In its major business of the night, the council approved a request by City Manager Robert W. Healy to prepare an appropriation order for a planning study in conjunction with the Larkin Petition, which will put a moratorium on development in East Cambridge for 18 months.
Supporters of the petition said it would give them time to come up with a plan to control development in their section of the city. East Cambridge and an adjacent neighborhood, Area 4, are two of the poorest areas of the city, where there is the most support for the plan.
"I'm sure there is widespread support for this petition throughout the city," said Cambridge resident Peter Berry.
Berry said the moratorium would allow residents to develop a plan "for the people of this city," enabling them to go to work without cars and increasing safety.
"We are only asking for 18 months. Eighteen months to reflect, talk, and devise a plan," he said.
Shannon Larkin, the author of the petition, said residents need to plan against research facilities and "22-story hotels."
"We need to plan in East Cambridge," Larkin said. "We need to control the traffic."
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