Cambridge Housing Committee Hears Central Square Height Plan, Sets Path to November Petition

CAMBRIDGE — March 24, 2026 — Cambridge Housing Committee hears Central Square rezoning update, eyes November zoning petition. The committee received a detailed briefing March 24 from Brian Gregory of the Community Development Department, who outlined a dual-sub-district zoning model for Central Square — a high-density "heart" along Massachusetts Avenue and Main Street permitting up to 18 stories, and a "neighborhood edge" acting as a transitional buffer — and proposed a new community engagement round beginning in roughly five weeks and concluding with a petition filing around mid-November 2026. A separate analysis found that a 12-story option and the 18-story proposal would produce roughly the same number of housing units, shifting the debate to building form rather than unit count. Former Mayor Ken Reeves, calling in from the hospital, challenged the framework, calling the standard 80-20 market-to-affordable ratio "nonsense" and arguing that Central Square "doesn't need to change, it just needs to be curated." Councillor E. Denise Simmons secured confirmation that the session would be recessed rather than adjourned, preserving procedural continuity for a follow-up meeting. No votes were taken.