WE SUPPORT
Equity, Environment, Affordability, Community, Good Government
DONATIONS
ONLINE DONATIONS
For the civic work of the Cambridge Citizens Coalition donate online via ACT BLUE
For Election Work the Nov. 2025 City Council and School Committee donate via ActBlue HERE
CHECKS
Checks for Election efforts sent to Cambridge Citizens Coalition IE PAC can be mailed to CCC at P.O. Box 410291, Cambridge, MA 02141.
Checks to Cambridge Citizens Coalition for our Civic Work can be mailed to CCC at P.O. Box 410083, Cambridge, MA 02141.
For the civic work of the Cambridge Citizens Coalition donate online via ACT BLUE
For Election Work the Nov. 2025 City Council and School Committee donate via ActBlue HERE
CHECKS
Checks for Election efforts sent to Cambridge Citizens Coalition IE PAC can be mailed to CCC at P.O. Box 410291, Cambridge, MA 02141.
Checks to Cambridge Citizens Coalition for our Civic Work can be mailed to CCC at P.O. Box 410083, Cambridge, MA 02141.
THE CITYWIDE UP-ZONING PETITION
Cambridge Citizens Coalition is proud to have been the first Cambridge civic group to submit a zoning petition to end single family exclusionary zoning, the 2021 Advancing Housing Affordability Petition (also referred to as the Donovan Petition): HERE. We believe the 2024-25 citywide luxury housing up-zoning is misguided not only because it lacks design guidelines and oversight, removes legal rights from residents and will lead to home demolitions, evictions, and lease terminations. This citywide planis potentially harmful to the environment, runs counter to our Envision plan, and will primarily benefit outside investors and developers. The local (area, and national) housing crisis around which this proposal has been framed, carries striking commonalities with disaster capitalism actions, with large investment groups buying up local housing, increasing housing costs for renters and owners alike. The resulting "crisis" is being used to pressure local governments to remove long standing zoning guardrails and the legal rights of residents. Read more HERE. CCC also did not support the part-publicly-funded housing development plan known as AHO because it removed design oversight from the Planning Board and legal right to appeal. To date no design guidelines have been submitted for the amended 2021 AHO ordinance which is also without design oversight and has removed legal rights from citizens.
Optional text: As a Cambridge resident, I strongly urge you to oppose the citywide multi-story rezoning petition. There are too many unresolved questions and issues around the current proposed ordinance to create more housing. We need outside independent professionals to help draft a plan that will do what we really need it to do without harming our environment, pushing out lower-income residents, demolishing existing homes, and transforming neighborhoods. Council should let the current proposal expire and start over in the spring.
Outcome of the January 16, 2025 Ordinance Committee meeting on the Upzoning: The final vote was 8 to 1 to go forward with the 4+2 upzoning. Councillor Cathie Zusy was the only Councillor who voted not to support this city up-zoning plan.
Email Contacts for councillors:
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]
Sign Up link for Speaking at any City Meeting (24 hours before): HERE cambridgema.gov/publiccomment (to fill in the "agenda item" or "policy number" simply write "up-zoning" or another topic)
You can watch Cambridge, Massachusetts City Council meetings in several ways, including: On TV: Tune in to Channel 22-City View Local Access
On the Open Meeting Portal: Go to cambridgema.iqm2.com and navigate to the meeting you want to view
On Zoom: Follow the link for City Council Meetings to participate virtually
On 22-CityView: Watch live broadcasts on Mondays at 5:30 PM, and again on Wednesdays at 5:30 PM and Fridays at 10 AM You can also find archived versions of past meetings on the Open Meeting Portal.
Closed captioning is available for City Council meetings. To turn it on or off, you can: Click the live streaming link to watch the meeting Click the “CC” button in the bottom right of the video screen Select “Off” or “On” If you have problems, you can contact the Office of the City Clerk at (617) 349-4260
[email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected]; [email protected];
[email protected]; [email protected]
Sign Up link for Speaking at any City Meeting (24 hours before): HERE cambridgema.gov/publiccomment (to fill in the "agenda item" or "policy number" simply write "up-zoning" or another topic)
You can watch Cambridge, Massachusetts City Council meetings in several ways, including: On TV: Tune in to Channel 22-City View Local Access
On the Open Meeting Portal: Go to cambridgema.iqm2.com and navigate to the meeting you want to view
On Zoom: Follow the link for City Council Meetings to participate virtually
On 22-CityView: Watch live broadcasts on Mondays at 5:30 PM, and again on Wednesdays at 5:30 PM and Fridays at 10 AM You can also find archived versions of past meetings on the Open Meeting Portal.
Closed captioning is available for City Council meetings. To turn it on or off, you can: Click the live streaming link to watch the meeting Click the “CC” button in the bottom right of the video screen Select “Off” or “On” If you have problems, you can contact the Office of the City Clerk at (617) 349-4260
CCC is honored to add three new Advisory Group members to our distinguished team!
Susy Bunanta is a Principle Engineer at Harvard University
Liz Byron, CARE co-founder and Boston Public School Teacher
Dennis Carlone, Architect, Urban Designer, and former Cambridge City Councillor
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NEWS ON THE UP-ZONING PROPOSAL
UP-COMING MEETINGS on the citywide redevelopment (urban renewal) plan:
Monday Jan 27 at 11:00 AM meeting on Charter Review
***Monday Jan 27 at 5:30 PM City Council meeting. They will vote whether to forward the Up-Zoning Plan forward along with any new amendments. There will be public comment at this meeting. Sign up to speak beginning the prior Friday. Also please email councillors with your comments.
