There may be hope for a community gathering space in Cambridge that emerged during the COVID-19 pandemic even after the city’s Board of Zoning Appeals rejected a permit for another season.
Last week’s permit denial for Starlight Square, an outdoor entertainment, recreation and retail venue in the city’s Central Square, caught the surprise of some Cambridge officials who have told the Herald they will be addressing a path forward as soon as this week.
Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui on Saturday said more information regarding how the city will respond to the BZA’s rejection will be coming this week. She declined to comment on what the response may entail.
“For me, it’s just really a community hub, and it really has been indispensable,” Siddiqui said. “We can’t go back to what the status quo was, which was a parking lot. It has much better uses than that.”
Starlight Square’s permit just missed out on being renewed during last Thursday’s BZA meeting. Three members approved the extension, but four yes votes were needed to constitute a supermajority. Concerns driving the rejection mainly included noise complaints.
The Central Square Business Improvement District, which oversaw the outdoor entertainment, arts and commercial venue, had responded to direct feedback, Siddiqui said. It had reduced the number of events and speakers, installed acoustic panels and ended shows earlier, she said.
“They were still willing to compromise,” the mayor said. “For it to be denied completely is a big surprise considering how much support was provided at the BZA hearing, whether it was in person or in letters.”
While events that had been planned will be canceled in the short term, city Councilor Burhan Azeem said conversations have begun around drafting legislation that would override the BZA decision and help bring Starlight Square back.
The process, Azeem told the Herald on Friday, could take two to three months at the earliest, with Starlight Square reopening in the middle of June being the best case scenario.
“They only got one noise complaint back in 2020 so the idea that people are frustrated by it is just not true,” Azeem said, “This is a really beautiful space used by thousands of people at all times of the year.”
The City Council also looks to submit zoning petition soon, Councilor Quinton Zondervan told the Herald via text message Saturday night.
Though this is a pure local issue, state Rep. Michael Connolly, D-Cambridge, submitted a letter to the BZA early last week in support of allowing Starlight Square to have a fourth season.
“In this moment when so much community space, independent retail space is hard to come by with rents going up,” Connolly said, “this became a really valuable option for community gatherings that were really accessible. At this point, many of us are in shock.”
Members of the BZA are appointed by the city manager. The BZA extended Starlight Square’s special permit the past two years before last week’s rejection despite what Central Square Business Improvement District President Michael Monestime called “overwhelming public support.”
“Someone should spend time examining a system that empowers members of an unelected board to shut down a community benefit project that has the support of the Mayor, Vice Mayor, city councilors, state representatives, community leaders, and residents,” Monestime said in an email Saturday night. “That is not ours to do.”
Some of the upcoming events that the Central Square Business Improvement District looked to hold at Starlight Square included a summit on the role of public space in the city and a fundraiser for humanitarian relief after earthquakes in Turkey, Monestime said.
“While we’re devastated, our organization has always rallied in a crisis,” he said. “This is another moment for us to do so on behalf of the Cultural District.”
