Cambridge has enacted its most significant zoning reform in decades, a move projected to add over 3,500 homes by 2024. The decision, years in the making, followed intense debate and compromise among city councilors and residents.
The new measure permits the construction of four-story residential buildings by-right on any property, with the possibility of six-story buildings on larger lots, provided a portion of the units are designated as affordable housing. This citywide change allows for multi-family dwellings, potentially reshaping thousands of properties, though single-family homes are still permitted.
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The vote at Monday night's City Council meeting was met with mixed reactions. Some residents celebrated the change as a crucial step towards addressing the city's housing shortage.
"This is the first thing that's ever gotten me politically engaged on a local level here in Cambridge," resident Cristian Lamas said.
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"As a young person who wants to live in Cambridge long-term, I am excited and grateful to the council about this proposal," said Lamas' partner, Brennan Waters.
Others expressed concerns, fearing the city's future is being handed over to developers. Elizabeth Gombosi, a Cambridge resident, cited environmental concerns, inadequate infrastructure, and a lack of understanding regarding the long-term consequences as reasons to oppose the measure.
"You have heard many reasons to let this proposal expire," Gombosi said, "a few being the environment, inadequate infrastructure and lack of understanding of the resulting consequences."
City Councilor Burhan Azeem acknowledged the compromise inherent in the new zoning.
"The petition before us is an amalgamation of all the different values of city councilors," Azeem said. "I don't think it's the one any one of us would have written as an individual, but I think what comes as the result of all of us coming together and pitching in."
Only one councilor voted against the measure. Catherine Zusy expressed her belief that the proposal would primarily generate luxury units, driving up real estate values, taxes, and rents, ultimately displacing residents and causing disruption to neighborhoods.
"I wish it wasn't so," Zusy said, "but I believe this proposal will produce mostly luxury units, raise real estate values, taxes and rents, displace residents and raise both physical and psychological havoc in our neighborhoods."
One outstanding question remains: the potential impact on residents who have invested thousands of dollars in solar panels. The construction of a six-story building adjacent to a property with solar panels could significantly impact their effectiveness.
