Amendment to the Zoning Ordinances of the City of Cambridge to amend the provisions of the PUD-KS District set forth in …

PUD-KS Rezoning Petition

To the Honorable, the City Council, Submitted herein is a zoning petition to amend the provisions of the PUD-KS District set forth in Section 13.10 of the Zoning Ordinance. The intent of these proposed changes is to implement the zoning recommendations of the Kendall Square (“K2”) Planning Study in order to facilitate future redevelopment of the John A. Volpe Transportation Systems Center site, which occupies the majority of the PUD-KS District, in accordance with that study.

The proposed zoning retains the current boundaries of the PUD-KS District (see attached maps) and retains the current Planned Unit Development (PUD) zoning structure that would permit new development according to a master plan requiring public review and approval by the Planning Board. The petition proposes the following changes to advance the recommendations of the K2 study. Increase allowed development capacity and height to achieve development of the density and scale anticipated in the K2 study.

Retain existing mixed-use requirement, with at least 40% of private development in a PUD devoted to housing. Establish maximum rather than minimum parking requirements and encourage shared parking facilities in order to reduce the amount of new parking created, discouraging automobile traffic and encouraging sustainable modes of transportation. Require retail and other active ground floor space along major streets, with incentives for small retail spaces throughout a PUD.

Require “innovation space” as a component of all new office development, with shared spaces and facilities designed to serve small companies and start-ups. Enhance sustainable design, including a requirement to design to a LEED Gold standard with a focus on energy-related measures, meet stormwater management objectives, employ cool roofs, investigate district energy and on-site energy solutions, and consider urban heat island mitigation and climate change adaptation as part of building and site design.

City of Cambridge, MA • Planning Board Communication

PUD-KS District Rezoning Petition (Volpe Center Site)

Page 2 of 3 Retain existing requirements for significant public open space, but amend the requirements to provide greater flexibility and allow for a range of alternatives. The proposed change would require, at a minimum, one quarter of a development parcel to be public open space whose location and design would be reviewed through the PUD process. City plans and guidelines, including open space framework and principles being developed through the Connect Kendall Square process, would inform that future review. Require funding contributions from new commercial development to support area-wide open space programming, transit improvements and workforce development. Another aspect of the proposed zoning change is meant to enable a redevelopment plan that incorporates the creation of a new government facility to house the Volpe Center. The zoning proposal includes provisions that clarify how a Federal government facility would be treated as part of a PUD. Because it is beneficial to include such a facility as an integral part of a development master plan, the proposal exempts such a facility from requirements to which it would already be immune. Federal government uses are immune from local regulations, which would nonetheless apply to private development on the site. In a process that parallels this rezoning initiative, the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) and U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) are undertaking a process to select a private development partner to construct a new Volpe Center facility on a portion of the site and redevelop the remainder of the site for private use according to the City’s zoning. Given that this is truly a once in a generation opportunity to encourage change on this site, it is crucial that the final zoning enables private development that is capable of supporting the needs of the Federal agencies who control the land while meeting the City’s planning objectives. GSA and DOT have been engaged in the rezoning process and have informed discussions with the Board, staff and the public. There are some additional aspects of this zoning petition that go beyond the recommendations in the K2 study. These differences are based on objectives that have been discussed and emphasized since the completion of the K2 study, and which the Board believes are worthy of the Council’s consideration. For a PUD project the petition proposes eliminating the standard inclusionary housing structure of a “base” requirement and an additional “bonus,” and instead requiring 10% of total housing to be affordable and available to low and moderate income households and 5% of total housing to be affordable and available to middle income households. The proposed requirement is based on minimum square footage rather than units, in order to encourage affordable units of larger sizes. To offset the removal of the “bonus,” the base FAR limit is increased to 4.5, which results in approximately the same total amount of private development as envisioned in the K2 study. The Board had extensive discussion about the specific percentages of low-moderate and middle income housing requirements for a PUD. A range of ideas up to a total of 20%,

City of Cambridge, MA • Planning Board Communication

PUD-KS District Rezoning Petition (Volpe Center Site)

Page 3 of 3 rather than the current 15%, were discussed. While all members would like to see the maximum amount of affordable housing accommodated in the district, the majority of Board members support a minimum requirement of 15% total subsidized housing in recognition of the special constraints posed by the Federal ownership and equity transaction envisioned for a redevelopment plan. The K2 study recommends 250 feet as a maximum height for commercial buildings and 300 feet for residential. The petition also proposes allowing the Board to consider a limited number of buildings in the section closest to Broadway to reach 350 feet, and potentially one building of even greater height, up to 500 feet. The Board believes that it is worth considering whether this district is uniquely suited to a signature landmark building that exceeds the prevailing height of surrounding buildings. To approve a building at such a height, the Board would need to verify through the PUD approval process that it meets a high standard for architectural excellence. The Board looks forward to the Council’s referral of this petition for public hearings, where Board members, staff and the public can discuss the broad objectives and the particular provisions of the proposal in greater depth. Respectfully submitted for the Planning Board, H Theodore Cohen, Chair. Attachments

Zoning Petition (clean version)

Text Changes to Section 13.10 (with edits shown)

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Petition:  To amend Section 13.10 of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance – PUD AT KENDALL