Feb 3 5:30 PM First City Council reading of the final up-zoning Proposal (with public comment).
Feb 10 5:30 PM Second (and Final) City Council reading of the up-zoning Proposal (with public comment).
February 11, 2025 date this version of the upzoning proposal runs out if it is not passed.
Monday Jan 27 at 11:00 AM meeting on Charter Review
***Monday Jan 27 at 5:30 PM City Council meeting. They will vote whether to forward the Up-Zoning Plan forward along with any new amendments. There will be public comment at this meeting. Sign up to speak beginning the prior Friday. Also please email councillors with your comments.
Feb 3 5:30 PM First City Council reading of the final up-zoning Proposal (with public comment).
Feb 10 5:30 PM Second (and Final) City Council reading of the up-zoning Proposal (with public comment).
February 11, 2025 date this version of the upzoning proposal runs out if it is not passed.
UPZONING AND GENTRIFICATION
An important NEW study on Up-Zoning and Gentrification in NYC (published in Urban Studies on January 24, 2024 by Minjee Kim et al. addresses how NYC up-zoning has promoted gentrification (by the forcing out of lower income residents by higher income ones). Read the full Study HERE
"We find that upzoning is positively associated with signs of gentrification – upzoned neighbourhoods became whiter, more educated and more affluent in the long run. Upzoning is also associated with increases in housing production, but housing prices also increased. Most importantly, we find that these effects varied significantly by the intensity of upzoning and the pre-upzoning local contexts. Neighbourhoods affected by intense upzonings experienced gentrification more intensely, along with greater housing production, rent growth and housing price appreciation. Black-majority and low-income neighbourhoods experienced gentrification to the greatest extent, while neighbourhoods with high demand for housing saw the greatest increases in housing supply. We discuss different mechanisms of gentrification likely at play for the different types of neighbourhoods."
TO READ: Newton also has addressed upzoning in their recent elections. Read this important Oct 4, 2020 blog on likely impacts: "Upzoning in Newton:Tool to turn over City Middle Class." HERE
IMPORTANT TO WATCH: Zoned Out the Legacy of Code Next (about upzoning and gentrification in Austin Texas): HERE
"We find that upzoning is positively associated with signs of gentrification – upzoned neighbourhoods became whiter, more educated and more affluent in the long run. Upzoning is also associated with increases in housing production, but housing prices also increased. Most importantly, we find that these effects varied significantly by the intensity of upzoning and the pre-upzoning local contexts. Neighbourhoods affected by intense upzonings experienced gentrification more intensely, along with greater housing production, rent growth and housing price appreciation. Black-majority and low-income neighbourhoods experienced gentrification to the greatest extent, while neighbourhoods with high demand for housing saw the greatest increases in housing supply. We discuss different mechanisms of gentrification likely at play for the different types of neighbourhoods."
TO READ: Newton also has addressed upzoning in their recent elections. Read this important Oct 4, 2020 blog on likely impacts: "Upzoning in Newton:Tool to turn over City Middle Class." HERE
IMPORTANT TO WATCH: Zoned Out the Legacy of Code Next (about upzoning and gentrification in Austin Texas): HERE
PRESERVATION AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING:
Philadelphia recently published several reports on the interdependence (and compatibility) of housing preservation and affordable housing: HERE
YARD SIGNS!
CCC has nearly run out of yard signs; we are ordering 2 redesigned versions of our most popular ones! If you can host one in your yard or window let us know & we will bring it.
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January 8, 2025 was an important day for the citywide up-zoning proposal.
View the video of the 1:00 PM Committee meeting with the Urban Planners: HERE
Councillor Zusy held a meeting of the Neighborhood and Long-Term Planning Committee in which she brought in three urban planning experts from MIT and Harvard. They largely opposed the plan the city is now proposing. Councillors were able also to ask questions (see blogpost below). All of the councillors were there with the exception , Councillor Marc McGovern. Unfortunately the sound system was not working, and we will post the video when it is available.
The conclusions of the three experts are that:
1. Cambridge Envision Plan is a very good one, and was created with a lot of citizen buy-in. They should follow this model and also provide visualizations of what things will look like in different areas and work to get citizen buy in.
2. Cambridge should move to form-based zoning - like Somerville, Portland ME, Miami, Denver, and other areas, however this takes time.
3. Resident engagement and buy-in are important.
Later in the day, at 5:00 PM there was a special meeting of the Ordinance Committee for public comment on the proposal. 156 people signed up to speak and the meeting went well into the night. The photo composite below features images from both meetings. At this juncture, it appears that the vast majority of Cambridge civic and political groups oppose the current plan, supporting instead either Councillor Wilson’s 3+3 amended proposal (allowing 3 stories as of right and 6 stories for structures of 10 units or more, e.g. with inclusionary housing)* or allowing this petition to expire. Those groups that support one or both of these two latter options include:
- CARE (Citizens for Affordable, Responsible, and Equitable Housing)
- CCC (Cambridge Citizens Coalition)
- CHJC (Cambridge Housing Justice Coalition)
- CRESA (Cambridge Residents Alliance)
- MSAC (Massachusetts Senior Action Council)
- NAACP (local branch of the National Association of the Advancement of Colored People)
- OR (local branch of Our Revolution - a Bernie Sanders affiliate).
Similar views were voiced by the large majority of the long-term residents of the city who spoke at the Ordinance Committee meeting. The proposal proponents were largely graduate students from Harvard and MIT and members of the pro-builders' group who had proposed this plan, ABC. The students were advised by one speaker near the end of the meeting, who urged them to push their universities to build more housing because the city can't be asked to provide house for university students.
One of the leading Councillors promoting this plan emailed his listserve at 4:00 PM the afternoon of Jan.7, urging them to speak out and support the plan focused on "ending exclusionary housing" – failing to note that this plan is not about allowing multi-family housing to be built citywide. We all support ending 1 and 2 family housing zoning. Indeed, CCC earlier submitted a zoning petition, the Advancing Housing Affordability Petition (the Donovan petition) that would have done just that.
On January 9 a Cambridge Realtor and developer noted that:
A note: the experts all suggested that whatever would be done would see relatively slow results. Today a local real estate agent and developer told us
1. "Zoning enables developers to maximize within the zoning" (they will take advantage of this."
2.. "If this plan passes, we will see almost instantaneous tear-downs because of how the numbers work.
3. Key worries are not only tear-downs but also "heat island impacts, green space, and trees."
On January 11 a Cambridge Resident noted a neighbor (and developer) who indicated he owns 200 properties in Cambridge, is threatening to cut down the trees on the large back yard and build a new taller structure there. Neighbors offered to purchase the part of the property with the trees. The neighbor said he is waiting until the up-zoning passes to determine the value of the property.
Read our blog post on the Meeting with Urban Planning Experts:
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Read Our Other Many Reports on these and Related Subjects:
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On the background of the housing crisis and why you should not just build more. "You have created a situation where ordinary Americans are not bidding against other families, they are bidding against the billionaires of America for these homes. And it's driving up rents and its driving up home prices." U.S. Senator Jeff Merkley, Oregon.
ENVIRONMENT AND TREES
Beudo: What Every Cambridge Resident Should Be Following (7.27.23): HERE
Environmental Impacts & Upzoning: Trees, City Policy, and Practice (10.3.24): HERE
Cambridge Trees: Policy and Impacts (9.29.24): HERE
CCC advisor &landscape architect, Elena Sapporta, reports on Memorial Drive's threatened Sycamore trees HERE
ZONING: CAMBRIDGE SPECIFIC ANALYSES AND OVERVIEWS
Cambridge: Up-zoning Increases Gentrification and Reduces Affordability by Realtor, Ed Abrams (1.14.25) HERE
Three Cambridge Photos: The Story of Upzoning Impacts (1.14.25) HERE
Diversity, Bias, Age, Race & Gentrification in Our Zoning Criteria (1.13.25): HERE
Form-Based Zoning: Cambridge Goal Since 2021 (1.12.25): HERE
Roll the Dice: Randomness Planning & Its Problems (1.12.25): HERE
Mapping Cambridge Housing Diversity and Potential Housing Impacts (3.13.24): HERE
Cambridge Specific Needs: Upzoning for Best Outcomes (11.21.24): HERE
Doing the Math: On Residents Housing and Rezoning (11.18.24): HERE
City Housing Data Matters: Graphs, Maps, Analysis (9.28.24) HERE
Why Housing Prices are So High & Going Higher (10.23.24) HERE (Cambridge/Boston Focus)
How to Get Far Better Housing Results (10.14.24): HERE
Likely Citywide Zoning Impacts: What Most Residents Do Not Know (9.27.24): HERE
Cambridge Residents Speak Out Against the Upzoning (1.7.25): HERE
What Responsible Zoning Entails (9.22.24): HERE
No Rules Zoning: One Architect’s View of demolishing 3-Story Homes (9.15.24): HERE
Zoning-in on the 2024 Cambridge City Council Upzoning Petition (5.10.24): HERE
Cambridge Citywide Upzoning Discussions and Data (10.3.24):HERE
CAMBRIDGE AND COMPARATIVE ENGAGEMENTS
Land Speculation & Property Tax problems (12.17.24): HERE
Housing Prices & Crisis Capitalism (with a Cambridge focus – 12.9.24): HERE
Why Housing Prices are so High and Going Higher (10.23.24) HERE (w. Cambridge data on demolitions, prices)
Disaster Capitalism and our Housing Crisis (12.4.24): HERE
Urban History Matters: Here, There, and in Film (11.27.24): HERE
Towering impacts: Planning Locally for the Realities ahead (11.10.24): HEAD
The Cat in the Hat & Housing: Breaking Past Rules, Likely Outcomes (11.7.24): HERE
How to Get Far Better Housing Results (10.14.24): HERE
Land Speculation & Property Tax problems (12.17.24): HERE
Housing Prices & Crisis Capitalism (with a Cambridge focus – 12.9.24): HERE
Why Housing Prices are so High and Going Higher (10.23.24) HERE (w. Cambridge data on demolitions, prices)
Disaster Capitalism and our Housing Crisis (12.4.24): HERE
Urban History Matters: Here, There, and in Film (11.27.24): HERE
Towering impacts: Planning Locally for the Realities ahead (11.10.24): HEAD
The Cat in the Hat & Housing: Breaking Past Rules, Likely Outcomes (11.7.24): HERE
BROADER POLICY STUDIES AROUND HOUSING, UP-ZONING & COSTS
What happens when a city leaves planning & development up to market forces, without design review and oversight
Urban Planners Speak Out on the Cambridge Upzoning Proposal (1.8.25): HERE
Housing Truths, The Hard Facts (what other scholars are saying - 1.7.25): HERE
Trickle Down & Supply Demand (12.17.24): HERE
NYC lessons & Up-Zoning Housing Policy (12.9.24): HERE
Reinventing the Construction Industry to Build More Housing (12.8.24): HERE
Zoning Lessons from Other Cities: Will We Heed Them (10.31.24) HERE
(includes: Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Portland, San Francisco, Vancouver, & other International)
SCHOOLS
Kennedy-Longfellow School Changes by Cambridge School Committee Member, Elizabeth Hudson (12.17.24) HERE
TRANSPORTATION
Parking Minimalism Plans in Cambridge: Why Facts Matter (2.27.22) HERE
Removing Parking Minimums: Likely Consequences: The Buffalo Story (10.11.22): HERE
UP-ZONING - LOCAL & PUBLICLY FUNDED HOUSING
Upzoning for Dummies: Our citywide up-zoning proposal simplified (10.22.24): HERE
Cambridge Zoning History (with Charles Sullivan - 5.6.21): HERE
(note C.N.A. appears to have removed the video).
Playing Monopoly in Cambridge is Not Just a Game (9.29.21): HERE
Frogs R Us: Unrestrained Development Threatens to Boil us (10.18.21) HERE
Housing for All, Not at All Costs (Doug Brown, Kelly Dolan, Alison Field-Juma
(6.12.19) HERE
CCC 2024 Overview and 2025 Goals (12.30.24) HERE
Radical New AHO Upzoning: Developers Dream (11.18.22) HERE
AHO Interim Report: Past, Present, Future (7.15.24) HERE
Beudo: What Every Cambridge Resident Should Be Following (7.27.23): HERE
Environmental Impacts & Upzoning: Trees, City Policy, and Practice (10.3.24): HERE
Cambridge Trees: Policy and Impacts (9.29.24): HERE
CCC advisor &landscape architect, Elena Sapporta, reports on Memorial Drive's threatened Sycamore trees HERE
ZONING: CAMBRIDGE SPECIFIC ANALYSES AND OVERVIEWS
Cambridge: Up-zoning Increases Gentrification and Reduces Affordability by Realtor, Ed Abrams (1.14.25) HERE
Three Cambridge Photos: The Story of Upzoning Impacts (1.14.25) HERE
Diversity, Bias, Age, Race & Gentrification in Our Zoning Criteria (1.13.25): HERE
Form-Based Zoning: Cambridge Goal Since 2021 (1.12.25): HERE
Roll the Dice: Randomness Planning & Its Problems (1.12.25): HERE
Mapping Cambridge Housing Diversity and Potential Housing Impacts (3.13.24): HERE
Cambridge Specific Needs: Upzoning for Best Outcomes (11.21.24): HERE
Doing the Math: On Residents Housing and Rezoning (11.18.24): HERE
City Housing Data Matters: Graphs, Maps, Analysis (9.28.24) HERE
Why Housing Prices are So High & Going Higher (10.23.24) HERE (Cambridge/Boston Focus)
How to Get Far Better Housing Results (10.14.24): HERE
Likely Citywide Zoning Impacts: What Most Residents Do Not Know (9.27.24): HERE
Cambridge Residents Speak Out Against the Upzoning (1.7.25): HERE
What Responsible Zoning Entails (9.22.24): HERE
No Rules Zoning: One Architect’s View of demolishing 3-Story Homes (9.15.24): HERE
Zoning-in on the 2024 Cambridge City Council Upzoning Petition (5.10.24): HERE
Cambridge Citywide Upzoning Discussions and Data (10.3.24):HERE
CAMBRIDGE AND COMPARATIVE ENGAGEMENTS
Land Speculation & Property Tax problems (12.17.24): HERE
Housing Prices & Crisis Capitalism (with a Cambridge focus – 12.9.24): HERE
Why Housing Prices are so High and Going Higher (10.23.24) HERE (w. Cambridge data on demolitions, prices)
Disaster Capitalism and our Housing Crisis (12.4.24): HERE
Urban History Matters: Here, There, and in Film (11.27.24): HERE
Towering impacts: Planning Locally for the Realities ahead (11.10.24): HEAD
The Cat in the Hat & Housing: Breaking Past Rules, Likely Outcomes (11.7.24): HERE
How to Get Far Better Housing Results (10.14.24): HERE
Land Speculation & Property Tax problems (12.17.24): HERE
Housing Prices & Crisis Capitalism (with a Cambridge focus – 12.9.24): HERE
Why Housing Prices are so High and Going Higher (10.23.24) HERE (w. Cambridge data on demolitions, prices)
Disaster Capitalism and our Housing Crisis (12.4.24): HERE
Urban History Matters: Here, There, and in Film (11.27.24): HERE
Towering impacts: Planning Locally for the Realities ahead (11.10.24): HEAD
The Cat in the Hat & Housing: Breaking Past Rules, Likely Outcomes (11.7.24): HERE
BROADER POLICY STUDIES AROUND HOUSING, UP-ZONING & COSTS
What happens when a city leaves planning & development up to market forces, without design review and oversight
Urban Planners Speak Out on the Cambridge Upzoning Proposal (1.8.25): HERE
Housing Truths, The Hard Facts (what other scholars are saying - 1.7.25): HERE
Trickle Down & Supply Demand (12.17.24): HERE
NYC lessons & Up-Zoning Housing Policy (12.9.24): HERE
Reinventing the Construction Industry to Build More Housing (12.8.24): HERE
Zoning Lessons from Other Cities: Will We Heed Them (10.31.24) HERE
(includes: Austin, Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, Portland, San Francisco, Vancouver, & other International)
SCHOOLS
Kennedy-Longfellow School Changes by Cambridge School Committee Member, Elizabeth Hudson (12.17.24) HERE
TRANSPORTATION
Parking Minimalism Plans in Cambridge: Why Facts Matter (2.27.22) HERE
Removing Parking Minimums: Likely Consequences: The Buffalo Story (10.11.22): HERE
UP-ZONING - LOCAL & PUBLICLY FUNDED HOUSING
Upzoning for Dummies: Our citywide up-zoning proposal simplified (10.22.24): HERE
Cambridge Zoning History (with Charles Sullivan - 5.6.21): HERE
(note C.N.A. appears to have removed the video).
Playing Monopoly in Cambridge is Not Just a Game (9.29.21): HERE
Frogs R Us: Unrestrained Development Threatens to Boil us (10.18.21) HERE
Housing for All, Not at All Costs (Doug Brown, Kelly Dolan, Alison Field-Juma
(6.12.19) HERE
CCC 2024 Overview and 2025 Goals (12.30.24) HERE
Radical New AHO Upzoning: Developers Dream (11.18.22) HERE
AHO Interim Report: Past, Present, Future (7.15.24) HERE
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The Cambridge Citywide Up-zoning Proposal
to add more Luxury Housing to the City
CCC is opposed to Cambridge City Council's 2024-25 Urban Renewal Plan, a citywide up-zoning that seeks to remove existing historic homes and mature trees to add more luxury housing without design guidelines, design oversight or means to appeal.
CCC and many groups across the city do not support the proposed "luxury" housing up-zoning that will make housing more expensive. Some proponents misrepresent this plan as about "affordable" housing which it is not. Neighborhood group leaders across the city have opposed this citywide urban redevelopment plan that largely will benefit outside developers and investors. Rental properties worth hundreds of millions are already being purchased by real estate investors already: HERE Since Cambridge at 6.8 square miles of densely settled streets has few vacant lots, most of the additional homes will come as a result of demolitions of existing homes.
We Have Signs - 6 Different Ones - Let Us Know If You Would Like One!
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WHAT IS IN THE MODIFIED VERSION OF THE UPZONING PLAN VOTED ON BY COUNCIL DEC. 23.
- 9-Story Developments for partially-Publicly Funded Housing in every neighborhood, as of right (with no means of legal appeal).*
- 6-Story (75') Luxury (Market-Rate) Housing in every neighborhood for projects of 10 units or more (e.g. with 20% inclusionary) on 5,000 SF properties (or combined ones) with no design oversight and no means of legal redress.
- 4-Story (45') Base Luxury (Market-Rate) housing in every neighborhood (most heights now are 2.5 stories) with no design oversight and no means of legal redress. There is no requirement that properties must add units.
- Limitation of open space (yard) requirements in all A and B districts to 1/3 the property, with 1/2 being green space
- Set back minimums measured at 5' from the property line at the sides and rear.
- A three or five year comprehensive review.
*Current rules for AHO heights: "Allowable residential height" means that one does not have to get a special permit, even if there are
conditions one must meet. Additionally: 1) In districts where the allowable residential height is no more than 40', AHO projects can have
four stories and 45' in height. 2) In districts where the allowable residential height is more than 40' but no more than 65', AHO projects can
have nine stories and 100' in height; 3) A project on an AHO Corridor Lot can have twelve stories and 140' in height; 4) In districts where
the allowable residential height is more than 65', AHO projects can have thirteen stories and 150' in height; A project in an AHO Square
District can have fifteen stories and 170' in height; 6) There are situations where projects can go even higher.
conditions one must meet. Additionally: 1) In districts where the allowable residential height is no more than 40', AHO projects can have
four stories and 45' in height. 2) In districts where the allowable residential height is more than 40' but no more than 65', AHO projects can
have nine stories and 100' in height; 3) A project on an AHO Corridor Lot can have twelve stories and 140' in height; 4) In districts where
the allowable residential height is more than 65', AHO projects can have thirteen stories and 150' in height; A project in an AHO Square
District can have fifteen stories and 170' in height; 6) There are situations where projects can go even higher.
Is there a real need for this citywide redevelopment upzoning?
This seems to be a bogus issue. The City data shows 58,170 units of housing in the city, with a target of 67,213 by 2030. So roughly 9,000 needed to achieve that target. Nowhere did I hear mention of MIT's commitment in the Volpe Project to 1400 units of residential, roughly 1/6 of the target in a single project. Incidentally, MIT was required to do a massive amount of analysis in support of its 3 million square foot project, including 1.128 million square feet of residential development. On the table, if the Envision housing goal is the metric, is another 5-6 million square feet of residential space by 2030, in addition to the MIT project. And city staff are doing a cursory analysis and providing anecdotal examples, rather than doing this right. Sad, in a city with MIT's Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Harvard's Graduate School of Design, are among the most preeminent in the country if not world. That said, a little analysis would show that the balance could easily be made up with the squares and corridors approach, without draconian upzoning with poorly understood impacts including on water, sewer, traffic, electric utilities, tree canopy, etc. etc. etc.
Who and What will be most harmed?
This seems to be a bogus issue. The City data shows 58,170 units of housing in the city, with a target of 67,213 by 2030. So roughly 9,000 needed to achieve that target. Nowhere did I hear mention of MIT's commitment in the Volpe Project to 1400 units of residential, roughly 1/6 of the target in a single project. Incidentally, MIT was required to do a massive amount of analysis in support of its 3 million square foot project, including 1.128 million square feet of residential development. On the table, if the Envision housing goal is the metric, is another 5-6 million square feet of residential space by 2030, in addition to the MIT project. And city staff are doing a cursory analysis and providing anecdotal examples, rather than doing this right. Sad, in a city with MIT's Department of Architecture and Urban Planning, and Harvard's Graduate School of Design, are among the most preeminent in the country if not world. That said, a little analysis would show that the balance could easily be made up with the squares and corridors approach, without draconian upzoning with poorly understood impacts including on water, sewer, traffic, electric utilities, tree canopy, etc. etc. etc.
Who and What will be most harmed?
- Lower- and Middle-Income Cambridge Residents, minorities, and those on fixed incomes who will likely be evicted or face lease terminations
- The historic and still sustainable housing of Cambridge which will be demolished to make way for new luxury high rises.
- The environment - not only through the loss of our core tree canopy (44% of which is on private land) but also the huge carbon footprint impacts of home demolitions and the cutting down of more trees to create replacements.
- Those seeking to bring DOWN housing costs in Cambridge because not only will individual homes cost more, but property values and taxes will likely jump exponentially, and with added costs to infrastructure - water, sewage and more.
Who Benefits the Most?
- Wealthy residential investor companies, developers, and the building industry.
- Non-residents including international clients seeking to invest their money in Cambridge real estate
- Those simply wanting to park their money in Cambridge real estate.
- Very wealthy individuals in the local biotech and infotech sector as well as those who would like a pied-à-terre in the city.
What Can be Done About it NOW?
- Take action to replace the current Councillors who are promoting this plan and replace them with those who care about the city and its diversity of residents.
What will these new homes look like?
- We can only guess since there is no design oversight. But we can guess. We know that they will be tall and large, with little green space. However the city has not submitted any design guidelines either for this zoning petition or for the 2021 amended AHO zoning petition. See below for 6 and 4 story possibilities
What we do know that this urban renewal plan that calls for silicon valley style "move fast and break it" will lead to the demolition of many historic Cambridge homes that will never be replaced, as well as the influx of a far wealthier population to replace many of our lower income residents and those on fixed incomes, forced out as housing prices sky rocket and property taxes accompany them.
Conflicting Cambridge housing goals: Finding housing numbers for the city remains a difficult endeavor. As a city we are already meeting our city's housing goals (despite COVID) and are on the road to reach our Envision housing goals by 2030. In mid-December 2024, the city (CDD) stated they have miscounted total housing stock for 2023 and adjusted down the numbers to be added for FY24. However, this statement has been contradicted by residents who note that we will have roughly 61,992 of 67,213 new housing units and are likely to meet our 2030 Envision goals. The city now admits that the number of city residents and affiliates on our part-publicly-financed "affordable housing" list (for AHO etc.) is closer to 3,000 and not the 20,000-23,000 advocates had used previously.
Core Proposed Up-Zoning Changes
A Possible Compromise
Work on this is being addressed by CCC, CARE, CRESA, &Justice Housing
- Support C-1 zoning citywide (Option #7). This would end exclusive housing districts citywide providing the densest criteria to the least dense parts of the city. Of course there are downsides to this model, but it may be best for several reasons. One is that it keeps market rate to 35’ (2.5-3 stories) which allows AHO units to remain prioritized (they are now allowable to 45’ or 4 stories (this allows more affordable housing to be created citywide in our various neighborhoods. This also limits the creation of much larger McMansions (without either design oversight plus as of right)
- Support Justice Housing proposal (Ayesha Wilson amendment - Option #3), but with design oversight (plus no “as of right”) and 6 story buildings only on the corridors. Ideally 5 story buildings only on corner properties. This would mean that 35’ heights would be maintained along with some of the densest zoning in the city. It also would mean that affordable housing (now delimited as allowable to 4 stories) would still trump market rate housing, which would mean that more affordable housing is likely to be built. And with a few adjustments:
- Require design review for projects with the Planning Board, BZA or Historical Commission for demolitions of buildings older than 50 years old (as happens now for C-1). This is the only way residents and professionals can speak to specific design improvements.
- Remove "As of Right" language in the up-zoning petition .
- For both C-1 and all project proposals, require 50% of open space be green space (permeable ground).
- Require that 6 story buildings be on the corridors and 5 story buildings be on the corners (except if avenues already have taller height allowances for market housing, or by special permit)
- Require a 5-year review, and then regular 10 year reviews of the upzoning to address factors like: the number and neighborhoods of demolitions, the numbers and neighborhoods of evictions or lease terminations, impact on infrastructure (water, sewage, transit, parking, schools & other services, impact on the environment.
The Numbers & Rationales: City Goals
The city's Community Development Department (CDD) has stated as a basic premise that Cambridge will not meet our 2030 Housing Goals without a radical up-zoning. However this assumption is highly questionable.
According to the Cambridge City Manager's report as of June 2023, Cambridge housing stock includes 57,894 units either available or under construction. 8,591 of these are public housing (tax payer sponsored housing).
One city resident has looked at the numbers posted by CDD and addressed this on a neighborhood listserve. They have pointed out that 3050 units have been created since 2019 (source: CDD's June 30, 2024 on the Public Housing Inventory. When we add to this 750 units now being built and the 3,950 units that have now been permitted after June of 2023 (source HERE) we come up with a total of 7750 units of the city's 2030 goal of 12,500 units (or 62% achieved based on the 2018 goal based on housing data at that time. This makes it likely we will meet the 2030 goal without a radical up-zoning. In short, the rationales for this radical up-zoning are based on faulty assumptions, and this is not even taking into account the enormous impacts that COVID has had locally and around the world on the construction industry, including parts availability and workers.
According to the Cambridge City Manager's report as of June 2023, Cambridge housing stock includes 57,894 units either available or under construction. 8,591 of these are public housing (tax payer sponsored housing).
One city resident has looked at the numbers posted by CDD and addressed this on a neighborhood listserve. They have pointed out that 3050 units have been created since 2019 (source: CDD's June 30, 2024 on the Public Housing Inventory. When we add to this 750 units now being built and the 3,950 units that have now been permitted after June of 2023 (source HERE) we come up with a total of 7750 units of the city's 2030 goal of 12,500 units (or 62% achieved based on the 2018 goal based on housing data at that time. This makes it likely we will meet the 2030 goal without a radical up-zoning. In short, the rationales for this radical up-zoning are based on faulty assumptions, and this is not even taking into account the enormous impacts that COVID has had locally and around the world on the construction industry, including parts availability and workers.
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IN THE NEWS...
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Boston Globe article (11.21.24) titled "‘We love these buildings’: Should developers get to build six stories anywhere in Cambridge?"
Cambridge Day (11.20.24) Opinion Piece "Zoning lessons from other cities: Will we heed them?"
Harvard Crimson (11.13.24) article titled "'Radical and Irresponsible': Residents Blast Zoning Upheaval at Planning Board Hearing."
Harvard Crimson (10.13.24) on the Neighborhood and Longterm Planning meeting with Neighborhood Group Leaders: Meeting Video (11.13.24): HERE
Boston Globe on former Public Housing Project (now Luxury Condos) HERE
Cambridge Day (11.20.24) Opinion Piece "Zoning lessons from other cities: Will we heed them?"
Harvard Crimson (11.13.24) article titled "'Radical and Irresponsible': Residents Blast Zoning Upheaval at Planning Board Hearing."
Harvard Crimson (10.13.24) on the Neighborhood and Longterm Planning meeting with Neighborhood Group Leaders: Meeting Video (11.13.24): HERE
Boston Globe on former Public Housing Project (now Luxury Condos) HERE
In Cambridge, if we had better regulations, we would have been about to press to relocate the above duplex at 231 Third Street and its rental unit tenants).
LOOK UP - KEY DATA AND MEETINGS ON THE UPZONING
Foreseeable Problems with the Proposed citywide 6 story up-zoning Plan:
- There are serious environmental, infrastructure, and likely increased housing cost problems with the radical proposed citywide up-zoning that likely will see increased demolitions of existing historical sustainable homes to enable large box-like luxury housing that will have far higher price tags than current housing.
- in Ottawa, Canada, 85% of new condos were purchased by investors, who will financially benefit from the increased rental prices in them: HERE
- in Arlington, VA a Judge recently struck down the city’s MMH Plan on which Cambridge’s proposed plan is based and further enhances: A key issue in the suit is that this plan “…would overwhelm or even destroy their neighborhoods, clogging up their streets and storm drains and removing tree canopy.” Washington Post 9.27.24
Our dense neighbor, Somerville, as a strong city plan with regard to residential and other buildings. Here are some links with features of this plan.
ACTION ALERT
CDD has now posted zoning language for the massive proposed City Up-zoning. Read more HERE.
SOME OF WHAT THIS PROPOSED UP-ZONING FEATURES h
SOME OF WHAT THIS PROPOSED UP-ZONING FEATURES h
- Citywide market-rate multifamily residential (as of right) in every city residential neighborhood, most criteria consistent with our current denser C-1 neighborhoods of East Cambridge.
- 6 story (75 feet) height as of right. Since most housing in Cambridge is 2.5 stories tall and 75 feet is the equivalent visually of 7.5 stories, these structures may rise 5 stories above the heights of neighboring homes, cutting down sunlight and blocking views of the sky.
- New homes & additions now may be built to property line for sides & back; there is a front setback of 0' or 5' or 10’ dependent on current zoning. This will result in the loss of considerable amounts of current green spaces and trees citywide. This may also block window light other features of neighboring homes.
- No required design oversight (Planning Board is advisory, and then only for larger projects). Large boxy structures with little if any interest in adornment or quality of materials are likely to prevail.
- Required open space becomes only 30% in all city residential areas: cutting back significantly from current requirements in many neighborhoods. This will result in the loss of considerable trees and green space in neighborhoods across the city.
- Required open space can include roofs, decks, garage tops, as well as permeable paving, pedestrian walkways, and bicycle parking. This still further eliminates existing green spaces and trees.
- No minimal spatial dimensions are stipulated in meeting the "open space" requirement (prior zoning had a 15'x 15' requirement. This means that a set of very small unusable spaces could count as open space; these likely will make it difficult to retain or plant new trees.
- If this up-zoning proposal passes, new city "AHO projects in every residential neighborhood will be allowed to reach "...AT LEAST 13 STORIES HIGH" (emphasis added) and to reach up to 15 stories high in Harvard Square, Central Square, Porter Square, and Cambridge St/Webster. Stated: HERE (See 1.207.5.2 in the section on "AHO Dimensional Standards"). AHO criteria also will be modified (downwards) to become equal to (no more onerous than) the new zoning requirements.
- Most new market rate and AHO projects with this up-zoning will require the demolition of existing homes and the removal of current tenants. These residents likely will have to leave the city. Related demolitions carry significant environmental consequences. The removal and rebuilding of a structure is estimated cause 40,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions, and a new "green" building will take c. 80 years to recoup the damage done.
- Any new housing with this up-zoning is likely to be considerably more expensive than the housing it replaces. This will increase property values of owners and neighbors, which in turn will increased taxes owned the city each year, impacting low and moderate income residents and seniors on fixed income.
- These up-zoning changes are likely to impact our denser, poorer neighborhoods much more heavily and will exacerbate ongoing gentrification in these areas and elsewhere.
- These up-zoning changes will significantly reduce sunlight for neighboring homes and also reduce green spaces, gardens, and trees.
- These new buildings will have no required parking and will likely exacerbate city parking and traffic problems.
- These up-zoning changes may have severe (often un-planned) impacts on our existing infrastructure and possibly on the safety of residents (increasing potential d loss of property and life if fire fighter access is restricted.
- This up-zoning is likely to impact the health and mortality rates in denser neighborhoods as ambient temperatures rise due to the increasing loss of mature trees and canopy.
We have also created several new blog posts including "What Responsible Zoning Entails" with a number of key questions to address before we go forward. This Is especially important because, as a recent NPR report makes clear, the impact of expanded luxury apartments on overall community housing prices is a complex and highly contested issue among economists and housing researchers, with local experts at MIT and Tufts underscoring that additional luxury housing often actually increases community wide housing prices: HERE In short, Cambridge is not Minneapolis or Chicago (or even Austin). We need a Cambridge solution for a Cambridge and area set of problems.
CITY COUNCIL HOUSING COMMITTEE PROPOSING MASSIVE CITY WIDE UP-ZONING
MARK YOUR CALENDARS: May 22,2024 Housing Committee, the citywide up-zoning returns to the Housing Committee.
Allowances will allow dense C-1 zoning criteria for residential areas citywide and may include 6 stories for buildings with 10 units or more with mandated inclusionary zoning. There are also large increases in allowable occupancy levels, with no building design oversight, and no required parking.
What are we trying to achieve? If this is about adding more affordable housing (a key city goal), this will not work, and indeed will make things worse by encouraging more market rate competition to public housing developers. As the current situation has shown, no market rate developer wants to build 10-unit apartment or condo structures if it means adding 20% inclusionary. Instead, they l build 9-unit structures. And as we add more density, heat island impacts rise. In all probability, if this zoning proposal passes, these developers will compete with public housing (AHO) developers for properties, and the former will have ample funds to win.
A-1 districts (and others) may be rezoned to C-1 (East Cambridge) levels and may see a decline from 6,000 SF lot sizes to 1,200 SF lot sizes (the latter would become generalized citywide) . This proposed plan would remove large amounts of green space and trees. Therecould be far more units within each property, without a parking or planned neighborhood infrastructure changes. We likely will see historic house tear downs to build large McMansions or multi-unit luxury condos. None of these proposed plans would require BZA approval.
Where is the process on this?. No city staff members have reached out to let residents know about this highly consequential proposal. We should not make the same mistake we did on the AHO-2 where the proposal was rushed into zoning language and all one could do was tweak it.
Allowances will allow dense C-1 zoning criteria for residential areas citywide and may include 6 stories for buildings with 10 units or more with mandated inclusionary zoning. There are also large increases in allowable occupancy levels, with no building design oversight, and no required parking.
What are we trying to achieve? If this is about adding more affordable housing (a key city goal), this will not work, and indeed will make things worse by encouraging more market rate competition to public housing developers. As the current situation has shown, no market rate developer wants to build 10-unit apartment or condo structures if it means adding 20% inclusionary. Instead, they l build 9-unit structures. And as we add more density, heat island impacts rise. In all probability, if this zoning proposal passes, these developers will compete with public housing (AHO) developers for properties, and the former will have ample funds to win.
A-1 districts (and others) may be rezoned to C-1 (East Cambridge) levels and may see a decline from 6,000 SF lot sizes to 1,200 SF lot sizes (the latter would become generalized citywide) . This proposed plan would remove large amounts of green space and trees. Therecould be far more units within each property, without a parking or planned neighborhood infrastructure changes. We likely will see historic house tear downs to build large McMansions or multi-unit luxury condos. None of these proposed plans would require BZA approval.
Where is the process on this?. No city staff members have reached out to let residents know about this highly consequential proposal. We should not make the same mistake we did on the AHO-2 where the proposal was rushed into zoning language and all one could do was tweak it.
The Added Problem with Tear-downs In this Up-zoning
A useful article on environmental cost of demolitions here: https://restoreoregon.org/2021/04/12/understanding-the-carbon-cost-of-demolition/
- "Conservatively speaking, residential and commercial demolitions in the City of Portland are responsible for 124,741 metric tons of C02 emissions per year, which amounts to approximately 4.5 percent of the City’s total annual reduction goal."
- "This study finds that it takes 10 to 80 years for a new building that is 30 percent more efficient than an average-performing existing building to overcome, through efficient operations, the negative climate change impacts related to the construction process.”
- "calling upon policy makers to acknowledge the environmental impact of sending usable buildings to landfills; strive for density without demolition; provide meaningful incentives for retention and reuse; and maintain or strengthen demolition review requirements for designated historic properties."
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HOUSING
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.
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).
'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).
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.
Other Cambridge Citizens Coalition Research and Opinion Pieces published in Cambridge Day
Weekly Calendars of Local 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 E: Find It Cambridge 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
Weekly Calendar E: Find It Cambridge HERE
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
POLICIES THAT MATTER ON:
Cambridge Citizens Coalition (CCC) is dedicated to thoughtful city planning, smart development, good governance policies, sustainability, housing affordability, and the preservation of our trees, green spaces, and historic architecture.
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)
POLICIES THAT MATTER ON:
Cambridge Citizens Coalition (CCC) is dedicated to thoughtful city planning, smart development, good governance policies, sustainability, housing affordability, and the preservation of our trees, green spaces, and historic architecture.
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)
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-$40 yearly either to help CCC 's active Civic work (at the Act Blue link above) or to support complementary city election efforts at CambridgePac.org: HERE
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MAILING DONATION CHECK$
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.
CCC is committed to promoting good governance and to driving positive urban change. To fuel our mission, we rely on the generosity of individuals like you.CCC is committed to promoting good governance and to driving positive urban change. To fuel our mission, we rely on the generosity of individuals like you.
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 marginalized and individuals practicing every religious faith.
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.