Skip to content
City 360: CambridgeCambridge member portal

zoning & development ·

Can the Planning Board approve more height than the zoning allows?

Discussing the record

PB-2026-014

City 360: Cambridge tracker · Open the record

CIVIC FORUM memberAnswered

The proposal at 55 Rindge shows six stories but the district table says four. I thought the table was the limit — what am I missing?

  1. Accepted answerModeratorFactthe author states this is checkable against a public recordModeratormarked helpful by the asker

    Yes, through a special permit. The district table is the by-right limit; Section 10.43 lets the Planning Board grant additional height where the project meets specific criteria. The tracker's project page lists which sections of relief are requested — for 55 Rindge it is height and parking.

    Edited See what changed

    Earlier wording of this answer, kept so a cited answer cannot change quietly. The newest version is above.

    1. Version 1 ·

      Yes, through a special permit. The district table is the by-right limit; Section 10.43 lets the Planning Board grant additional height. The tracker's project page lists which sections of relief are requested.

  2. Opinionthe author states this is a position or interpretationCIVIC FORUM member

    Worth adding: the special-permit criteria are public, and comments that speak to those criteria directly are the ones the board has to answer in its decision.

Add an answer

What kind of answer is this?

Say which this is so readers can tell evidence from viewpoint. You can change it for 15 minutes after posting; the change is recorded.

Posting needs a membership — your draft is kept while you sign in.