A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the Half Crown-Marsh NCD Decennial Review Report

CAMBRIDGE HISTORICAL COMMISSION 831 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd Fl., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Telephone: [phone removed] TTY: [phone removed] Fax: [phone removed] E-mail: histcomm@cambridgema.gov URL: http://www.cambridgema.gov/Historic Bruce A. Irving, Chair; Susannah Barton Tobin, Vice Chair; Charles Sullivan, Executive Director Joseph V. Ferrara, Chandra Harrington, Elizabeth Lyster, Jo M. Solet, Yuting Zhang, Members Gavin W. Kleespies, Paula A. Paris, Kyle Sheffield, Alternates September 25, 2024 To: Yi-An Huang, City Manager From: Charles Sullivan, Executive Director Re: Half Crown-Marsh NCD Decennial Review Report for City Council Review Chapter 2.78 of the Cambridge Municipal Code, as amended on October 2, 2023, requires a decennial review of each existing NCD, beginning with the Half Crown-Marsh NCD in 2024. The attached Report describes the history and activities of the Half Crown-Marsh NCD Commission since it was first established in 1983. In the course of this study Historical Commission staff have conducted extensive outreach in the district, including mailings, community meetings, a walking tour and public hearings of both the NCD Commission and the Historical Commission. The general consensus appears to be that the NCD continues to be a constructive force in the continuing development of the district. While neither commission recommended altering the boundaries or jurisdiction of the commission, CHC staff have appended an edited version of the District Order that incorporates the changes necessary to bring it into conformance with the recent amendments to the enabling ordinance. City Council action will be required on this matter. Ch. 2.78.280 states that “No later than 3 months following the end of the year in which the NCD was subject to review, the City Council shall adopt an order either to re-approve of the NCD (with or without changes), discontinue the NCD, or establish a Study Committee to consider deeper changes related to district boundaries, guidelines and procedures.” Attachment cc: Members of the Half Crown-Marsh Neighborhood Conservation District Commission