City Councillors Hear Activists' Pleas

Less than a month after Holmes Reality Trust's plan to redevelop Central Square was approved by the Cambridge Planning Board, city councillors heard pleas Monday night from Cantabrigians who demanded more of a public voice in the development's design.

Other development issues--including legal aid to low-income tenants and preservation of a community garden--dominated the more than two hours of public discussion at the Council meeting.

The Holmes plan to demolish existing businesses located at the intersection of Mass. Ave. and Prospect Street has faced opposition since it was first proposed several years ago.

Activists from the Save Central Square (SCS) coalition have collected more than 3,500 signatures protesting the lack of public input in the design review process.

Planning board members are currently in the process of reviewing Holmes's plans for the site.

"Every request to the community development board for public input has been turned down," said David Hoika, an SCS member.

Hoika and other activists said they would like to see the public plaza along Mass. Ave. and Western Ave. remain at least the same size and provide open spaces for residents and patrons of nearby businesses.

Other SCS protesters critiqued what they describe as insufficient information about plans for traffic flow in Central Square after the redevelopment. Cantabrigians also expressed concerns about other development projects in Central Square.

Several members of the Broadway-Boardman Community Gardening (BBCG) organization attended Monday's meeting and urged councillors to examine the possible effect of a land sale on a small community garden located several blocks from Central Square.

Members of BBCG have gardened in the area--which is owned by candy manufacturer Squirrel Brands--for more than twenty years, according to Rebecca L. Ramsey, a BBCG coordinator.

Squirrel Brands announced earlier this year that they plan to sell their company and the land on which it is located.

BBCG members are concerned that the new owners of the property will not recognize the importance of the community garden to Cambridge.

"As you travel east on Broadway towards Kendall Square, the more it feels like you're in the center of Boston," Ramsey told the Council.

The community garden has remained a bucolic, open space in the center of ever-increasing urbanization, Ramsey said.

Legal Aid

The Council unanimously voted to grant $50,000 to Cambridge-Somerville Legal Services (CSLS), a non-profit organization that provides free legal advice to low income citizens.

Several beneficiaries of CSLS testified that the organization's assistance permitted them to remain in their homes when they were facing eviction.

"It's a critical program in this time of housing crisis," said Cantabrigian Sherry Tucker. Tucker has lived in the city for more than ten years and was recently presented with an eviction notice.

"Because of legal aid services, I am able to stay another year," she said.