Central Square Rezoning

Thank You for Joining Us at the Community Open House!

October 29, 2026

 

Thank you to everyone who came to the Central Square Rezoning Community Open House on October 29th. The event provided an opportunity for the community to come together in-person to learn about the zoning recommendations and share feedback directly with City staff. The number of people in attendance and rich conversations are a testament to Central Square's importance to the community. We appreciate that not everyone invested in this project was able to join us, so the information shared at the Open House can also be accessed via the link below. 

 Central Square Rezoning Community Open House Boards

 

The Open House isn't the end of the process.

• Next, City Council will provide feedback on the recommendations.
• Then, City staff will translate the recommendations into a zoning petition.
• Once this petition is sent to the City Council, a public hearing process will begin.
• This process will provide additional opportunities for community members to provide feedback and make their voices heard.

Please sign up below to stay informed as this project continues to move forward!

Central Square Email List

 

 

The Central Square Rezoning Online Survey is now closed

October 9, 2026

 

We received over 800 responses to the online community survey- thank you! What we've learned from the survey and how it's informed the zoning recommendations will be shared at the Community Open House (see above for details) and on this project website after October 29th.

 

 

Central Square Cultural Roundtable

October 1, 2026

 

Central Square is Cambridge's Cultural District, acknowledging the amazing diversity and density of arts and culture found there. To ensure the zoning recommendations support the community's goal to preserve, enhance, and expand arts, culture, and nightlife uses in Central, the City Council's Housing Committee and City Staff held a roundtable discussion with some of the key cultural institutions in the Square. The purpose of the discussion was to:

• Learn from their lived experiences and first-hand knowledge
• Understand the challenges and opportunities facing cultural spaces in Central Square
• Share the potential zoning strategies for arts and culture that the City is exploring
• Receive feedback on these strategies to ensure they are aligned with their needs and goals

 A recording of the meeting and the slides that were presented can be found at the links below:

 Access the Presentation Slides Here

Access a Recording of the Meeting Here

  

 

Housing Committee Hearing

March 24th, 2026

 

At this hearing, City staff presented the Housing Committee with an overview and update on the status of the Central Square Rezoning Project. Members of the public and the Housing Committee provided comments and feedback on the prior recommendations, which were the result of community engagement that occurred during the summer and fall of 2024. The meeting was ultimately continued to a future date.

A recording of the meeting and the slides that were presented can be found at the links below:

Access the Presentation Slides Here

Access a Recording of the Meeting Here 

 

 

The Online Survey is a continuation of the engagement program that began in the summer and fall of 2024. The purpose of this ongoing engagement is to offer opportunities for community members to learn about the project and share their feedback.

• Community meetings: Three community meetings were held in 2024 with the goals of gathering community insights, listening to ideas and concerns, and providing information and updates about the project and its progress. A future community meeting is intended for the fall of 2026 to share the results of the Online Survey and potential updates to the recommendations.

• Community Meeting #1 May 30, 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm Introduced the process, recapped community goals, framed key issues,                                                                             reviewed C2 recommendations, and asked for feedback
• Community Meeting #2  July 17, 6:00pm - 7:30pm Reviewed zoning tools, refined the focus area, explored different zoning                                                                             scenarios, and discussed priorities and trade-offs
• Community Meeting #3   Sept 12, 6:00pm - 8:00pm Reviewed draft recommendations and next steps
• Community Meeting #4 October 29, 5:00pm - 8:00pm  Share the survey results and updated zoning recommendations

• Focus Groups: Smaller meetings were held with community members that offered additional opportunities for public feedback.

• In-person Events: A walking tour of the district with the Cambridge Historical Commission and Community Block Party at Norfolk Street happened in September and October of 2024.

• Community Engagement Team (CET): CDD’s CET team worked 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-speaking, and Arabic-speaking communities.

More information can be found in the project's Engagement Plan:

Access the Engagement Plan Here

To stay up-to-date about this project and related community events and meetings, please sign up for our email list.

For additional information, please contact Brian Gregory at bgregory@cambridgema.gov

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