{"id":2364145,"date":"2026-04-08T14:49:19","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:49:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2364145"},"modified":"2026-04-08T14:49:19","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T14:49:19","slug":"city-eyes-new-school-of-music-for-affordable-housing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/city-eyes-new-school-of-music-for-affordable-housing\/","title":{"rendered":"City eyes New School of Music for affordable housing"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Cambridge\u2019s affordable housing crunch may threaten the future of a longstanding arts organization, as the building that houses the New School of Music was one of the possible conversion sites presented to councillors during Monday\u2019s working meeting of the Cambridge City Council.<\/p>\n

The city manager\u2019s office included the New School\u2019s lot on Lowell Street as a site for conversion along with a vacant lot on Bishop Allen Dr. the city acquired by eminent domain in 2016 and transferred to the Affordable Housing Trust, and an open space on Larch Rd. the city has owned since 2020.<\/p>\n

The Lowell St. site has been home to the New School for 45 minutes, and its inclusion in the proposal generated significant debate as among councillors over how to balance Cambridge\u2019s desire to foster the arts with the need for new sources of affordable housing. Residents consistently rank housing as the city\u2019s most pressing concern<\/a>. The New School of Music, a nonprofit center that offers group and individual lessons in over a dozen instruments for children and adults, had a lease for the first 10 years of its occupancy at the building on Lowell, and has since been a tenant-at-will. The current agreement with the city is that the New School pays eight percent of its tuition, about $20,000 per year, plus the cost of maintaining the building in exchange for occupancy.<\/p>\n

Melissa Peters, assistant city manager for community development, suggested the city could sell or continue to lease the Lowell property for its continued use as a nonprofit space. In either case, though, the city would be required to take the best offer available, meaning the New School of Music could still lose its space.<\/p>\n

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Melissa Peters, Cambridge\u2019s assistant city manager for community development, seen Jan. 27, 2025 in council chambers at City Hall. Credit:<\/span> Taylor Coester<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Some councillors wanted to keep space available for the New School. \u201cI feel profoundly that the arts are the highest expression of creativity and our humanity,\u201d said Councillor Cathie Zusy. \u201cI think especially in this crazy, crazy world that we live in, we really need to provide opportunities for self-expression.\u201d<\/p>\n

Other councillors cautioned against \u201ctunnel vision\u201d when attempting broad-level planning, though.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have all the needs of a major city and are trying to do it within six square miles,\u201d said Councillor Marc McGovern, in reference to Cambridge\u2019s footprint. \u201cWe have a lot of things to balance and they\u2019re all valid and they\u2019re all important to somebody and it\u2019s hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Given that New School\u2019s lot would only fit about 20 units, as well new developments coming soon to West Cambridge like 221 Mount Auburn St. Condos, McGovern said that he wasn\u2019t sure refitting the building on Lowell Street for housing would be \u201cworth the tradeoff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Even if the council decides not to convert the building into housing, though, the building needs perhaps $12 to $15 million dollars of renovation and maintenance work.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf you\u2019re on a one-year annual renewal, there\u2019s not really an incentive for a tenant to put in longer-term repairs,\u201d said City Manager Yi-An Huang, acknowledging why the proposed cost of re-leasing the building has gotten so expensive despite the element of the agreement with the New School that requires it to pay for maintenance.<\/p>\n

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Sumbul Siddiqui makes remarks after being elected Cambridge mayor for the third time. Credit:<\/span> Bruno Mu\u00f1oz-Oropeza<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui called the amount, \u201cnot insignificant,\u201d indicating that she would prefer \u201coption two\u201d that the city presented of selling the property instead. \u201cI\u2019m more likely to say two makes sense,\u201d Siddiqui said. \u201cIf that\u2019s the will of the body, then that\u2019s the will of the body.\u201d<\/p>\n

She cautioned advocates of the New School, some of whom attended the meeting in person, that they could not guarantee the building would go to the New School whether the property was sold or leased.<\/p>\n

The city council will report back to the city manager\u2019s office with what they want to do with the site going forward sometime this spring.<\/p>\n

Larch Street prime social housing spot<\/h2>\n

The site at Larch St. was identified specifically as a place where the city could build a social housing project, municipally owned affordable units.<\/p>\n

Councillor Ayah Al-Zubi, who called for building social housing as a part of her platform during last year\u2019s election, said she was excited for the opportunity to develop there.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs someone who advocates towards the decommodification of housing and treating it as a human right, it\u2019s great to see that 185 Larch Road is on there as a possible site,\u201d she said. The presentation also explored ways to find new space for the Department of Public Works (DPW), citing a \u201cshortage of operating space,\u201d for offices and storage of equipment according to Watkins. Options include using space that the city leases in Alewife and empty lots the city already owns on Webster Ave. to house the forestry division. Sherman Street might in an opportune position for sewage storage to prevent combined sewer overflow from going into the Charles River and Alewife Brook.<\/p>\n