Comments on: Out Like a Lamb – What’s Happenin’ at the March 30, 2015 Cambridge City Council meeting

By: Robert Winters

Robert Winters — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 17:57:33 +0000

The Woodworth report request was Order #9 and that went through on the Consent Agenda without discussion (as is often the case with requests for information).

By: patrick barrett

patrick barrett — Tue, 31 Mar 2015 16:30:54 +0000

Anything come of the report request?

By: Patrick Barrett

Patrick Barrett — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 17:18:40 +0000

I know. I’m just a bit (putting mildly) wary.

By: Saul Tannenbaum

Saul Tannenbaum — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 16:30:14 +0000

Patrick,

You’re utterly overcomplicating this. After questions were raised about the C2 zoning proposals, the CDD said it was going to get a consultant to write a report. They put out an RFP and hired a consultant.

We just want to see the work product.

Maybe it answers useful questions, maybe it doesn’t.

Wanting to see what it says is, in my opinion, perfectly reasonable, even from otherwise unreasonable people.

By: Patrick Barrett

Patrick Barrett — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 16:16:07 +0000

You will not be able to get a answer like that from any report with the digital paper its printed on. To actually cause development in Central Square you’d have to own the property in Central Square. All we can do is encourage, which is what C2 does. I’m not certain that any amount of relief would be enough for some landowners to budge. The point I’m trying to make above is that commercial is incredibly lucrative, and if you spend any amount of time with a spreadsheet using simple math/zoning its very easy to see why the Normandy proposal looks the way it does regardless of how much they paid for the parcel. CDD does what they are told, they aren’t a governing body and its really time to stop pointing the finger in their direction. The Council owns all of this, without confident leadership the boat simply drifts, which is exactly what we’ve been experiencing. I’m willing to bet a whole American dollar that this report will only collaborate everything I’m saying, but if you’re looking for silver bullet answers (like our Council) there isn’t one.

By: Saul Tannenbaum

Saul Tannenbaum — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 13:53:50 +0000

Patrick,

Huh?

What I expect to see from a report is whether the height/density we settled on in C2 is really enough to actually cause development to happen and, if ti isn’t, what we should have recommended.

If getting this report actually turns into a thing that delays Council action, that’s on the CDD, not the Council.. There’s no good reason, given the importance of the report, this shouldn’t have been released a long time ago.

By: Patrick Barrett

Patrick Barrett — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 13:42:08 +0000

Saul,

Do you really need a report to tell you that 70/sqft NNN is more lucrative than even 4.21/sqft? Or that linkage above 50k sqft on a commercial project (even at the scifi level of $24.30) is less than value of 47 units of affordable? Why do you think Leggat McCall was trying to go commercial and why would they give 24 units @ 1/3 affordable, middle, and market so easily and happily? I do not need a report to tell me that the world is not flat. I need a council that stops looking for a shrub to hide in.

By: Patrick Barrett

Patrick Barrett — Mon, 30 Mar 2015 11:46:08 +0000

I’ve no problem with getting/requesting the report provided it is used to inform an opinion not become the basis for having one or something to hide behind. This council isn’t exactly on fire with action.