blackdynomitesnewbag t1_jbuqhyo wrote
The city council has the power to change this. Email them at council@cambridgema.gov
MarcGov51 t1_jbz94uy wrote
Working on it. -Marc McGovern, Cambridge City Councillor
cos t1_jc2ztg2 wrote
Zoning board members who voted against this do not have the best interests of the city at hear, and must be kicked off the board.
destroy_republicans t1_jcoidxv wrote
Can we kick them out of Cambridge? Lets post their faces up on telephone poles so everyone knows these filthy rats
IntelligentCicada363 t1_jc24v2a wrote
Not sure why you were downvoted, but I think many of us appreciate your work Marc.
cos t1_jc2zql2 wrote
Emailed them, and also exhorted them to fire those zoning board members who voted against renewing. I don't think there's even the smallest shred of excuse for those members to have any role in Cambridge city government, and even if the city council manages to overrule this, I'll be furious if any of those members who voted against Starlight remain on the board.
MarcGov51 t1_jc31gmf wrote
The Council doesn't have the authority to appoint or remove BZA members. That lies with the City Manager. The Council recently approved paying stipends in hopes of attracting a more diverse pool of applicants to our boards and commissions. This is also the group that voted down 100% affordable housing, passive house, transit oriented building because they thought 9 stories was too tall on Mass Ave.
IntelligentCicada363 t1_jc4w7ih wrote
The stipends make it slightly more tempting, but many of us younger folk work hard all day and have families to take care of in those hours outside of work. The system is so perversely set up as to be depressing.
The city council can not appoint or remove them, but it does have the ability to make these people useless by reforming the zoning code.
MarcGov51 t1_jc4wxti wrote
Exactly. We can't control who sits on these boards, but we can control zoning.
IntelligentCicada363 t1_jc4xdty wrote
Godspeed
theferrit32 t1_jd082ir wrote
One of my questions would be about why we have such a weak city council? I feel like in the past year I've learned that they have very limited authority over the police department and over the zoning board. Why is this the case? Why don't they have more direct authority to set policies that those agencies have to follow? The zoning board especially seems like something that should be completely controlled by the city council. I don't think it should be an Independent agency, their job is just to apply the zoning code and variance criteria to permit applications.
cos t1_jc31cen wrote
> council@cambridgema.gov
In addition to that, I believe the Board of Zoning Appeals is part of the Inspectional Services Department, so send them some feedback via https://www.cambridgema.gov/inspection/contactforms/inspectionalservices - I don't know who receives and routes those messages, it may not be a board of zoning appeals member, but just make it clear to them how you feel about the BZA decision.
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