Cambridge Civic Journal Forum

Mayday, Mayday! Rabbit, Rabbit! – Curiosities on the May 1, 2023 Cambridge City Council Agenda

Budget Season is upon us, and we appear to be in for the largest jump in memory – a nearly 10% increase from last year. The total City Budget for FY23 was $787,913,900 and that’s proposed to go up to $866,254,920 – a 9.9% increase (and that doesn’t include the additional $167,150,000 in loan authorizations). The budget for the Executive Department (the City Manager’s Office) is going up a whopping 50.2% from $5,638,040 to $8,467,495. I’m eager to get my hands on the full Budget Book to better understand why the Community Development Department’s budget is going from $14,409,820 to $39,290,300, a 172.7% increase – most likely due to some reshuffling of City departments and budget categories, but this really is bewildering.

Manager’s Agenda #1. Transmitting Communication from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the FY2024 submitted budget and appropriation orders.
Referred to Finance Committee 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

It was explained that the reason the CDD Budget went up by 172.7% was because of an accounting change in which $23,045,750 from the Capital Budget for the Affordable Housing Trust was moved to the Operating Budget under CDD. If this shift were to be excluded, the increase in the overall Operating Budget would be $57,260,265 or 7.1% over the FY23 Adopted Budget (instead of the reported 9.9% increase).

Other changes revealed in the FY2024 Budget Book are that the Electrical Department was moved into the Public Works Department during FY2023, and the Water Department is now listed under the Community Maintenance and Development category rather than as its own separate Budget category. There is now also a new “Capital Building Projects” budget line under Community Maintenance and Development. The Personnel Department has also been taken out of the Finance Department Budget and is now its own “Human Resources” budget line.

It’s worth noting that the City Manager’s Office (Executive) had grown to 16 full-time positions in FY2022 (up from 11 a few years earlier). That grew to 22 in FY2023 and has now leapt to 31 full-time positions in the FY2024 Budget. This partially explains its 50.2% increase from $5,638,040 to $8,467,495.

Manager’s Agenda #2. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $50,000,000 to provide funds for the reconstruction of the Mass Avenue between Waterhouse Street and Alewife Parkway.
Passed to 2nd Reading 7-1-1 (QZ – No; AM – Absent); Referred to Finance Committee 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

Manager’s Agenda #3. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to appropriation and authorization to borrow $35,350,000 to provide funds for the Municipal Facilities Improvement Plan. Funds will support upgrades to the 689 Mass Avenue Interior; upgrades at the Moses Youth Center; Interior fit-out of Rindge Pre-K building; electric vehicle charging station infrastructure at several municipal buildings; and additional work at Inman and East Cambridge Fire Houses; First Street Garage upgrades to stairs and elevator; and other City building upgrades.
Passed to 2nd Reading 7-1-1 (QZ – No; AM – Absent); Referred to Finance Committee 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

Manager’s Agenda #4. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to appropriation and authorization to borrow $2,500,000 to provide funds for the construction of the Peabody School Playground and Corcoran (Raymond Street) park.
Passed to 2nd Reading 7-1-1 (QZ – No; AM – Absent); Referred to Finance Committee 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

Manager’s Agenda #5. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to appropriation and authorization to borrow $1,800,000 to provide funds for financing school building upgrades.
Passed to 2nd Reading 7-1-1 (QZ – No; AM – Absent); Referred to Finance Committee 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

Manager’s Agenda #6. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $51,500,000 to provide funds for the construction of sewer separation, storm water management and combined sewer overflow reduction elimination improvements within the Port and River Street areas as well as the Sewer Capital Repairs Program and climate change preparedness efforts.
Passed to 2nd Reading 7-1-1 (QZ – No; AM – Absent); Referred to Finance Committee 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

Manager’s Agenda #7. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appropriation and authorization to borrow $26,000,000 to provide funds for the reconstruction of various City streets, sidewalks and bike facilities. $15,000,000 of this loan order is attributable to the improvement project related to sewer infrastructure upgrades on River Street, which include full depth roadway reconstruction, new sidewalks, new street trees and various other street improvements.
Passed to 2nd Reading 7-1-1 (QZ – No; AM – Absent); Referred to Finance Committee 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

Budget Summaries – FY2024 Comparisons

The City Manager’s presentation on Monday (and at the upcoming Budget Hearings) should be very interesting. I’m also eager to hear if there are any (misguided) efforts to turn some of the ARPA windfalls into permanent parts of the City’s Operating Budget. Questions worth asking would be about how changes in commercial property use and value in addition to a rapidly growing City Budget will translate into residential property tax rates over the next few years. These are the kinds of questions city councillors should be asking now rather than after the municipal election.

