[{"_1":2,"_111":-5,"_112":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75,87,99],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6611984,"mediaKeyId","2892783-e4ec55561a5d79d04ad60a314334822b","parentId",2892783,"title","Cambridge Council approves 2‑way Garden Street plan with separated bike lanes","audioSeconds",7547,"startMs",992000,"endMs",8539000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2892783-e4ec55561a5d79d04ad60a314334822b&start=992&end=8539","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2892783-e4ec55561a5d79d04ad60a314334822b/thumbnail_992000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6611984/Cambridge-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Cambridge-Council-approves-2way-Garden-Street-plan-with-separated-bike-lanes","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611984-091771a20dab7d1019c41fcce92ef6e7/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199378&Signature=GFR0IQ4yHZrI3wWe36aWvZw8StkiqGLTokpkKYhyIOZs9cWQ4sNaRfLdRbYOxLazEEwTAf-k0VDWsvzWHGZ9XdCuEf4SF3OFHWWZ~50lVRdFXhsoC0qE502~QObNmc48Q7-627FY6RvCRjAt-tkDUPqj7KFacmDKjuhVY-doBYLIDhL7NxKabXmWd9SiUtWaD4pjqUK5Ep85KEfRQUu3OZMKOLzwIh-PKfvhWTLzH2vIOVr4h9FLBwA1ylnoR0AfDet1MRIZM2eI4oDod5rzw5LG9x6V3BFoOR9Rz6q8o1LgIq5b0O9L0pgTblvDVs~IUuAvfd15dMeOeoCIgwKIgg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","City of Cambridge, MA","date","2025-04-07T17:19:00Z","article","The Cambridge City Council voted 5–4 on April 7, 2025, to advance a plan to reopen Garden Street to two‑way vehicle traffic while retaining separated, bidirectional bike lanes, a configuration city staff labeled “Option 4.”

Supporters and opponents alike framed the issue around street safety, neighborhood traffic spillover and impacts on deliveries and parking. The council vote followed more than three hours of public comment, during which roughly 100 speakers addressed the item and related neighborhood concerns.

Councilors approved a motion to implement Option 4, which city staff estimated would cost roughly $137,000 for construction with additional short‑term restoration costs and a likely implementation timeline in summer 2026. The council also heard repeated requests from residents for traffic‑calming measures on nearby side streets and for loading and accessible parking close to senior housing along Garden Street.

The debate divided neighborhood bicyclists and drivers. Dozens of speakers urged the council to keep the current one‑way configuration (Option 1), telling the council that protected, one‑way bike lanes have made Garden Street safer for children and families commuting to Danahey Park and local schools. “The current layout is the safest for pedestrians and cyclists,” said Sarah Wharton of 21 Essex Street. Several other residents and neighborhood groups presented petitions and signed statements backing Option 1.

Other residents and several councilors said the one‑way layout had increased cut‑through traffic and congestion on surrounding residential streets. Councilor Tom Toner, who supported Option 4, said reopening Garden Street to two‑way traffic would reduce the volume that now diverts onto side streets. “Garden Street was a main thoroughfare,” Toner said. “It’s the appropriate place for most of the traffic to flow through.”

City transportation staff told the council they had modeled safety and traffic outcomes for all options and that Option 4 is feasible and could be built within available right‑of‑way constraints. Staff also warned that restoring two‑way traffic would require changes to signal timing at key intersections and could increase congestion in certain locations—most notably the Huron/Sherman/Garden intersection—unless additional mitigation is applied.

Councilors debated whether to delay a decision and require a short, systematic program of traffic‑calming interventions on the surrounding streets to test if problems can be solved without changing Garden Street. An amendment to keep the street as configured while the city tested mitigation measures failed. On final passage the council recorded a 5–4 vote approving Option 4.

The council did not adopt a separate package of traffic‑calming measures at the same time; several councilors and residents asked staff to return with detailed designs for loading zones, accessible parking and intersection changes if the city proceeds with Option 4. Transportation staff said they will prepare engineering details and a work plan for the council and for public review ahead of construction.

What’s next: The city plans to finalize engineering and signal work plans, secure any necessary contracts and implement the change in summer 2026, pending available funding and the timing of other adjacent projects. Councilors also directed staff to continue neighborhood outreach and to provide regular updates to the council on the effects of any interim traffic measures.

