Monday’s City Council meeting drew over 50 speakers to the public comment period; most of us were there to express an opinion on the Normandy Twining re-zoning petition, which was up for a vote. (For those who have not been following this issue closely: a large developer was petitioning to dramatically up-zone an area around the intersection of Mass Ave. and Main St. in order to construct a 19-story apartment tower.)
I spoke in opposition – you can see and hear my comments if you fast-forward the video of the May 18 hearing to 9:57. Supporters of the petition trumpeted the amount of affordable housing the hypothetical development the new zoning would provide (47 out of 232 units), without acknowledging that a luxury tower of that scale would likely displace far more low and middle income tenants in the modest homes in the adjacent Area 4 neighborhood. Yes, affordable housing in any amount is a worthy goal, but I believe the unintended consequence will be less affordability in the long haul. The 185 market-rate units will be insufficient to stabilize rents citywide; demand for housing on the Red Line is regional and elastic, and if we build it people will come, forcing others out as the neighborhood between Central and Kendall gentrifies.
I also have concerns about last-minute changes to the deal that were rushed through literally at the 11th hour with no opportunity for close scruntiny by the councillors, let alone members of the public. Most troubling was a last-minute change to allow at least of 8% of the units to be “micro-units” (350-550 s.f.), whereas the original petition had stated a maximum of 5% could be this small. That’s a big difference. The petition was ultimately approved 7-2, with only Nadeem Mazen and Dennis Carlone opposed. The devil is in the details, and I hope the Council’s inattention to detail doesn’t come back to haunt them.
On a happier note, the youngest of my three children turned 21 this week. She was born at Mount Auburn Hospital, our family’s native Cantabridgian. Her older brother and sister were born in Manhattan and Paris, respectively.
Fresh Pond’s Kingsley Park is almost ready to reopen after last summer’s landscaping work.
Memorial Day dip for two dogs at Fresh Pond’s Little Pond
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