These are just some of the municipal meetings and civic events for the coming week. More are on the City Calendar and in the city’s Open Meetings Portal.
Tearing down a triple-decker
Mid-Cambridge Neighborhood Conservation District Commission, 6 to 8 p.m. Monday. The case of 13 Roberts Road is continued from May 4, when commissioners wanted more information about why demolition is called for in this 1917 triple-decker building – one of three in a row by architect Henry Slocum – to add one floor. The developers are using multifamily zoning to justify the height, though this project would stay the same number of homes, taking away greenery while adding size to the units and ground-floor, off-street parking. Though developers say demolition is needed for structural reasons to provide the open floor plans wanted by tenants, a neighbor in another Slocum building of the same vintage said it was renovated in 2005 to provide open floor plans and 9-foot ceilings without a full demolition. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Ground-floor ‘active uses’
Ordinance Committee, 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday. This committee run by city councillors Marc McGovern and Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler return to zoning that will affect the streetscapes of North Massachusetts Avenue and Cambridge Street by setting rules around what ground-floor space in buildings can and should be used for – including a requirement that “formula businesses” such as fast-food chains must get a special permit to come in on Cambridge Street. The thinking of Planning Board members gets taken into account by the committee, including demanding ground-floor business in three-story buildings on Cambridge Street is too stringent. The board prefers that rules kick in at four stories, and says the four-story rule makes sense for Porter Square and south of Porter as well, while preferring to encourage residential over commercial north of Porter. The board also doesn’t see a need to push businesses onto side streets that are mostly residential. The committee meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, and watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Shuttles replace the red line
Transit Advisory Committee, 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Expect 10 minutes on shuttle buses coming during the July 21-30 shutdown of the MBTA red line between Alewife in Cambridge and Boston’s Park Street Station. Another 10 minutes are on the agenda for a variety of city and state projects – and a full hour to look at priorities and potential additions for the city’s implementation plan for transit improvements of all kinds. At the City Hall Annex, 344 Broadway, Mid-Cambridge, and watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Landmarking on Lexington Ave.
Historical Commission, 6 to 10:30 p.m. Thursday. A preliminary hearing on a potential landmarking of 15 duplex houses on Lexington Avenue in West Cambridge. The gambrel-roofed homes – meaning the top floors have a barnlike arc shape formed by two segments on each side – were designed by Elmer Buckley in 1912-1913 and “contribute to a truly unique, cohesive environment and demonstrate a uniformity of design not seen anywhere else in Cambridge,” says the residents’ petition demanding the hearing. Some are portraying it as a preemptive strike against attempts to take down the homes under multifamily housing zoning passed Feb. 10, 2025, by the City Council. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
Sewage overflow questions
Draft updated combined sewer overflow control plan office hours, 5 to 7 p.m. July 13. A project team takes questions about a draft control plan to end the release of waste in public waterways when sewer and water systems get overwhelmed by rainfall. The plan about combined sewer overflows has been submitted to the federal Environmental Protection Agency and state Department of Environmental Protection. There are five additional office hours planned, in-person and virtual, but this instance is online only.
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