Cambridge City Council
City Council delays ShotSpotter vote during special meeting
Despite four dozen public commenters and hours of debate, Thursday’s special meeting of Cambridge City Council meant to address public safety concerns ended with no action when Councillor Ayah Al-Zubi used her charter right to delay a vote on a policy order to reinstate ShotSpotter. Read more Planning Board, Ordinance Committee pan Brown petition Her […]
Planning Board, Ordinance Committee pan Brown petition
A controversial zoning petition proposed by Cambridge resident Doug Brown looks unlikely to stand after meetings of Planning Board and Ordinance Committees. On July 14, the Planning Board’s five members voted unanimously to submit a negative recommendation for the petition back to the city council. A week later, the Ordinance Committee, which includes all city […]
Cambridge councillors right to stop ShotSpotter
Cambridge Day does not endorse candidates or positions. Views expressed in this column are those of the writers. Read more Hire Full-Service Movers Across The USA The killing of Xavier Bautista has shaken Cambridge communities, and as Cambridge residents we grieve alongside his family. Too many neighbors, particularly in Cambridge’s Black and brown communities, have […]
Community members criticize city officials in meeting following Bautista’s death
Cambridge residents demanded that city officials take accountability and improve public safety in the Port neighborhood following the shooting of Xavier Bautista, a Cambridge resident and Department of Public Works employee, at a July 8 meeting. Read more Goodbye for Charlie’s? Beer garden is cleaned out Over 200 attendees packed into a meeting room in […]
ShotSpotter debate reignited after July 4 shooting
A fatal shooting early in the morning on July 4 has added heat to a smoldering debate over whether Cambridge should have kept a gunshot detection surveillance system in place. That system, ShotSpotter, had been in use by the city since 2014 until it was discontinued after a City Council vote May 18. Read more […]
City recommends changes to multifamily housing ordinance
Feelings were mixed in city hall on Thursday, as the City of Cambridge Community Development Department proposed changes to Cambridge’s Multifamily Housing Ordinance (MFHO) that would increase the overall amount of setbacks, require more ground-level green space, and prohibit tall buildings with units that average more than 2,000 square feet. Read more Are we losing […]
City Council tries to ground AirBNB, rental algorithms
City Council on Monday took aim at two kinds of technology it thinks has caused upward pressure on rent, one being short-term rental platforms, the other pricing algorithms used by large residential property owners. The council accepted a new ordinance petition intended to crack down on unregistered short-term rentals advertised on booking companies like AirBnb […]
A tale of two liquor laws
Is Cambridge getting more lax about liquor? Two policies are telling two different stories. Read more Mass. high court strikes rent control question from ballot New public drinking permissions during the World Cup suggest a more laissez-faire approach. But the same Cambridge department that fast-tracked the state’s idea to extend bar hours and offer alcohol […]
Council shields women’s shelters from federal funding cuts
During its meeting Monday June 22, Cambridge City Council unanimously approved $625,000 in funds for local nonprofits that provide emergency housing and services for victims of sexual assault and domestic abuse. The nonprofits, which include Transition House in Central Square and the De Novo Center for Justice and Healing in East Cambridge, lost funding provided […]
Flaherty effort to save ShotSpotter misfires
The full city council rejected a last-ditch effort by Councillor Timothy Flaherty to rescind a previous vote to remove ShotSpotter, an acoustic sensor system used to detect gunshots. It had been in use by the Cambridge Police Department (CPD) since 2014. Flaherty put forth a policy order asserting that the council skipped steps in its […]