Central Square Rezoning

Central Square Rezoning Block Party!      October 19th, 2024, 1-5pm

Come join us in Central Square! Our Team is concluding the community engagement phase for the Central Square Rezoning Project with a Block Party on Saturday, October 19th from 1-5pm on Norfolk St. There will be art, activities, dancing, and more! The purpose of this event is to:

• Share the Final Recommendations for updates to Central Square's zoning,
• Thank the Community for their involvement in the project,
• Raise awareness of some of the other City-lead projects and initiatives in and around Central Square, and
• Come together and celebrate Central Square.

Stay tuned for more details, and we hope to see you there! Questions? Contact Brian Gregory at bgregory@cambridgema.gov.

 

 

 

Thank you for joining us for Community Meeting 3!

Thank you to everyone who was able to join us this past Thursday, September 12th, for our final virtual community meeting. We appreciate you sharing your thoughts, feedback, and time with us. This meeting focused on Preliminary Recommendations for updates to Central Square's zoning. Staff shared concepts on:

• The district boundary (where the rules apply)
• The maximum allowable heights for residential development (how high for housing?)
• Rules for shaping buildings (setbacks, step-backs, offsets)
• What uses to incentivize, and how that could be achieved

The presentation was followed by a roughly one hour long discussion during which participants asked questions and shared their reactions, ideas, and concerns. The meeting recording, slide presentation, and chat log can be accessed by clicking on the links below. They have also been posted below in the "Meeting Materials" section for reference.

Access the Recording Here

Access the Presentation Slides Here

Access the Chat Here

While this was the final community meeting for the project, it is not the end of the community engagement! Over the next five weeks, staff will continue to meet with Focus Groups and the City Council, and take public comments to allow time for reflection, input, and any necessary adjustments to the preliminary recommendations. If you'd like to share your feedback, please don't hesitate to email Brian Gregory at bgregory@cambridgema.gov.

 

Thank You for Walking with Us!

We had a wonderful time walking through Central Square with you on Saturday, September 7th. The Cambridge Historical Commission shared information about Central Square's past and how it resulted in the the place we see today. Project staff shared thinking on the project's recommended changes, using existing buildings to illustrate different potential height and density scenarios. The weather couldn't have been better, and it was so nice to be able to come together in person.

If you weren't able to attend but would like to follow the route on your own, please click on the link to the pamphlet below.

Access the Pamphlet Here

 

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. Here is the planned meeting schedule:

• Community Meeting #1 May 30, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Introduce the process, recap community goals, frame key issues,                                                                             review C2 recommendations, and ask for feedback
• Community Meeting #2  July 17, 6:00pm - 7:30pm Review zoning tools, refine the focus area, explore different zoning                                                                             scenarios, and discuss priorities and trade-offs
• Community Meeting #3   Sept 12, 6:00pm - 8:00pm Review draft recommendations and next steps

• Focus Groups: Smaller meetings with community members will offer 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 feedback and insights on specific locations.

• 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-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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