By Karen Klinger

It was last fall when the battle was joined between developers and abutters over the future of bucolic Shady Hill Square in Cambridge's Agassiz neighborhood and it seems unlikely that anything will be settled before this summer, at the earliest.

In the meantime, the abutters can look out on an expanse of green free of any signs that a 5,000-square-foot building might go up in the middle of the park-like setting around which their homes are clustered.

In April, the Cambridge Board of Zoning Appeal decided to continue a hearing on aspects of a building permit held by Stonehouse Holdings to put up what neighbors deride as a "McMansion" on the horseshoe-shaped square that has served as a common yard for a dozen semi-detached stucco houses since they were built in 1915.

For now, Stonehouse is prohibited from doing anything on the site by a "stop work" order issued last October by city building commissioner Ranjit Singanayagam after the abutters raised questions about the ownership of the property and the developers' legal access to it. He told Stonehouse's attorneys in February that he was not lifting the order until matters had been resolved. read more...

Cambridge is full of change. Some of the biggest changes have come from management firms that are buying and redeveloping whole sections of our neighborhoods. Some of these changes have been positive and some negative. It is important that change comes to us in an open, honest, and respectable manner. It is the city who is in charge of overseeing that process. It is the residents who must oversee our city officials. Does anyone want to share a story of the change process? Were you aware it was coming? Did you take part in the process? What was the result? I for one am happy to see some of the gorgeous buildings dotting the landscape of Kendall Square. One of the downsides has been a serious increase in noise, traffic, and pollution. What can the city do to make the process more transparent? How about larger, more descriptive signs that tip us off for zoning/variance hearings? What can the city do to redirect the new traffic from residential streets? What can residents do to ensure we are protected from continued overdevelopment? How can residents work more directly with management firms that respect the needs of our community? read more...