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Developers and residents clash over proposed rooftop-solar setbacks that critics say would curb housing
Summary
Speakers at the Oct. 6 Cambridge City Council meeting debated a policy order proposing fifth- and sixth-floor setbacks to protect rooftop solar; developers and housing advocates warned the change would reduce multifamily housing and inclusionary units, while some residents supported setbacks for design and solar protection.
Speakers at the Oct. 6 Cambridge City Council meeting debated a policy order (referred to in public comment as policy order 137) that would add setback requirements on the fifth and sixth floors of new residential buildings to protect existing and future rooftop solar.
Sharmel Modi, a resident of 271 Cambridge Street, urged the council to reject the proposed setbacks, saying they would “cap residential construction at 4 stories” on midsize lots and make 5- and 6-story buildings economically infeasible. “If this council truly wishes to see more residential units built in the city of Cambridge, this proposal unquestionably runs exactly counter to that goal,”…
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