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

Thank you for joining us for Community Meeting 1!

Thank you to everyone who attended our first Community Meeting! Your input, feedback, ideas, and insights are deeply appreciated and already beginning to inform and impact the project. At this meeting the project team:

introduced the process and timeline
recapped the established community goals
framed the key issues, reviewed the C2 zoning recommendations, and
shared methods for communicating your thoughts and ideas.

Most importantly, it was an opportunity for the community to begin sharing their goals and concerns about updating the zoning for Central Square. If you weren't able to attend, or would like to review what was presented, please see the links in the "Meeting Materials" section for the recording, slide presentation, and meeting chat.

What's Next?

Our next Community Meeting will take place on July 17th from 6:00-7:30pm and will focus on possible scenarios, priorities and trade-offs. Before the next meeting our team will:

launch a collaborative online mapping tool
begin conducting a series of focus groups. These might include: resident associations, cultural organizations, businesses, non-profits, and property owners.

You may also encounter us at pop-up events throughout the summer as well. To stay informed about the project and ways to stay engaged, please sign up for our email list above!

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.

Central Square Rezoning Project Schedule

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.

Draft Area of Focus for Central Square Rezoning