Community Development > Central Square Rezoning

Central Square Rezoning

Image of people placing items on Study Area Map

The Community Development Department (CDD) is leading a community process to update zoning for Central Square. Zoning is the set of rules that control the allowed shape, density, and use of the property. Guided by community goals identified in prior planning efforts, the recommendations will focus on

increasing housing,
creating public spaces to build community, and
supporting our diverse retail, cultural, and non-profit community.

The Latest

Community Meeting #1 May 30th, 6:00pm - 7:30pm.

Join us for the first of three community meetings to discuss potential updates to the zoning for Central Square. The project team will introduce the process and timeline, recap the established community goals, frame the key issues, review the C2 zoning recommendations, and share methods for communicating your thoughts and ideas. We encourage anyone interested to join us for a robust conversation and provide feedback to the planning team!

The meeting will be held virtually via Zoom. Please register in advance for this meeting:

After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Community Engagement

An inclusive and wide-reaching engagement program offers many ways to have your voice heard.

Public meetings: Three public meetings will be held with the goals of gathering community insights, listening to ideas and concerns, and providing information and updates about the project and its progress. These will occur monthly throughout the spring on:

Community Meeting #1 May 30, 6:00pm - 7:30pm Introduce the process, recap community goals, frame key issues, review C2 recommendations, & solicit feedback
Community Meeting #2 July 17, 6:00pm - 7:30pm Discuss possible scenarios and trade-offs
Community Meeting #3 Sept 12, 6:00pm - 7:30pm Review draft recommendations and next steps

Focus Groups: Smaller meetings with key community members will provide additional opportunities for public feedback.

Online Engagement: To reach people who cannot always attend in-person meetings, an online mapping platform will allow community members to provide spatially located feedback and insights.

Community Engagement Team (CET): CDD’s CET team works to reach underserved Cambridge residents through focus groups and surveys. The CET’s outreach workers are community members from the American-born Black, Bangladeshi, Chinese, Ethiopian, Haitian, Somali, Spanish, and Arabic speaking communities.

Working Project Schedule

The graphic schedule highlights key stages and timelines for the project. See the schedule larger here.

Project Study Area

The study area map highlights the initial area of focus for this project. This boundary may change based on community and stakeholder feedback throughout the project. See the Map larger here.

Map of Central Square Rezoning Study Area