January 10, 2007 GAC Update

The Council met on Monday and discussed the BSL-4 Lab being built by Boston University in Boston, regulating the nanotechnology industry, wind power, a Lechmere Square underpass, and changes to the zoning code regarding certain business districts, and “green buildings.”

Upcoming GAC Events

The 2007 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Genzyme.

Vice Mayor and State Representative Toomey Guest at January GAC
Cambridge Vice Mayor and State Representative Timothy Toomey, Jr. will address the January GAC meeting and luncheon on Tuesday, January 23, 2007 at noon in the Chamber of Commerce Board Room. Vice Mayor Toomey was first elected to the City Council in 1989 and to the State Legislature in 1992. He is in his first term as Vice Mayor.  Prior to his election to the Council he served two terms on the Cambridge School Committee.

Please e-mail tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phone (617) 876-4213 if you plan to attend.

January 8, 2007 City Council Meeting

The Council met on Monday and discussed the BSL-4 Lab being built by Boston University in Boston, regulating the nanotechnology industry, building an underpass as part of the Lechmere station relocation, and the feasibility of wind generation in Cambridge. The Council also addressed several zoning issues including moving to a second reading the proposed changes in the zoning code in certain business districts, adoption of “green building” standards for large projects, and rescinding a proposal to rezone a site on Memorial Drive to open space.

Council Opposes BU BSL-4 Lab
The City Council passed an Order on Monday regarding the National Emerging Infectious Diseases Laboratory being built by Boston University on Albany Street in Boston. The lab is being built as a Biosafety Level 4 Containment Facility (BSL-4) which will allow for the conduct of work with infectious diseases. The Council order references the City’s rDNA Technology Ordinance which states that “rDNA use requiring [BSL-4] containment shall not be permitted in Cambridge” as well as opposition from some residents in Boston to this facility as well as litigation concerning this project.

The order asks that the NIH hold a community meeting in Cambridge to respond to residents’ concerns and states that on principle the Council opposes construction of BSL-4 facilities in densely populated areas. The Council order originally called for the Council to contact the head of the National Institutes of Health and urge him to order a halt to construction of the lab. The order was amended to state that the Council supports construction of the facility but opposes the BSL-4 work at this facility. 

The meeting included public comment by Cambridge and Boston residents opposed to this facility including Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner. A major issue in the discussion was siting this facility in a densely populated metropolitan area.

A copy of the Order is available at City Council Order #3
Boston University’s Web site for this project is at http://www.bu.edu/neidl/

Nanotechnology Regulations Proposed
The Council passed an Order asking the City Manager to examine an amendment to the Hazardous Waste ordinance regarding nanotechnology recently passed by the Berkeley, California City Council and recommend an appropriate ordinance for Cambridge. The Berkeley Ordinance establishes disclosure requirements for nanoparticle manufactures or users of manufactured nanoparticles under the City’s Hazardous Materials regulations.

The Cambridge City Council Order is available at Policy Order 11. The Berkeley ordinance is available at Berkeley Nanotechnology Ordinance.

Feasibility of a Wind Project for Cambridge
The Council passed an order requesting a feasibility study to determine whether there is an appropriate location for a Cambridge wind energy project. The Council discussed potential sites for a wind power project including Danehy Park and land the City owns as part of its watershed protection in Lincoln. A study by the State of potential sites for wind projects found no sites in Cambridge. A copy of the order is available at Policy Order 13. Information on the Massachusetts Community Wind Collaborative is available at Community Wind Collaborative Overview.

Underpass as Part of Lechmere Station Relocation
The Council requested the Public Safety Committee to hold a hearing regarding the benefits of a Lechmere Square underpass. The order further asks that invitees to this meeting include representatives from City and State agencies, the developer of Northpoint and other affected developers in the area, engineering experts including the engineer who designed the Harvard Square underpass, and others. A copy of the order is available at Policy Order 15. A report from the City Manager on this issue is available at City Manager Agenda Item 6, December 18, 2006.

Zoning Matters
Three zoning related issues came before the Council. The Council received an Ordinance Committee Report on the proposed changes in certain business districts, passed an order that the City review the work of Boston’s Green Building Task Force including the requirement that projects of 50,000 square feet or more be certifiable under the Leadership in Energy Efficiency Design (LEED®) standards, and rescinded a proposed change in the zoning of a parcel on Memorial Drive.

The Ordinance Committee reported on the proposal to decrease the proposed development threshold for large project review from 50,000 square feet to 20,000 square feet in districts designated as Business A, Business A-1, and Business A-2.  In Business A-2 districts side lot setbacks would increase to 20 feet from 10 feet and maximum heights would be reduced from 45 feet to 35 feet where a building in a business district is with 50 feet of a residential district.  The proposed changes were moved to a second reading. A copy of the Committee Report is available at Committee Report 3.  The proposed amendment is on the agenda for the January 16 Planning Board meeting.

Boston recently went through a several year process investigating establishing “green building standards” for large construction projects. The result was an ordinance requiring projects of 50,000 square feet or larger to meet standards that would make the project certifiable under the Leadership in Energy Efficiency Design (LEED®) standards established by the US Green Building Council (USGBC). The order asks that the City Manager “look into the feasibility of Cambridge adopting a similar ordinance seeking LEED® for large-building construction within the municipal zoning code.” The regulation requires that projects be LEED certifiable but does not appear to require receiving LEED certification. A copy of the Council Order is available at Policy Order 1 and information on the Boston regulation is available at Boston Green Building Task Force.

The Council also rescinded the proposal to rezone the site of the former Radisson hotel to open space that passed as a late order at the December 18, 2006 meeting.

For a listing of public meetings, visit the Public Meetings link or the Public Meeting Notices area of the City of Cambridge Web site.