Contributing writer
Laurel M. Shugart
Latest Content
Proposed Harvard Chabad Expansion Faces Opposition From Cambridge Zoning Board, Neighbors
A proposal to dramatically expand Harvard Chabad’s Banks Street headquarters failed to win approval from the Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeals during a contentious Thursday public hearing.
Proposal to Abolish Single-Family Zoning in Cambridge Moves Forward
The proposal to abolish single-family zoning in Cambridge is moving forward through the City Council, heralding a radical shift in the city’s housing policy.
Harvard Square Homeless Shelter Debuts Renovations To Adapt To 6-Month Stays
The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter unveiled the renovation of their space on Friday — and with it, a dramatic shift in their model to allow shelter guests to stay for the entirety of the 6-month operational season.
Council Asks City Staff to Launch Municipally-Funded Housing Vouchers Pilot
The Cambridge City Council asked the city’s Community Development Department to work toward a pilot program for municipally-funded housing vouchers.
Council Endorses Bill Allowing Cities to Require Payments From Large Nonprofits, Including Harvard
The Cambridge City Council voted on Tuesday to endorse a state bill that would allow the city to require large institutions like Harvard to pay 25 percent of their assessed property value through Payment in Lieu of Taxes payments.
Cambridge Residents Alliance Rallies in Solidarity with Encampment Protesters
More than 50 non-Harvard affiliates and Cambridge residents rallied outside of Johnston Gate on Sunday afternoon in a rally organized by the Cambridge Residents Alliance in solidarity with students participating in a pro-Palestine Harvard Yard encampment.
State Legislature Limits Emergency Assistance Shelter Stays
State legislators voted Thursday to pass a bill imposing a nine-month limit on families staying in state-run Emergency Assistance Shelters effective June 1.
Progressive Labor Party Organizes Solidarity March With Harvard Yard Encampment
Roughly 30 Progressive Labor Party protesters marched down Massachusetts Avenue and spoke with encampment protesters at Harvard Yard’s Johnston Gate on Saturday afternoon.
Muchnik-Led Petition to Block Walden Square Development Nears 1,000 Signatures
One of Cambridge’s most vociferous opponents of high-rise affordable housing is mounting a protest against a proposal to build an additional 95 affordable units in the 240-unit Walden Square Apartments.
Neville Place, Affordable Assisted Living Facility, To Receive $5.7 Million City Loan
Cambridge’s Affordable Housing Trust will loan $5.7 million to Neville Place Assisted Living at Fresh Pond — which provides assisted living services to low-income seniors — for physical repairs to the facility.
‘We Didn’t Always Have A Housing Crisis’: Siddiqui, Sobrinho-Wheeler, McGovern Talk Housing at Town Hall
Three City Council members endorsed by housing advocacy group A Better Cambridge stressed the urgency of tackling housing from all angles in a virtual town hall meeting hosted by ABC on Thursday.
As Cambridge Works to Improve Tenant Legal Protections, City Staff Raise Communication Concerns
As the City of Cambridge — where two-thirds of residents are tenants — works to increase legal protections for low-income tenants, city staff said the city has struggled to relay information about tenants’ rights to landlords.
City Councilors Discuss Housing Goals at Town Hall Meeting
Three City Council members endorsed by housing advocacy group A Better Cambridge stressed the necessity of involving residents in discussions around housing policy in a Wednesday virtual town hall hosted by ABC.
Healey Administration Puts Limits on Stays in Overflow Homeless Shelters
For months, Massachusetts has struggled to accommodate an influx of unhoused families, who have a right to shelter under state law. Now, state officials are looking to put limits on families’ stays in some state-run shelters.
UCSF Professor Presents Homelessness Research at Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Margot B. Kushel ’89, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, gave the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies’ 23rd John T. Dunlop Lecture on Thursday.
