Treasurer Cahill Addresses GAC

Massachusetts Treasurer Tim Cahill spoke at the Tuesday May 23 GAC/Executive Speaker Luncheon.  He discussed the Pension Reserves Investment Trust Fund, the Lottery, the Massachusetts School Building Authority and his work in the area of job creation and economic development. The Treasurer reported that the School Building Authority (SBA), a new agency to address a backlog of school building projects, is addressing that backlog and that Cambridge will receive $35 million in reimbursements for renovations to CRLS by FY 2008. He also reported that aid to cities and towns from the Lottery are on the increase and that the State Pension fund is getting higher returns and investing in economic development in Massachusetts.

The Treasurer brought a member of his Abandoned Property Division to the event to assist attendees look for and make claims on property that has been turned over to the Treasurer, often from unused bank accounts. The Chamber learned it had $328 and other participants including a large educational institution and a major financial institution found they had funds to claim.

The luncheon was hosted by the Hotel @ MIT.  Mayor Reeves gave greetings from the City and we were also joined by City Manager Robert Healy and Assistant City Manager for Fiscal Affairs Louis DePasquale.

More from the May 22, 2006 City Council Meeting

Parking Requirement for New Residential Developments
A number of recent proposed and completed residential development have led to concern about the adequacy of the parking requirements for residential developments in Cambridge under the Zoning Code. The Council passed an order in April requesting a report on the cost to increase the parking requirement from 1.3 spaces per unit to 2.0 spaces per unit.  The City Manager’s response is that this would be expensive, reduce the number of residential units developed, and would change the character of residential developments in the City with most parking being provided at surface due to the high cost of structured parking.

In the discussion a Councillor asked how the City can claim that the City has issued less than 1 residential parking permit per housing unit when, according to the budget, there were 38,864 residential permits issued in 2005 and only by his count only 18,352 housing units in the City?  The Manager said he would take a look at the numbers.  I did and found that the number quoted for units is actually parcels and does not include apartment buildings.  According to a 2003 City report there were 43,160 housing units of all types in 2002. The number of units is certainly higher today given the continued housing development.

The report was referred to the Council’s Transportation, Traffic and Parking committee. A copy of the City Manager’s report is available at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cityclerk/cmLetter.cfm?item_id=7506

A Copy of the 2002 City Housing Market Information report is available at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/data/housing/hsg_profile_2003.pdf.

Carbon Neutral Cambridge
The Council received a report from the City Manager in response to an Order regarding the possibility of making Cambridge a Carbon Neutral City. The Manager’s response found that only one community, Newcastle Scotland, has set this as a goal. The report also notes that there is a standard certification program offered by the Climate Neutral Network for businesses and organizations but not for cities or towns. The report also notes that Cambridge has established a goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2010 and that the City is currently working to meet that ambitious goal. A copy of the report is available at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cityclerk/cmLetter.cfm?item_id=7508. 

On a related topic, the Council passed a late order asking City Manager to provide a report on what is a carbon offset and how the City could use a carbon offset. A copy of the order is available at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cityclerk/PolicyOrder.cfm?item_id=13705.
 
Curb Cut Policy
The City has specific policies regarding requests for curb cuts. In April, the Council asked the Manager for a Legal Opinion from the City Solicitor on the City’s Curb Cut Policy and the Manager responded with a letter from the City Solicitor and a copy of the 1996 policy. The specific issue was a curb cut application that appeared to be filed following the issuance of a building permit. In discussion the City Solicitor would not comment on the specific case but noted that if the Zoning Ordinance does not require the curb cut the request can come following issuance of the building permit.  A copy of the report is available at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cityclerk/cmLetter.cfm?item_id=7507.

PTDM Ordinance Change Proposed/Information Requested

As I reported in the May 10 GAC Update the Community Development Department has asked the Council to reauthorize the Parking and Traffic Demand Management (PTDM) Ordinance, originally passed in 1998 and reauthorized in 2001, and to eliminate the provision that requires a regular reauthorization (the Sunset Provision) by the Council.  Under the proposed change the Sunset Provision in Section 10.18.090 of the Municipal Code would be eliminated. The requirement for an annual report on the status and effectiveness of the PTDM would continue. A copy of the Manager’s communication is available at http://www.cambridgema.gov/cityClerk/cmLetter.cfm?item_id=7339.  A copy of the letter from Community Development is available by clicking View attached letter here.

The Council’s Ordinance Committee will meet on Wednesday June 28 to discuss this change and I have been asked by members of the Chamber Board of Directors to collect information on Chamber member’s experience complying with this regulation. Please send your comments to tsmith@cambridgechamber.org or phone (617) 876-4213. As I wrote earlier this month, my initial reaction to this proposal is that the Sunset Provision should be preserved.

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