Cambridge Ordinance Committee Chooses Stricter Option Two for Cambridge Street Active-Use Zoning

CAMBRIDGE — April 6, 2026 — Cambridge's Ordinance Committee voted 6-2 to pursue the strictest active-use zoning option for Cambridge Street, requiring ground-floor retail or comparable uses in buildings taller than three stories. The April 6 vote — on a motion by Councilor Patricia Nolan, seconded by Councilor Tim Flaherty — directs the Community Development Department to draft a zoning petition embodying "Option Two," the most restrictive of three frameworks presented by CDD Senior Manager Evan Spittrini, while retaining the Warren Street spur in the CAM-6 district rather than downzoning it to residential. Chair Marc McGovern and Vice Mayor Sumbul Azeem voted no; Azeem argued the committee was imposing "the strictest zoning in the city" on a corridor whose height limits had never actually changed, warning the mandate would produce four-story all-residential buildings rather than the mixed-use development sought. The committee also voted 8-0 to require special permits for formula businesses on Cambridge Street and 8-0 to revert a section of Monsignor O'Brien Highway to the Business A zoning district, shielding the already-under-construction 8 Winter Street project from active-use mandates. Jason Alves, Executive Director of the East Cambridge Business Association, called Option Two "simple" and "the most restrictive" option giving the council the most flexibility going forward.