Ordinance committee continues debate on Mass Ave and Cambridge Street zoning; reconvenes Dec. 2

The Cambridge City Ordinance Committee on Nov. 13 continued its review of two linked zoning petitions that would reshape development rules along the Massachusetts Avenue and Cambridge Street corridors, including higher as-of-right heights and incentives for active ground-floor uses. Vice Mayor McGovern presided and the committee voted to recess and reconvene on Dec. 2 for additional public comment and follow-up.

The petitions would establish new base zoning districts along Mass Ave (Arlington line to the Common) and Cambridge Street aimed at concentrating housing and retail along transit corridors. City staff described the core proposals: Mass Ave would allow up to eight stories as-of-right for housing-only projects and up to 12 stories where projects provide active ground-floor uses such as restaurants and retail, with an 18-story bonus in a portion of Porter Square tied to public open space and minimum retail density. The Cambridge Street petition would allow up to six stories as-of-right for housing-only projects, up to eight stories with active ground-floor uses, and additional height in defined squares (10 stories in parts of Inman Square, 12 in the Webster–Windsor area, and up to 15 in Lechmere) when projects meet public-benefit open-space and design conditions.

"These plans came out of a recommendation from Envision Cambridge," Assistant City Manager Melissa Peters…