WHO WE ARE...
Cambridge Citizens Coalition (CCC) was founded by local neighborhood group leaders and is led by them along with other local civic activists and residents dedicated to smart development, thoughtful city planning, good governance policies, sustainability, housing affordability, and the preservation of our trees, green spaces, and historic architecture. CCC stands with the LGBTQIA+ community’s fight for equality. We are committed to ending anti-LGBTQIA+ violence, bullying, and discrimination, and to ensuring that LGBTQIA+ individuals are treated with dignity and respect in their communities, their workplaces, and their schools. CCC believes in nurturing growth and positive change for individuals and communities alike. We stand with and advocate for equity and social justice for indigenous communities, people of color (BIPOC), those with disabilities, others who have been marginalized and individuals practicing every religious faith.
CCC is free and open to everyone.
But we urge people able to do so to donate $25-$40 yearly either to help CCC 's active Civic work (at the Act Blue link above) or to support complementary city election efforts at CambridgePac.org: HERE
But we urge people able to do so to donate $25-$40 yearly either to help CCC 's active Civic work (at the Act Blue link above) or to support complementary city election efforts at CambridgePac.org: HERE
City's Charter Review Committee
The City's Charter Review Committee presented an outline of its proposed Report this week. Support for a Strong Mayor system of late has a 9 to 5 majority. Unlike Boston and other progressive cities which have a partial ward-based Council election system, ours would continue to be citywide. The current proportional representation system would be retained. Lowering the voting age to 16 is proposed as is allowing non-citizens to vote in local elections. One of the more unusual proposals is the creation of a Citizen's review committee, which would have the power to bring items to Council and require a vote. This piece of the proposal has come by way of Poland, and members would be selected based on city demographics, further shifting power to younger city residents (including students at our three plus universities or post-docs here for a very short period of time). A number of members of the committee have been missing from various of the meetings so the actual support for some of the items remains unclear. Also relatively few residents have attended these meetings or supplementary ones set up to inform the public what is happening.
Charter Review Website: https://www.cambridgema.gov/charterreview
Contact the Charter Committee here: CharterReviewCommittee@cambridgema.gov
Timeline:
December 5 Meeting
December 19 Meeting
Zoom Link to attend these meetings: CharterReviewCommittee@cambridgema.gov
December 31, 2023: The committee plans to submit its report.
This report then will be taken up by the next Council. Following their vote, this will go to the state house, and come back to Cambridge for a vote.
Charter Review Website: https://www.cambridgema.gov/charterreview
Contact the Charter Committee here: CharterReviewCommittee@cambridgema.gov
Timeline:
December 5 Meeting
December 19 Meeting
Zoom Link to attend these meetings: CharterReviewCommittee@cambridgema.gov
December 31, 2023: The committee plans to submit its report.
This report then will be taken up by the next Council. Following their vote, this will go to the state house, and come back to Cambridge for a vote.
Outline Draft of Final Recommendations of the Charter Review Committee
2023 ELECTION RESULTS
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CITY COUNCIL (in order of election):
SCHOOL COMMITTEE (in order of election):
- Sumbul Siddiqui
- Burhan Azeem
- Marc C. McGovern
- Patricia M. Nolan (I)
- Paul F. Toner (I)
- Jivan G. Sobrinho-Wheeler
- E. Denise Simmons
- Ayesha M. Wilson (I)
- Joan F. Pickett (I)
SCHOOL COMMITTEE (in order of election):
- Rachel B. Weinstein
- Elizabeth Clark Polner Hudson (I)
- David J. Weinstein
- José Luis Rojas Villarreal (I)
- Caroline M. Hunter
- Richard Harding
What this points to more directly is the enduring power of incmbency in Cambridge elections through ranked choice voting in both the school committee and city council elections. And when two out of three of the "open seats" are filled by CCC candidates that is something to be truly celebrated!
We can also look at this from the vantage of CCC's own history in elections. Much of the year we focus on Civic Work, but every two years the elections also become important.
