Cambridge Zoning Board Denies Central Square Banner, Approves Six Other Cases

CAMBRIDGE -- March 14, 2024, Cambridge's Zoning Board of Appeal denied a banner variance for a Central Square business and approved six other applications at its March 14 meeting. The board voted 3-2 to reject a request by Art and Visual Communications on behalf of a client at 585 Massachusetts Avenue, finding no qualifying hardship for a 20-square-foot banner to be mounted above the city's 20-foot sign-height limit; Chair Jim Monteverde said he had walked the street beforehand and found no comparable signage at that elevation. The board unanimously approved a special permit for La Saison Bakery at 407 Concord Avenue to expand outdoor seating to 20 seats, extend hours to 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Fridays through Sundays, and host unamplified live music between noon and 2 p.m. on weekends, with more than 100 neighbors having signed letters in support. Van Lewin Ice Cream received a 5-0 special permit to open at 1 Brattle Square in a formerly vacant Harvard Square storefront, conditioned on submission of a Harvard Square Advisory Committee support letter. A 320 Bent Street sign variance passed 4-1, and a special permit for a 1,300-square-foot addition at 5 Phillips Place was approved 5-0 conditioned on historic commission sign-off; the board also granted both a variance and special permit for an addition to a 2,370-square-foot lot at 17 Fifth Street, with member Bill Beam casting the sole dissenting vote on the variance over glazing concerns near a neighboring rental unit.