We need you to take action to oppose a new attempt to weaponize historic preservation against multifamily inclusionary housing in Cambridge.

A petition has been filed with the Cambridge Historical Commission (CHC) to initiate a landmark designation study of 9 Wyman Road — a single-family home on a very large lot along Huron Ave. The proponents seek to landmark this parcel to block the proposal to replace the existing home with 56 multifamily homes, including 10 subsidized inclusionary homes.

A landmark designation study triggers an automatic hold on City permits, a costly delay that will kill this proposal and others like it. A recent landmark study process took more than 18 months, only to be denied, and most projects cannot incur the loan carrying costs for that long, on top of Cambridge's already lengthy permitting process.

CHC staff have reviewed the petition and recommended against the landmark study, and they told the homebuilder a year ago that the existing home was not historically significant. We strongly oppose this attempt to block Cambridge’s first new inclusionary proposal made possible by ending exclusionary zoning in this neighborhood, and we urge you to make your voice heard THIS WEEK.

 THE MEETING: THIS THURSDAY, MAY 7, 2026, 6 PM

CHC will consider the 9 Wyman Road petition (Case L-150) at its monthly meeting this Thursday. The meeting is held online via Zoom.

 JOIN THE MEETING and give public comment. 

 SUBMIT WRITTEN COMMENTS by 5 PM TOMORROW (Weds., May 6) to ensure commissioners read them before the meeting, stating that you oppose a landmark study of 9 Wyman Rd:
[email protected]. BCC [email protected], [email protected],  and [email protected].

Here are some talking points for your emailed comments and public testimony — feel free to use or adapt them:

• Cambridge has a severe housing shortage, and every delay to new housing production makes it worse and drives up housing costs and rents.

• The timing of this petition — filed after the proposal of multifamily housing — reveal it is a delay tactic, not a good-faith preservation effort. Moreover, the proponents plan to seek a Neighborhood (Historic) Conservation District to further delay this proposal, should their landmark petition fail.

• Landmark designation should be reserved for properties of genuine, irreplaceable citywide architectural or historical significance — not used as a procedural tool to block housing.

• Cambridge just passed multifamily zoning after years of advocacy. We should not allow the landmark process to become a backdoor veto on new housing.

• I support housing at 9 Wyman Road and urge the Commission to decline to initiate a landmark study.

The best comments are personal — feel free to share how the housing crisis has affected you and the Cambridge you want to live in!

Don't be fooled by the misinformation coming from the landmark proponents and their NIMBY website:

— They claim the project creates no affordable housing for families, but Cambridge's inclusionary zoning ordinance requires affordable units in new multifamily buildings. Not all families look alike, and studios and one-bedrooms *are* housing for families — including young couples leaving roommates, downsizing seniors seeking accessibility, and single-parent households who desperately need homes in Cambridge.

— They demand a "moratorium on all new construction of 6 or more units" — which would gut the multifamily zoning that ABC members just fought hard to pass and reinstate exclusionary zoning. And nearby proposals for adding 4-5 units have faced similar opposition.

Thank you for your advocacy! Cambridge's housing shortage is real, its effects on renters and working families are severe, and every project matters. We won't let preservation be misused to keep our neighborhoods exclusionary.