A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 20-28, regarding parking restrictions associated with the Port Infrastructure Improvement Project

City of Cambridge Department of Public Works Owen O'Riordan, Commissioner 147 Hampshire Street Cambridge, MA 02139 theworks@cambridgema.gov Voice: [phone removed] TDD: [phone removed] July 20, 2020 To: Louis DePasquale City Manager From: Katherine F. Watkins City Engineer RE: Report on Parking Restrictions Associated with the Port Infrastructure Improvements Project (Awaiting Report 20-28) Description of The Port Infrastructure Project The Project consists of over $35 million in improvements to sewer, drainage, water, street, sidewalk, and open space infrastructure in The Port. The neighborhood is vulnerable to flooding and the City’s assessment of climate change has shown that the risk of flooding is increasing, due to the increasing frequency of short, very intense storm events in our part of the country. This Project will reduce the frequency and severity of stormwater flooding and sewer backups in the neighborhood, and upgrade the neighborhood’s surface infrastructure, including streets, sidewalks, shade trees, landscaping, and open spaces. The Project is being implemented in 2 phases, described below and shown on the map at the end: Phase 1 PL6 Stormwater Tank (yellow area on the map): 390,000 gallon stormwater tank at City Parking Lot 6 (PL6) off of Bishop Allen Drive. The construction began in August 2018 and will be completed in the Fall of 2020. This will result in immediate community benefits in terms of decreased flooding in the Port during heavy rainstorms. Phase 2 Morgan Tanks / Utilities / Resiliency and Urban Forestry / Complete Streets (green and purple areas on the map): The design of Phase 2 is in its early stages, and includes ongoing field investigations such as soil borings, pipeline inspections, and topographic Stormwater Tank Undergoing Testing January 2020

survey. The field investigations are expected to conclude in the Fall of 2020, followed by the detailed engineering design, which will continue through the Fall of 2021. The construction of Phase 2 is expected to begin early in 2022 and extend to the end of 2024. Some construction by private utility companies, such as Eversource Gas, will begin in 2021, in advance of the City project. Key Elements of Phase 2: Clement Morgan Park Tanks: Underground stormwater and sanitary sewage tanks will be constructed in the area of the basketball courts. The basketball courts and other areas of the Park impacted by construction will be restored at the completion of the Project. There will also be opportunities to make other changes and improvements to the Park, based on community input. Utilities: The Project will include utility work to ensure that stormwater and sewer pipes are in good repair, properly sized, and conveying their flows to the new underground tanks described above. We will also take the opportunity to bring other public and private utilities, such as water and gas, into a state of good repair. A number of these utilities are more than 100 years old and need to be replaced. Resiliency and Urban Forestry: In conjunction with ongoing Citywide planning efforts, the Project will implement features to reduce the impacts of Climate Change in The Port; stormwater flooding and “urban heat island”. Working with the community we will identify opportunities for green infrastructure and tree plantings. Complete Street Design: The streets, sidewalks and other public spaces in the Project Area will be reconstructed as part of the Project. This presents an exciting opportunity to do more than simply repair and replace deteriorated asphalt, brick and concrete. Working with the community, we can also incorporate street trees, green infrastructure, traffic calming, improved crosswalks, shared street elements, improved lighting, artwork, and street furniture including seating and play elements. Community Engagement / Communications Strategy for Phase 2: In order to be successful, Phase 2 requires significant community input and guidance. We are planning a robust program of community events, neighborhood walks, and meetings beginning in the fall of 2020 and throughout 2021, “virtually” at first, and hopefully transitioning to “in- person”. We will also be establishing a Working Group to help guide staff and consultants throughout the process. Since 2017, we have engaged with the community in a variety of ways to raise the overall awareness of the project, distributing project brochures, tabling at community events such as Port Pride Day, Screen on the Green, and the City Manager’s Port Action Forum; and making presentations at community institutions such as Margaret Fuller House and to local clergy and other community leaders. We have been developing an email contact list

(approximately 150 recipients at present) and established a project website at www.cambridgema.gov/theworks/theport . We hand-distribute Updates and Notices for key phases of construction and when an activity will have significant impacts on residents or businesses (such as when a street must be closed or restricted for an extended period of time). Our hand-delivery of information has been challenged by the current COVID pandemic, but we continue to explore the best ways of getting information to the community in a timely and efficient manner. The Working Group will meet regularly with City Staff and consultants on the Project, and focus on: Community Engagement: One of the first items we would like to collaborate with the Working Group on is how best to engage with the community. How can the project team best work with the community, ensuring representative participation; make the best use of residents’ time; get input; and have a collaborative design process. Clement Morgan Park Tanks: How/where can the basketball courts be relocated during construction? Should other permanent changes be made to the design and features of Clement Morgan Park during construction? Resiliency and Urban Forestry: How can we best engage property owners and all community members about this innovative and important aspect of the project, which could involve improvements on both public and private property to mitigate the effects of climate change and enhance tree canopy and shade in The Port? Complete Street Design: What changes would neighbors like to see as streets and sidewalks are reconstructed? Street and Sidewalk Closures and Parking Restrictions The City strives to minimize community impacts such as street and sidewalk closures and temporary parking restrictions; however, they are an inevitable part of major infrastructure projects such as this one, as contractors need space to efficiently and safely perform the work. Many of the streets in the City and particularly in the Port Neighborhood are quite narrow, and it is simply not possible to safely maintain all of the existing pedestrian, vehicular and bicycle traffic, plus existing parking, while construction takes place. We require the contractors performing these activities to produce a Traffic Management Plan, with priority typically given to pedestrian traffic, followed by vehicle/bicycle traffic, followed by parking. For some larger construction activities, contractors may need to close the street to through traffic in order to perform the construction. We work with individual abutters regarding special circumstances, including business loading, funerals or other events, moving vans, meal or healthcare related deliveries, etc.

Limitations on Advance Scheduling of Closures and Restrictions Contractors working on City projects are required to produce construction schedules. However, on complex utility projects such as The Port Project, these schedules can be very dynamic. Work at any one location can advance faster or slower than initially predicted, based on a number of factors, including: • With infrastructure as old and complex as Cambridge’s, contractors can encounter unforeseen conditions despite extensive pre-planning and investigations • Scheduling issues with third party and utility contractors (including emergencies elsewhere that they need to respond to) • Contractor equipment or staffing issues • Weather issues For these reasons, it is usually not possible to forecast, nor notify the community, more than a few days ahead of very specific construction impacts, such as elimination of individual parking spaces for example. Instead, we aim to keep the community well informed of upcoming construction activities in a general area, and to emphasize that neighbors should be on the lookout for posted signs and additional detailed construction notices addressing the work more specifically. Non-Project-Related Closures and Restrictions There are also non-constructed related parking restrictions that occur in a neighborhood. These can include resident moving van permits (over 4,200 permits issued last year); development projects; a neighbor having a contractor doing work on their home; and other private and public utility work, including emergency repairs such as a sewer backup or water main leak. We understand that construction is frustrating and will be particularly challenging in the Port given the narrow streets. The Project Team for the Port Infrastructure Project will include a Supervising Engineer, a Community Relations Manager, and the City Engineer. We will work collaboratively with the community to minimize surprises and work to address issues in a timely manner as they arise. We will also look to the Working Group to work with us throughout the design.

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