‘What’s the Hold Up?’: Cambridge City Councilors Disagree on Whether Central Square is Ready for Rezoning

Cambridge City Councilors voted to prioritize the rezoning of northern Massachusetts Ave. and of Cambridge St. over that of Central in a committee meeting on Tuesday amid disagreement on whether Central Square is ready for rezoning.

The disagreement followed a presentation by the Community Development Department to the Neighborhood & Long Term Planning, Public Facilities, Arts & Celebration committees, outlining its progress on drafting rezoning proposals for corridors and squares across the city.

Councilors agreed that the rezoning of Central Square has been discussed for years, but some Councilors in the joint committee meeting said that the drafting of a rezoning for Central Square lacked sufficient public engagement established by a policy order years ago for rezoning of Mass. Ave.

Vice Mayor Marc C. McGovern said the City established a working group for North Mass Ave., but that “I don’t think we followed that same process for Central Square.”

“I wonder why we didn’t when we did it in these other neighborhoods,” he added.

Councilor Patty M. Nolan ’80 and Councilor Catherine “Cathie” Zusy said they were disappointed that other areas will now take precedence over Central Square.

“We had promised the community that we would move forward on Central Square – in fact when we took on the multi-family work there was some concern that we had once again put off Central Square zoning,” Nolan wrote in an email.

“It just seems like poor Central Square is stuck in time,” Zusy said. “What is it out of our lack of courage to actually have to make the hard decisions about tradeoffs that keeps us from bringing that study to conclusion?”

Councilors were not the only ones who disagreed on which neighborhood was more ready for rezoning.

When asked by Nolan whether Central Square rezoning would be the most ready, zoning and development director Jeff Roberts said “I think that’s the correct reading of what we put together.”

Yet city staff said that the process with Cambridge Street was further along, following the city’s publication of a plan for the area in February of 2023.

The Cambridge Street rezoning would run from Inman Square to Lechmere Station, and is considering an increase in the allowable height of residential buildings while limiting that of commercial ones.

The northern Mass Ave. rezoning plan would affect a two-mile stretch from Cambridge Common to Alewife Brook Parkway, at the northern edge of the city. A current draft recommends zoning to allow at least eight-story residential buildings “with potential for density bonuses.”

Despite the disagreement, all councilors in the committee voted in favor of a motion to direct the city to prioritize North Mass Ave. and Cambridge St.’s zoning and then proceed as soon as possible with Central Square.

— Staff writer Diego García Moreno can be reached at diego.garciamoreno@thecrimson.com.

— Staff Writer Summer E. Rose can be reached at summer.rose@thecrimson.com.