We can also look at this from the vantage of CCC's own history in elections. Much of the year we focus on Civic Work, but every two years the elections also become important.
- In 2019 our candidates won three Council seats: Carlone (I), Nolan and Zondervan. (We ran no School Committee Candidates).
- In 2021 our candidates won two Council seats: Carlone (I) and Nolan (I). We ran no School Committee Candidates)
- In 2023 our candidates won four seats Council seats: Nolan (I), Pickett, Toner (I), and Wilson. CCC candidates ALSO won two seats on the School Committee this year: Hudson and Rojas Villarreal (I).
READ CCC's BLOG ABOUT THE ELECTION RESULTS
ISSUES IN AND AROUND THE CITY
CCC has a blog post up on the 2023 City Bicycling Report
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The massive citywide upzoning amendment known as AHO 2.0 was ordained by City Council on October 15, 2023 allowing 12 story buildings on key avenues and 15 story buildings in historic squares for exclusively income-limited residents seeking housing from around the area and more broadly. Historic still sustainable buildings will be demolished throughout the city for tall very dense structures without setbacks, parking, key infrastructure planning, or Planning Board oversight.Opposing AHO 2.0 were Councillors Carlone, Nolan, Toner; Supporting AHO 2.0 were Councillors: Azeem, McGovern, Siddiqui, Simmons, Mallon and Zondervan.
CCC has a new blog post the climate change and building heights: HERE
CCC has a new blog post the climate change and building heights: HERE
Get Building Height Right for the Climate!
"It may seem obvious that cities filled with big buildings use energy more efficiently than dispersed suburban landscapes, and that newer, taller buildings are more energy-efficient than older, squatter structures. People widely understand that New York City, for example, ranks well on energy use per person, where housing tends toward the vertical, one boiler room can serve many units, and heat rises into the units above, rather than being lost to the sky....Skyscrapers use and lose more energy than low-rise buildings, research shows....
'The results show that height is a significant predictor of energy use, even accounting for other variables,'the researchers wrote in a paper published in the journal Building Research and Information. In fact, each additional story in a building is associated with a 2.4 percent increase in electricity use and 2.9 percent increase in fossil fuel use, more than doubling the average emissions per square foot for the tallest buildings in their survey." Source: Greentech Media November 2020 (read article at link below).
"It may seem obvious that cities filled with big buildings use energy more efficiently than dispersed suburban landscapes, and that newer, taller buildings are more energy-efficient than older, squatter structures. People widely understand that New York City, for example, ranks well on energy use per person, where housing tends toward the vertical, one boiler room can serve many units, and heat rises into the units above, rather than being lost to the sky....Skyscrapers use and lose more energy than low-rise buildings, research shows....
'The results show that height is a significant predictor of energy use, even accounting for other variables,'the researchers wrote in a paper published in the journal Building Research and Information. In fact, each additional story in a building is associated with a 2.4 percent increase in electricity use and 2.9 percent increase in fossil fuel use, more than doubling the average emissions per square foot for the tallest buildings in their survey." Source: Greentech Media November 2020 (read article at link below).
Weekly Up-Dated Calendars of Cambridge Civic & Other Events
Weekly Calendar A: Cambridge City Government - the CITY WEEKLY CALENDAR
Weekly Calendar B: Cambridge Day Weekly Calendar HERE
Weekly Calendar C: Cambridge Civic Weekly Calendar of Events and Meetings in Cambridge: Cambridge Civic
Weekly Calendar D: Have Fun! Patch Local Music and Entertainment: HERE
Weekly Calendar B: Cambridge Day Weekly Calendar HERE
Weekly Calendar C: Cambridge Civic Weekly Calendar of Events and Meetings in Cambridge: Cambridge Civic
Weekly Calendar D: Have Fun! Patch Local Music and Entertainment: HERE
Find out how to contact City Council and Commissions
Find out how to sign up to speak at city meetings, and more ...
