Murphy said he also voted to adjourn because of the measure’s irregular introduction. “I thought it was unnecessarily pointed and divisive,” he said.

Councillor E. Denise Simmons, a staunch supporter of rent control, said she felt a victory had been won.

“One first success was collecting the signatures,” she said. “This is another major success for those who support affordable rent in Cambridge.”

Cambridge Committee for Rent Control member Kevin Bradley was also happy with the measure. “This is the beginning of a change of the way the housing problem is thought about in Massachusetts and especially Cambridge and metropolitan Boston,” he said.

Down by the River

Housing was the central theme of last night’s meeting, which lasted almost four hours.

In addition to the controversy over rent control, councillors expressed strong opposition to state increases in public housing rents and moved one step closer to a crucial vote on the rezoning of the Riverside neighborhood.

The central issue of debate over Riverside rezoning is how much and what Harvard can build on its parcels in the neighborhood. Two petitions currently sit in the council’s unfinished business: the first was formulated by neighborhood activists; the other is a more moderate proposal put forward by the city’s planning board.

Both petitions are set to expire on Oct. 28. Last night, the council passed the petitions on to a second reading, which Maher said is a “procedural maneuver” that advances the petitions to a vote.

The council will meet on Oct. 20 and Oct. 27, and Maher indicated a vote could take place at either of those meetings.

Maher and Murphy, the co-chairs of the Ordinance Committee, have been meeting with neighborhood representatives and University officials to try to reach a compromise, and last week Harvard presented new plans for its land holdings along the river.

During last night’s public comment period, several Riverside residents urged the council to pass the zoning petition developed by local activists. They blasted the timing of Harvard’s proposals, which they said came too late in the process.

“Watch out for these 25th hour shenanigans from Harvard,” said Cob Carlson, the activist for whom the neighborhood petition is named. “They’ve won just about every battle in Cambridge. It’s time for us to win one.”

But Maher said he thought there was still time to continue the discussions and reach an agreement on key neighborhood goals that wouldn’t fall under the zoning regulations, such as open space, affordable housing and the use of institutional buildings.

“It may be late in the process, but the University has indicated a willingness to compromise,” Maher said.