Cambridge Committee Advances Zoning Overhaul Dropping Kinship-Based Housing Definitions

CAMBRIDGE — May 22, 2024 — Cambridge's Ordinance Committee voted 7-0 to send a zoning overhaul to the full City Council that would eliminate kinship-based definitions of residential use. The petition, developed by the Community Development Department and the Law Department after the Cambridge LGBTQ Plus Commission flagged the issue, replaces the existing "family" definition — which caps unrelated occupants at three before triggering lodging-house classification — with a new "residential household" concept rooted in shared living and housekeeping rather than biological relationship. Jeff Roberts, Director of Zoning and Development, told the committee the changes would also codify a 30-day occupancy threshold, consistent with state landlord-tenant law, to sharpen the line between residential lodging houses and transient accommodations such as hotels — closing an ambiguity the city grappled with during lodging-house debates in 2023. The Planning Board issued a positive recommendation after its May 7 hearing, and the committee adopted the board's minor language tweaks by substitution before forwarding the measure. Councilor Toner and Councilor Zine were absent; Vice Mayor McGovern chaired.