Find out how to sign up to speak at city meetings, and more ...
THE 2023 CITY COUNCIL ELECTION CYCLE IS HERE!
HELP US FLIP THE COUNCIL!!
WE HAVE A REAL OPPORTUNITY:
To have a reasonable and thoughtful government
To get real accountability and transparency
To work together for the greater good
To have a council that works for all
REGISTER TO VOTE by Oct.27 HERE: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/
Find out if you are Registered to Vote? HERE: https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ovr/
APPLY NOW for a MAIL-IN/DROP OFF BALLOT:HERE
You will receive it in early October and can either mail it back or drop it off in one of the city drop boxes (see below). About 40% of Cambridge residents last election used a mail-in/drop off ballot.
We encourage voting as soon as you receive it, but you can mail it in up to 1 week before the election on November 7. Or you can drop it off from Oct.13th through Nov 3.
The drop off boxes are open 24 hours day at the following locations: Main Ballot Drop Box: Open from Friday, October 13, 2023 to Election Day, Tuesday, November 7, 2023 at 8 p.m. Coffon Building - Right-side of the building located at 51 Inman St Satellite Drop Box Locations: Open from Friday, October 13, 2023 to Monday, November 6, 2023 at 8 p.m. City Hall - Near the back door of the building located at 795 Massachusetts Ave Morse School - Near the front entrance of the building location at 40 Granite St Cambridge Police Headquarters - Near the front of the building located at 125 6th St Maria L. Baldwin School - Right-side of the Oxford Street entrance of the building located at 85 Oxford Street O'Neill Library - Adjacent to the entrance stairs of the building located at 70 Rindge Ave.
Walk-In voting: Oct. 28-Nov. 3. You can also return your ballot in person at the Cambridge Election Commission office at 51 Inman Street during regular office hours: Mondays 8:30 am - 8:00 pm; Tuesdays through Thursdays 8:30 am - 5:00 pm; Fridays 8:30 am - 12:00 Noon. The Election Commission office will be closed on Monday, October 9th to an election official at a designated early voting location during early voting hours.
Regular voting (in person) is November 7.
CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATE FORUM
This took place on September 10 from 4:30-7:00 by ZOOM
Co-hosted by the Cambridge Citizens Coalition, the Cambridge Voters for Good Government, Cambridge Streets for All, Indivisible Cambridge as well as the East Cambridge Planning Team, the Harvard Square Neighborhood Association, and the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association
Co-hosted by the Cambridge Citizens Coalition, the Cambridge Voters for Good Government, Cambridge Streets for All, Indivisible Cambridge as well as the East Cambridge Planning Team, the Harvard Square Neighborhood Association, and the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association
The Video of this Forum is now available on CCTV
This proposal was not taken up by Council on Sept 11 as planned, but because it is not a zoning petition with a time limit, it can be brought back by one or more Councillor at a future date. This bill, that pretty much gives full reign to developers to build what they want, would remove all but one professionals from NCD Committees, require City Council approval before a proposal can begin, disallow commission discussions or decisions about height or setbacks, increase tenfold the number of petitioners needed (from 10 to 100 even for a small street), allow 30 petitioners to terminate an existing NCD, require lengthy reviews every 10 years.
Read the proposed new NCD (Neighborhood Conservation District) language HERE
Read about the proposed East Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District HERE
Like the AHO 2.0 This is another effort by the pro-developer political pac.
Read about the proposed East Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District HERE
Like the AHO 2.0 This is another effort by the pro-developer political pac.
CCC'S 2023 CITY COUNCIL ENDORSEMENTS ARE OUT!
