I, I THINK THAT EXPLAINS IT.
YOU KNOW, WE, WE HAVE, WE WENT THROUGH A PHASE, I THINK IN THERE, THERE ARE SOME PLACES TYPICALLY WHERE WE HAVE LIKE A PUD DISTRICT WHERE WE HAVE, YOU KNOW, MORE KIND OF MANDATES FOR, FOR MIXED USE WHERE WE, WE TRY TO LIMIT SIZE OF RETAIL FOR, YOU KNOW, TO TRY TO CREATE SMALLER STOREFRONTS.
BUT THAT CAN, YOU KNOW, WE, WE, WE ALSO KNOW WE NEED TO HAVE FLEXIBILITY.
AND AGAIN, YOU KNOW, GIVEN WE'VE, WE'VE ALL TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE STATE OF RETAIL AND NEEDING TO BE MORE CREATIVE ABOUT HOW A RETAIL DISTRICT IS FORMED AND HOW IT EVOLVES OVER TIME AND, AND SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, WHEN, WHEN WE'RE REALLY TRYING TO ALLOW AND ENABLE, YOU KNOW, RETAIL AND BUSINESSES HAVING, YOU KNOW, TRYING TO LOAD ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON THAT IS, IS COUNTERPRODUCTIVE.
YEAH, THAT ALL MAKES SENSE, AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU ALL AT LEAST THOUGHT ABOUT IT, UM, PRIOR TO THIS AND, UM, ARE TRYING TO COME UP WITH SOMETHING.
UM, IT'S JUST USEFUL TO KIND OF GO THROUGH THAT EXERCISE.
SO THANK YOU FOR YOUR PATIENCE IN WALKING THROUGH THAT WITH ME.
WELL, INSPIRED BY CAROLYN AND I, I GUESS I CAN BE ACCUSED OF THINKING THREE DIMENSIONALLY.
I WOULD GO THE DIMENSION IN THE OTHER DIRECTION.
SO, UM, I DO RECALL BACK THERE WERE, THERE WAS SOME VERY DETAILED ZONING DISCUSSIONS ABOUT TRYING TO CONTROL, UH, DEVELOPMENT ON MASS AVE.
AND THERE WAS A CITY COUNSELOR WHO WAS A FORMER ARCHITECT WHO SAID, WE NEED TO MANDATE A CERTAIN HEIGHT ON THE FIRST FLOOR OF BUILDINGS ON MASS AVE TO ACCOMMODATE RETAIL.
AND I, I WAS THINKING THIS IS A PERFECT PLACE FOR IT.
IF WE DON'T HAVE THE MARKET NOW FOR, FOR RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS, AND WE'RE WAITING FOR THAT TO COME BACK ONCE, UH, TED'S AND MY CHILDREN MOVE INTO THE BOYTON YARDS, UM, WHY WOULD WE PRECLUDE THE FUTURE OF, OF CONVERSION OF THESE FIRST FLOOR DWELLING UNITS IF THEY'RE NOT CONDOMINIUMS TO RETAIL BY SAYING, OKAY, THE CEILING'S GOTTA BE 11 FEET HIGH, UM, CERTAIN AMOUNT OF WINDOWS.
I KNOW THIS IS MORE RULES AND WE'RE IN A SPIRIT NOW WHERE WE'RE KIND OF TRYING TO, UH, TO, TO GET RID OF THOSE IN THE ZONING CODE.
BUT HERE'S A WAY IN WHICH I THINK WE COULD HAVE OUR CAKE AND EAT IT TOO, UH, ARE THAT FIRST FLOOR IS CONVERTIBLE TO RETAIL.
MAKE THAT AS PART OF THE, UM, UH, THE MANDATE.
AND I THINK THE SECTION, UH, AND POTENTIALLY THE GLAZING OR THE WAYS IN WHICH YOU MAKE THOSE RETAIL.
I LIVE IN A NEIGHBORHOOD WHERE LAUNDROMAT HAS BEEN CONVERTED TO A LUXURY HOME FOR A ARCHITECTURE FACULTY MEMBER FROM MIT DOWN THE STREET HERE.
UM, VIRTUALLY NO CHANGE IN THE OUTSIDE OTHER THAN BLINDS YOU CAN'T SEE INSIDE.
AND, UH, I THINK SHE HAS ONLY ONE WASHER AND DRYER NOW RATHER THAN 40
UM, UH, SO THE, THE, I HAD THAT IDEA, UM, UH, AS A WAY TO DO THIS.
I, I AM ABSOLUTELY WITH DAN AND ALSO WITH THE, WITH THE, UH, JASON ALVES, A DISPLACEMENT OF RETAIL, UM, AS VITAL AS CAMBRIDGE STREET IS.
UH, WOULDN'T THAT BE A SHAME TO LOSE THAT? AND, UM, I, IF THERE'S SOME WAY TO FIGURE OUT A WAY TO SAY IF YOU'RE DISPLACING RETAIL, UM, WE HAVE TO DISINCENTIVIZE THAT SOMEHOW DIS DISPLACING THE STORY THAT ASHLEY WAS, OR, UH, MARY WAS TALKING ABOUT ON MASS APP SIMILARITY, WHERE A BUSINESS WAS DISPLACED FOR A POTENTIAL DEVELOPMENT THAT NEVER HAPPENED.
AND, UM, UH, 'CAUSE SOME OF THESE RETAIL ESTABLISHMENTS ARE FRAGILE, AND, AND JASON KNOWS THAT MORE THAN ANYBODY.
SO, UM, I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU WRITE THAT INTO THE ZONING.
SO, UM, I'M LOOKING FOR A WAY TO, FOR THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON, CAN WE HAVE IT BOTH WAYS HERE? CAN WE HAVE THE RETAIL FAIR FUTURE THAT WILL HOPEFULLY EXIST WHERE IT'S FULLY, UM, UH, CONTINUOUS FROM ALL THE WAY FROM THE COURTHOUSE, UH, TO INMAN SQUARE OR, AND IN THE MEANTIME HAVE HOUSING
THE FORMULA BUSINESS THING, I'M ACTUALLY PROUD OF THAT SECTION OF OUR ZONING.
UM, IT KEEPS CAMBRIDGE WEIRD AND IT'S A GREAT, GREAT THING.
AND ALL OF THESE RETAILERS ARE, ARE DELIGHTED TO COME IN AND CHANGE THEIR, THEIR SIGNAGE.
SO I THINK CAMBRIDGE STREET WARRANTS THAT KIND OF CARE IN TERMS OF THE, THE CHARACTER AND THE SIGNAGE,
[02:20:01]
UM, AND SHOULDN'T BE OVERRUN BY, UH, NATIONAL BRANDS.UM, SO I THINK THAT'S A GOOD THING.
AND, UH, UM, I TOO HAVE A LOT OF EXPERIENCE ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
I'VE COACHED HOCKEY FOR 30 YEARS, SO, AND I'VE BEEN ON GORE STREET EVERY SINGLE SATURDAY FOR 30 YEARS.
SO I SHOP A LOT ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, SO, UH, I THINK THAT'S, WE'RE, WE'RE RUNNING OUTTA STEAM HERE, BUT I THINK WE'VE GOT REALLY, REALLY GOOD THOUGHTS AROUND, UH, BOTH, UH, STREETS, BUT ESPECIALLY NOW CONCLUDING CAMBRIDGE STREET.
