Cambridge Zoning Board Approves Eight Relief Requests, Continues Cafe Kitchen Case

CAMBRIDGE — September 26, 2024 — Cambridge Zoning Board clears eight property cases in one session, defers cafe kitchen fight to October. The Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeals voted unanimously on all five meeting items put to a final vote on September 26, granting special permits and variances for projects ranging from a stair dormer at 23 Myrtle Avenue — approved over a non-binding denial by the Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commission — to a Verizon Wireless antenna upgrade at 19-R Industrial Park Road that reduces the site's antenna count from 13 to 11. Homeowner Martin Wartak told the board the design had been modified in response to conservation commission feedback, including eliminating a first-floor front bump-out: "A lot of the historical commission comments, we're trying to listen to and be respectful." The board also approved accessory dwelling unit conversions at 60 Rice Street and 15 Hawthorn Place, the latter granted on a personal hardship finding tied to a homeowner's adult son with significant health problems. The only case not resolved was 148-150 Western Avenue, a neighborhood cafe seeking to lift a 14-year-old prohibition on on-site cooking and add alcohol service; Chair Jim Monteverdi and member Stephen Ng said the single floor plan on file — appearing to be the original 2010 document — lacked a kitchen layout, exhaust design, and waste management detail, and the matter was continued to October 24 after Mayor Denise Simmons filed a letter of support and three neighboring households filed in opposition.