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POR 2026-82

Asked the City Manager to work with relevant staff to explore options for commissioning a housing needs study through a qualified research institution, to establish a clear evidence-based understanding of existing housing conditions, resident needs, and measurable housing goals to guide future decision-making

How it started
Apr 23, 2026 · Proposed by Councillor Zusy, Mayor Siddiqui, and Councillor Flaherty: a formal request from the Council to the administration.
What happened
May 4, 2026 · ✅ Order adopted as amended: first paused by a charter right, then adopted the following week; the request went to the City Manager. (Adopted as amended, unanimous)

Voted yes (9), unanimous

  • Ayah Al-Zubi
  • Burhan Azeem
  • Tim Flaherty
  • Marc McGovern
  • Patty Nolan
  • E. Denise Simmons
  • Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
  • Cathie Zusy
  • Sumbul Siddiqui
Roll call of May 4, 2026 · from the council’s minutes · photos: City of Cambridge
What’s next
No response on the docket: nothing has been filed back under this request's number. Answers sometimes arrive as other items; this ledger tracks only this one.
Taken upApr 23, 2026
Held on a charter rightSimmonsApr 27, 2026
Adopted as amended, 9-0-0May 4, 2026

The item's path through the council, every recorded step. How the request pipeline works

The document Agenda item attachment · 1 page

Councillor Al-Zubi Amendment to PO#5 – POR 2026-82

Housing Needs Study

[Between first and second Ordered] That the City Manager be and hereby is requested to direct the Community Development Department (CDD) to present pros and cons of options for a housing needs study and to identify key data gaps such a study could address; and be it further

🗓 The meeting where this was taken up: Apr 27, 2026

Public Comment (26)

26 written comments received (2026-05-11). Letter-writers are named in the city's own agenda and are not republished here, by policy.