I THINK SOME, UH, I THINK WE'VE HAD SOME HELPFUL THOUGHTS, MAYBE SOME CONFUSING ONES.
IF I COULD JUST GET AN ECHO BACK FROM JEFF OR EVAN, UM, SAYING THAT WE'RE NOT COMPLETELY CRAZY.
I DON'T, I DON'T THINK YOU'RE COMPLETELY CRAZY GOOD.
UM, DO WE, UH, I, I'M, I'M TRYING TO SORT OF DISTILL WHAT I'VE HEARD ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET.
I THINK IT'S A, IT'S A LITTLE BIT LESS, UM, CLEAR CUT THE, THE RECOMMENDATIONS ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, AND WE CAN, WE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT AND, AND SUMMARIZE THE, THE DISCUSSION.
UM, THAT'S WHAT I'M, I'M HEARING IT SOUNDS LIKE MOST MEMBERS ARE OKAY WITH THE, UH, FORMULA BUSINESS SPECIAL PERMIT, UM, THE, UH, TAKING THE O'BRIEN HIGHWAY SECTION OUT OF, OF CAMBRIDGE STREET THAT DIDN'T, UM, SEEM TOO BAD.
UM, THE THINGS, YOU KNOW, THE, THE MAKING SURE IT ONLY, UH, THE REQUIREMENTS ONLY APPLY ON THE, ON THE PRIMARY STREETS AND PROVIDING THE, CREATING THE NEW SPECIAL PERMIT FOR VARIATIONS.
THAT'S ALL SORT OF IN LINE WITH, UH, YEAH, PROVIDING FLEXIBILITY.
IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S, YEAH, THERE'S CONSENT OR, UH, YOU KNOW, SOME SUPPORT FOR THAT ON, ON BOTH CORRIDORS.
UM, SO, SO REALLY, YOU KNOW, WHAT, WHAT IT COMES DOWN TO IS THE, UH, THE HEIGHT ITSELF AT WHICH THE, THE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS, UM, SORT OF KICK IN MAYBE, MAYBE THREE STORIES DOESN'T SEEM QUITE RIGHT.
MAYBE, MAYBE FOUR STORIES WOULD BE BETTER.
UM, AND MAYBE, YOU KNOW, THERE, THERE ARE SOME OTHER SORT OF METRICS THAT, UM, WOULD, WOULD BE A BETTER APPROACH LIKE, UH, UH, FRONTAGE, UH, WIDTH OR, UM, LOT SIZE.
AND, AND THAT'S SORT OF, YOU KNOW, SIMILAR TO SOME OF THE CONVERSATION ON MASS TOO.
LET'S, LET'S PAUSE YOU THERE AND GET A SENSE ABOUT THE, 'CAUSE WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THREE OR FOUR, AND I KNOW YOU, YOU MENTIONED THAT THE COUNCIL HAD COME, DEBATED IT AND COME DOWN ON THREE.
UM, I'M INCLINED TO LEAN MORE TOWARDS FOUR, THIS PARTICULAR BOARD MEMBER, BUT I, I DON'T, I'M SEEING HEADS NODDING HERE THAT THERE'S A GENERAL SENSE THAT WE WOULD TOLERATE AND THINK WE SHOULD INCENTIVIZE GREATER HEIGHT, UM, ESPECIALLY WITH THE CRITICAL NEED FOR HOUSING IN OUR COMMUNITY.
SO WE MAY DIFFER FROM THE COUNCIL THERE.
I BELIEVE WE DO DIFFER FROM THE COUNCIL MAYOR.
UH, I WAS JUST GIVING ANYONE A, A MOMENT TO, TO STEP IN YEAH.
MARY'S GOT HER HAND UP, SO I'M JUST, UM, AND SO RIGHT NOW YOU CAN DO SIX STORIES OF RESIDENTIAL CORRECT.
UM, AND SO AGAIN, IT, SO BY DOING FOUR, I'M JUST TRYING TO FIGURE OUT, I MEAN, DO WE WANT A RESIDENTIAL ONLY MODEL ON CAMBRIDGE STREET? OR DO WE WANT, DO WE WANNA KEEP THIS DYNAMIC OF THE GROUND FLOOR RETAIL ALL THE WAY WITH, WITH SOMETHING ABOVE? BECAUSE I'M JUST WONDERING, LIKE IF WE SHOULD, WHERE YOU CAN BUILD SIX STORIES NOW.
I MEAN, WHAT IF WE DID SIX STORIES IS WHERE YOU START WITH THE GROUND FLOOR REACH, YOU HAVE TO HAVE IT.
I MEAN, MAYBE THAT'S TOO PRESCRIPTIVE.
JEFF RAISED HIS HAND MAYBE AS A POINT TO THE CANAL HERE ON THIS POINT.
I JUST, I JUST WANTED TO MAKE ONE COMMENT 'CAUSE I, I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT ONE THING ABOUT THIS IS CLEAR, AND I KNOW THINGS SORT OF GET LESS CLEAR AS THE EVENING GOES ON.
BUT THE FOCUS, THE FOCUS OF THIS APPROACH ISN'T TO SAY THAT THE HEIGHT WILL BE LIMITED TO THREE STORIES.
'CAUSE WE WANNA ENCOURAGE THREE STORIES OF HOUSING ALL ACROSS CAMBRIDGE STREET.
THE POINT IS THAT WE WANT TO ENCOURAGE, UM, MIXED USE AND THAT, THAT'S THE INTENTION OF THE PETITION, IS TO ENCOURAGE, YOU KNOW, DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, READ ANY, ALMOST ANY REDEVELOPMENT OF SCALE TO HAVE GROUND FLOOR ACTIVE USE ALONG WITH RESIDENTIAL.
AND THAT THE, YOU KNOW, LIMITING HEIGHT IS REALLY A, A DISINCENTIVE TO,
[02:25:01]
UM, TO EXCLUDING THE, THE, THAT GROUND FLOOR ACTIVE USE.BUT ALSO A WAY TO GIVE A, TO GIVE A LITTLE BIT MORE FLEXIBILITY TO SAY EXISTING BUILDINGS OR UNUSUAL SITES WHERE THE OWNER'S JUST SAYING, WELL, I JUST WANT TO DO SOMETHING MUCH MORE MODEST.
OR MAYBE IT'S AN ENLARGEMENT OF A BUILDING AND, AND DOESN'T WANNA TRIGGER SOME, YOU KNOW, ONEROUS REQUIREMENT THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD KICK IN.
THAT'S REALLY INTENDED FOR NEW DEVELOPMENT, YOU KNOW, ENTIRELY NEW BUILDINGS.
SO I DON'T WANT, AND THERE WERE, IT SOUNDED LIKE THERE WERE SOME COMMENTS AROUND, WELL, DO WE REALLY WANT THREE STORIES? AND I, I THINK THAT IN ALL CASES, WE DON'T WANT THREE STORIES.
THE QUESTION IS WHAT ARE, YOU KNOW, WHAT WOULD WE, HOW, HOW STRONGLY WOULD WE WANNA ENCOURAGE THAT THAT GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, UM, OR THE GROUND OR THE GROUND FLOOR ACTIVE USE, UM, COMPARED TO, UH, YOU KNOW, ALLOWING FOR SOME POSSIBILITY OF HOUSING WITHOUT THE GROUND FLOOR ACTIVE USE.
