Planning Board Meeting

• Date: July 21, 2026
• Time: 06:30 PM
• Governing Body: Cambridge Planning Board
• Meeting Type: Public Hearing
• Chair: Tom Sieniewicz
• Board Members Present: H. Theodore Cohen, Mary Lydecker, Diego Macias, Ashley Tan, Carolyn Zern, Dan Anderson (Associate Member appointed for voting).
• Staff Present: Evan Spatrini (Zoning and Development Manager), Swathi Joseph, Mason Wells, Brian Gregory, Adam Schulman (Department of Transportation).

Evan Spatrini provided the following updates on behalf of the CDD:

• Upcoming Meetings: The next meeting is scheduled for August 4, 2026, featuring a public hearing on a zoning petition regarding short-term rentals.
• City Council Updates:
  • The Ordinance Committee issued a negative recommendation on the Doug Brown zoning petition, matching the Planning Board's previous recommendation.
  • Active use petitions for Massachusetts Avenue and Cambridge Street will move to a second reading at the August 3rd City Council meeting, with potential adoption in September.

The Board opened a public hearing for Planning Board Case 4-112, a special permit application by BSR Birch LLC to construct a six-story residential building with 85 residential units.

Project Details:

• Architectural Design: Hans Strauch (HDS Architecture) described the building's unique 'Pac-Man' shape, designed to address a through-parcel with frontage on both Birch Street and Bay State Road. The project is all-electric and designed to Passive House standards.
• Sustainability: The building will utilize high-efficiency heat pumps and energy recovery systems, following the FIAS Core 2024 approach.
• Landscape and Open Space: Nick Campanelli (MDLA) noted the project provides 7,200 square feet of open space (29% of the site), exceeding the 15% requirement. Permeable open space totals 6,000 square feet (82%).
• Transportation: Scott Thornton (Vanasse Associates) presented the Transportation Impact Study (TIS), certified on April 16, 2026. The project includes 15 on-site parking spaces and 99 bicycle spaces. The study estimated a demand for 49 off-site parking spaces, which Thornton claimed could be accommodated by existing on-street capacity.
• Requested Relief:
  • Project Review Special Permit under Section 19.
  • Relief for green roof area under Section 22.35.3, seeking a potential exemption to allow a unit price contribution to the Affordable Housing Trust if the 80% green roof requirement cannot be met due to mechanical equipment.

The following residents provided testimony during the public hearing:

• Brandon Barba (463 Concord Ave): Expressed concerns regarding pedestrian safety at the Bay State Road and New Street crossing. He requested mandatory monitoring and engineered acoustic barriers for the dog run and heat pumps. "I'm not here to argue against housing on this site... I ask for that same standard here: Crossing Improvement at Bay State and New Street."
• Kerry Morwedge (49 Bay State Road): Questioned the lack of mixed-use zoning and noted that traffic often backs up from the rotary to Birch Street.
• Kelly Boss: Criticized the lack of community notice and argued the parking study was outdated as it did not account for the full occupancy of the new 52 New Street development. Raised concerns about trichloroethylene contamination in the soil.
• Aster Liu (42 Bay State Road): Reported significant difficulty finding parking and expressed fear regarding vehicle speeds on Bay State Road. Concerned about the building's shadow impacting her garden.
• Jesse English (27 Corporal Burns Road): Raised concerns about e-bike fire safety and the lack of transparency regarding the Lyman Real Estate Trust DEP contamination site.
• Bruce Leslie Pritchard: Skeptical of the low vehicle trip estimates, noting heavy congestion on Concord Avenue.
• Tyler Giannini (16 Corporal Burns Road): Stated the parking study missed high-volume periods associated with a local bakery.

Key points of discussion among Board members included:

• Traffic and Parking: Adam Schulman (DOT) clarified that parking is not required by zoning and that the TIS focused on 'net new trips,' which accounts for the removal of existing office uses. He supported the installation of a speed hump on Bay State Road.
• Environmental Concerns: Olin Richter (Hancock Associates) confirmed that all critical equipment (transformers/mechanicals) would be elevated to 23.3 feet to meet the 1% flood level requirements.
• Design and Materials: Board members expressed concern over the 'all-metal' paneling, suggesting more durable materials at the base. There was a consensus that the large electrical transformer door on the street level needed better architectural integration.
• Unit Mix: Several members, including Mary Lydecker and Ashley Tan, requested the developer explore adding more three-bedroom, family-sized units.
• Green Roof: The Board debated the request for a green roof reduction. Chair Sieniewicz and Ted Cohen suggested that any waiver should be limited to a specific percentage rather than a blanket exemption.

The Board considered a motion to continue the hearing to allow the applicant to address design and technical concerns.

Motion: "To continue the hearing to a date certain in the future for continued review of and elements of the design that we raised tonight in the hearing."

• Mover: Dan Anderson
• Seconder: Carolyn Zern
• Vote: 7-0-0 (Unanimous)
• Roll Call:
  • H. Theodore Cohen: Yes
  • Mary Lydecker: Yes
  • Diego Macias: Yes
  • Ashley Tan: Yes
  • Carolyn Zern: Yes
  • Dan Anderson: Yes
  • Tom Sieniewicz: Yes