A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 22-16, regarding Alewife Overlay District Zoning Proposal Working Group and POR 2022 #84 contained in Committee Report Item Number 1 of May 2, 2022 regarding CDD's current workload

C I T Y O F C A M B R I D G E Community Development Department 344 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02139 Voice: [phone removed] Fax: [phone removed] TTY: [phone removed] www.cambridgema.gov IRAM FAROOQ Assistant City Manager for Community Development SANDRA CLARKE Deputy Director Chief of Administration KHALIL MOGASSABI Deputy Director Chief Planner To: Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager From: Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development Date: May 4, 2022 Re: Policy Order Response #0-2 dated March 21, 2022 regarding Alewife Overlay District Zoning Proposal Working Group and Policy Order dated May 2, 2022 regarding time needed to advance Alewife zoning In response to the above-mentioned policy orders, we report that the Community Development Department will convene an Alewife Overlay District Zoning Working Group to recommend zoning and design principles that will result in new zoning for adoption. WORKING GROUP The working group will be comprised of community stakeholders, including residents from the surrounding neighborhoods – Cambridge Highlands, North Cambridge, and West Cambridge – along with representatives of the business community, local institutions, property owners, and developers. A multidisciplinary staff team led by CDD will provide support to the group. Committee members include the following. • Ann Tennis, Cambridge Highlands resident • Ann Stuart, Cambridge Highlands resident • Elizabeth Seigunbaum, Cambridge Highlands resident • John Chun, Cambridge Highlands resident • Eric Grunebaum, North Cambridge resident • Jennifer Gilbert, North Cambridge resident • Suhas Kodali, North Cambridge resident • Doug Brown, West Cambridge resident • Three representatives of property owners and developers (e.g. Healthpeak, Davis Companies, Homeowners Rehab Inc.) • Two representatives from local businesses (e.g. Central Rock Gym, Iggy’s Bakery) • One institutional representative (e.g. Sancta Maria Nursing Facility, Fayerweather Street School) CHARGE The working group will build on the Alewife District Plan, completed in 2019, as well as the companion Alewife Design Guidelines, and the zoning discussions that occurred at the Cambridge Planning Board and City Council’s Ordinance Committee meetings in the intervening years.

2 The charge of the working group will be to formulate zoning principles based on the community’s planning and urban design priorities. Additional analyses on the amount and type of development, urban design principles and guidelines, public open spaces, transportation infrastructure, and other community needs will be discussed, specifically in terms of how zoning can be used to achieve the community’s comprehensive vision. The working group will incorporate lessons learned from zoning and development review processes over the past few years since the completion of the Alewife District Plan. SCHEDULE Working group meetings are expected to start in early June 2022. It is anticipated that approximately six working group meetings, occurring monthly, will be needed to review and revise zoning recommendations for the district. Staff will need additional time to incorporate the working group’s recommendations into zoning text for submission to the City Manager and presentation to the City Council. The proposed schedule provided below, lays out the most streamlined effort that staff expect to be possible given work items already in progress. This anticipates that the project would take nine months from the time the committee is appointed and begins meeting. If this project is moved from the top priority and other items are to have precedence, a longer timeframe would be required. Phase Month 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Working Group Meetings Planning and Urban Design Analysis Draft Zoning Recommendation Final Zoning Recommendations City Council Updates Broader Community Updates Zoning Petition Text Drafting