AND THE COMMENTS YOU MADE, THE, THE INTEREST.
I WOULD, I JUST WANTED TO RESPOND TO THE COMMENTS ABOUT THE, THE GROUND FLOOR, UM, REQUIREMENTS.
WE, WE DID TALK ABOUT THAT A LITTLE BIT OF DO WE JUST REQUIRE IT TO BE DESIGNED FOR, FOR ACTIVE USE, BUT ALLOW IT TO BE A FLEXIBLE SET OF USE? IS THAT, THAT IS A, A POSSIBILITY? YOU KNOW, WE THOUGHT IT COULD HAVE SOME UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES IF, YOU KNOW, 'CAUSE IT DESIGNING A RESIDENTIAL BUILDING THESE DAYS CAN BE VERY, VERY PARTICULAR IN TERMS OF CODES AND EVERYTHING.
AND, YOU KNOW, MAYBE IT WOULDN'T BE THAT EFFECTIVE.
BUT THAT IS SOMETHING THAT WE, WE HAD THOUGHT ABOUT AND TALKED ABOUT.
I'M NOT SURE IF IT'S, IF IT'S NOT IN THE PETITION, UNFORTUNATELY, I DON'T KNOW IF WE COULD IMPOSE NEW DESIGN STANDARDS UNLESS, UNLESS IT WAS, YOU KNOW, MAYBE A, A CLARIFICATION OF THIS LIKE BROADER, YOU KNOW, PROVISION OF HAVING TO DO WITH ACTIVE USE.
AND EVAN'S GONNA JUMP IN AND, AND REMIND ME OF WHAT'S ACTUALLY IN THE PETITION AND WHAT'S NOT
UH, WELL, NO, YOU'RE, YOU'RE RIGHT ABOUT THE PETITION.
UM, I, I JUST WANTED TO POINT OUT, SO THE, UH, IN THE, THE ZONING AS IT HAS ALREADY BEEN A ADOPTED, THERE IS A MINIMUM HEIGHT, UH, OF 15 FEET, UM, FOR, FOR ANY USE, UM, ALONG THE, THE PRIMARY STREET, WHAT WE DIDN'T PUT IN THE INITIAL.
UM, SO THAT, THAT'S SORT OF GETTING TO THAT IDEA OF MAYBE OKAY, YOU KNOW, THINGS COULD, COULD CHANGE OVER TIME.
WHAT WE DIDN'T DO WAS, UM, USE THE SAME SORT OF FACADE TRANSPARENCY REQUIREMENTS FOR, FOR RESIDENTIAL USES AND, AND NON-RESIDENTIAL USES.
THAT'S WHERE WE SORT OF DREW THE LINE AND SAID, YOU KNOW, YOU COULD SAY, WELL, EVERYTHING SHOULD BE THIS MUCH GLASS, SO IT MAKES IT THAT MUCH EASIER TO CONVERT IT, UM, YOU KNOW, IN THE FUTURE.
BUT, UH, WE, WE STOP SHORT OF, OF DOING THAT.
BUT THE, THE HEIGHTS ARE, UM, ARE IN THE EXISTING GOOD CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONE.
SO, BUT LET'S GO BACK TO THE HEIGHT JUST QUICKLY SO EVERYBODY'S CLEAR.
UM, THE, THE CITY COUNCIL, AS I UNDERSTAND IT WAS SAYING YOU CAN DO THREE STORIES, BUT IF YOU WANT TO GO HIGHER THAN THAT, YOU'VE GOTTA PUT THE ACTIVE USE IN.
AND WE, THE PLANNING BOARD, AT LEAST MY INTENTION BEHIND THE POLL WAS TO SUGGEST, NO, YOU CAN DO FOUR STORIES AND YOU CAN GO HIGHER WITH THE ACTUAL RETAIL.
IS EVERYBODY CLEAR ON THAT? THAT'S WHAT, YES.
I WAS THE ONLY ONE THAT WAS MAYBE FOGGY ON THAT.
SO THAT'S BECAUSE WE THINK HOUSING'S REALLY IMPORTANT CENTRAL ISSUE EVERY NIGHT AT THIS BOARD.
UM, NOT THAT THE COUNCIL DOESN'T FEEL THAT.
AND WE'VE GOT CONVERTIBLE FIRST FLOORS.
IT APPEARS I, YOU KNOW, THE, THE GLAZING IS AN ISSUE.
YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO, YOU KNOW, THERE'S LEVELS OF PRIVACY THAT ONE EXPECTS IN A, IN A ANCE THAT ARE INCOMPATIBLE WITH COMMERCIAL GLAZING.
RIGHT? SO, ALTHOUGH THE MIT ARCHITECT HAS FIGURED OUT A WAY TO DEAL WITH IT, UM, UH, SO, UH, OKAY.
SO BACK TO THE QUESTION TO STAFF.
HAVE YOU GOT, UH, ENOUGH CLARITY A AROUND THE DISCUSSION THAT WE'VE HAD TONIGHT AROUND THIS? UH, WE, WE ARE PHA WE ARE VERY SYMPATHETIC TO SOME OF THE PUBLIC COMMENT.
I BELIEVE THAT'S MY SENSE FROM THIS BOARD, THAT, UM, WE DON'T WANNA DISPLACE RETAIL AND WE WANNA ENCOURAGE IT.
I, I THINK, UM, TO JUST RUN THROUGH MY, MY LIST AGAIN AND THEN OKAY.
JEFF CAN ADD IF, IF I MISS SOMETHING.
AND, UM, BUT I, I THINK OVERALL THE CONVERSATION IS ABOUT, YOU KNOW, CAMBRIDGE STREET IS, IS, UM, UH, VERY DIFFERENT THAN MASS A, IT'S, IT'S A MORE CHALLENGING CONVERSATION.
UM, THERE'S MORE, PROBABLY MORE CONCERN ABOUT, UM, DISPLACING EXISTING BUSINESSES AND, AND THINGS SHOULD BE, YOU KNOW, CONSIDERED MAYBE OUTSIDE OF ZONING THAT THAT CAN HELP EXISTING
[02:30:01]
BUSINESSES AND, AND THOSE SORTS OF THINGS.UM, THAT'S SORT OF THE, THE OVERALL MAYBE TENOR OF, OF THE CONVERSATION.
UM, AS FOR THE, THE SPECIFICS OF THE ZONING, UM, LEANING MORE TOWARDS, UH, OR, OR SUPPORTING MAYBE FOUR STORIES, UH, RATHER THAN THREE STORIES, UH, ABOVE FOUR STORIES WHERE THE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENT KICKING IN, RECOGNIZING THAT THERE IS A, A CRITICAL NEED FOR, FOR HOUSING.
UM, SO, SO MAYBE LEANING A LITTLE BIT MORE TOWARDS THAT END OF THE, THE SCALE, UM, OKAY.
WITH, WITH THE FORMULA BUSINESS SPECIAL PERMIT, UM, THAT, THAT COULD BE A, A POSITIVE, UM, ADDITION TO THE CORRIDOR, UH, OKAY.
