Suggested Annual Membership Dues for CCC ($100)
CCC is a 501c4 organization. CCC leaders donate time & resources
CCC is a 501c4 organization. CCC leaders donate time & resources
ISSUES WE CARE ABOUT:
HOUSING |
GOVERNANCE
|
|
CCC was the first Cambridge civic group to present a zoning petition to end single-family exclusionary zoning HERE and HERE.
CCC supports changes to the 2025 citywide MFH upzoning since affordability concerns remain and higher-end housing developers and investors have been the primary beneficiaries. Current policies have contributed to higher housing costs, increased demolitions of existing homes, and many more lease terminations. Demolitions are bad for all of us. Tenants are forced out and impacts last 30-80 years even if new homes are 30% more efficient. Cambridge has exceeded state housing mandates. CCC believes our city housing goals should be reassessed in light of current economic conditions. ENVIRONMENTCCC supports environmentally responsible growth and adaptive reuse.
Mature Tree and Green space losses with the MFH upzoning advances more heat island impacts particularly in our denser neighborhoods. Flooding dangers: Cambridge is built in part on landfill. New larger home parameters remove needed trees and permeable ground for run-off, increasing major water risks. Sewage: We now have raw sewage flowing in our streams Solar Panel Losses: Upzoning removed protections for the least expensive energy source we have. |
READ THE CCC 2025 STATE OF THE CITY REPORT: HERE
CITY CHARTER REVIEW: This failed and we have no one being held responsible. We have neither a strong mayor system nor a strong city manager, nor a viable Plan E system. CITY BUDGET PROBLEMS: Residents face higher taxes as commercial tax revenues decline. The city budget now exceeds $1 billion and has grown by approximately 7.1% annually over the past five years. One quarter of city lab spaces sit vacant. Property Owners and Renters now must pay even more taxes. CCC supports city budget including staff cutbacks. Utility Bills (both gas and electric) are through the roof - and climbing still higher. COMMUNITYNEIGHBORHOODS: Each one is distinctive and important: HERE
TRANSIT: CCC supports a broad and cohesive transportation strategy that balances transit, parking, pedestrian, bicycle, and roadway needs. SCHOOLS: Our schools count for 1/3 of the City Budget. Results are inequitable and too often fail the students who need the most help. We have reading and math skills well below grade level. CHILDCARE: CCC supports universal pre-K and as well as child care for city residents. |
Better Housing Solutions
• Create housing for teachers and essential workers with city funds.
• Acquire existing multifamily housing for local residents.
• Encourage mixed-use live-work housing above commercial properties.
• Provide down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.
•Offer incentives for ADUs rented below market rates
.•Getting Building Height and Setbacks Right is Necessary for the Environment for the Residents and for Our Future
•Neighborhood Conservation Districts (NCD) Matter for Livability and More.
• Acquire existing multifamily housing for local residents.
• Encourage mixed-use live-work housing above commercial properties.
• Provide down-payment assistance for first-time homebuyers.
•Offer incentives for ADUs rented below market rates
.•Getting Building Height and Setbacks Right is Necessary for the Environment for the Residents and for Our Future
•Neighborhood Conservation Districts (NCD) Matter for Livability and More.
READ CCC's Many Research BLOGS and Reports: HERE
CCC IN THE NEWS...
|
|
Boston Globe article (11.21.24) titled "‘We love these buildings’: Should developers get to build six stories anywhere in Cambridge?"
Cambridge Day (11.20.24) Opinion Piece "Zoning lessons from other cities: Will we heed them?"
Harvard Crimson (11.13.24) 'Radical and Irresponsible': Residents Blast Zoning Upheaval at Planning Board Hearing."
Harvard Crimson. (10.13.24) on the Neighborhood and Longterm Planning meeting with Neighborhood Group Leaders: Meeting Video (11.13.24): HERE
Boston Globe on former Public Housing Project (now Luxury Condos) HERE
Cambridge Day (11.20.24) Opinion Piece "Zoning lessons from other cities: Will we heed them?"
Harvard Crimson (11.13.24) 'Radical and Irresponsible': Residents Blast Zoning Upheaval at Planning Board Hearing."
Harvard Crimson. (10.13.24) on the Neighborhood and Longterm Planning meeting with Neighborhood Group Leaders: Meeting Video (11.13.24): HERE
Boston Globe on former Public Housing Project (now Luxury Condos) HERE
Sign up for the CCC listserve discussion group: HERE
LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
We honor and acknowledge that Cambridge sits on the traditional homelands of the Massachusett people. We also acknowledge their close neighbors and relatives, the Nipmuc and Wampanoag peoples.
We honor and acknowledge that Cambridge sits on the traditional homelands of the Massachusett people. We also acknowledge their close neighbors and relatives, the Nipmuc and Wampanoag peoples.