Votes and motion: The formal motion was recorded as “move forward with Option 4 to reopen Garden Street to two‑way traffic while maintaining separated bike lanes.” The motion passed 5–4. The council recorded the tally; the vote record is summarized by tally only, per the meeting roll calls.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Cambridge - Apr 7, 2025 5:30 PM - City Council - Regular Meeting - Apr 07, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","The Cambridge City Council voted 5–4 on April 7 to reopen Garden Street to two‑way vehicle traffic while retaining separated, bidirectional bike lanes, clearing the way for engineering and construction slated for summer 2026.","taxTitle","Cambridge City, Middlesex County, Massachusetts","taxId",3771,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6611979,"Council pauses vote on Spalding transitional wellness center funding; human services committee to review",8808,1671000,10479000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2892783-e4ec55561a5d79d04ad60a314334822b&start=1671&end=10479","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2892783-e4ec55561a5d79d04ad60a314334822b/thumbnail_1671000.jpg","/articles/6611979/Cambridge-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Council-pauses-vote-on-Spalding-transitional-wellness-center-funding-human-services-committee-to-review","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611979-2f9516c801c492b07497c968d4da152e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199378&Signature=Y~JzSrjTKNP3AiTq-RSNKmp1uiCyJLDG4iy9MCqBSD6tN52Szau9ycnMBggDQVAnyH87m6VS0TvD1Ybf82ERPFE2Ua8XC3nRff4CZDzJU3CKmLHj4JNhl7Cc7ZmUVHsvT~T-rZIxykpN0FT-OjtuCoTH5FwuSjO6DaoUZhNDnaEa8SNweotrHOhPWVctMW0RurZU-gdLAw9pfyaRXPL8aJMiqcsTL48E-DKU1g704kt7Qd-7FMbqEgCdR9pDCZHVry9OMdjxjRnPe8ck~cecZEYkAIzoOymAR~Exc~OX9WCvmmsR~C1AGHaENQeCWU9Hjoh6KplotNZ4sdR8o9CGCg__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Dozens of Cambridge residents, service providers and people who live at the Spalding facility urged the City Council on April 7 to preserve the transitional Spalding Wellness Center — saying the non‑congregate shelter provides meals, medical care and case management that have helped residents stabilize their lives.

Speakers described Spalding as a “lifeline” and said moves to close it would push vulnerable residents back into congregate shelters or onto the street. “This place provides health care. It provides a lot of social services,” resident Galen Larkins Ford told the council. Jan Devereaux, who has worked on housing issues, told the council that “this shelter really sets people up for success.”

Councilors and the city manager said the center was originally funded with federal American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars and that ARPA funding is expiring. City staff estimated the annual operating cost at roughly $3 million. The center’s designation as “transitional” and its higher per‑bed cost relative to congregate shelters is the core of the funding debate: several councilors said they support the center’s services but acknowledged the city faces tradeoffs across competing post‑ARPA priorities.

Councilor Toner exercised his charter right on the order, which deferred a final council vote. The city manager and staff confirmed the Human Services and Veterans Committee will hold a focused session on Thursday (afternoon) to review homelessness services, spending and alternatives, and to discuss whether and how the Spalding facility could be funded beyond June. The council directed staff to bring options to the committee and to the finance process, including potential state funds, city operating funds, partnerships and other sources.

City staff and councilors described a portfolio approach: continue to pursue permanent supportive housing (the city is opening supportive units) while also evaluating whether the Spalding model should be sustained as a permanent non‑congregate option. Advocates urged the council to treat the facility as a life‑saving resource and to identify funding sooner rather than later.

What’s next: The Human Services and Veterans Committee will review detailed budget options, transition plans and capacity projections at a meeting scheduled for Thursday, April 10, 2025, and staff said they will brief the full council and finance committee as budget season progresses. No final funding decision was made on April 7.","The Cambridge City Council heard emotional pleas to keep the Spalding transitional wellness center open but deferred a vote after a councilor exercised charter right; staff estimate continuation costs at about $3 million per year.",{"_33":88,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":89,"_41":90,"_43":91,"_45":92,"_47":93,"_49":94,"_51":95,"_53":96,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":97,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":98,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6611974,"Council invites Gerald Chan and other long‑term property owners to discuss Harvard Square Theatre and vacant storefronts",6698,3289000,9987000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2892783-e4ec55561a5d79d04ad60a314334822b&start=3289&end=9987","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2892783-e4ec55561a5d79d04ad60a314334822b/thumbnail_3289000.jpg","/articles/6611974/Cambridge-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Council-invites-Gerald-Chan-and-other-longterm-property-owners-to-discuss-Harvard-Square-Theatre-and-vacant-storefronts","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611974-cc74dfe3199de3bf7535bc4d45dde27b/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199378&Signature=bltrBtp378l0aksvE0JYbK1X-FWILLPYIk2pJ~jwiPMdKG8WFQeyNRHJpV09dMacjZAP8LbTH7i6Drs2G2YatYLwmuS~gzfjaQVhtonuvGTVNamW-oUK9kLBG43R~YlfzqEbn4aufS1sNn1VCUj7J7WmKUHdjAlToTq7NCWOkepT4mCXPZihYpR1b3NNzZSPQ1OOLt7S2fF19M6QCsuGuB5JrCykBoEb2NFod9Ab7-zGMeL4QGUVYPwTS7~t4DBnGsfF9wGjLBtNca-HNpT3rIYwummGimwYS~-2JfMFKQqjVjpcXNgmsNd9A3cZNeSobKnWiyXObYc5I4tAiYtvKQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cambridge City Council on April 7 voted to invite Gerald Chan, owner of 10 Church Street (the former Harvard Square Theatre), to appear before the council’s Economic Development and University Relations Committee to discuss his plans for the theater and other long‑vacant properties in Cambridge.