WITH TAKING, UM, O'BRIEN HIGHWAY THAT, THAT AREA OUT, UM, OF THE CAMBRIDGE STREET DISTRICTS AND, UM, GENERAL, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER, THE OTHER PIECES.
THAT'S, THAT'S ALL SUPPORTIVE.
I THINK THAT'S, THAT'S PRETTY CLEAR.
WELL, THANK YOU FOR LISTENING CAREFULLY.
SO, UH, I, I'M TOTALLY IN SUPPORT OF THE, OF THE FOUR STORY PUSHING FOR HOUSING.
UH, I THINK THE DIMENSIONALITY KICKS IN HERE A LITTLE BIT.
UM, I THINK THAT IF, UM, STAFF COULD THINK ABOUT, UH, A MAXIMUM, UM, LINEAR RUN OF FRONTAGE, UM, 'CAUSE I THINK THAT THAT IS, UH, TO, UH, MARY LIGHT HECKER'S EARLY, EARLIER POINTS.
UM, IF WE, YOU KNOW, HAVE, HAVE A FAIRLY LARGE RUN, UM, WHETHER IT'S VINFEN OR OTHERWISE OF, UM, YOU KNOW, THAT MAYBE THERE IS A, A REQUIREMENT, UM, FOR A, A LIMITATION OF, OF LINEAR FRONTAGE THAT THAT WOULD BE ALLOWABLE FOR.
UM, 'CAUSE THERE, THERE IS A BALANCE IN THERE SOMEWHERE.
BUT, YOU KNOW, WE WOULD REALLY HATE TO SAY IT'S AN UN UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCE.
AND WE SAY YEAH, BY RIGHT, NO GROUND LEVEL AND FOUR STORIES AND, YOU KNOW, SOME ASSEMBLAGE OF PARCELS ENDS UP, YOU KNOW, 200 FEET OF LINEAR DEAD STREET FRONT.
SO, UH, I THINK AT THIS POINT, UH, UH, I THINK WE'RE PREPARED TO MAKE RECOMMENDATIONS ALONG THE LINE THAT HAVE JUST BEEN SKETCHED OUT BY EVAN.
AND, UH, WE'RE SUMMARIZED ALSO FOR US AT MASS APP.
UM, WE COULD ALSO CONTINUE THE HEARING.
I, UH, WHAT I, I DON'T SENSE THAT THE BOARD, UH, NEEDS MORE DATA, MORE INFORMATION OR MORE DISCUSSION RELATIVE TO THESE ISSUES.
SO, UM, SO, UH, THE, OUR OPTIONS BEFORE US IS TO RECOMMEND THAT THE PETITION BE ADOPTED, UH, WITH SOME SUGGESTIONS AND CHANGES WE'RE, I DON'T BELIEVE WE'RE, UM, SUGGESTING THAT IT NOT BE ADOPTED.
UM, AND I THINK WE'VE GOT COMMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN, UH, YOU KNOW, VERY CAREFULLY NOTED BY THE STAFF TONIGHT.
UM, UH, WE DON'T NECESSARILY, I THINK, I THINK I'D LIKE TO MAKE A PERSONALLY A POSITIVE RECOMMENDATION FOR CONSIDERATION OF THE PETITIONS, BUT WITH A LOT OF, UM, A LOT OF, UH, RECOMMENDATIONS FOR CHANGES.
IS THAT A SENSE OF OTHER BOARD MEMBER? NO, WE CAN ALSO JUST MAKE COMMENTS, RIGHT, TED? I MEAN, I, YEAH.
WE DON'T HAVE TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION, THUMBS UP OR THUMBS DOWN AND LEAVE THAT TO THE POLITICAL SPHERE.
UH, I, I, I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT MAKING A POSITIVE, UH, ON MASS.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHAT YOU'RE SAYING ABOUT MAKING A POSITIVE RECOMMENDATION WITH A LOT OF PROPOSALS FOR CHANGE.
UM, FROM MY, FROM MY POINT OF VIEW, I WOULD NOT WANT TO VOTE A POSITIVE RECOMMENDATION FOR THE, THE, UH, PROPOSAL THAT'S BEFORE THE CITY, BEFORE US AND BEFORE THE CITY COUNCIL.
UM, I, I THINK WE'VE RAISED A LOT OF ISSUES THAT STAFF AND MAYBE THE CITY COUNCIL AND THE ORLEANS COMMITTEE OUGHT TO BE DISCUSSING.
UH, BUT I DON'T, YOU KNOW, I I WOULD NOT WANT THEM TO THINK, OH, WE'VE APPROVED THIS, BUT THINK THERE ARE, YEAH.
YOU KNOW, UH, UH, SMALL CHANGES THEY CAN MAKE THAT WOULD, WOULD IMPROVE IT.
I, I THINK THAT CERTAINLY AS TO MASS AVE, IT NEEDS TO BE RETHOUGHT PRETTY MUCH COMPLETELY.
UM, AS TO CAMBRIDGE STREET, I THINK YES, WE COULD SAY, UH, WITH A COUPLE OF, UH, UH, TWEAKS, UH, WE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT.
UH, BUT, UH, CERTAINLY NOT AS TO
AND THEN YOU GOT YOUR HAND UP.
I JUST, JUST WANTED TO, UM, MAKE SURE I, I UNDERSTOOD WHICH ONE WE WERE TALKING ABOUT.
UM, FIRST, I KNOW WE, WE KIND OF
[02:35:01]
WENT THROUGH THE SUMMARY OF, OF CAMBRIDGE STREET, UM, BUT, UH, I WAS GONNA GO BACK TO, TO MASS AVE TOO.I, WE CAN VOTE ON, ON CAMBRIDGE STREET AND THEN DO EVERYTHING FOR MASS AVE.
UM, UM, I THINK THAT'S, IT'S A LITTLE OUT OF ORDER THAN, THAN WHAT WE'VE PLANNED, BUT I THINK THAT'S PROBABLY FINE.
AND MAYBE JEFF HAS MORE TO SAY ON THAT.
WELL, I THANK YOU, TED, FOR, FOR, UH, CLARIFYING I AND, AND EXPRESSING YOUR FEELINGS ABOUT MASS AV.
UH, MAYBE I HAVE MORE FAITH IN THE STAFF IN THE CITY COUNCIL TO RESOLVE EVERYTHING AND ADD, ADD UP WITH A BOW.
I MEAN THERE, WE RAISED A LOT OF SERIOUS QUESTIONS ABOUT MASS AND A COUPLE 90 MINUTES AGO, AND, UH, IT'S HARD TO IMAGINE THAT THAT FORM OF THAT PETITION COULD BE POSITIVELY ADOPTED.
SO I, BUT THAT'S NOT, BUT, BUT WE CAN, WE CAN SIMPLY PUT COMMENTS IN, UM, UH, ON BOTH, UH, UH, BUT YOU'RE ALSO SUGGESTING TED ON MASSOW THAT WE RECOMMEND NOT ADOPTION.
I'M RECOMMENDING NOT ADOPTION IN ITS CURRENT FORM.
AND THAT, BUT WE HAVE A LOT OF QUESTIONS AND SUGGESTIONS.
UM, AND I DON'T, I DON'T THINK WE REACHED ANY RESOLUTION ABOUT RIGHT.
WHAT THE, WHAT THE, THE RESOLUTION OF THE QUESTION SHOULD BE.