Manager’s Agenda #17. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 22-74, regarding needs assessment of the Danehy Park and recommendations for improvements; and irrigation updates.
Placed on File 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

“Danehy Park opened in 1990 – a 50-acre open space that provides sports fields, walking paths, a dog park, and other open space amenities. Previously, between 1847-1952, clay was extracted to manufacture bricks by the New England Brick Company. The result was a deep clay pit that the City used as its landfill between 1952 and 1971. This was capped and Danehy Park created in 1990. … The City has begun working with MassDEP on a 30-Year Post Closure Evaluation and Report that will include an evaluation of the existing methane trench. … On Mar 21 a contractor working for the City performing soil borings identified a methane pocket beneath the clay cap in Danehy Park. … City staff from DPW, DHSP, Fire, and Public Health are working closely with DEP to install additional venting structures to allow the landfill gases to safely vent and increase monitoring in the park to ensure the effectiveness of the venting modifications. … Other improvements presently underway: Girls Softball Improvements, Irrigation System Improvements.”

Manager’s Agenda #18. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the appointment and reappointment of the following persons as a members of the Board of Zoning Appeals: Members (five-year term) – William Boehm, Fernando Daniel Hidalgo, Virginia Keesler, Steven Ng; Associate Members (two-year term): Carol Agate, Michael LaRosa, Thomas Marshall Miller, Zarya Miranda; Associate Members (two-year term reappointment): Matina Williams, Wendy Leiserson
Appointments Approved 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

Let’s see if the City Council’s newfound authority to confirm Board appointments results in any challenges to these BZA appointments – one of the Boards targeted by ABC (a.k.a. “A Bigger Cambridge”) for Just Doing its Job. The role of the BZA has never been to overrule zoning regulations as a policy matter, but rather to manage exceptional and hardship cases and to grant some Special Permits – regardless what some have claimed in regard to some recent major development proposals.

Manager’s Agenda #19. A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to a Planning Board report with no positive or negative recommendation on the Michael Monestime et. al. Zoning Petition. (CM23#123) [Monestime Petition – amended]
Referred to Petition 8-0-1 (AM – Absent); later moved to Suspend Rules for Reconsideration 8-0-1 (AM – Absent); Reconsideration of Referral Fails 0-8-1 (AM – Absent) to allow for immediate ordination

Unfinished Business #1. A Zoning Ordinance has been received from Diane P. LeBlanc City Clerk, relative to the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge be amended on a Zoning Petition by Michael Monestime, et al., to amend the Zoning Ordinance of the City of Cambridge by creating new footnotes in the Table of Permitted Uses in Section 4.30 for Outdoor Retail or Consumer Service Establishment, not otherwise defined and Outdoor Entertainment and Recreation Facility”; in the Business B, B-1 and B-2 column which read, “For the Central Square Overlay see section 20.304.5 (5)”; and “For the Central Square Overlay see section 20.304.5 (6)”;; and by amending Section 20.304.5 of the Central Square Overlay District to allow Outdoor Retail or Consumer Service Establishment, not otherwise defined by Special Permit from the Planning Board, with associated approval criteria, and to permit Outdoor Entertainment and Recreation Facility as-of-right within the Business B District of the Central Square Overlay District. [Passed to 2nd Reading Apr 24, 2023; To Be Ordained on or after May 15, 2023; Expires July 12, 2023] (ORD23#1)
Motion to Declare This Matter a “Special Emergency” Prevails 8-0-1 (AM Absent); Ordained 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

Though we all expect this will be ordained unanimously and perhaps even fast-tracked as an “emergency”, the issue of concern is amplified music that may annoy close neighbors. There are three abutting 8-family affordable housing structures, and the Planning Board received communications from some of the residents. Under existing zoning it has been up to the BZA to allow this exceptional use – together with regulation of noise levels by the License Commission. The zoning change would make the operation of Starlight Square (and other areas within the Central Square Overlay District) an as-of-right use, but noise levels and days/times of operation would continue to be regulated by the License Commission. The best long-term solution would be to build an enclosed performance space that would be usable year-round and in inclement weather, but that won’t likely be happening any time soon.

