New City Zoning Rule Favors Low-Cost Homes

The City Council last night approved Cambridge's first use of inclusionary zoning, a type of regulation that automatically favors developers who include inexpensive housing in their projects.

The zoning provision, which affects a 300-acre slice of Ward 5 in Cambridgeport, was passed as an amendment to a ``downzoning'' of the area.

Cambridge Civic Association Councilors David E. Sullivan and Alice K. Wolf sponsored the amendment to replace provisions that had been added to the proposal two weeks ago. Sullivan said that ``our formula is more precise and more predictable, and it guarantees an incentive to produce affordable housing.''

The provision resembles the ``linkage'' ordinances that liberal councilors have often tried to pass in Cambridge. A linkage ordinance would require all developers in the city to provide low-income housing or to contribute to a fund for the same, as compensation for their projects' effects on the city's housing stock, property values and traffic problems.

Last night's decision was seen as a step towards such a regulation. Under the new zoning designation, developers in the area, which is south of Mass. Ave between Harvard and MIT, may choose to accept the limits of the more restrictive ``Residence C'' zoning, which permits a project with up to 6 units of housing on 1,200 square feet of land. But for the first time, builders may also choose ``Residence C-1'' provisions--which permit up to 10 units on the same land--in return for an agreement to sell half the ``bonus units'' (i.e., extra units allowed by the more generous zoning) for $85,000 or less--in this case, two units out of ten.

``It's the best we can do under the circumstances,'' said David Sullivan.

Bill Cavellini, chairman of the Ward 5 Democratic Committee, presented an alternative proposal for the downzoning to the Council. He said his proposal would be more likely to preserve the area's stock of affordable housing.

His proposal would have included restrictions on the controversial Simplex housing development near MIT. The city's new regulation does not affect that land. Community activists have insisted for the past two years that the site's owners should build low-income housing there.

Sidestepping the festering Simplex controversy, the council avoided' discussion of Cavellini's proposal, and concluded the hearing quickly.

In a preceding hearing, councilors grilled City Manager Robert M. Healy and the city auditors about this year's skyrocketing property assessments. Healy said last week that property values would increase about 40 percent this year in Cambridge, and he told councilors last night that the city's tax levy will increase by $3 million.

Director of Revaluation Peter Helwing answered the questions of the councilors with a highly technical description of the master computer program which uses statistical techniques to derive property values for every taxable building in the city from trends in the past five years' property sales. The resulting confusion prompted the councilors to request that Helwig produce a detailed description of how the assessors reached conclusions about the value of the councilors' own homes.

The city manager's budget proposal, which he released yesterday, calls for city expenditures of about $192 million. Councilor Alfred E. Vellucci suggested requiring Harvard and MIT to double their Payments in lieu of taxes, which now total $1.5 million, as an additional source of revenue.