March 5, 2025, Meeting Resume and thoughts
Last night, BioMed Realty held its third meeting regarding its substantial upzoning proposal. What they presented was the same as what you see on the header image of the petition at the bottom left. Here is the link to the slides
https://www.320charlesstreet.com/communitymeetings/communitymeeting030425
I counted 6 of my neighbours who opposed the proposal physically present. The East Cambridge Planning Team's subcommittee (ECPT) was well represented. In total, we were between 25 and 30 people outside of the BioMed Team. I don't know how many people attended the Zoom, but I estimate 6-10 from the comments.
Nothing significant was said during the BioMed presentation. The meat of the meeting was the public comments. We learned two important things.
First, the chair of the ECPT subcommittee clearly outlined a 'deal', offering support for the proposal as is with emphasis on the benefits staying local and explicitly going towards the East End House, EEH. However noble a contribution to EEH might be. To me and others, it indicated that ECPT and BioMed Realty had been in negotiation and reached an agreement. It reminded me of an article a friend sent me, click here to read it, , except here we deal in millions for public benefits.
Second, most abutters and nearest neighbours are not okay with such density and height in the neighbourhood, i.e. We are not Kendall Square!
Multiple people proposed that the building substantially step down the closer it gets to Sixth St. More broadly, the height and mass must come down as the building integrates into the neighbourhood. As proposed, it is just too high. BioMed meme the zoning by stepping down from 90 to 50 feet but does not work within the zoning envelope of 45 to 35 feet. Considering the Police Station is 54 feet high, it is not even in the spirit of ECHO; see the petition header image to the right. The building is not a step down from the Police Station; it's not even on par with it. It is forty feet taller, not in the spirit of the zoning.
People also raise concerns over the lighting, traffic, parking, and other infrastructure issues such an outsize proposal brings about. BioMed Realty's answers pretty much brushed over the issues with the standard reply: "This issue will be addressed during the permitting process". or "We will follow zoning". It's interesting to note that BioMed Realty will follow zoning for light, noise, traffic, ... but not for height and density. Hmm.
- My notes:
After the meeting, the project manager kept pushing for one-on-one sessions to address 'specific concerns'. It makes me wonder what a 'specific concern' is. I thought that when one of my neighbours raised the issue of the height of the building, it was a 'specific concern'. But according to the project manager, it is not. And it is better addressed at a one-on-one than at a public meeting?! Do we get a special gift for attending the one-on-one sessions? (Timeshare anyone)
My impression is that people think we only have a slim chance of getting our 'specific' concerns addressed. The building will move to permitting in the current format, and we will get steamrolled by the City Council because of the benefits. Bully Zoning works!
In my opinion, that's incorrect. Abutters and nearest neighbours have a say when we spot zone. It will require commitment and work, i.e., we need to organize. We will need to talk with our city councillors and neighbours to let them know the impact of such substantial density, which will be highly detrimental to our quality of life, the environment, and the future of schools and the neighbourhood at large. It is a daunting task, but if each of us does a little bit, we can achieve a lot. I'm hopeful BioMed Realty will address our 'specific' concerns, and we can end up with a building everyone feels good about. East Cambridge is my neighbourhood, a residential neighbourhood, and it's home.
I'm looking forward to continuing to work with my neighbour to achieve a positive outcome.
We're Not Kendall Square!
ilan