In this election we have THREE CCC Affiliates running for City Council (currently on sabbatical leave from CCC until after the election). These individuals who have been part of our research and advisory team include Doug Brown, Federico Muchnik, and Robert Winters. There are also three present or former neighborhood group leaders who are running for City Council this time. These are Doug Brown (Fresh Pond Neighborhood Association), Joan Pickett (Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Association), and Cathie Zusy (Cambridgeport Neighborhood Association). Other Candidates CCC is endorsing include: John Hanratty, Carry Pasquerallo, Ayesha W. Wilson, Huo Wang as well as two incumbent candidates, Patty Nolan and Paul Toner. All these people are professionals of considerable achievement and know the city well.
CCC's 2023 City Council Election Efforts are ON THE MOVE!
PROPOSED INCREASES IN URBAN DENSITY:
RESULT: MORE EXTREME HEAT ISLAND IMPACTS
New CCC blogpost:
AHO THIRD YEAR INTERIM REPORT:
Past, Present, Future(?)
Key takeaways from our recent blog - The Third Year Interim AHO report: already we are seeing the impacts of AHO 1.0 and even the AHO 2.0 currently under discussion and they often are not positive. Yes there are some successes, such as the repurposing of the former Sacred Heart Convent and School in East Cambridge and the fact that there are now some 1500 affordable housing units in the works. Another success has been the New Street development near Danehy Park, a project that preceded the AHO passage as a result of an intervention by then Councillor Jan Devereux to switch a proposed storage container building to affordable housing. We are also seeing more clearly now what happens when we have little viable accountability and oversight by the Cambridge Housing Authority and the city itself. Jefferson Park will cost nearly $1 million per unit to build (far more expensive than market rate housing units cost). And here there was no need to purchase land, since here they are simply rebuilding the existing structures at double the density and at greater height. In addition theses developments are sometimes very poorly managed, with so many complaints that the Mayor and Vice Mayor wrote a letter to the Cambridge Housing Authority to complain about the management of Walden Square. In some respects these examples serve as a canary in the coal mine in offering clues about what may happen if the AHO 2.0 is passed. In this report we address, among others, the proposed, both of which are under review:
July 18 Planning Board AHO meeting results on 1627 MA Ave -Lesley University (see above image): To the person, the members critiqued the design plans, calling it a massive cube with little relationship to the adjacent house they are preserving. It is twice the height of neighboring houses. One noted that each AHO unit costs $1 million and still it looks like the developers are "holding back...trying to keep something in their wallet." Another member observed that the "developers should step up their game and bring a better product." Still another noted that we and the residents deserve excellent design. The former Planning Board chair pointed out that the AHO process currently is flawed, and the AHO developers are presenting only the most basic plans and not doing the actual work of designing. Other Board members concurred. A number of neighbors, all supportive of affordable housing, were deeply concerned about the plans. They have submitted a long report. Alas, as one Board member noted, few of the neighbors’ concerns have been addressed by the developers. The system is clearly not working. The Planning Board will again take up this project at a later meeting.
- 1627 Mass Ave: "A Majestic Landmark with a Bulky Box Addition."
- Walden Square 2.0: "The Slabs at Walden Square WS 2.0"
July 18 Planning Board AHO meeting results on 1627 MA Ave -Lesley University (see above image): To the person, the members critiqued the design plans, calling it a massive cube with little relationship to the adjacent house they are preserving. It is twice the height of neighboring houses. One noted that each AHO unit costs $1 million and still it looks like the developers are "holding back...trying to keep something in their wallet." Another member observed that the "developers should step up their game and bring a better product." Still another noted that we and the residents deserve excellent design. The former Planning Board chair pointed out that the AHO process currently is flawed, and the AHO developers are presenting only the most basic plans and not doing the actual work of designing. Other Board members concurred. A number of neighbors, all supportive of affordable housing, were deeply concerned about the plans. They have submitted a long report. Alas, as one Board member noted, few of the neighbors’ concerns have been addressed by the developers. The system is clearly not working. The Planning Board will again take up this project at a later meeting.