The council amended the motion to broaden the outreach: staff were asked to invite other property owners who have kept storefronts vacant for more than five years, and to send a suitably engrossed copy of the council’s action to the Harvard Corporation, the governor and the city’s state and federal delegations.

Sponsors said the theater’s prolonged vacancy harms Harvard Square’s economic and cultural life. “We want to partner with property owners to find paths to reuse and activation,” Councilor Quinton Sadiki (co‑sponsor) said. Supporters noted the theater’s cultural history and said the city should explore options — including redevelopment, reuse as a performance venue, or adaptive reuse that would restore activity to the block.

Speakers from the Harvard Square Business Association, arts organizations and event organizers urged the council to press for timely action. Ivy Moylan, executive director of the Brattle Theatre, said she and other arts leaders have tried for years to open a dialogue with Chan’s representatives without success. “It is honestly a blight on that beautiful and quite historic street and a loss to the cultural landscape,” Moylan said.

Other commenters asked the council to protect a mural on the building that commemorates women activists and cancer survivors; the mayor said she would bring a separate order on the mural’s preservation. The council’s motion does not compel any owner to develop a property; it requests a formal conversation and directed staff to report back to the Economic Development committee.

What’s next: The Economic Development and University Relations Committee will schedule the invitation and plan public hearings. Staff were asked to present options for city engagement, potential incentives, and legal tools the city can use to encourage activation of vacant storefronts and to protect public art.","The Cambridge City Council voted to invite Gerald Chan to discuss plans for the long‑vacant Harvard Square Theatre and to broaden outreach to other long‑term vacant property owners, aiming to revive downtown commercial activity.",{"_33":100,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":101,"_41":102,"_43":103,"_45":104,"_47":105,"_49":106,"_51":107,"_53":108,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":109,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":110,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6611969,"Council endorses state bills to require CPR and AED training in Massachusetts high schools",5334,1122000,6456000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2892783-e4ec55561a5d79d04ad60a314334822b&start=1122&end=6456","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2892783-e4ec55561a5d79d04ad60a314334822b/thumbnail_1122000.jpg","/articles/6611969/Cambridge-City/Middlesex-County/Massachusetts/Council-endorses-state-bills-to-require-CPR-and-AED-training-in-Massachusetts-high-schools","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6611969-91b99c1112e778352d7c5524f770dc2f/orig.mp4?Expires=1771199378&Signature=H3aC2hZ~pkFO5FSYNrjkd-7BK7ighvDKYqAK0CvLzOz2tXvscYWPoBJyBh8eEEoFxNIy7y04l1oDOufyIL7OMVnkXymkiCkOJ0GoE4~G66yJdux6pXJo2mSbwznd2Cju~CS4egRRBJD8FpMuwBmSQly4x8e1siRfWnDj01tjYKP-OZGIy-6l6E4t5B0vZh-J4-3QUNKtwtqpzfbW8bjMWtF8TQ3CxPDREDTvzSMczeiDK7uCTbxygGohVlbnpqTxPWVWlsnfYstbCBtLT2zZynD-eX-Ks93jLUXTV-pvo1fA3Qyn6WxP55IxGoJICfUEbSiuiFu6H9KmLIMF7p9Wug__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Cambridge City Council on April 7 voted unanimously to endorse a set of state bills that would require brief cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) training for Massachusetts high school students.

Students and youth volunteers from Crimson EMS and the American Heart Association made the case to the council, describing an ambassador program that has trained hundreds of students and recommending short 30–45 minute sessions that could be integrated into health, PE or assemblies. Students testified that immediate bystander CPR dramatically improves survival after out‑of‑hospital cardiac arrest and that basic training can be inexpensive: inflatable mannequins as low as about $40 per classroom, or durable classroom kits for larger initial outlays.

The council’s resolution listed several active bills by number and urged the state legislature to pass them. Sponsors said the measure supports a low‑cost, high‑impact public‑health intervention and builds on existing volunteer ambassador programs run by students.

What’s next: The council requested that the mayor’s office and staff forward a suitably engrossed copy of the resolution to the state legislature and to relevant advocacy partners. The council’s action is an endorsement and does not itself mandate training in Cambridge schools; state action is required to change school curriculum requirements.","The Cambridge City Council unanimously backed a policy order urging the state legislature to enact bills that would require short CPR and AED training sessions for high‑school students. Student \"CPR ambassadors\" from Crimson EMS and the American Heart Association briefed the council and described cost‑effective training options.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Cambridge Council approves 2‑way Garden Street plan with separated bike lanes

Council pauses vote on Spalding transitional wellness center funding; human services committee to review

Council invites Gerald Chan and other long‑term property owners to discuss Harvard Square Theatre and vacant storefronts

Council endorses state bills to require CPR and AED training in Massachusetts high schools