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Planning Board backs update to Cambridge floodplain zoning to adopt state model ordinance
Summary
The Planning Board voted 5–0 to recommend replacing Cambridge’s Floodplain Overlay with the Massachusetts DEP model ordinance, moving floodplain approvals to an administrative review while preserving Conservation Commission oversight and updating FEMA map references effective July 8, 2025.
The Cambridge Planning Board on April 29 recommended that the City Council adopt a zoning amendment replacing the city's existing Floodplain Overlay with the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) model ordinance. The motion, passed unanimously, moves the local review step from a Planning Board special permit to an administrative approval while maintaining Conservation Commission public hearings and orders of conditions.
Jeff Roberts, director of zoning and development, told the board that FEMA map updates take effect July 8, 2025 and that the city must align its ordinance with state and federal requirements. "There was a recent set of updates, and they take effect on July 8," Roberts said during the presentation. The proposed text also moves certain technical exemptions (for flood retention systems) into the zoning setback article and clarifies dimensional provisions related to above‑grade parking in floodplain areas.
What changes: Under the update, most projects in mapped flood hazard areas would follow the same technical criteria but would no longer require a separate Planning Board special permit; instead the Conservation Commission and the city’s technical reviewers would continue to apply the substantive standards. The board and staff said the change is largely procedural, intended to remove a duplicative hearing step for cases that are already reviewed in technical detail by DPW and the Conservation Commission.
Board reaction and vote: Planning Board members signaled general support and moved to recommend the amendment to council. The board asked staff to correct a minor date reference in the petition to read the correct FEMA map date of 07/08/2025; staff acknowledged that correction would be made before adoption.
Next steps: The Planning Board’s recommendation will be transmitted to the City Council and the ordinance committee. Because the change is intended to align local rules with state model language, staff said the update is largely administrative but important to ensure continued compliance with the National Flood Insurance Program.