AND THAT I THINK IT, IT NEEDS TO GO BACK TO STAFF, UH, YOU KNOW, PRESUMABLY WITH OUR COMMENTS AND PRESUMABLY THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE AND MAYBE THE FULL CITY COUNSELOR GOING TO HAVE YEAH.
AND THAT COULD BE VERY DIFFERENT FROM OURS BECAUSE THEY'RE THE POLITICAL PEOPLE.
AND THEY'VE GOT, YOU KNOW, UH, DIFFERENT PEOPLE THEY'RE, THEY'RE TRYING TO DEAL WITH.
UH, JEFF, UM, I JUST THOUGHT I'D HAZARD TO KIND OF BREAK THINGS DOWN A LITTLE BIT FOR THE, JUST BASED ON WHAT I'VE BEEN HEARING FOR THE BOARD, AND, AND THIS IS, IT'S JUST PUTTING IT OUT THERE AND, UM, AND THEN MEMBERS CAN, CAN SORT OF REACT IF, IF THIS DOESN'T SEEM LIKE WHERE WE THINGS WERE GOING, BUT JUST KIND OF, AND, AND UNDERSTANDING WHAT WAS SAID AND, AND ACKNOWLEDGING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT, DIFFERENT AREAS ARE DIFFERENT.
I THINK IT'S HELPFUL TO LOOK AT IT ALL AND THEN, AND YOU KNOW, THE CONTRAST I FIND IS HELPFUL IN TERMS OF, YOU KNOW, HOW, YOU KNOW, HOW WE APPLY THE TOOLS GIVEN WHAT THE THINKING IS ABOUT EACH OF THESE INDIVIDUAL AREAS.
SO STARTING WITH NORTH MASS, A I THINK THERE WAS A LOT OF DISCUSSION OF NORTH MASS AVE, YOU KNOW, NORTH OF PORTER, AND ITS SOUNDED LIKE THE, THE SENSE OF THE BOARD WAS MAYBE THAT WAS AN AREA THAT EITHER WOULDN'T BENEFIT FROM THIS TYPE OF REQUIREMENT AT ALL, OR HAVE FROM, FROM AN ADDITIONAL, UM, KIND OF LIMITATION OR, OR SORT OF HARDER MANDATE FOR, FOR ACTIVE USE THAT REALLY THE, YOU KNOW, DOING WHAT WAS NECESSARY TO ENCOURAGE HOUSING WOULD BE THE PRIORITY AND THAT WOULD HELP, YOU KNOW, SUPPORT THE RETAIL, UM, ENVIRONMENT.
AND I THINK THERE WAS SOME COMMENT THAT IF IT DID GO, UM, IF IT DID GO IN THAT DIRECTION OF A STRONGER MANDATE, THEN THERE MAYBE SHOULD BE SOME, SOME THINKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MORE KIND OF FLEXIBILITY FOR SMALLER SITES, SMALLER FRONTAGE.
THAT WAS THE SENSE THAT I WAS GETTING.
AND THAT COULD EASILY BE, BE KIND OF ARTICULATED, I THINK SOUTH OF PORTER SQUARE.
UM, IT'S WORTH ACKNOWLEDGING THAT IT ALREADY, IT ALREADY HAS THIS, THIS REQUIREMENT PRETTY MUCH IN PLACE BECAUSE THAT WAS, WAS THE COUNCIL WAS ABLE TO PUT THAT IN PLACE AS PART OF THE ORIGINAL MASS AVE ZONING.
SO I THINK THAT'S SORT OF, MAYBE THAT'S KIND OF OUT OF THE, THE QUESTION A LITTLE BIT.
WE DIDN'T TALK MUCH ABOUT PORTER SQUARE ITSELF.
THAT'S ONE OF THE OTHER, OTHER MAIN AREAS WHERE I THINK THE CITY COUNCIL WANTED TO HAVE A STRONGER REQUIREMENT TO SORT OF AVOID, YOU KNOW, BUILDINGS WITHOUT ACTIVE GROUND FLOOR USE.
SO I DON'T KNOW, WE CAN GO, WE CAN KIND OF GO BACK TO THAT AND ANSWER MAYBE THE SPECIFIC QUESTION OF WHERE THE BOARD LANDS.
IF, IF YOU, IF YOU'RE THINKING OF PORTER SQUARE, THE SAME AS THE REST OF, OF, UM, NORTH MASS AVE, OR MAYBE IF IT, IT'S A LITTLE BIT MORE LIKE THE SOUTH OF, SOUTH OF PORTER, PART OF MASS AVE, WHERE WE WOULD HAVE STRONGER MANDATES.
SO THAT, THAT SEEMS TO BE HOW MASS AVE BREAKS DOWN.
AND I THINK CAMBRIDGE STREET, APART FROM THE OTHER, OTHER MATTERS THAT AREN'T DIRECTLY RELATED TO INCENTIVIZING OR DISINCENTIVIZING, INCENTIVIZING GROUND FLOOR RETAIL OR DISINCENTIVIZING, NOT GROUND FLOOR RETAIL, HOWEVER YOU WANNA LOOK AT IT, IS THAT THE BOARD SEEMS TO BE MORE IN LINE WITH THE, WITH THE COUNCIL, THAT THERE, THERE SHOULD BE SOME DIFFERENT TREATMENT AND THERE MAY BE MAYBE DESERVES A, A STRONGER MANDATE, BUT IS IS IN MORE, IS IN SUPPORT OF MAYBE RELAXING A LITTLE BIT FROM THE THREE STORIES.
SO THE FOUR STORIES WITHOUT THE ACTIVE USE.
UM, AND TO, TO MAYBE LOOK AT, I THINK THE, THE PART WHERE I'M A LITTLE BIT LOST IS THE MAXIMUM LINEAR RUN OF FRONTAGE.
I'M, I'M ASSUMING YOU DON'T MEAN THAT WE WANT TO LIMIT THE MAXIMUM LENGTH OF RETAIL FRONTAGE, BECAUSE I THINK THAT WOULD BE, THAT WOULD PROBABLY NOT
[02:40:01]
BE THE IN LINE WITH, SO I'M NOT, AND I, AND I, YOU'VE, THE, THE VINN BUILDING WAS CITED.AND JUST TO NOTE, THAT'S, THAT'S A BUILDING THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANY, THERE REALLY IS ACTUALLY ISN'T ANY BUILDING AT THE GROUND FLOOR.
IT'S JUST, IT'S JUST JUST PARKING AT THE GROUND FLOOR, WHICH I THINK IS, IS A, YOU KNOW, AN OUTCOME THAT WE, YOU KNOW, WE DON'T LIKE.
AND, AND THIS, THIS ZONING ASIDE, APART FROM THE ACTIVE USE, THIS ZONING WOULD PREVENT THAT KIND OF OF OUTCOME.
UM, BUT IN TERMS OF THE MAXIMUM LINEAR, LINEAR RUN, I'M NOT, I I'M, THAT'S SOMETHING WE CAN LOOK AT MORE.
AND I GUESS I, IF IF IT'S ADDING ANOTHER REQUIREMENT ON, I'M NOT SURE THAT THAT'S SOMETHING WE COULD YEAH.
COULD REALLY PURSUE AS PART OF THE ZONING.
