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Council approves naming of private way “South William Way,” moves to notify post office and update addresses
Summary
The City Council adopted an order renaming an existing private way to South William Way to resolve mail and emergency-response confusion for four units; the council voted 8–0 (one member absent) to approve the name and directed the city engineer to notify the U.S. Postal Service and other agencies.
The Cambridge City Council voted Feb. 3 to name a private way “South William Way” to resolve address and delivery issues for several condominium units that can only be reached via a narrow access way. Residents and the city engineer described wrong deliveries and emergency-response confusion tied to current addressing. The council adopted the order and directed staff to notify the US Postal Service and other relevant agencies so addresses and mapping services can be updated.
Why it mattered: Residents said packages are frequently misdelivered and emergency responders can be delayed because the houses have Pearl Street addresses but are accessed only from William Street. Councilors and staff said the new private‑way name will improve deliveries and emergency response.
What the council did: By roll-call vote the council adopted the order and placed the city manager’s recommendation on file. The city engineer said the address-change notification list includes city departments and outside organizations tasked with updating municipal and postal records.
Next steps: The city engineer will assign addresses using the new street name and notify the Postmaster, city departments and external mapping services to update records and sources. Residents will receive formal notice with the new addressing details.
