Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Zoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Public comment shows deep split over citywide multifamily zoning; dozens speak
Summary
Forty-two members of the public spoke during an extended comment period on Sept. 16, 2024; many renters, students and housing advocates urged ending exclusionary zoning to build multifamily housing citywide, while homeowners and preservation advocates warned of demolition, displacement and loss of neighborhood character.
Hundreds of residents tuned in as the Cambridge City Council opened a two-hour public comment period focused largely on proposed zoning changes to allow multifamily housing across the city. Forty-two speakers signed up; many urged the council to move quickly to increase housing supply, while others urged caution to avoid displacement and demolition of existing housing.
"What happens when the rent keeps going up and up and up…our community falls apart," said Alan Sadoun, one of the first speakers, citing American Community Survey figures showing a recent jump in median rent. Several other commenters — including graduate students, renters and workers — described difficulty finding affordable housing and said more housing is the only reliable way to curb price increases.
Countering those views, multiple homeowners and preservation advocates warned that allowing six- and higher-story buildings citywide could encourage demolition of triple-deckers and other naturally occurring affordable housing. Carolyn Majid urged limiting the proposal so small-scale development would still trigger inclusionary requirements, arguing the current draft could incentivize tear-downs without producing units for lower-income residents.
Other speakers urged compromises: require stronger design standards and open-space protections, limit by-right heights in certain residential districts, and fast-track a municipal voucher program to ensure that any new inclusionary units are accessible to lower-income households. Raffi Freeman, a commenter who supported the policy order, pushed back on demolition fears, saying the data show most triple-deckers would likely remain because of parcel economics.
The public comment period closed on a motion by Councilor Sabrina Wheeler after the council heard the registered speakers. The breadth of testimony underscored both the urgency many feel about housing affordability and the depth of community concern about how zoning changes would be implemented and who would benefit.
The council will take up the policy orders — and a set of amendments requesting further analysis from the Community Development Department (CDD) — as it advances ordinance language in forthcoming meetings.
