Wheeling and Dealing – December 22, 2025 Cambridge City Council meeting
While backroom deals are being cut to see whether Councillors McGovern or Siddiqui (or someone else) can garner the necessary majorities for who will be the next Mayor (and Vice Mayor), the curtain closes tonight on the 2024-2025 City Council. Even though the controversial super-upzonings of Cambridge Street and Mass. Ave. don’t expire until January 28, the rush is on to ram them through now to prevent any uncertainty that might arise with the election of two new city councillors. They’re even trading token amounts of permissible building heights in exchange for possible mayoral and vice mayoral votes. For what it’s worth, the jockeying for who might be the Chair of the School Committee under the rules of the new Charter is even more bizarre – with the teacher’s union wielding an obscene degree of influence.
I’m pretty sure the next two years are going to suck. Good thing I’m now streaming Turner Classic Movies because I will be needing a lot of Fred Astaire, Cyd Charisse, Leslie Caron, Katherine Hepburn, and Barbara Stanwyck to get through the next two years.
Here are the items on this week’s agenda prior to the curtain coming down:
Manager’s Agenda #1. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a federal update including an update on relevant court cases. [text of report]
pulled by Siddiqui; comments by City Manager Yi-An Huang, Siddiqui, Nolan, City Solicitor Megan Bayer; Placed on File 9-0
Manager’s Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appointment of the following members to the Board of Zoning Appeal (BZA) effective Dec 22, 2025. [text of report]
Appointments Confirmed 8-0-1 (Simmons – Absent)
Manager’s Agenda #5. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to combined sewer overflows. [text of report]
pulled by Nolan; comments by Nolan, John Nardone, Jim Wilcox (City Engineer, DPW), Toner, Zusy; Placed on File 9-0
I can never get enough information about infrastructure.
Supersize It – Regardless of the Consequences
Manager’s Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a revised Massachusetts Avenue zoning petition. [CDD memo (this is for Cambridge St.)]
pulled by McGovern; comments by McGovern; Unfinished Business #3 and Charter Right #1 brought forward 9-0; McGovern – amend petition by substitution 9-0; comments by Toner, Siddiqui, Nolan (favors reduction to 11 stories, has concerns about what might happen in Inclusionary Zoning (IZ) thrown out); Megan Bayer notes if IZ thrown out then Zoning Ordinance could be amended to grant extra height/density in exchange for affordable units; comments by Zusy (favors reduction to 11 stories, quotes Hindu scripture Bhagavad Gita – inaction is often the best action, also notes other recent upzonings done in rapid succession), Sobrinho-Wheeler (opposed to all reductions, continues to believe that this will yield affordable housing), Azeem (says a Special Permit will still be needed for larger developments), Wilson (need to be making extremely bold decisions), Melissa Peters (CDD), Jeff Roberts (CDD); McGovern asks about 11 vs. 12 stories; Melissa Peters, Yi-An Huang strongly favor 12 stories; McGovern justifies more height even for relatively few “affordable” units, continues to quote the Envision housing goals (made up by CDD after the fact), opposed to any height reduction; comments by Nolan re: new construction methods that less tall buildings more economically viable; comments by Zusy in favor of 11 stories, suggests that proposed zoning will make housing less affordable for those supporting the upzoning, suggests Central Square a better place for the additional height, petition needs more refinement; Wilson notes that we cannot build ourselves out of this housing crisis and that this upzoning will not yield any actual affordability; Charter Right #1 initially Passes 5-4 (PN,SS,AW,CZ,DS – Yes; BA,MM,JSW,PT – No); discussion re: substitute language; Simmons changes vote to No, so Charter Right #1 Fails 4-5 (PN,SS,AW,CZ – Yes; BA,MM,JSW,PT,DS – No); Ordained as Amended 6-3 (PN,AW,CZ – No); Reconsideration Fails 0-9; Placed on File 9-0
Due to error in posted agenda (as noted – Cambridge St. language was posted instead of Mass Ave language), Rules Suspended (hoping the same does prevail) 9-0; Reconsideration Prevails 9-0; Jeff Roberts (CDD) notes typos needed to be corrected in 17.805 (not 17.705); Petition Amended by Substitution 9-0; Petition Re-Ordained as Amended 6-3 (PN,AW,CZ – No); Reconsideration Fails 0-9
Charter Right #1. That the City Manager is requested to instruct the Community Development Department to 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. [Charter Right – Siddiqui, Dec 15, 2025]
Brought forward along with Manager’s Agenda #6; initially Passes 5-4 (PN,SS,AW,CZ,DS – Yes; BA,MM,JSW,PT – No); discussion re: substitute language; Simmons changes vote to No, so Charter Right #1 Fails 4-5 (PN,SS,AW,CZ – Yes; BA,MM,JSW,PT,DS – No)
