City Council Meeting – December 22nd, 2025

Meeting Link

Highlights

This Monday is the first meeting that the city council has the opportunity to ordain two major zoning ordinance amendments to increase housing by allowing taller buildings on Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge St, and select squares including Porter and Inman as well as Lechmere. See details in the Unfinished Business section.

City Manager’s Agenda

Reports and Communications

• #1 (CMA 2025 #305) “Federal update including an update on relevant court cases”
• #4 (CMA 2025 #308) City staff continue to work with partners at the MBTA, the DCR, and IQHQ to address safety and public health conditions near the Alewife MBTA station
• #5 (CMA 2025 #309) An update on Combined Sewer Overflows (CSOs)
• #6 (CMA 2025 #310) An amendment to the Massachusetts Avenue zoning petition/ORD 2025 #16
• #7 (CMA 2025 #311) An amendment to the Cambridge Street zoning petition/ORD 2025 #17 to reduce the max number of stories in Inman Square from 10 to 8.

Appropriations and Grants

• #2 (CMA 2025 #306) $1,172,577 from the state Executive Office of Public Safety, and Security to buy the newest biochem hazard and radiation detection equipment as well as new firefighting gear

Appointments

• #3 (CMA 2025 #307) Board of Zoning Appeal – Appointments: Miranda Cecil, Esrom Negash, Bran Shim, Brendan Sullivan – Reappointments: Michael LaRosa, Zarya Miranda

Policy Orders

Requests that the city…

• #1 (POR 2025 #172) “work with the Government Operations and Civic Unity Committee to hold hearings to discuss new ideas to honor and remember individuals (i.e. communal memorial garden, wall or path)”
• #2 (POR 2025 #173) “[restrict] eligibility for on-street resident parking permits in new transit-oriented developments,” with notable exceptions, “including individuals with disabilities and residents of affordable housing units”

Charter Rights

• #1 (POR 2025 #171) “reduce the recommendations for the Massachusetts Avenue subdistrict (MAS-12) from a maximum of 12 stories to 11 stories with ground floor active use/retail as consistent with the recommendation of the Mass Ave Planning Study”

Unfinished Business

• #3 (ORD 2025 #16) Massachusetts Avenue Corridor Zoning Petition: Establishing four new zoning districts for the Massachusetts Avenue corridor – eligible to be ordained December 22, 2025
• #4 (ORD 2025 #17) Cambridge Street Zoning Petition (Second Reading): Establishing four new zoning districts for the Cambridge Street – eligible to be ordained December 22, 2025