City Politics
The Fight to Preserve Harriet Jacobs’ Legacy in Cambridge
A committee want to memorialize the home of a formerly enslaved woman. The owner wants to build a boutique bed and breakfast. It’s a tenuous marriage.
City Council Advances Plan to Create Flexible Parking Corridors, Ease Restrictions
The Cambridge City Council’s Ordinance Committee advanced a zoning petition to create “flexible parking corridors” in an effort to reduce restrictions on off-street parking at a Thursday meeting.
Cambridge Budget Growth May Require 8% Property Tax Increase, City Officials Say
City staff are projecting that even if Cambridge’s operating budget grows at a conservative rate, the city may need to raise property taxes by at least 8 percent in the future, according to officials at a Tuesday City Council hearing.
Cambridge Planning Board Appears Sympathetic to Upzoning But Punts Vote
The Cambridge Planning Board punted a vote on their official recommendation for a proposal to eliminate single-family zoning in Cambridge on Tuesday.
Cambridge Will Ask State Legislature to Allow Use of Traffic Cameras
The Cambridge City Council unanimously voted on Monday to draft a petition asking the Massachusetts State Assembly to allow the city to implement automatic traffic enforcement.
Cambridge Residents Satisfied With City Hall but Give Low Marks on Housing
Cambridge residents said they were highly satisfied living in the city and with the quality of government services, but gave local officials low marks on housing and transportation issues in the 2024 iteration of the Cambridge Resident Satisfaction Survey.
More Than 100 Bike From Cambridge to Boston to Demand Better Traffic Safety
More than 100 cyclists biked from Cambridge Common to the Massachusetts State House on Sunday, where they joined a tearful rally commemorating bikers and pedestrians who have died after being hit by cars.
State, City Agencies Commit to Finishing Mem. Drive Safety Improvements by End of Year
More than 100 locals gathered at Boston University and on Zoom as local and state officials reaffirmed their commitment to completing $1.5 million worth of improvements at the intersection of Memorial Drive and the BU Bridge by the new year.
Proposed Affordable Wendell Street Development Draws Backlash at Tense Meeting
Tensions ran high in the Baldwin School cafeteria Thursday night as more than 40 Cambridge residents sparred over a proposed eight-story affordable housing development set to be built in the Baldwin neighborhood.
Cambridge To Kick Off Superintendent Search, With Tentative End Date in October 2025
The Cambridge School Committee has gone six months without a plan to hire a permanent superintendent — but a commitment to officially launch the highly anticipated search looks to change that.
Cambridge DSA, Sobrinho-Wheeler Demand Harvard Cough Up $100 Million in PILOT Payments
In the 2023 fiscal year, Harvard paid the City of Cambridge $4.3 million in lieu of property taxes. Some activists — including a sitting city councilor — are demanding the University cough up $96 million more.
City Council Acknowledges Massachusett Tribe as ‘Original Inhabitants’ of Cambridge
The Cambridge City Council acknowledged the “Massachusett Tribal Nation as the original inhabitants of Cambridge” and pledged to establish a memorial for the tribe and hang a plaque in City Hall.
Despite Resident Fears, City Officials Optimistic About Impact of Multifamily Zoning
Cambridge officials said they were optimistic about the city’s ability to accomodate the population growth that could accompany eliminating single-family zoning.
Here Are All Cambridge’s Bike Lane Projects — And Where They Stand
Cambridge’s bike lane politics are not only contested but complicated, with a flurry of deadlines, delays, and competing proposals. Here are the different bike lane projects in progress in Cambridge — and where they all stand.
