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.
Kiosk anniversary event
Community gathering, noon to 5 p.m. Sunday. A free event marking the first year of a refurbished Harvard Square visitor information and cultural programming space. It starts with participatory activities such as screen printing and a seedling exchange; a Cambridge Symphony Orchestra ensemble performance comes at 3 p.m.; a reception at 4 p.m. Visitors are invited to share ideas for the coming year. In person at the Cambridge Kiosk, Zero Harvard Square.
Explaining school incidents
Special Education & Student Supports Subcommittee, 5 to 6:30 p.m. Monday. A discussion on how the district documents incidents and tells families when students are hurt, restrained or otherwise involved in incidents at school. Watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
Calls to alter residential zoning
City Council, 5:30 p.m. Monday. A year-five report on Affordable Housing Overlay zoning shows the impact of something staff expected to produce 10 to 15 rental units a year – and were so far essentially correct about, as there’s been one 62-home project completed. But there are 16 projects approved so far under AHO zoning, totaling more than 1,000 new permanently affordable homes for low- and moderate-income residents. The zoning ended design limits and hurdles for developers so long as they put up buildings of 100 percent affordable housing, including in neighborhoods made up mostly of single-family homes, which makes projects more competitive for funding. Alongside the report, though, resident Doug Brown has AHO changes to propose around such things as building height, open space, parking and design review requirements toward the goal of “promoting sensible neighborhood development.”
Multifamily Housing zoning, which similarly makes it easier for developers to add multihome buildings anywhere in the city, is less than two years old. But councillor Tim Flaherty said there is “widespread concern and dissatisfaction regarding the unintended consequences” and has five amendments to consider, including requiring more space around buildings and parking spots in certain circumstances, and limits on what counts as open space. He wants to hear back within 60 days.
City manager Yi-An Huang has a 17-page explanation of why artificial turf was installed at Ahern Field in East Cambridge after residents said in April that the decision ignored public feedback about a preference for grass. “While natural grass will always play an important role in Cambridge’s park system, heavily used fields like Ahern face year‑round demands that grass cannot consistently sustain,” Huang said.
The decision by a majority of city councillors on May 18 to turn off the ShotSpotter gunfire-detection system was locked in with follow-up votes on Monday but is still causing debate. Flaherty seeks to overturn those votes because they were “inconsistent with the requirements of the Surveillance Technology Ordinance,” which may have to be stacked up against opponents’ arguments that the tech never went through a public process to get deployed – also part of the ordinance. Councillor E. Denise Simmons calls for the city manager and at least six city departments to “develop a Neighborhood Safety Additions Plan” for the areas previously listened to by ShotSpotter for gunfire to “identify concrete resources, investments, staffing strategies, operational changes, interdepartmental protocols, community partnerships and public-space improvements that may be added or expanded to improve neighborhood safety” in its absence, including increased patrols, expanded community-based violence prevention programs and “environmental safety improvements such as lighting and visibility upgrades and any technology alternatives.” Neither city staff nor police leaders have said ShotSpotter prevents crime, but Simmons’ order nonetheless makes “effective steps to prevent violence” part of her call to make up for it being taken away, and on a 60-day clock for “written report that includes recommended actions, estimated costs, implementation timelines, responsible departments, opportunities for community input and proposed metrics for evaluating whether these added investments are improving neighborhood safety” – another aspect of the tech that has not been claimed in any measurable sense.
Federal cutbacks to the Massachusetts Office for Victim Assistance means a range of aid organization are short a collective $1.7 million this year, and councillor Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler proposes Cambridge make up the shortfall once and look for ways the support services can be shored up in the future. Simmons wants the city to short up something more literally: the Old Stone Wall, a Harvard Square relic that may date back to the late 1700s and is crumbling out of public sight, waiting for a coordinated repair effort.
The city manager recommends 14 people for a Combined Sewer Overflow and Stormwater Management Advisory Committee, including members of environmental advocacy groups and residents. The group includes biologist Jennifer Wade, “who became significantly engaged in CSO issues after learning of a proposed CSO storage tank near her home,” a memo notes.
At City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square, and televised and watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
Hazardous waste collection
Household hazardous waste drop-off, 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Items accepted from residents include batteries (vehicle and nonalkaline); car fluids including antifreeze, brake, engine degreaser and transmission; car tires (a maximum of four per household); chemicals including cleaners, glues, removers and those used for photography and in swimming pools; fluorescent light bulbs; mercury items including thermometers and thermostats; paints, both oil-based and latex; poisons such as insecticides, pesticides and weed killers; propane cylinders (20 pounds or less only); waste fuels including antifreeze, gasoline, kerosene, Sterno and motor oil; and fire extinguishers. Don’t bring prescription medicines; ammunition, fireworks and explosives. asbestos; bleach or ammonia; commercial/industrial waste; construction debris; empty aerosol cans; compressed gas cylinders; infectious or biological waste; prescription medicines; smoke detectors; or syringes. The notice for this event also says no radioactive waste will be accepted. At 50 Mooney St., Cambridge Highlands (enter on Fawcett Street).
Roundtable about start-ups
Economic Development & University Relations Committee, 3 to 5 p.m. Tuesday. This committee run by city councillors Tim Flaherty and Cathie Zusy convenes representatives from the area business ecosystem to look at current conditions, emerging needs and specific ways the city can strengthen its support for startups and the local innovation environment. The committee meets at City Hall, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Central Square. Televised and watchable online and by Zoom videoconferencing.
Violations are charged at diner
License Commission, 10 a.m. to noon Wednesday. Beyond Full, a burger joint and diner at 1105 Massachusetts Ave., Harvard Square, faces discipline that could mean the revocation of its license as board members explore charges such offering entertainment without a license, failing to tell neighbors it was adding entertainment and making false statements to the board at a hearing. As the restaurant opened in September, Harvard Square Business Association executive director Denise Jillson told The Harvard Crimson that the restaurant was “a little more edgy than what we have here.” The Gen Korean BBQ House returns for approval (after a hearing May 19) at 26 Brattle St. with some issues worked out about keeping grilling tables off the rooftop deck and having staff “assist patrons and supervise the cooking,” unlike at the chain’s other locations. Triangle Coffee proposes to open in the LabCentral incubator space at 238 Main St., Kendall Square for an occupancy of up to 62 people from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays. Watchable by Zoom videoconferencing.
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