* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:05] A QUORUM OF [ROLL CALL] THE CITY COUNCIL BEING PRESENT. I CALL TONIGHT'S SEPTEMBER 28TH. EIGHTH SEPTEMBER 28TH, MEETING, REGULAR MEETING OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL. TO ORDER THE FIRST ORDER OF BUSINESS IS A ROLL CALL OF MEMBERS PRESENT. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. PRESENT, VICE MAYOR. PRESENT, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ABSENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. ABSENT. COUNCILOR NOLAN. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILOR SIMMONS. PRESENT. PRESENT, COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. PRESENT, PRESENT, COUNCILLOR ZUI. ABSENT MAYOR SIDIKI. PRESENT. PRESENT. YOU HAVE SIX MEMBERS RECORDED AS PRESENT, AND THREE RECORDED AS ABSENT. PLEASE JOIN ME IN THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE AND PAUSE FOR A MOMENT OF SILENCE. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE, INDIVISIBLE LIBERTY AND JUSTICE PER CHAPTER TWO OF THE ACTS OF 2025, ADOPTED BY MASTERS GENERAL COURT AND APPROVED BY THE GOVERNOR. THE CITY'S AUTHORIZED TO USE REMOTE PARTICIPATION AT MEETINGS OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL. IN ADDITION TO HAVING MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC OF THE COUNCIL PARTICIPATE REMOTELY, WE'VE ALSO SET UP ZOOM TELECONFERENCE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. YOU CAN VIEW THE MEETING VIA THE CITY'S OPEN MEETING PORTAL OR ON THE CITY'S CABLE, CHANNEL 22. PLEASE NOTE THAT THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDS THIS MEETING AND MAKES IT AVAILABLE TO THE PUBLIC FOR FUTURE VIEWING. IN ADDITION, THIRD PARTIES MAY ALSO BE AUDIO AND VIDEO RECORDING THIS MEETING. ARE THERE ANY ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE BODY? COUNCILLOR SCI IS PRESENT. PRESENT, AND I KNOW THAT, UH, COUNCILOR MCGOVERN IS ON HIS WAY, SO THERE'S NO ANNOUNCEMENTS FROM THE BODY. WAIT, I HAVE SOME ANNOUNCEMENTS. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI. GO AHEAD. OKAY. SO, UH, ON SATURDAY IT'S THE OPENING OF MIT'S MET WAREHOUSE, WHICH IS A REALLY SPECTACULAR RENOVATION. THERE'LL BE, IT'S PART OF THE FUTURE FEST AT MIT, WHICH STARTS ON WEDNESDAY, BUT THE EVENT ON SATURDAY WILL BE, UM, FROM 10 TO FOUR AND ALSO ISN'T THE MEOW FEST ON SATURDAY. I'LL LET YOU LET YOU TALK ABOUT THAT. I KNOW THERE'S A TIME MARKET IN THE BOW TIE RIDE WILL BE 10 TO 12, SO THERE ARE ALL SORTS OF AMAZING THINGS HAPPENING THIS COMING WEEKEND. THANK YOU COUNCILLOR ZAINA WHEELER. UH, THANKS. MAD MAYOR. JUST GONNA MENTION THE CAMBRIDGE DISABILITY PRIDE, UH, THIS SATURDAY MORNING AND EARLY AFTERNOON AT THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC LIBRARY. UM, AND THEN THERE WAS ALSO, IF YOU, YOU PERHAPS YOU WERE GONNA MENTION THE CIVIC ASSEMBLY LOTTERY NEXT MONDAY, RIGHT BEFORE OUR COUNCIL MEETING. UH, THAT WAS THE OTHER OTHER PIECE TO FLAG. THANK YOU, YOU ANY OTHER ANNOUNCEMENTS? AND YES, THANK YOU COUNCILLOR ZI. OUR KATO AND FEST GOT POSTPONED, BUT IT'LL BE, UH, THIS SATURDAY AT DANA PARK STARTING AT TWO. SO NO MORE ANNOUNCEMENTS PER CITY COUNCIL. RULES [PUBLIC COMMENTS] OF COURTESY. I WANTED TO JUST REMIND FOLKS TODAY, UH, RULE 37 4 AND THERE'S BEEN SOME NOTICE OUTSIDE ANY SIGNS, POSTERS AND, UH, PLACARDS MUST REMAIN OUTSIDE THE SULLIVAN CHAMBER. AND THEN ALSO, IF YOU CAN, I KNOW THERE'S, THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. THERE'S 154 PEOPLE AND NAOMI WILL HELP US GET THROUGH ALL OF THE, UH, ALL THE PUBLIC COMMENT. UH, BUT JUST MAKE SURE WE, I KNOW FOLKS SOME LIKE TO CLAP, BUT, UH, YOU KNOW, TO JUST MAKE EVERYONE FEEL COMFORTABLE, UH, IN THE CHAMBER. UM, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN WAVE, YOU CAN DO HAND THE HAND SIGNALS, BUT, UH, PLEASE, THE, THE CLAPPING IS DISTRACTING, SO PLEASE REFRAIN FROM THAT. PUBLIC COMMENT IS GOING TO BE MADE IN ACCORDANCE WITH MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL LAWS CHAPTER 30 A SECTION 20 G, AND CITY COUNCIL RULES 20 3D AND 37. AND ONCE YOU FINISH SPEAKING, THE NEXT SPEAKER WILL BE CALLED INDIVIDUALS ARE NOT PERMITTED TO ALLOCATE THE REMAINDER OF THEIR TIME TO OTHER SPEAKERS. I ASK THAT YOU STATE YOUR NAME AND ADDRESS OF THE RECORD AND THE ITEM ON THE AGENDA THAT YOU'RE SPEAKING ON. AS I SAID, WE HAVE 154 SPEAKERS SO FAR, AND, UH, SO EACH SPEAKER PER OUR RULES WILL HAVE ONE MINUTE EACH AND WE'LL GO TO NAOMI TO START CALLING THE ROLE TONIGHT. I WANNA REMIND FOLKS ALSO WE WILL HAVE A TAX RATE, UH, HEARING THAT WE WILL HAVE TO, UM, AT SIX 30 GO INTO. UH, AND SO WE'LL HAVE TO HAVE THAT HEARING AND THEN WE'LL MOVE BACK INTO PUBLIC COMMENT. SO, UH, IT'S PER OUR KIND OF RULES. WE ALWAYS DO THIS TAX, UH, RATING HEARING AT THIS TIME. AND SO, UH, JUST WANNA TELL FOLKS, WE'LL BE KIND OF GOING INTO PUBLIC COMMENT, COMMENT AND THEN HAVING THIS MEETING AND THEN GOING BACK TO A PUBLIC COMMENT. SO WITH THAT, WE WILL START WITH OUR PUBLIC COMMENT. [00:05:04] OUR FIRST SPEAKER IS AMY FLAX, FOLLOWED BY JESSICA VAN MUIR. THEN ALICIA PRITT. AMY, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HELLO? OKAY, CAN YOU HEAR ME? NOW WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. SO AMY FLEX NORMANDY ABB IN THE CAMBRIDGE HIGHLANDS. I'M COMMENTING ON THE OUTER HURON, UM, BIKE PATH, UM, TO DELAY IT FOR, FOR FIVE YEARS. I'M 71 YEARS OLD, I'M A BIKER AND I DON'T HAVE THAT KIND OF TIME. PERHAPS I THINK I AM ONE OF THE VULNERABLE POPULATIONS AND THE OTHER BEING CHILDREN. UM, THIS STRETCH, ALTHOUGH IT'S SMALL, HAS BEEN IN THE BIKE PLAN SINCE 200, 2015. IT'S BEEN DESIGNED, THERE HAVE BEEN ONE YEAR OF MEETINGS AND A PUBLIC PROCESS IN PERSON AND VIRTUAL, AND IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT SAFETY FEATURE. I DON'T HAVE MUCH TIME, BUT I WILL SAY THAT I FREQUENTLY USE THIS, UH, PEOPLE DRIVE VERY FAST AND IT CONNECTS TO WHERE I LIVE IN THE CAMBRIDGE HIGHLANDS FROM THAT AREA. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JESSICA VAN MEIR, FOLLOWED BY ALICIA PRITT, THEN SUZANNE BLEIER. JESSICA, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS JESSICA VAN MEER. I'VE BEEN LIVING, WORKING IN STUDYING IN CAMBRIDGE, ON AND OFF FOR THE PAST FIVE YEARS. I'M A PHD CANDIDATE IN PUBLIC POLICY AT THE HARVARD KENNEDY SCHOOL OF GOVERNMENT, WHERE I RESEARCH SEX WORK POLICY IN LATIN AMERICA. I'M, UH, HERE TO SPEAK STRONGLY IN FAVOR OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER 10 TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS FROM THE LAST CITY COUNCIL MEETING ON SEX WORK, UH, AND TO SUPPORT THE FULL DECRIMINALIZATION OF SEX WORK. I HAVE INTERVIEWED OVER 280 SEX WORKERS AND SEX TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS ACROSS FIVE COUNTRIES, AND I'M CURRENTLY THE POLICY CHAIR OF THE BOSTON SEX WORKERS AND ALLIES COLLECTIVE, UH, WHICH GREW OUT OF A SUPPORT GROUP AT THE CAMBRIDGE WOMEN'S CENTER. ONE OF THE BIGGEST PROBLEMS WE SEE FOR SEX WORKERS IN CAMBRIDGE IS THE INABILITY TO REPORT CRIMES OR MEDICAL EMERGENCIES DUE TO THE STATE'S CRIMINALIZATION OF SEX WORK. UH, IN COUNTRIES THAT HAVE DECRIMINALIZED SEX WORK LIKE NEW ZEALAND, WE'VE SEEN SEX WORKERS WIN DAMAGES AGAINST ABUSIVE BROTHEL OWNERS, UM, INCLUDING IN 2014, A SEX WORKER WON $25,000 IN DAMAGES. IN 2020, A SEX WORKER WON A SIX FIGURE SETTLEMENT. JESSICA, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED, ASSAULTED HER. FOR ANYONE WHOSE TIME HAS EXPIRED, PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENTS TO CITY COUNCIL@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV. WE'LL MOVE ON TO SPEAKER NUMBER THREE, ALICIA WITT, FOLLOWED BY SUZANNE BLEIER, THEN MARYANNE MC, MARY CARROLL MCKINNON. ALICIA, HI, MY NAME IS ALICIA PRITT AND I'M SPEAKING ON THE MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. I LIVED IN CAMBRIDGE FOR 12 YEARS AND I'VE BEEN A TENANT HERE FOR ALL 12 OF THEM. I'M ALSO A SMALL BUSINESS OWNER AND CAMBRIDGE IS WHERE I WORK, LIVE AND HAVE BUILT MY LIFE. I UNDERSTAND THAT THE GOAL OF THE ZONING CHANGES WAS TO CREATE MORE HOUSING, INCLUDING MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING, BUT WHAT I'M WATCHING HAPPENING ACROSS THE CITY IS A RUSH TO REDEVELOPMENT. EXISTING HOMES ARE BEING BOUGHT UP BECAUSE THE NEW ZONING HAS MADE THEM MORE VALUABLE AS DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES. AND WHILE DEVELOPERS CAPITALIZE ON THAT OPPORTUNITY, TENANTS ARE LOSING THEIR HOMES. COUNCIL NEEDS TO CONFRONT WHETHER ALL OF THIS REDEVELOPMENT IS ACTUALLY ADDRESSING THE HOUSING PROBLEM WE ARE TRYING TO SOLVE. ARE WE CREATING HOUSING THAT MORE PEOPLE CAN AFFORD? WHAT IS HAPPENING TO THE PEOPLE BEING DISPLACED ALONG THE WAY? HOUSING PRODUCTION CANNOT BE MEASURED ONLY BY THE NUMBER OF UNITS CREATED. DISPLACEMENT SHOULD MATTER TO THIS COUNCIL, AND IT SHOULD BE A METRIC OF WHETHER THIS POLICY IS WORKING, HOW MANY TENANTS ARE BEING DISPLACED, WHAT WERE THEY PAYING? CAN THEY AFFORD THE HOUSING REPLACING THEIR HOMES? IF WE AREN'T MEASURING THOSE THINGS, THEN COUNTING NEW UNITS ALONE DOESN'T TELL US WHETHER THESE ZONING CHANGES ARE ACTUALLY HELPING TO SOLVE CAMBRIDGE'S HOUSING CRISIS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SUZANNE BLEIER. SUZANNE. SUZANNE HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL MOVE TO MARY CAROL MCKINNON, FOLLOWED BY CLA CLAUDIA VERONICA TORRES PATINO. MARY CARROLL, SORRY. THANK YOU. HI, I'M MARY, A LONGTIME SEX WORKER AND CO-CHAIR OF BWA CRIMINALIZATION OF SEX WORK. NOT THE WORKER, BUT THE WORK ITSELF IS THE GREATEST HARM SOURCE OF HARM THAT SEX WORKERS FACE. WE ARE HARMED BY CRIMINALIZATION IN MYRIAD WAYS, WHETHER WE EVER INTERACT WITH LAW ENFORCEMENT OR NOT. LOCAL SEX WORKERS REPORT HARM PERTAINING TO EDUCATION, CHILD CUSTODY, EVICTION, HEALTHCARE DISCRIMINATION, AND OTHER WORK. SOCIAL MEDIA BANS, LOSING BANK ACCOUNTS AND WEBSITES AND OBSTACLES TO CONDUCTING BUSINESS SAFELY. JUST TO NAME A FEW OF THE INSIDIOUS WAYS THAT CRIMINALIZATION ITSELF WREAKS HAVOC IN OUR DAILY LIVES. TODAY, I TOOK A FIRST STEP TOWARD REPORTING MY OWN ABUSER FROM OVER 20 YEARS AGO, A REPORT I HAD NOT MADE BECAUSE I FEAR LAW ENFORCEMENT DUE TO MY LABOR, [00:10:01] I BECAME VULNERABLE TO THAT ABUSER WHEN MY DOMESTIC PARTNER BLACKMAILED ME BY THREATENING TO OUT ME TO THE POLICE AND TO MY FAMILY. I KNOW THAT SHE DID THE LATTER. I KNOW WELL HOW THE TENDRILS OF CRIMINALIZATION HARM SEX WORKERS FAR BEYOND THE MATTER OF ARREST. C MARY CARROLL. TIME IS C EXPIRED. THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING OUR PLEASE EMAIL REMAIN. THANK YOU CLAUDIA. VERONICA TORRES PATINO, FOLLOWED BY ASHLEY PITTMAN. THEN YOUNG KIM CLAUDIA. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS CLAUDIA TORRES. I AM A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT AND UNEMPLOYMENT LAW ATTORNEY AT JUSTICE AT WORK. I HAVE STUDIED A RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN LAW AND SEX WORK FOR NEARLY 15 YEARS, INCLUDING TWO YEARS OF ETHNOGRAPHIC RESEARCH WITH APPROXIMATELY 40, 40 SEX WORKERS AND TRAFFICKING SURVIVORS IN MEXICO CITY. AFTER MEXICO CITY, THE CRIMINALIZED STREET-BASED SOLICITATION IN 2019, I FOUND THAT WORKERS WERE BETTER ABLE TO USE THE LAW TO ADDRESS WORKPLACE PROBLEMS. POLICE HARASSMENT DEMANDS FOR BRIBES AND INTERPERSONAL VIOLENCE ALSO DECLINE WHILE WORKERS GAIN ACCESS TO PREVIOUSLY UNAVAILABLE PUBLIC BENEFITS. MY RESEARCH IS CONSISTENT WITH INTERNATIONAL EVIDENCE THAT THE CRIMINALIZATION CAN REDUCE VULNER VULNERABILITY TO VIOLENCE, EXTORTION, AND PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH RISKS. AS AN EMPLOYMENT ATTORNEY, I SEE THIS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES. WE ADDRESS TRAFFICKING, FORCED LABOR THROUGH ORGANIZING, WORKPLACE PROTECTIONS, SAFETY STANDARDS, AND ENFORCEMENT AGAINST COERCION. THE SAME APPROACH CAN AND SHOULD APPLY TO SEX WORK. YET ALL THESE STRATEGIES ARE MADE HARDER WHEN THE INDUSTRY AND ITS PARTICIPANTS ARE CRIMINALIZED. I URGE YOU TO CONSIDER THE EVIDENCE IN EVALUATING POLICY ORDER NUMBER 10. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ASHLEY PITTMAN. ASHLEY, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. PLEASE GO AHEAD IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER EIGHT TONIGHT AND WOULD ASK THE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD TO VOTE IN FAVOR OF IT. UM, POLICY ORDER NUMBER EIGHT SETS FORTH 12 REASONS WHY IT SHOULD BE SUPPORTED. EACH ONE IS COGENTLY EXPLAINED. I BELIEVE IT IS A THOUGHTFUL, PRACTICAL AND REASONABLE BALANCING OF COMPETING INTERESTS. UH, ONE OF THE MOST IMP IMPRESSIVE ASPECTS OF POLICY NUMBER EIGHT IS THAT IT FOLLOWS THE HIPPOCRATIC OATH. FIRST, IT DOES NO HARM. IT LOOKS AT A BAD SITUATION. UH, SCARCE PARKING AROUND THE FRESH POND RESERVATION AND STRAWBERRY HILL AND THE STEPS IT PROPOSES SHOULD HELP THE SITUATION RATHER THAN MAKE IT WORSE. THAT'S COMMENDABLE, CONSTRUCTIVE, AND REASONABLE. UM, I CAN'T READ THE REST OF MY NOTES RIGHT NOW, SO I WILL SUBMIT SOMETHING TO THE COUNCIL, UH, VIA EMAIL ONCE I'VE DECIPHERED THESE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS YOUNG KIM, FOLLOWED BY PAULA CORTEZ, THAT EMILY ALICE LIPPOLD, CHENEY YOUNG, ONE MINUTE YOUNG KIM 17 NORRIS STREET. THE NEGATIVE IMPACT OF MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ZONING ORDINANCE CONTINUES AS I SPEAK, PROTECT RESIDENTS WHILE YOU GET THE AMENDMENTS RIGHT BY NOT ADOPTING POR 20 26 1 73 TONIGHT. INSTEAD, ADVANCE OR NARROWLY SCOPED MORATORIUM ON S OF RIGHT MFH DEVELOPMENT DEMAND, CDD, FULL RESPONSE TO POR 20 26 1 23 AND THE HOUSING MODELING REQUIRE PLANNING BOARD REVIEW OF CD'S RECOMMENDATIONS, AND WE CONVENE THE JOINT COMMITTEE TO REVIEW ALL THIS EVIDENCE WITH PUBLIC COMMENT. MY CHRONOLOGIST SUBMITTED THIS AFTERNOON UNDERSCORES THE NEED FOR SUBSTANTIVE REVIEW AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT. I HAVE SENT YOU SEVERAL, UH, UH, COMMUNICATIONS INCLUDING, UH, SURVEY, UH, RESPONSE BY NINE RESIDENTS. UH, I THINK THEY REPRESENT SEVEN UH, NEIGHBORHOODS. PLEASE TAKE A LOOK AT IT. UH, I HAD, UH, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PUBLIC COMMENT. THANK YOU YOUNG. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PAULA CORTEZ, FOLLOWED BY EMILY ALICE LIP CHENEY. PAULA, ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU. I LIVE AT 25 NEWELL STREET. YOU'VE HEARD MANY REASONS TO SAY YES TO POLICY ORDER 180 1 POSTPONE OUTER HURON AVENUE. THEY'RE QUITE CLEAR AND REASONABLE. IT'S A MATTER OF EQUITY AND INCLUSION. CONSIDER THIS ANALOGY, THE DIVISION BETWEEN BIRTHDAY CAKE LOVERS AND BIRTHDAY PIE LOVERS. I'M A PIE LOVER, BUT OCCASIONALLY I LIKE CAKE ALSO, BUT NOT ALWAYS. NOT ALL THE TIME AND NOT AT ALL OCCASIONS. IT IS NOT REASONABLE TO FORCE ME TO EAT CAKE ALL THE TIME JUST BECAUSE YOU MIGHT LIKE CAKE ALL THE TIME. AND LIKEWISE WITH PIE LOVERS. RIGHT NOW, A HUNDRED PERCENT OF CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS ARE BEING FORCED TO EAT CAKE. OH, I GUESS I MEAN FORCED TO ACCEPT SEPARATED BIKE LANES EVEN WHEN THE INCONVENIENCE IS SEVERE TO THEIR EVERYDAY LIVES AND TO THEIR BUSINESSES. WE HAVE OVER 1500 [00:15:01] SIGNATORIES TO OUR PETITIONS. DO ALL THESE PEOPLE NOT COUNT? THANK YOU, PAULA. YOUR TIME HAS WE PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER WE DESERVE BETTER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS EMILY ALICE LIP CHENEY. EMILY, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HELLO. I'VE EXPERIENCED DOING IN-PERSON ESCORTING FOR A DECADE AND I'M SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF SEX WORK. DECRIMINALIZATION. FIRST AND FOREMOST, WE ARE HERE BECAUSE PEOPLE GET MURDERED FOR DOING THIS WORK. THEY GO TO JAIL, THEY LOSE THEIR KIDS. I'M RETIRED FROM SEX WORK AT THIS POINT IN MY LIFE, WHICH IS IN LARGE PART WHY I AS A SINGLE MOTHER CAN STAND UP HERE AND SPEAK PUBLICLY. DESPITE THAT, NOT TWO WEEKS AGO, A STRANGER THREATENED TO OUT OR DOX ME AS A SEX WORKER IN ORDER TO DO ME HARM, EVEN THOUGH I'M NOT CURRENTLY DOING SEX WORK. IT WAS DEEPLY UPSETTING BECAUSE SHE COULD STILL DO ME AND MY CHILD HARM IF SHE CHOSE TO CALL CHILD PROTECTIVE SERVICES. PEOPLE GET THEIR CHILDREN TAKEN AWAY FOR DOING THIS WORK BECAUSE IT IS CRIMINALIZED EVEN WHEN THEIR CHILDREN HAVE NEVER BEEN EXPOSED TO THE WORK NOR ANY HARM. THEY COULD EVEN TAKE MY CHILD AWAY FOR HAVING DONE THIS WORK IN THE PAST. THOSE ARE THE STAKES. DOES PROVIDING SEXUAL LABOR AND CARE MAKE ME AN UNFIT MOTHER? DO I DESERVE TO HAVE MY CHILD GET TAKEN AWAY FROM ME? I'M ACTUALLY A BETTER MOTHER BECAUSE I WAS A SEX WORKER BECAUSE OF THE PATIENT'S COMPASSION AND RESILIENCE IT DEVELOPED IN ME. THANK YOU. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LIZ LOYA, FOLLOWED BY JOE EDTA, THEN SIMON WILLIAMS. LIZ, ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. IN RESPONSE TO THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE, I'M GOING TO READ A QUOTE FROM THE SELLING AGENT OF 16 FIELD STREET. ONE OF THE MANY AFFORDABLE RENTALS BEING DEMOLISHED. SELL AS PREMIUM CONDOMINIUMS OR HOLD AS HIGH-END RENTAL UNITS. TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CAMBRIDGE'S GENEROUS ZONING LAWS AND STRONG DEMAND FOR UPSCALE HOUSING. END QUOTE. THIS HOME WAS A TWO FAMILY. A FAMILY LIVED THERE UNDER SECTION EIGHT AND ANOTHER FAMILY LIVED THERE AS AN AFFORDABLE RENTAL. SECTION EIGHT FAMILY WAS DISPLACED AND THE OTHER FAMILY WAS FORCED TO LEAVE CAMBRIDGE BECAUSE QUOTE, ALL THE RENTALS AT THIS PRICE RANGE ARE BEING DEMOLISHED. END QUOTE, THE NEW BUILDING IS NINE UNITS, NOT 10, BECAUSE NONE OF THEM ARE AFFORDABLE. THE DISPLACED FAMILIES CAN'T AFFORD TO BUY OR RENT ONE OF THE NEW UNITS. THIS HOME ALSO WOULD'VE HAPPILY BEEN BOUGHT BY FAMILIES LOOKING TO BUY PART OF A TWO-FAMILY. BUT BECAUSE OF THE MFHO, DEVELOPERS ARE OUT OUTFITTING THE RENTERS WHO WANT TO BUY THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS ARE WEAK, CREATE LOOPHOLES TO AVOID ENACTING THE AMENDMENTS AND OVERLOOK TREE PROTECTION, PARKING REQUIREMENTS AND MORE. PLEASE READ AND REPLY TO MY EMAIL. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOE. SO FOLKS, UH, YOU, SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE MISSED ME SAYING IT IN THE BEGINNING, BUT I ASK THAT YOU NOT CLAP PER DECORUM RULES. YOU'RE WELCOME TO DO SOME AIR HANDS, BUT UM, THE CLAPPING IS, THANK YOU. UH, CLAPPING IS DISTRACTING AND WE HAVE 140 SPEAKERS. SO, UM, AGAIN, I SAID THAT IN THE BEGINNING. I'LL REPEAT IT NOW. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOE ALTA, FOLLOWED BY SIMON WILLIAMS. THEN JENNA ODETTE. JOE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HI. THANK YOU. UH, JOE ALTA 68 WALKER STREET. UM, AT SOME POINT WE HAVE TO DRAW THE LINE. COUNCIL'S MADE EXPANSION OF BUDGET A PRIORITY OVER THE LAST FIVE YEARS, CLOSE TO A 50% INCREASE, NEARING A BILLION DOLLARS. SIMILARLY, TAXES ARE UP, WATER BILLS ARE UP. YOU ARE PROMOTING UNAFFORDABILITY, SEEMINGLY AN ATTEMPT TO DO SOMETHING ABOUT THAT. ANYTHING YOU'VE ENACTED, ZONING REFORM, HANDING TO THE MASSES WITH NO EXPECTATION OF RELIEF AND GRIEVOUS CONSEQUENCES THROUGHOUT THE CITY. I'M SURE YOU HEAL. YOU'LL HEAR FROM MANY PEOPLE TONIGHT TALKING ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE IMPLEMENTATION THROUGHOUT THE CITY. AS YOU JUST HEARD, IT'S TIME TO DRAW THE LINE, DRAW THE LINE ON THE BUDGET, DRAW THE LINE ON ZONING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SIMON WILLIAMS. WELCOME BACK SIMON, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR, PLEASE GO AHEAD. ONE MINUTE. HI, THIS IS SIMON WILLIAMS. I LIVE AT 23 ORANGE STREET. I'M SPEAKING TONIGHT REGARDING THE SEVERE UNINTENDED IMPACTS OF THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. WHILE THE GOAL OF EXPANDING DENSITY WAS NOBLE GRANTING BROAD BY RIGHT DEVELOPMENT HAS EFFECTIVELY TURNED EVERY RESIDENTIAL LOT IN CAMBRIDGE INTO A DEVELOPER COMMODITY. RAW LAND VALUES FOR DEVELOPMENT SITES HAVE SURGED BY 30 TO 50% BECAUSE COMMERCIAL DEVELOPERS CAN NOW MONETIZE A SINGLE LOT ACROSS FOUR TO SIX LUXURY UNITS. THEY ARE CONSISTENTLY OUTBIDDING TRADITIONAL BUYERS AND WORKING CLASS FAMILIES. THIS MODEL IS PRODUCING TWO DANGEROUS OUTCOMES. ONE, IT DESTROYS HOME OWNERSHIP PATHWAYS [00:20:01] BY PUSHING THE FINANCIAL ENTRY POINT FOR FIRST TIME BUYERS COMPLETELY OUT OF REACH. TWO, IT WILL DRIVE RENTS HIGHER AS DEVELOPERS PASS INFLATED SITE ACQUISITION COSTS DIRECTLY ONTO FUTURE TENANTS, UNCHECKED LAND INFLATION UNDER THIS CURRENT ZONING FRAMEWORK AS ACHIEVING THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF ACCESSIBILITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JANA ODETTE. JANA, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. GREAT. MY NAME IS JANA OTA, LIVE AT 1 76 LARCH ROAD IN CAMBRIDGE. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I AGREE WITH THE SPEAKER THAT JUST SPOKE THAT THE UNINTENDED EFFECTS OF THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE ARE RIDICULOUS. THEY ARE TURNING LITERALLY. UH, A PERSON WHO SPOKE OUTSIDE OF CITY HALL LAST MONDAY SAID THAT WHAT WE VOTED FOR IS EFFECTIVELY, UH, GENTRIFICATION BECAUSE THAT IS WHAT WE ARE GETTING. IN OTHER WORDS, PEOPLE, DEVELOPERS ARE PAYING TOP DOLLAR, THEY HAVE TO MAKE THEIR MONEY BACK, AND THEN THEY DO SO AS LIZ LOYA SAID. UM, BY SELLING THESE THINGS AT A HUGE PREMIUM AND THE IDEA OF HAVING A NEUTRAL OR NET INCREASE IN HOUSING UNITS ASSOCIATED WITH INCLUSIONARY ONES IS RIDICULOUS BECAUSE, UH, SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE SAID DISPLACING FAMILIES AND MAKING THESE OUT OF REACH IS RIDICULOUS. THANK YOU AND BLESS YOU. THANK YOU. MY MIC'S NOT WORKING. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ROSALYN WALTON, FOLLOWED BY ZION SHEERAN. THEN STEVEN MARKS, WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 15. ROSALIND, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, ROSALIND. YOU NEED TO UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YES, I'M CALLING ABOUT THE OUTER HURON AVENUE BIKE LANE. I LIVE ON AT PARKSIDE PLACE ON HURON AVENUE. IT'S, AND IT'S VERY CLOSE TO THE RUSSELL CENTER, THE GOLF COURSE, THE TENNIS COURT, THE VFW, THE BLACKEN FIELD, AND THE BLACKHAM PLAYGROUND. WE DO NOT AGREE WHAT YOU PUT IN THE BIKE LANES ON OUR STREET. WE ARE ALL FOR BIKE SAFETY, BUT THIS IS AN UNREASONABLE BURDEN ON THE PEOPLE WHO ALREADY LIVE HERE. WE ARE NOT HAPPY AT PARKSIDE PLACE ABOUT THE BIKE LANES. THE GOLFERS ARE NOT HAPPY AND THE RESIDENTS ON HURON AVENUE AND CUSHING DO NOT AGREE WITH YOUR PLANS. AND WE LIKE OUR PARKING SPACES AS THEY ARE AND WE CANNOT USE OUR EXPENSIVE GAS LOOKING FOR A PLACE TO PARK. NOT TODAY AND NOT TOMORROW. PLEASE DO NOT PUT THE BIKE LANES ON OUR STREET. WE DO NOT HAVE THE ROOM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ZION SHEAN. ZION HAS NOT JOINED US. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE TO STEVEN MARKS, FOLLOWED BY CHRIS MONTERO, THEN PATRICIA JAN. HELLO, I'M STEVE MARKS. I LIVE AT 36 BROOK FRUIT STREET. MY WIFE AND I HAVE LIVED HERE FOR 35 YEARS. UM, I, UM, AM SPEAKING TO AMEND THE MFHO PURSUANT TO POLICY ORDER PO FAR POR 2 0 26 DASH 1 73. I THINK THAT AS MANY PEOPLE HAVE SAID ALREADY, THE ORDINANCE IS HAVING EXACTLY THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT IT WAS INTENDED TO DO. IT'S NOT ON OUR STREET. SOMEONE IS KNOCKING DOWN A MULTIFAMILY DWELLING TO BUILD FIVE UNITS, ALL OF WHICH WILL BE MARKET RATE. THE OTHER BUILDING ON OUR STREET, WHICH ONLY HAS 12 OR 14 HOUSES, DEPENDING ON HOW YOU COUNT THE HOUSES THAT ARE ON MASS AVE, UM, WILL HAVE TWO OF THESE UNITS. AND THE OTHER UNIT IS THIS BUILDER SAYS, WE ARE BUILDING HIGH-END RESIDENTIAL PROJECTS WITH THE MOST PRIME LOCATIONS IN MASSACHUSETTS AND NORTH CYPRUS. HARDLY AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRIS MONTERO, FOLLOWED BY PATRICE, PATRICIA, JANICE OR JANICE. CHRIS. HELLO, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS CHRIS MONTERO AND I'M THE PRESIDENT OF THE CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. UH, AS YOU HAVE BEEN HEARING, WE'LL BE HEARING EDUCATORS, CAREGIVERS AND COMMUNITY LEADERS AGREE THAT OUR SCHOOLS COULDN'T RUN AND STUDENT SUCCESS IS TIED TO THE HARD WORK OF OUR SUBS OR CLERKS AND OUR PARAS. THE BEST WAY YOU AS THE CITY COUNCIL CAN SHOW THAT SAME APPRECIATION IS WITH THE ADOPTION OF MOTION 1 79. WE ARE WELL AWARE THAT OUR BARGAINING IS WITH THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, BUT WE ALSO KNOW THAT THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS WANT TO KNOW THAT THE AGREEMENT THEY REACH WILL BE FUNDED AND SUPPORTED BY THIS BODY. [00:25:01] WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR IS A SIGN OF SUPPORT FOR LIVING WAGES FOR ALL EDUCATORS. MORE AFFORDABLE HEALTH INSURANCE, A PARAPROFESSIONAL IN EVERY PRE-K TO FIVE CLASSROOM. WITH THE LAST ONE BEING SOMETHING THAT WE USED TO HAVE AND THAT NEIGHBORING DISTRICTS CURRENTLY HAVE. THE COST OF THESE PROPOSALS WOULD AMOUNT TO LESS THAN A 5% INCREASE TO THE SCHOOL BUDGET OR A 2% INCREASE TO THE CITY BUDGET. WHAT WE ARE ASKING FOR IS NOT SMALL FOR THE EDUCATORS WHO WOULD SEE THEIR WAGES GO UP, BUT IT IS ABSOLUTELY DUAL FOR COMMUNITY. THANK YOUR TIME IS EXPIRED. CAMBRIDGE, PLEASE EMAIL THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PATRICIA JANICE, FOLLOWED BY ANDREW SAL. THEN PIPER WINKLER. PATRICIA, PATRICIA IS NOT WITH US. WE WILL GO TO ANDREW SEABOLD. ANDREW, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HI, I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF SOMEONE, UH, NAMED F WATERS WHO COULDN'T BE HERE AND IN ORDER TO PROTECT THEIR IDENTITY. UH, DEAR CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL, I'VE BEEN LIVING IN CAMBRIDGE, CAMBRIDGE SINCE 2019 AND I'M IN MY FORTIES. I'M PART OF THE CREATIVE CLASS AND LIKE MANY ART ARTISTS NOW AND THROUGHOUT HISTORY, I RELY ON SEX WORK TO AFFORD THE HIGH COST OF LIVING IN THIS CITY, ESPECIALLY, BUT NOT LIMITED TO HOUSING. EARNING INCOME VIA SEX WORK MEETS MY NEEDS AND ALLOWS ME THE FLEXIBILITY AND TIME OFF REQUIRED BY MY DISABILITY AND CHRONIC HEALTH ISSUES. I DO MY WORK PRIVATELY AND DISCREETLY INDOORS, AND I REPORT MY INCOME TO THE IRS. LIKE ANY OTHER FREELANCE WORKER, I WORK ONLY FOR MYSELF, NOT A PIMP OR A MANAGER. AND I LIKE IT THIS WAY. WORKING INDEPENDENTLY MEANS I CAN CHOOSE MY OWN SERVICES, CLIENTS AND RATES. UNFORTUNATELY, I LIVE IN FEAR OF ARREST AND EVICTION BECAUSE I KNOW MY WORK IS CRIMINALIZED EVEN THOUGH IT'S FULLY CONSENSUAL WITH NO VICTIM AND NO IMPACT ON PUBLIC ORDER. THE STRESS OF THIS HAS WORSENED MY HEALTH. I URGE THE COUNSEL TO PASS POLICY ORDER NUMBER 10. THANK YOU. F WATERS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PIPER WINKLER, FOLLOWED BY SARAH BLO. THEN JUDY MINCE PIPER. HI, UM, I'M PIPER. I LIVE AT, UH, TWO 14 CHESTNUT AND I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF 1 79. UM, I'M A COMMUNITY MEMBER HERE TONIGHT IN SUPPORT OF A LIVING WAGE AND NECESSARY BENEFITS FOR PUBLIC EDUCATORS. I LOVE LIVING IN A CITY THAT PRIDES ITSELF ON OFFERING EXCELLENT EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES, BUT RIGHT NOW, CAMBRIDGE ISN'T EVEN PLAYING CATCH UP. WITH NEARBY SCHOOL DISTRICTS PROVIDING BETTER WAGES AND BENEFITS, NOBODY'S HANDS ARE TIED WHEN IT COMES TO INCREASING THE BUDGET. THIS ISN'T ABOUT RESTRICTIONS, MAKING IT IMPOSSIBLE FOR OUR CITY TO ALLOCATE FUNDS TO THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT BUDGET BECAUSE WE'VE ALL SEEN TIME AND AGAIN THAT CAMBRIDGE CAN PAY FOR EXPENSES IT CONSIDERS NECESSARY. IT'S A QUESTION OF POLITICAL WILL AND I HAVE SEEN CITY COUNCIL EXERCISE THE POLITICAL WILL TO IMPROVE THE LIVES OF ITS RESIDENTS FOR THE BETTER. THAT IS A HISTORY FOR ALL OF YOU TO BE PROUD OF. I BELIEVE THAT NOW IS ANOTHER CRITICAL MOMENT FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO DO SO WITH THE UNDERSTANDING THAT EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY WILL BENEFIT THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. CITY COUNCIL AND CITY MANAGER MUST DECIDE TO PUT MONEY THE CITY ALREADY HAS INTO THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT BUDGET TO MAKE TEACHING IN CAMBRIDGE A SUSTAINABLE CAREER. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SARAH LAU, FOLLOWED BY JUDY MINZ. THEN PAUL SCHAU. SARAH, GOOD EVENING EVERYBODY. MY NAME IS SARAH BLO ROSENBERG. I LIVE AT 1 67 PUTNAM MATH. I'M SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF POLICY ORDER 1 79. I'M A LIFELONG CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT AND I HAVE BEEN TEACHING IN THE ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS FOR 15 YEARS. SINCE 2001. CAMBRIDGE'S SALARY ORDINANCE HAVE HAS GIVEN YOU ALL CITY COUNSELORS AND SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS IN AUTOMATIC RAISE EVERY JULY 3.1%. I THINK TIED TO THE GREATER BOSTON PRICE INDEX. THE CITY DECIDED IN LAW THAT PAY SHOULD BE KEPT UP WITH THE COST OF LIVING HERE. AND THAT'S THE RIGHT PRINCIPLE. AS EDUCATORS OF CPS, WE HAVE TO FIGHT FOR IT. AS YOU KNOW, THE WORKFORCE IS OVERWHELMINGLY WOMEN. WE'RE DOING THE WORK. OUR SOCIETY HAS UNDERVALUED FOR GENERATIONS BECAUSE IT WAS SEEN AS WOMEN'S WORK. CAMBRIDGE BUDGETS SHOW THE VALUES. IF EDUCATING OUR CHILDREN MATTERS, THEN THE PEOPLE DOING THAT WORK SHOULD HAVE A LIVING WAGE. ONE JOB SHOULD BE ENOUGH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JUDY MINZ, FOLLOWED BY PAUL CHANO. THEN MICHAEL ROGOVE. JUDY, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS JUDY MINCE. I LIVE AT 4 69 HURON AVENUE AND I'M HERE TO ASK THE CITY COUNCIL TO, UM, CONSIDER MAKING AMENDMENTS TO THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. LIKE MANY OTHER PEOPLE WHO HAVE SPOKEN, I AM CONCERNED THAT THE INTENTION OF THE MFHO AND THE ACTUAL, UM, IMPLEMENTATION ARE NOT IN ALIGNMENT. UM, I LIVE ON A MULTIFAMILY HOUSING BLOCK. THERE ARE, I LIVE IN A TRIPLE DECKER. I'M SURROUNDED BY TRIPLE [00:30:01] DECKERS AND TWO FAMILIES, UM, RIGHT BEHIND US ON LARCH, UH, EXCUSE ME, ON GROSER. I LIVE BETWEEN, UH, GROSER AND LARCH. UM, BUT RIGHT BEHIND ME ON GROSER IS, UM, A BUILDING THAT'S GOING TO BE DEMOLISHED AND THEY'RE GOING TO PUT UP 11 UNITS IN WHAT WAS A TWO-FAMILY LOT. UM, SOME OF MY NEIGHBORS ARE VERY CONCERNED AND DIDN'T KNOW. THE COMMUNICATION PROCESS ABOUT HOW THIS IS BEING IMPLEMENTED HAS BEEN VIRTUALLY NON-EXISTENT. WE'VE HAD. THANKS, JUDY. PLEASE EMAIL US REMAINDER. APOLOGIES. THAT WAS YOUR TIME. