Cambridge Council OKs $400,000 Mass Ave Corridor Planning Study

CAMBRIDGE — March 6, 2023 — Cambridge City Council unanimously approved $150,000 toward a $400,000 planning study of Massachusetts Avenue and accepted a report affirming the city's AAA bond rating from all three major credit agencies. The council voted 9-0 to appropriate the free-cash funds, with an existing $250,000 account balance covering the remainder of the project budget, which will hire a consultant and convene a working group for the stretch of Mass Ave running from Cambridge Common to Alewife Brook Parkway. Councilor E. Denise Simmons pressed Community Development Director Iram Farooq for a written outreach plan before work begins, calling on staff to reach seniors, small businesses, the interfaith community, and non-English-speaking residents rather than rely on self-selected lists. Assistant City Manager David Kale told the council Cambridge saves between $1.4 million and $2.8 million annually on bond interest as a result of the AAA designation, and that the city's unfunded pension liability is on track to be retired by 2026. More than 20 public speakers urged the council to fund the community alternative-response program HART, with a Lexington father describing how his son was shot with a beanbag round by police during a mental health crisis.