BUT WE CAN THINK ABOUT, AGAIN, WAYS TO ADJUST THE, THE KIND OF RETAIL MANDATE OR, OR ACTIVE USE MANDATE.
IF THERE'S, IF THERE'S SOMETHING THAT WOULD BE CLEAR, BE CLARIFIED.
IT'S NOT LIMITING THE RETAIL, THE ACTIVE USE.
IT WAS LIMITING THE, THE RESIDENTIAL, THE, YOU KNOW, THE, UH, RESIDENTIAL USE THAT YOU WOULD HAVE INTERRUPTED.
MAXIMUM FRONTAGE OF INTERRUPTED.
THAT'S, THAT'S SOMETHING AGAIN, WE COULD, WE COULD PLAY WITH THAT WITHIN THE, YOU KNOW, I, I THINK THAT THE, THE CURRENT PETITION DOESN'T PROPOSE ANY ADDITIONAL LIMITATIONS ON THREE STORY RESIDENTIAL.
SO WE'D KIND OF BE TALKING ABOUT, YOU KNOW, IF WE ALLOW, IF, IF, IF I, IF THAT WERE KIND OF RELAXED A LITTLE BIT TO ALLOW FOUR STORIES, IT WOULD, MAYBE WE COULD THINK ABOUT IT AS FOUR STORIES, BUT NOT LONGER THAN, YOU KNOW, YOU WOULD NOT HAVE CERTAIN FOUR STORIES COULDN'T GO FOR LONGER THAN A CERTAIN AMOUNT IN UNTIL, YOU KNOW, THE, THE ACTIVE USE REQUIREMENTS WOULD KICK IN.
AGAIN, THAT'S, THIS IS YOUR IDEA.
SO MAYBE I'LL JUMP IN TO SAY, I THINK JEFF DID BRING SOMETHING UP IS, WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT THE SUGGESTION HERE THAT FOR, UM, UH, MASS 18 IN PORTER SQUARE, THAT THAT WOULD ALSO, UH, EXTEND THIS REQUIREMENT THAT ABOVE FOUR STORIES YOU NEED ACTIVE RETAIL AT THE BASE.
I THINK WE PROBABLY MISSED IT.
'CAUSE IT SEEMS SO OBVIOUS THAT YOU WERE LOOKING FOR REALLY TALL.
WHY WOULDN'T YOU HAVE THAT? YEAH, I WOULD SAY THAT IF THAT IS CORRECT, WHAT MY UNDERSTANDING IS, IT ALMOST FEELS LIKE IT'S CORRECTING SOMETHING THAT FEELS LIKE IT SHOULD BE PART OF THAT.
I THINK I WOULD SAY IN THAT AREA, PORTER SQUARE, ANYTHING OVER FOUR STORIES, I THINK IT SHOULD BE LIKE 12 A TOWARDS THE REST OF, YOU KNOW, TOWARDS SOUTH MASS APP.
SO MAYBE IF EVERYONE CAN KIND OF, THAT FEELS LIKE WE COULD RECOMMEND THAT MM-HMM.
AND THEN MY, MY TAKE FROM THE GROUP WAS THAT THE NORTH SECTION, WHAT WE, A GENERAL TAKE SEEMED TO BE, WE DON'T THINK THAT THAT NEEDS TO CHANGE FROM WHAT THE CURRENT ZONING IS, THAT THE PETITION DOES NOT REQUIRE THAT.
BUT IF THE COUNCIL DECIDES TO PURSUE THE PETITION, THAT OPTION TWO THAT YOU GUYS TALKED ABOUT, THE EXCEPTIONS NEEDS TO BE STUDIED CLOSELY, RIGHT? SO TWO WAS HOW DO YOU CREATE EXCEPTIONS FOR SMALLER DEVELOPMENTS? YEAH.
AND FROM THE CONVERSATION, THE PRIORITY SEEMS TO BE LIKE YOU'RE TRYING TO ACTIVATE A LINEAR THING.
SO IF YOU'RE LOOKING AT THE WAY TO CREATE THOSE EXCEPTIONS, YOU HAVE TO LOOK REALLY CLOSELY AT THE FRONTAGE, THE LINEAR FRONTAGE, RIGHT? SO IF A BUILDING IS 20 LINEAR FEET, I DON'T CARE IF IT EXTENDS ALL THE WAY BACK AND IS A MILLION GROSS SQUARE FEET, RIGHT? IT'S BECAUSE THE ACTIVATION IS ON THE PRIMARY STREET.
SO THAT, UM, THE RECOMMENDATION IS TO THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT FRONTAGE AS A, AS A, AS A DRIVER FOR HOW THAT'S PURSUED.
UH, MARY, I THINK THAT IN MY MIND, PARTICULARLY ON CAMBRIDGE STREET, IT SEEMS TO ME THAT, YOU KNOW, A KIND OF MAXIMUM RUN OF RESIDENTIAL ONLY AND FOUR STORIES, YOU WOULDN'T WANT IT TO BE MORE THAN 50 TO 75 FEET, RIGHT? YOU DON'T, YOU'RE, YOU'RE NOT LOOKING FOR, UM, YOU KNOW, UH, UNINTERRUPTED RUNS OF, OF STRICTLY RESIDENTIAL, BUT YOU WANT TO, YOU WANT TO NOT DISINCENTIVIZE A RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT OF THAT, OF THAT SCALE, RIGHT? SO YOU, YOU'RE TALKING, YOU KNOW, COULD BE 30, 40 UNITS.
UM, THE OTHER IS JUST TO THE PORTER SQUARE, AND I BELIEVE MAYBE THIS IS JUST A QUESTION BACK TO STAFF.
SO DOESN'T THAT GIVE US A LOT MORE DISCRETION IN TERMS OF, UM, MIXED USE AND HOW THOSE, HOW THAT KIND OF ACTIVATION WORKS? YEAH, THAT'S, THAT'S TRUE.
UH, THIS IS UNDER THE, THE BASE ZONING.
SO, SO YOU CAN STILL, YOU CAN STILL BUILD UNDER THE BASE ZONING WITHOUT A PUD SPECIAL PERMIT.
SO YOU WOULDN'T BE ABLE TO GO TO 18 STORIES.
BUT, UM, YOU WOULD BE ABLE TO GO TO, TO 12 STORIES.
AND SO CHANGING THE REQUIREMENT IN MASS 18, SO THAT ACTIVE USES ARE REQUIRED ABOVE FOUR STORIES,
[02:45:01]
THAT'S, THAT'S JUST FOR ANY DEVELOPMENT IN THAT DISTRICT THAT ISN'T SEEKING A PUD SPECIAL PERMIT, WHICH MAY OR MAY NOT BE LIKELY TO, TO OCCUR.UM, BUT, BUT THAT'S, THAT'S WHAT THAT WOULD, THAT WOULD DO WELL, YEAH.
AT THE RISK OF BEING ACCUSED OF BEING MASTER, THE OBVIOUS IT'S A TRANSPORTATION NEXUS, RIGHT? AND WITH A LONG HISTORY OF RETAIL, UM, AND, UM, MY EXPECTATION IS THAT IT, YOU WOULD, UM, KEEP THAT PATTERN, RIGHT? IT MAKES SENSE.
PEOPLE ARRIVING THERE THROUGH ALL MODES AND, AND HISTORICALLY PEOPLE HAVE SHOPPED THERE.