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PAUL CHANO, FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL ROGO. THEN CHRISTOPHER CASA. PAUL ONE MINUTE. HI, PAUL CHANO FROM THREE FIELD STREET. FIRST OF ALL, I SAY THANKS FOR WHAT YOU GUYS ARE DOING IN BIKING. I BIKE TO WORK EVERY DAY AND IT, IT'S VALUABLE. BUT THE PROBLEM IS, IS WHEN I'M NOT, I'VE GOT KIDS, I'VE GOT A FAMILY, LIKE MUCH PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY AND I NEED TO GET TO SOCCER. THAT'S OUT IN BEDFORD, SO I NEED A VEHICLE. SO THAT'S WHY I HAVE AN ISSUE WITH, WE HAVE A TWO FAMILY HOME AND DEVELOPERS COMING IN AND STUFFING NINE UNITS INTO THAT SPACE WITH NO CONCERN FOR PARKING WHATSOEVER. SUDDENLY YOU GOT EIGHT MORE CARS THAT NEED TO FIT ON THE STREET. WHO IS THAT BENEFITING? THESE ARE MILLION DOLLAR HOMES. NINE OUTTA 10 PEOPLE WITH MILLION DOLLAR HOMES IN CAMBRIDGE. HAVE A CAR THAT'S RE THAT'S A LOT OF CARS WE NEED TO PUT PLACES. SO WHO'S IT BENEFITING? IT'S NOT THE SENIOR ACROSS THE STREET FROM ME THAT NEEDS TO GET TO THE DOCTOR'S APPOINTMENT. IT'S NOT MY NEIGHBOR THAT HAS A FOSTER KID THAT NEEDS TO GET TO SCHOOL. IT'S NOT THE OTHER NEIGHBOR THAT NEEDS TO DRIVE TO WORK IN CANTON. IT'S A DEVELOPER THAT'S DRIVING. THEY'RE MAXIMIZING THEIR PROFITS AS MUCH AS THEY CAN. WE NEED TO CONSIDER WHAT'S REALLY HAPPENING TO COMMUNITY WITH THE ZONING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MICHAEL ROGO, FOLLOWED BY CHRISTOPHER CASA, THEN ANDREW KING. MICHAEL. HI. THANK YOU. MICHAEL ARGO 65 SPARK STREET, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF THE 10 AND A HALF PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN MY BUILDING, BUT BETWEEN CHILDCARE AND WORK RESPONSIBILITIES, UH, THEY'RE NOT HERE AND WE SUPPORT THE COMPLETION OF THE OUTER HERE ON BIKE LANE. SPEAKING FOR MYSELF. SOON I WILL HAVE A KID AND I WON'T BE ABLE TO COME TO THESE FOR A WHILE AND THAT INFLUENCES WHO YOU HEAR FROM HERE. A STORY. MY ELDERLY NEIGHBORS LIVED ON AN ADJACENT FLOOR WITH DIFFICULT STAIRS AND THANK GOD THEY WERE ABLE TO MOVE INTO A DIFFERENT RARE, DENSE, MULTIFAMILY APARTMENT BUILDING WITHOUT PARKING IN WEST CAMBRIDGE, WHICH HAS BEEN ILLEGAL TO BUILD FOR MOST OF ITS LIFE. WEST CAMBRIDGE IS THE WEALTHIEST AND LEAST DENSE PART OF THE CITY. IT HAS 1.4% AFFORDABLE HOUSING, AND I BELIEVE IT HAS LESS HOMES TODAY THAN IT DID IN 1996. PLEASE DO NOT SUPPORT AMENDMENTS THAT MAKE INCLUSIONARY UNITS HARDER OR DOWNSIZING HARDER FOR THE AGING AND THOSE WHO MIGHT WANT TO DOWNSIZE AND STAY IN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. THERE'S LIKE 10 MEETINGS IN THIS MEETING TONIGHT, SO PLEASE STAY HYDRATED. THANK YOU, MICHAEL. WE MISSED YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRISTOPHER CASA, FOLLOWED BY ANDREW KING AND THEN EMAR TURNER. CHARRING. CHRISTOPHER CASSA. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING. I'M ASKING THE COUNCIL TO LET THE OUTER U SAFETY PROJECT MOVE FORWARD. IT'S ONLY A QUARTER MILE, BUT IT CLOSES THE LAST MAJOR GAP BETWEEN THE LANES THAT WE'VE INSTALLED FOR MILLIONS OF DOLLARS ALONG BLACK AND FIELD, FROM FRESH POND ALL THE WAY OVER TO THE GOLF COURSE AND ALL THE WAY TO, UM, LANES THAT ARE PLANNED, SEPARATED BIKE LANES THAT ARE PLANNED IN BELMONT SPECIFICALLY BECAUSE WE ARE MAKING THIS REGIONAL CONNECTION. SO THIS IS THE WAY IT WORKS. IF WE ARE BUILDING TO THE BORDER, PEOPLE ARE BUILDING FROM IT. WE'VE SEEN THAT WITH SOMERVILLE, WE'VE SEEN THAT WITH BOSTON. AND THIS IS THE SAME THING IS HAPPENING WITH BELMONT. THIS SEGMENT'S BEEN IN THE BIKE PLANT SINCE 2015 ON A STREET WHERE THE AVERAGE DRIVER IS GOING OVER 30 MILES AN HOUR. IT'S NOT SAFE OR COMFORTABLE FOR PEOPLE TO BIKE. ALONGSIDE THAT, I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERNS ABOUT PARKING, BUT THERE ARE SOLUTIONS WE SHOULD BE PRIORITIZING ACCESS FOR CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS. THAT MEANS REQUIRING RESIDENTIAL PERMITS SO ANYONE WITH A STICKER ON THEIR CAR CAN GO GOLF IN THE GOLF COURSE OR CAN PARK IF THEY LIVE IN PARKSIDE PLACE OR THEY CAN GO TO BLACK AND FIELD. THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ANDREW KING, FOLLOWED BY SA. GOOD EVENING. ANDREW KING, 36 PARK AVE. I'M A LONGTIME COMMUNITY MEMBER, UH, CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL GRADUATE, UH, AND NOW A NEW PARENT. UH, I'M HERE REPRESENTING OUR REVOLUTION CAMBRIDGE, UM, IN SUPPORT OF THE CEO'S FIGHT FOR LIVING WAGES FOR ALL EDUCATORS. OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS AND EDUCATION SUPPORT STAFFER AMONG OUR MOST DIVERSE EDUCATORS. AS WE KNOW, MANY HAVE DEEP ROOTS IN OUR COMMUNITY. THEY DO INCREDIBLY IMPORTANT WORK, BUILDING THAT RELATIONAL TRUST WITH FAMILIES AND STUDENTS ON THE FRONT LINES. THEY SUPPORT OUR STUDENTS' ACADEMIC, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL NEEDS EVERY DAY. A STARTING PARENT IN CAMBRIDGE EARNS ONLY $32,000 A YEAR. WE KNOW THAT SIMPLY NOT ENOUGH, UH, TO MAKE A LIFE IN OR AROUND CAMBRIDGE. SOMERVILLE HAS SHOWN US THAT WHEN A COMMUNITY DECIDES TO TRULY VALUE ITS POWER PROFESSIONALS, IT CAN PUT THAT COMMITMENT INTO A CONTRACT. CAMBRIDGE CAN DO THE SAME. PAYING [00:35:01] ESPS FAIRLY IS BOTH A RACIAL AND ECONOMIC JUSTICE ISSUE. ONE JOB SHOULD BE ENOUGH. OUR REVOLUTION, CAMBRIDGE SUPPORTS THE CEO'S CALL FOR AT LEAST A 6% INCREASE IN THE SCHOOL BUDGET TO FULLY FUND THE HIGH QUALITY SCHOOLS OUR STUDENTS AND FAMILIES DESERVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS EMAR TURNER. TROY, FOLLOWED BY CARL SCHMACK PEPPER. THEN JONATHAN HABER EMAR. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, UH, MY NAME IS IT MAR TURNER TRO. I LIVE IN 1 39 OXFORD STREET. I'M SPEAKING IN, UH, AGAINST POLICY ORDER EIGHT IN SUPPORT OF BUILDING THE HERE OF BANK LANES. I I'VE BIKED THEM, THOSE LANES AND THEY'RE FRANKLY AWFUL. THEY'RE NOT SAFE. UH, AND SO ONE THING ABOUT TRANSPORTATION IS THAT, UH, IN ORDER FOR IT TO BE USEFUL, IT HAS TO BE CONNECTED NETWORK. IF I CAN'T GET SOMEWHERE, UH, THEN LIKE THE FACT THAT THERE'S MAYBE A HALF BIKE LANE ON THE IN THE MIDDLE DOESN'T HELP. AND SO IF WE WANT LESS PEOPLE DRIVING IN CAMBRIDGE, LESS COMPETITION FOR PARKING, ONE OF THE WAYS WE CAN DO THAT IS ENSURING PEOPLE FROM NEIGHBORING TOWNS WHO COME HERE TO WORK DON'T HAVE TO DRIVE HERE. UH, I GET ALL THIS TRAFFIC IN FRONT OF MY HOUSE EVERY WEEKDAY EVENING BECAUSE OF COMMUTERS. AND SO IF WE HAVE SAFE BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CONNECTS THE NEIGHBORING TOWNS, MORE PEOPLE WILL BIKE. AND WE'RE ACTUALLY SEEING INCREASES IN BIKING FROM BELMONT, WHICH MEANS FEWER, WHICH GIVEN LIKE THE AREA SOME OF THOSE PEOPLE HAVE CHOSEN, UH, NOT TO DRIVE INTO CAMBRIDGE. AND WE CAN IMPROVE THAT BY BUILDING THESE BIKE LANES THAT CONNECT TO THEIR INFRASTRUCTURE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CARL SCHMUCK PEPPER, FOLLOWED BY JONATHAN HABER. THEN JANIE KATZ. CHRISTY CARL. CARL HAS NOT JOINED. WE WILL GO TO JONATHAN HABER. JONATHAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. ONE MINUTE. HEY THERE. I LIVE NEXT TO DHE PARK AND BIKE TO FRESH POND FREQUENTLY WITH MY TODDLER. AND SINCE THE WATERTOWN CAMBRIDGE GREENWAY OPENED, I BIKED TO WATERTOWN AND ARSENAL YARDS ALL THE TIME. UH, JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF REGIONAL CONNECTIONS THAT, THAT CHRIS MENTIONED A MINUTE AGO. UH, PLEASE COMPLETE THE READY APPROVED HURON AAV BIKE LANE. UH, THAT WILL COMPLETE THE CONNECTION TO BELMONT AND PLEASE DO IT WITHOUT A FIVE YEAR DELAY. A SMALL GAP IN A BIKE NETWORK HAS A HUGE IMPACT. IMAGINE A QUARTER MILE STRETCH OF MASS AVE WITHOUT A SIDEWALK AND THE IMPACT THAT WOULD HAVE ON PEDESTRIAN SAFETY AND HOW COMFORTABLE IT IS TO WALK THERE. AND HOW MANY PEDESTRIANS WOULD CHOOSE TO WALK ALONG MASS AVE IF THAT WAS THE CASE. THE EXACT SAME THING APPLIES TO CYCLISTS TRYING TO GET AROUND OUR CITY SAFELY AND SEPARATELY, PLEASE DON'T AMEND OUR ZONING TO CRIPPLED HOUSING PRODUCTION. AGAIN. THANKS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO CARL SCH PEPPER. THEN WE'LL GO TO SPEAKER NUMBER 31 JANIE KATZ. CHRISTI, FOLLOWED BY JEFFREY OCHI. CARL, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. CARL, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ONE MINUTE. UH, HELLO? UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, I CAN. UH, WONDERFUL. UM, YEAH, SO PLEASE DON'T DELAY THE, UH, OUTER HERE ON BIKE LANES. UM, THIS SUMMER, ONE OF MY FRIENDS GOT A NEW JOB IN BELMONT AND THE TWO OF US TRIED TO FIND A ROUTE THAT WOULD MAKE IT SO SHE COULD SAFELY GET TO HER NEW JOB, UM, FROM WHERE SHE LIVES IN, UH, CAMBRIDGE. UNFORTUNATELY, WE WERE UNABLE TO FIND A SAFE ROUTE THERE, UM, BECAUSE THE BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE IN CAMBRIDGE STOPS BEFORE GETS TO THE BORDER AND THE BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE IN BELMONT HAS NOT YET BEEN BUILT. SO INSTEAD SHE TAKES AN UBER TO WORK, THAT'S ANOTHER CAR ON THE ROAD, BOTH TO PICK HER UP AND TO TAKE HER TO WORK, FIXING THESE BIKE LANES, MAKING IT SO BELMONT'S PROJECTS ACTUALLY COULD BUILD. I WAS GONNA TAKE THESE CARS OFF THE ROAD. IT'S GONNA MAKE TRAFFIC BETTER FOR EVERYBODY. I'M GONNA MAKE IT. ALL OF US CAN DRIVE OR CAN GET TO WHERE WE'RE GOING SAFER. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JANIE KAZ. CHRISTY. JANIE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, UM, MY NAME IS JANIE CHRISTIE AND I LIVE AT 1 66 A ELM STREET. UM, AND I'M, I'M ALSO CALLING AS A COLLEGE WORKS, UM, TO, UH, ASK YOU TO SEE NOT VOTE, UH, TO DELAY THE IMPLEMENTATION OF OTHERS, UM, AREA. I, UM, I'M TIRED OF COMING TO THESE MEETINGS TO ASK CAMBRIDGE, ASK YOU, UM, TO NOT DELAY ON CERTAIN PARTS OF THIS AND THAT PART OF, UM, THE NETWORK THAT [00:40:01] WAS, WOULD HAVE BEEN BUILT OUT. UM, AND IT'S NOT A MINOR, IT'S NOT A MINOR THING, UM, TO LIKE FIND OTHER. THERE'S BEEN SO MUCH WORK THAT HAS GONE INTO THESE, UM, THE NETWORK AND IT'S VERY FRUSTRATING TO HAVE TO COME TO ALL THESE MEETINGS. THANKS, JANIE. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JEFFREY OCHI, FOLLOWED BY THERESE MCALLISTER, THEN MICHAEL MCALLISTER. JEFFREY JEFFREY HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL GO TO THERESE OR THERESE MCALLISTER, FOLLOWED BY MICHAEL ALLISTER. HELLO, MY NAME'S THERESE MCALLISTER. I LIVE AT 1 21 APPLETON STREET IN CAMBRIDGE. THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR TO ME SOLD. THE DEVELOPER IS COMING IN AND PUTTING IN NINE UNITS JUST UNDER THE AMOUNT THAT HE DOESN'T HAVE TO HAVE AFFORDABLE UNITS. THE FAMILY HAS BEEN DISPLACED AND NOW THE NEIGHBORS ARE GONNA HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE DEMOLITION OF THE PROPERTY. I WANNA REMIND THE PEOPLE HERE TONIGHT THAT ONCE A HUNDRED YEAR OLD HOUSE IS DEMOLISHED AND THE MATURE TREES ARE CUT DOWN AND THE OPEN SPACE WILL BE COMPLETELY PAVED OVER. 'CAUSE HE'S TAKING OVER EVERY INCH OF THE LOT. YOU CANNOT VOTE THAT BACK. THE HOUSE IS GETTING DEMOLISHED AND THE NEIGHBORS ALL AROUND OF IT WILL HAVE TO DEAL WITH THE PILE DRIVING ON A SMALL LOT. OUR PLASTER WILL CRACK OUR WINDOWS AND FOUNDATIONS WILL GET DAMAGED. WE'LL HAVE LESS SUNLIGHT. CHILDREN CAN'T LIVE IN THE SARDINE CANS BEING DEVELOPED IN CAMBRIDGE BY THESE DEVELOPERS. YOU GAVE A GREEN LIGHT TO THE DEVELOPERS, BUT YOU FORGOT, FORGOT TO ASK. TIME HAS EXPIRED, PROTECTING THE NEIGHBORHOODS. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER AN IS MICHAEL MCALLISTER, FOLLOWED BY FABIAN NOONA, THEN BENJAMIN BROSKI. MICHAEL, GOOD EVENING. I ALWAYS FOLLOW THERESA, UH, ONE 19 APPLETON STREET D AND D HOMES HAS ACQUIRED AT LEAST 22 AND THREE FAMILY BUILDINGS IN OUR AREA IN RECENT MONTHS WITH THE INTENTION OF DEMOLISHING THEM AND REPLACING THEM WITH NINE, AT LEAST NINE UNIT BUILDINGS, UM, THROUGHOUT THE AREA. ALTHOUGH THIS DEVELOPER HAS BEEN ACTIVE IN NORTHERN CYPRESS, I'M UNAWARE OF ANY MULTI-UNIT PROJECTS THAT HE'S ACTUALLY STARTED, LET ALONE COMPLETED IN THE US. THE CURRENT ZONING REGULATIONS CONTAIN VIRTUALLY NO GUARD RAILS TO ASSURE THAT DEVELOPMENTS ARE GOOD MULTI-UNIT DEVELOPMENTS THAT ENHANCE THEIR ENVIRONMENT IN WHICH THEY'RE SITUATED AND MINIMIZE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON EXISTING TENANTS AND HOMEOWNERS. THE PLANS WE'VE SEEN DON'T EVEN PAY LIP SERVICE TO THE CITY'S OWN GUIDELINES FOR GOOD MULTI-UNIT BUILDING DESIGN. AND FRANKLY, THAT'S NOT HIS JOB. IT'S THE CITY'S JOB TO MAKE SURE THAT WHAT'S LEFT BEHIND AND ENHANCES THE COMMUNITY LONG TERM. THE PLANS WE'VE SEEN MAY BE FINE FROM NORTHERN CYPRESS, BUT I THINK THAT CAMBRIDGE CAN AND SHOULD DO BETTER. WE RESPECTFULLY REQUEST THE COUNCIL PAUSE THE ISSUANCE OF ANY NEW DEMOLITION AND BUILDING PERMITS. THANK THE UPLOAD. CAN TIME EXPIRED? THANK YOU. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS FABIAN NOONA, FOLLOWED BY BENJAMIN BARTOWSKI, THEN CHARLES FRANKLIN. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS FABIAN AND I LEAVE AT ONE LAYTON STREET, APARTMENT 8 0 7 HERE IN CAMBRIDGE. I AM A THIRD AND FOURTH GRADE PORTUGUESE VIRGIN TEACHER AT A KING OPEN SCHOOL. AND I'M HERE IN SUPPORT OF OUR EDUCATORS. I WANT TO SPEAK SPECIALLY ABOUT WHY HAVING A PARAPROFESSIONAL IN EVERY ELEMENTARY CLASSROOM MATTERS EVERY DAY. WHEN I GIVE MY STUDENTS AN ASSIGNMENT, I NEED TO MAKE A CHOICE. FOR EXAMPLE, I MAY NEED TO SIT BESIDE A STUDENT WITH A DISABILITY OR AN ACADEMIC CHALLENGE. WHO NEEDS MY, IM IMMEDIATE SUPPORT, BUT WHILE I AM THERE, ANOTHER CHILD IS RAISING A HAND. ANOTHER ONE IS STRUGGLING TO UNDERSTAND THE DIRECTIONS AND ANOTHER ONE IS READY TO SOAR, BUT NEEDS SOMEONE TO LISTEN. AND I CANNOT BE IN ALL OF THOSE PLACES AT ONCE. EVEN THE MOST SKILLED SURGEON CANNOT PERFORM AN OPERATION ALONE. AND EVEN THE MOST DEDICATED TEACHER CANNOT MEET THE NEEDS OF EVERY CHILD ALONE. I SHOULD NOT HAVE TO CHOOSE WHICH STUDENTS RECEIVE MY ATTENTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BENJAMIN BARTOWSKI. BENJAMIN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. MY NAME IS BEN BEKI. I'M AT 15 ELLSWORTH. UH, I'M SPEAKING AGAINST DELAYING THE BIKE LANES AND OUTER URINE POLICY ORDER EIGHT. UH, I WANNA FIRST SAY THANKS TO THE CITY FOR MOVING FORWARD IN BROADWAY. BROADWAY HAS BASICALLY CHANGED MY LIFE AND MY COMMUTE ON A DAY-TO-DAY BASIS. I WOULD LOVE TO HAVE THAT SAME FEELING WHEN I'M BIKING NEAR FRESH POND IN GENERAL. FRESH POND IS JUST A GREAT PLACE FOR WALKING, RUNNING, BIKING, ALL THAT STUFF. IT SEEMS LIKE ACCESSIBILITY IS KEY HERE AND THIS SEEMS LIKE A MINOR TWEAK THAT WE COULD MAKE. UM, [00:45:01] I'D ALSO LIKE TO MAKE A SMALL COMMENT ON THE MULTI-FAMILY DISCUSSION. I'M REALLY SURPRISED TO SEE HERE SO MUCH OPPOSITION. I THINK CAMBRIDGE IS BASICALLY A CITY COSPLAYING AS A SMALL TOWN, AND THAT AFFORDABILITY IS ESSENTIAL. I REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT WE WOULD GET FROM PROTECTING MULTIMILLION DOLLAR MANSIONS, BUT IT'S, IT'S SURPRISING TO HEAR, UM, ALL THAT. UH, ALSO PLEASE PAY THE TEACHERS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER, WE'RE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 37. CHARLES FRANKLIN, WHO'LL BE FOLLOWED BY LISA GUCCIO, THEN JENNIFER WOODFIN. CHARLES 1 6 2 HAMPSHIRE STREET, CHARLES FRANKLIN. THAT IS THE SOUND OF MY BIKE BRAKES FOLLOWED BY THE SOUNDS OF A CAR HITTING ME WHILE TRYING TO PARK IN AN UNPROTECTED BIKE LANE. THAT'S ME TRYING TO GET TO WORK. AND SOME PEOPLE SAY, YOU KNOW, CHARLES, WHY DON'T YOU BUY A CAR, STOP BEING A SCRUB AND DRIVE TO WORK. WELL, LAST MONTH WHEN I DROVE TO WORK, A PERSON RAN A RED LIGHT AND HIT ME. INSURANCE TOTALED IT. IF YOU'RE UNHAPPY ABOUT BIKE LANES, PERHAPS YOU CAN MOVE TO BOSTON WHERE A CITY STAFFER ON A BIKE WAS KILLED BY A TRUCK AND THE MAYOR STILL MADE EXCUSES FOR CANCELING SAFETY PROJECTS AND BIKE LANES. SHAME ON HER. HOW MANY MORE PEOPLE HAVE TO DIE BEFORE WE STOP HAVING THIS DEBATE? 1, 2, 200. THAT'S HOW MANY CYCLISTS HAVE BEEN STRUCK AND KILLED IN MASSACHUSETTS SINCE 2002. I, WE HAVE A RIGHT TO GET FROM POINT A TO POINT B WITHOUT BEING RUN DOWN AND KILLED BY A DRIVER. AND MY RIGHT TO LIVE IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN YOUR PRIVILEGE TO PARK. THIS IS SHAMEFUL AND MY SYMPATHY HAS RUN OUT. WITHDRAW THIS POLICY ORDER. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LISA GUCCIO, FOLLOWED BY JENNIFER WOODFIN, THEN MARK BOSWELL. HI, LISA GUCCIO, 34 HIGH STREET. I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE POLICY ORDER TO VOTE IN SUPPORT OF, OF, UM, PAUSING THE OUTER HURON OFF BIKE LANE. IT'S NOT ABOUT BIKE SAFETY. THERE'S A BEAUTIFUL BIKE SAFE SEPARATED BIKE LANE ON HURON AVE THAT ALMOST EVERY SINGLE CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT ON HURON AVE COULD ACCESS. THIS IS ABOUT, UM, THE RESIDENTS THAT LIVE RIGHT THERE. OVER 70 RESIDENTS AT 700 HURON AVE HAVE SIGNED A PETITION TO PAUSE THIS PROJECT 'CAUSE IT'LL ENORMOUSLY IMPACT THEIR LIVES. IT THAT REPRESENTS ONE OF STRAWBERRIES HILL'S LARGEST AFFORDABLE HOUSING POPULATIONS, ELIMINATING OVER 40 SPACES DIRECTLY ACROSS FROM THIS LARGE BUILDING WHILE COMPETING WITH PARKING AT RUSSELL YOUTH CENTER. THE GOLF COURSE IN KINS RECREATIONAL FIELDS IS NOT ONLY GOING TO GREATLY DIMINISH THEIR ABILITY TO GET INTO THEIR HOMES, BUT DIMINISH THE USE OF OUR BEAUTIFUL RECREATIONAL FACILITIES BY OTHER RESIDENTS IN OUR CITY. PARKING IS ALSO NOT BECOMING MORE, IS GOING TO BE MORE AND MORE COMPETITIVE WITH THE LARGE NUMBER OF DEVELOPMENTS BEING BUILT IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. IT'S A BIG UNKNOWN. WE OFTEN TALK ABOUT OUR VALUES AND THE IMPORTANCE WE PLACE ON INCREASING AFFORDABLE HOUSING. PLEASE TELL US THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JENNIFER WOODFIN, FOLLOWED BY MARK BOSWELL, THEN MARYLEE MEYER. JENNIFER, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HI, MY NAME IS JENNIFER WOODFIN. I LIVE AT 34 BROOK FORD STREET. I, UM, AM HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO CALL FOR A PAUSE AND A REEVALUATION OF THE INCENTIVES THAT ARE BEING GIVEN TO DEVELOPERS. AS PART OF THIS ORDINANCE, I, UM, LIVE ON BROOKFIELD STREET WHERE WE HAVE ALREADY TWO BUILDINGS THAT HAVE BEEN PURCHASED BY DEVELOPERS, INCLUDING MY NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS. UM, MY NEIGHBOR TOLD ME THAT SHE WOULD NEVER SELL TO A DEVELOPER, BUT I GUESS THEY MADE HER AN OFFER THAT SHE COULDN'T REFUSE. AND I AM CONCERNED ABOUT THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT. UM, THE TREES, THE PLANTS, THE BEAUTIFUL GARDEN THAT SHE HAS BUILT THERE WITH MANY MATURE TREES THAT, YOU KNOW, I DON'T KNOW IF THAT'S GOING TO SURVIVE. HOW WILL THIS AFFECT MY QUALITY OF LIFE? UM, AS WELL AS OUR ENTIRE COMMUNITY. UM, SO I'D LIKE TO CALL FOR EXAMINING THE INCENTIVES AND REEVALUATING THE TERMS OF THE ORDINANCE. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARK BOSWELL, FOLLOWED BY MARYLEE MEYER, THEN ABIGAIL STARR. MARK, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. UH, HELLO. MY NAME IS MARK BOSWELL. I LIVE AT 1 0 5 WALDEN STREET, CAMBRIDGE. SPEAKING ABOUT POLICY ORDER NUMBER EIGHT, YOU'RE ON, YOU'RE ON A BIKE LANES, UH, AS A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT AND CYCLING INSTRUCTOR FOR CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL SIXTH GRADERS. I URGE YOU TO VOTE NO ON THIS POLICY ORDER AND ALLOW THE PROJECT TO MOVE FORWARD AS SCHEDULED. THERE'S ALREADY BEEN A PUBLIC PROCESS FOR THE PROJECT. FEEDBACK WAS COLLECTED BY THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION AND DESIGNS HAVE BEEN ADVANCED TO THE POINT OF BEING READY FOR INSTALLATION IN THE COMING WEEKS. THIS IS ALSO A MEANINGFUL REGIONAL CONNECTION TO THE NEIGHBORING TOWN OF BELMONT. AS A CITY SEEKING TO PROVIDE SUSTAINABLE [00:50:01] TRANSPORTATION ALTERNATIVES, WE SHOULD BE BUILDING SAFE, COMFORTABLE ROUTES IN THE BICYCLE NETWORK DEFINED BY THE 2020 BICYCLE PLAN. INSTEAD OF PROVIDING UNLIMITED UNREGULAR UNREGULATED FREE PARKING AT THE COST OF HAVING AN INCOMPLETE NETWORK, THIS IS AT ODDS WITH THE, UH, SPIRIT AND THE LANGUAGE OF THE CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE. PLEASE VOTE NO. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARILEE MEYER, FOLLOWED BY ABIGAIL STARR. THEN WALTER WILLETTE. WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 41 MARYLEE. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, I'M MARYLEE MEYER 10 DANA STREET. WHILE CDD AMENDMENTS FOR MULTIFAMILY ZONING ARE POSITIVE AMENDMENTS BY PRO DEVELOPER COUNSELORS SEEM SHALLOW AND OBSTRUCTIONISTS HOW WERE AMENDMENTS EVALUATED TO BEGIN WITH? SOME UNITS ARE BETTER THAN NONE. AMENDMENT ONE AND ONE A HAVE BEEN ROLLED TOGETHER INTO A POLICY ORDER, NOT ALLOWING SEPARATE DELIBERATION. NO RE UH, REDUCTION IN INCLUSIONARY HOUSING UNITS CAN BE MADE. INCLUSIONARY IS BASED ON SQUARE FOOTAGE, NOT NUMBER OF UNITS. IF CITY DEPARTMENTS, UM, SEEK, UM, SEEK TO ACCOMMODATE CO CODE VIOLATIONS, STORM WATER, ET CETERA, IN A LARGE BUILDING, CAN ONE TO THREE UNITS BE DROPPED TO COMPLY? WILL REMAINDER UNITS BE REJECTED? UM, EXTENSIVE, UM, DEMOLITION NEEDS CLARIFICATION, LAND VALUES, UM, ESCALATE CAUSING LEASE TERMINATION. UM, WILL ZONING LANGUAGE BRUSH ASIDE, PRACTICAL EVALUATIONS FOR COUNCIL EXPEDIENCY. COUNT THE YARD SIGNS. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ABIGAIL STARR, FOLLOWED BY WALTER WILLETTE, THEN THOMAS G**O. ABIGAIL ONE MINUTE. HI, MY NAME'S ABIGAIL STARR. I LIVE AT 16 RICHARD AVE. UM, I'M SPEAKING AGAINST CANCELING THE OUTER HERE ON BIKE SAFETY PROJECT POLICY ORDER NUMBER EIGHT. I'VE GONE FROM PRIMARILY RELYING ON MY CAR FOR LOCAL TRANSIT TO PRIMARILY RELYING ON MY BIKE OVER THE LAST 10 YEARS. AND THAT'S BECAUSE OF THE BIKE SAFETY INFRASTRUCTURE THAT CAMBRIDGE AND SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES HAVE INSTALLED IN THAT TIME. BUT THERE ARE STILL IMPORTANT GAPS IN THE NETWORK THAT MAKE SOME TRIPS FEEL UNSAFE, LIKE THE OUTER SECTION OF HURON APP. EVEN A SHORT GAP LIKE THAT BETWEEN SAFE INFRASTRUCTURE CAN MAKE AN ENTIRE TRIP FEEL UNDOABLE BY BICYCLE. IT'S A SHORT BUT IMPORTANT PIECE OF INFRASTRUCTURE AND I URGE THE COUNCIL TO VOTE AGAINST DELAYS TO THE PROJECT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS WALTER WILLETT, FOLLOWED BY THOMAS G**O. THEN SARAH BLOCK. WALTER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. UH, AND I REALLY APPRECIATE ALL THE COUNCIL HAS DONE TO IMPROVE BICYCLE TRANSPORTATION IN CAMBRIDGE. I DO WANT TO SPEAK, UH, TO, IN FAVOR OF SAYING NO TO CANCELLATION. THESE ADDITIONAL LANES ARE VERY IMPORTANT AND I SPEAK AS A PHYSICIAN, A PARENT, A GRANDPARENT, AND SAFETY IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT. PEOPLE ARE STILL BEING SERIOUSLY INJURED AND AND DYING BECAUSE OF COLLISIONS BETWEEN, UH, AUTOMOBILES, TRUCKS AND, UH, PEDESTRIANS AND BICYCLE RIDERS. UH, JUST IN THE SAKE OF A HEALTHY CAMBRIDGE. UH, PLEASE DO VOTE NO ON THIS DELAY. AND I DO WANT TO JUST ONE, ADD A QUICK NOTE THAT I DO SUPPORT CAUSING THE, UH, THE, THE REGULATIONS ON, UH, HOUSING THIS. UH, I THINK WE'RE MOVING TOO FAST IN DEMOLISHING AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN CAMBRIDGE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS THOMAS GARROW, FOLLOWED BY SARAH BLOCK THOMAS. YES, THANK YOU. UM, I LIVE AT 37 PLEASANT STREET. UM, THE HOUSE TWO HOUSES BEHIND MY HOUSE ARE DUE TO BE DESTROYED. THESE ARE VICTORIAN HOUSES AND REPLACED BY A 60 TO 70 UNIT TOWER. THAT WILL PREVENT ME MY BEING ABLE TO PUT SOLAR PANELS ON MY ROOF. IT'LL KILL MY GARDEN FULL OF RARE AMAZONIAN HOT PEPPERS. AND, UH, MY GRANDDAUGHTER WON'T BE ABLE TO PLAY THERE. UM, WHERE IS ALL THAT SEW GOING TO GO OF THE EXTRA 58 FAMILIES WHERE THERE USED TO BE TOO. IT'S GOING TO BACK UP INTO MY BASEMENT, DOWN WESTERN AVENUE AND THEN INTO THE CHARLES RIVER. WE ALREADY HAVE SEWAGE BACKING UP EVERY TIME IT RAINS. WE SHOULD BE PAUSING, PUTTING A MORATORIUM ON ANY NEW HOUSING DEVELOPMENT AND WE CLEAN UP OUR EXISTING ACT FIRST BEFORE WE BUILD NEW HOUSES. JUST EXTREMELY RESPONSIBLE. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER. HELLO. UH, EVERYONE WAS DOING SO WELL. UH, I REALLY, I DON'T WANNA SAY IT MULTIPLE TIMES FOLKS, AND PARTICULARLY PEOPLE MAY HAVE DIFFERENT OPINIONS, SO CLAPPING [00:55:01] AND, AND DOING THAT, YOU KNOW, AFFECTS THEIR ABILITY, RIGHT? THEY MAY NOT WANNA, UM, BE HERE. SO PLEASE NO CLAPPING. UH, WE'LL DO ONE OR TWO MORE AND THEN WE HAVE TO BREAK FOR THE TAX RATE. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SARAH BLOCK. SARAH HAS NOT JOINED US. WE'RE GOING TO GO TO RACHEL FRIEDEN, FOLLOWED BY ARJUN JA KAMAR, RACHEL. OKAY. OKAY. I GET THE TIME. OKAY. THANK YOU. ALL RIGHT. MY NAME IS RACHEL FRIEDEN. I'M READING THE ANONYMOUS TESTIMONY OF A SEX WORKER WITHIN CAMBRIDGE. UH, IT SAYS TO THE CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL, MY NAME IS RECKLESS AND I'M A FULL SERVICE SEX WORKER AND RESIDENT OF CAMBRIDGE. I AM REACHING OUT FOR YOUR SUPPORT AS A COMMUNITY MEMBER AND FELLOW CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT TO ASK YOU TO PASS POLICY ORDER NUMBER 10. EVEN NOW, I'M AFRAID TO BE PRESENT AND SHARE MY OWN EXPERIENCE BECAUSE OF THE BACKLASH I MIGHT FACE FOR THE WORK I DO. BUT I KNOW HOW IMPORTANT THIS IS FOR ME AND MY FELLOW SEX WORKERS AS A BLACK QUEER AND DISABLED PERSON, NOT MYSELF, , UH, WHO OFTEN STRUGGLES IN A CONVENTIONAL WORK SETTING DUE TO RACISM, HOMOPHOBIA, AND ABLEISM. SEX WORK HAS BEEN THE WAY I CAN CONSISTENTLY MEET MY FINANCIAL NEEDS, MY FAMILY'S NEEDS, AND THE WAY I AM ABLE TO OFFER SUPPORT TO COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO ARE STRUGGLING. ALSO, IT'S INCREDIBLY VITAL THAT CAMBRIDGE DECRIMINALIZED SEX WORK AS I WANT TO BE ABLE TO KEEP MYSELF SAFE WHILE I'M ABLE TO TOPIC. RACHEL, YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. OUR NEXT SPEAKER AND THEN WE WILL BREAK FOR THE TAX RATE HEARING IS ARJUN KUMAR ARJUN. ONE MINUTE PLEASE. THANK YOU. GOOD EVENING, ARJUN JAYMAR 1 75 RICHDALE AVENUE. AGENDA ITEM NUMBER SIX, I'M HERE TO TELL YOU A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE PEOPLE BEHIND THE CA CONTRACT. PARAPROFESSIONAL CLERKS AND SUBSTITUTES ARE ESSENTIAL TO OUR SCHOOLS. SOME OF THEM ASSIST WITH TOILETING FOR OUR YOUNGEST KIDS OR CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES. SOME WORK ONE-ON-ONE WITH KIDS WITH THE MOST ACUTE SPECIAL NEEDS. SOME SERVE AS A TEACHER'S RIGHT HAND OR A CHILD'S MOST TRUSTED ADULT. THEY'RE ALSO SOME OF THE MO LOWEST PAID UNION EMPLOYEES IN THE CITY. OTHERS INCLUDE LIBRARY CLERKS, EARLY EDUCATION EMPLOYEES, SCHOOL CAFETERIA WORKERS, AND SCHOOL CUSTODIAL STAFF. IT WON'T BE LOST ON ANY OF US, BUT THESE ARE FIELDS THAT LARGELY WORK WITH KIDS AND ARE DISPROPORTIONATELY WOMEN, PEOPLE OF COLOR OR BOTH. THESE ARE TOUGH TIMES ECONOMICALLY FOR THE CITY. THEY FALL TOUGHEST ON THOSE WHO EARN THE LEAST. WE ARE PUTTING THE PEOPLE ENTRUSTED WITH THE CARE OF OUR KIDS IN A REALLY IMPOSSIBLE SITUATION AND WE DO NOT HAVE TO DO THIS. NAOMI, CAN YOU ALLOW ONE MORE PERSON JUST SO THAT WE'RE NOT YES. UH, WE WILL GO TO LAURA CLAWSON. LAURA, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. UM, HI. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS LAURA CLAWSON. I LIVE AT 1 75 RICHDALE AVENUE AND I'M THE PARENT OF A CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT WHO HAS BENEFITED ENORMOUSLY FROM THE WORK OF UNION STAFF AT GRAHAM PARKS, INCLUDING PARAPROFESSIONALS AND OTHER ESPS. I'M ASKING THIS BODY TO FOLLOW A FEW BASIC PRINCIPLES. PUBLIC MONEY SHOULD FULFILL OUR VALUES AND OUR VALUES SHOULD INCLUDE THE IMPORTANCE OF A LIVING WAGE WHEN WORK IS HISTORICALLY DEVALUED BECAUSE IT'S PRIMARILY DONE BY WOMEN OF PEOPLE OF COLOR. THAT'S SOMETHING WE SHOULD CHANGE. THE WORK OF CORRALLING 20 PLUS STUDENTS AND GETTING THEM TO LEARN TO READ AND DO MATH AND ALSO BE KIND TO EACH OTHER IS DESERVING OF RAISE, AT LEAST AS BIG AS THE WORK OF SITTING IN THIS FROM WHERE I STAND. IF YOU WON'T ENSURE THAT THE SCHOOL DISTRICT'S WORKERS ARE GETTING A LIVING WAGE, THEN EITHER YOU HAVE FAILED AT YOUR VALUES OR YOU SIMPLY HAVE BAD VALUES. I HOPE THAT YOU'LL DO THE RIGHT THING BY OUR SCHOOLWORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. SO THE TIME IS SIX 30. HAVING ARRIVED, THE COUNCIL WILL RECESS THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING AND MOVE TO THE PUBLIC MEETING ON THE TAX RATE CLASSIFICATION AND THEN RESUME THE REGULAR CITY COUNCIL MEETING IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING ON A VOICE VOTE. WE'LL GO AHEAD. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR TO RECESS, SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. WE ARE RECESSED. AND WE'RE MOVING INTO THE SIX 30 PUBLIC MEETING. GO BACK TO, UH, THE REGULARLY SCHEDULED [01:00:01] REGULAR MEETING AND DO A ROLL. CALL OF MEMBERS PRESENT. COUNCILOR ZUBY. PRESENT. PRESENT. MIR PRESENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCIL MCGOVERN. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR NOLAN. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR EY. PRESENT. PRESENT. MAYOR SIDIKI. PRESENT. PRESENT. YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED AS PRESENT. SO BEFORE WE MOVE BACK TO PUBLIC COMMENT, I WOULD LIKE TO ENTERTAIN A MOTION TO SUSPEND THE RULES TO BRING FORWARD THE CITY MANAGER AGENDA. JUST TO PULL ANYTHING THAT WE WANT TO BE PULLED. I'M LOOKING AT THE TIME WE HAVE MANY PUBLIC SPEAKER COMMENT SPEAKERS AHEAD. SO I WANTED TO JUST PULL WHAT WE ARE GOING TO PULL AND THEN DO A ROLL CALL ON THE BALANCE SO THAT UM, WHOEVER, UH, CAN GO HOME, CAN GO HOME. SO ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN ON SUSPENSION, DO ROLL CALL COUNCILLOR ZUBY? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR ZI? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. WE'RE IN SUSPENSION. THERE ARE EIGHT CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEMS WHERE THERE ARE ITEMS THAT MY COLLEAGUES WANTED TO PULL AND DISCUSS. HEARING NONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON ALL THE CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEMS. AND THAT'S FOR APPROVAL. ADOPTION, ADOPTION, APPROVING ALL THE CMAS AND ADOPTING, UH, AND APPROVING, UH, ANY ORDERS, ASSOCIATED APPOINTMENTS AND APPOINTMENTS IN THE EIGHT CITY MANAGER AGENDA ITEMS. COUNCILOR ZUBE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILOR? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. WE'RE DONE WITH THE CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA. WE'LL GO TO BACK TO PUBLIC COMMENT. NAOMI? YES. THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. WE WILL GO BACK TO PUBLIC COMMENT BEGINNING AT SPEAKER OR RESTARTING AT SPEAKER NUMBER 49. ANDREW RUE, FOLLOWED BY CARLOS LOYA. THEN JAMES Z ANDREW. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. PRESS THE BUTTON. JUST PRESS THE BUTTON. IT'S ON. UH, MY NAME IS ANDREW RUB. I LIVE ON APPLETON STREET. SPEAKING ABOUT THE PAUSING, OR EXCUSE ME, MODIFYING THE MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. I'M A LOCAL CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT. I'M NOT, I'M A COLLEGE SPORTS COACH AND NOT A FANCY DEVELOPER AND HOPE MY VOICE WILL BE HEARD. I SUPPORT AFFORDABLE HOUSING, YET THE NEW ZONING MAKES CAMBRIDGE A HIGH-END LUXURY DEVELOPER PARADISE. UM, I KNOW THAT WAS NOT THE INTENTION. WE NEGLECTED BASIC ZONING GUARDRAILS AND ALLOWED TO DEVELOP HUGE DEVELOPMENTS ON POSTAGE SIZE STAMP FAMILY LOTS. JUST LOOK AT NINE WYMAN AS A CAUTIONARY TALE. IT'S CLEARLY NOT CREATING AFFORDABLE HOUSING AS WAS INTENDED. PLEASE LOOK AT THE CAMBRIDGE REDEVELOPMENT TRACKER AND EDUCATE YOURSELF. NOTE HOW LITTLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING THIS IS CREATING AT A HUGE COST TO OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. AS SOMEONE MENTIONED, COUNT THE YARD SIGNS, THE MOVEMENT IS GROWING. I READ EZRA KLEIN IN ABUNDANCE LIKE EVERYBODY ELSE, AND THIS IS NOT WHAT'S, WHAT'S HAPPENING HERE. SO, UM, I HOPE THERE'S A PAUSE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CARLOS LOYA, FOLLOWED BY JAMES ZAL. THEN CAROL ALEXANDRO. CARLOS, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. CARLOS LOYA. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO JAMES AL JAMES, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YES, THIS IS JAMES A 66 SHERMAN STREET. THE STATED GOAL OF THE RECENT MULTIFAMILY ZONING IS TO ALLOW AND PROMOTE MORE HOUSING IN ALL NEIGHBORHOODS. THE LAW SUCCESS TOWARD ACHIEVING THAT GOAL IS EVIDENT IN THE INCREASE IN THE NUMBER OF PLANNED AND STARTED UNITS SINCE IT WAS PASSED. OPPONENTS OF THAT REFORM ARE NOW CALLING FOR DENIAL OF BUILDING PERMITS UNTIL THEIR PERSONAL OBJECTIONS TO NEW HOMES ARE MET. THEY SAY THAT THEY'RE JUST TRYING TO PROTECT THEIR OWN STREET OR NEIGHBORHOOD, BUT THERE'S MUCH MORE AT STAKE ALL ACROSS THE CITY. THE AMENDMENTS YOU'RE CONSIDERING TONIGHT WILL ROLL BACK SOME PROVISIONS OF THE 6-YEAR-OLD A HO, WHICH HAS PRODUCED MANY NEW HOMES FOR THE POOREST AMONG US IN AREAS THAT WERE ONCE EFFECTIVELY OFF LIMITS. [01:05:01] YOU'VE MADE NOTEWORTHY PROGRESS TO REDUCING THE PLAGUE OF EXCLUSIONARY LAW THAT HAS WEIGHED HEAVILY ON CAMBRIDGE FOR MANY DECADES. IT WOULD BE A DREADFUL SHAME IF YOU ALLOW THAT WORK TO BE REDUCED TO A MERE TWO YEAR INTERMISSION IN THE LONG RUN OF INEQUITY AND INJUSTICE. PLEASE STAND STRONG. THANK YOU. JAMES. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO AN EARLIER SKIP SPEAKER SARAH BLOCK, FOLLOWED BY CAROL ALEXANDRA, THEN KATE ZA. SARAH, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. UH, GOOD EVENING EVERYONE. I AM, UH, RIGHT SPEAKING TO, UM, ASK YOU, UM, NOT TO SUPPORT A PAUSE ON UPPER HURON TO MITIGATE PARKING. LOOKING THROUGH EXTENSIVE ANALYSIS, THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT IS DONE WITH PUBLIC FEEDBACK. I'M CERTAIN THAT MANY OF THE CONCERNS THAT THE COUNCIL HAVE WILL BE ADDRESSED IN THE FINAL PROJECT PLANS. I AM SUPPORTIVE OF A STUDY FOLLOWING THE APPROXIMATELY 1200 FOOT COMPLETION OF THE PROTECTED CYCLE LANE ON UPPER HERE ONTO GROVE TO DETERMINE IF IT ACTUALLY CREATES A PARKING ISSUE, A SHORTAGE. I ALSO WANNA NOTE THAT THE PARKING THAT WILL BE ELIMINATED IS CURRENTLY ON THE RESERVOIR SIDE AGAINST FENCE WITH NO SIDEWALK AT ALL AND IS UNREGULATED AND HAS PLACED PEOPLE STORE RVS AND BOATS. IT'S LIKELY AN UNSAFE SITUATION TO HAVE PEOPLE UNLOADING THEIR SPORTS EQUIPMENT AND WALKING ON THE STREET TO THE CLUBHOUSE ALONG A BLIND CURVE. THE PROJECT'S ALSO ADDING TWO DISABLED SPACES, OVERNIGHT, RESIDENTIAL PARKING, AND NINE SPACES NEAR THE VFW YOUTH CENTER. THANK YOU. SARAH, PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CAROL ALEXANDRA, FOLLOWED BY KATE ELLI, THEN JAMES LYMAN. CAROL, ONE MINUTE PLEASE HALT THE WAR ON CARS AND PARKING THIS TIME ON HURON AVENUE. GIVING UP 53 STREET PARKING SPOTS AT THE END OF HURON AVENUE IS TOO MUCH OF A TRADE OFF THIS TIME. HARDLY ANYONE BIKES ALONG THIS STRETCH OF HURON AS MOST BIKERS AREN'T HERE ON BIKE TO THE DESTINATIONS FROM THE CAMBRIDGE DIRECTION TO BLACKEN, FIELDS'S AND PLAYGROUND, THE VFW RUSSELL CENTER OF THE GOLF COURSE, UH, OR THE TALL RESIDENTIAL BUILDING. BEYOND THOSE DESTINATIONS, THERE ISN'T MUCH USE FOR A BIKE PATH THAT WILL ELIMINATE 53 PARKING SPOTS USED BY THE DEZENS OF ALL THOSE DESTINATIONS. BUT LET'S LOOK AT THE MATH 133 AVERAGE PRECIPITATION DAYS IN CAMBRIDGE. UH, I SAW ONE BIKER TODAY ON WESTERN AVENUE WHERE MY OFFICE A BUTTS AND FACES THE BIKE PATH. THERE ARE FIVE TO SIX MONTHS OF WINTER WHERE HARDLY ANYONE BIKES ON THE BIKE, BIKE PATHS, EXCEPT OFTEN MYSELF. THAT STRETCH TO ALL FOLLOWERS OF COMMON SENSE IS NOT EVEN REMOTELY WORTH GETTING RID OF 53 PARKING SPACES FOR. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KATE ZAFARELLI. KATE HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL MOVE ON TO JAMES LYMAN, FOLLOWED BY KAYLA GOODA, THEN ALEX STICKLE. JAMES. YES. MY NAME IS JAMES LYMAN AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE DIFFICULTY OF ACTUALLY BUILDING HOUSING IN CAMBRIDGE. I AM THE PRESIDENT OF A COMPANY THAT OWNS THREE ACRES OF LAND IN WEST CAMBRIDGE NEXT TO THE TOBIN SCHOOL IN THE D PARK. THIS IS A SUBSTANTIALLY LARGE PIT TRACK OF LAND AND WOULD EXTREMELY USEFUL FOR HOUSING. SINCE HE PASSED THE ZONING IN 2 25. WE HAVE TRIED TO FIND DEVELOPERS TO BUILD HOUSING OF THIS PROPERTY. SO FAR WE'VE BEEN UNABLE TO FIND ANYONE WILLING TO TAKE ON THIS PROJECT. THE REALITY IS THAT A DEVELOPER HAS TO LOOK AT ALL COSTS AND RISKS TO DETERMINE IF A PROJECT IS FEASIBLE. THAT'S WHY I'M PARTICULARLY CONCERNED WITH EFFORTS TO REPEAL 20, THE 2025 ZONING CHANGES THAT CREATED HOUSING OPPORTUNITIES IN CAMBRIDGE. I STRONGLY URGE THE COUNCIL NOT TO REPEAL THE ZONING. WE NEED ENOUGH FLEXIBILITY AND HAVE DEVELOPMENT AND PROJECTS TO OVERCOME THESE EXTRAORDINARY COSTS. I BELIEVE THAT BEFORE THE COUNCIL, WE SIMPLY CANNOT ALLOW, ASK HOW MUCH HOUSING CAN WE ALLOW? WE NEED TO ASK HOW MUCH HOUSING WE CAN CREATE AND CAN BE ACTUALLY BUILT. THIS WILL ALSO INCREASE THE TAX BASE SUBSTANTIALLY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KAYLA GOODELL, FOLLOWED BY ALEX DICKEL. THEN JOSIAH D KIARA. KAYLA, HELLO, UH, KAYLA GOODELL. I'M AT 3 39 BROADWAY, UM, AND I'M HERE TODAY IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDERS 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, AND 10. IT'S A BIG DAY. THANKS Y'ALL FOR BEING PATIENT WITH US. UM, I WANNA SAY I AM THE DAUGHTER OF A PROUD MASSACHUSETTS TEACHERS ASSOCIATION MEMBER AND TODAY I'M HERE TO ENCOURAGE THE COUNCIL TO VOTE YES IN SUPPORT OF UNITE HERE, LOCAL 26, TEAMSTERS 25, AND THE CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. UM, IT IS NOT LOST ON ME THAT THE FOLKS THAT WE ARE ASKING TO PAY LIVING WAGES TO ARE PRIMARILY FOLKS THAT PROVIDE SERVICE [01:10:01] TO US IN OUR EXPERIENCE OF LIVING A GOOD LIFE. AND SO WHEN WE TALK ABOUT CAMBRIDGE EDUCATION ASSOCIATION, WE TALK ABOUT THE PARAS. THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO LIVE LOCALLY. THEY NEED TO NOT BE ABLE NEED TO WORK THREE JOBS. WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE FOLKS THAT WORK UP AT ENCORE, THEY NEED TO BE ABLE TO HAVE A REALISTIC COMMUTE TO WORK. THEY NEED THE ABILITY TO LIVE A GOOD LIFE, AND I ASK THAT YOU SUPPORT THEM TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALEX STICKLE, FOLLOWED BY JOSIAH QUIARA, THEN HOPE TURNER. HI, ALEX STICKLE, 41 STEARNS. UM, ON THE BIKE LANES, IS THERE A SINGLE BIKE LANE THAT WE HAVE PLANNED THAT THREE COUNSELORS WILL NOT OPPOSE A PRE-PLANNED BIKE LANE THAT CONNECTS TWO CITIES TOGETHER? I BIKED HERE TODAY. I BIKE EVERY DAY. I DON'T BIKE ON THAT ROAD BECAUSE WHO WANTS TO BIKE ON A ROAD WHERE 30 MILE AN HOUR CARS FLY ON THE SAME LANE AS YOU ON HOUSING? PLEASE DON'T COUNT THE YARD SIGNS. I LIVE IN A HOUSE WITH ONE OF THOSE YARD SIGNS. IT'S NOT MINE, IT'S MY LANDLORD'S. I CAN'T PUT A SIGN UP UNLESS IT BLOCKS THE ONE WINDOW INTO THE FRONT OF MY HOUSE. THIS IS A WELL ORGANIZED, WEALTHY GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS FIGHTING FOR THEIR OWN DESIRES. I CAN'T PAINT MY LIVING ROOM BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD A HOUSE HERE. MY WIFE AND I COMBINED MAKE NOT ENOUGH TO BUY 1.5 MILLIONS. WE BARELY MAKE ENOUGH THAT IN FIVE YEARS WE COULD AFFORD A MILLION, BUT WE CAN'T DO IS AFFORD ONE OF THESE HOMES AND SINGLE FAMILIES THAT ARE SO WORRIED ABOUT WHO'S LIVING NEXT TO THEM. IT MIGHT BE ME. OH, NO. THANK YOU ALEX. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOSIAH DE CHIRA, FOLLOWED BY HOPE TURNER. STEVEN SUCCI, THEN GALLERY VIJAYA KUMAR. JOSIAH. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JOSIA DE CHIRA FROM BOSTON. AS AN EDUCATOR AT DARBY VASSAL UPPER SCHOOL, I CALL ON YOU ALL TO PRIORITIZE STUDENTS IN CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS BY PASSING POLICY ORDER 1 7 9. IN A RICH CITY LIKE CAMBRIDGE, ALL EDUCATORS DESERVE TO EARN A LIVING WAGE. THAT MEANS AT LEAST A 6% INCREASE TO THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT BUDGET. MY SCIENCE CLASSROOM HAS STUDENTS READING ABOVE GRADE LEVEL STUDENTS USING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY, STUDENTS TAKING MOVEMENT BREAKS TO FOCUS STUDENTS WHO HAVEN'T GOTTEN BREAKFAST YET, STUDENTS WHO ARE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR FAMILIES AND ALL OF THEM ARE STUDENTS WHO WANT TO LEARN AND SUCCEED. I AM LUCKY TO WORK WITH BRILLIANT AND TALENTED PARAPROFESSIONALS WHO WORK TIRELESSLY TO MEET ALL OF THESE NEEDS, DESPITE THE FACT THAT MANY OF THEM ALSO WORK SECOND AND THIRD JOBS BECAUSE CAMBRIDGE STILL PAYS POVERTY WAGES. OUR STUDENTS NEED OUR EDUCATORS FOR SUPPORT AND OUR EDUCATORS NEED YOU FOR SUPPORT. DO THAT TODAY BY PASSING POLICY ORDER 1 7 9. OUR STUDENTS DESERVE FULLY FUNDED CON SCHOOLS, SO USE YOUR POWER TO ALLOCATE ADDITIONAL MONEY TO THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT AND SETTLE OUR CONTRACTS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS HOPE TURNER, FOLLOWED BY STEVEN SUCCI. HOPE YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, MY NAME IS HOPE TURNER. I LIVE AT 32 VINEYARD STREET. AS A CAREGIVER OF A HAGGERTY SCHOOL STUDENT, I'M URGING YOU TO FIND THE MONEY FOR A 6% INCREASE IN THE BUDGET SO WE CAN PAY EDUCATORS MORE. MY SON HAS HAD AN AMAZING EXPERIENCE AT HAGGERTY BECAUSE OF HIS TEACHERS AND EDUCATIONAL SUPPORT PROFESSIONALS. THE PARAEDUCATORS IN MY SON'S CLASSROOMS HAVE PROVIDED IMPORTANT SUPPORT FOR HIM AROUND HIS SENSORY NEEDS. FOR EXAMPLE, NOTICING WHEN HE SEEMS UNCOMFORTABLE AFTER GETTING SOMETHING STICKY ON HIS HAND AND HELPING HIM. THIS KIND OF INDIVIDUALIZED ATTENTION MAKES SUCH A DIFFERENCE IN HOW COMFORTABLE HE FEELS AT SCHOOL AND HIS READINESS TO LEARN. I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND HOW MUCH CPS EDUCATORS CARE AND I ALSO SEE SO MUCH POTENTIAL FOR BURNOUT. PARA SHOULDN'T HAVE TO WORK ADDITIONAL JOBS AND ALL EDUCATORS SHOULD EARN ENOUGH TO BE ABLE TO LIVE IN CAMBRIDGE IF THEY WANT. WE DON'T VALUE CARE WORK IN THIS COUNTRY, BUT CAMBRIDGE CAN BE A LEADER IN CHANGING THAT. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS STEVEN SUCCI. STEVEN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. STEVEN LUCCI, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. SORRY. UM, GREAT. STEVEN LUCCI, 32 VINEYARD STREET. SAME AS HOPE, WHO WE JUST HEARD FROM. I SECOND EVERYTHING SHE SAID ABOUT OUR SON'S. ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL EXPERIENCE IN CAMBRIDGE SCHOOLS. I JUST WANT TO ADD, I THINK WE COULD PAY THE EDUCATORS THROUGH A TAX INCREASE. I SAY THIS IS SOMEONE PRIVILEGED TO BE A HOMEOWNER IN THE CITY. CAMBRIDGE HAS A SUBSTANTIAL EXCESS TAX LEVY CAPACITY. THE STATED PURPOSE OF WHICH IS TO PROVIDE THE FLEXIBILITY TO RAISE TAXES WHEN WE NEED TO. I KEEP HEARING THAT WE'RE FACING ECONOMIC HEADWINDS. UM, AND MAYBE THIS IS A REASON WE SHOULD BE CAREFUL ABOUT SPENDING, BUT I'D LIKE TO NOTE THAT WE'RE COMING OFF SOME STRONG ECONOMIC TAILWINDS THAT HAVE ALLOWED US TO INCREASE THE EXCESS LIVY IN RECENT YEARS FOR AN OCCASION JUST LIKE [01:15:01] THIS. I THINK PAYING OUR EDUCATORS ENOUGH SO THAT THEY CAN CONTINUE TO DO OUTSTANDING WORK AND ALSO AFFORD TO LIVE HERE IS A GREAT REASON TO USE SOME OF THAT FLEXIBILITY. I'D ALSO ARGUE THAT WEATHERING ANY ECONOMIC STORMS IS AN APPROPRIATE USE FOR THE OVER 200 MILLION IN SAVINGS THAT CAMBRIDGE HAS AND THAT THAT WOULD BE PREFERABLE TO ASKING OUR PARAEDUCATORS TO SOMEHOW MAKE UP THE GAP THEMSELVES, WHICH IS WHAT'S CURRENTLY HAPPENING. INCREASE THE BUDGET. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GORY VJA KUMAR, FOLLOWED BY ELIZABETH GAI, THEN FRANCIS DONOVAN. GORY. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. MY NAME IS GAURI JEMA AND I LIVE AT 21 HIGH STREET IN CAMBRIDGE. UM, AND I WANNA SAY I SUPPORT THE PARAPROFESSIONALS, BUT I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT POLICY ORDER 10. AS AN ALLY TO SEX WORKERS AND A PROFESSOR OF SOCIOLOGY, THROUGH MY RESEARCH I'VE INTERVIEWED NEARLY 200 SEX WORKERS, EXPERTS IN POLICY MAKERS IN INDIA, KENYA, AND THE US. AND I WOULD BE SO PROUD FOR CAMBRIDGE TO BE A LEADER IN DECRIMINALIZING SEX WORK, GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING THE WHO UNAIDS, UNDP AND U-N-F-P-A. ALL AGREE THAT DECRIMINALIZATION PROTECTS THE SAFETY AND DIGNITY OF SEX WORKERS. AS AN EDUCATOR WHO TEACHES ABOUT FEMINISM AND RACIAL JUSTICE, I BELIEVE THAT DECRIMINALIZING SEX WORK IS A FEMINIST AND RACIAL JUSTICE ISSUE. IT MAKES IT POSSIBLE FOR SEX WORKERS TO PROTECT ONE ANOTHER FROM VIOLENCE, EXPLOITATION, AND TRAFFICKING. IN INDIA, SEX WORKERS HAVE BUILT ORGANIZATIONS THAT TAKE ON TRAFFICKERS THROUGH INITIATIVES LED BY SEX WORKERS. THIS POLICY ORDER WILL ENABLE SEX WORKERS HERE IN CAMBRIDGE TO BUILD A SAFER WORLD FOR EACH OTHER, AND MANY OF US ARE HAPPY TO COLLABORATE WITH THE CITY COUNCIL AND TALKING FURTHER ABOUT THIS ISSUE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ELIZABETH GAI, FOLLOWED BY FRANCIS DONOVAN. ELIZABETH AND FRANCIS HAD TOLD US EARLIER THAT THEY WEREN'T SURE THEY WERE GONNA BE ABLE TO STAY FOR THE SECOND PART OF THE MEETING. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO AN EARLIER SKIP SPEAKER, KATE ZAFARELLI. FOR THOSE THAT ARE WAITING, WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER. THANK YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. KATE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO? WE CAN HEAR YOU. PLEASE GO AHEAD. UH, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. OKAY, GOOD. SORRY, I WAS ON THE PHONE AND IT DID NOT WORK DESPITE STAR SIX. AT ANY RATE, I'M A 40 YEAR RESIDENT OF, UH, MOND'S PLACE. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO ME AND I'M QUESTIONING THE REASON FOR TAKING A SIGNIFICANT NUMBER OF PARKING SPACES AT OUTTA HURON. I AM A 74-YEAR-OLD MEMBER OF THE FRESH POND LADIES GOLF ASSOCIATION. LAST THURSDAY, I ARRIVED AT THE COURSE ON THURSDAY MORNING AT EIGHT 15 AND THERE WERE ABSOLUTELY NO PARKING SPACES. LUCKILY, AS A CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT, I WAS ABLE TO FIND ONE ON HURON AVENUE. MY 89-YEAR-OLD RECENTLY WIDOWED PARTNER WAS NOT AS LUCKY. SHE COULD NOT LOCATE A PARKING SPACE AND WAS UNABLE TO PLAY IN ONE OF OUR FINAL COMPETITIONS, A MANAGER AT, UH, MANAGEMENT AT FRESH POND, PARTICULARLY THE DIRECTOR JOANNA KRUPA, IS SO ACCOMMODATING TO THE AGENT, THE DISABLED, AND NOW VETERANS. IN FACT, WE HAVE HANDICAPPED FLAGS ON OUR CARDS. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. APOLOGIES. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. ANYONE WHO WE HAVE TO END THEIR TIME, PLEASE EMAIL US AT CITY COUNCIL@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO SPEAKER NUMBER 63. JESSE BEAR, FOLLOWED BY HEATHER PENCE COFFER, THEN SASHA COHEN. JESSE, JESSE IS NOT WITH US. WE'RE GONNA GO TO HEATHER PENCE COFFER. HEATHER IS NOT ON THE ZOOM. WE WILL GO TO SASHA COHEN. SASHA, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. GREAT. I'M A LONGTIME CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT AT HISTORY, PROFESSOR SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER 10 SOME HERE TONIGHT WILL LEAD YOU TO BELIEVE THAT REASONABLE AND WELL-MEANING PEOPLE DISAGREE ON THIS ISSUE, THAT IT IS UNSETTLED, COMPLICATED AND UP FOR DEBATE. I'M GOING TO TELL YOU TWO REASONS WHY IT'S NOT. ONE, THE SCHOLARLY DATA IS UNAMBIGUOUS. ALL EVIDENCE PROVES THAT FULL DECRIMINALIZATION IS THE ONLY POLICY THAT REDUCES VIOLENCE. THERE IS ALREADY A CONSENSUS AMONG HUMAN RIGHTS AND GLOBAL HEALTH ORGANIZATIONS IN FAVOR OF THIS POLICY. FULL STOP. NUMBER TWO. THE LOCAL COMMUNITY OF CURRENT SEX WORKERS HERE IN CAMBRIDGE IS TELLING YOU THEY UNEQUIVOCALLY NEED FULL DECRIMINALIZATION TO KEEP THEM SAFE. YOUR DECISION SHOULD BE BASED ENTIRELY ON THEIR INPUT AS THE STAKES ARE HIGHEST FOR THEM AND THEY WILL BE THE ONES IMPACTED. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER [01:20:01] IS JOSEPH POIRIER, FOLLOWED BY SARAH NELSON. THEN AARON HOMER. JOSEPH IS NOT IN THE ZOOM. WE WILL GO TO SARAH NELSON. THANK YOU. UM, MY NAME IS SARAH NELSON. I'M FROM 17 ROCKWELL STREET. THE GOAL OF THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE WAS TO MEET CAMBRIDGE'S HOUSING NEEDS AND TO DO OUR PART TO ADDRESS THE REGIONAL HOUSING CRISIS. THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE HAS EXPERTS IN URBAN PLANNING. WE HAVE THE FINANCES AND THE WILL TO GET THIS DONE. SO HOW DID WE END UP WITH ZONING CHANGES THAT ARE REMOVING AFFORDABLE RENTAL PROPERTIES AND PRODUCING MAINLY HOUSING 1.5 MILLION AND ABOVE THAT ONLY THE TOP 7% OF HOUSEHOLDS IN CAMBRIDGE CAN AFFORD. IN FEBRUARY, 2025, SIX MEMBERS OF THIS COUNCIL VOTED TO PASS THE LITERALLY GROUNDBREAKING MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. I CAN'T BELIEVE THAT THEY PASSED IT THINKING IT WAS PERFECT. ONE AND DONE. OUR FEDERAL CONSTITUTION HAS 27 AMENDMENTS, AND I HOPE THAT AT LEAST HALF OF THE PEOPLE IN THIS ROOM THINK THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT SHOULD BE CERTIFIED. THE AMENDMENTS ON THE TABLE ARE NEEDED TO PROTECT CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS FROM THE HARM CAUSED BY DEVELOPERS WHOSE PRIMARY MOTIVE IS TO MAXIMIZE PROFITS. THANK YOU, SARAH. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. YOU. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO JESSE BEAR THEN. HEATHER PENN'S COFFER. JESSE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, THANKS. SO THAT COMING OFF GUARD, I WAS UPSTAIRS. UM, YEAH, SO JESSE, BEAR 10 POPLAR ROAD. UM, I GREW UP HERE IN ONE OF THOSE APARTMENTS THAT I'VE HEARD IS, UH, UNFIT FOR UH, FAMILIES. UM, BUT I ACTUALLY, UH, IT WAS A LITTLE, IT WAS, YOU KNOW, IT WAS, IT WAS COZY, BUT FAMILY OF FOUR DID WELL. UM, WHAT WAS NOT EASY THOUGH, IT WAS GOING TO HIGH SCHOOL AND HAVING, UM, MY PARENTS BE A TEACHER'S AIDE AND A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER. UM, WE WERE, WE, THAT WAS A VERY STRESSFUL EXPERIENCE, UM, LIVING IN PRECARITY DURING MY HIGH SCHOOL AND I DON'T, AND I HOPE THAT WE CAN MAKE SURE THAT PEOPLE, THE PEOPLE WHO SERVE OUR KIDS ARE SERVED AND ARE ABLE TO RAISE FAMILIES HERE. UM, AND AS WE HEARD, WE HAVE ONE OF THE LOWEST TAX RATES AROUND, IF NOT THE LOWEST, AND WE CAN DEFINITELY AFFORD IT. UM, SO I'M HERE TO SUPPORT OUR EDUCATORS WHO, UH, UM, UH, MADE ME WHO I AM TODAY. UH, ALSO YES TO BIKE LANES AND YES TO DECRIMINALIZING SEX WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS HEATHER PENN'S COFFER. THEN WE WILL GO TO SPEAKER NUMBER 68. AARON HOMER. HEATHER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ONE MINUTE. OKAY. THANK YOU. I'M HERE WITH MY SON. HELLO, COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS FELIX PENSKO FROM MY MOM WILL READ IT FOR ME. UM, I'M, UH, SO MY SON WROTE THIS. HE SAID, I'M NINE YEARS OLD AND I RIDE ON THE BACK OF A CARGO BIKE WITH MY MOM ALMOST EVERY DAY. WE RODE 3000 MILES THIS YEAR IN THE CITY. I KNOW GROWNUPS HAVE TO MAKE DECISIONS ABOUT STREETS, SO I WANNA TELL YOU WHAT IT FEELS LIKE AS A KID. I'M SPEAKING BECAUSE THE STRETCH OF OUTER HURON WITHOUT A PROTECTED BIKE LANE IS SCARY FOR ME. EVEN FROM THE BACK OF THE BIKE, I CAN TELL WHEN CARS ARE TOO CLOSE TO US. I FEEL BETTER ON A PROTECTED BIKE LANE TO GET TO GL AND PLAYGROUND. PLEASE THINK OF THE KIDS RIDING WITH THEIR FAMILIES TODAY AS WELL AS THE KIDS WHO WILL RIDE WHEN THEY GROW UP. VOTE NO ON POLICY. ORDER EIGHT AND COMPLETE THE OUTER HURON BIKE LANES. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AARON HOMER, FOLLOWED BY GORDON MOORE. THEN MAUREEN KOGER. AARON, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HELLO, UH, I'M AARON HOMER, 90 GROSSER ROAD. UH, AND I SPEAK IN FAVOR OF COMPLETING THE BIKE RANGE. I'M GOING OUT. I GET AROUND. I EARLY BUY BIKE, OFTEN WITH MY DAUGHTER ON THE BIKE AND HAVE A CONSISTENT BIKE. RANGES IS CRITICAL TO MY FAMILY'S SAFETY. I ALSO URGE COUNCIL TO KEEP THE MULTI-FAMILY, UH, FAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE AS IT IS. UH, IT'S ALREADY BUILDING A LOT OF AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND EVEN MORE ME RATE HOUSING. AND YES, MARKET HOUSING IS EXPENSIVE, BUT IT'S THE ONLY WAY WE'RE GONNA SOLVE THE HOUSING CRISIS HERE IN CAMBRIDGE AND AROUND THE STATE. UH, WE NEED MORE HOUSING. NOBODY LIKES CONSTRUCTION. NOBODY LIKES CHANGE, BUT WE NEED THE HOUSING. WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE THAT OVER THE INCONVENIENCES OF THE CHANGING PROCESS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS GORDON MOORE. GORDON IS NOT WITH US. WE'RE GOING TO MOVE ON TO SPEAKER NUMBER 70, MAUREEN KOGER. MAUREEN IS NOT, ALSO NOT WITH US. WE'RE GONNA GO TO BERNARD LIAN. [01:25:02] BERNARD, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. OKAY, AND MUTED. GOOD EVENING COUNSEL. I LIVE IN RIVERSIDE AT 53 J STREET. I URGE YOU TO ADOPT THE STRONGEST MULTIFAMILY HOUSING AMENDMENTS AND REJECT NULLIFYING COUNTER AMENDMENTS. ON MY SMALL STREET ALONE, THERE ARE THREE PROJECTS, ALL THREE DISPLACED PEOPLE ALREADY LIVING IN MULTIFAMILY HOUSING. THESE WERE AFFORDABLE UNITS. NOW THESE PEOPLE AND THEIR FAMILIES ARE GONE AND THEIR HOUSING HAS BEEN REPLACED WITH MULTIMILLION DOLLAR LUXURY CONDOS. ONE CONDO JUST LISTED ON COMPASS, I SAW THAT YESTERDAY FOR $2.35 MILLION. AND THAT'S NOT THE WHOLE BUILDING. THAT'S JUST ONE UNIT. THESE TEAR DOWNS DISPLACE THE MIDDLE CLASS TO LINE THE POCKETS OF WEALTHY DEVELOPERS. OUR CHILDREN WILL LOOK BACK AT THIS WITH SADNESS, JUST LIKE BOSTON'S WEST END AND THE BOSTON REDEVELOPMENT AUTHORITY CATASTROPHE. PLEASE PROTECT OUR MIDDLE CLASS AND VOTE FOR THE STRONGEST POT POSSIBLE AMENDMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SHAVONNE MCDONOUGH, FOLLOWED BY SARAH EGAN. THEN IRINA ZOA SHAVONNE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU. I'M SHAVONNE MCDONOUGH. I LIVE ON RIE STREET. UM, I'D LIKE TO SPEAK PRIMARILY ABOUT THE CAMBRIDGE EDUCATORS, UM, AND IN FULL SUPPORT OF THEM. UM, OUR ONE DEMAND THAT THEY'VE MADE THAT I THINK HASN'T MAYBE GOTTEN ENOUGH ATTENTION IS PUTTING A PARA IN EVERY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. AND I THINK SOMETHING THAT PEOPLE REALLY ACROSS EDUCATION, AS I UNDERSTAND IT AGREE ON, IS THAT STUDENTS' ATTENTION SPANS ARE GETTING SHORTER AND TRYING TO KEEP STUDENTS ENGAGED IS GETTING HARDER AND HARDER. AND HAVING PARAS IN THE CLASSROOM WHO ARE ABLE TO ENGAGE WITH STUDENTS WHO MIGHT BE CHECKING OUT A LITTLE BIT, WHO MIGHT NEED A LITTLE BIT OF EXTRA HELP IS IMPERATIVE TO KEEP EVERY STUDENT IN THAT CLASSROOM ABLE TO FOCUS AND TO LEARN BRIEFLY, I'D ALSO LIKE TO SAY AS A TRANS WOMAN, AS AN ATTORNEY WHO REPRESENTS TRANS PEOPLE, PLEASE SUPPORT DECRIMINALIZATION OF SEX WORK IN CAMBRIDGE. THIS IS SOMETHING THAT DISPROPORTIONATELY AFFECTS TRANS PEOPLE WHO FACE EMPLOYMENT AND HOUSING DISCRIMINATION AND WHO ARE FORCED OUT OF THEIR HOMES BY UNACCEPTING PARENTS. THIS IS A LIFELINE FOR MANY PEOPLE. PLEASE HELP THEM. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SARAH EGAN. SARAH HAS NOT JOINED. WE'LL GO TO ARENA. ZOIA ARENA IS NOT WITH US OR ON ZOOM. DEAN GROINS. DEAN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. UH, DEAN BROS. IN'S 12 PARKER STREET, 30 YEAR RESIDENT OF CAMBRIDGE. I'VE WANTED TO JUST COME UP HERE AND, AND SUPPORT THE PROPOSAL TO INCREASE THE BUDGET TO ALLOW FOR, UH, PARAPROFESSIONALS TO BE, UH, PROPERLY PAID. I JUST WANNA SAY TWO THINGS THAT I HEARD TONIGHT. ONE WAS THAT THIS IS NOT REALLY OUR BAILIWICK AS THE CITY COUNCIL, IT'S THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. I I, THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE SAYS OUR HANDS ARE TIED BECAUSE THE BUDGET IS SET. UH, IF THEY KNOW FROM YOU THAT THERE ISN'T, THERE IS, UH, UH, THAT THERE'S FLEXIBILITY, THEY CAN DO THINGS WITH THAT. UM, AND THEN THE SECOND QUESTION IS, A SECOND POINT IS PRIORITIES. IF WE ALL SAY THAT EDUCATING OUR KIDS INTELLECTUALLY, SOCIALLY, MORE, UH, MORALLY AND, UH, CIVICALLY IS OUR HIGHEST PRIORITY, WE SHOULD THEREFORE PUT OUR MONEY WHERE OUR MOUTH IS AND HAVE THE BEST PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND BEST PAID PARAS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ADAM MANCHE, FOLLOWED BY JANICE POPO. ADAM, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. ADAM MANARD, UH, 48 B DANA STREET, MID CAMBRIDGE NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, HERE REGARDING THE POLICY ORDER 20 26 1 73. ALTHOUGH NEIGHBORS ASK WHY I BOTHER TO BE HERE, I THANK YOU FOR THE OPPORTUNITY TO SPEAK AND HOPEFULLY TO BE HEARD. I APPRECIATE THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENTS DEPARTMENT'S WORK ON THE ZONING UPDATE, BUT I URGE YOU TO RECONSIDER THE PROPOSED SETBACK CHANGE ON PAGE 13 OF THE SEPTEMBER 16TH UPDATE. A SUM OF 25 FEET IS MISLEADING AND IS NOT AN ADEQUATE SUBSTITUTE FOR DEFINED MINIMUM SETBACKS. AS SHOWN ON PAGE EIGHT, WE NEED SPECIFIC MINIMUMS, 10 TO 15 FEET IN THE REAR, AND SEVEN AND A HALF FEET ON THE SIDES WITHOUT THOSE MINIMUMS. THIS PROPOSAL CREATES A LOOPHOLE THAT THREATENS NEIGHBORHOOD LIVABILITY AND THE CITY'S ABILITY TO MANAGE STORM WATER, MEET FIRE CODES, AND ACCOMMODATE UTILITIES. ALL CONCERNS IDENTIFIED THAT BY THE DEPARTMENT ITSELF. PLEASE LEAVE US SPACE TO BREATHE PLANT TREES AND SUSTAIN A HEALTHY ENVIRONMENT. THANK YOU. WE CAN WORK TOGETHER. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER COM, THE CITY WE LOVE. [01:30:01] WE'RE GONNA GO TO AN EARLIER SKIP SPEAKER, MAUREEN KOGER, FOLLOWED BY JANICE VELO, THEN JEAN GARRISON. HI, UM, I'M SARAH BOYER SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF MAUREEN KOGER WHO COULDN'T MAKE IT TONIGHT. MAUREEN IS 93 YEARS OLD AND SHE HAS BEEN DEALING WITH NOISE IN THE BACK OF HER HOUSE FOR, SINCE AUGUST WITH CONSTRUCTION GOING ON AND NEXT DOOR. THEY'RE GOING TO BE TEARING DOWN AN OLD TWO FAMILY HOUSE AND PUTTING UP WHO KNOWS HOW MUCH, UM, SHE IS CONCERNED ABOUT, SHE PUT SOLAR PANELS ON HER ROOF AND IT LOOKS LIKE SHE'S GONNA BE IN THE SHADE. UH, SO SHE WON'T GET THE, THE VALUE OF THE SOLAR PANELS. SHE'S VERY CONCERNED, AS AM I ABOUT THE WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE CITY WITH THE UPZONING PETITION. AND SHE, THE NOISE THAT SHE HAS TO DEAL WITH IS TOO MUCH AND, UH, A LOT OF HER NEIGHBORS ARE UPSET ABOUT THIS TOO. UH, AS SOMEONE WHO'S LIVED IN THE CITY FOR DECADES, MAUREEN AND MYSELF, UH, FEEL THAT THIS, UH, UPZONING PETITION. THANK YOU. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. IF YOU CAN PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER OF GOING THE CITY THAT WE LOVE. NEXT. JANICE PAO, FOLLOWED BY JEAN GARRISON, THEN LESLIE SWANSON. JANICE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS JAN PELLO. I LIVE AT 69 BROOKLINE STREET. I AM SPEAKING TONIGHT IN STRONG SUPPORT OF THE AMENDMENTS TO THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. OF THE MANY CONCERNS I HAVE WITH THE ORDINANCE. I FEEL STRONGLY THAT EXPANDING HOUSING OPTIONS IS CRITICAL AND WE MUST FOCUS ON DENSITY WHERE IT MATTERS. THE CURRENT ORDINANCE ALLOWS UNRESTRICTED MARKET RATE DEVELOPMENT, WHICH DOES NOT INCLUDE AFFORDABLE, AFFORDABLE UNITS. IF THE PROJECT, AS YOU KNOW, IS, HAS NON UNITS OR LESS THIS, THIS PLACES OR ELIMINATES THE POSSIBILITIES FOR THE VERY RESIDENTS THAT WE WANNA PROTECT. SO THESE AMENDMENTS PROVIDE THE NECESSARY, SOME OF THE NECESSARY GUARDRAILS TO ENSURE OUR GROWTH IS SUSTAINABLE AND FAIR FOR ALL RESIDENTS. WE NEED SMART GROWTH FOR CAMBRIDGE, NOT GROWTH AT ANY COST. SO PLEASE VOTE TO APPROVE THESE BALANCED AMENDMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JEAN GARRISON, FOLLOWED BY LESLIE SWANSON. THEN WE WILL BE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 80, ALAN PETERSON. JEAN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. I, UM, 25 YEAR RESIDENT OF FREMONT STREET, UM, GENE GARRISON. I'M AT NUMBER 71 WHEN WE MOVED IN, MY HUSBAND AND I, THE WONDERFUL STREET OF OLDER RESIDENCES AND THEY ALL HAD BACKYARDS. NOW MOST OF THOSE BACKYARDS ARE FILLED WITH CONDO BOXES, UM, WITH VERY NARROW SETBACKS. FLOOR AREA RATIOS HAVE, UH, RESTRICTIONS HAVE BEEN, HAVE BEEN IGNORED. UM, NOW COUNT AS OPEN SPACE. AND THESE ARE NOT AFFORDABLE UNITS OR FAMILY UNITS. THESE ARE MULTIMILLION DOLLAR CONDOS, UM, TOO SMALL FOR FAMILIES AND DEFINITELY NOT AFFORDABLE. THEY'RE DRIVING UP THE REAL ESTATE COSTS ALL OVER THE CAMBRIDGE, MAKING IT LESS, NOT MORE LIKELY THAT THERE WILL BE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. AND THE DEMOGRAPHIC, THE DIVERSITY THAT WE VALUE HERE IN CAMBRIDGE WILL CHANGE AS THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO CAN MOVE IN AND BUY THESE HOUSES ARE NOT WORKING FAMILIES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO AN EARLIER SKIP SPEAKER CARLOS LOYA. THEN WE WILL GO TO LESLIE SWANSON. CARLOS, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. UH, AND THANK YOU EVERYONE FOR THEIR SERVICE. UH, TONIGHT, I'M, I AM FOR DEVELOPERS IN CAMBRIDGE MAKING A PROFIT, UM, UNLIKE MANY PEOPLE HERE, BUT WHEN THEY BUILD THE HOMES THAT OUR PEOPLE AND OUR COMMUNITIES ARE ACTUALLY LOOKING FOR, AND THAT'S OBVIOUSLY NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING NOW. PREVIOUSLY AFFORDABLE RENTALS ARE BEING DEMOLISHED AND THE MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES WHO COULD ONCE AFFORD TO LIVE HERE AND DOWN THE STREET WHERE I LIVE HERE IN WEST CAMBRIDGE, ARE BEING DRIVEN OUT. SO, UH, COUNSELORS, UM, UH, PARTICULARLY MCGOVERN, EM AND SABRINA WHEELER LIKELY HAD VERY GOOD INTENTIONS WHEN THEY BELIEVED THAT THIS MULTIFAMILY HOUSE IN ORDINANCE WOULD DELIVER [01:35:01] AFFORDABILITY. BUT NOW WE HAVE EVIDENCE THAT IT IS NOT DOING THE, THE INTENDED EFFECT. ACTUALLY IT'S THE OPPOSITE. AND MAKING AFFORDABILITY WORSE, KILLING HUNDREDS OF TREES, DIS DISIN DISINCENTIVIZING SOLAR. SO I URGED THE CITY COUNCIL TO LISTEN TO THE THOUSANDS OF FAMILIES WHO ARE ASKING TO PLEASE STOP IT. THE MFH HAD A GOOD INTENTION TO SOLVE. THANKS, CARLOS. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER, YOUR TIME EXPIRED. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LESLIE SWANSON, FOLLOWED BY ALAN PETERSON, THEN MOLLY BROOKS. LESLIE LESLIE IS NOT WITH US. WE'RE GONNA GO TO SPEAKER NUMBER 80, ALAN PETERSON. ALAN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU. MY NAME IS ALAN PETERSON. I LIVE AT 19 HASKELL STREET NORTH CAMBRIDGE WITH MY WIFE AND OUR CHILDREN. I'M HERE TO ASK YOU THE CITY COUNCIL TO ADOPT THESE MODEST AMENDMENTS TO THE CURRENT ZONING POLICY. ALTHOUGH I HAVE A NUMBER OF ISSUES WITH THE CURRENT ZONING POLICY, I WILL FOCUS ON JUST ONE. THE CITY OF BOSTON, AS IT TURNS OUT, CURRENTLY IS LOOKING FOR WAYS TO CHANGE THEIR ZONING TO HELP INCREASE THE NUMBER OF LARGE CANOPY TREES AND PERMEABLE SURFACES THROUGHOUT THE CITY AND NEIGHBORHOODS. I UNDERSTAND HOW THEY UNDERSTAND HOW VITAL THE TREES AND PERMEABLE SURFACES ARE IN COMBATING THE FOREVER INCREASING URBAN HEAT ISLAND EFFECT GLOBAL WARMING. OUR CURRENT FRONT, REAR, AND SIDE YARD SETBACKS DO NOT ALLOW FOR THE SUSTAINABLE, UH, ABILITY OF FULL GROWTH CANOPY TREES, LET ALONE THANK SMALL ONES. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. IF YOU CAN PLEASE. CAMBRIDGE IS THE MOST DENSE CITY, SECOND MOST DENSE CITY, YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MA BROOKS, FOLLOWED BY JOY CHESNA, THEN MARISA FRIED. HI, MOLLY BROOKS, 70 MATTON ROAD. I'M A MEMBER OF THE CEA AND I SPEAK IN FAVOR OF POLICY ITEM ONE IN 79 FOR FULLY FUNDED PUBLIC SCHOOLS BECAUSE ALL MY COWORKERS DESERVE DIGNITY. I'M GOING TO READ A NON-EXHAUSTIVE LIST OF THE REALITY. MANY OF OUR ESPS WHO SURVIVE ON OR AROUND POVERTY WAGES, THEY HAVE SECOND JOBS, HAVE THIRD JOBS, HAVE FOURTH JOBS. MISS TIME WITH LOVED ONES DOING TO HAVE TO DOING DUE TO HAVING TO WORK THOSE JOBS, SKIPPING MEALS, CHOOSING HOW LONG THEY CAN GO IN THE WINTER WITHOUT TURNING ON THEIR HEAT, TAPING AND GLUING TOGETHER, WORN OUT SHOES, OPENING NEW CREDIT CARDS TO EXPENSE EMERGENCY BILLS BECAUSE SAVINGS ACCOUNT ISN'T AN OPTION WHEN YOU'RE SCRAPING BY. DESPITE WORKING FULL TIME ACCRUING DEBT FROM THOSE CREDIT CARDS, CUTTING YOUR OWN HAIR, CHOOSING THE GROCERIES YOU CAN AFFORD, NOT THE ONES YOU WANT TO EAT. OUR ES PS DESERVES SO MUCH BETTER THAN THE THAN THIS VOTE IN FAVOR OF POLICY. ITEM 1 79. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOY CHESNA, FOLLOWED BY MARISSA REED, THEN LAUREN JACOBY. JOY. HI, MY NAME IS JOY CHANA. I LIVE AT FOUR 11 FRANKLIN STREET. UH, I MOVED TO CAMBRIDGE AFTER MY HOUSE GOING ON FIRE IN JAMAICA PLAIN. AND CAMBRIDGE IS SO INVITING, UH, TO ME BECAUSE OF THE CREATIVE CHARM OF THE HISTORIC BUILDINGS, OLD GROWTH TREES, LOVELY GARDENS AND COMMUNITY. I ASK YOU TO CONSIDER A PAUSE ON THE MULTIFAMILY OR ORDINANCE TO CONSIDER MORE THE IMPACT ON THE ENVIRONMENT, SEWAGE, COMMUNITY, ACCESS TO SUNLIGHT, TREES, QUALITY OF LIFE, PARKING, AND UH, AND HOW THE ORDINANCE ACTUALLY AFFECTS AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND THE LOVELY CAMBRIDGE GARDENS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MARISSA FREE, FOLLOWED BY LAUREN JACOBY. MARISSA, ONE MINUTE MARISSA FREE. SHE HERZ 50 PROSPECT STREET, SOMERVILLE. SPEAKING OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER 1 79, IT'S BEEN DISCUSSED AS A DISTRICT INITIATIVE TO ENSURE THAT EVERY CPSD STUDENT HAS A CONNECTION WITH A TRUSTED EDUCATOR WHO THEY KNOW THEY CAN REACH OUT TO, TO SHARE THEIR JOYS, BUT ALSO THEIR STRUGGLES. FOR MANY OF OUR STUDENTS, THIS TRUSTED ADULT IS AN EDUCATION SUPPORT PROFESSIONAL AND ESP, NOT ONLY DO WE LIFT UP THE EDUCATIONAL AND SOCIAL EMOTIONAL AND LEARNING POTENTIAL OF OUR STUDENTS, WE ALSO HELP PREVENT THEM FROM FALLING THROUGH THE CRACKS. IT IS SUICIDE PREVENTION MONTH, KEEPING PRIVACY IN MIND. THERE ARE SEVERAL EXAMPLES I CAN SHARE OF CPSD STUDENTS WHO [01:40:01] BECAUSE OF THEIR TRUSTED RELATIONSHIP WITH AN ESP ONLY OPENED UP ABOUT THEIR SUICIDAL IDEATION TO US AND WE WERE THERE TO BE ABLE TO CONNECT THEM TO THE HELP THEY NEEDED. CPSD EDUCATORS ADVOCATING FOR A PARAPROFESSIONAL IN EVERY CLASSROOM AS LIV WELL AS LIVING WAGES SO THAT WE CAN ALWAYS BE THERE FOR OUR STUDENTS TO, OF COURSE, CELEBRATE THEIR SUCCESSES, BUT TO SUPPORT THEM THROUGHOUT THEIR STRUGGLES AS WELL. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LAUREN JACOBY, FOLLOWED BY NATHAN ERMAN. THEN JOEL PATTERSON. LAUREN, PLEASE GO AHEAD ONE MINUTE. LAUREN, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE ON YOUR END. DO YOU HAVE THE FLOOR? WE CAN'T HEAR LAUREN. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO SPEAKER NUMBER 85. NATHAN SITMAN, FOLLOWED BY JOEL PATTERSON. THEN ROBERT O'NEILL. THANKS. YEAH. NATHAN RAHMAN OF 100 MEMORIAL DRIVE. ALSO SPEAKING ON, UH, THE CAMBRIDGE TEACHERS. I MOVED TO CAMBRIDGE FOR A JOB AT A TECH STARTUP AND KNOWING THAT I'M JUST ONE REPRESENTATIVE OF THIS CITY'S ROBUST TECH SECTOR, IT'S APPALLING TO KNOW THAT WE DON'T PAY A LIVING WAGE TO PUBLIC EDUCATORS. NOT A SINGLE TECH WORKER OR ANYONE IN THIS ROOM WAS BORN SMART. EVERYONE HERE IS A PRODUCT OF OUR EDUCATION AND THAT'S WHY IT SHOCKS THE CONSCIENCE THAT THE MONEY WE BRING INTO THE LOCAL ECONOMY IS NOT GOING TOWARDS THE EDUCATION OF THE NEXT GENERATION. IT'S SHORTSIGHTED AT A TIME WHEN THE COST OF BEING SHORTSIGHTED IS GOING TO BE A LOT MORE THAN 10 OR $20 MILLION, PAY THE TEACHERS AND FOR COMMERCIAL PROPERTIES IN CAMBRIDGE, ESPECIALLY THOSE THAT ARE HOME TO LUCRATIVE TECH BUSINESSES, ASSESS THEM AND TAX THEM IN A WAY THAT'S COMMENSURATE WITH THE PROFITS BEING MADE. BECAUSE FRANKLY, UNLESS HARVARD AND MIT GROW LEGS AND WALK AWAY, TECH IS NOT LEAVING THE CITY. THANK YOU. AND ALSO DECRIMINALIZED SEX WORK. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOEL PATTERSON, FOLLOWED BY ROBERT O'NEILL, THEN SHEILA O'SHAUGHNESSY. JOEL JOEL HAS NOT JOINED. WE'LL GO TO ROBERT O'NEILL. ROBERT, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. ROBERT O'NEILL 1 75 HALLWORTH STREET, SPEAKING ON THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. OVER THE PAST MONTHS AND AGAIN TONIGHT, YOU'VE HEARD COMMENTS, CONCERNS, FACTS AND OPINIONS WHICH PROVIDE RATIONAL JUSTIFICATION FOR THE NEED TO SUBSTANTIALLY AMEND THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. THEY'RE NOT JUST THE CONCERNS OF THOSE WHO HAVE MET WITH YOU AND CITY STAFF, NOT JUST THOSE WHO ARE ABLE TO SPEAK TONIGHT, BUT ARE CONCERNS ECHOED BY THOUSANDS OF CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS. OVER 4,600 OF YOUR CONSTITUENTS HAVE SIGNED A PETITION REQUESTING YOU TO PAUSE DEVELOPMENT UNDER THE ORDINANCE AND ENACT SUBSTANTIVE AMENDMENTS. AND WE'RE CONTINUING TO COLLECT 40 ADDITIONAL SIGNATURES A DAY. THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE WHO SIGNED THE PETITION WARRANT AS MUCH ATTENTION AND WAIT IN THE CITY'S DECISIONS AS THOSE WHO MADE TIME TO SPEAK HERE TONIGHT ON ANY SIDE OF THE ISSUE, I URGE YOU TO FOLLOW THROUGH ON YOUR OBLIGATION TO REPRESENT THE INTERESTS OF CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS WHO HAVE INVESTED THEIR TIME, RESOURCES, AND LIVES MAKING CAMBRIDGE WHAT IT IS TODAY. NOT THE INTERESTS OF DEVELOPERS WITH NO LONG-TERM VESTED INTEREST IN CAMBRIDGE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SHEILA O'SHAUGHNESSY, FOLLOWED BY PAULA MOOT, THEN ANDREW ZOO. SHEILA. HI, MY NAME IS SHEILA O'SHAUGHNESSY. I'M, UH, UM, BORN AND RAISED IN CAMBRIDGE. GREW UP IN A THIRD FLOOR. SEVEN OF US LIVED THERE HAPPILY, AND CAMBRIDGE IS NOT THE CAMBRIDGE THAT I ONCE KNEW. UM, I'M ASKING TO PUT A PAUSE ON THE DEMOLISHING AND DESTROYING NEIGHBORHOODS IN CAMBRIDGE. I BELIEVE THE COUNCIL THAT SUPPORTED THE DEVELOPERS HAVE DECEIVED THE RESIDENTS OF CAMBRIDGE SAYING THEY WILL BE AFFORDABLE, BUT THE LOOPHOLE OF KEEPING THEM UNDER 10 UNITS, THEREFORE WON'T HAVE ANY AFFORDABLE UNITS. DON'T BE FOOLED. THESE ONE BEDROOM UNITS WILL NOT BE AFFORDABLE. THE DEVELOPERS SAY THEY WILL BE ENVIRONMENTALLY GREEN, BUT I SEE NOTHING GREEN ABOUT TEARING THE OLD BEAUTIFUL TREES, THE WISTERIA AND A 75-YEAR-OLD GRAPEVINE THAT'S NEXT DOOR TO ME ON 50 52 CHILTON STREET IN CAMBRIDGE, WHICH IS BEING KNOCKED DOWN OCTOBER 5TH. WHEN I LOOKED OUT THE WINDOW THE OTHER DAY, I NOTICED, UM, A VAN PULL UP. THE PEOPLE WERE PUTTING THEIR SOCKS OVER THEIR PANT LEGS WITH SURGICAL MASKS AND A BANDANAS ON GOING TO REMOVE ASBESTOS. THEY HAD NONE OF THE PAPERWORK THAT WAS THANKS SHEILA. YOUR TIME IS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. WE'LL GO NEXT TO PAULA MOUNT, FOLLOWED BY ANDREW ZOO. THEN JOE QUEST, NEUBERT. PAULA, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF, [01:45:03] ACTUALLY NOT SEEING PAULA MOUNT ON THE ZOOM, A DIFFERENT PAULA. UM, WE WILL GO TO ANDREW ZOO. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS ANDREW, SO LIVING AT 65 BRAINERD ROAD AND I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN OPPOSITION TO THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS, TO THE MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING ZONING ORDINANCE BECAUSE I CAN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE. NOT BECAUSE I CAN'T AFFORD IT, BUT BECAUSE MY GIRLFRIEND, WHO I'VE BEEN LONG DISTANCE WITH FOR THE LAST FIVE YEARS AND WOULD REALLY LIKE TO HAVE MOVE IN WITH ME, CANNOT LIVE HERE BECAUSE SHE'S A WHEELCHAIR USER. AND THE FRONT DOOR TO MY 120 6-YEAR-OLD APARTMENT WAS UP A SET OF STAIRS. AND ME BEING A RENTER COULD NOT JUST COMPEL MY LANDLORD TO RECONFIGURE MY ENTIRE BUILDING TO MAKE IT ACCESSIBLE. SO I HAD TO CHOOSE CAMBRIDGE OR MY GIRLFRIEND AND I, I LEFT. I WOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO IF MY APARTMENT WAS MODERN AND AADA A COMPLIANT TO BEGIN WITH OR IF I HAD ANY ACCESSIBLE ALTERNATIVES THAT WERE EVEN REMOTELY AFFORDABLE IN THE CITY. THAT'S WHY I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO PRESERVE MULTIFAMILY ZONING AS IS NOT JUST BECAUSE IT'S ALREADY THE BEST TOOL TO MAKE HOUSING CHEAPER, BUT BECAUSE NEWLY BUILT HOUSING IS THE ONLY CHANCE THAT MY GIRLFRIEND AND I AND MANY OTHERS LIKE US COULD EVER BUILD A LIFE HERE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JOE QUEST. BERT JOE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE? YEAH. OKAY. HI, I'M JOE QUEST, NEUBERT, 1222 CAMBRIDGE STREET. I'M A CAREER PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER AND ALSO A HOMEOWNER IN CAMBRIDGE. THANKS TO THE HOMEBRIDGE PROGRAM. I'M SPEAKING TODAY IN STRONG SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER SIX TO URGE YOU TO WORK WITH A CITY MANAGER AND SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO ENSURE A LIVING WAGE FOR ALL CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS' EMPLOYEES. EVEN IN A BAD ECONOMY, CAMBRIDGE HAS INCREDIBLE WEALTH. THERE IS NO REASON THAT A CITY WITH A BILLION DOLLAR BUDGET AND A STATED COMMITMENT TO ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY SHOULD PAY ANY OF ITS EMPLOYEES POVERTY WAGES. OUR CITY MANAGER AND SCHOOL COMMITTEE NEED YOUR LEADERSHIP TO SAY, YES, WE CAN AND MUST FIND THE MONEY TO ENSURE THAT CPSD PARAPROFESSIONALS, CLERKS AND SUBSTITUTES WILL ALL BE PAID A LIVING WAGE. IF THAT MONEY NEEDS TO COME FROM AN INCREASE IN PROPERTY TAXES, THEN PLEASE INCREASE OUR TAXES. I WOULD RATHER PAY MORE IN PROPERTY TAXES THAN KNOW I AM FUNDING A SYSTEM THAT DOES NOT FAIRLY COMPENSATE ITS WORKERS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS IAN MCGOLDRICK, FOLLOWED BY SAM PALMER. THEN MIRIAM COHEN. IAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. PLEASE. GO AHEAD. IAN, IF YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF. HI, GOOD DAY. UM, I'M IAN MCGOLDRICK, LIVE AT 18 FENWOOD CIRCLE, UH, CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS. UH, MY WIFE AND I, UH, BIKE AROUND CAMBRIDGE. WE HAVE A NEW, UH, SON WHO'S ABOUT 20 MONTHS OLD. UH, WE'VE BEEN BIKING A TON AROUND THE CITY AND, UH, YOU KNOW, THE, THE VALUE OF THE NETWORK IS TO HAVE, UM, ROOTS ON BIKING THAT ARE CONTINUOUS AND ALLOW US TO GET TO OUR FRIENDS IN ARLINGTON, BELMONT, AND OTHER, UH, OTHER PLACES. UH, IT'S OUR, YOU KNOW, PRIMARY MODE OF TRAVEL WHEN WE'RE TRYING TO, UH, MOVE WITHIN THE CITY. UM, AND, UH, I STRONGLY ENCOURAGE THE COUNCIL TO, UH, CONTINUE FORWARD WITH THIS PROJECT. UM, WE CONSTANTLY HEAR THIS PUSHBACK ABOUT PARKING. UH, I LIVE VERY CLOSE TO BROADWAY. I CAN'T THANK THE COUNCIL ENOUGH AND THE CITY WORKERS ENOUGH FOR THE CHANGES THEY'VE MADE FOR SAFETY ON BROADWAY. IT'S MADE A HUGE IMPACT. AND ON THE LIFE OF MY 20 MONTH OLD WHO GETS TO DAYCARE BY THOSE BIKE LANES, I WOULD EXPECT THERE ARE SIMILAR PEOPLE OUT ON HERE IN AVE. AND WHEN WE GO OUT ON HERE ON AVE TO THE PARK OUT THERE. UM, THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS SAM PALMER, FOLLOWED BY MIRIAM COHEN. THEN JENNIFER BRITON COLON. SAM SAM HAS NOT JOINED US. WE'RE GONNA GO TO MIRIAM COHEN. MIRIAM IS NOT. OH, MIRIAM IS ON ZOOM. MIRIAM, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. MIRIAM, I BELIEVE YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO UNMUTE YOURSELF NOW. YEP. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES. SORRY ABOUT THAT. UM, MY NAME'S MIRIAM COHEN. I'M THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF THE NEW ENGLAND JEWISH LABOR COMMITTEE. UM, I'M SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER 1 79. UM, IN SUPPORT OF THE CAMBRIDGE EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION. UM, THERE IS AN INCREDIBLE, UM, VIBRANT JEWISH COMMUNITY IN CAMBRIDGE. AND, UM, IT RELIES LIKE ALL COMMUNITIES HERE ON, [01:50:01] UM, BEING ABLE TO SOMEHOW AFFORD THE CITY, WHICH IS, AS YOU KNOW, IS REALLY HARD. UM, AND THAT BOTH INCLUDES, UM, HAVING A LIVABLE LIVING WAGE FOR PARAS, TEACHERS, STAFF. UM, I KNOW A LOT OF COMMUNITY MEMBERS WORK IN CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND, UM, AS PARENTS, UM, TO BE ABLE TO SEND THEIR KIDS TO SCHOOLS THAT ARE FULLY FUNDED. UM, THE JEWISH LABOR COMMITTEE HAS BEEN FIGHTING FOR, UM, WORKERS GETTING WHAT THEY DESERVE FOR 90 YEARS, UM, AND PROUD TO CONTINUE THE HISTORY FORWARD. HOPE YOU FUND THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOOLS. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JENNIFER BRI COLON. JENNIFER HAS NOT JOINED US. WE WILL GO TO SPEAKER NUMBER 96. BRIANNA PEARSON. BRIANNA, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI. I THINK I WAS ON THE WRONG LIST FOR THE TAX RATE MEETING, BUT I ALSO FEEL LIKE I'M KIND OF THE TRIFECTA HERE AS A RESIDENT, A PARENT AND A BUSINESS AND A CORPORATE OR A COMMERCIAL TAXPAYER. UM, I JUST CAME IN SUPPORT TONIGHT OF THE CAMBRIDGE EDUCATORS TO LEARN A LIVING WAGE. I FEEL LIKE AS A ALUMNI OF CRLS MYSELF, I'VE SEEN THE SCHOOLS CHANGE OVER THE COURSE OF THE LAST, MY DAUGHTER'S 26, MY YOUNGEST IS 11. UM, THERE USED TO BE AMAZING PROJECT-BASED LEARNING IN MY MY DAUGHTER'S ELEMENTARY SCHOOL, SAME ELEMENTARY SCHOOL. 16 YEARS LATER, THE SUPPORT STAFF HAS BEEN DROPPED ENTIRELY AND WE'VE LOST A BUNCH OF TENURED TEACHERS BECAUSE OF SOME TERRIBLE ADMINISTRATION HIRES. I THINK WE NEED TO RESPECT OUR EDUCATORS, LISTEN TO WHAT THEY NEED AND SUPPORT THEM. EDUCATORS ARE AN INTEGRAL STRENGTH REGARDING OUR COLLECTIVE CHARACTER IN THIS CITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AUDRA DOTY, FOLLOWED BY NANCY WEISSMAN. THEN STACY REED. AUDRA, ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. HI. THANK YOU. UM, HI. MY NAME'S ROGER DOTY. I'M A VOICESTER. I'M THE CO CEO OF SAFE EXIT INITIATIVE. WE PROVIDE SUPPORT AND RESOURCES FOR THOSE IMPACTED BY THE SEX TRADE. I'M HERE TONIGHT IN FULL OPPOSITION TO POLICY ORDER 10. WE ALREADY DO NOT HAVE ENOUGH WILLING PARTICIPANTS TO MEET THE DEMAND, AND THAT IS WHY I WAS TRAFFICKED INTO THE SEX TRADE BY MY PIMP ALSO IN MASSACHUSETTS. WE DO NOT, WE DO NOT CURRENTLY ARREST SELLERS OF SEX AND, AND GO AFTER THE DEMAND, THE SEX PI BUYERS AND THE TRAFFICKERS. THIS CITY ORDINANCE GOES AGAINST EVERYTHING, THE GOVERNOR'S OFFICE FIVE-YEAR PLAN TO ADDRESS HUMAN TRAFFICKING THAT WAS RELEASED LAST JANUARY. I WANT TO REMIND EVERYBODY ABOUT THE CR CAMBRIDGE BROTHEL BUS. THAT HAPPENED NOT THAT LONG AGO. WE HAD A CITY COUNCIL MEMBER WHO CLAIMED IT WAS CONSENSUAL ADULT SEX, SEX WORK. BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE INTERACTIONS BETWEEN TONER AND THE BROTHEL OWNER, IT WAS CLEAR THAT THE PERSON SELLING THE SEX HAD NO SAY IN WHAT HAPPENED. THIS IS WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SEX TRADE. YOU SET AGREEMENTS OR TERMS AND THEY'RE ALMOST ALWAYS BROKEN. THE BUYERS NEVER ASK HOW OLD YOU ARE OR IF YOU WANNA BE THERE. 87% APOLOGIES. AUDRA, YOUR TIME EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. WE ARE MOVING ON TO NANCY WEISSMAN, FOLLOWED BY STACY REED, THEN PATRICIA BARGER. NANCY, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. I, THIS IS NANCY WEISSMAN. I LIVE ON STRAWBERRY HILL. I HAVE BEEN A RESIDENT OF CAMBRIDGE SINCE 1995, WHICH MAKES IT 31 YEARS. I'M HERE TODAY TO ASK YOU TO CHANGE THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING PROPOSAL SO THAT IT STOPS DESTROYING OUR NEIGHBORHOODS. IT HAS UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES. THE BY RIGHT OPTIONS ARE WAY TOO BROAD. I ASK THAT YOU CONSIDER THE EMAIL THAT I SENT TO THE CITY COUNCILORS ON JUNE 1ST BECAUSE THE DEVELOPER UP THE ROAD FROM THE MARK AT NUMBER 95 WANTS TO CHANGE A SINGLE FAMILY HOUSE WITH L AND SETBACKS INTO AN ENORMOUS SIX UNIT LUXURY CONDO DEVELOPMENT. THIS IS NOT CREATING AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS STACY REED. STACY, I SEE DR. STACY REED BARNES. PLEASE GO AHEAD BARNES. HI. HI. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. HI, MY NAME IS DR. STACEY REED BARNES. I AM AN INTERNATIONAL SURVIVOR LEADER, ADVOCATE, AND PROFESSIONAL COMMITTED TO ENDING HUMAN TRAFFICKING AND EXPLOITATION. I AM IN OPPOSITION OF POLICY ORDER NUMBER 10 TO DECRIMINALIZATION OF SEX WORK AND CAMBRIDGE GMAS BECAUSE I DO NOT BELIEVE IT WILL MAKE PEOPLE SAFER. AS A SURVIVOR, I KNOW THAT TRAFFICKING IS NOT JUST ABOUT WHAT HAPPENS TO SOMEONE, IT'S ABOUT WHAT [01:55:01] IS TAKEN FROM 'EM. THEIR SAFETY, THEIR VOICE, THEIR TRUST, AND OFTEN THEIR SENSE OF SELF. MANY INDIVIDUALS INVOLVED IN THE SEX TRADE COME FROM VULNERABLE BACKGROUNDS, INCLUDING POVERTY, HOMELESSNESS, ADDICTION, AND HISTORIES OF ABUSE. EXPANDING THE MARKET FOR COMMERCIAL SEX CAN INCREASE DEMAND WITHOUT ADDRESSING THE UNDERLYING FACTORS THAT PLACE PEOPLE AT RISK AND REDUCE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR BIAS AND CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR TRAFFIC TO, FOR TRAFFICKERS TO OPERATE WITH LESS SCRUTINY OR FEEL THAT THEY CAN OR WILL TURN CAMBRIDGE INTO A RED LIGHT. DISTRICT SAFETY DOES NOT COME FROM PROVIDING HOUSING. UH, SAFETY COMES FROM, EXCUSE ME. SAFETY COMES FROM PROVIDING HOUSING, MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES, EDUCATION, EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES AND SUPPORT FOR THOSE WHO WANT TO LEAD THE INDUSTRY, NOT NOT NORMALIZING OUR PROSTITUTION, WE SHOULD FOCUS ON PROTECTING VULNERABLE AND, AND APOLOGIES FOR MUTING YOU. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER AT CITY COUNCIL@CAMBRIDGEMA.GOV. YOUR TIME HAD EXPIRED. WE ARE ON TO SPEAKER NUMBER 100. WE HAVE ABOUT 54 TO 56 SPEAKERS TO GO. SPEAKER 100 IS PATRICIA BARGER. PATRICIA, PATRICIA MAY HAVE LEFT. WE ARE GONNA MOVE ON TO SPEAKER NUMBER 1 0 1. PAULA BUCO. PAULA, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HI, PAULA BUCO, 1 79 SPRINGFIELD PARENT AT AMIGOS AND C-R-L-S-I SUPPORT POLICY ORDER NUMBER SIX AND PRIORITIZING CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOL IN THE BUDGET SO THAT ALL CAMBRIDGE EDUCATORS CAN EARN A LIVING WAGE. STARTING THIS YEAR. THERE ARE LARGER QUESTIONS ABOUT WHY DESPITE OUR VERY HIGH STUDENT SPENDING, WE STILL FACE CHALLENGES FOR STUDENT AND STAFF. BUT RIGHT NOW WE NEED TO MAKE SURE THAT THE PEOPLE DOING THIS WORK ARE PAID FAIRLY. I'VE SEEN FIRSTHAND HOW PARAPROFESSIONALS HAVE SUPPORTED MY CHILDREN EMOTIONALLY HELP THEM NAVIGATE CONFLICTS AND NOTICE OPPORTUNITIES TO INSPIRE THEM, FOR EXAMPLE, BY FINDING AN EXTRA BOOK WHEN THEY SAW A PARTICULAR INTEREST. EVERY TIME I SEE THIS WORK, I'M IMPRESSED. KNOWING THAT THESE EDUCATORS ARE NOT EARNING A LIVING WAGE MAKES ME FEEL THAT WE ARE UNDERVALUING AND TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEIR SKILLS AND GENEROSITY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO JENNIFER BRI COLONIES. JENNIFER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ONE MINUTE. HI, GOOD EVENING. UM, THIS IS JENNIFER BRITTON COLONIES. I LIVE AT 2 0 9 HURLEY STREET. UM, UM, SPEAKING, UM, IN SUPPORT OF ORDER 1 79, UM, TO GIVE PARAPROFESSIONALS A LIVING WAGE AND UM, REALLY THAT WE NEED TO INVEST IN OUR FUTURE IN OUR STUDENTS AND THE PEOPLE WHO HELP THEM LEARN. THANK YOU SO MUCH. I APPRECIATE YOUR TIME. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS TRISH EWEN, FOLLOWED BY ANTHONY MARTIN. THEN SUZANNE SCHINDLER. TRISH, TRISH IS NOT WITH US. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO ANTHONY MARTIN. ANTHONY IS NOT ON THE ZOOM. WE WILL GO TO SUZANNE SCHINDLER. SUZANNE IS NOT HERE. WE'RE GONNA GO TO JAN FORTE. JAN HAS ALSO LEFT. WE WILL GO TO JACOB SILVERSON. JACOB, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. JACOB SILVERSON 1 0 3 A ONE HILL STREET, CAMBRIDGE. I'M SPEAKING, UH, IN SUPPORT OF PROPOSED CHANGES TO THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. CD'S AMENDMENTS ARE BUT A MODEST YET IMPORTANT STEP TO MODIFYING THE EXISTING ORDINANCE. THE YAZI MCGOVERN, SABRINA WHEELER AMENDMENT NULLIFIES THE CDD PROPOSAL, A VOTE FOR THE AMENDMENT REPRESENTATIVE, A REJECTION OF CD, THOUSANDS OF CAMBRIDGE CITIZENS THAT CAN SEE BUILDING MORE AND MORE MARKET RATE HOUSING NO MATTER WHAT WILL IN SHORT ORDER MAKE OUR CITY UNLIVABLE. IT SADDENS ME TO SAY THAT WE ARE GOING DOWN THE PATH OF DESTRUCTION AT A PACE FAR FASTER THAN ANY OF US COULD HAVE IMAGINED. I IMPLORE YOU VOTE YES TO CDD NO TO COUNCILOR PROPOSED, UH, AMENDMENTS. I WANNA SAY THIS. WE, WE HAVE, MANY OF US HAVE GONE TO THE COUNCIL AND PLEADED WITH YOU TO LOOK AT WHAT WE, WHAT WE PREDICTED WOULD'VE HAPPENED AND IT NOW IS HAPPENING. PLEASE PAY ATTENTION AND TAKE THIS INTO ACCOUNT. STOP IT NOW. EVERY DAY IS MORE DESTRUCTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS KATHLEEN KELLY, FOLLOWED BY JAY LING, THEN NHI VEDI. KATHLEEN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. I HAVE TO SAY THE PROBLEM THAT UPZONING MIGHT CAUSE FOLKS WHO WANT TO ADD SOLAR PANELS IS NEW [02:00:01] AND CONCERNING TO ME. POLICY ORDER 1 73 IS ONLY ONLY A FIRST STEP. WE NEED A FULL REVIEW OF THE UPZONING SCHEME AND THAT SHOULD INCLUDE ROBUST PUBLIC COMMENT. IN ADDITION, THE 405 BILLION CAMBRIDGE POINT PROJECT, WHICH PROMISES 415 TO 460 AFFORDABLE HOUSING UNITS SHOULD BE FACTORED INTO ANY DISCUSSION ON ZONING AND AFFORDABILITY GOING FORWARD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAY LING, FOLLOWED BY NHI VEDI. JAY, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD JAY. YOU HAVE TO UNMUTE ON YOUR END. UH, THERE WE GO. I'M SORRY ABOUT THAT. YOU CAN HEAR ME NOW? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. TERRIFIC. JAY HOTELING, 5 41 GREEN STREET AND I'M HERE TO PLEAD WITH THE CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS. AND OF COURSE, UM, OUR GOVERNING BODIES HERE. DO REMEMBER THAT CAMBRIDGE STARTED AS A FOREST SWAMPS AND IT WAS A VILLAGE, AS A VILLAGE SURROUNDED BY FIELDS. AND IF YOU ASKED OUR, OUR ANCESTORS BACK IN THE 16 OR 17 HUNDREDS, THEY WOULDN'T RECOGNIZE THE CITY TODAY. AND THE CITY CONTINUES TO DENSIFY. WE HAVE A HEAVY RAIL SUBWAY LINE RIGHT THROUGH THE CENTER AND IT'S BECOME A MAJOR PART OF THE FABRIC OF THE BOSTON METRO. I AGREE WITH MANY OF THE RESIDENTS' CONCERNS ABOUT UGLY, UGLY DEVELOPMENT AND I THINK THERE ARE SOME WAYS TO MAKE IT BETTER. HOWEVER, OUR LOTS ARE TINY. THE MULTIFAMILY AMENDMENTS HAVE HUGE SETBACKS AND SIDE YARD REQUIREMENTS THAT ARE SIMPLY NOT GOING TO WORK WITH THE BUILDINGS AND THE, THE GOALS OF MAKING IT COME TOGETHER. AND TODAY'S MARKET RATE APARTMENTS AND MARKET RATE BUILDINGS ARE EXPENSIVE. YES. BUT THEY'RE TOMORROW'S AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND THEY'RE ENERGY EFFICIENT, SAFER, AND ALL AROUND BETTER. PLEASE DON'T CHANGE THE THINGS, IT'S TOUGH TO GO THROUGH THE INITIAL PARTS OF A BOOM. THANK YOU. JAY. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS NHE TRIVEDI, FOLLOWED BY DAVID HALPERIN. THEN RYAN BLACK NHE. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. NAOMI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN HEAR. WE CAN HEAR YOU. CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. OKAY, THANK YOU. HEY NAOMI. SORRY WE DON'T HAVE QUORUM SO WE HAVE TO STOP. APOLOGIES. NHE, IF YOU CAN JUST HOLD ON FOR ONE SECOND. OKAY. OKAY. VICE MAYOR'S HERE, BUT WE NEED SOMEONE HERE. CONTINUE. NHE PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. WILL WE RESET THE TIMER? ONE MINUTE. OKAY. THANK YOU. UH, UH, CITY COUNCIL. FIRST OF ALL, I COMMEND YOU ALL FOR MOVING FORWARD LAST YEAR WITH THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING OVERLAY. MASSACHUSETTS AND CAMBRIDGE ARE IN THE MIDST OF AN EXISTENTIAL CRISIS WITH PEOPLE AND FAMILIES LEAVING THE STATE, LEAVING OUR CITY, UH, ULTIMATELY, WHICH COULD RESULT IN POOR FINANCES FOR OUR CITY, LESS STUDENTS IN OUR SCHOOLS AND LESS REPRESENTATION IN WASHINGTON DC SO I ASKED THE COUNCIL TO STAY THE COURSE AND REJECT CHANGES THAT COULD RESULT IN MANY FEWER HOMES BEING BUILT. SECOND, PLEASE CONTINUE THE EXPANSION OF HURON AVENUE BIKE LANES. I SUFFERED MULTIPLE BIKE ACCIDENTS A DECADE AGO, AND SINCE THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THESE LANES, THE CITY IS MUCH SAFER FOR BOTH ME AND MY CHILDREN WHO RIDE WITH ME. LASTLY, I HOPE THE CITY WILL SUPPORT THE HEALTH AND SAFETY OF SEX WORKERS, INCLUDING DEPRIORITIZING ARRESTS FOR CONSENSUAL ADULT SEX WORK. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DAVID HALPERIN, FOLLOWED BY RYAN BLACK, THEN PATRICK BARTON. WE'RE AT SPEAKER ONE 11. DAVID, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK DAVID HPER 14 VALENTINE STREET, UNIT THREE. UM, I'D LIKE TO EXPRESS MY STRONG OPPOSITION TO, UM, DOWN MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ZONING WITH INCREASED SETBACK REQUIREMENTS. UM, OPPONENT OF THE ZONING, WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOW IT'S PRODUCING VERY LITTLE AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN ONE BREATH. AND THEN, YOU KNOW, GIVE THEIR EXAMPLE OF NINE LYMAN ROAD, WHICH IS, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE FEW PROJECTS THAT IS PRODUCED IN, YOU KNOW, NEED RESTRICTED INCLUSIONARY UNITS THAT, YOU KNOW, AS WAS EXTENSIVELY DISCUSSED DURING THE, WHEN THIS WAS INITIALLY PROPOSED, THAT SCALE AND DENSITY IS NEEDED TO FINANCIALLY SUPPORT THOSE AFFORDABLE UNITS. UM, THESE PROJECTS ARE, YOU KNOW, ALL ON THE EDGE OF BEING VIABLE AND LIKE ANYTHING THAT WE DO THAT TO PAIR THEM BACK IS GONNA MAKE IT VERY DIFFICULT FOR THEM TO MOVE FORWARD. UH, PLEASE DO NOT, UH, REDUCE THE, PLEASE DO NOT, UH, PLEASE DO NOT PAIR BACK THE ZONING. THANK YOU SO MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS RYAN BLACK, [02:05:01] FOLLOWED BY PATRICK BARTON, THEN SCOTT PAULMAN. HELLO, COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS RYAN BLACK. I AM A CAMBRIDGE LETTER CARRIER. UH, I SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF COUNSELOR L Z'S POLICY ORDER 1 7 9. UH, CAMBRIDGE EDUCATORS DESERVE A LIVING WAGE AND STUDENTS DESERVE FULLY FUNDED SCHOOLS, SO THERE NEEDS TO BE AT LEAST A 6% INCREASE TO THE BUDGET. UH, BRANCH 34 OF THE NATIONAL ASSOCIATION HOME LETTER CARRIER IS MY UNION. WE VOTED TO ENDORSE THE CAMBRIDGE EDUCATORS IN THEIR CONTRACT FIGHT. SO PLEASE MEET THEIR REQUEST FOR A FAIR SETTLEMENT TO THE CONTRACT AND VOTE FOR, UH, COUNCILOR ZUBIE, UH, PROPOSAL. UM, SEPARATELY AND JUST IN MY INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, JUST, YOU KNOW, YOU KNOW NOT, NOT MY UNION'S CAPACITY, I ALSO SUPPORT POLICY ORDER 10 AND ENCOURAGE YOU TO VOTE ACCORDINGLY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PATRICK BARTON. PATRICK. PATRICK HAS LEFT US. WE WILL GO TO SCOTT PULLMAN, FOLLOWED BY ABIGAIL RME, THEN SHELLY C**K. SCOTT, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HI, MY NAME IS SCOTT PAULMAN. I LIVE AT 4 67 HAR AVENUE AND I'M SPEAKING IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER 1 73. THE MULTI-FAMILY ORDINANCE WAS PASSED WITH THE GOAL OF IMPROVING AFFORDABILITY. WHAT IT SEEMS TO HAVE DONE INSTEAD IS ENCOURAGE TEARDOWNS OF MODEST MULTI-FAMILY HOUSES AND REPLACING THEM WITH WHATEVER MAXIMIZES INVESTOR PROFITS. REGARDLESS OF HOW THIS MAY AFFECT THE LOCAL NEIGHBORHOOD OR AFFORDABILITY, ACCORDING TO THE CENSUS, THE CITY'S ADDED 10,000 HOUSING UNITS SINCE 2010. THAT'S A 21% INCREASE WHEN THE BOSTON METRO POPULATION HAS GROWN BY ONLY 10%. YET, I DON'T THINK ANYONE WOULD SAY THAT MORE UNITS ALONE HAS SOLVED OUR AFFORDABILITY ISSUE. CARELESSLY ACCELERATING THAT PACE WILL NOT SOLVE IT EITHER. WHEN SETTING RULES FOR DEVELOPERS, I ENCOURAGE THE CITY TO MORE CAREFULLY CONSIDER THE IMPACT ON CURRENT RESIDENTS, ESPECIALLY THOSE IN NEED OF TRUE, AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS ARE A STEP IN THIS DIRECTION. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ABIGAIL RANDS. ABIGAIL IS NOT HERE. WE WILL GO TO SHELLY C**K, FOLLOWED BY STEVE MARKS, THEN KAREN BETTE. SHELLY IS NOT HERE. WE WILL GO TO STEVE MARKS. STEVE IS ALSO NOT HERE. UM, WE ARE GONNA GO TO KAREN BETTE. KAREN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. KAREN BRUT OR BETTE. HI, KAREN BRUT HERE AT 51 CUSHING STREET. I'M HERE TO SUPPORT THE PROPOSED ZONING AMENDMENTS. PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR EXPERTS. CITY DEPARTMENT EXPERTS TOLD ME THAT THEY ARE, QUOTE, NOT TAKEN SERIOUSLY. THEY'RE TELLING YOU WHY THESE AMENDMENTS ARE NEEDED. STORM WATER, FIRE, SAFETY, TREES, EGRESS, GREEN FACTOR ARE ALL COMPETING FOR LIMITED SPACE. WE'RE FUNNELING SIX LANES OF REQUIREMENTS THROUGH A ONE LANE ROAD. WE'VE CREATED A FIVE FOOT TRAFFIC JAM. C, D, D PUT IT SIMPLY, MORE SPACE EQUALS FEWER CONFLICTS. YET SOME OF YOU ARE STILL SEEKING TO WEAKEN THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS. COUNSELOR, SABRINA WHEELER PROPOSED AN EXCLUSION, AN INCLUSIONARY EXCEPTION, WHICH RAISES AN IMPORTANT QUESTION. WHY SHOULD AFFORDABLE HOUSING GET LESS ROOM FOR FLOOD PROTECTION? SAFETY TREES? FIRE ACCESS. THAT'S NOT EQUITY. CBD ALREADY KNEW THIS SPACE WAS NEEDED, ACCOUNTED FOR IT AND ITS HOUSING PROJECTIONS AND CONFIRMED IT WILL NOT ADVERSELY IMPACT OUR HOUSING FORECAST. PLEASE LISTEN TO YOUR EXPERTS AND SUPPORT POLICY ORDER 1 73. THANK YOU. TAL SEABERG, I BELIEVE WAS A REPEAT. WE ARE GONNA GO TO JEFF SINGER, FOLLOWED BY CHRISSY BATES, THEN LINDSEY CASA GRANDA. JEFF, GOOD EVENING. MY PARTNER AND I LIVE AT 29 BUCKINGHAM STREET. WE'VE BEEN THERE 29, 20 YEARS, AND I'M SPEAKING ABOUT THE URGENCY TO AMEND THE MFHO COUNSELORS. YOU GOT VERY LOUD MESSAGES FROM CONSTITUENTS TONIGHT. THEY WERE THOUGHTFUL, THEY WERE INFORMED, AND THEY WERE PERSONAL. AND I'VE BEEN KEEPING SCORE THE COMMENTS TO REVERSE SLOW DOWN. DO SOMETHING WITH THIS ORDINANCE THAT'S A WINDFALL FOR DEVELOPERS IS ABOUT 33 TO EIGHT. SO I CHALLENGE EACH OF YOU TO BE TRANSPARENT. THIS IS ACTUALLY MY WIFE'S IDEA. NASCAR DRIVERS TOUR DE FRANCE CYCLISTS ALL WEAR COLORFUL JACKETS WITH LOGOS OF THEIR SPONSORS. ANY OR ALL OF YOU WHO ACCEPT MONEY FROM DEVELOPERS [02:10:01] OR REALTORS SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO WEAR THEIR CORPORATE LOGOS ON YOUR SHIRTS TO LET CONSTITUENTS KNOW WHO IS REALLY INFLUENCING DECISION MAKING. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CHRISSY BATES, FOLLOWED BY LINDSAY CASAGRANDA, THEN VALERIE BONDS. CHRISSY, GOOD EVENING, CAMBRIDGE COUNSELORS. MY NAME IS CHRISSY BATES AND I'M AN ACTIVE MEMBER OF THE GOVERNOR'S COUNCIL ON TRAFFICKING. A YOUNG DEMOCRAT OF MASSACHUSETTS, AN INDEPENDENT PUBLIC POLICY CONSULTANT AND A PREVIOUS COMMISSIONER ON THE MASSACHUSETTS SPECIAL COMMISSION ON UNACCOMPANIED HOMELESS YOUTH. BUT BEFORE ANY OF THESE TITLES, I WAS A 16-YEAR-OLD TRYING TO SURVIVE. MY MOM WAS A SINGLE MOM SUR SURVIVOR, WORKING TONS OF HOURS. LOVE WASN'T THE PROBLEM. MONEY WAS AS A MINOR. I STARTED SELLING SEXUAL IMAGES ON FACEBOOK TO MEN THAT WOULD BUY IT. THEN TRADING SEX FOR WHAT I NEEDED BASED ON MY BOOTS ON THE GROUNDWORK AS A YOUTH HOMELESSNESS STREET OUTREACH CASE CASEWORKER FOR OVER SIX YEARS. HERE'S WHAT I LEARNED. THE CURRENT STATUS QUO DOESN'T KEEP ANYONE SAFE. YOU CAN'T ARREST PEOPLE OUT OF POVERTY. YOU CAN'T PROSECUTE PEOPLE INTO SAFETY, BUT YOU CAN PROTECT AND INVEST IN US AND TELL THE POLICE TO LEAVE PEOPLE WHO EXCHANGE SEX TO MEET THEIR NEEDS ALONE. THE A-L-A-C-L-U SUPPORTS US. AND IS THAT MY TIME? YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA BACK TO OUR EARLIEST SKIP SPEAKER SUZANNE BLEIER. SUZANNE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU SO MUCH. SUZANNE BLEIER FIVE FULLER PLACE. PLEASE SUPPORT CD'S, MODEST AMENDMENTS AND DON'T SUPPORT THE THE POISON PILL. UM, THESE ARE VERY MODEST. THEY, THEY WILL AT LEAST BEGIN US TO THINK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO. WE'RE SEEING MORE DEMOLITIONS AND WHAT'S GOING IN THEIR PLACE ARE FAR FROM AFFORDABLE. THEY'RE 1.5 TO $2 MILLION AND, UM, WE, WE JUST NEED TO BE SMARTER ABOUT THIS. UH, ON HURON STREET, I WOULD ASK YOU TO THINK ABOUT WHAT YOU VOTED ON FOR GARDEN STREET. WE COULD HAVE HAD TWO WAY, UH, TRAFFIC AND KEPT THE BIKE LANES, BUT YOU REFUSE THAT BECAUSE OF THE QUESTION OF LOSING PARKING. WELL, WE HAVE TO BE, UM, THE SAME WHETHER WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HURON OR OTHER PLACES. PARKING IS CRITICAL ON THE TAXES. UM, WE SHOULD HAVE CUT BACK. I MEAN LIKE HARVARD, ET CETERA. OUR HOUSING NEEDS ARE LESS THAN THEY WERE BEFORE. HARVARD'S CUT BACK 25% IN SOME CASES. WE NEED TO HAVE A HOLISTIC APPROACH TO WHAT WE ARE DOING IN THE CITY. THANKS SO MUCH. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO TAL SEABERG TAL. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. TAL, WE HAVE TO UNMUTE YOU AND THEN YOU UNMUTE YOURSELF. LET'S TRY THIS ONE MORE TIME. PLEASE UNMUTE YOURSELF. TAL YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ONE MINUTE. THANK YOU. HI, MY NAME IS TALLY SEIBERG. I'M A HOMEOWNER, RESIDENT AND VOTER IN CAMBRIDGE. I AM AGAINST CANCELING THE BIKE SAFETY PROJECT NUMBER EIGHT. UH, THE MORE I BIKE IN THIS TOWN, THE MORE I SPEND IN LOCAL BUSINESSES. UH, IF THAT DOESN'T CONVINCE YOU, PLEASE. SAFETY. UH, I DON'T WANT MORE PEOPLE TO DIE HERE DIE. I DON'T THINK I SHOULD HAVE TO BEG A CITY TO DO BASIC SAFETY IMPROVEMENTS. EVEN A MINOR CAR INJURY THAT DOESN'T GET REPORTED TO THE CITY. IT'S A MAJOR LIFE CHANGING EVENT. I'M DEALING WITH A MAJOR HEAD TRAUMA FROM WHAT'S VERY MINOR INJURY THAT DOESN'T GET REPORTED. PLEASE PUT IN MORE BIKE LINES. SAVE LIVES, SAVE PEOPLE. UH, IF THAT DOESN'T CONVINCE EITHER, PLEASE KNOW. THIS IS HOW MOST OF MY COMMUNITY DECIDES THEIR VOTE. THANK YOU. PLEASE CONTINUE. UH, BUILDING BIKE LANES AS MANY AS POSSIBLE. THE MORE IT IS A NETWORK, THE SAFER PEOPLE WILL BE AND THE MORE THEY WILL BE USED RATHER THAN CARS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS LINDSAY CASA GRANDO. WE'RE AT SPEAKER NUMBER 1 22, FOLLOWED BY VALERIE BONDS. THEN MOLLY O'BRIEN. LINDSAY LINDSAY IS NOT WITH US. WE WILL GO TO VALERIE BONDS. VALERIE, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. PLEASE GO AHEAD. THANK YOU. THANK YOU FOR STAYING WITH US. LEGALIZED SEX, LEGALIZED DRUGS, AND LEGALIZED GAMBLING. WE NEED REGULATION, PUBLIC SAFETY AND PUBLIC HEALTH. , CONGRATULATIONS TO MIT WELLESLEY UPWARD BOUND PROGRAM ON ITS 60TH ANNIVERSARY. AND CAN THE COUNCIL PROPOSE EXTENDING A SIMILAR MODEL TO ELEMENTARY AND MIDDLE SCHOOL STUDENTS TO HELP CLOSE THE PUBLIC EDUCATION ACHIEVEMENT GAP? [02:15:01] THE POLICY ORDER CARE COMMUNITY ASSISTANCE RESPONSE ENGAGEMENT PROGRAM TO IMPROVE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH AND CRISIS INTERVENTION, CITING THE VIOLENCE AND TRAUMA FROM THE MEMORIAL DRIVE. SHOOTING AS A CASE FOR BETTER RESPONSE. ON, ON ZONING MEMBERS PUSHED TO ALIGN THE MULTIFAMILY ZONING AMENDMENTS, FLAGGING A SURGE OF FOUR STORY HIGHEND DEVELOPMENTS SEEMINGLY BUILT TO DODGE CITY REQUIREMENTS FOR MODERATE AND LOW INCOME, UH, DEVELOPMENT. THE NEW ELECTION FOR THE CITY COUNCIL IN 2027 WILL SOLVE MANY OF THESE PROBLEMS. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS MOLLY O'BRIEN. THEN DANIEL MASCO, FOLLOWED BY EDWARD BIDDLE. MOLLY, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. MY NAME IS MOLLY O'BRIEN LIVE AT 1 0 3 PLEASANT STREET AND I'M SPEAKING IN FAVOR OF AMENDING THE MFH ZONING ORDINANCE. UM, I LIVE IN CAMBRIDGEPORT AND WHEN I WALK AROUND MY NEIGHBORHOOD THESE DAYS, I SEE MULTIPLE SMALL LOTS BEING REDEVELOPED INTO LUXURY DWELLINGS. MOST WITH THREE TO SIX UNITS. IT WOULD BE GREAT IF MY NIECE, WHO'S A LOCAL TEACHER, COULD AFFORD TO LIVE IN ANY OF THESE NEW UNITS, BUT SHE CANNOT. THIS IS NOT A VICTORY FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING. SMALLER LOT PROJECTS LIKE THESE ONES ARE THE LEAST LIKELY TO PRODUCE AFFORDABLE HOUSING. THE CD'S OWN DATA SHOWS THAT THE PROJECTS GENERATE SUBSTANTIAL GENERATE WHO THE PROJECTS THAT GENERATE SUBSTANTIAL INCLUSIONARY HOUSING ARE THE LARGER DEVELOPMENTS. UM, THIS IS NOT A DEBATE BETWEEN AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND WEALTHY HOMEOWNERS. IT'S JUST MAKING TARGETED CHANGES FOR BETTER OUTCOMES. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS DANIEL MASCO. DANIEL, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD, DANIEL. ONE MINUTE. DANIEL, CAN YOU HEAR ME? WE CAN. DANIEL MASCO 37 MERIT IS TERRORISTS. THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO MULTIFAMILY ZONING ARE NOT ABOUT MITIGATING UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, NOR ABOUT PROTECTING AFFORDABLE HOUSING OR PREVENTING GENTRIFICATION OR DISPLACEMENT. IT'S ABOUT RETURNING TO THE PREVIOUS ZONING CODE TO THE GREATEST EXTENT POSSIBLE. WHAT I HEAR IS THAT THE GENTRIFICATION AND DISPLACEMENT OF THE EXTREME SCALES THAT WE'VE EXPERIENCED FOR GENERATION BEFORE MULTIFAMILY ZONING WAS ADOPTED IS OKAY. EVEN MUCH BETTER THAN BUILDING MORE HOUSING BECAUSE WE WERE ENSURING THAT THE CITY DIDN'T PHYSICALLY CHANGE. AND THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN PEOPLE. THIS IS BACKWARDS AND WRONG. CAMBRIDGE IS A CITY AND IT SHOULD CHANGE PHYSICALLY, ESPECIALLY IF IT HELPS MITIGATE THE HOUSING CRISIS AND HELPS RESIDENTS TO MAINTAIN THEIR LIVES. HERE WE PASSED MEANINGFUL ZONING CHANGES JUST A YEAR AGO. THERE IS MUCH MORE TO DO AND TO IMPROVE IT. RESTRICT AVERAGE APARTMENT SIZES, PAY FOR INCLUSIONARY UNITS, BUT THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS RATHER AIM TO UNDO THE BENEFITS OF MULTIFAMILY ZONING. WE SHOULDN'T MOVE BACKWARDS. PLEASE REJECT THE AMENDMENTS. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS EDWARD BIDDLE. EDWARD, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, THIS IS EDWARD BIDDLE. I HAVE A TWO STORY HOME SURROUNDED BY THREE DECKERS AT 4 28 FRANKLIN STREET AND HAVE VERY LITTLE SUNLIGHT ON THE FIRST FLOOR. PROPOSED FOUR TO SIX STORY STRUCTURES WILL BE HORRENDOUS. I HAVE ZERO RECOURSE AND I'M PAYING TAXES TO A CITY THAT'S DESTROYING MY HOME'S VALUE. PARKING IS NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE AND DOWN THE STREET IS A IS AT FOUR 50 IS A TWO FAMILY UNIT BEING TORN DOWN FOR A FOUR STORY STRUCTURE. THESE BUILDINGS ARE OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD. THE 90-YEAR-OLD NEIGHBOR, MAUREEN KROGER, IS SICK WITH WARY WHO'S DOING THIS AND WHO'S DOING THIS? AN INVESTMENT FUND. THIS IS LITERALLY RUINING THE CITY IN DEVELOPMENT RUN AMUCK. CAMBRIDGE IS ONE OF THE MOST DENSELY POSTULATED CITIES IN THE COUNTRY ALREADY, AND THIS IS DESTROYING ITS FABRIC AND ITS CULTURE. UH, PLEASE STOP THIS AND PAUSE THIS. INSANE DEVELOPMENT. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS AARON HARROW, FOLLOWED BY BRAUL CHAKRABARTI. THEN ANDREW KIM. AARON, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI EVERYONE. THANK YOU FOR WORKING ON THESE IMPORTANT TOPICS. MY NAME'S AARON HARROW. I LIVE IN 19 ELLSWORTH. FIRST I WANNA SPEAK IN FAVOR OF PAYING PARAPROFESSIONALS MORE. THEY DO A VERY IMPORTANT JOB AND THE SCHOOLS WORK BETTER WHEN THERE'S LESS TURNOVER, WHICH WE ONLY GET FROM HIGHER PAY. ALSO, THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE DOING JOBS OF SIMILAR IMPORTANCE IN PAY WHO DON'T WORK FOR THE CITY, LIKE TEACHERS AT PRIVATE DAYCARES. IF WE WANT THESE PEOPLE TO BE ABLE TO LIVE IN CAMBRIDGE, WE NEED MORE HOUSING OF ALL TYPES. SO IF YOU TWEAK THE HOUSING CODE, PLEASE DO NOT REDUCE DENSITY. I WANNA RESPOND [02:20:01] BRIEFLY TO TWO MISCONCEPTIONS ABOUT HOUSING. FIRST. PEOPLE SOMETIMES SAY THEY WANT HOUSING JUST SUBJECT TO SOME CONDITIONS, BUT EVERYONE WANTS DIFFERENT CONDITIONS AND PRETTY SOON IT'S IMPOSSIBLE TO BUILD. AND THEN CAMBRIDGE HOUSING DIES BY A THOUSAND CUTS, NOT ONLY RESTRICTIVE ZONING. SECOND, SOME PEOPLE WORRY THAT NEW HOUSING IS MORE EXPENSIVE THAN OLD HOUSING, BUT THAT'S HOW NEW THINGS WORK. WHEN NEW CARS STOP BEING BUILT DURING COVID, USED CARS GOT VERY EXPENSIVE. IF YOU BANNED NEW CARS, IT WOULD'VE ONLY MADE USED CARS MORE EXPENSIVE. THE SAME LOGIC APPLIES TO HOUSING. YOU HAVE TO ALLOW NEW HOUSING OF ALL TYPES WITHOUT RESTRICTION. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS PVO CHAKRABARTI, FOLLOWED BY ANDREW KIM. THEN JACOB AGEN STERN. P P'S NOT HERE. WE'RE GONNA GO TO ANDREW KIM, THEN JACOB. HELLO, I'M ANDREW KIM. I'M A MEMBER OF THE DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST OF AMERICA AND A DEACON AT OLD CAMBRIDGE BAPTIST CHURCH. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDERS 3, 5, 6, 9, AND 10. THE COUNCIL HAS THE OPTION TODAY TO SHOW BROAD SUPPORT FOR CAMBRIDGE'S WORKING CLASS. THE PASSAGE OF THESE POLICY ORDERS WOULD CEMENT THAT CAMBRIDGE IS A CITY THAT RESPECTS WORKERS' RIGHTS TO SAFE, SUPPORTED WORKPLACES, ACCESS TO THE TOOLS AND SUPPORT THEY NEED TO DO THEIR JOBS PROPERLY, AND THE ABILITY TO MAKE A REAL LIVING WAGE FOR THEIR WORK. THE WORKERS OF CAMBRIDGE DESERVE MORE. THEY DESERVE TO BE TREATED WITH THE DIGNITY THAT THEY ARE RIGHTFULLY AFFORDED BY BEING LABORERS IN OUR CITY. WHILE ALL THESE POLICY ORDERS ARE IMPORTANT, AS THE SON OF A PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER, I WILL SAY THAT IT IS PERSONALLY IMPORTANT TO ME THAT THE COUNCIL MOVE TO FIND THE MONEY FOR OUR EDUCATORS AND URGE THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO END THEIR OBSTINACY AND COME TO THE TABLE. HONESTLY, TO MEET THE CEAS. QUITE REASONABLE DEMANDS. THE COUNCIL HAS THE CHANCE TODAY TO SHOW THAT WHILE WE ARE THE RICHEST CITY IN THE COUNTRY, ONE OF THE RICHEST CITIES IN THE COUNTRY, THAT WEALTH IS BUILT OFF THE BACK OF OUR WORKING CLASS. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. THANK YOU ANDREW. OUR NEXT SPEAKERS, WE ARE AT SPEAKER NUMBER ONE 30, JACOB ERN, FOLLOWED BY ALEX WELLS, THEN ESTHER PARK. JACOB JACOB IS NOT HERE. WE'RE GONNA GO TO ALEX WELLS. HELLO, I'M ALEX WELLS, 26 CAMBRIDGE TERRACE. IN IN CAMBRIDGE. I'M HERE TO SPEAK IN SUPPORT OF THE CAMBRIDGE CITIZENS COALITION. PROPOSED 10 AMENDMENTS TO CAMBRIDGE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING UP ZONING ORDINANCE. I ASK THE CHAIR AND THE COUNCIL TO RECONSIDER AND POSSIBLY REVISE DOWNWARD WHAT CAMBRIDGE TRULY NEEDS IN TERMS OF THE SIZE AND THE QUANTITY OF NEW HOUSING. LIKE MOST RESIDENTS IN THIS CITY, I WANT A CITY THAT'S DOING ITS BEST TO PROVIDE HOUSING THAT IS AFFORDABLE. BUT I FEAR THAT DEVELOPERS MAY HAVE BEEN GIVEN TOO MUCH LATITUDE AND THAT THEY MIGHT ABUSE THAT FREEDOM TO OVERBUILD, ESPECIALLY IN TRAFFIC CHOKE POINTS. UH, SPECIFICALLY THE NEW SIX STORY BUILDING ABOUT TO GO UP AT 1740 MASSACHUSETTS AVENUE, THE CORNER OF LINEAN STREET. THIS NEW MIXED USE BUILDING SEEMS TO LACK REASONABLE ACCOMMODATION FOR PARKING CARS, SPACE FOR DELIVERY VEHICLES FOR OUR PRECIOUS TREES, VITAL TO BREATHABLE AIR AND ADEQUATE SIDEWALKS ESSENTIAL FOR PEDESTRIAN SAFETY. THANK YOU FOR LISTENING AND FOR ALL THE WORK YOU DO FOR THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ESTHER PARK, FOLLOWED BY SEAN HOPE. THEN RITA ROMERO. ESTHER. ESTHER IS NOT HERE. WE ARE GONNA GO TO SEAN. HOPE SEAN IS NOT ON THE ZOOM. WE WILL MOVE ON TO RITA ROMERO. MY NAME IS RITA ROMERO. I'M 40 YEARS OLD AND I'VE BEEN A SEX WORKER FOR OVER HALF MY LIFE. I WAS TRAFFICKED INTO THIS WORK. WHEN I ESCAPED MY TRAFFICKERS. I CALLED THE POLICE AND I TOLD AN OFFICER I'D BEEN LOCKED IN A HOUSE, MY PHONE AND COMPUTER TAKEN. I WAS FORCED TO HAVE SEX AND BEAT UP DAILY. I WAS FRANTIC AND I KEPT REPEATING THEIR PIMPS, THEIR PIMPS. THE OFFICER ON THE OTHER LINE SAID, THEN WHAT DOES THAT MAKE YOU? I'VE HAD MANY OTHER JOBS SINCE THEN. I'VE BEEN A TOUR MANAGER FOR AN INTERNATIONALLY TOURING BAND. I'VE BEEN A MAKEUP ARTIST FOR NEW YORK FASHION WEEK. I'VE BEEN A WELDER, A ROOFER, A FORKLIFT OPERATOR, A YOGA TEACHER, AND I AM A UNION STAGEHAND SEX WORK, PAID FOR THE TRAINING FOR ALL OF THOSE JOBS. I HAD PLENTY OF OTHER OPTIONS. I KEEP COMING BACK TO SEX WORK BECAUSE I LIKE SEX AND I LIKE GETTING PAID FOR SEX. WHAT I HATE IS HAVING NOWHERE TO REPORT SOMEONE WHO ABUSES ME OR REFUSES TO PAY ME. I KNOW THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BEING TRAFFICKED AND CHOOSING SEX WORK. I'VE LIVED BOTH. THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO BENEFIT FROM CRIMINALIZING US IS PEOPLE WHO WISH TO DO US HARM. THANK YOU. RITA, IF YOU CAN EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS BRENDA FINN, FOLLOWED BY JENNIFER LANDGREN. THEN ON MCD. [02:25:04] BRENDA BRENDA'S NOT HERE. WE'RE GONNA GO TO JENNIFER LANDGREN. JENNIFER HAS LEFT THE ZOOM. WE'LL TRY ON MCD ON IS NOT HERE. WE'RE GONNA GO TO ALEX KLEIN. ALEX, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD, ALEX, YOU'RE UNMUTED. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ALEX, WE CAN'T HEAR YOU. WE'LL TRY AGAIN. WE'LL COME BACK IN A FEW. UM, OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JUDE ROY, FOLLOWED BY LAUREN O'MALLEY SINGH. JUDE. JUDE IS NOT ON THE ZOOM. WE'RE GONNA GO TO LAUREN O'MALLEY SINGH. LAUREN IS NOT ON ZOOM OR PRESENT. WE WILL GO TO CORNELL MARSHBURN. WE WILL JUST GIVE CORNELL A MOMENT TO COME TO THE MIC. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS CORNELL MARSH BARN. I LIVE AT 1 65 SPRING STREET. I AM EMPLOYED BY THE C OF CAMBRIDGE AS A PARA OR CORRECTION A BUILDING'S, UH, FOR THE CPSD. I AM STANDING HERE BEFORE YOU TO LET YOU KNOW THERE ARE BUILDING SUBS, PARAS, TEACHERS, WE'RE ALL ASKING FOR THE SAME THING. A WORKING LIVABLE WAGE. IT'S NOT HARD. IT'S ONLY 6%. YOU CAN DO THIS. WE SUPPORTED YOU. WE EXPECT YOU TO SUPPORT US. IT IS NOT THAT HARD. I OWN MY HOUSE IN CAMBRIDGE TODAY, TOMORROW, WITHOUT A PAY INCREASE. IT MAY NOT BE THERE FOR ME. I'M ASKING YOU. SUPPORT ME. SUPPORT US. SUPPORT EVERYONE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS ALINA BLUTO. IT APPEARS ALINA'S NOT WITH US. WE'RE GONNA GO TO DEAN ECKLES. DEAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, I'M DEAN ECKLES AT ONE GARDENER ROAD. I'VE LIVED IN CAMBRIDGE FOR 11 YEARS UNTIL RECENTLY. AS A TENANT, I WANT TO URGE THE COUNCIL TO RETAIN THE MULTI-FAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE REJECTING THE PROPOSED AMENDMENTS, WHICH WOULD GUT THIS IMPORTANT ZONING LIBERALIZATION. I'D REMIND THE COUNCIL THAT THE LAST ELECTION OCCURRED AFTER THIS ORDINANCE HAD ALREADY PASSED. I'D SAY IT WAS ARGUABLY THE NUMBER ONE ISSUE IN THAT ELECTION. I, I IMAGINE YOU ALL RECALL THIS, VOTERS SELECTED A MAJORITY OF COUNSELORS WHO SUPPORTED IT. I DON'T SEE ANY INDICATION OF A BROAD PATTERN OF VOTERS CHANGING THEIR MINDS TONIGHT. ON BOTH SIDES OF THIS ISSUE, WE'RE HEARING FROM MANY OF THE SAME PEOPLE AS BEFORE IT PASSED, INCLUDING ME. THE LAST ELECTION PROVIDED A CLEAR MANDATE FOR PRESERVING AND CONTINUING ZONING LIBERALIZATION FOR HOUSING. AND YOU KNOW WHAT THE NEXT ONE WILL TOO. SO THINK ABOUT THAT. I VOTED FOR SOME EXPERIENCED COUNSELORS BECAUSE OF THEIR COMBINATION OF EXPERIENCE AND EVENTUAL SUPPORT FOR THIS ORDINANCE. EVEN IF IT TOOK SOME REVISION AND COMPROMISE TO GET THERE, IF THEY GUT IT NOW WITH THESE AMENDMENTS, I WOULD SUPPORT NEW CANDIDATES AND OTHER VOTERS WILL TOO. PLEASE PRESERVE THE ZONING LIBERALIZATION THAT WE HAD WITH THIS MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. WE'RE GONNA GO BACK TO ALEX KLEIN, FOLLOWED BY HEATHER WHITEMAN. ALEX, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU CAN UNMUTE YOURSELF ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HELLO. UM, I AM A CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC EDUCATOR. UM, I'VE FORMERLY WORKED AS A PARAPROFESSIONAL. I'M CURRENTLY WORKING AS A, UH, FULL-TIME TEACHER AND I AM, UH, SPEAKING TO ASK FOR THE FUNDS TO BE ALLOCATED FOR CAMBRIDGE'S, UH, SUPPORT, UH, PROFESSIONALS. AS SOMEONE WHO'S WORKED AS BOTH A TEACHER AND A PARAPROFESSIONAL, I KNOW EXACTLY THE WORK THAT THESE PE THAT THESE PEOPLE DO. THE VERY IMPORTANT WORK, UM, IN THAT POSITION, UH, FOR A FULL YEAR, EVERY DAY, I, UH, PLANNED AND TAUGHT LESSONS FOR MULTIPLE STUDENTS AT ONCE TO SUPPORT, UH, IEP NEEDS. UM, IN THIS, IN THAT POSITION AS A PARA, I WAS INJURED MULTIPLE TIMES IN THE COURSE OF MY DUTIES AND DUTIES THAT WERE PART OF MY REGULAR ROTATION OF DUTIES. UM, AND IN FACT, [02:30:01] UH, YOU MAY NOT BE AWARE OF THIS, BUT PARAPROFESSIONALS SOMETIMES SPEND MORE TIME IN THE CLASSROOM THAN EDUCATORS BECAUSE OF THE NEED FOR EDUCATORS TO PLAN, UH, FUTURE ASSIGNMENTS, UH, PREPARE THEIR WORK. AND IN THAT WAY, PARAS CAN EVEN SPEND MORE TIME WITH STUDENTS THAN TEACHERS IN SOME CASES. THANK YOU. ALEX, PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. WE ARE GONNA GO TO HEATHER WHITEMAN, FOLLOWED BY SHERRY TAUB. THEN CATHERINE ALEXANDER. HEATHER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. HEATHER'S NOT WITH US. WE'RE GONNA GO TO SHERRY TABB. SHERRY IS NOT WITH US. WE'RE GONNA TRY CATHERINE ALEXANDER. CATHERINE, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ONE MINUTE. OH. HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? YES, WE CAN. PLEASE GO AHEAD. HELLO, MY NAME'S CATHERINE ALEXANDER. I LIVE ON CRAWFORD STREET, MID CAMBRIDGE. I'VE LIVED HERE FOR OVER 30 YEARS AND I JOINED THE OTHER SPEAKERS IN BEING VERY CONCERNED ABOUT THE, UM, EXTREME BUILDING. UM, UM, ALL THIS, UM, FOURTH STORY, SIX STORIES. IT'S JUST TOO MUCH FOR CAMBRIDGE, UH, LOSING TREES, LOSING SETBACKS, AND RUINING WONDERFUL OLD HOUSES AND, AND THE NEIGHBORHOOD. AND I, AS FAR AS I CAN TELL, NONE OF IT IS AFFORDABLE. I'VE TALKED TO A COUPLE OF DEVELOPERS JUST WALKING AROUND THE NEIGHBORHOOD AND IT'S ALL LUXURY. IT'S NOT HELPING WITH THE HOUSING PROBLEM. IT'S MAKING THINGS WORSE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JAMES WILLIAMSON. JAMES, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE PLEASE. GO AHEAD. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. JAMES WILLIAMSON, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. WE'LL COME BACK TO JAMES. WE'RE GONNA MOVE ON TO SUZANNE GRAVES, FOLLOWED BY DAN TOTTEN. SUZANNE, SUZANNE GRAVES. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HI, MY NAME IS SUZANNE GRAVES. I'M AT 36 BLAKESLEY STREET. UH, WE LIVE IN WEST CAMBRIDGE. IT'S A FAMILY NEIGHBORHOOD THAT'S FILLED WITH MULTIFAMILY HOUSES, SUMMER CONDOS, AND SOME ARE TWO OR THREE FAMILY HOMES. THEY'RE TREES AND GARDENS. KID PLA KIDS PLAY IN THE SIDEWALKS. UH, WE HAVE A BIG HALLOWEEN PARTY THAT'S COMING UP SHORTLY, I'M SURE. UH, THESE ARE APARTMENTS, UH, AND THEY ARE FAMILY APARTMENTS. WHAT'S BEING PROPOSED ARE SMALLER APARTMENTS FOR ONE PERSON OR A COUPLE. THESE WILL BE EXPENSIVE TO PURCHASE, UM, OR TO RENT AT AN ENTRY PRI PRICE OF A 1.5 MILLION. THESE ARE NOT DESIGNATED TO BE AFFORDABLE HOUSINGS. UM, THE PROPERTIES ARE BEING DEVELOPED. PROPERTY LINE TO PROPERTY LINE, REMOVING TREES AND GREEN SPACE. THE COMPLIANCE FOR GREEN SPACE IS THROUGH BUILDING GREEN SPACE ON THE ROOF. NOT YARDS TO PLAY IN. MY HUSBAND WHO GREW UP HERE REMINISCES ABOUT THE YARDS HE PLAYED IN, THAT WILL ALL BE GONE. THESE THINGS CAUSE HEAT SINKS AND, UH, WITHOUT THE TREES. ONCE THESE PROPERTIES ARE GONE, THEY WILL NOT BE. THANK YOU, SUZANNE. YOUR TIME HAS EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER OF YOUR COMMENT. DAN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. ONE MINUTE. HI, UH, DAN TOTTEN, 54 BISHOP ALLEN DRIVE. UH, SHOUT OUT TO THE PARIS AND THE SEX WORKERS. BUT I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT THE POLICY ORDER THAT PROPOSES TO DELAY THE OUTER HURON BIKE LANE. UM, FIRST OF ALL, I, IT'S NOT CLEAR TO ME THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS EVEN ALLOWED TO USE OUR NEW FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS AS A JUSTIFICATION FOR DELAYING THIS ONE, BECAUSE I'M PRETTY SURE THAT WAS ONLY MEANT TO BE THE STREET AND SIDEWALK, UM, LANES. AND THIS IS A QUICK BUILD LANE MEANT TO ADD UP TO THE TOTAL NUMBER OF MILES. AND SO, UH, SOME SOMEONE ASKED, ASKED THE CITY SOLICITOR, BUT I, I'M NOT SURE THAT PIECE OF IT IS EVEN, UH, ALLOWED, UH, UNDER THE LAW. AND THEN THE SECOND ONE THAT I JUST WANNA SAY IS, FEW PEOPLE RIDE HERE. THERE'S A LARGE APARTMENT BUILDING IN THE YOUTH CENTER RIGHT THERE. IF YOU THINK PEOPLE AREN'T RELUCTANTLY BIKING THERE EVERY DAY, YOU AREN'T PAYING ATTENTION. AND SECOND, TO THE EXTENT THAT THERE AREN'T MORE BIKERS THERE, THAT'S BECAUSE IT ISN'T SAFE. THE CURVE IS NOT SAFE. SOMEONE'S GONNA GET HURT, VOTED DOWN, BUILD THE LANE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS CARRIE ANN KULIG, FOLLOWED BY JESSICA SHEEN, THEN HEATHER HOFFMAN. CARRIE ANN, YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE. GO AHEAD. HI, GOOD EVENING. CARRIE ANN KIG, 11 EDGECLIFF ROAD IN EAST WATER. CAM, A FORMER CAMBRIDGE RESIDENT RETURNING AFTER YEARS AWAY, I CAN NO LONGER AFFORD TO LIVE WHERE I WORK AS A SUBSTITUTE TEACHER AND ROWING COACH. I'M ON THE WAIT LIST FOR PUBLIC HOUSING AND I'VE LOOKED INTO THE SHELTER SYSTEM JUST IN CASE AS I DON'T MAKE [02:35:01] ENOUGH FUR, LOW INCOME HOUSING. AS A DISTRICT SUB, I SUPPORT STUDENTS IN EVERY PROGRAM AND STEP IN TO FILL THE GAPS WHEN NEEDED. I'M WELL VERSED IN MANAGING THE SOCIAL EMOTIONAL NEEDS OF CHILDREN. I HAVE A MASTER'S DEGREE IN YEARS OF EXPERIENCE THAT IS NOT REFLECTED IN MY PAY. AND WHILST I'M HERE TO DEMAND A LIVING WAGE FOR EDUCATORS, I'M ALSO IN SUPPORT OF DECRIMINALIZING SEX WORK IN CAMBRIDGE AS I HAVE CONSIDERED THIS WORK. BUT FEAR, I WOULD BE DISCRIMINATED AGAINST IF DISCOVERED AT ONE OF THE SCHOOLS I SERVE. I ALSO RIDE MY BIKE TO WORK, UM, AROUND THE CITY AS I CANNOT AFFORD A CAR, DO NOT WANT A CAR. AND I SUPPORT CITIES WITH BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE, BIKE LANES, SAVE LIVES. THE WORLD IS BECOMING UNBEARABLE FOR MANY OF US. I URGE THE CITY COUNCIL TO THROW US A LIFELINE. THANK YOU. THANKS CARRIE ANN. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JESSICA SHEEN, FOLLOWED BY HEATHER HOFFMAN. THEN FAN WANG. JESSICA, JESSICA'S NOT WITH US. WE'RE GONNA MOVE TO HEATHER HOFFMAN. HEATHER, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE. HELLO. HEATHER HOFFMAN, TWO 13 HURLEY STREET. I THINK THAT THERE'S BEEN A WHOLE LOT OF GOOD STUFF SAID ABOUT THE SHORTCOMINGS OF THE, UM, MULTIFAMILY ZONING. AND I THINK THOSE COME FROM THE FACT THAT WE DIDN'T GO ABOUT THIS IN A SENSIBLE MANNER. WE DIDN'T START WITH DECIDING WHAT PROBLEM WE WANTED TO SOLVE. WE DECIDED THAT WE WANTED MORE HOUSING. WE DIDN'T SAY, DO WE NEED JUST MORE HOUSING OR DO WE NEED MORE AFFORDABLE HOUSING? AND AFFORDABLE TO WHOM? NONE OF THAT. SO WE HAD NO GOALS. WE DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THE OTHER THINGS THAT INFLUENCED THE HOUSING BEING BUILT. WE, YOU WERE WARNED, I DENY THAT ANYTHING THAT HAS HAPPENED EXCEPT FOR MAYBE THE ASBESTOS FLYING AROUND AND LEAD WAS UNFORESEEN. YOU WERE WARNED YOU DECIDED TO DO THIS AND NOW WE ARE REAPING THE BENEFITS. IF YOU WANNA THANKS HEATHER. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS FAN WANG FAN. YOU HAVE ONE MINUTE, PLEASE GO AHEAD. UH, GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS FAN WANG FROM, UH, VAN MYRTLE AVENUE. YOU SUPPORT OF POLICY ORDER 1 76 MULTIFAMILY ZONE. I'M TO MY HOUSE A TINY CORNER, LOT IN CEILING ZONE. THE CURRENT ZONING TRACE BOTH STREET FACING SIDES AT THE FRONT YARD FOR A YEAR. I STRUGGLED TO DEVELOP A REASONABLE DESIGN BECAUSE THE UPPER FLOORS MUST STEP INWARD FROM BOTH STREETS, CREATING A THIN WRITING CAKE LOOK. MY SPECIAL PERMIT APPLICATION TO USE A CONTEXTUAL FRIEND SET BAG TO ADD A ONE BEDROOM UNIT WAS DE DENIED BY THE BCA. THE CURRENT CORNER LOTS TREATMENT HINDERS IN NEW HOUSING PRODUCTION ABOUT ONE IN 10 HOUSES IN THE SEVEN ZONE IS ON A CORNER LOT. SO ROUGHLY A HUNDRED THOUSAND, ROUGHLY A THOUSAND CORNER LOTS ARE MEANINGFUL TO BRING OUR GOAL TO THE 200 TO 300 NEW HOUSING PRODUCTION. I APPRECIATE THIS PROPOSAL AND HOPE THE NEW ORDINANCE AMENDMENT PROVIDES A CLEAR AND PRACTICAL RULE FOR CHOOSING. THANK YOU FAN, YOUR TIME EXPIRED. PLEASE EMAIL US THE REMAINDER. CLIVE LAWRENCE, FOLLOWED BY JUSTIN SAFE, CLIVE. ONE MINUTE. GOOD EVENING, CAMBRIDGE CITY COUNCIL. MY NAME IS CLIVE LAWRENCE. I LIVE AT 26 CLINTON STREET. I'M HERE TO SPEAK ABOUT POLICY ORDER NUMBER EIGHT. UM, WE'VE SEEN THE CONSEQUENCES OF CONTINUING TO DELAY SAFE AND EFFECTIVE BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE. AND SO I URGE YOU TO OPPOSE, UH, DELAYS TO CON CONSTRUCTION ON HUON AVE. IT'S DEEPLY IMPORTANT TO HAVE A CONNECTED AND SAFE BICYCLE NETWORK. WE'VE SEEN HOW MUCH PROGRESS WE'RE ABLE TO HAVE AND WE CONTINUE TO ENSURE THAT EVERYONE CAN MOVE ON OUR STREETS WITH DIGNITY. AND THIS POLICY ORDER IS REALLY THREATENING, CONNECTING THAT PROGRESS TO SOME OF THE REGIONAL INVESTMENTS THAT WE CAN BE ABLE TO MAKE, UM, IN OUR BICYCLE INFRASTRUCTURE. UM, THIS HAS BEEN A PLAN THAT'S BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR MANY YEARS AND IS REALLY A WAY OF CONTINUING TO SAY THAT WE AS A CITY SUPPORT SAFE AND EFFECTIVE BIKE INFRASTRUCTURE ALONGSIDE ALL THE DIFFERENT WAYS PEOPLE ARE ABLE TO MOVE. AND SO I REALLY URGE YOU TO, UH, SUPPORT CONTINUING THAT, UH, INVESTMENT IN BUILDING, ESPECIALLY AS A CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE. UM, NOVEMBER DEADLINE APPROACHES. I ALSO, UH, URGE YOU TO SUPPORT, UH, CAMBRIDGE EDUCATORS AND ENSURE THAT THEY GET THE WAGE THAT THEY DESERVE. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. OUR NEXT SPEAKER IS JUSTIN SAFE. JUSTIN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. PLEASE GO AHEAD ONE MINUTE. JUSTIN SAFE. 72 THORN MIC. I OPPOSE THE CDD SETBACK AND PRIVATE REAR YARD AMENDMENTS TO THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ORDINANCE. NONE OF THE HOUSING OPPONENTS TONIGHT SAID A SINGLE WORD ABOUT THE 158 PERMANENTLY AFFORDABLE INCLUSIONARY HOMES THAT HAVE BEEN PROPOSED AND THAT THESE AMENDMENTS WILL SERIOUSLY HARM AND LIKELY BLOCK FROM EVER [02:40:01] BEING BUILT. THE CLAIMS ABOUT AFFORDABILITY THUS RING HOLLOW. THESE ARE SIMPLY NOT THE AMENDMENTS YOU'D PROPOSED AS IF WHAT YOU WANTED TO DO WAS TO INCREASE HOUSING AFFORDABILITY. CDD HAS MET DIRECTLY WITH HOME BUILDERS WHO HAVE EXPLAINED HOW THESE AMENDMENTS WILL DECREASE HOUSING AND THE CITY HAS EVEN IMPROVED STORM WATER AND OTHER PLANS FOR PROPOSALS THAT WOULD BE SHRUNK BY THESE AMENDMENTS AND REDUCE HOUSING. WE KNOW THESE AMENDMENTS WILL REDUCE HOUSING. THE POLICY ORDER HAS SEVERAL FALSE CLAIMS THAT SHOULD BE CORRECTED, INCLUDING THAT DIMENSIONAL REQUIREMENTS WILL BE MORE PERMISSIVE BEFORE, WHICH IS NOT TRUE, THAT THE AMENDMENTS WILL CREATE CLEARER STANDARDS FOR GREEN STORMWATER AND OTHER REQUIREMENTS WHEN NOTHING CHANGES ABOUT THOSE AT ALL THROUGH THESE AMENDMENTS. MADAM MAYOR, THERE'S ONE SPEAKER THAT I SEE ON THAT I THINK WE SKIPPED EARLIER, WHICH WAS KATE ELLI. KATE, I THINK WE HAD HEARD FROM KATE. DID WE? YEAH. ALRIGHT, SO THAT APPEARS TO BE ALL THAT WERE SIGNED UP TO SPEAK. THANK YOU EVERYONE WHO CAME TO PUBLIC COMMENT ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SUI TO CLOSE PUBLIC COMMENT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. PUBLIC COMMENT IS NOW CLOSED. WE MOVE ON TO THE SUBMISSION [SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD] OF THE RECORD. THERE ARE TWO SETS OF MINUTES. ONE FROM THE MEETING ON JUNE 1ST, 2026, AND THEN ONE FROM JUNE 22ND, 2026 ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO ACCEPT THE REPORTS AND PLACE THEM ON FILE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. THOSE TWO MINUTES, THOSE REPORTS HAVE BEEN ACCEPTED AND PLACED ON FILE. WE WERE ABLE TO COMPLETE THE CITY MANAGER'S AGENDA, SO WE'LL MOVE TO [POLICY ORDERS] POLICY ORDERS AND RE RESOLUTIONS. THERE ARE 10 PLEASURE OF THE CITY COUNCIL COUNCILOR ZUZI, UH, SIX AND EIGHT PLEASE. COUNCILOR ZUZI POLLS SIX AND POLLS EIGHT. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES, I WAS GONNA, UH, NUMBER 10. COUNCILLOR NOLAN POLLS NUMBER 10. ARE THERE OTHER POLICY ORDERS THAT MY COLLEAGUES WOULD LIKE TO PULL? HEARING NONE. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT POLICY ORDERS. