February 6, 2008 GAC Update

The Council met on Monday and received a report from the City Manager regarding the City again receiving Triple A Bond ratings from the three major credit rating agencies. The Council passed policy orders regarding design standards for as of right development, enforcement of snow removal regulations, and the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority’s land holdings.

Upcoming GAC Events

The 2008 Government Affairs program is sponsored by Genzyme.

City Manager to Speak at February GAC
Cambridge City Manager Robert Healy will be our guest at the February GAC meeting and luncheon scheduled for noon, Tuesday February 26 at the Chamber Board Room. If you plan to attend, please RSVP to Terrence Smith, Director of Government Affairs at tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or by phone at (617) 876-4213. 

February 4, 2008 City Council Meeting

The City Council met on Monday and received reports from the City Manager regarding the City being awarded triple A bond ratings by the three major rating agencies. The Council passed policy orders asking for design guidelines for as of right development, directed enforcement of the snow removal ordinance, and an order requesting information from the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) that led to a larger discussion about development in the eastern part of the City.

City Awarded Triple A Bond Ratings Again
The City Manager reported to the Council that Cambridge was again awarded a Triple A bond rating by the three major rating agencies, Standard & Poor’s, Moody’s and Finch. According to the City Manager’s transmittal, City Manager Agenda 4, Cambridge is one of only twenty cities in the country with Triple A ratings from all three agencies and the City has received this rating every year since 1999. In discussion the City Manager noted that this rating reduces the interest rate the City will pay on bonds to finance all or part of several major capital projects including the Main Library, West Cambridge Youth and Community Center, Public Safety Facility, Sewer and Street Reconstruction Projects, War Memorial and Cambridge Ridge and Latin School renovation projects. The City Manager’s transmittal and attached documents (Rating Agency Reports) provide interesting information about how the rating agencies view the Cambridge economy, the management of the City and the City’s future.
 
Design Guidelines for As of Right Development
The Council passed Policy Order 6 asking the City Manager to work with the Community Development Department to study whether developing design guidelines for as of right development would be beneficial to the community. This issue has been raised because some neighbors have criticized the design of projects developed as allowed under the City’s very complex zoning ordinance. In discussion it was stressed that these guidelines would be voluntary but it is unclear how such a process would work.
 
Snow Removal Enforcement Sweep
The Council passed Policy Order 5 asking the City Manager to coordinate a sweep of every neighborhood in the City 24 hours following a snowstorm in order to write citations on every property where snow has not been properly removed. The purpose of the effort would be to ensure that property owners who do not properly remove snow from their walks as required by City ordinance are fined and will remove snow in the future.
 
Plans for CRA Property
The Council passed Policy Order 3 asking the Manager to ask the CRA for “plans and thoughts” on development of land holdings in Kendall Square and East Cambridge. This order led to a larger discussion about development in the Kendall Square and East Cambridge neighborhood. One Councillor reminded his colleagues that the City completed a detailed planning study and rezoning of this area as part of the citywide re-zoning process completed just a few years ago.