CMA 2026-161 · Agenda item attachment · Jun 1 2026

CMA 2026-161 IN CITY COUNCIL June 1, 2026 To the Honorable, the City Council: I am writing to recommend the reappointment of Conrad Crawford to the Board of Directors of the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) for a term of five years, effective June 6, 2026. Conrad Crawford is a long-time resident of East Cambridge and Wellington-Harrington neighborhoods. He is a father of three school-aged children, providing the CRA with a critical family-oriented perspective on the needs of the community. Conrad is trained as an urban planner having studied at Tufts University Urban and Environmental Policy & Planning program. He is currently the Environmental Justice Liaison for the Massachusetts Department of Fish and Game. He has previously worked at the Department of Conservation and Recreation, the Trustees of Reservations and Groundworks Somerville. He brings to the CRA professional expertise in open space, community engagement and sustainable transportation, overlapped with local knowledge of neighborhood interests from those communities closest to Kendall Square. In the past Conrad has served on numerous committees for the City including the Kendall Square Advisory Committee, the Urban Forestry Task Force, and the Climate Resilience Zoning Task Force. Conrad currently serves as the Chair of the CRA Board, after serving as the Vice Chair and Assistant Treasurer in the past. The Cambridge Redevelopment Authority is an independent, quasi-public agency committed to implementing creative development projects that promote social equity and environmental sustainability. Per M.G.L. Chapter 121b, the CRA is governed by a five-member Board, four members of which are appointed by the City Manager. As a real estate entity that works in the public interest, the CRA offers distinctive public investment tools to social purpose real estate projects with frequent partnerships with the City of Cambridge. In recent years, the CRA has completed the Foundry Building adaptive reuse project, amended the Kendall Square Urban Redevelopment Plan (KSURP), initiated the Forward Fund nonprofit grant program, and purchased and renovated the nonprofit office building at 99 Bishop Allen Drive, among other efforts. Current project priorities include the development of affordable homeownership projects, the preservation of commercial spaces that advance economic opportunity, and the delivery of vital cultural infrastructure investments. The CRA Board oversees all financial investment and project initiatives facilitated by CRA staff. The next anticipated vacancy will come in June of 2027, and the CRA anticipates beginning recruitment efforts for this vacancy in the fall of 2026.

I am pleased to recommend Conrad Crawford, whose expertise and experience remains valuable to the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority. I appreciate his willingness to continue to serve and, with your approval, look forward to his reappointment. Very truly yours, Yi-An Huang City Manager

Vote Certification A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the reappointment of Conrad Crawford to the Board of Directors of the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority for a term of five years. Approved and CMA Placed on File: Monday, June 1, 2026 RESULT: 9 TO 0 YEAS: Ayah A. Al-Zubi, Burhan Azeem, Timothy R. Flaherty, Marc C. Mcgovern, Patricia M. Nolan, E. Denise Simmons, Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler, Catherine Zusy, Sumbul Siddiqui NAYS: PRESENT: ABSENT:

City of Cambridge A communication transmitted from Yi-An Huang, City Manager, relative to the reappointment of Conrad Crawford to the Board of Directors of the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority for a term of five years.