MVP right here ^

Keep it up, I’m expecting housing affordability within my lifetime ;p

Removing the minimum doesn't mean that developers can't build parking. If a family of bunch of random renters need more parking, they can rent a place that has more parking. Or they can rent parking at one of the many garages in the area that offer monthly parking rentals.

Central is ruled by junkies and drunks. I'm not concerned so much by the crime, but man it would be nice if you could sit outside in Central without seeing a syringe or being harassed for money.

This doesn’t force the removal of parking, it stops forcing the addition of parking. More freedom, not less

Really what this will probably do is incentivize construction of multi families / townhouses / small apartments on smaller lots that are underutilized but zoned for multi family. I can think of a few on mass Ave near Arlington.

On sufficiently large projects, there’s usually enough money involved that owners are already looking to include a parking garage of some kind (attractive to wealthy tenants for “luxury housing”) and they will probably go to the zoning board of appeal anyways for other variances. Probably not much change there. Main change might be enabling some smaller projects, which generally don’t have funding to pursue zoning variances

They can pay for it at a complex that does have enough parking for them.

I see your point (not everyone needs a spot so don’t make it 1:1). Buuuut what about the situation when a family or a bunch of random renters actually need more than one spot?

This is amazing!!

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But there doesn’t need to be a 1:1 parking spot to apartment ratio.

>Why people want to pay Cambridge Medford rents/housing prices but then turn around and demand a suburban Cambridge lifestyle is beyond me. Fuck off and go to Lexington Medford

Absolutely! I don't hate cars at all. You can build the same amount of parking today you could yesterday.

A lot of people just don't own cars and it doesn't make sense to force them to have a parking spot. Just like it wouldn't make sense to force everyone to have a bike rack.

>Stockholm

Stockholm's commute share from biking isn't far off from Cambridge. Copenhagen's share is well above. Montreal's is much lower.

This further illustrates why low temperatures and precipitation matter a lot (not average annual temps).

I know we all hate cars here but this isn’t unilaterally good. There needs to be some accommodation for those who do have/want cars

Ah sorry! When you build an apartment in Cambridge you have to build a parking spot with it. The problem is 1/3 of households in Cambridge don't own a car and so that space goes unused and it adds about $100-$250 in rents!

What’s a parking minimum? Is that where garages always charge for a minimum number of minutes?

This is what happens when the door to that public restroom is always locked. I'll use the sidewalk, too, if the door is locked. The lack of public restrooms is the real disgrace.

The state has.

Massachusetts now has a regional zoning requirement for multi-unit housing in MBTA Municipalities, near stations.

See this summary:

Mass. Dept of Housing and Community Development. https://www.mass.gov/info-details/multi-family-zoning-requirement-for-mbta-communities

Thank you all that came out in support! This was the first bill I wrote and introduced after inauguration and am so excited it got over the finish line.

Edit: Context - When you build an apartment in Cambridge you have to build a parking spot with it. The problem is 1/3 of households in Cambridge don't own a car and so that space goes unused and it adds about $100-$250 in rents!

Planning boards propose zoning changes.
City council or in towns, town meeting affirms or rejects.

The Zoning Board of Appeals generally deals with nonconforming properties in terms of zoning, and some kinds of special permits for buildings.

Massachusetts now has a regional zoning requirement for multiunit housing in MBTA Municipalities, near stations.

See this summary:

Mass. Dept of Housing and Community Development.
https://www.mass.gov/info-details/multi-family-zoning-requirement-for-mbta-communities

Yeah, the clown that put a needle exchange on Green Street and then bragged about his kids having to walk by it’s users as everyone needs to do their part.

Thanks for the insight. Others have said that crime rates are statistically down in Cambridge if you look over the decades. Do you think those rates arent telling the whole story?

Yeah, so they can "get to the root of the problem". No sense arresting people until Mark McGovern has single-handedly ended addiction and mental health problems. Just give him a few more years. Maybe condo development for pharma-bros really is the solution!

They could use that extra pay to take karate classes to fend off the whack jobs. Its win/win!

That's why the Dunks and Wendy's closed. I remember the city council denying it at the time when Wendy's actually mentioned it in a press release. Much like they are trying to pretend Starbucks closing is about something else as well. People see what's happening in Central Square despite the council's smoke and mirrors. I've lived here since '92 and this is the worst it has ever been.

More money for the city that way.