Last night, Cambridge City Council held an Ordinance Committee meeting to discuss the multifamily zoning petition. After lengthy discussion, the Council has advanced several amendments to the proposal, including reducing the base zoning to four stories and allowing six stories only for multifamily with 20% affordable inclusionary homes, requiring 5-foot side and rear setbacks (with an exception for row townhouses), and limiting lot size for six-story multifamily to 5,000 square foot or larger lots. 

While we may not have supported all of the amendments, and we expect the last one on lot size in particular will notably impact the number of homes built, we believe the resulting proposal remains strong and if enacted will place Cambridge near the top of the list of pro-housing communities—in the entire country! 

We will keep working hard to pass this proposal in the strongest possible form in early 2025, but today, we want to take a moment to say THANK YOU!

Thank you to Vice Mayor McGovern for so ably leading this important meeting, thank you to Housing Committee Co-Chairs Azeem and Siddiqui for shepherding this proposal through so many twists and turns, thank you to Mayor Simmons and Councillors Sobrinho-Wheeler and Wilson for your resolute and unwavering support for multifamily and affordable housing, and thank you to Councillors Nolan and Toner for your willingness to engage and seek reasonable compromises. We are especially grateful to have councillors who are ready to pass multifamily zoning without watering down options for real production of the homes we desperately need to address our severe housing shortage.

Finally, thank YOU! Thank you for being a part of this effort. We couldn’t have gotten this far without the strong support of all of the pro-housing advocates who have stayed informed, emailed the Council, spoken at City Council meetings, spoken with their friends and neighbors, and made this happen. We feel so proud that even in a time when political involvement can be a challenge, Cambridge has come together to do the work needed to end exclusionary zoning and support more homes.  

 Thank you, thank you, thank you! 

P.S. Apply for a City Committee!

We would be remiss not to encourage housing supporters to apply to serve on a City committee. It is a powerful way to share your perspective and make an impact on our housing crisis. Right now, these committees are looking for new members:

• Cambridge Planning Board (Deadline 12-30-24)
• Cambridge Housing Authority (Application Deadline Extended to 1-27-25)
• Cambridge Historical Commission (Application Deadline Extended 1-27-25)

To apply, visit this website. Know someone who might be interested? Forward this email to them!