Ordinance committee backs limiting AHO height increases in Residence C1 districts

The Cambridge City Ordinance Committee voted, 7–0 with two members absent, to recommend a city-council zoning petition that narrows where the Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) may grant extra building height in Residence C1 districts. The committee’s vote instructs city staff to transmit the petition to the full City Council with a favorable recommendation.

The petition, drafted by the Community Development Department (CDD), would add a fourth condition to Article 11, Section 11.207(e) of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance, so that AHO projects in Residence C1 districts would not be eligible for the AHO'open-space height bonus unless the parcel also lies on a designated AHO corridor lot or within an AHO square. In practice that change caps non-corridor Residence C1 AHO projects at 9 stories; the measure does not change height allowances that already apply on AHO corridors and squares.

City staff said the amendment responds to concerns raised after recent zoning changes. "If the AHO project preserves existing open space, it may exceed the height limit by at most 3 stories," Evan Spetrini, senior manager for zoning and…