Housing
Historic Heat Wave Reignites Debate About Lack of AC in Harvard Housing
As a heat wave descended on Cambridge, students living on campus sought relief from the scorching temperatures — just not in their dorm rooms.
City Council Approves Nearly $1 Billion City Budget, but Cautions Against Further Growth
The Cambridge City Council unanimously passed a nearly $1 billion operating budget and $74 million capital budget for the 2025 fiscal year without major modifications during a meeting Monday evening.
Dilapidated Dorms: How Harvard Undergrads Cope with Run-Down Housing
Some students say they’ve grown accustomed to living with rodents and the occasional maintenance problem in dilapidated houses. But for others, housing problems raise broader concerns about how run-down living spaces may detract from quality of life at Harvard.
Proposed Harvard Chabad Expansion Faces Opposition From Cambridge Zoning Board, Neighbors
A proposal to dramatically expand Harvard Chabad’s Banks Street headquarters failed to win approval from the Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeals during a contentious Thursday public hearing.
Proposal to Abolish Single-Family Zoning in Cambridge Moves Forward
The proposal to abolish single-family zoning in Cambridge is moving forward through the City Council, heralding a radical shift in the city’s housing policy.
Harvard Square Homeless Shelter Debuts Renovations To Adapt To 6-Month Stays
The Harvard Square Homeless Shelter unveiled the renovation of their space on Friday — and with it, a dramatic shift in their model to allow shelter guests to stay for the entirety of the 6-month operational season.
Cambridge City Manager Unveils Nearly $1 Billion 2025 Operating City Budget Proposal
City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 presented the city’s nearly $1 billion operating budget for fiscal year 2025, along with $36 million in loan order requests and an approximately $74 million capital budget.
Harvard To Install 3-Foot Barriers During Freshmen Move Out as Yard Remains Occupied
Harvard Campus Services will install three-foot orange barriers in certain locations around the pro-Palestine encampment in Harvard Yard as part of a plan to ensure safety during freshmen move out.
Muchnik-Led Petition to Block Walden Square Development Nears 1,000 Signatures
One of Cambridge’s most vociferous opponents of high-rise affordable housing is mounting a protest against a proposal to build an additional 95 affordable units in the 240-unit Walden Square Apartments.
‘Loses the Magic’: Cabot Students Frustrated at Decrease in N+1 Housing
Cabot House students expressed frustration at this year’s upperclassmen housing lottery after extra beds were added to suites due to limited capacity.
Neville Place, Affordable Assisted Living Facility, To Receive $5.7 Million City Loan
Cambridge’s Affordable Housing Trust will loan $5.7 million to Neville Place Assisted Living at Fresh Pond — which provides assisted living services to low-income seniors — for physical repairs to the facility.
‘We Didn’t Always Have A Housing Crisis’: Siddiqui, Sobrinho-Wheeler, McGovern Talk Housing at Town Hall
Three City Council members endorsed by housing advocacy group A Better Cambridge stressed the urgency of tackling housing from all angles in a virtual town hall meeting hosted by ABC on Thursday.
Housing, Government Accountability Among Top Council Priorities for New Term
The Cambridge City Council finalized term priorities with city officials and discussed ways to improve the City’s transparency and accountability at a special meeting Thursday.
As Cambridge Works to Improve Tenant Legal Protections, City Staff Raise Communication Concerns
As the City of Cambridge — where two-thirds of residents are tenants — works to increase legal protections for low-income tenants, city staff said the city has struggled to relay information about tenants’ rights to landlords.
City Councilors Discuss Housing Goals at Town Hall Meeting
Three City Council members endorsed by housing advocacy group A Better Cambridge stressed the necessity of involving residents in discussions around housing policy in a Wednesday virtual town hall hosted by ABC.
Healey Administration Puts Limits on Stays in Overflow Homeless Shelters
For months, Massachusetts has struggled to accommodate an influx of unhoused families, who have a right to shelter under state law. Now, state officials are looking to put limits on families’ stays in some state-run shelters.
UCSF Professor Presents Homelessness Research at Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies
Margot B. Kushel ’89, a professor of medicine at the University of California San Francisco, gave the Harvard Joint Center for Housing Studies’ 23rd John T. Dunlop Lecture on Thursday.
Flood of Western Avenue Development Raises Questions About Allston’s Future
Seven buildings — three of them laboratory and office space and four residential — are currently planned or under construction on Western Avenue.
City Council Puts Ending Single-Family Zoning Back on the Table
On Monday, councilors discussed a new policy order requesting that City Manager Yi-An Huang ’05 direct the Community Development Department to develop zoning language that “effectively promotes multi-family housing” all throughout Cambridge.
City Council Proposes Changing Zoning Code to Promote LGBTQ+ Inclusion
The Cambridge City Council’s Housing Committee unanimously endorsed a policy order proposing changes to the city’s zoning code to “allow unrelated people to live together” during a Wednesday afternoon meeting.
Housing, Transit Top of Mind as City Looks to Alewife’s Future
As new developments lead to a growth in Alewife’s population, residents and advocates are left wondering how to accommodate more riders on an already-strained transportation system.
City Council Seeks to Increase Legal Representation for Tenants
The Cambridge City Council unanimously voted in support of a policy order to increase the legal protection and right to counsel for tenants during a Monday evening meeting.
Harvard Kicks Off Public Engagement Process For 10-Year Allston Master Plan
Harvard submitted their Institutional Master Plan Notification Form to the city of Boston Thursday, formally kicking off a yearlong process of public engagement over its 10-year plan for the University’s quickly-growing Allston campus.
Harvard Proctors and Tutors Plan to Launch Unionization Push
Some Harvard residential tutors, proctors, and house aides are planning to publicly launch a campaign for unionization, an effort they have been quietly working towards since last spring.
City Council Supports Local Real Estate Tax, Discusses Municipal Housing Vouchers
The Cambridge City Council voted to support a tax on large real estate transactions and discussed the feasibility of municipally-funded housing vouchers during a Monday evening meeting.