Unfinished Business #3. An Ordinance has been received from Interim City Clerk Paula M. Crane, relative to amend the Zoning Map and Articles 2.000, 3.000, 4.000, 5.000, 6.000, 11.000 17.000, and 20.000 of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance as follows with the intent of establishing four new zoning districts for the Massachusetts Avenue corridor. [Passed to 2nd Reading, Dec 8, 2025; Eligible to be Ordained Dec 22, 2025; Expires Jan 28, 2026] [Revised][Published]
Brought forward along with Manager’s Agenda #6; Ordained as Amended 6-3 (PN,AW,CZ – No)
Due to error in posted agenda (as noted – Cambridge St. language was posted instead of Mass Ave language), Rules Suspended (hoping the same does prevail) 9-0; Reconsideration Prevails 9-0; Jeff Roberts (CDD) notes typos needed to be corrected in 17.805 (not 17.705); Petition Amended by Substitution 9-0; Petition Re-Ordained as Amended 6-3 (PN,AW,CZ – No); Reconsideration Fails 0-9
Manager’s Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a revised Cambridge Street zoning petition. [CDD memo] [Revised Cambridge St Petition (Markup)][Revised Cambridge St Petition (Clean)][Revised Cambridge St Map][Revised Cambridge St Map Descriptions][Combined Mass Ave/Cambridge St. amendments (Markup)][Combined Mass Ave/Cambridge St. amendments (Clean)]
pulled by McGovern; Unfinished Business #4 brought forward 9-0; comments by Sobrinho-Wheeler, Nolan in favor of delaying this; comments by Toner, Simmons in favor of voting now; Unf. Business #4 Tabled 7-2 (PT,DS – No); Placed on File 9-0
Unfinished Business #4. An Ordinance has been received from Interim City Clerk Paula M. Crane, relative to amend the Zoning Map and Articles 3.000, 17.000, and 19.000 of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance as follows with the intent of establishing four new zoning districts for the Cambridge Street corridor. [Passed to 2nd Reading, Dec 8, 2025; Eligible to be Ordained Dec 22, 2025; Expires Jan 28, 2026] [Revised][Published]
Brought forward along with Manager’s Agenda #7; Tabled 7-2 (PT,DS – No)
Communications #45. Nonie Valentine, re: Pause on extreme upzoning on Mass. Ave. and Cambridge St.
I’m with Nonie on this one. We can do so much better, but that would require much better local representation than we currently have or will have in the near future.
Order #1. That the City Manager works 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), criteria for eligibility, a committee structure with diverse representation of the city residents, and a means for recording and maintaining our current and future memorials. Councillor Toner, Mayor Simmons, Vice Mayor McGovern, Councillor Zusy
Comments by Nolan, Simmons; Charter Right – Simmons
Order #2. Restricting Eligibility for On-Street Resident Parking Permits in New Transit-Oriented Developments. Councillor Zusy, Councillor Azeem, Councillor Nolan
Charter Right – Simmons
This is not a new proposal. The response from the City Solicitor has always (correctly) been that this is not a legal restriction that can be imposed by the City, though a property owner may be able to make this a requirement in a lease. That said, I am told that Somerville has imposed such a restriction, but I suppose that will last right up until the point that someone takes it to court.
Resolution #4. Congratulations to Kathleen Rawlins on her retirement from the Historical Commission. Councillor Toner, Mayor Simmons
Kit Rawlins has been a welcome presence with the Historical Commission for many years, and I wish her the happiest possible retirement.
Resolution #9. Congratulations to Patrol Officer Devon Brooks on his retirement from the Cambridge Police Department. Councillor Toner, Councillor Wilson, Mayor Simmons
I have for years regularly bicycled alongside Devon on the semi-annual bike rides organized by the Cambridge Bicycle Committee, and I often encountered him while on duty. Like so many others in the Cambridge Police Department, Devon has consistently demonstrated how fortunate we are to have such a caring, effective, and good-natured local police force.
Note: The meeting ended with a personal statement by exiting Councillor Toner thanking family, friends, colleagues, and City staff. Mayor Simmons closed with an acknowledgment of Councillor Toner’s exemplary service. This was the last regular meeting for departing Councillors Paul Toner and Ayesha Wilson.
Since it is proposed to cancel the Dec 29 meeting, this should be the next-to-last meeting of this City Council term, and next week’s meeting will likely see the rushed ordination of two massive upzonings of Cambridge Street (Inman Square to Lechmere) and N. Mass Ave. (Cambridge Common to the Arlington Line, including Porter Square). Some people (including me) are opposed simply because of the severe scale of the upzoning, and others are opposed because of the potential disruption to the rigged economics of the current iteration of the Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO 2.0). Be careful what you wish for. In all likelihood, the latter concern will only result in an even more massive upzoning meant to re-rig the economics of the AHO.
I am far more interested in watching Ken Burns new series The American Revolution than listening to the Local Nine prattle on about very small things. That said, here are the slightly larger items on this week’s very small agenda: