Cambridge City Council Votes 8-0 to Advance Citywide Multifamily Zoning Framework

CAMBRIDGE — September 16, 2024 — Cambridge City Council advances citywide multifamily zoning, adds analysis requirements. The council voted 8-0 Monday to adopt Policy Order 2024-217 as amended, directing the Community Development Department to draft zoning language that would allow multifamily buildings up to six stories by right in all residential neighborhoods — while also requiring CDD to model alternative height scenarios, including nine to 10 stories on main corridors and 15 to 25 stories in squares, and to assess the impact of changing the city's 20 percent inclusionary zoning requirement. An 8-0 companion vote mandates CDD-led public community meetings before any Ordinance Committee or Planning Board hearings. Amendments were offered by Councilor Paul Toner and Councilor Patricia Nolan, and by Councilor Quinton Wilson, who added a direction to evaluate whether zoning relief could be limited to projects larger than nine units or exceeding 10,000 square feet. Forty-two residents signed up for public comment; supporters cited American Community Survey data showing Cambridge median rent rose from $2,400 to $2,900 per month in a single year, while critics warned the proposal would accelerate demolition of naturally occurring affordable housing. Separately, the council voted 6-2 — Councilor Azeem and Councilor Nolan dissenting — to pass on emergency grounds a six-month extension of the permitting preference period for Priority A cannabis social equity applicants under Cambridge Municipal Code Chapter 5.50.040.