SO I THINK YOU WOULD, WE WOULD, WE SHOULD STRENGTHEN THE ACTIVE RETAIL REQUIREMENT AT, UH, AT PORTER SQUARE 18.
THANKS FOR THE CLARIFICATION, EVAN.
SO, UH, LOTS OF CHANGES IN MASS APP.
WE'RE NOT RECOMMENDING ADOPTION WITH LOTS OF COMMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN NOTED.
UH, CAMBRIDGE STREET AS TED HAD RIGHTFULLY POINTED OUT, PROBABLY IS CLOSER TO A RECOMMENDATION FOR ADOPTION.
BUT WE COULD ALSO JUST SEND COMMENTS.
UM, SO I, I THINK THERE'S LOTS IN THE CAMBRIDGE STREET PROPOSAL THAT MAKES SENSE.
AND WE DIFFER ON THE, ON THE ISSUE OF WHERE THE BASE HEIGHT SHOULD BE, I BELIEVE.
SO WE'LL DO THESE ONE AT A TIME.
I WOULD SAY FOR MASS, WE'RE LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO, UH, SUBMIT COMMENTS, UM, AS DETAILED TONIGHT BY THE PLANNING BOARD.
UH, THIS IS NOT A, UM, WITH THOSE COMMENTS, THIS IS NOT A, A, UH, UH, SUBMISSION TO SUPPORT OR DENY THE PETITION AS WRITTEN.
UM, WELL ACTUALLY, TED, YOU'RE SAYING TO DENY IT AS WRITTEN NEGATIVE? WELL, I WOULD SAY TO DENY IT AS WRITTEN, UH, YOU KNOW, IF I COULD LIVE WITH JUST SENDING COMMENTS WITHOUT TAKING YEAH, OKAY.
JUST SAYING THAT WE'VE GOT LOTS AND LOTS OF QUESTIONS, LOT OF, A LOT OF ISSUES ABOUT IT THAT SHOULD BE RESOLVED.
BE BEFORE THE, THE CITY COUNCIL TAKES IT UP AND DOES A FINAL ELECTION ON IT.
THAT SOUNDS LIKE A MOTION TO ME.
SO TED'S MOVING THAT, IS THERE A SECOND? UM, I'LL SECOND IT.
WE'LL TAKE A ROLL CALL VOTE ON THE MOTION, PLEASE.
LET'S MOVE TO CAMBRIDGE STREET.
UM, MY SENSE IS THAT, WELL, AGAIN, WE COULD JUST SUBMIT COMMENTS.
WHAT'S THE WILL OF THE BOARD? YOU WANNA DO THE, THE SYMMETRICAL THING WITH CAMBRIDGE STREET? OR DO YOU WANNA GIVE THEM A LITTLE MORE ENCOURAGEMENT? UM, I THINK WE COULD, UM, I THINK WE COULD SEND COMMENTS AND WITH, YOU KNOW, CALLING OUT THAT WE ARE IN SUPPORT OF THE, YOU KNOW, THE ITEMS THAT WE TALKED ABOUT, LIKE THE YEAH.
YOU KNOW, AND THAT WE WOULD RECOMMEND THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'D BE THAT THE RESIDENTIAL ONLY BE AT LEAST FOUR STORIES.
BUT, YOU KNOW, TALK THEN TOO ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THE, ALL OF THE NEEDS THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT IN CAMBRIDGE STREET ABOUT THE NEED TO, YOU KNOW, TRY TO MAINTAIN THE RETAIL, ET CETERA, ET CETERA.
MARY, I THINK ON THIS ONE, I THOUGHT EVAN DID SUMMARIZE IT PRETTY, PRETTY WELL.
THE ONLY PIECE THAT WE ENDED UP CLARIFYING WAS THE FOUR STORIES.
AND THEN I HAD ONE QUESTION ABOUT WHERE DID WE LAND ON WARREN STREET? YEAH, YEAH.
WHERE DID WE LAND ON WARREN? OH, IF, SORRY IF I CAN JUMP A SECOND.
WARREN, WARREN STREET IS KIND OF AN ODD ONE TO, TO TALK ABOUT 'CAUSE IT'S NOT ACTUALLY REALLY IN THE PETITION IN, IN ANY WAY.
IT'S SORT OF, IT WAS A, IT WAS SOMETHING WE HAD TALKED ABOUT WITH THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE OF POTENTIALLY TAKING THAT, THAT PIECE OUT OF THE CAMBRIDGE STREET DISTRICTS.
AND THEN, BUT THE, THE PETITION DOESN'T DO THAT.
'CAUSE THE, THE COUNCIL WANTED US TO KEEP IT IN.
SO I'M NOT, I'M NOT SURE IF THERE NEEDS, I MEAN, I, IF THE PLANNING BOARD WANTS TO, TO COMMENT ON WARREN STREET, THEN THAT, THAT'S FINE.
BUT, UM, BUT IT'S NOT, UH, A SORT OF A DIRECT PART OF THE, THE PETITION.
ED, UH, EVAN, WHAT IS ON WARREN STREET RIGHT NOW? IT'S, UM,
[02:50:01]
IT'S A GOOD QUESTION.IT'S, UM, YOU KNOW, PRIMARILY RESIDENTIAL.
THERE'S SOME, UH, UH, KIND OF NON-RESIDENTIAL.
YOU, I THINK THERE'S A, A TAILOR MAYBE AND, AND, UH, KIND OF AN OFFICE SPACE.
UM, I THINK THERE, A GENERAL CONTRACTOR WAS TRUANT WITH, HAD HIS YARD THERE AND AN OFFICE WITH HIS HOUSE ABOVE IT.
YEAH, THERE'S SO SOME OF THOSE OF, SORRY, TOM, GO AHEAD.
I, I, I HAPPEN TO KNOW THE INDIVIDUAL.
HE USED TO SIT ON THE ZONING BOARD WITH ME, AND HE HAS HAD A BUSINESS ON THAT, ON THAT STREET, WHICH IS STILL THERE IN THE, IN ITS BUILT FORM.
I, HE, HE'S MOVED ON TO BETTER THINGS AT THIS POINT.
BUT, UM, UH, SO THERE'S A YARD AND HE HAD AN OFFICE SPACE WITH A HOUSE ABOVE.
SO IT'S A KIND OF SLIGHTLY ODD CONNECTION, BUT BECAUSE OF ITS RELATIONSHIP TO PROSPECT STREET, IT'S VERY HEAVILY TRAFFICKED.
UH, TO GET OVER TO THE SHOPPING MALL.
SO IT'S, IT'S DIFFERENT FROM ALL OF THE OTHER SHORT STREETS THAT CUT THROUGH, UM, UH, CROSSOVER TO GAUR.
AND, AND BEFORE THE CAMBRIDGE STREET ZONING, IT WAS, UM, A BUSINESS AID DISTRICT SO THAT THE, THE MIX OF USES WAS, WAS ALLOWED.
AND, AND SOME OF THAT STILL EXISTS, BUT YEAH, I THINK IT'S, IT'S LESS THAN, THAN WHAT IT HAS BEEN HISTORICALLY.
SO IT'S NOT TECHNICALLY, NOT REALLY BEFORE US.
WE DON'T NEED TO OPINE ONE WAY OR ANOTHER ON IT.
