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Help Improve the Paths around Our Neighborhood
Sunday, April 3, from 4:00 to 5:30pm, ASG Neighborhood Meeting on Zoom (see link below)
Pre-registration is not required to attend this meeting. However, if you can register, it will help ASG prepare for the meeting. Go to alewife.org, scroll down, complete the contact form, tell us you will attend, and add any questions or comments. ASG will then send you a reminder and additional information shortly before the meeting.
Join the ASG Community Meeting on Paths, April 3, 2022, 4:00 to 5:30pm, on Zoom:
Meeting ID: 854 2599 7979 Passcode: 088387
One tap mobile: +19292056099,,85425997979#,,,,
Find your local number: https://us06web.zoom.us/u/
City Council Health and Environment (H & E) Committee Meeting and Planning Board to discuss Climate Resilience Zoning Task Force Report
H&E Committee: Tuesday, March 29, 11:00am (see links below)
Planning Board: Tuesday, March 29, after 7:00pm (see link below)
Climate Resilience is about protecting people from the effects of our changing climate. Most of the City’s climate efforts have been about Climate Change Mitigation, that is, avoiding and reducing the risks of a changing climate and its impacts on people. Even if Cambridge did more mitigation per person than any other city in the world, we would still be affected by a changing climate, so we need to protect our people.
The Climate Resilience Zoning Task Force (CRZTF) met over the course of two years to discuss development rules that would help protect people and buildings from climate change. The Alewife area is at risk for flooding and extreme heat events that are predicted to become more severe in the future. Some possible changes to building rules could affect existing Alewife homes as well as new development projects, such as building to future expected flood heights instead of using current FEMA maps, using a Cool Factor to measure heat resilience, and increasing height limits when the ground floor needs to be lifted above the future flood height.
More on the CRZTF:
Meeting Links:
Health and Environment Committee: Zoom Meeting and sign-up for Public Comment (available 24 hours before the meeting)
Planning Board: Zoom Meeting (raise hand at meeting for public comment) and Meeting Details
Note: Long-time ASG member Mike Nakagawa was on the CRZTF.
City Manager Search – YOU can be on the screening committee
Thursday, March 31 is the deadline to self-nominate yourself to be part of the Candidate Screening Committee for the City Manager search. You must be available *in person* on May 4, May 12, and May 13 from 9 to 5 PM. Because this is a burden for many, the city is offering financial assistance as well as free translation and interview skills training. A priority in forming this committee is to bring on people who haven’t traditionally been at the table when these types of decisions are made.
March 31 is also the start of application screening! If you know anyone who you think would make a great Cambridge City Manager, please encourage them to apply!
Update on Alewife Lab Development Rules
On March 8, the Planning Board discussed a City Council proposal to allow time for Alewife Development rules for Lab and Commercial uses to align with City plans, such as the Envision Cambridge Alewife District Plan, the Climate Change Preparedness and Resilience Plan Alewife Preparedness Plan and Resilient Cambridge Plan, the Urban Forest Master Plan, and the Climate Resilience Zoning Task Force recommendations, among others. The Planning Board overwhelmingly agreed that Alewife Development Rules (zoning) need to be updated before approving more projects, with a vote of 6 in favor, 1 present, none against.
The following day, the City Council Ordinance Committee (which approves all city laws including zoning laws) met to discuss the same proposal. The Committee seemed in favor, but had a few questions for the Law Dept. and the Community Development Dept., so the discussion will continue at a future meeting (not yet scheduled).
Councilors Toner, Nolan, Simmons and Mallon co-sponsored a policy order to request that the Community Development Dept. form a Working Group to discuss the zoning language starting this spring, which was approved at the March 21 City Council meeting.
Updating Cambridge Open Space Plan – Your ideas needed! The City of Cambridge Community Development Department (CDD) is currently in the “vision & goal setting stage” of updating the City of Cambridge Open Space Plan for the next 7 years. Cambridge needs this plan to be eligible to receive open space grant funding from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Now is the time for anyone who lives, works, visits or plays in Cambridge to share your ideas. Alewife Study Group (ASG) is participating in these meetings to advocate for greater equity in access to parks and open space. For example, ASG advocates construction of a pedestrian/bike tunnel, under the commuter rail tracks, directly from Jefferson Park housing to Danehy Park. This would provide residents in Cambridge’s largest concentration of affordable housing, along Rindge Avenue, much better access to Cambridge’s largest recreation area. For more information on Cambridge’s Open Space Plan, go to: https://www.cambridgema.gov/ To receive updates from CDD about this effort, sign up here: https://lp. ASG Newsletter ASG will send email updates about once a month during this busy time in the development of the IQHQ site. Click here for previous ASG Newsletters Anyone can sign up for this newsletter by completing the Contact Form at the bottom of the ASG home page: alewife.org We also welcome your questions, comments, ideas, and offers of help!
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