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Zoning Amendments

This page lists all amendments to the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance currently under consideration as well as those that were acted upon within this year and the previous year. Electronic versions of some documents relevant to the proposed amendments are also provided. Not all documents are available electronically at this time.

• See Zoning FAQ: How does the Zoning Ordinance get Amended?

Amendments Under Consideration

The following amendments to the Zoning Ordinance are currently under official consideration by the City Council and Planning Board. The public hearing dates are listed below (TBD = "to be determined").

Zoning under Discussion

From time to time, the Planning Board will discuss zoning projects that are underway as part of planning initiatives. While the public is welcome to attend, these discussions are not considered public hearings because a petition has not been formally submitted to the City Council.

Amendments Adopted and Ordained

The following amendments to the Zoning Ordinance have been adopted by the City Council within this year or the previous year.

View a list of additional adopted zoning amendments.

Amendments Expired or Failed

The following amendments to the Zoning Ordinance were considered by the City Council within this year or the previous year but were not adopted, either due to being placed on file because the time period for consideration had expired, or due to failure to receive the necessary votes on consideration by the City Council.

Explanation of Table Headings

Petition Name and Description

Where a zoning amendment is proposed by Cambridge property owners or registered voters, the amendment is typically named for the petitioner or petitioners. Where a zoning amendment is proposed by the City Council or Planning Board, the amendment is typically named for the subject of the petition itself. In both cases, this column provides a very brief description of the nature of the proposed change. Where a number is given (#1, #2) it indicates that this petition is one version of a petition that may have been refiled and considered by the City Council multiple times.

Documents

Lists documents that may be especially relevant to the petition, including the text of the petition itself, memoranda from City staff or other agencies, recommendations from the Planning Board, or supplemental information provided by the petitioner. PLEASE NOTE: This web page does not list all submitted documents that pertain to the petition. To view the full public record for a zoning petition, contact the Office of the City Clerk.

Referral and Hearing Dates

Lists the date at which the petition has been referred to the City Council and the dates at which public hearings have been scheduled for the Planning Board and the Ordinance Committee of the City Council. "TBD" is given where a hearing date has not yet been advertised. Such public hearings are scheduled within 65 days of the referral date.

Expiration Date

The time period for consideration of a zoning petition is within 90 days of the first public hearing held before the Ordinance Committee of the City Council. If no City Council action is taken before the end of that 90 day period, the petition is placed on file and may not be voted upon unless it is refiled, at which point the City Council would refer the petition to the Ordinance Committee and Planning Board for a new set of public hearings.

Final Ordination

Provides the final Ordinance Number and date on which the zoning amendment was Ordained. Contact the Office of the City Clerk for additional information about ordination.

Final Action

Provides the final action on a zoning amendment that was not adopted and the date at which the action was taken. If a zoning petition is placed on file, it may be refiled at any time, at which point the City Council would refer the petition to the Ordinance Committee and Planning Board for a new set of public hearings. If a petition fails to pass on a vote of the City Council, then it may not be refiled until at least two years from the date at which the final vote was taken.

For More Information

For more information contact Liza Paden at 617/349-4647 or lpaden@cambridgema.gov.