Housing
‘Loses the Magic’: Cabot Students Frustrated at Decrease in N+1 Housing
Cabot House students expressed frustration at this year’s upperclassmen housing lottery after extra beds were added to suites due to limited capacity.
Muchnik-Led Petition to Block Walden Square Development Nears 1,000 Signatures
One of Cambridge’s most vociferous opponents of high-rise affordable housing is mounting a protest against a proposal to build an additional 95 affordable units in the 240-unit Walden Square Apartments.
Neville Place, Affordable Assisted Living Facility, To Receive $5.7 Million City Loan
Cambridge’s Affordable Housing Trust will loan $5.7 million to Neville Place Assisted Living at Fresh Pond — which provides assisted living services to low-income seniors — for physical repairs to the facility.
‘We Didn’t Always Have A Housing Crisis’: Siddiqui, Sobrinho-Wheeler, McGovern Talk Housing at Town Hall
Three City Council members endorsed by housing advocacy group A Better Cambridge stressed the urgency of tackling housing from all angles in a virtual town hall meeting hosted by ABC on Thursday.
Housing, Government Accountability Among Top Council Priorities for New Term
The Cambridge City Council finalized term priorities with city officials and discussed ways to improve the City’s transparency and accountability at a special meeting Thursday.
As Cambridge Works to Improve Tenant Legal Protections, City Staff Raise Communication Concerns
As the City of Cambridge — where two-thirds of residents are tenants — works to increase legal protections for low-income tenants, city staff said the city has struggled to relay information about tenants’ rights to landlords.
City Councilors Discuss Housing Goals at Town Hall Meeting
Three City Council members endorsed by housing advocacy group A Better Cambridge stressed the necessity of involving residents in discussions around housing policy in a Wednesday virtual town hall hosted by ABC.
Healey Administration Puts Limits on Stays in Overflow Homeless Shelters
For months, Massachusetts has struggled to accommodate an influx of unhoused families, who have a right to shelter under state law. Now, state officials are looking to put limits on families’ stays in some state-run shelters.
UCSF Professor Presents Homelessness Research at Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Margot B. Kushel ’89, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, gave the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies’ 23rd John T. Dunlop Lecture on Thursday.
Flood of Western Avenue Development Raises Questions About Allston’s Future
Seven buildings — three of them laboratory and office space and four residential — are currently planned or under construction on Western Avenue.
City Council Puts Ending Single-Family Zoning Back on the Table
On Monday, councilors discussed a new policy order requesting that City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 direct the Community Development Department to develop zoning language that “effectively promotes multi-family housing” all throughout Cambridge.
City Council Proposes Changing Zoning Code to Promote LGBTQ+ Inclusion
The Cambridge City Council’s Housing Committee unanimously endorsed a policy order proposing changes to the city’s zoning code to “allow unrelated people to live together” during a Wednesday afternoon meeting.
Housing, Transit Top of Mind as City Looks to Alewife’s Future
As new developments lead to a growth in Alewife’s population, residents and advocates are left wondering how to accommodate more riders on an already-strained transportation system.
City Council Seeks to Increase Legal Representation for Tenants
The Cambridge City Council unanimously voted in support of a policy order to increase the legal protection and right to counsel for tenants during a Monday evening meeting.
Harvard Kicks Off Public Engagement Process For 10-Year Allston Master Plan
Harvard submitted their Institutional Master Plan Notification Form to the city of Boston Thursday, formally kicking off a yearlong process of public engagement over its 10-year plan for the University’s quickly-growing Allston campus.
Harvard Proctors and Tutors Plan to Launch Unionization Push
Some Harvard residential tutors, proctors, and house aides are planning to publicly launch a campaign for unionization, an effort they have been quietly working towards since last spring.
City Council Supports Local Real Estate Tax, Discusses Municipal Housing Vouchers
The Cambridge City Council voted to support a tax on large real estate transactions and discussed the feasibility of municipally-funded housing vouchers during a Monday evening meeting.
Residents at Harvard-Owned Apartment Complex Resort to ‘Self-Policing’ Amid Increased Theft
Residents at Peabody Terrace — a Harvard-owned apartment complex — alleged Harvard University police have not done enough to address a pattern of property theft in the area, leading residents to find alternative solutions to secure their packages.
Cambridge City Council Maps Agenda For Term, Announces New Role for Climate Sustainability
The Cambridge City Council convened a special meeting Tuesday with city officials to set term priorities and announce the creation of a new position focused on climate resilience.
Cambridge’s Landmark Affordable Housing Policy, Explained
The 2019 election cycle in Cambridge was defined by the introduction of the Affordable Housing Overlay, an ambitious — and hotly contested — proposal to expand and expedite the construction of affordable housing across the city.
Cambridge Residential Survey Shows Affordable Housing is Residents’ Top Priority
Cambridge residents named affordable housing as their top priority and gave the city government a 69 percent approval rating, according to the city’s annual Resident Satisfaction Survey.
Cambridge Nonprofit Presents Plans for 110-Unit Affordable Development
Non-profit housing developer B’nai B’rith Housing presented plans to create affordable units for senior Cambridge residents at a Planning Board Meeting on Tuesday.
Healey Administration Pledges $16 Million to 3 Cambridge Affordable Developments
The Massachusetts state government dedicated funding for 26 affordable housing projects, including three in Cambridge, according to an Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities press release last Monday.
Winter Puts Strain on Resources, Housing for Cambridge Unhoused Residents
As low February temperatures pose a hazard for unhoused Cambridge residents, shelters and service organizations are having to meet a growing demand for beds and winter resources.
Boston Begins Planning New Neighborhood on Harvard-Owned Land in Allston
The city of Boston is undergoing a planning process for Beacon Park Yard – a large tract of Harvard-owned land in Allston — which is set to be the site of a large highway and transit project.