Council Meeting – March 17th, 2025
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Meeting Link
City Manager’s Agenda
Reports and Communications
Appointments
- #3 (CMA 2025 #36) Cambridge Retirement Board – Reappointment: Michael P. Gardner
- #15 (CMA 2025 #48) Climate Committee – Appointments: Rebecca Fearing, Cynthia Hibbard, Yi Jian, Megan Ashlee Lim, Lucas Marino, Debapriya Mazumdar, Anna Mezheritskaya, Hannan Rhodes, Meredith Stoddard, Carolyn Zern. Reappointments: Lyn Huckabee, Steven Nutter
- #18 (CMA 2025 #51) Cambridge Kiosk Advisory Committee – Abra Berkowitz, Zachary Brandon, David Cotrone, Aanchal Chopra, Julie Crites, Malene Council, Angelica Durrell, Edward Rodley, Sabirah Simon, Kaleigh Wright
Appropriations and Grants
- #4 (CMA 2025 #37) $140,000 transfer to cover current and anticipated medical services, prescription reimbursement costs, and settlement for Traffic and Parking personnel injured in the performance of their duties
- #5 (CMA 2025 #38) $5,000 from the MassDEP to purchase a new Universal Waste Shed for the DPW Recycle Center
- #6 (CMA 2025 #39) $97,500 from the MassDEP Recycling Dividends Program to support the implementation of the Zero Waste Master Plan 2.0
- #7 (CMA 2025 #40) $570,000 from Free Cash to support the purchase of replacement firearms for the Department, which are typically replaced on about a ten-year cycle
- #8 (CMA 2025 #41) $160,000 from Free Cash to purchase a fully electric, ADA compliant transport wagon to replace one of the aging F350s
- #9 (CMA 2025 #42) $30,000,000 from Free Cash to mitigate anticipated debt service costs of future major capital projects
- #10 (CMA 2025 #43) $75,000 transfer to hire a Benefits Broker that can provide consulting and advisory services to support the city’s employee and retiree benefits programs
- #11 (CMA 2025 #44) $468,750 from the State EOPSS, Department of Fire Services to purchase the equipment for the hazardous materials response team
- #12 (CMA 2025 #45) $50,000 from the State EOPSS, Department of Fire Services to purchase additional nozzles/tips, gauges, and adaptors for high-rise hose kits
- #13 (CMA 2025 #46) $39,600.00 from the Emergency Management Performance Grant from MEMA to purchase boots for tech rescue companies, rescue gloves for members of the department, and uniforms and training for the bicycle team
- #14 (CMA 2025 #47) $250,000 from Free Cash to cover unanticipated costs and future expenses of legal matters handled by outside counsel legal services and fees associated with ongoing legal matters
Responses to Council Requests
- #16 (CMA 2025 #49) Recommendations and planned next steps from the City’s study of resident experiences of inclusion and bias in Inclusionary Housing in Cambridge
- #17 (CMA 2025 #50) A minor zoning amendment that would lift the prohibition on repackaging, aligning the City’s regulation with those of the Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission
- #19 (CMA 2025 #52) A set of proposed amendments to the AHO which would continue to restrict AHO heights to 9 stories in residential districts, except in AHO Corridors and Squares where exiting additional allowances would continue to apply. This is due to potentially unintended allowed additional height under the Multi-Family Zoning Amendment.
- #20 (CMA 2025 #53) A report regarding the feasibility of a successor program to Rise Up Cambridge
Policy Orders
Requests of the city
- #1 (POR 2025 #31) “[Appoint] members of a working committee tasked with integrating the objectives of both the Task Force to Examine the Status and Wellbeing of the City’s African American/Black Population and the Commission on the Status of Black Men and Boys into a unified, actionable framework”
- #2 (POR 2025 #32) Draft an ordinance to require that owners of vacant store fronts and commercial properties keep their properties in safe and clean conditions
Charter Rights
- #1 (APP 2025 #10) Curb Cut – Brinn Sanders – 177 Hancock Street
- #2 (POR 2025 #25) Draft a zoning petition to the City Council for consideration on maximum unit size
Applications and Petitions
- #1 (APP 2025 #11) Zoning Amendment – Mushla Marasao – A zoning amendment to exempt buildings used for religious purposes from FAR based building size restrictions
- #2 (APP 2025 #12) Awning – Donger Lei representing FUPO CAFE – 359 Huron Avenue
- #3 (APP 2025 #13) Awning – Elizabeth Yanez representing Spanish Immersion School – 171 Huron Avenue
- #4 (APP 2025 #14) Zoning Amendment – BMR-320 Charles LLC c/o BioMed Realty, L. P. – Creating a new East Cambridge Community Enhancement Overlay District
All comments are from members of our comment team.
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