RECENT CCC BLOGS OF IMPORTANCE NOW
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Originally published in Cambridge Day
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Frogs-R-Us addresses some of the issues around developer interests and investments in Cambridge. Above image left; the cover to Jean-François Batellier’s 1978 cartoon collection, “No Deposit, No Return.”; right: cover of Cambridge Monopoly game.
Playing Monopoly takes up core issues in the architectural preservation issues around a move by another political party to gut long-standing conservation and historic preservation efforts in Cambridge
Playing Monopoly takes up core issues in the architectural preservation issues around a move by another political party to gut long-standing conservation and historic preservation efforts in Cambridge
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Other Cambridge Citizens Coalition Research and Opinion Pieces published in Cambridge Day
WHO WE ARE
Cambridge Citizens Coalition (CCC) was founded by local neighborhood group leaders and is led by them along with other local civic activists and residents dedicated to smart development, thoughtful city planning, good governance policies, sustainability, housing affordability, and the preservation of our trees, green spaces, and historic architecture.
"CCC is a city-wide organization that does not... believe that developers know best about how to solve the affordable housing crisis. That is pure neo-liberalism and that is the flavor favored by our political opponents. We are interested in taking land costs out of the equation as much as possible, building on city properties, encouraging land trusts and protecting renters. We also do not take a back seat on climate issues and want city resources spent on creating safe streets for bikers." (CCC Board Member, Chris Mackin).
"CCC is a city-wide organization that does not... believe that developers know best about how to solve the affordable housing crisis. That is pure neo-liberalism and that is the flavor favored by our political opponents. We are interested in taking land costs out of the equation as much as possible, building on city properties, encouraging land trusts and protecting renters. We also do not take a back seat on climate issues and want city resources spent on creating safe streets for bikers." (CCC Board Member, Chris Mackin).
CCC: Promoting a More Livable Cambridge
Change can’t wait. We need bold, progressive polices to address our most pressing issues
POLICIES THAT MATTER ON:
1. Environmental Equity - addressing climate change can't wait! Safeguard trees and green spaces in every neighborhood.
2. Housing - stop gentrification, end exclusive single family zoning, create a real path to home ownership; add more mixed income housing
3. Smart Growth - we need a Citywide plan for smart growth (people before profits)
4. Neighborhoods are key (retain and build on naturally affordable longterm sustainable housing)
5. We live in an historic city; let's work together to preserve our rich architectural diversity.
6. Policies for equity (from Broadband and HEART to Universal Pre-K)
Change can’t wait. We need bold, progressive polices to address our most pressing issues
POLICIES THAT MATTER ON:
1. Environmental Equity - addressing climate change can't wait! Safeguard trees and green spaces in every neighborhood.
2. Housing - stop gentrification, end exclusive single family zoning, create a real path to home ownership; add more mixed income housing
3. Smart Growth - we need a Citywide plan for smart growth (people before profits)
4. Neighborhoods are key (retain and build on naturally affordable longterm sustainable housing)
5. We live in an historic city; let's work together to preserve our rich architectural diversity.
6. Policies for equity (from Broadband and HEART to Universal Pre-K)
MAILING DONATION CHECK$
Checks to Cambridge Citizens Coalition IE PAC can be mailed to CCC at P.O. Box 410291, Cambridge, MA 02141.
Checks to Cambridge Citizens Coalition can be mailed to CCC at P.O. Box 410083, Cambridge, MA 02141.
Checks to Cambridge Citizens Coalition IE PAC can be mailed to CCC at P.O. Box 410291, Cambridge, MA 02141.
Checks to Cambridge Citizens Coalition can be mailed to CCC at P.O. Box 410083, Cambridge, MA 02141.
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We honor and acknowledge that Cambridge sits on the traditional homelands of the Massachusett people. We also acknowledge their close neighbors and relatives, the Nipmuc and Wampanoag peoples.
We honor and acknowledge that Cambridge sits on the traditional homelands of the Massachusett people. We also acknowledge their close neighbors and relatives, the Nipmuc and Wampanoag peoples.