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7, 9. AND ALL THOSE IN FAVOR OF ADOPTION SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO THYS HAVE IT. THOSE POLICY ORDERS ARE ADOPTED. WE WILL GO TO POLICY ORDER NUMBER SIX. THIS IS THE POLICY ORDER THAT THE CITY MANAGERS REQUESTED TO REPORT BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL WITHIN 30 DAYS ON THE STATUS OF THE NEGOTIATIONS BETWEEN THE CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND THE CAMBRIDGE EDUCATIONAL ASSOCIATION IN EXECUTIVE SESSION. IF THE LAW DEPARTMENT ADVISES THAT A REPORT, AN OPEN SESSION WOULD DISCLOSE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING STRATEGY, UH, SO THIS IS FILED BY COUNCILOR ZUBY AND COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. I DID TALK TO THE SOLICITOR BEFOREHAND, AND I AM A MEMBER OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. SHE RECOMMENDED THAT I RECUSE MYSELF AND NOT PARTICIPATE IN THE VOTE OR THE DISCUSSION. SO I'M GOING TO HAVE VICE MAYOR CHAIR THIS. SO COUNCILOR ZUZI PULLED THIS, BUT PAST PRACTICE WE GO TO COUNCILOR ZUBIE, BUT I'LL HAVE VICE MAYOR COME AND ME GO. THANK YOU THROUGH YOU CHAIR. UM, I WANNA THANK COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER FOR CO-SPONSORING THIS WITH ME. THIS IS ON THE FLOOR BECAUSE I THINK THAT WE NEED TO HAVE A MORE HONEST CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW WE SUPPORT OUR WORKERS. WE CAN'T BE A COUNCIL THAT SUPPORTS ALL OTHER WORKERS WHO FIGHT FOR THEIR DIGNITY, INCLUDING SUPPORTING LOCAL 26 AND TEAMSTERS LOCAL 25 TONIGHT. AND THEN TURN A BLIND EYE TO OUR VERY OWN WORKERS WHO ARE ADVOCATING FOR A LIVING WAGE. I REALLY HOPE WE CAN EXTEND THE SAME TO OUR OWN. UH, AT THE END OF THE DAY, EDUCATION'S THE CORE OF ANY SOCIETY. HOW WE INVEST IN OUR YOUNG AND THOSE WHO SUPPORT THEM TELLS US WHERE OUR VALUES LIE. AND SO I HEARD THE CALLS TONIGHT FOR MORE FUNDING. THAT IS A BUDGET CONVERSATION, BUT IN THIS SPECIFIC POLICY ORDER, WE ARE ASKING TO BE INFORMED ON THE PROCESS. THIS GIVES AN OPPORTUNITY FOR THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO TELL US WHAT IS NEEDED. AND I'D LOVE TO SEE A REQUEST FROM THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE SO THAT WE'RE NOT INTERFERING WITH YOUR PROCESS. I'D LIKE TO BE CLEAR, THIS IS NOT AN APPROPRIATION AND THIS PO IS ALSO IN RESPONSE TO PRODUCTIVE FEEDBACK FROM OUR LAW DEPARTMENT. IF YOU SAY THAT OUR SCHOOLS ARE IMPORTANT AND OUR KIDS ARE IMPORTANT, I HOPE YOU CAN VOTE FOR THIS. I I REALLY DON'T THINK WE CAN KEEP DOING THESE TENNIS MATCHES WHERE WE'RE TOLD THAT THIS IS NOT IN THE COUNCIL'S AUTHORITY, EVEN THOUGH WE DECLARE THE BUDGET AND [02:45:01] THEN THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE SAYS WE DON'T HAVE MONEY. AND THEN IT GOES BACK AND FORTH. SO THIS HOPEFULLY WILL GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO DO SO AUTHENTICALLY. AND I MEAN, HEY, AT THE END OF THE DAY, IF YOU'RE NOT OPEN TO SUPPORT, THEN I THINK WE SHOULD CONSIDER LOWERING ALL OF OUR SALARIES AS COUNSELORS, BECAUSE IF I'M BEING HONEST, AT THE END OF THE DAY, I COULD ARGUE THAT IT'S MUCH HARDER TO WORK AS AN EDUCATOR. SO I'LL YIELD, UM, COUNCILOR NOLAN. NOLAN. I THINK YOU SHOULD GO TO COUNCILOR ZUZI FIRST. AND SHE PULLED IT. AND THEN TO ME IF THAT'S OR DID YOU? THANK YOU. APOLOGY. THANK YOU. UM, VICE MAYOR AZI, UH, I APPRECIATE THE ROLE OF THE, ABOUT 300 PARAPROFESSIONALS, AND OBVIOUSLY THEY'RE DOING VERY IMPORTANT WORK IN OUR SCHOOLS. AND I WAS CHECKING THE PAY RANGES FOR PARAPROFESSIONALS HERE IN CAMBRIDGE AND THEN IN THE GREATER BOSTON AREA. AND IT'S TRUE THAT THE PAY RANGE STARTS AT 31,600, BUT IT GOES UP TO 45,400. AND, BUT THAT IS LOWER THAN WHAT PARAPROFESSIONALS ARE PAID IN BROOKLINE NEWTON IN BOSTON, IN BROOKLINE, IT'S LIKE 45 TO 52 NEWTON, 52 TO 59, BOSTON 54 TO 58. SO I AGREE THAT IT SEEMS LIKE THERE'S SOME, UH, LIKE MAYBE WE NEED TO THINK ABOUT THAT. BUT I DO BELIEVE IT'S VERY INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO BE VOTING ON THIS BECAUSE THIS IS THE BUSINESS OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, THEIR JOB IS TO COME UP WITH A BUDGET FOR THE SCHOOLS. AND THEY CAME UP WITH A BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 27 OF $293 MILLION. AGAIN, THAT'S 39 TO $40,000 PER PUPIL. IT'S A VERY GENEROUS AMOUNT THAT WE'RE INVESTING IN OUR STUDENTS. AND I, I I THINK IT'S THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE THAT REALLY NEEDS TO FIGURE OUT HOW, YOU KNOW, IF, IF, IF WE NEED TO RAISE A PARAPROFESSIONAL SALARIES, LIKE WHERE ARE THEY GONNA CUT? I'VE SEEN THE NUMBER THROWN ABOUT THAT THE UNION'S, UH, PROPOSAL, UH, WOULD ADD EIGHT, AN 18% INCREASE TO THE BUDGET OF AT LEAST $175 MILLION OVER THREE YEARS. SO THAT WOULD BE ABOUT 59 OR $58 MILLION PER YEAR. THAT WOULD ADD ANOTHER $58 MILLION TO THE SCHOOL BUDGET IF WE SUPPORTED THE UNIONS. UM, WHAT THE UNIONS ARE PROPOSING. SO AGAIN, I JUST THINK, UM, WE'RE ALREADY PAYING 39 TO $40,000 PER PUPIL. I THINK, UM, THIS IS THE WORK OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO MANAGE THEIR BUDGET. SO I I WILL BE VOTING NO TONIGHT, NOT BECAUSE I AM NOT SYMPATHETIC TO THE PARAPROFESSIONALS, BUT BECAUSE THIS IS, WE DON'T HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO BE MAKING A DECISION, UH, ABOUT OUR, OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STAFF SALARIES. THIS IS, UH, THIS IS THE WORK OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. THANK YOU. AND I YIELD THANK YOU, COUNCILOR . COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK YOU VICE MAYOR. AND THANKS TO EVERYONE WHO CAME AND TALKED, UM, TONIGHT AND REALLY POINTED OUT ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO ENSURE THAT WE'RE TREATING PEOPLE FAIRLY AND HAVE A LIVING WAGE. I ALSO, UH, BELIEVE THIS IS UNDER THE AUTHORITY OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEES QUITE SQUARELY. AND AS SOMEONE WHO SERVED ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE FOR A LONG TIME, I WOULD'VE COMPLETELY RESENTED THE COUNCIL AS A COUNCIL STEPPING INTO OUR OPERATIONS AND CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS. WHILE TECHNICALLY THIS POLICY ORDER IS NOT DIRECTLY ABOUT NEGOTIATIONS, I, IT UNDERMINES THE SCHOOL DISTRICT NEGOTIATIONS. AND IT WAS ALSO, WHILE TECHNICALLY IT'S NOT ABOUT AN APPROPRIATION, IT WAS MADE EXCEEDINGLY CLEAR THAT THE INTENT IS TO EXPRESS SUPPORT FOR ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR CPS. AND THAT PASSING THIS POLICY ORDER MEANS THE CPS BUDGET WOULD GO UP BY, IT COULD GO UP AND IT COULD BE WE WOULD BE SEEN AS SUPPORTING AT LEAST A $15 MILLION OR MORE INCREASE IN THE BUDGET. AND ALL THE TALK ABOUT GETTING INFORMATION IS AIMED AT GETTING INFORMATION ABOUT HOW MUCH MONEY IT WOULD COST TO FUND, UH, VARIOUS DEMANDS. AGAIN, THAT UNDERMINES THE NEGOTIATION PROCESS. I BELIEVE IN FAIR WAGES. AND THE DISTRICT HAS ALREADY PROPOSED BASED ON PUBLIC COMMUNICATION AND DOCUMENTS THAT ANYONE IN THE CITY CAN SEE ALMOST A 60% INCREASE OVER TWO YEARS TO THE LOWEST PAID PARAPROFESSIONALS THAT WOULD RAISE THE LOWEST PAID PARAPROFESSIONALS UP TO THE LEVEL OF OTHER, UH, DISTRICTS. SO I THIS, AND [02:50:01] THAT'S, THAT'S PUBLIC. I DON'T KNOW, YOU KNOW, WHAT OTHER NEGOTIATIONS ARE GOING ON, BUT I THINK THAT IS ASTONISHINGLY GENEROUS AND I THINK IT'S, UM, SOMETHING WE SHOULD ALL KNOW. I BELIEVE STRONGLY ALSO THAT CPS CAN PROVIDE AN EXCELLENT EDUCATION WITH THE RESOURCES ALREADY GRANTED, I EXPECT THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND THE DISTRICT AND THE CEA TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY WITHIN THE EXISTING SCHOOL BUDGET TO ADEQUATELY PROVIDE FOR SALARIES AND BETTER OUTCOMES. IT'S A $290 MILLION BUDGET FROM THE CITY PLUS ADDITIONAL FUNDING, WHICH TOTALS $40,000 A STUDENT. AND I SUPPORT THAT CURRENT FUNDING OF CPSI VOTED FOR IT, AND I BELIEVE THERE COULD BE A BETTER ALLOCATION OF THOSE FUNDS IN CPS. I DON'T BELIEVE MORE MONEY ALONE WILL SOLVE THE ACHIEVEMENT DILEMMA WE FACE. AND WE HAVE ALL DECRIED IN THIS CHAMBER AND ACROSS THE CITY. FOR EXAMPLE, I RECOGNIZE MCAS IS A FLAWED MEASURE, BUT IT IS A MEASURE AND IT ALLOWS COMPARISONS. THE RECENT MCA SCORES FOR OUR THREE TO EIGHTH GRADE SHOW ONLY 30%, 26%, 13% OF OUR BLACK AND OUR LOW INCOME STUDENTS ARE PROFICIENT. THAT COMPARES TO THE BENJAMIN BANNEKER, WHICH IS A CAMBRIDGE SCHOOL WHERE MORE THAN THREE QUARTERS OF BLACK STUDENTS ARE PROFICIENT IN ALL THREE AREAS, AND THEY MANAGE THOSE RESULTS WITH $22,000 A STUDENT, ALMOST HALF OF WHAT WE HAVE. SO I WILL CONTINUE TO ADVOCATE FOR OUR SCHOOL DISTRICT, OUR STAFF, AND OUR ACCOUNTABILITY. AND I WILL SUPPORT THE DISTRICT. BUT, AND I WON'T BE SUPPORTING THIS POLICY ORDER, I HAVE COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER, THEN COUNSELOR FLAHERTY AND COUNSELOR SIMMONS. THANKS MR. NOT COUNCILOR SIMMONS. THANK YOU. THANKS, MR. VICE MAYOR. UH, WE'VE DONE A NUMBER OF RESOLUTION OF THE OTHER RESOLUTIONS LIKE THIS ONE, THIS TERM IN SUPPORT OF UNIONS, UH, INCLUDING AT OUR COUNCIL MEETING TONIGHT, UH, FOR ENCORE WORKERS. WE HAVE DONE THEM FOR CUSTODIANS, FOR GRAD STUDENTS, FOR HOTEL WORKERS, FOR NURSES AND THEIR UNION FIGHTS. AND THIS POLICY ORDER IS IN LINE WITH THOSE AND, UH, WITH THE COUNCIL SUPPORT FOR UNIONS AND WORKING PEOPLE, IF WE SUPPORT UNIONS, UH, WHEN THEY REPRESENT OTHER WORKERS AT OTHER EMPLOYERS, WE CAN AND SUPPORT SUPPORT UNIONS WHEN THEY REPRESENT CITY WORKERS. UH, I WANNA MAKE CLEAR THAT BECAUSE THIS IS A PUBLIC SECTOR UNION COUNCILOR ZUBIE AND I WORKED WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT TO FIND LANGUAGE THAT WAS IN LINE WITH THE CITY COUNCIL'S ACTUAL LEGAL AUTHORITY THAT WAS IMPORTANT. AND THE LANGUAGE THAT WE'RE INTRODUCING REFLECTS THAT. UH, THE CITY COUNCIL DOES NOT NEGOTIATE UNION CONTACTS DIRECTLY. SO THIS POLICY ORDER DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SPECIFIC DEMANDS THAT WOULD PREEMPT THOSE NEGOTIATIONS. IN FACT, IT SAYS, QUOTE THAT NOTHING IN THIS ORDER IS INTENDED TO REQUEST INFORMATION CONCERNING THE BARGAINING POSITIONS OF EITHER PARTY OR TO INTERFERE IN ANY WAY WITH THE CONDUCT OF THOSE NEGOTIATIONS. SO THIS IS CLEARLY NOT INTENDED TO OVERSTEP THE AUTHORITY OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. AND WHILE WE CAN'T TAKE BINDING ACTION, WE CAN MAKE A STATEMENT OF SUPPORT. AND THAT'S COMPLETELY WITHIN OUR RIGHT. I THINK ONE OF THE THINGS THAT, UH, MOTIVATED ME AROUND THINKING AROUND THIS IS, YOU KNOW, IF YOU, OUR STATE LEG LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION ALREADY WEIGHED IN ON THIS, MOST OF OUR, I THINK ALL OF OUR STATE REPS AND STATE SENATORS, IF YOU GO ON INSTAGRAM, YOU CAN, CAN SEE THEM HOLDING UP, UH, SIGNS THAT SAY, YOU KNOW, THEY SUPPORT THE CAMBRIDGE EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION AND THE TEACHERS IN THEIR CONTRACT. RIGHT? OUR STATE LEGISLATORS HAVE ALREADY WEIGHED IN ON THIS. ALL OF OUR STATE REPS, ALL OF OUR STATE SENATORS, UH, THEY'VE DONE IT. IT WASN'T, YOU KNOW, CONFLICTING WITH THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE'S AUTHORITY. IF OUR STATE LEGISLATIVE DELEGATION, ALL OUR STATE REPS AND STATE SENATORS CAN MAKE STATEMENTS ON THIS, THE CITY COUNCIL CAN AS WELL. UH, AND I THINK IT MEANT SENSE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS TODAY. ARE YOU BACK? THANK YOU, COUNCILOR. SO WHEELER COUNCIL, ER, THANK YOU. UH, I DON'T THINK THE ISSUE IS WHETHER OR NOT ALL OF US IN THIS BODY SUPPORT LABOR UNIONS. I THINK WE DO. UH, I KNOW I DO. AND FROM WHAT I'VE HEARD FROM EVERYONE HERE, I THINK EVERYONE HERE SUPPORTS LABOR UNIONS. UH, AND I PERSONALLY THINK THE PARAPROFESSIONALS, UH, SHOULD MAKE MORE MONEY. UH, I, I SUPPORT A LIVING WAGE AND I SUPPORT THE WORK THAT THEY DO. UM, BUT I'M NOT PART OF THE COLLECTIVE BARGAINING TEAM. UH, AND I THINK PASSING THIS POLICY ORDER WOULD CREATE A BAD, UH, PRECEDENT. UM, AND I THINK IT'S VERY GOOD THAT WE HAVE PASSED POLICY ORDERS IN THE PAST THAT HAVE SUPPORTED OTHER UNIONS. BUT THIS ONE CREATES EITHER A REAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST OR AT THE MINIMUM AN APPEARANCE OF A CONFLICT OF INTEREST. BECAUSE WE VOTE ON THE BUDGET. UH, WE DON'T VOTE ON THE BUDGET, AND WE DON'T HAVE ANY, UH, INVOLVEMENT WHEN WE SUPPORT, YOU KNOW, THE TEAMSTERS OVER AT, UH, ENCORE, UH, AND WE ISSUE A, UH, UH, UH, UH, SOME SORT OF STATEMENT OF PUBLIC SUPPORT. BUT HERE, UM, WE ARE ONE STEP REMOVED AND WE DO VOTE ON THE BUDGET. SO THIS CREATES, AT A MINIMUM, AN APPEARANCE OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST. AND IT CAN BE ARGUABLY, UM, SUGGESTED THAT WE ARE INTERFERING WITH WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE IS, UM, UPCOMING AND ADDITIONAL, UM, AFTER 17 FORMAL BARGAINING SESSIONS AS OF [02:55:01] SEPTEMBER 4TH, 2026, AS A SECOND PARAGRAPH SAYS, UM, IT LOOKS LIKE IT'S ONGOING. SO I, I DON'T THINK THAT WE SHOULD TAKE ANY POSITION NOW. UM, BUT I CERTAINLY PERSONALLY SUPPORT THE PARA PARAPROFESSIONALS AND I CERTAINLY SUPPORT, UM, FINDING MONEY TO PAY THEM A LIVING WAGE. BUT I THINK IT'S INAPPROPRIATE FOR THE CITY COUNCIL TO INVOLVE ITSELF OR CREATE AN APPEARANCE OF A CONFLICT OF INTEREST, UH, BY VOTING ON THIS POLICY ORDER IN A, UH, IN AN AFFIRMATIVE WAY. SO I YIELD. ALL RIGHT. THANK YOU. COUNCIL FAHERTY. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU MR. CHAIR. UH, VICE CHAIR, UM, BEFORE, OH, I'LL DO IT AFTER. I WANT TO BE ASKED UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO BE RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND PREVIOUS, UH, THE PREVIOUS VOTES TAKEN. UM, YEAH, I, I THINK THIS IS A, UM, THIS IS A TOUGH ONE BECAUSE I THINK AS, AS YOU'VE HEARD, UM, I THINK WE ALL SUPPORT, UH, OUR SCHOOL STAFF, ALL OUR STAFF. I MEAN, I, LOOK, I GOT FOUR KIDS WHO WENT THROUGH THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. I HAVE TREMEND. I WENT THROUGH THE SCHOOLS. I HAVE TREMENDOUS, TREMENDOUS RESPECT FOR THE PEOPLE WHO WORK FOR THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. UM, I THINK WHERE THIS GETS COMPLICATED IS WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE CITY COUNCIL IN A SITUATION LIKE THIS? AND I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THE CITY COUNCIL DOES NOT HAVE ANY LINE ITEM AUTHORITY WITH THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. AND SO WE COULD GIVE THEM $5 MILLION MORE, $20 MILLION MORE, A HUNDRED MILLION DOLLARS MORE. AND WE HAVE NO SAY IN HOW THAT IS SPENT. SO FOR ME, IF, IF THE, IF THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT AND THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE WAS, WAS COMING TO US AND SAYING, HEY, LISTEN, WE NEED ANOTHER $5 MILLION TO SETTLE THIS CONTRACT AND GET, YOU KNOW, PUT THIS TO BED, THAT'S A DIFFERENT CONVERSATION THAN, THAN SAYING TO THE CITY, TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, HERE'S, HERE'S A, YOU KNOW, HERE'S A SUM OF MONEY WHEN WHAT I'M HEARING IS THAT EVEN IF THEY GOT THAT MONEY, THEY DON'T HAVE THE VOTES TO SUPPORT THAT ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK YOU'VE HEARD IT FROM OTHER, OTHER, OTHER COUNSELORS. THEY NEED, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A BACKHANDED COMPLIMENT TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, BUT, YOU KNOW, I WANT TO RESPECT THEIR AUTHORITY, WHAT THEY WERE ELECTED TO DO. BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY NEED TO SETTLE THIS AND, AND THAT'S THEIR JOB. THAT'S WHAT THEY WERE ELECTED TO DO. UM, I THINK IN TERMS OF THE LABOR UNIONS, LOOK, I'VE EITHER BEEN THE SPONSOR OR CO-SPONSOR. I'M PROBABLY 99% OF THE, THE POLICY ORDERS PASSED IN THIS CHAMBER SINCE I GOT HERE IN SUPPORT OF LABOR UNIONS. AND I WILL CONTINUE TO BE 'EM ON SOME OF THEM TONIGHT. UM, BUT THOSE UNIONS DON'T HAVE AN ELECTED, UH, ELECTED BODY ELECTED BY THE PEOPLE OF CAMBRIDGE. SO IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT. UM, AND SO AS FAR AS THE STATE DELEGATION, I, I, I AGREE WITH COUNCIL SABRINA WHEELER, THEY ALL, THEY ALL SIGNED, YOU KNOW, AND SAID THAT THEY WERE IN SUPPORT. MAYBE IF THEY COULD GET US A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY FOR TRANSPORTATION AND OUT OF DISTRICT SCHOOL PLACEMENTS, WHICH ARE, YOU KNOW, CRUSHING OUR, OUR BUDGET, UM, WE, THERE'D BE A LITTLE BIT MORE MONEY ON THE TABLE. UM, SO THEY CAN CERTAINLY PLAY A ROLE IF THEY, IF THEY WANT TO HELP US. UM, SO THIS IS, YOU KNOW, IF, IF FOLKS ARE LOOKING FOR A STATEMENT OF SUPPORT, I SUPPORT OUR PARAPROFESSIONALS, OUR TEACHERS, OUR SUBSTITUTES, OUR CAFETERIA WORKERS, EVERYBODY WHO WORKS FOR THE CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS, AND I WANT THEM TO BE PAID FAIRLY. I WANT THEM TO HAVE A LIVING WAGE. AND I CALL ON THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE AND THE SCHOOL DISTRICT TO DO EVERYTHING THAT THEY CAN TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN. BUT IT IS NOT THE COUNCIL'S ROLE TO INTERFERE IN CONTRACT NEGOTIATIONS WITH THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT. SO I'M GONNA VOTE PRESENT, UM, WHICH I HARDLY EVER DO. UM, BUT I DON'T, I'M NOT GONNA VOTE AGAINST A UNION. UM, BUT THIS, THERE IS A DIVIDE BETWEEN WHAT, YOU KNOW, WHAT WE ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR AND, AND WHAT THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT IS RESPONSIBLE AND THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR. AND THIS IS THEIR RESPONSIBILITY. THEY NEED TO GO AND CONTINUE TO NEGOTIATE AND SETTLE THIS. UM, THEY HAVE A $300 MILLION BUDGET. THIS IS, THIS IS FOR THEM TO DO. AND, UM, BUT DON'T MISCONSTRUE THAT AS BEING A LACK OF SUPPORT. IT IS JUST THE DIVISION OF POWERS WITHIN OUR SYSTEM. THANK YOU. UM, THANK YOU COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. UM, YOUR MOTION WILL, UH, DISPOSE OF AFTER WE GET THROUGH THIS POLICY ORDER. OKAY. UM, THAT SOUNDS GOOD. YEAH. GREAT. UM, I'LL JUST MAKE A FEW WORDS AND THEN CONTINUE. UM, UH, I WOULD SAY THAT IN GENERAL, UH, I TEND TO BE A LITTLE BIT MORE CONSERVATIVE ABOUT SPENDING, I WOULD SAY IN THIS CASE. I ACTUALLY THINK THAT [03:00:01] IN MY PERSONAL OPINION, IT WOULD BE FINE IF WE SPENT EXTRA. I THINK THAT PARAPROFESSIONALS AND OTHER TEACHING STAFF REALLY DO DESERVE IT. UM, I THINK, UH, SEEING HOW THE VOTE IS GOING TONIGHT, AND ALSO HAVING HAD A FEW SCHOOL COMMITTEE MEMBERS REACH OUT TO ME BEFORE OUR MEETING TONIGHT, IT LOOKS LIKE THEY WOULD PREFER THAT IT STAY WITH THEM AT THIS SPECIFIC MOMENT. BUT I JUST WANNA SAY FOR THE RECORD, THAT, UM, I THINK THAT WE SHOULD ABSOLUTELY, UH, PRIORITIZE PARAS AND, UM, OUR OTHER WORKERS, AND I WOULD BE FINE WITH ADDITIONAL SPENDING TO MAKE SURE THAT THEY GET WHAT THEY NEED. UM, COUNCILLOR ZUBIE. YEAH. UH, THANK YOU. THREE CHAIR. UH, JUST A FEW QUICK RESPONSES. I, I DEFINITELY AGREE WITH ALL OF MY COLLEAGUES THAT WE DON'T SET SALARIES OR NEGOTIATE CONTRACTS. AND THIS ORDER SAYS THAT IN WRITING, IT IS APPROPRIATING NOTHING, ASKING FOR NO COSTS IN TAKING NO POSITION ON ANYBODY'S PROPOSAL. UM, WE REVISE THIS AGAIN BASED ON THE LAW DEPARTMENT'S ADVICE. AND ON THE POINT OF CONFLICT OF INTEREST, I MEAN, AT THE END OF THE DAY, ALL NINE OF US VOTE THE SCHOOL'S BUDGET. SO WE ALL SHARE THAT INTEREST EQUALLY. SO BEING INFORMED THROUGH A CONFIDENTIAL REPORT ISN'T NECESSARILY CONSIDERED ACTING FOR EITHER PARTY. UM, WE'VE ACTUALLY HEARD PIECES OF THIS NEGOTIATION ON THE FLOOR TONIGHT, SOMETHING THAT THIS POLICY ORDER DIDN'T EVEN UH, POINT TOWARDS. AND THAT'S WHY HAVING SOME SORT OF CONFIDENTIAL CHANNEL THROUGH THE MANAGER WHO SITS AT THAT TABLE BY LAW, IS THE BETTER WAY. WE NEED TO HEAR FROM THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE IF THEY NEED MORE. THERE NEEDS TO BE THAT COMMUNICATION CHANNEL TO DO SO. OTHERWISE WE'LL KEEP DOING THIS TENNIS MATCH. AND THEN THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO SUFFER ARE THOSE THAT DON'T HAVE THE LIVING WAGES THAT THEY NEED A YIELD. UM, UH, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR SIMMONS AND THEN COUNCILOR SUI. UH, THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR. UH, THROUGH YOU TO MY COLLEAGUES. UH, I CAN CERTAINLY UNDERSTAND THE ARGUMENT, BUT I'M GOING TO GO AND SORT OF LEAN IN WITH MY COLLEAGUES WHO'VE ALREADY SPOKEN IN THIS ROOM. WE HAVE 30 YEARS OF SERVICE TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE DIRECT SERVICE, NOT AS A MAYOR OR ANY OTHER THING, BUT AS A DIRECT MEMBER OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE. AND I CAN SPEAK PERSONALLY FOR MYSELF AS HOW OFFENDED I WOULD GET WHEN, WHEN THE CITY COUNCIL WOULD WANNA LEAN IN TO OUR WORK. THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE IS A SEPARATE BODY. THEIR JOBS ARE TO RUN THE SCHOOLS AND THE EDUCATION SYSTEM, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY DO. NOT FOR US TO DO IT, IT WAS, IT WAS ANNOYING IN A LOT OF WAYS. AND I'M NOT SAYING IT TO SAY THAT WHAT IS ON THE FLOOR IS NEFARIOUS OR EVIL MINDED OR, OR WRONG, OR, UM, EVIL. I'M, WHAT I'M SAYING IS THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE IS THERE TO DO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE'S WORK, AND WE SHOULD NOT BE DABBLING IN IT NO MATTER HOW PASSIONATE WE MAY FEEL ABOUT IT. UH, IF WE WERE TO ALLOCATE A FUND OF MONEY TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE, IT DOESN'T MEAN THEY'D HAVE TO EVEN USE IT THAT WAY. SO FOR ME, YOU KNOW, JUST KIND OF, UH, PUT IT IN PLAIN LANGUAGE, I THINK WE SHOULD STAY IN OUR OWN LANE. I THINK WE SHOULD ALLOW THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO DO ITS WORK. WE DO HAVE A MEMBER OF THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE THAT SITS ON THE BARGAINING COMMITTEE, AND I THINK THAT'S THEIR ROLE, AND THAT'S WHAT THEY SHOULD DO. SO, YOU KNOW, IF I WOULD WANT TO READ THE TEA LEAVES, I WOULD SAY THIS IS PROBABLY GONNA GO DOWN IN FLAMES. BUT IT'S NOT BECAUSE WE ARE ANGRY OR NOT SUPPORTIVE OF THE CEAI HAVE. MY FAMILY IS FOURTH GENERATION CAMBRIDGE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. MY FAMILY HAS WORKED IN THE SCHOOL SYSTEMS. I HAVE TEACHERS THAT ARE REALLY COMMITTED TO STUDENTS. SO I, IT'S NOT ABOUT NOT TRYING TO SUPPORT THE PARISH, IT'S ABOUT THE SCHOOL DEPARTMENT THROUGH THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE MANAGING THEIR MONEY. AND IF THEY WANT PARIS BE PAID MORE, WHICH THEY VERY LIKELY MAY NEED TO HAVE, BE PAID MORE, IT'S UP THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE TO PROVIDE THAT. SO I WILL BE, UH, I WILL NOT BE SUPPORTING THIS, UH, POLICY RECOMMENDATION. I YIELD COUNCILOR SUZIE. I JUST WANTED TO SHARE SOME NEW INFORMATION BECAUSE I, UM, THE INFORMATION APPARENTLY I WAS SHARING WAS INAPPROPRIATE ABOUT PARAPROFESSIONAL, THE PAY RANGE. UM, APPARENTLY OUR AVERAGE PARAPROFESSIONAL SALARY IS 52,000. UH, APPARENTLY THERE ARE TONS OF ADD-ONS AND THEY'RE BASICALLY ZERO PARAS THAT DON'T GET THOSE ADD-ONS. SO OUR STARTING SALARY OR, OR THE, THE AVERAGE SALARY IS MORE LIKE $52,000, WHICH IS MORE IN LINE WITH WHAT OTHER COMMUNITIES ARE OFFERING. SO AGAIN, I REMAIN, UM, SYMPATHETIC. UH, YOU KNOW, PARIS, THEY'RE GETTING A PRETTY GOOD SALARY. AND APPARENTLY OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS SALARIES ARE AMONG THE HIGHEST IN MASSACHUSETTS, THE STARTING SALARY FOR TEACHERS IS 71,000. AND ACCORDING TO GOOGLE GEMINI, THE TOP IS $140,000. BUT APPARENTLY WE, WE KEEP OUR SALARIES HIGH BECAUSE WE WANNA COMPETE WITH BOSTON. AND GENERALLY OVERALL, OUR SALARIES ARE HIGHER THAN THOSE IN BROOKLINE, NEWTON, AND WELLESLEY. SO, UM, AGAIN, GOOD LUCK TO THE SCHOOL COMMITTEE IN WORKING THIS OUT. UM, AND, UH, [03:05:01] IN FIGURING OUT HOW BEST TO APPROPRIATE, APPROPRIATE THE FUNDS WE DO FOR THE, THE, THE BEST RESULTS FOR OUR STUDENTS. THANK YOU. I YIELD, UM, DO WE HAVE A MOTION TO ADOPT THE ORDER AND JUST GET TO THE VOTE? WOULD ANYONE LIKE TO MAKE THAT MOTION? SO MOVED FROM COUNCILOR SABINA WHEELER. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR? NO. NO. COUNCIL FLAHERTY? NO. NO. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR NOLAN? NO. NO. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI? NO. NO. MAYOR SIDIKI IS ABSENT. SO YOU HAVE TWO MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. FOUR. RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE ONE. RECORDED IS ABSENT, AND TWO RECORDED IS PRESENT. SO THE MOTION FAILS. MADAM MAYOR? YES. COUNCILLOR MCGOVERN. BEFORE YOU GO ON TO THE NEXT, UM, POLICY ORDER, I'D JUST LIKE TO ASK UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO BE RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE IN POLICY ORDERS ONE THROUGH FIVE AND, AND CLERK, YOU WANNA YEP. ONE SECOND. AND, AND THE SUBMISSION OF THE RECORD COUNSEL MCGOVERN YES. AND SUBMISSION DIRECT. SO WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. WE CAN DO A VOICE VOTE. YEAH. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. YOU WERE RECORDED AS YES. SO NOW WE WILL MOVE ON TO POLICY ORDER. LET ME JUST GET MY INFORMATION IN ORDER NUMBER EIGHT. THIS IS POSTPONING THE ROLL CALL ROLLOUT OF THE OUTER HERE ON BIKE LANES FROM THE BI BICYCLE SAFETY ORDINANCE UNTIL WE SOLVE THE PARK PARKING PROBLEM. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR SUZI, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. IT WAS PULLED BY COUNCILLOR SUZI. COUNCILLOR ZUZI. YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. THANK YOU, MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, I JUST WANNA PREFACE MY REMARKS BY SAYING, YOU KNOW, I AM A CYCLIST. MY HUSBAND IS A CYCLIST. WE USE THE BIKE LANES. WE APPRECIATE THEM AND I APPRECIATE THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A NETWORK. BUT, UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE TALKED ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT IT IS TO BE ABLE TO BIKE TO ALL OF THOSE RECREATIONAL AMENITIES. TONIGHT THEY TALKED ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF BEING ABLE TO BICYCLE TO THE YOUTH CENTER, TO GL AND FIELD TO, UH, YOU KNOW, THERE, THE HOME OF WEST CAMBRIDGE LITTLE LEAGUE, THERE'S A TOT LOT A WATER PLAY AREA, BASKETBALL, TENNIS COURTS, THE VFW HALL, UM, IN THE FRESH POND GOLF COURSE. UM, A LOT OF PEOPLE CANNED BICYCLE TO THOSE THINGS. PRESENTLY, THIS LAST LITTLE QUARTER, UM, MILE OF BIKE LANE GOES FROM THE GOLF COURSE TO BELMONT, WHERE IT WON'T CONNECT TO BIKE LANES UNTIL THE EARLIEST WILL BE, UM, 2028 FOR, SO FOR NOT FOR ANOTHER TWO YEARS. UM, FOR ABOUT EIGHT MONTHS, I'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THE BICYCLE SAFETY COMMITTEE, UM, CITY STAFF AND WITH NEIGHBORHOOD ADVOCATES TRYING TO SOLVE THIS VERY DIFFICULT PROBLEM BECAUSE THERE ARE, THERE'S SUCH A CONCENTRATION OF CITY AMENITIES IN THIS AREA. AND THEN THERE'S ALSO, UM, PARKSIDE PLACE, WHICH HOUSES SEVEN, I'M SORRY, HOUSES, 500 PEOPLE. THEY HAVE 250 UNITS AND 30% OF THE RESIDENTS ARE LOW INCOME. AND AT LEAST IN 20 21, 20 2% OF THE VEHICLE OWNING RESIDENTS WERE PARKING ON THE STREET. SO THERE'S A GREAT DEMAND FOR PARKING FOR THE LOW INCOME RESIDENTS THAT LIVE AT PARKSIDE PLACE. SO YOU'VE GOT SORT OF, UM, YOU'VE GOT A TREMENDOUS DEMAND FOR PARKING. AND IT'S NOT LIKE OTHER NEIGHBORHOODS WHERE YOU COULD HAVE PEOPLE GO IN TO THE NEIGHBORHOODS TO THE RIGHT OR TO THE LEFT. 'CAUSE YOU'VE GOT A CEMETERY ON ONE SIDE, AND THEN YOU'VE GOT A GOLF COURSE ON THE OTHER. UM, SO WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM, LIKE BY SOME IDEAS ARE TO ALLOW THE GOLF COURSE THE RIGHT TO DISCOURAGE, UM, PEOPLE FROM PARKING IN THEIR LOT IF THEY'RE NOT GOLFING. APPARENTLY THE GOLF COURSE HAS BEEN WORKING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION ON THAT FOR ALL SUMMER, BUT THEY STILL DON'T HAVE SIGNS. SO APPARENTLY MANY PLACES [03:10:01] ARE CURRENTLY TAKEN AT THE GOLF COURSE, UM, BY NON-GOLFERS. AND THE GOLF COURSE SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO RESTRICT THEIR PARKING LOT TO GOLFERS. THAT WOULD REALLY, THAT WOULD REALLY HELP THINGS. UH, IF WE WERE ABLE TO DELIVER THEM A SIGN AND ALLOW THEM TO ENFORCE THE NO PARKING GOLFERS ONLY, OR TO NOT NO PARKING TO NON-GOLFERS DURING THE GOLFING SEASON, THAT WOULD HELP. AND THEN, UH, WE NEED TO NEGOTIATE WITH BELMONT, IF WE WANT GROVE STREET TO BECOME THE OVERFLOW AREA FOR CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS TO PARK ON BOTH SIDES OF GROVE STREET. THAT'S SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE NEGOTIATED WITH BELMONT. SO MY WONDERFUL AIDE CONTACTED BELMONT AND WAS ASKING THEM ABOUT THAT. AND, AND, AND THEY SAID BASICALLY THEY, THEY DON'T REALLY, THEY, THEY HAVE A RECREATIONAL AREA ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET, AND WE HAVE THE CEMETERY ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE STREET. SO BELMONT DOESN'T REALLY WANT PEOPLE PARKING ON THEIR REC NEXT TO THEIR RECREATIONAL AREA, TAKING UP ALL THOSE PLACES. THEY DON'T WANT CAMBRIDGE RESIDENTS PARKING IN THEIR PLACES. AND THEN OUR CEMETERY NEEDS TO HAVE A PLACE FOR FUNERAL FUNERALS, SO FOR PARKING FOR FUNERALS. SO THAT DOESN'T REALLY WORK. SO THEN WE WERE TRYING TO, EVEN MY AID, AND I MET WITH, UM, THE MANAGER OF PARKSIDE PLACE TO SEE WHETHER THERE WAS SOME WAY THE CITY OR THE GOLF COURSE, WHICH IS PART OF THE CITY, COULD RENT PLACES, UH, MAYBE 20 PLACES AGAIN TO REDUCE THE PARKING SCARCITY IN THE AREA, WHICH IS ONLY BECOMING WORSE BECAUSE OF ALL THE DEVELOPMENT IN STRAWBERRY HILL. AND THEN OF COURSE, THERE'S HA, THE HAGGERTY SCHOOL IN STRAWBERRY HILL AND THE PARENTS' NURSERY SCHOOL. SO THERE'S JUST AN EXTRAORDINARY DEMAND FOR PARKING IN THIS AREA. BUT ANYWAY, PARKVIEW PLACE, UH, SENT A LETTER TO THE CITY THAT THEY SHARED WITH ME THAT SAYS THEY'RE NOT INTERESTED IN RENTING PARKING PLACES TO THE CITY. SO AGAIN, I REALIZE THIS IS A VERY DIFFICULT PROBLEM TO SOLVE, BUT IT REALLY MUST BE SOLVED, UM, WHICH IS WHY I INTRODUCED THE POLICY. WE CAN COME BACK TO YOU, PASTOR ZUZI, OTHERS WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK. I HAVE COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. THANK YOU THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UM, YOU KNOW, SEPARATED BIKE LANES ARE A GOOD THING IN THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. THEY REALLY ARE, AND THEY'RE A GOOD THING BECAUSE SAFETY IS IMPROVED BY THEM. UH, AND I'M, WHEN I SAY SAFETY, I'M, I'M MOST CONCERNED ABOUT, UH, KIDS WHO RIDE BIKES EVERY DAY TO SCHOOL. AND THERE'S SOME 1000 KIDS WHO RIDE THEIR BIKES, UH, TO CAMBRIDGE AND LATIN EVERY SINGLE DAY. AND I'M PRIMARILY CONCERNED ABOUT THEIR SAFETY WHEN THEY TRAVEL FROM THEIR HOME TO THE HIGH SCHOOL AND ENSURING THAT THEY CAN DO THAT AND THEY CAN GET TO PRACTICE AND GET HOME OR GET TO A LIBRARY AFTER SCHOOL IN A SAFE MANNER. UM, THE IMPACT, UM, ON HURON AVE WITH THIS SEPARATED BIKE LANE IS SEVERE TO THE PEOPLE IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD, TO THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE AT 700 HURON AVE. UH, AND TO THE PEOPLE WHO, UM, USE BLACK AND FIELD. UH, AND I KNOW THIS BECAUSE AS SOME OF YOU MAY HAVE HEARD, UH, I COACHED LITTLE LEAGUE AT GLACKIN, AND WHEN THE BIKE LANES FIRST WERE INSTALLED ON HERE ON AVE UP BY GLN FIELD, UH, ALL OF THE PARKING WAS ELIMINATED. AND THE IMPACT OF THAT WAS THAT PARENTS AND GRANDPARENTS ESPECIALLY COULDN'T COME AND WATCH, UH, THE KIDS PLAYING THE GAMES. AND IT, AND IT HAD AN IMPACT, NOT JUST ON THE LEAGUE, BUT ON THE PLAYERS AND THE FAMILIES, AND IT DETRA IT, IT, IT TOOK AWAY FROM THE EXPERIENCE. UM, BUT MORE THAN THAT, THERE WAS A COLLATERAL IMPACT ABOUT SAFETY. AND I'LL TELL YOU QUICKLY A STORY THAT, UH, HAPPENED TO ME. I WAS STANDING AT THE LIGHTS RIGHT AT GLACKIN, UH, IN FRONT OF MY GRANDMOTHER'S HOUSE, MY, THE OLD HOUSE THAT MY GRANDMOTHER LIVED IN. AND, UH, AS I WAS THERE, A BUS WAS COMING IN THE DIRECTION FROM BELMONT, AND A TRUCK WAS GOING IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION TOWARDS BELMONT. AND EVEN THOUGH THE LIGHT WAS GREEN, THEY REALIZED BECAUSE OF THE SPACE OF THE BIKE LANE, THEY COULDN'T PASS AT THE SAME TIME. SO THEY STOPPED. AND IT WAS SORT OF A MEXICAN STANDOFF. UM, DESPITE EACH OF THEM HAVING THE LIGHT TO CONTINUE TRAVELING AT THAT MOMENT, A YOUNG BOY WHO WAS STANDING NEXT TO ME, HE WAS PROBABLY SEVEN YEARS OLD, HE DOTTED OUT ACROSS HURON AVE BECAUSE HE WAS LOOKING AT HIS FRIENDS ACROSS THE STREET IN THE DUGOUT. AND MY HEART SANK. AND I THOUGHT, MY GOD, THAT WAS AN [03:15:01] ACCIDENT WAITING TO HAPPEN RIGHT THERE. AND IT WAS AN UNINTENDED COLLATERAL CONSEQUENCES OF ALL THE CONGESTION THAT HAD BEEN CAUSED BY THE INSTALLATION OF THESE SEPARATED BIKE LANES, UH, WITH THE HOPE THAT WE WERE IMPROVING SAFETY. AND THERE'S THESE THINGS THAT HAPPENED THAT NOBODY THOUGHT ABOUT. UM, SO I'M, I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THIS. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE LOSS OF PARKING. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE KIDS AT THE RU RUSSELL YOUTH CENTER. I'M CONCERNED ABOUT THE PEOPLE AT 700 HERE ON AVE, THEIR ABILITY TO PARK THE PEOPLE USING THE GOLF COURSE, THE PEOPLE USING GLOCK AND FIELD, AND THE PEOPLE USING THE TENNIS COURTS. BUT I'M ALSO CONCERNED ABOUT THE TERMS ARE CONTAINED IN THE CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE. AND IF YOU READ IT AND YOU SEE, AND YOU UNDERSTAND THAT THE PURPOSE IS TO PROVIDE CONNECTIVITY THROUGHOUT THE CITY, CONNECTIVITY IS DEFINED IN THE CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE AS, UM, CONNECTING A PLACE OF ORIGIN TO A PLACE OF DESTINATION WITHIN THE CITY. THIS STRETCH OF HURON AVE DOESN'T MEET THAT CRITERIA. IT JUST DOESN'T. AND BECAUSE IT'S OUTSIDE REALLY OF THE SCOPE, UH, AND THE JURISDICTION OF THE CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE, I WONDER WHETHER IT'S EVEN, UM, JUSTIFIED OR LAWFUL UNDER THE ORDINANCE TO DO IT. UM, BUT SETTING THAT ASIDE, I JUST THINK THAT IT'S, IT'S PROBABLY A GOOD IDEA THAT WHILE WE, UM, ADOPT THIS ORDER BECAUSE OF ALL THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS IN THAT SPECIFIC AREA, UM, WITH INSTALLING SEPARATED BIKE LANES ON THAT SECTION, I JUST, IT, IT, THE, THE, IT'S CLEAR THAT, UH, THE PURPOSE OF THAT SECTION OF SEPARATED BIKE LANES IS NOT MET BY THE TERMS AND THE DEFINITIONS OF THE CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE. AND THE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ARE SO SEVERE, UH, THAT THEY OUTWEIGH EVEN THE DE MINIMIS BENEFIT, IF ANY, BY THE INSTALLATION OF THAT. SO I WOULD ASK ALL OF US TO REALLY THINK ABOUT WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO HERE. THANK YOU. I YIELD COUNCILOR SIMMONS, UH, THANK YOU THROUGH YOU, MADAM CHAIR, TO MY COLLEAGUES. UH, FIRST OF ALL, I WANNA JUST ACKNOWLEDGE COUNCIL SUZIE, SHE'S PUT A LOT OF WORK INTO LOOKING INTO THIS AND THE IMPACT. SHE AND I BOTH MET WITH SOME ABUTTERS NEIGHBORS FROM URON AVENUE, AND THEY'VE SAID ALL THAT YOU'VE HEARD HERE. FIRST OF ALL, IT'S IMPORTANT JUST TO SAY OUT LOUD AGAIN, THAT THIS COUNCIL HAS BEEN PRO BICYCLE SAFETY. YOU LOOK AT ALL THE POLICY ORDERS OF WHICH THERE ARE GREAT MANY, NO ONE HAS EVER SAID, WE DON'T WANT CYCLING SAFETY. AND SO I THINK THAT'S ALWAYS SOMETHING WE SHOULD REMEMBER, BECAUSE I TOOK A TESTIMONY THAT I HEAR ALMOST MAKES IT SOUND LIKE WE DON'T CARE ABOUT CYCLING SAFETY. AND THAT COULD NOT BE FURTHER, FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH, BUT IT DOES THIS PARTICULAR PIECE. AND THANK YOU COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY FOR POINTING OUT WHAT'S IN THE ORDINANCE, UH, IN OUR, FOR THOSE OF US THAT HAVE SPENT TIME LOOKING AT THIS, HAVE SAID, LET'S JUST TAKE A PAUSE FOR A MOMENT AND, AND LOOK AT THIS. I MEAN, THE IMPACT ON THE YOUTH CENTER, THE VFW IN PARTICULAR, AND A LOT OF YOU WEREN'T HERE WHEN THE VFW WAS JUST THE VFW ONCE IT WAS RENEWED AND MADE A COMMUNITY CENTER AND THE VFW IN PART, IT WAS SO THAT THE VFW COULD CONTINUE TO HAVE A PROACTIVE, PRO PRODUCTIVE SOCIAL SPACE. I, I KNOW ALL OF US HAVE GONE TO A NUMBER OF THE DIFFERENT EVENTS THAT HAPPENED AT THE VFW. THERE'S NO PLACE TO PARK NOW. THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO PLACE TO PARK AT THE VFFW FOR SOCIAL, FOR SOCIAL FIRST SOCIAL EVENTS, 10 SPOTS, AND YOU'RE DONE. AND THEIR, UH, CAPACITY IS 200 PEOPLE. SO I THINK IT'D BE IMPORTANT FOR US TO ADOPT THIS POLICY ORDER TO, TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE IMPACT AGAIN, ON THE VFW, ON THE YOUTH CENTER ON 700 YEAR AND ON THE GOLF COURSE. SO I WOULD HOPE MY COLLEAGUES WOULD CONSIDER THE DUE DILIGENCE THAT WE'VE ALL APPLIED HERE TO BRING THIS ORDER TO THE FLOOR AND SUPPORT IT. AND LET'S LOOK, TAKE A LOOK BACK AND LOOK FORWARD. SO HOW WE CAN DO WHAT, STAND UP TO THE, THE LETTER AND THE SPIRIT OF THE ORDINANCE WITHOUT WHAT WE CALL UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES, A YIELD OF FLOOR. WE WILL GO TO COUNCILLOR NOLAN AND THEN VICE MAYOR. THANK YOU MAYOR SIDIKI. UM, I TOTALLY APPRECIATE, UM, THE DUE DILIGENCE THAT WENT INTO THIS, UH, WORK. I THINK IT'S REALLY GREAT. AND I KNOW I LIVE IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD. THERE ARE MANY, MANY, MANY PEOPLE. I BELIEVE THERE'S, YOU KNOW, OVER A THOUSAND PEOPLE WHO HAVE REALLY EXPRESSED CONCERN. THERE'S WITH, UM, 700 HERE ON AAV. THERE'S MANY PEOPLE WHO LIVE THERE WHO ARE VERY CONCERNED. AND I REALLY APPRECIATE THE WORK OF MY COLLEAGUES TO REACH OUT. UM, [03:20:01] I'VE READ THE PETITION BY THE ADVOCATES. I UNDERSTAND THE CONCERN ABOUT PARKING IMPACTS, LOADING ZONE IMPACTS, AND I AGREE WE SHOULD BE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MITIGATE THOSE CONCERNS. I KNOW THE CITY HAS MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS. UM, WE SHOULD SEE IF THERE'S MORE WE CAN DO TO RESOLVE THE PROBLEMS, BUT WITHOUT STALLING THE INSTALLATION OF THE SEPARATED BIKE LANES. NOW, HONESTLY, FULL DISCLOSURE, WHICH I HAVE TOLD PEOPLE I WOULD NOT HAVE CHOSEN THIS PARTICULAR STRETCH OF ROAD FROM LIMITATION. NOW I RIDE IT. I KNOW THERE'S NOT AS MANY CYCLISTS THERE. I ALSO KNOW WE'VE SEEN A CHART WITH THE INTERSECTION STUDY. THERE ARE FAR, FAR MORE, UM, NUMEROUS AND DANGEROUS SECTIONS OF THE CITY WHERE THERE'S FAR, FAR MORE CYCLISTS. UM, I DID ENCOURAGE THE STAFF TO PRIORITIZE OTHER IMPORTANT SECTIONS OF BIKE LANES. HOWEVER, THIS HAS BEEN IN THE PLANNING FOR A LONG TIME. I'M HOPING WE'LL GET TO THOSE OTHER SECTIONS. BUT, UM, RIGHT NOW IT'S ALREADY BEEN IN PLANNING. IT'S READY TO BE IMPLEMENTED. UM, SO DESPITE THE FACT THAT OTHER STREETS IN MID CAMBRIDGE AND WEST MIGHT PROVIDE, MIGHT PRESENT RIGHT NOW GREATER SAFETY HAZARDS, I DO THINK THIS PART OF HURON ABBS DOES EVENTUALLY DESERVE A SEPARATED BIKE LANE. AND WHILE THEY WON'T BE HIGHLY, HIGHLY UTILIZED AT THE START, THERE WILL BE MORE CYCLISTS ONCE THE LANE IS INSTALLED AND, AND MAYBE BELMONT WILL SPEED IT UP. SO I BELIEVE IN THE VISION OF THE CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE AND THE NEED FOR A COMPLETED NETWORK. SO AS MUCH AS I RESPECT, AND I KNOW THAT MANY OF MY NEIGHBORS ARE ALREADY QUITE UPSET WITH ME FOR OTHER THINGS, BUT I HAVE TO DO WHAT I THINK IS BEST FOR THE CITY, WHICH IS I DON'T THINK, UM, DELAYING THE BIKE LANE FOR FIVE YEARS WOULD BE BEST FOR THE CITY. SO I WILL NOT SUPPORT IT. I'LL GO TO VICE MAYOR ZIM, AND THEN COUNCILOR ZUBE. UM, THANK YOU. UM, WELL, I HAD A QUESTION FOR THE COMMISSIONER, UM, IF SHE'S ONLINE COMMISSIONER MCKENNA OR IN PERSON? OH, I DON'T THINK SHE'S ONLINE, BUT WE HAVE OKAY. THE, UH, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER AND OUR CITY MANAGER. YEAH, I THINK WE'RE HAPPY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS. AND I THINK, UM, COMMISSIONER IS ALSO ONLINE. UM, SO MY QUESTIONS ARE JUST VERY SIMPLE. WHEN IS THE INSTALLATION GOING TO PHYSICALLY BEGIN? UM, SO I CAN, I CAN START, UM, MAYOR, SO, UM, CONSTRUCTION WOULD BEGIN THIS FALL. SO THERE WOULD BE SOME, UM, CURB WORK THAT WOULD BEGIN IN SOME CONSTRUCTION THAT WOULD BEGIN THIS FALL, AND THEN THE PAVING WOULD BE IN THE SPRING. UM, SO COULD YOU GIVE US A LITTLE BIT MORE DETAIL ABOUT WHAT WOULD BEGIN THIS FALL? SURE. SO IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING AND, UM, COMMISSIONER MCKENNA'S ONLINE, SHE MIGHT HAVE MORE DETAILS, BUT I THINK THERE, THERE IS COMMISSIONER, SOME SPOT COMMISSIONER MCKENNA'S NOT ONLINE. APOLOGIES. SORRY, WHAT? NAOMI? COMMISSIONER MCKENNA IS NOT ONLINE. OH. UM, LET ME SEE. SHOULD I, I WILL TEXT HER IN A SECOND. UM, SO IT'S MY UNDERSTANDING THERE'S SOME SECTIONS OF CURB WORK THAT HAVE TO BE DONE. SO I DON'T KNOW IF IT'S ON THE, UM, MAKING SOME CHANGES AND THEY'RE TRYING TO DEAL WITH SOME OF THE DRAINAGE ISSUES ON THAT SIDE OF THE ROAD. AND SO, UM, DPW WOULD START DOING SOME CURB WORK THIS SUMMER, THIS FALL. UM, THANKS MAYOR. UH, THANK YOU. UM, BUT THE ACTUAL INSTALLATION OF LIKE THE BIKE LANE, THE CHANGES TO THE PARKING, THAT WOULD NOT BEGIN UNTIL THE SPRING, IS THAT CORRECT? YES, THAT IS ACCURATE. UM, SO I THINK THAT THAT WAS VERY HELPFUL IN THAT, UM, BEFORE I WAS ACTUALLY PERSONALLY UNSURE OF WHETHER WE WERE GONNA HAVE CONSTRUCTION BEGIN THIS FALL IN TERMS OF LIKE, THE LOSS OF PARKING AND OTHER NEGATIVE SIDE EFFECTS. UM, YOU KNOW, UH, MY TAKE ON IT IS THAT, UM, THIS IS GOING TO BEGIN IN THE SPRING, SO WE DO HAVE A FEW MORE MONTHS TO FIGURE IT OUT. I THINK THAT COUNSELOR ZUI ACTUALLY BROUGHT UP A LOT OF GOOD IDEAS, AND IT MAKES ME FEEL LIKE WE COULD, UH, EXPLORE THOSE. AND I THINK THAT PART OF IT COULD BE THAT IF SOME OF THOSE CHANGES, I KNOW LIKE METERED PARKING WAS A SUGGESTION OR HAVING A SIGN TO, UH, FOR PEOPLE WHO VISIT THE GOLF COURSE, IF SOME OF THOSE THINGS COULD BE DONE FASTER SO PEOPLE COULD SEE THE DIFFERENCE. UM, SO IT'S NOT JUST LIKE ONE DAY YOU WAKE UP AND ALL THE PARKING IS GONE, BUT YOU CAN SEE A SLOW TRANSITION AND IT, WE CAN SEE HOW PEOPLE FEEL IT OUT. I THINK THAT MIGHT MAKE IT FOR A SMOOTHER TRANSITION FOR FOLKS. AND ALSO JUST GIVE US MORE FEEDBACK ABOUT HOW WORRIED WE NEED TO BE, UM, THROUGH YOU. MAYOR. UH, THE ONE THING I WOULD SAY IS WE'VE HAD A, IN THE, UM, DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION HAS DONE A REALLY THOUGHTFUL JOB THINKING ABOUT WHAT ARE THE REGULATIONS AND THAT REALLY MAKE SENSE FOR THE PARKING SPACES ON HURON AVENUE. UM, SO MANY PEOPLE KNOW THAT THERE IS A LOT OF SORT OF LONG-TERM PARKING THAT HAPPENS THERE. THERE'S NOT A LOT OF NATURAL TURNOVER. IT'S AN EASY PLACE TO SORT OF, UM, SORT OF HAVE LONG-TERM STORAGE. AND SO IT'S NOT THE MOST EFFECTIVELY USED PARKING. UM, AND SO A NUMBER OF THE CHANGES THAT THEY'VE TALKED ABOUT ARE ABOUT HAVING REGULATIONS. I THINK IN THE FIRST, UM, COMMUNITY MEETING THEY TALKED ABOUT HAVING, UM, PARKING METERS. UM, THERE WAS PRETTY STRONG RESPONSE THAT PEOPLE DIDN'T THINK THAT WOULD BE THE BEST SOLUTION. AND SO, UM, THEY'RE NOW PROPOSING THAT OVERNIGHT IT'D BE RESIDENTIAL PARKING, AND THEN DURING THE DAY IT WOULD BE UNRESTRICTED. SO A LOT OF THAT PARKING RIGHT NOW IS [03:25:01] COMPLETELY UNRESTRICTED. AND SO THEY'VE REALLY BEEN THINKING ABOUT WHAT ARE THE PARKING REGULATIONS THAT CAN MAKE THAT THE REMAINING PARKING REALLY WORK BETTER FOR THE VARIOUS USERS. UM, WE'VE ALSO BEEN HAVING CONVERSATIONS WITH THE GOLF COURSE ABOUT HOW TO MAKE THAT LOT MORE EFFECTIVE, UM, BOTH IN TERMS OF WHO'S PARKING THERE, WHAT ARE THE SIGNAGE, HOW DO THEY MANAGE THAT? AND SO THAT'S A CONVERSATION THAT'S ALSO ONGOING. UM, AND SO I WOULD SAY WE CAN LOOK AT SOME OF THOSE CHANGES. UM, BUT SOME OF THE, THE HIGHER USES IS USES AREN'T OVER THE WINTER, SO YOU'LL SEE SOME BENEFITS, BUT YOU WOULDN'T NECESSARILY SEE THE SORT OF THE FULL PICTURE. SO I JUST WANNA BE SORT OF A LITTLE CAUTIOUS ON THAT. BUT, UM, WE HAVE BEEN LOOKING AT A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT PARKING REGULATION CHANGES TO MAKE THAT PARKING REALLY SUPPORT ALL THE VARIOUS USERS MORE EFFECTIVELY. . YEAH, I THINK THAT, UH, ELISA, A LOT OF THE FEEDBACK I'VE GOTTEN HAS BEEN LESS ABOUT, UH, PEOPLE, UH, NOT BELIEVING THAT CHANGES WOULD BEING WORK, BUT JUST BEING NATURALLY SKEPTICAL THAT LIKE, UH, LIKE THAT THE CITY HAS SAID THEY WILL DO ALL THIS MEDICATION, WHAT SORT OF IMPACT WILL IT MAKE? AND SO I THINK HEARING ALL THE CONCERNS ABOUT IT WINTER ALSO BEING MORE DIFFICULT FOR PEOPLE TO MOVE BACK AND FORTH AND ALL THAT, I DO THINK THAT MAKING SOME OF THOSE CHANGES EARLIER JUST SO WE CAN ALSO, IF WE DECIDE THAT THOSE ARE NOT WORKING, MAKE MORE CHANGES BEFORE WE HAVE THE FULL LOSS OF PARKING, I FEEL LIKE WOULD BE A PARTICULARLY HIGH IMPACT. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR YIELDS, AND NOW WE'LL GO TO COUNCIL ZUBIE. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MADAM MAYOR. UH, TO WHOEVER, TO WHOEVER'S BEST TO ANSWER THIS IS OUTER HURON BEING BUILT AS A QUICK BUILD LANE TOWARDS THE ORDINANCE MILEAGE OR AS A PART OF THE FIVE YEAR PLAN OF RECONSTRUCTION, UM, THROUGH YOU MAYOR. IT IS PART OF THE QUICK BUILD THROUGH THE ORDINANCE. SO WE, OVER THE LAST NUMBER OF YEARS WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO DO, UM, PAVING WHEN WE'RE DOING THE QUICK BUILDS, BUT THEY ARE STILL THE QUICK BUILDS. IT'S NOT A STANDALONE SORT OF FULL RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT. IT'S REALLY JUST DOING SOME MINOR PAVING, A MINOR CURB WORK, AND THEN PAVING THE STREET SO THAT IT'S IN BETTER CONDITION BEFORE ALL THE PAYMENT MARKINGS GO IN AND THE CHANGES ARE IMPLEMENTED. GOTCHA. AND I MEAN, EITHER WAY, ALTHOUGH NOW THAT I, WE KNOW THAT IT'S PART OF THE QUICK BUILD ORDINANCE MILEAGE, DOES THE ORDINANCES, FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS PROVISION LET THE COUNCIL REDUCE THE MILEAGE REQUIREMENT BY POLICY ORDER AS THIS ORDER IS ASKING THIS POLICY ORDER? NOT THAT I'M AWARE OF, NO, THERE'S NO SORT OF, UM, FRAMING FOR THAT. SO THE, THE ONLY LANGUAGE THAT WAS IN THE, UM, THE ORDINANCE ABOUT COST WAS ABOUT ON THE FULL BUILD SIDE. UM, AND THEN AGAIN, THE, THE ACTUAL CONSTRUCTION COSTS ARE VERY LIMITED IN THIS TYPE OF SITUATION. GOTCHA. SO IF I'M UNDERSTANDING CORRECTLY, THE FIVE YEAR PLAN TRACK IS THE ONE THAT IS OPEN TO THAT CLAUSE OF FINANCIAL CONSTRAINTS. OKAY, THANK YOU. SO IN THAT CASE, I THINK BASED ON THAT, UM, I I WILL BE A NO VOTE. UM, AND THERE'S ALSO THIS OTHER PIECE TOO, THAT IT'S A LAST HALF MILE OF A NETWORK THAT THE COUNCIL COMMITTED TO, UM, LIKE COUNCILORS, EY SAID, WE DO NEED TO BE DOING A BETTER JOB OF EXPLORING THESE IDEAS, UM, AS IT RELATES TO PARKING. AND I NOTICED THAT IN A RECENT STUDY, IT SHOWED THAT THIS STRETCH ISN'T FULL WHEN IT COMES TO PARKING. SO IT WOULD BE GOOD TO EXPLORE WHAT THAT MEANS AND LOOKS LIKE TODAY. UM, AND, YOU KNOW, BELMONT IS BUILDING TOWARDS US, AND WE SHOULDN'T BE CLOSING. WE, WE SHOULDN'T POSTPONE CLOSING OUR GAP. I'VE, I'VE LEARNED FROM COUNSELOR FLAHERTY THAT WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT SOLVING REGIONAL PROBLEMS, AND THIS IS A PIECE TO A REGIONAL PUZZLE. SO, UM, I HOPE THIS IS A CHANCE TO DO THAT ALL YIELD. WE WILL GO TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. UM, YOU KNOW, IT'S INTERESTING. I TONIGHT, I LITERALLY GOT OFF A PLANE BEFORE THE MEETING FROM BEING AT A CONFERENCE, UM, IN THE NETHERLANDS WHERE I VISITED FOUR CITIES LOOKING AT THEIR MULTIPLE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION. NOT JUST CYCLING, BUT PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION, UH, LIGHT RAIL, UM, PEDESTRIAN SAFETY, UH, DRIVING, UM, AND I'M GONNA DO A REPORT ON THAT SO EVERYBODY CAN SHARE IT. I LEARNED A LOT OF REALLY COOL THINGS, A LOT OF INTERESTING TECHNOLOGY. BUT, YOU KNOW, THEY DID TALK ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE OF CONNECTIVITY AND BEING ABLE, YOU KNOW, WORKING WITH OTHER COMMUNITIES TO, UM, CREATE A NETWORK WHERE PEOPLE CAN NOT ONLY GET AROUND THEIR OWN CITY, UH, SAFELY BY CYCLING, BUT GETTING TO OTHER CITIES AND, AND, AND, UH, CONNECTING WITH THEM. SO ALTHOUGH BELMONT HAS NOT, UM, DOESN'T HAVE THAT LANE IN PLACE YET, THEY'RE GOING TO. UM, AND SO I THINK THIS WOULD BE A, AN IT WILL BECOME A MORE IMPORTANT PIECE OF A NETWORK THAN MAYBE IT APPEARS, UH, [03:30:01] AT THE MOMENT. UM, THERE WAS ALSO A LOT OF TALK OF JUST THE LENGTH OF TIME IT TAKES TO SORT OF CHANGE PEOPLE'S BEHAVIOR. AND ANYWAY, I ONLY HAVE THREE MINUTES, BUT REALLY INTERESTING STUFF ABOUT WHAT THOSE CITIES IN THE NETHERLANDS WERE LIKE AFTER WORLD WAR II, AND, AND THEY HAD TO REBUILD AND THEY REBUILT A VERY CAR-CENTRIC CULTURE, AND THEN THEY STARTED TO MAKE CHANGES OVER TIME TO BECOME MORE MULTIPLE MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, UM, TO WHERE THEY ARE TODAY. UM, AND IT'S REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE THEY HAVE ABOUT 30 TO 40% OF THEIR, OF THEIR FOLKS CYCLE ABOUT ANOTHER 30% TAKE PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION AND ABOUT ANOTHER 30% DRIVE. SO THEY DON'T REALLY HAVE ISSUES, LIKE THEY DON'T HAVE TRAFFIC BACKUPS BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE USE OTHER MODES OF TRANSPORTATION, AND IT TOOK THEM 30 PLUS YEARS TO, TO GET THERE. UM, AND WE'RE JUST AT THE INFANCY OF THAT CONVERSATION. SO, UM, IT'S JUST A REALLY INTERESTING DIFFERENCE. UM, I CANNOT VOTE TO DELAY THIS FOR FIVE YEARS. UM, AND AS THINK AS COUNSELOR, UH, ZUBIE POINTED OUT, UM, YOU KNOW, WE, WE WOULD HAVE TO REOPEN THE CYCLING SAFETY ORDINANCE TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF MILES. AND I'M NOT, I'M NOT WILLING TO DO THAT EITHER. UM, BUT I AM SYMPATHETIC, ESPECIALLY TO THE FOLKS IN 700 HERE ON AAV ABOUT THE LOSS OF PARKING THERE. AND I KNOW THERE'S, UM, BEEN CONVERSATIONS, AND I DO THANK COUNCILLOR UZI, UH, AND COUNCILLOR SIMMONS THAT, YOU KNOW, HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS WITH THOSE FOLKS. SO I, I DO WORRY ABOUT, ESPECIALLY THE LOWER INCOME FOLKS WHO MAYBE CAN'T AFFORD, UM, YOU KNOW, TO PAY FOR PARKING AT 700 HURON AVENUE AND USE THE STREET PARKING. SO, UM, I WILL NOT VOTE FOR THIS AS IT'S WRITTEN. UH, MAYOR SIDIKI, YOU AND I HAVE A SUBSTITUTE, UM, ORDER THAT CAN BE PUT ON THE SCREEN THAT BASICALLY JUST ENCOURAGES THE CITY. IT, IT DOES NOT CALL FOR A DELAY, BUT IT ENCOURAGES THE CITY TO CONTINUE, UM, THEIR CONVERSATIONS, TO LOOK AT WAYS TO, UM, ADDRESS, UH, AS BEST WE CAN, THE, THE, THE LOSS OF PARKING, UH, FOR FOLKS IN, IN, IN, IN THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. I WANT TO KEEP THOSE CONVERSATIONS GOING. UM, THOSE CONVERSATIONS DIDN'T EVEN HAPPEN AFTER THE, THE INSTALLATION OF THE, UH, OF, OF THIS STRETCH. UM, ONCE WE SEE HOW IT PLAYS OUT AND SEE WHAT, WHAT, WHAT'S WORKING AND WHAT'S NOT WORKING. SO, UM, I THINK YOU COULD SEE IT. YOU CAN SEE IT HERE. UM, SO IF, UH, OBVIOUSLY I WOULD SUPPORT THIS, I WANT THOSE CONVERSATIONS TO CONTINUE. I WANT TO TRY TO CONTINUE TO FIND SOLUTIONS IF POSSIBLE. BUT I CAN'T VOTE FOR THE, UM, THE, UH, INITIAL ORDER. SO I'LL JUST SPEAK REALLY QUICKLY AND ADD ON TO WHAT COUNCIL MCGOVERN SAID. I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE A COPY MOTION. RA I THINK COPIES ARE COMING. THE COPIES ARE COMING. UM, I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE BROUGHT UP GOOD POINTS. I THINK THERE'S ALSO A TRAFFIC COMMON ELEMENT HERE IN THIS DESIGN THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE REALLY, UM, HIGH SPEEDS AND, UH, SO THAT IS SOMETHING THAT, UM, IS AN ADDED, UH, FEATURE OF THIS. IT'S NOT JUST THE, THE BIKE LANE. UM, I THINK THE CITY'S DONE SOME CHANGES, WHETHER THAT WAS THE NINE KIND OF PARKING SPOTS, UH, THAT WERE ADDED OVERNIGHT ON THE KIND OF YOUTH CENTER PARKSIDE OR THE 26, UM, THAT WERE ADDED. UH, THEY'RE CHANGED TO OVERNIGHT PERMIT ONLY. AND THEN THE CITY'S MENTIONED THE 53 UNREGULATED PARKING SPOTS THAT WERE REMOVED. BUT I, I DO THINK TO VICE MAYOR'S POINT AND THEN COUNCILOR MCGOVERN'S POINT, UH, THERE IS STILL TIME. I THINK THERE YOU ALL ARE STILL LOOKING AT THINGS. UH, WE ASK THAT YOU KEEP LOOKING, UM, THINKING OF OTHER THINGS THAT COULD HAPPEN. YES, PARKSIDE JUST SAID NO. UM, BUT I THINK WE SHOULD STILL DO EVERYTHING WE CAN TO MITIGATE, I THINK THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN A PART OF THE PROCESS. UM, SO THAT'S KIND OF THE SPIRIT OF WHERE THE SUBSTITUTE PO UH, COMES FROM. ANYONE WE HAVEN'T HEARD FROM BEFORE. I GO BACK TO C COUNCILOR SUSIE. COUNCILOR SUSIE. YEAH. I, I WISH WE'D HAD THIS, UH, EARLIER SO I COULD DIGEST IT. CHAT WHAT? CHATTERING. OKAY. WHY DON'T I CHARTER WRITE THIS? I THINK THAT'S A, A GOOD IDEA SO WE CAN GIVE IT MORE THOUGHT. BUT MY GOAL FOR THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN, AND MAYBE THIS WILL MOVE US IN THAT DIRECTION TO SOLVE THE PROBLEM. BECAUSE WHAT I WORRY ABOUT IS THAT WE'RE GONNA PUT PUBLIC AMENITIES, THEY'RE TAXPAYER FUNDED, PUBLIC AMENITIES [03:35:01] OUT OF BUSINESS. I MEAN, IT WOULD BE VERY SAD IF, UM, CONS SUI JUST TO SAY YOUR CHARTER RATING. THE UNDERLYING ORDER. YEAH. SO I, I'LL CHARTER WRITE THIS. THANK YOU. SO CONSER SU'S EXERCISE TO CHARTER, RIGHT? WE'LL MOVE ON TO YES. ALL OF THIS WILL APPEAR AT OUR NEXT MEETING. SO THAT WAS POLICY RULE NUMBER EIGHT. NOW WE MOVE TO POLICY RULE NUMBER 10. THIS IS THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO CONFER WITH THE RELEVANT STAFF AND DEPARTMENTS TO IMPLEMENT THE RECOMMENDATIONS FOLLOWING THE MAY, 2025 HUMAN SERVICES AND VETERANS COMMITTEE MEETING, CALLING FOR STRENGTHENING ANTI-POVERTY MEASURES, ESTABLISHING A DEDICATED CARE TEAM CALL AND REFERRAL LINE, PRIORITIZING COMMERCIAL SEXUAL EXPLOITATION AND TRAFFICKING PREVENTION EFFORTS FOR LGBTQIA PLUS YOUTH AND REPORTING BACK TO THE CITY COUNCIL IN PROGRESS. THIS WAS FILED BY COUNCILLOR SERINO, COUNCILOR GOVERNOR, MYSELF AND COUNCILLOR NOLAN. COUNCILLOR NOLAN PULLED IT. BUT I CAN GO TO COUNCILLOR SABRINA FIRST, OR UNLESS HE YIELDS THANKS BY THE WAY. UM, I'LL JUST SPEAK ON BRIEFLY. I STILL THINK WE NEED A MOTION TO EXTEND THE MEETING. MAYBE, UH, I, I CAN MAKE A MOTION TO EXTEND BY HALF HOUR ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER TO EXPEND THE MEETING. WE'LL SAY AN HOUR. JUST TO BE SAFE FOR AN HOUR. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. WE ARE EX C SIMMONS IS A NO, BUT EVERYONE ELSE IS A YES. UH, THE MOTION PASSES. WE'LL GO BACK TO YOU COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. THANKS. I'LL INTRODUCE THIS, UM, JUST BRIEFLY. AND I THINK THERE'S GONNA BE A CHARTER, RIGHT? I WOULD JUST SAY THAT PUBLIC COMMENT I THINK GAVE, GAVE A GOOD RANGE OF THE PERSONAL EXPERIENCE AND RESEARCH THAT SUPPORTS THIS POLICY ORDER. UM, SO I'LL JUST TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, MY PERSPECTIVE, WHICH IS COMING AT THIS AS A UNION MEMBER AND SOMEONE WHO CARES ABOUT WORKERS' RIGHTS. YOU KNOW, WHATEVER TYPE OF WORK YOU ARE IN, YOU CANNOT HAVE WORKER PROTECTING PROTECTIONS IF YOUR WORK IS CRIMINALIZED. CRIMINALIZING SEX WORK MAKES IT LESS SAFE, NOT MORE SAFE. AND WE HAVE SEEN THIS IN OTHER INDUSTRIES. UH, TO GIVE JUST ONE RECENT EXAMPLE, BECAUSE CANNABIS IS NO LONGER CRIMINALIZED. THERE ARE WORKER PROTECTIONS AND REGULATIONS AND UNI UNIONS IN THE CANNABIS INDUSTRY. THIS WAS NOT POSSIBLE WHEN CANNABIS WAS CRIMINALIZED. UM, WE'VE WORKED WITH THE LAW DEPARTMENT ABOUT THE LANGUAGE OF THIS POLICY ORDER. IT DOES NOT CHANGE THE LAW THAT WOULD HAVE TO BE DONE AT THE STATE LEGISLATURE. WHAT IT DOES DO IS SEND A MESSAGE TO OUR STATE AND COUNTY ELECTED OFFICIALS, WHICH THE CITY COUNCIL DOES OFTEN, AND AS WELL WITHIN OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS A CITY COUNCIL, I YIELD BACK. COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. YES. UM, THIS IS A POLICY SORT THAT'S BEEN IN THE WORKS FOR MANY MONTHS. 'CAUSE THERE'S SO MANY PEOPLE VERY INTERESTED IN IT. I KNOW WE ALL HAVE TALKED TO A VARIETY OF PEOPLE INVOLVED IN, UM, THE SEX WORK TRADE. AND I THINK THE POLICY SORT OF LAYS IT OUT PRETTY WELL ABOUT THE SITUATION. AND I THINK WE ARE ALL AGREED THAT THERE IS A REAL NEED FOR DECRIMINALIZATION, WHICH IS ALREADY HAPPENING TO A LARGE EXTENT WITH THESE SELLERS OF SEX. I DO. AND WE HEARD IN PUBLIC COMMENT THAT THERE'S A NUMBER OF WAYS THAT THE, UM, CRIM FULL DECRIMINALIZATION, WHICH THIS CALLS FOR, IS PROBLEMATIC FROM A NUMBER OF ADVOCATES. WE'VE GOTTEN, UH, VERY THOUGHTFUL EMAILS FROM A NUMBER OF PEOPLE. SO IN ORDER TO WORK THAT OUT, I WILL EXERCISE MY CHARTER, RIGHT, SO THAT WE CAN HAVE TIME TO ABSORB SOME OF THAT. COUNCILOR NOLAN EXERCISES OUR CHARTER RIGHT ON POLICY ORDER NUMBER 10. YEAH, THAT'S WHAT I WAS SAYING. SO [CALENDAR] WE'LL MOVE ON TO THE CALENDAR. WE HAVE ONE CHARTER, RIGHT? THIS IS THAT THE CITY MANAGER IS REQUESTED TO CONFER WITH THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS TO DEVELOP A COORDINATED JULY 4TH RESPONSE FOR CHERRY STREET, HARVARD STREET, FLETCHER MAYNARD ACADEMY AREA, TO ENSURE THAT THIS SPOT NOT BE UTILIZED FOR THE LEGAL USE OF FIREWORKS. THE CHARTER RIGHT WAS EXERCISED BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. IN THE OUR COUNCIL MEETING ON SEPTEMBER 14TH, WE'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. THANK YOU, MADAM CHAIR. UH, I JUST WANNA BRIEFLY CLARIFY WHAT MY ORIGINAL POLICY ORDER WAS ATTENDED TO ACCOMPLISH. GOD BLESS YOU FOR SEVERAL, SEVERAL YEARS, CAME IN RE RESIDENCE AROUND THE FMA SCHOOL. THE PORT HAD TO DEAL WITH THE SAME PROBLEM EVERY 4TH OF JULY. AND I'M NOT SAYING, UH, UH, INCIDENTAL FIRING OF FIREWORKS FOR MAYBE EVEN HALF AN HOUR. I'M TALKING ABOUT HOURS FROM 10 UNTIL ONE O'CLOCK IN THE MORNING. A SIGNIFICANT NOISE AND DISRUPTION AND A RESPONSE THAT HAS BEEN PREVENTING THE, THE NEIGHBORHOOD TO HAVE PEACE. AND IT ONLY STOPS WHEN, UH, THE LAW ENFORCEMENT COMES AND AS SOON AS THEY LEAVE, THEY RESUME. SO MY ORDER DOES NOT PRESUME TO KNOW THE SOLUTION, BUT IT IS ASKING THE POLICE DEPARTMENT THAT HAS, HAS HAD AN IMPACT THAT THE COMMUNITY FEELS ENGAGED AND SAFE WITH. UM, THAT, AND THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT, UH, CARE AND THE OTHER APPROPRIATE DEPARTMENTS TO SIT DOWN TOGETHER, EXAMINE WHAT HAS NOT WORKED AND COME BACK WITH A, AN APPROACH. AND I ALSO MAY, IT'S NOT IMPLIED THAT THE COMMUNITY [03:40:01] BE SIT AT THE TABLE AS WELL. SO IT'S NOT JUST DONE BY CITY DEPARTMENTS. THAT IS WHY I HAVE CONCERNS ABOUT THE AMENDMENT THAT WOULD EFFECTIVELY BE MOVE THE POLICE DEPARTMENT FROM THE PROCESS AND PLACE AN OUTSIDE ORGANIZATION IN A LEADING ROLE. FOR ME, THIS IS FUNDAMENTALLY A QUESTION OF GOOD GOVERNANCE. IF WE WERE TALKING ABOUT REDESIGNING A MAJOR INTERSECTION, I WOULD NOT SUPPORT WRITING THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT OUT OF THE PROCESS AND ASKING AN OUTSIDE ADVOCACY ORGANIZATION TO TAKE ITS PLACE. WE MIGHT INVITE THAT ORGANIZATION TO THE TABLE, AND IT MIGHT HAVE VALUABLE IDEAS AND PERSPECTIVE THE CITY STAFF MIGHT WANT TO HEAR, BUT CDD HAS THE INSTITUTIONAL RESPONSIBILITIES, PROFESSIONAL EXPERTISE AND ACCOUNTABILITY TO THE CITY. WE WOULD EXPECT IT TO PARTICIPATE. SO I BELIEVE THE PRINCIPLE APPLIES HERE, THAT THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT HAS BEEN RESPONDING TO SITUATIONS FOR YEARS. IF THAT RESPONSE HAS NOT WORKED WELL ENOUGH, THEN THERE IS A, THAT IS PRECISELY WHY THE DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO BE PART OF FIGURING OUT WHAT SHOULD CHANGE YOUNG PEOPLE, NEIGHBORHOOD, YOUNG, UH, ORGANIZATIONS, COMMUNITY SAFETY, HUMAN SERVICES, AND OTHERS MAY ALL HAVE SOMETHING USEFUL TO BRING TO THE TABLE, BUT PARTICIPATION IS DIFFERENT FROM SUBSTITUTION. NOW, I'M, I'M, MY FIRST THINKING WAS IN RESPONSE TO THE EARLIER AMENDMENT MY COLLEAGUES BROUGHT FORWARD. I HAVE SEEN THAT THEY BROUGHT SOMETHING THAT'S TAKES, STILL TAKES THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS, AND PUTS COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT AS THE LEAD. AND THE REASON WHY I, I, I DON'T ACCEPT THAT, IS BECAUSE COMMUNITY SAFETY HAS NOT BEEN INVOLVED IN THIS AT ALL. UH, AND AGAIN, THEY CAN, IF THEY WANT TO GIVE SOME IDEAS, FINE, BUT TO LEAD, I I WOULD NOT WANT TO DO THAT. THEY WOULD HAVE TO JUST BE BROUGHT UP TO SPEED AND A WHOLE BUNCH OF OTHER THINGS. SO THE PURPOSE OF THIS ORDER IS NOT TO CHOOSE ONE PHILOSOPHY OF PUBLIC SAFETY OVER ANOTHER. IT'S TO SOLVE A RECURRING NEIGHBORHOOD PROBLEM. AND I BELIEVE THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT IS TO BRING THE APPROPRIATE CITY DEPARTMENTS TOGETHER, THE ONES THAT HAVE THE HISTORICAL MEMORY AND THE ONES THAT HAVE THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE COMMUNITY AND THE ONES THE COMMUNITY RESPECTS AND, AND, AND, AND FAVORS THE SUPPORT THAT THEY RECEIVE FROM THE, THAT DEPARTMENT, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT IN PARTICULAR AT THE TABLE, THE COMMUNITY VOICE ALONG, YOU KNOW, COMMUNITY VOICES AND REQUIRE THEM TO WORK COLLABORATIVELY TOWARD A BETTER PLAN, UH, FOR THE NEXT 4TH OF JULY. AND WITH THAT, SO I'M, I'M ASKING MY COLLEAGUES TO SUPPORT THE ORIGINAL ORDER. UM, I APPRECIATE THE HARD WORK AND THE THOUGHTFULNESS. I DID NOT SEE THIS AMENDMENT UNTIL JUST A FIVE MINUTES AGO. AND SO I WOULD RESPECTFULLY ASK THAT WE, UH, ADOPT THE ORIGINAL ORDER THAT MY, MYSELF, AND MY COLLEAGUE HAS BROUGHT FORWARD. UM, AND WITH THAT, I WILL YIELD THE FLOOR COUNCILOR SIMMONS YIELD. I WILL JUST SAY TO THE FOLKS IN THE AUDIENCE, UM, THE CHARTER I, EVERY, THE POS WILL BE BACK NEXT WEEK, SO THERE'S NO, WE WILL BE HERE FOR A WHILE. SO THERE'S NO NEED TO, TO STAY. UM, UNLESS YOU WANT TO. I KNOW IT'S RIVETING. UH, SO I HAVE COUNCIL ZUBI THANK YOU THROUGH MADAM MAYOR, UM, THIS NEW AMENDMENT. IN THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION, I, I WANTED TO ACTUALLY WITHDRAW THE AMENDMENT THAT WAS ON THE FLOOR AT THE LAST COUNCIL MEETING AND BRING THIS NEW AMENDMENT THAT RAISES, UH, THE PIECE THAT COUNCILOR SIMMONS AND FLAHERTY HAD BROUGHT UP. UM, AGAIN, JUST CLARIFYING THAT WE COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER AND I, WERE NEVER TRYING TO EXPLICITLY REMOVE CPD, BUT TO HAVE SOMEONE NEW, TO LEAD THE CONVERSATION, UH, TO GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO TRY EXPLORING AFFECTING BEHAVIORAL CHANGE. SO I WILL MOVE A MOTION TO WITHDRAW THE ORIGINAL AMENDMENT AND THEN MOVE A MOTION TO, UH, TO BRING IN THE NEW AMENDMENT. SO COUNCIL ZUBIE IS MOVING TO WITHDRAW. WE CAN DO A VOICE VOTE ON WITHDRAWING THAT ORIGINAL, UH, AMENDMENT. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAIN SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. SO THAT AMENDMENT HAS BEEN, BEEN TAKEN OUT. THERE IS A NEW AMENDMENT, COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YEAH, SORRY. I EXPLAINED BOTH OF THEM AT THE SAME TIME. IT'S, AGAIN, JUST OUT OF THE SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION TO SAY WE HEARD THE POINTS THAT YOU RAISE AND WANNA MAKE SURE THAT IT'S CLEAR THAT THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT WOULD BE INVOLVED IN THESE CONVERSATIONS AND, AND THEY WOULD NOT BE EXCLUDED. I YIELD DISCUSSION. WE HAVE COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. I APPRECIATE THE COLLABORATION. I THINK IT'S EXCELLENT AND IT'S THOUGHTFUL, BUT I, I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE BEHIND NOT HAVING THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS THE LEAD. UM, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A, A PUBLIC NUISANCE ISSUE. POLICE OFFICERS WEAR UNIFORMS AND HAVE CRUISES WITH SIGNS ON 'EM AND BLUE LIGHTS FOR A REASON. [03:45:01] SO WHEN KIDS ARE SHOOTING OFF FIREWORKS AND THE POLICE SHOW UP, THEY'RE ALERTED TO THEIR PRESENCE AND MAYBE THEY STOP. UH, THEY'RE TRAINED TO DEAL WITH THIS TYPE OF THING. AND I, AND I APPRECIATE THE FACT WE SHOULD HAVE THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT AND, UM, THE EMERGENCIES COMMUNICATION DEPARTMENT AND OTHER RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS INVOLVED IN A, UM, YOU KNOW, A, LIKE A SAFETY PLAN IN ADVANCE OF IT. BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY. I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND THE RATIONALE OF NOT HAVING THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS THE LEAD IN RESPONSE WITH RESPONSIBILITY FOR A PUBLIC NUISANCE CRIMINAL ACTIVITY ON THE 4TH OF JULY THAT IMPACTS THAT NEIGHBORHOOD. UH, I DON'T, I DON'T SEE WHAT'S, WHAT'S WRONG WITH THAT. AND, UH, SO THAT'S MY QUESTION. I HAVE A FEW FOLKS ON DECK. WE'LL GO TO COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER, THEN COUNCIL MCGOVERN. THANKS. I WOULD JUST SAY BRIEFLY, I THINK THIS NEW AMENDMENT IS AN ATTEMPT AT A COMPROMISE TO SAY THE ADDRESS OF PIECES. IT MENTIONS THE CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT ALSO INCLUDES THE CAMBRIDGE, UH, THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT. IT, IT HAS ALL THOSE, IT'S AN ATTEMPT AT THAT. I THINK IN REALITY, OUR CITY STAFF ARE VERY COLLABORATIVE. AND WHEN THERE IS A DEPARTMENT THAT NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT IN THERE, AREN'T LOOKING AT THE TEXT OR THE POLICY ORDER AND SAYING, OH NO, I'M THE LEAD. YOU CAN'T BE PART OF THIS. WHOEVER STAFF NEEDS TO BE INVOLVED, THEY WILL GET THAT INVOLVED. I'VE SEEN THAT TIME AND TIME AGAIN WITH THE DBW AND THE TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. OUR CITY STAFF WILL WORK TOGETHER REALLY CLOSELY. THIS IS ATTEMPT AS AN A PART TO, TO COMPROMISE. YOU KNOW, THERE ARE POLICY ORDERS THAT WE DO ALL THE TIME THAT COULD OR COULD NOT BE A POLICY ORDER, COULD JUST BE AN EMAIL. THIS WAS A POLICY ORDER THAT CAME IN. THIS IS AN ATTEMPT TO, TO SAY, ALL RIGHT, IT SEEMS LIKE THE CURRENT SITUATION ISN'T WORKING. LET'S TRY TO BRING IN THE COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT. ALSO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN WORK SOFT THE LANGUAGE, THIS LANGUAGE MORE, OR WE CAN PASS THIS AMENDMENT AND JUST BE, BE DONE WITH IT. I THINK THIS AMENDMENT IS A GOOD COMPROMISE AND I'LL, I'LL SUPPORT IT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN AND THEN COUNCILLOR ZUI. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. UM, I SORT OF AGREE WITH COUNCILOR SERENA WHEELER THAT I THINK THERE'S COLLABORATION THAT'S GONNA HAPPEN. I, I DON'T, I I WOULD'VE BEEN FINE WITH THE ORIGINAL ORDER. I MEAN, THIS IS JUST SAYING THAT THE POLICE NAMES THE POLICE DEPARTMENT AS A LEAD IN HAVING THE DISCUSSION. IT DOESN'T NECESSARILY SAY THAT THE POLICE ARE GONNA BE THE ONES WHO ARE GONNA TAKE THE LEAD IN RESPONDING. SO I WOULD'VE BEEN, I MEAN, I'M FINE WITH THE ORIGINAL ORDER 'CAUSE I THINK IT GETS TO, TO THAT SAME THING. AT THE END OF THE DAY, IT'S GONNA, THESE DIFFERENT GROUPS ARE GONNA BE SITTING AROUND THE TABLE AND HAVING A CONVERSATION ABOUT HOW TO ADDRESS THIS ISSUE. AND I AGREE WITH COUNCILOR SIMMONS THAT UP UNTIL NOW, ANYWAY, IT HAS, THE POLICE DEPARTMENT DOES HAVE THE EXPERIENCE, UM, IN HANDLING THESE ISSUES AS THEY'VE COME UP. SO AGAIN, I THINK WHETHER WE PASS THE AMENDMENT OR THE ORIGINAL ORDER, WE'RE GETTING TO THE SAME PLACE. SO I THINK THIS IS A, A LOT OF TIME THAT WE SHOULD HAVE JUST PASSED THE ORIGINAL ORDER TO BEGIN WITH. UM, AND SO, UH, I WAS READY TO VOTE IT AT THAT POINT. I'LL, I'LL VOTE FOR THE ORIGINAL ORDER TODAY. COUNCIL ZUZI, I'LL BE VOTING FOR THE ORIGINAL ORDER TOO, BECAUSE THIS IS ABOUT FOLLOWING THE RULES. UM, THANK GOD FOR GOOGLE. SO IT'S ILLEGAL TO SHOOT FIREWORKS IN MASSACHUSETTS. BANNED ITEMS ACCORDING TO MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL LAW, CHAPTER 1 48, SECTION 39, ALL CONSUMER FIREWORKS ARE PROHIBITED. UH, THIS INCLUDES SPARKLERS, FIREWORKS, ROMAN CANDLES, CHERRY BOMBS, AND M EIGHTIES. SO I THINK THIS IS ABOUT ENFORCEMENT, WHICH IS WHY, UH, THIS ISN'T ABOUT SOCIAL SERVICES. AND I THINK, UH, YOUNG KIDS THAT ARE FIRING FIREWORKS AND ARE PROVIDING A PUBLIC NUISANCE ARE GONNA RESPOND TO THE POLICE AND NOT TO THE CARE TEAM. I THINK THE CARE TEAM DOES A LOT OF GREAT WORK. I SEE THEIR, UM, THEIR VALUE, BUT I, I, I THINK IT WOULD BE VERY AWKWARD FOR THEM TO BE THE FRONT PEOPLE. AND I DON'T THINK ANYBODY WOULD PAY ATTENTION. I THINK THEY WILL, UH, PAY ATTENTION TO THE CRUISERS, TO THE UNIFORMS, TO THE POLICEMEN WHO ADMINISTER JUSTICE. THANK YOU. I YIELD ANYONE ELSE? I WOULD SAY ONE THING I WOULD MAYBE SUGGEST, BECAUSE THE ORIGINAL DOESN'T MENTION COMMUNITY SAFETY. I WOULD JUST TAKE OUT, I WOULD DO AN AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT AND JUST TAKE OUT AS LEAD. SO THEN IT'S JUST COMMUNITY SAFETY DEPARTMENT, CAMBRIDGE POLICE DEPARTMENT, EMERGENCY, COMMUNICATE, COMMUNICATIONS DEPARTMENT, AND OTHER RELEVANT DEPARTMENTS. SO THAT'S, OR, OR IT DOESN'T LOOK LIKE THERE'S AN INTEREST IN THAT, BUT I WOULD, YEAH, I WOULD SUPPORT IT PERSONALLY. SO I WOULD MOVE THE AMENDMENT TO THE AMENDMENT [03:50:01] AND JUST STRIKE, UM, STRIKE AS LEAD. OKAY. SO THEY'LL, THEY'LL DO IT HERE. SO THAT WAY I UNDERSTAND KIND OF THIS WHOLE, THE ORIGINAL, JUST MENTION ONE DEPARTMENT, WE SHOULD MENTION OTHER DEPARTMENTS. THEY DID TAKE OUT HEART. THEY, THERE WERE CHANGES MADE. SO I THINK IF YOU TAKE OUT AS LEAD, THEN FOR ME AT LEAST THAT TENSION EVAPORATES. SO, BUT AGAIN, WE CAN, WE CAN MOVE, WE CAN VOTE ON THE AMENDMENTS, SEE WHERE THEY LAND, AND THEN VOTE ACCORDINGLY. YES. COUNCILMAN MCGOVERN? UM, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. JUST A QUESTION, IF, IF WE DON'T SAY WHO'S LEADING THE DISCUSSION, WHO'S LEADING THE DISCUSSION? THE IT WOULD BE IS REQUESTED TO CONFER WITH THESE DEPARTMENTS TO DEVELOP A COORDINATED JULY 4TH RESPONSE PLAN. OKAY. AND THEN IT'S REQUESTED TO WORK WITH THESE DEPARTMENTS TO CONSIDER, CONSIDER A SUSTAINED, VIABLE PRESENT. THAT'S WHAT IT'S CALLING FOR. I'M SORRY, COULD YOU WRITE, COULD THAT BE ON THE SCREEN PLEASE? SORRY, I'M OPENING THE LATEST VERSION NOW. ONE SECOND. I SWEAR. MAYOR, CAN I HAVE THE FLOOR? YEAH, YEAH. UM, I JUST HAD A QUESTION FOR THE CITY MANAGER. UH, NOW, GIVEN THAT IT HAS THESE AMENDMENTS AS YOU SEE BEFORE THEM, AND ALSO THE ORIGINAL, I WAS GONNA SAY, DO THESE, UH, DOES IT MAKE A PRACTICAL DIFFERENCE TO YOU, UH, THROUGH YOU, MAYOR? UM, I THINK WE'D BE HAPPY, UH, UNDERSTANDING THAT THESE DEPARTMENTS WORK WELL TOGETHER, UH, TO TAKE ANY OF THE PRIOR MENTIONED VERSIONS. OKAY. I JUST WANTED TO LIKE, CLEAR THE AIR A LITTLE BIT AND THAT, I THINK WHETHER THIS PASSES OR NOT, WE'RE GONNA END UP AT THE SAME EXACT RESULT. SO IT'LL BE, OKAY. SO FIRST WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL ON THESE AMENDMENTS BEFORE US DISCUSSION, OR CAN WE GO TO THE ROLL? LET'S GO TO THE ROLL, PLEASE. COUNCIL CAN WAIT. CAN I, WE'RE ALREADY ON THE ROLL. COUNCILORS MAKE RECOMMENDATION. CAN, WE'RE MOVING ON TO THE ROLE. SO YOU CAN VOTE NO IF YOU'D LIKE, OR YES. COUNCILOR ZUBIE. YES. VICE MAYOR. PRESENT. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? NO. NO. COUNSELOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR ZUI? NO. NO. MAYOR SIDIKI? YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE FOUR MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THREE RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE, AND TWO RECORDED IS PRESENT. SO THE AMENDMENTS FAIL. SO WE CAN GO AHEAD AND ADOPT. MOVE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO ADOPT THE ORIGINAL ORDER. DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCIL. COUNCILOR ZUBE. PRESENT. PRESENT. VICE MAYOR ZIM. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. PRESENT. PRESENT. COUNCILOR EY? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE SEVEN MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE AND TWO, RECORDED AS PRESENT CHAIR. THE POLICY ORDER IS ADOPTED AS AMENDED. COUNCILOR SIMMONS SIMMONS BE CONSIDERATION. SHE WANTS CONOR SIMMONS MOVES TO SUSPEND THE RULES AND TO RECON, DO A RECONSIDERATION VOTE ON SUSPENSION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE EYES HAVE IT. WE'RE IN SUSPENSION. WE CAN NOW MOVE ON TO THE RECONSIDERATION. VOTE. WE'LL DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ? NO. NO. VICE MAYOR ZE. NO. NO. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? NO. NO. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR NOLAN? NO. NO. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? NO. NO. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. NO. NO. COUNCILOR ZUEY? NO. NO. MAYOR SIDIKI? NO. NO. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE NEGATIVE. ALL RIGHT. RECONSIDERATION FAILS. WE'LL MOVE ON TO UNFINISHED BUSINESS. THIS IS THE REVOLVING FUND ORDINANCE TO ESTABLISH A NEW REVOLVING FUND FOR THE RENEWABLE ENERGY AND GREENHOUSE [03:55:01] GAS REDUCTION TO SERVE THE CITY'S MUNICIPAL ENERGY USE. THIS WAS PASSED TO A SECOND READING ON OUR COUNCIL MEETING IN SEPTEMBER. IT'S ELIGIBLE TO BE ORDAINED. IT'S NOT ELIGIBLE TO BE INED. WE HAVE UNTIL OCTOBER 5TH. SO WE'LL MOVE OVER. WE'LL GO TO APPLICATIONS. THERE'S ONE ON A MOTION BY COUNCILOR NOLAN TO ADOPT THE APPLICATION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. THE APPLICATIONS ADOPTED. THERE ARE 25 COMMUNICATIONS ON A MOTION BY VICE MAYOR TO PLACE ALL COMMUNICATIONS ON FILE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. THE 25 COMMUNICATIONS ARE ADOPTED. WE NOW MOVE ON TO CONSENT AGENDAS. I AM GOING TO PULL NUMBER SIX. ANY OTHER NUMBER TWO, PLEASE. NUMBER TWO. MM-HMM . NUMBER TWO AND NUMBER SIX HAVE BEEN PULLED. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL. UM, UM, A VOICE VOTE, MAKING UNANIMOUS ON THE BALANCE, UNANIM BY ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, MAKING THEM UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. THE RESOLUTIONS, UH, ARE ADOPTED. THE BALANCE IS ADOPTED. WE'LL GO TO NUMBER TWO. WE ARE GOING TO CONGRATULATE [COMMUNICATIONS] THIS IS A CONGRATULATIONS TO HIM, TO ME, AS HE IS RECOGNIZED AND HONORED BY AMIGOS THAT TURKA AS IT CELEBRATES ITS ANNUAL BLACK TIE DANCE FUNDRAISER ON SUN ON SATURDAY, OCTOBER 3RD, 2026 AT THE HOLY GHOST SOCIETY IN LOWELL, MASSACHUSETTS. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. I THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UH, THIS IS SELF-EXPLANATORY, COUNSELOR AND FORMER STATE REPRESENTATIVE TIMOTHY TOONEY BEING RECOGNIZED BY AMIGOS DIETA. I WANTED, I PULLED THIS MORE SO TO, I COULD ADD MY COLLEAGUE, UH, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY TO THIS POLICY ORDER. UM, I IT'S SOUNDS LIKE A WONDERFUL EVENT. I'M SORRY. I'M NOT GONNA BE ABLE TO, UH, UH, PERSONALLY GO, BUT I WILL HAVE AN AMBASSADOR GOING IN MY PLACE. I THINK, UH, COUNCILOR TO ME HAS DONE YEOMAN'S WORK SERVING THE CITY AND THE COMMONWEALTH, AND I'M GLAD THAT THIS GROUP IS ACKNOWLEDGING HIM. SO THE AMENDMENT IS JUST TO ADD. COUNCIL FLAHERTY, WE'LL GO AHEAD ON A VOICE VOTE TO ADD COUNCILOR FLAHERTY. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY IS ADDED. WE WILL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT [RESOLUTIONS] THE RESOLUTION AS AMENDED. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. RESOLUTION NUMBER TWO, AS AMENDED IS ADOPTED, WE'RE GOING TO RESOLUTION NUMBER SIX THAT THE CITY COUNCIL GO ON RECORD. HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. FELT AND TONY JAMES EARLS III AND EXTENDING ITS DEEPEST SYMPATHY TO HIS FAMILY. THIS IS FILED BY ME. UM, AND I'LL, I KNOW COUNCILLOR SIMMONS, I WILL ADD YOU, ME TOO. I WANTED TO JUST SAY, AND COUNCILOR MCGOVERN, I MET, I WOULD CALL THEM, CALL HIM TONY. TONY WHEN I WAS, UH, PROBABLY END OF EIGHTH GRADE, UH, EARLY NINTH GRADE. UH, AND, UH, YOU KNOW, HE WAS ALWAYS SO SUPPORTIVE OF HAVING A YOUTH COUNCIL AND REALLY ENCOURAGED US, UH, TO, TO DO THAT. AND SO, UM, HE WAS A BIG KIND OF INFLUENCE, UM, ON MANY OF US. UH, AND, YOU KNOW, I'LL NEVER FORGET KIND OF MEETING HIM IN HARVARD SQUARE. UM, I THINK KARI WAS THERE TOO, UH, AND MANY PEOPLE WERE THERE. AND, UM, BUT HE WAS, UH, JUST A REALLY, UM, JUST A, A REALLY GREAT LEADER AND, UH, DID A LOT FOR CHILDREN. AND, UM, SO DID, UM, HIS WIFE. UH, AND SO, UM, IT'S A BIG LOSS TO THE COMMUNITY, UM, AND TO MANY OF THE PEOPLE WHO LOVED HIM. UH, SO WANTED TO BRING THIS FORWARD, UH, AND I'LL PASS IT TO MY COLLEAGUES, COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UH, THANK YOU, MADAM MAYOR. I REMEMBER, UH, DR. EARL'S IN HIS STRONG ADVOCACY FOR YOUTH, PARTICULARLY YOUTH OF COLOR. HE WAS EVERYWHERE ALL THE TIME, GIVING HIS BEST TO OUR CITY. ON TOP OF EVERYTHING ELSE THAT HE DID. I WAS VERY SAD TO SEE THAT HE HAD PASSED AND WAS RESPECTFULLY ASKING IF I COULD BE ADDED AS A CO-SPONSOR. ABSOLUTELY. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR THROUGH YOU. YEAH. JUST TO ECHO, I, I KNEW DR. EARLS, UM, WHEN WE WERE ON THE, WELL NOW IT'S THE FAMILY POLICY COUNCIL. IT WAS THE KIDS COUNCIL BACK THEN. UM, AND, AND LIKE EVERYONE ELSE REMEMBER, HIS, HIS, HIS ADVOCACY AND HIS, HIS SUPPORT FOR YOUNG PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY. HE, UM, ALSO, UH, HIS LIVING LIVES IN, WAS LIVING IN THE SAME BUILDING AS MY MOM. SO I, I GOT TO SEE HIM. UM, ACTUALLY I SAW HIM AS RECENTLY AS JUST A, YOU KNOW, ABOUT A MONTH AGO. SO, UM, ALSO WOULD LIKE TO, WOULD LIKE TO BE ADDED [04:00:01] FOR OUT OF RESPECT. THANK YOU. ABSOLUTELY. WE'LL GO AHEAD. ON A VOICE VOTE, ADD COUNCILLOR SIMMONS AND COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. COULD WE, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? MAY I ASK? I KNOW WE'VE ALREADY, UM, ADOPTED IT, BUT COULD WE GO BACK TO NUMBER THREE BY UNANIMOUS CONSENT? YEAH, LET ME JUST FINISH THIS UP. OH, I'M SORRY. YEAH. SO WE'VE ADDED, UM, MY COLLEAGUES WILL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT, UM, THE RESOLUTION ADDED AS AMENDED, MAKING IT UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. THIS IS RESOLUTION NUMBER SIX. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE RESOLUTION AS AMENDED IS ADOPTED. UH, WELL, COUNCILOR FLAHERTY HAS ASKED FOR UNANIMOUS CONSENT TO GO BACK TO NUMBER THREE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. WE'RE BACK AT NUMBER THREE. COUNCILLOR FLAHERTY. SORRY TO DO THIS. I'M SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT I FORGOT TO PULL NUMBER THREE. UH, THAT'S THE RESOLUTION FOR MARVIN GILMORE ON HIS HUNDRED AND SECOND BIRTHDAY. UM, I SPOKE TO HIM THIS AFTERNOON, HE'S TREMENDOUS. AND, UH, I'LL BULL YOU WITH A QUICK STORY. BEFORE HIS HUNDREDTH BIRTHDAY, I WAS WITH HIM HERE IN CITY HALL, AND AFTER THE MEETING WE ATTENDED, HE ASKED IF I WOULD HAVE A DRINK WITH HIM. AND I SAID, SURE, MARVIN, I'D LOVE TO. SO WE WENT ACROSS THE STREET TO THE CAN TAB ON A MONDAY NIGHT, AND WE WENT TO THE CAN TAB AND HAD A COUPLE OF BEERS AT THE BAR. AND WITHIN, I'M GONNA SAY WITHIN 10 MINUTES, MARVIN WAS ASKED TO DANCE BY TWO WOMEN AND HE WAS DANCING WITH THEM. AND NOW IT APPROACHED THE HOUR, MAYBE PAST WHERE WE ARE NOW. AND I SAID, MARVIN, I'VE GOTTA GO. AND I HAD DRIVEN HIM IN HIS CAR, WHICH IS A SOUPED UP JAG AT THE TIME WITH THE LICENSE PLATE, THE RED REGGAE. AND I SAID, LET'S GO. UH, AND HE SAID, GIVE ME THE KEYS, TAKE A CAB . SO I LEFT HIM AT THE CAN TAB AT 11 O'CLOCK AT NIGHT WHEN HE WAS 99 YEARS OLD, BECAUSE I WAS TIRED AND I HAD TO GO HOME. MM-HMM . AND, UH, I VERY MUCH APPRECIATE BEING, UH, ADDED TO THIS, UH, RESOLUTION AND CELEBRATION OF HIS HUNDRED AND SECOND BIRTHDAY LY. HE'S GREAT, MAN. COUNCILLOR SIMMONS. UH, UH, THANK YOU MADAM CHAIR. HAVE YOU YIELDED? I YIELD. OKAY. UH, SEEING THAT I WAS NOT GONNA BRING IT UP BECAUSE THE, THE HOUR IS GETTING LATE, BUT I THINK IT'S A, A HUGE ACCOMPLISHMENT FOR ANYONE TO BE 102. 102 STILL WORKING, OWNS A CANNABIS DISPENSARY, WHEELING AND DEALING. I CAN BARELY GET UP IN THE MORNING AND WALK DOWN THE STAIRS. AND THIS MAN IS JUST DOING SO MUCH MORE. HE IS REALLY A INSPIRATION TO ME. SO HE'LL BE VERY SOON HAVING HIS A HUNDRED AND, WELL, HIS BIRTHDAY'S ALREADY PASSED, BUT HE'LL BE HAVING 102 BIRTHDAY COMING UP AND I'LL LET EVERYONE KNOW AND MAYBE YOU ALL CAN KEEP UP WITH HIM. I YIELD THE FLOOR. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MARVIN GILMORE. WE'LL GO AHEAD ON A, THE MOTION TO ADD COUNSELOR FLAHERTY TO THE RESOLUTION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAIN? SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. THANK YOU. COUNSELOR FLAHERTY IS ADDED. WE'LL GO AHEAD AND ADOPT THE RESOLUTION AS AMENDED, MAKING IT UNANIMOUS UPON ADOPTION. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAIN SAY NO. RESOLUTION NUMBER THREE, AS AMENDED IS ADOPTED, WE ARE DONE WITH THE RESOLUTIONS. NOW [COMMITTEE REPORTS] WE ARE GOING TO COMMITTEE REPORTS. THERE'S ONE, ADOPT THE REPORT AND PLACE IT ON FILE. WE'RE GOING TO THE COMMITTEE REPORT. AND COUNSELOR, UM, SIMMONS HAS MOVED TO ACCEPT THE REPORT AND PLACE IT ON FILE. ANY DISCUSSION? WE'LL GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. VICE MAYOR ZE? YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. COUNCILOR ZUI? YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDED IN THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE REPORT HAS BEEN ACCEPTED AND PLACED ON FILE. WE'LL MOVE ON TO COMMUNICATION AND REPORTS ONE A. OH, WE STILL HAVE ONE A TO DISPOSE OF. EXCUSE ME. SO THE ACTUAL ORDER IS BEFORE US. SO THAT IS THAT THE CITY MANAGERS REQUESTED TO WORK WITH CDD IN RELEVANT CITY DEPARTMENTS TO PREPARE ZONING LANGUAGE BASED ON THEIR RECOMMENDATIONS IN THE SEPTEMBER 16TH, 2026, JOINT MEETING, JOINT HOUSING AND NEIGHBORHOOD, AND LONG-TERM PLANNING COMMITTEES FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE FULL CITY COUNCIL. COUNCILLOR [COMMUNICATIONS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS] MCGOVERN, YOU HAVE THE FLOOR. I, UM, I CAN YIELD TO SOMEONE ELSE. I WAS JUST GOING TO, UM, I DIDN'T KNOW WE WERE DOING A SEPARATE VOTE ON THIS, AND I JUST WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT I EX EXPLAINED WHAT THE REST OF THE PROCESS WAS FOR FOLKS, UM, IN TERMS OF WHERE THIS GOES FROM HERE. SO I'LL, I'LL LISTEN TO OTHERS AND COME BACK IN A MINUTE. OKAY. [04:05:01] I'LL GO TO COUNCILLOR NOLAN. THANK YOU. UM, YES, THIS IS THE CULMINATION OF WHERE WE'RE IN THE, IN A PROCESS OF UNDERSTANDING HOW IT IS THAT WE MIGHT, UH, CHOOSE TO IMPROVE AND PROPOSE SOME AMENDMENTS AND ADJUSTMENTS. I HAVE A QUESTION THROUGH YOU. UH, MAYOR SIDIKI TO THE CITY MANAGER SINCE HE CONTINUES TO BE HERE, AND I'M NOT SURE IF, UM, AC AND PETERS IS IN THAT, IN, IN THE, OR IN THE FIRST ORDER. WE, WE WENT THROUGH A LOT OF PROCESS AND OUR WHOLE GOAL IS ARE THERE AMENDMENTS AND ADJUSTMENTS THAT CAN BE MADE THAT WOULD MAKE THIS A BETTER ORDINANCE? AND THAT WOULD NOT AS PER THE, UM, UH, AMENDMENTS THAT WE VOTED ON, NOT DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF HOUSING THAT WE CAN EXPECT TO SEE. MY QUESTION IS THROUGH YOU TO THE STAFF, IS I WOULD HOPE AND EXPECT THAT THAT WOULD INCLUDE REVIEWING ANY PAST WORK, NOT TO CREATE NEW WORK, BUT PAST WORK OF ALTERNATIVES THAT MIGHT PRODUCE MORE HOUSING OR THE SAME AMOUNT OF HOUSING. IS THAT SOMETHING WE WOULD NEED TO ADD TO THE ORDER OR IS THAT UNDERSTOOD THAT THAT MIGHT BE PART OF IT? AND I'M JUST THINKING OF ALL THE WORK THAT WAS DONE IN A RANGE OF AREAS. AND THEY MIGHT BENEFIT FROM USING ALL THAT PAST WORK TO SEE IF THEY CAN UNEARTH SOME WAYS THAT, THAT WE MIGHT BE ABLE TO FULFILL THE GOALS OF THIS, WHICH IS AGAIN, NOT TO DECREASE THE AMOUNT OF HOUSING AND YET TO COME UP WITH A, AN, AN ORDINANCE THAT IS MORE STREAMLINED, THAT'S COMPREHENSIVE AND THAT BETTER MEETS THE NEEDS OF THE CITY. UH, THROUGH YOU MAYOR, THROUGH YOU MAYOR SADIKI, UM, ASSISTANT CITY MANAGER PETERS IS STILL ONLINE. UM, AND SO MAYBE IF YOU JUST, SHE WAS JUST PROMOTED. GREAT. SO IF YOU COULD JUST REPEAT YOUR QUESTION. I THINK I WAS FOLLOWING MOST OF IT, BUT YEAH, I MEAN WE, WE DID GO OVER THIS IN, IN THE MEETING, SO I DON'T THINK WE NEED TO REDISCUSS IT SINCE ALL OF US WERE THERE AND, AND I APPRECIATE THE SUPPORT FROM WAS A JOINT TWO COMMITTEE MEETING, BUT ONE OF THE QUESTIONS I HAD IS IN THE ORDER, ONE OF THE THOUGHTS I HAD WAS THAT I WOULD HOPE AND EXPECT THAT IT WOULD BE UNDERSTOOD THAT IN MODELING THE IMPACT OF PROPOSED AMENDMENTS THAT CDD WOULD INCLUDE REVIEWING ALL THE PAST WORK THAT THEY DID ON A RANGE OF WAYS THAT WE COULD GET TO WHERE WE WANT, WHICH IS MORE BUILDING IN THE CITY AND MORE, UH, LESS DISRUPTION, BUT NOT REDUCE THE AMOUNT OF HOUSING INCLUDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING THAT WE MIGHT EXPECT. SO I'M NOT, I I WANTED TO POINT THAT OUT AND, AND MAKE SURE THAT WE UNDERSTAND THAT'S PART OF THE CHARGE HERE, IF, IF THAT'S UNDERSTOOD. MM-HMM . MELISSA? YEAH. THANK YOU. THROUGH YOU MAYOR. UM, SO WE WILL BE BRINGING BACK THE DEVELOPMENT PROJECTIONS WE DID AS PART OF LAST YEAR'S ANALYSIS. UM, THERE WERE SEVERAL DIFFERENT SCENARIOS THAT WE EVALUATED THAT GAVE COUNSEL INFORMATION TO, UM, DECIDE HOW TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THEIR POLICY RECOMMENDATION. UM, IT WOULD BE HELPFUL IF, IF THERE WAS A SPECIFIC SCENARIO THAT YOU WANTED US TO BRING FORWARD, WE COULD DO THAT AS WELL. UM, THINK IT'D PROBABLY BE BEST TO KIND OF NARROW IT DOWN SO THAT WE'RE NOT, UM, DISCUSSING, UM, PREVIOUS SCENARIOS THAT NO LONGER WANNA BE CONSIDERED, BUT HAPPY TO BRING FORWARD ANY PAST ANALYSIS WE DID. COUNCILOR NOLAN. THANKS. YEAH, I MEAN, I'M THINKING OF, I KNOW THAT THE THREE PLUS THREE WAS ONE THAT WE DEBATED BACK AND FORTH AND THERE MAY BE A WAY TO HAVE THAT BE, PROVIDE THAT SAME AMOUNT OF HOUSING OR MORE HOUSING, SAME AMOUNT OR MORE AFFORDABLE. AND IF THAT IS SOMETHING THAT THE DEPARTMENT JUDGES IS, IS WORTH LOOKING. BUT AGAIN, NOT CREATING EXTRA WORK. BUT I KNOW YOU DID A TON OF WORK MODELING A LOT OF THIS, SO NOT A GAZILLION DIFFERENT MODELS, BUT I DO THINK THAT WAS SOMETHING I REMEMBER MIGHT BE SOMETHING, MIGHT BE SOMETHING WORTH EXPLORING AND INCLUDING IN THE ANALYSIS. YES, CERTAINLY WE CAN, WE CAN BRING THAT FORWARD FOR DISCUSSION. COUNCILOR NOLAN YIELDS, WE HAVE A FEW OTHER HANDS UP. WE'LL GO TO, I THINK IT WAS COUNCILLOR ZI AND THEN VICE MAYOR. UM, I WILL SUPPORT THIS. I THINK I'VE MADE CLEAR THAT I FEEL AS THOUGH I, I WOULD WANT GREATER SETBACKS. I WOULD WANT GREEN ROOFS AND BALCONIES NOT TO QUALIFY AS OPEN SPACE. UH, 'CAUSE THEY'RE NOT REALLY OPEN SPACE. UM, AND I THINK THERE IS A REAL PROBLEM WITH, UM, SAYING THAT WE'RE NOT GONNA REQUIRE THE LARGER SETBACKS, UH, THAT CDD HAS PROPOSED FOR THE LARGER PROJECTS. 'CAUSE THEY'RE THE VERY PROJECTS THAT REALLY NEED MORE OPEN SPACE AND, AND PEOPLE IN AFFORDABLE UNITS, THOSE INCLUSIONARY UNITS, THEY TOO LIKE TO BE ABLE TO GO OUTSIDE AND PLAY. SO I THINK IT'S A DISSERVICE TO THEM, UM, YOU KNOW, NOT TO GIVE THEM THE LARGER SETBACKS AND THE REQUIREMENT FOR LESS PRIVATE OPEN SPACE. UM, I THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM THERE, BUT I, I REALIZE THAT I'M IN A MINORITY ON THIS COUNCIL [04:10:01] IN BELIEVING THAT. SO, AND, AND, AND THE AMENDMENT THAT I REALLY WANTED TO SEE WAS THAT, UM, SIX STORY BUILDINGS WERE ONLY ALLOWED ON LOTS LARGER THAN 5,000 SQUARE FEET. AGAIN, PATRICK BARRETT A DEVELOPER, HE, HE ALSO AGREES THAT THE LOT SHOULD BE 7,500 OR 10,000 SQUARE FEET BEFORE YOU HAVE A SIX STORY BUILDING. UM, AGAIN, I LIVE ON A 5,000, A LITTLE OVER 5,000 SQUARE FOOT LOT. IT IS TOO SMALL FOR A SIX STORY BUILDING AND I STILL THINK THERE'S A PROBLEM WITH SIX STORY BUILDINGS ON ONE WAY STREETS ON NARROW ONE WAY STREETS. SO I HOPE EVENTUALLY WE GET TO THAT PLACE, BUT I REALIZE WE PROBABLY DON'T HAVE SUPPORT FOR THAT TODAY. I AM EAGER FOR US TO MOVE FORWARD ON THESE AMENDMENTS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. SO, UM, AGAIN, EVEN THOUGH I HAVE UM, SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THE AMENDED POLICY ORDER, I WILL BE SUPPORTING IT TONIGHT. SO, UM, THANK YOU. I YIELD VICE MAYOR ZE. UH, THANK YOU MADAM MAYOR. UM, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT WE'LL HAVE PLENTY OF OPPORTUNITY TO DISCUSS THIS AND SO I DON'T FEEL LIKE THE NEED TO GO INLAND. THERE'S JUST ONE POINT THAT I WANTED TO EXPLAIN AND CLARIFY FROM MY PERSPECTIVE, WHICH IS THAT THERE SEEMS TO BE THIS DICHOTOMY BETWEEN CDA TELLING US THAT HEY, IN THE AMOUNT OF HOUSING THAT COULD FIT UNDER ZONING THAT WE THINK MIGHT HAPPEN, THIS WILL NOT BE A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION VERSUS OTHER PEOPLE BELIEVING THAT THIS IS A SIGNIFICANT REDUCTION. AND WHY IS THAT DIFFERENCE? I THINK IT'S VERY SIMPLE, WHICH IS THAT HOUSING AT INCLUSIONARY WITH ALL THE OTHER REQUIREMENTS WAS TUNED AT A POINT WHERE WE HAD HISTORICALLY LOW INTEREST RATES WHEN WE HAD NO TARIFFS AND WHEN EVERYTHING WAS CHEAPER. AND SO 20% DID WORK THEN AND WE HAVE SEEN NO TRACTION WITH HEALTH WEEK CAMBRIDGE, UH, UH, UM, UH, UH, NEAR LECHMERE. THE DEVELOPMENTS THERE THAT HAVE BEEN EVEN GRANDFATHERED IN AT 10% NO CONSTRUCTION HAS BEGUN. WE DID NOT ONLY PASS THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING LAST YEAR, WE ALSO PASSED NEW ZONING IN NORTHERN MASS AF THAT HAD MUCH GREATER HEIGHTS. NOT ONE BUILDING HAS BEEN PROPOSED TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THAT HIGHER ZONING. MY FEAR IS NOT THAT WE WILL HAVE LESS ZONED CAPACITY, THAT IS GREAT, BUT THAT ACTUALLY WE ARE NOT GOING TO GET ANY OF THESE LARGER DEVELOPMENTS IN ANY OF THE PLACES WHERE PEOPLE HAVE SAID NOW THAT THEY DO WISH IT WILL HAPPEN AND THE SMALL NUMBER OF DEVELOPMENTS THAT ARE PENCILING WE'LL THEN HAVE EVEN MORE RESTRICTIONS. AND SO, NOT IN THEORY WILL WE HAVE LESS HOUSING IN A SIGNIFICANT VERSION, BUT IN PRACTICE, THE HOUSING THAT DOES PENCIL, WE ARE LIMITING AND THE HOUSING THAT DOESN'T PENCIL EVERYONE HAS BEEN TELLING ME FOR MY ENTIRE CITY COUNCIL CAREER, HIGH INTEREST RATES ARE, ARE TRANSITIONARY THAT ACTUALLY, YOU KNOW, TARIFFS ARE TRANSITIONARY, BUT I THINK TARIFFS ARE HERE TO STAY. EVEN OTHER DEMOCRATS HAVE SAID THAT THEY WANNA KEEP THE TARIFFS, THE HIGH INTEREST RATES JUST KEEP ON GETTING HIGHER. I THINK WE JUST CROSSED 7% FOR A 30 YEAR MORTGAGE, WHICH IS A RECENT HIGH. AND I THINK THE PRACTICAL EFFECTS WILL BE THAT WE WILL PUSH OUT MARKET RATE HOUSING AND THEN ALSO THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING WE WANT IS STILL NOT PENCILING. I THINK THAT THERE'S OTHER OPTIONS, RIGHT? YOU CAN HAVE THESE AMENDMENTS BUT THEN DO OTHER STUFF TO MAKE THE INCLUSIONARY HOUSING PENCIL. AND MAYBE THAT'S IN PLACES WHERE PEOPLE WANT AS WELL. I THINK THAT WOULD BE A GREAT COMPROMISE ACTUALLY. BUT YOU HAVE TO ACTUALLY THEN MAKE THE OTHER HOUSING INTO PLACES WHERE WE DO WANT IT TO PENCIL. SO THAT WAS ALL I WANTED TO SAY FOR TODAY. THANK YOU. THANK YOU. VICE MAYOR. WE WILL GO TO COUNCILOR FLAHERTY AND I'LL BE QUICK BECAUSE I THINK I AGREE WITH COUNCILOR AZI, UM, THAT WE'LL HAVE LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES TO DISCUSS THIS AND I APPRECIATE WHAT HE HAS TO SAY. UM, AND YOU KNOW, WHILE WE SUPPORT THE AMENDMENTS THAT HAVE BEEN PRESENTED TO US, I THINK, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF IT IS NIBBLING AROUND THE EDGES AND DOESN'T SUBSTANTIVELY CHANGE THE MULTIFAMILY HOUSING ZONING ORDINANCE, WHICH WE'VE HEARD FROM SO MANY PEOPLE AND WE'VE SEEN IN OUR OLD LIVES THE DRAMATIC IMPACT IT'S HAD. BUT TO COUNCIL EM'S POINT, UM, YOU KNOW, A LOT OF THIS, AS IT HAS BEEN EXPLAINED TO MANY OF US ABOUT INTEREST RATES AND TARIFFS ARE REAL OBSTACLES TO DEVELOPMENT. BUT IT, THEY ARE TRANSITORY, THEY'RE NOT PERMANENT. I KNOW THEY'VE BEEN HERE LONGER THAN WE MAY THINK, BUT THE TRANSITORY, WHAT'S NOT TRANSITORY IS A ZONING ORDINANCE. AND MAYBE WE SHOULD BE CONSIDERING MAYBE SOME SORT OF A SUNSET PROVISION AS WELL, BECAUSE I THINK HEALTH PEAK WILL GO FORWARD. NORTH POINT WILL GO FORWARD AND THE 12,500 UNIT, UH, PROJECTIONS THAT ARE IN CAMBRIDGE ENVISION WITHOUT ANY DATA SUPPORTING THOSE PROJECTIONS, I'LL ADD, UM, WILL BE MET I THINK VERY QUICKLY BY SOME OF THE LARGER DEVELOPMENTS WHEN, UM, WHEN THOSE TRANSITORY INTEREST RATES AND TARIFFS, UH, [04:15:01] BECOME, UH, LESS OF AN OBSTACLE. AND THEN IF WE'RE FACED WITH THAT DEVELOPMENT PLUS WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH MULTIFAMILY, THEN WE'RE BUTTING OFF OUR NOSE, SPITE OUR FACE. AND IN THE PROCESS VERY QUICKLY, UH, IN ONE GENERATION, AS YOU'VE ALL HEARD ME SAY, UH, WE WON'T BE THE CITY OF CAMBRIDGE. WE'VE ALL COME TO LOVE THE ONE THAT, YOU KNOW, UH, I LIVE IN NOW AND I'M CHOOSING TO RAISE MY FAMILY IN AND WILL BE BECOME A PLACE THAT, UH, IS NOT A PLACE WHERE MIDDLE CLASS FAMILIES LIVE. SO WE'VE GOT PLENTY OF TIME TO TALK ABOUT IT AND, UH, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO THE DISCUSSIONS I YIELD. WELL GO TO COUNCILOR MCGOVERN. UH, THANK YOU. YEAH, I'M NOT GONNA SAY TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS. I MEAN, I, I I WILL SAY THAT, YOU KNOW, THE HISTORY, THE, THIS CITY HAS A LONG HISTORY OF, UH, CHANGING OVER TIME. WE'RE 400 YEARS OLD AND I WOULD BET YOU DOLLARS TO DONUTS AS THEY USED TO SAY THAT EVERY TIME THERE WAS A MAJOR CHANGE IN THE CITY, SOMEBODY SAID, THIS IS GONNA MAKE CAMBRIDGE THE CITY. WE DON'T, WE HAVE COME, YOU KNOW, DIFFERENT FROM THE CITY WE'VE COME TO LOVE AND YET WE STILL LOVE IT 'CAUSE IT'S NEW. YOU KNOW, EVERY GENERATION IS DIFFERENT. UM, I USE MY STREET AS AN EXAMPLE ALL THE TIME BECAUSE IT'S LIKE, WHY NOT USE MYSELF AS AN EXAMPLE? GREW UP IN THE SAME HOUSE, LIVED THERE ALL MY LIFE, MY STREET, JUST MY BLOCK. FORGET MY STREET LOOKS REALLY DIFFERENT THAN WHAT I DID WHEN I WAS A KID. THERE'S TWO, SIX STORY BUILDINGS AND A SEVEN STORY BUILDING JUST ON MY BLOCK THAT DID NOT EXIST WHEN I WAS GROWING UP. AND I CAN ASSURE YOU THAT MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS WONDERFUL, THAT MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS FANTASTIC. IT DID NOT DESTROY MY NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE MY NEIGHBORHOOD IS A LOT MORE THAN THE HEIGHT OF A BUILDING. IT'S ABOUT THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE IN IT. UM, AND SO, YOU KNOW, THIS IS THE CHALLENGING PART. HOW DO WE BALANCE THE CONCERNS OF THE PEOPLE WHO ARE HERE TODAY WHILE ALSO THINKING ABOUT WHERE WE'RE GONNA BE IN 20 OR 30 YEARS WHEN MY KIDS, THOSE BUILDINGS THAT HAVE EXISTED ALL THEIR LIFE, IT'S PART OF THEIR NEIGHBORHOOD. THEY DON'T KNOW ANY DIFFERENT. SO THESE ARE THE COMPLICATED CONVERSATIONS. BUT I DID WANT TO JUST FOR PEOPLE'S, YOU KNOW, I'M NOT SURE ANYBODY'S STILL WATCHING, BUT, UM, THIS WILL NOW GO BACK TO, UH, CDD CONSER, SABRINA WHEELER AND I, WHO ARE CO-CHAIR OF THE ORDINANCE COMMITTEE. WE'LL TALK WITH THEM ABOUT HOW MUCH TIME THEY NEED, UM, TO DO THE AMENDMENTS AND, AND, AND EDIT THE, THE, THE ORDINANCE. WE WILL THEN HAVE AN ORDINANCE COMMITTEE MEETING, AT LEAST ONE, PROBABLY MORE THAN ONE. UM, I ASSUME WE'LL HAVE ONE THAT WILL DO ALL PUBLIC COMMENT. AND THEN ONE WILL ACTUALLY DO THE, YOU KNOW, THE DEBATE AMONGST OURSELVES. UM, AND THEN WHENEVER THAT COMES OUT OF ORDINANCE WITH WHATEVER RECOMMENDATION IT COMES OUT OF, IT GOES BACK TO THE COUNCIL. WE THEN HAVE TO VOTE TO SEND IT TO A SECOND READING. IT HAS TO SIT ON THE AGENDA FOR TWO WEEKS. SO WE ARE AT ALL OF THE, THROUGH ALL OF THAT. THE PUBLIC CAN COMMENT VIA EMAIL OR AT PUBLIC, YOU KNOW, PUBLIC COMMENT AT THE MEETINGS. UM, AND AMENDMENTS CAN COME AND GO THROUGHOUT THAT RIGHT UP UNTIL THE LAST SECOND. SO THERE'S STILL A WAYS TO GO WITH THIS. UM, I WOULD LIKE TO MOVE IT AS QUICKLY AS POSSIBLE. 'CAUSE I KNOW IT IS CAUSING FOLKS A LOT OF, UH, ANXIETY. IT'S CREATING A LOT OF, UH, UH, UNPREDICTABILITY IN, IN, IN WHERE THINGS ARE GOING. SO WE SHOULD, WE SHOULD MOVE IT QUICKLY. SO HOPEFULLY, UM, ASSISTANT MANAGER PETERS, WHAT, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU NEED? I MEAN, I DON'T KNOW IF YOU CAN ANSWER THAT NOW, BUT WHAT DO YOU, WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU MIGHT NEED IN TERMS OF A TIMEFRAME TO BRING SOMETHING BACK TO ORDINANCE? YEAH, THANK YOU. SO YOU MAYOR, WE ARE COMMITTED TO GETTING SOMETHING BACK WITHIN SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS. OKAY. UM, AND SO WE CAN GO, YOU KNOW, WE CAN GO AHEAD AND, AND SCHEDULE SOMETHING LONG BEFORE THAT, UM, SO THAT IT'S ON THE BOOKS, UH, AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. UH, THANK YOU MAD MAYOR. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN YIELDS. I THINK WE'VE HEARD FROM EVERYONE WHO'D LIKE TO BE HEARD. I THINK I SUGGEST, UH, WE GO AHEAD AND DO A ROLL CALL ON THIS ORDER. COUNCILOR ZUBIE? YES. YES. VICE MAYOR. YES. YES. COUNCILOR FLAHERTY? YES. YES. COUNCILOR MCGOVERN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR NOLAN? YES. YES. COUNCILOR SIMMONS. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR SABRINA WHEELER. YES. YES. COUNCILLOR EY. YES. YES. MAYOR SIDIKI. YES. YES. AND YOU HAVE NINE MEMBERS RECORDING THE AFFIRMATIVE. THE ORDER PASSES. WE MOVE ON TO COMMUNICATIONS AND REPORTS FROM OTHER CITY OFFICERS. THERE ARE TWO ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO PLACE BOTH OF THESE ON FILE. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. AYE. THOSE AGAINST SAY NO, THE AYES HAVE IT. THOSE TWO COMMUNICATIONS REPORTS ARE FROM OTHER CITY OFFICER PLACED ON FILE. WE DON'T HAVE ANY LATE RESOLUTIONS. WE DON'T HAVE ANY LATE POLICY ORDERS. SO ON A MOTION BY COUNCILLOR SIMMONS TO ADJOURN. ALL THOSE IN FAVOR SAY AYE. AYE. [04:20:01] THOSE AGAIN SAY NO. THE AYES HAVE IT. WE ARE ADJOURNED. GOODNIGHT EVERYONE. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.