Applications & Petitions #2. A Zoning Petition has been received from Ian Ferguson, et al. regarding Pitched Roofs Zoning Petition. (AP23#22) [text of petition]
Referred to Planning Board & Ordinance Committee 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

At first I thought this reminiscent of the Rainwater & Flat Roof Zoning Petition from 2018 that was championed by Councillor Kelley, but it’s actually quite different (and interesting).

Communications #31. A communication was received from Marie Elena Saccoccio, regarding Proposed Amendments to Ch. 2.78, Art. III.

Communications #32. A communication was received from Frank J. Paolitto, regarding Proposed changes in housing policies.

Order #1. That the City Manager is requested to direct the Community Development Department to promptly draft a zoning petition to be considered for filing by the City Council, based upon the proposed Affordable Housing Overlay amendments now before the Housing Committee.   Councillor Simmons, Councillor McGovern, Councillor Azeem, Councillor Zondervan
Charter Right – Nolan (after numerous speeches by the likes of Zondervan and McGovern who declared that they would prefer even taller heights along all of the declared “Corridors” and Squares, and that anything less that the City obtaining every residential property that goes on the market should be viewed as a failure);
Councillor Toner introduced a Substitute Order that will be reintroduced when this matter comes up at the next regular meeting

I suppose if Major League Baseball can institute pitch clocks then perhaps this is the City Council’s own version of a hurry-up strategy. That said, this entire proposal is outrageously wrongheaded. It would be one thing to propose some height increases along streets where 3-story buildings are typical to perhaps allow an extra few stories – especially along streets where there are already some 4-6 story apartment buildings, but this offensive proposal would more than quadruple the allowed heights for favored housing developers. Perhaps the most disappointing aspect of this attempt to fast-track this matter is that it has Councillor Simmons as a co-sponsor – someone who up until now I thought actually cared about the concerns of neighbors.

Order #2. That the City Manager is hereby requested to work with the Community Development Department and neighboring cities and agree to a non-binding framework that Cambridge can use to work towards a more diverse real estate development industry.   Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Simmons, Councillor Toner, Councillor Azeem
Order Adopted 8-0-1 (AM – Absent) – Zondervan declares that he would also like to codify requirements for union labor and a laundry list of social goals to do business in Cambridge, Siddiqui concurs

The last “Ordered” states: “That this framework includes an update to the Special Permit process with a request that they report on actions they are taking to increase the diversity of their teams, construction firms, and investors, and share the findings of this update with regional partners.” Regardless of its merits, this is a rather unusual thing to include as part of any Special Permit criteria regardless of whether it is non-binding. It’s one thing to require a range of requirements in City contracts, but I’m not aware of even a requirement for something like union labor anywhere in the Zoning Ordinance. Shall only those owners/developers matching the political/social goals of the City Council be allowed to do business in Cambridge? This is a very slippery slope.

Order #4. That the City Manager is requested to work with CDD, Law Department, the Assessor’s Office, and any other relevant departments to produce final draft ordinance language for the BEUDO amendments based on the CDD proposal as amended by the Ordinance Committee at its Apr 26, 2023 hearing; and that the City Manager report back on this matter, including presenting final draft language to the City Council no later than May 31st, 2023.   Councillor Zondervan, Councillor McGovern
Order Adopted 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

Order #6. City Council support of letter on strong Clean Heat Standards.   Councillor Nolan, Mayor Siddiqui, Councillor Zondervan, Councillor Carlone
Order Adopted 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

Committee Report #1. The Economic Development & University Relations Committee held a public meeting on Apr 4, 2023 to the discuss the practical impact of various city policies, regulations and ordinances on commercial and residential development and construction projects in Cambridge. [text of report]
Report Accepted, Placed on File 8-0-1 (AM – Absent)

This committee report is very interesting. It gives a nice summary of the multitude of requirements faced by those who seek to build anything in Cambridge. – Robert Winters