Proposed Affordable Wendell Street Development Draws Backlash at Tense Meeting

Tensions ran high in the Baldwin School cafeteria Thursday night as more than 40 Cambridge residents sparred over a proposed eight-story affordable housing development set to be built in the Baldwin neighborhood.

Representatives from nonprofit developer Homeowner’s Rehab, Inc did their best to woo angry residents about the merits of the development, which will bring upwards of 80 affordable units to a property at 28-30 Wendell Street.

But as some attendees applauded the efforts to bring more affordable housing to the neighborhood, the majority remained irate about the planned development, which they said was too tall and too dense for a neighborhood where the tallest buildings average four stories.

“It’s too tall, it’s huge,” one Baldwin neighborhood resident said. “It’s like a warehouse on our block.” Another called it a “monstrosity.”

The development is among the first to begin the planning process under Cambridge’s Affordable Housing Overlay, which allows developers to construct buildings that exceed height and density requirements without special permission from the city, provided the developments contain only affordable units.

As a result, though the developers agreed to decrease the building’s height by one story — shaving off 10-and-a-half feet and 15 units — following a similar community meeting in June, the project is likely to roll ahead even despite concerted opposition from some neighbors. That reality was on full display at Thursday’s meeting, as some attendees said they felt powerless to halt or modify the project.

“Your mind has all been made up. There’s not going to be any tweaks, and if any of us think that that’s going to happen, that’s really misguided,” another neighborhood resident said. Most residents did not introduce themselves by name when they spoke.

The blowback comes amid growing resistance from some quarters in the city toward local officials’ attempts to boost housing construction. A proposal to eliminate single-family zoning met a similarly icy reception at a Planning Board hearing on Tuesday.

Still, many attendees praised the development, which they said was necessary to address Cambridge’s severe shortage of affordable housing.

“I’m looking forward to welcoming these families, and I really appreciate the work you've done to make the community a part of the process,” Sam Polzin, a neighborhood resident, said.

James G. Stockard, Jr. — a lecturer at the Harvard Graduate School of Design and a founding member of the city’s Affordable Housing Trust — emphasized that he wanted to make “every room available” for families that were struggling to make ends meet.

Like most of the supporters, he added that he was disappointed by the decision to remove the top story from the project.

“I’d like to welcome those 15 families, and maybe we can’t because of the height issue. But those are the people I want to think about,” Stockard said.

But as HRI attempted to respond to specific concerns, the crowd grew more unruly and intolerant of the project’s proponents.

When Cambridge City Councilor Burhan Azeem — an outspoken proponent of affordable housing – voiced his support for development, angry residents interrupted him, yelling, “Do you live in this neighborhood?” and “This isn’t a chance for a political speech, this is a community meeting.”

In response to the opponents of the development, Tyler Beaupre reminded the crowd that the loud majority at the meeting was not necessarily representative of the neighborhood.

“I know you might not feel represented in this one moment, but it’s also possible you might be in the minority within your neighborhood or within your district,” Beaupre said.

Attempting to alleviate the heated discussion, some residents expressed it was possible to reach a balance between the two sides.

“We do care about the 15 families,” Betsy Bard said. “We also care about the people who live here. So we’re trying to make both people feel welcome and cared for and respected and having their voices heard.”

—Staff writer Laurel M. Shugart can be reached at laurel.shugart@thecrimson.com. Follow them on X @laurelmshugart or on Threads @laurel.shugart.

—Staff writer Grace E. Yoon can be reached at grace.yoon@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @graceunkyoon.