I, I'M SORRY I DIDN'T, I, MAYBE I SHOULDN'T HAVE.
ANYONE FROM, IT'S IN THE MAP YES.
FINDING ON IT
UH, IT, IT SHOULDN'T BE, IT'S NOT A NEW DESIGNATION IN THE MAP.
YEAH, IT'S CURRENTLY THE CAMBRIDGE STREET DIS, UH, SIXTH DISTRICT AND, AND THERE'S NO PROPOSED CHANGES.
SO BACK TO BACK TO TRYING TO FRAME A MOTION AROUND WHAT WE WANNA DO, UH, FELLOW BOARD MEMBERS HERE, AND FORGIVE ME, OUR IS WANING HERE.
SO WE, UM, UH, THIS DIFFERS FROM MASS AVE.
I, I THINK THAT EXCEPT FOR THE, WE DIFFER ON THE DETAILS OF THE HEIGHT.
I THINK WE'RE IN BROAD SUPPORT OF MANY OF THE OTHER DETAILS OF THE, OF THE, UH, OF THE PETITION AS STANDS.
SO I THINK WE WOULD KICK THAT PORTION OF THE PETITION BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL FOR DEBATE, JUST SAYING THAT THE PLANNING BOARD WANTS TO ENCOURAGE MORE HOUSING WITH ALL OF THE COMMENTS THAT WE MADE ABOUT HOW THAT MIGHT GET DETAILED.
UM, SO IT'S, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW DO, HOW DO WE TYPIFY THE PARTICULAR MOTION? I THINK IT'S, UH, WE'RE, WE'RE PROVIDING COMMENTS, UM, UH, AND SOME PORTIONS OF IT WE'RE IN STRONG SUPPORTIVE, AND THE, THE STAFF CAN GIVE COLOR TO OUR, OUR DISCOURSE.
AND TRANSMIT THAT TO THE CITY COUNCIL.
YOU COMFORTABLE WITH THAT? EVAN AND JEFF? SEEMS, SEEMS OKAY.
SO WE'RE NOT VOTING TO, UH, TO ORDAIN THIS.
WE'RE SAYING HERE'S COMMENTS AND THOUGHTS ABOUT THE PETITION AS WRITTEN.
SO THAT'S, UH, WHAT I WOULD MOVE THAT THE BOARD WOULD BE, UH, SUBMITTING COMMENTS ON THE CAMBRIDGE STREET PETITION CONSISTENT WITH THE DISCUSSION TONIGHT.
UM, OVERALL SUPPORT FOR MANY ASPECTS OF IT, BUT QUESTIONS ABOUT SPECIFICALLY THE, UM, THE HOUSING REQUIREMENTS.
UM, UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION? SO MOVED.
LOOKING FOR A SECOND? I'LL SECOND.
ALL SEVEN, OR I'M SORRY, ALL SIX MEMBERS PRESENT.
I THINK WE CAN MOVE QUICKLY THROUGH THIS AND, UH, I'M NOT GONNA CALL A BRIEF RECESS, ALTHOUGH I'M TEMPTED.
THE NEXT ITEM ON THE AGENDA IS A REQUEST FOR AN EXTENSION OF TIME FOR HEARING AND DECISION ON PLANNING BOARD CASE PB FOUR 10, A SPECIAL PERMIT APPLICATION TO DEVELOP MULTIPLE PARCELS IN THE ALEWIFE QUADRANGLE.
CDD WILL, UH, PROVIDE A STAFF UPDATE.
[02:55:01]
ON MY TOES TO, TO GET TO THIS PAGE.UM, SO, UH, SO THIS IS THE, THE HEALTH PEAK, UM, PUD APPLICATION.
THE FIRST HEARING WAS ON APRIL 28TH OF THIS YEAR.
AND, UM, THAT HAD A POSITIVE DETERMINATION.
AND NOW THE, THE APPLICANTS ARE WORKING ON THE FINAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN.
WE EXPECT TO GET THAT, UM, IN A TIMELY MANNER.
BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S, IT'S OFTEN THE CASE THAT WITH THESE LARGE PUDS THAT THE 90 DAY SPECIAL PERMIT PERMIT TIMEFRAME IS, IS REALLY NOT ENOUGH TO MAKE US FEEL COMFORTABLE, UM, TO, TO GET THROUGH ALL OF THE, THE WORK IN TIME.
SO THE, THE APPLICANT HAS AGREED TO AN EXTENSION, WHICH IS, IS FAIRLY TYPICAL.
SO WE'RE, WE'RE KIND OF DOUBLING THE, THE 90 DAY TIME LIMITATION.
UM, AND SO THE REQUESTED, UH, EXTENSION, OR RATHER THE, THE EXTENSION THAT THE APPLICANT HAS AGREED TO IS TO OCTOBER 30TH, 2026.
SO THAT'S THE, UM, SO THAT'S WHAT WHAT WE'VE RECEIVED IN THE, THE BOARD BOARD'S ACTION IS REALLY JUST TO, UH, TO AGREE TO EXTEND THAT TIMEFRAME.
THERE ARE QUESTIONS FROM THE BOARD, UH, ON THE EXTENSION.
UH, IS THERE A MOTION TO AGREE TO THIS EXTENSION OF TIME? WE SHOULD REMEMBER TO SAY YOUR NAME.
LOOKING FOR A MOTION TO EXTEND THE TIME.
YOU GUYS ARE SO RELIABLE TONIGHT.
WELL, YOU, YOU KNOW, THE OTHER PEOPLE JUST DON'T TALK WHEN IT COMES DOWN TO MOVING AND SECONDING.
BUT, BUT YOU OTHER GUYS AND GIRLS, YOU KNOW,
THIS, THIS IS ONE WHERE I WOULD, I WOULD, I WOULD POINT OUT TO THE CHAIR JUST BEFORE YOU GO TO THE VOTE, THAT THIS IS ONE WHERE, UH, THE A SO I BELIEVE 'CAUSE IT'S RELATED TO A SPECIAL PERMIT CASE, THE ASSOCIATE MEMBER COULD BE APPOINTED TO VOTE ON THIS.
OH, DAN, YOUR BIG DAN, YOUR BIG MOMENT.
SO I COULD HAVE MADE, I COULD HAVE MADE A MOTION.
WE DON'T WANT TO DRAG THIS, UH, CONSISTENT WITH ROBERT'S RULES OF ORDERED.
ANY DISCUSSION ON THE MOTION AS IT STANDS? UH, NO ONE INDICATES SUCH.
LET'S, UM, LET'S HAVE A ROLL CALL.
AND DAN ANDERSON IS APPOINTED JUST TO VERIFY THAT DAN ANDERSON IS APPOINTED.
SO ON THAT MOTION, TED COHEN? YES.
SO THAT'S ALL SEVEN MEMBERS VOTING IN FAVOR.
HARD WORK TONIGHT, BUT I, GOSH, I'M PROUD OF THE BOARD.
SO, UH, WE'RE REALLY GONNA MAKE THE STAFF WORK LIKE CRAZY TO WRITE UP THESE RECOMMENDATIONS.
THAT'S WHY, UH, WE GOT THE BEST ONES.
I THINK WITH THAT, UNLESS THERE'S ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM BOARD MEMBERS, WE WILL ADJOURN.