Cambridge City Council members talk CWDI after lawsuit settlement

CAMBRIDGE — The Cambridge Harbor project was the overwhelming focus of a Cambridge City Council meeting on Aug. 26.

Along with a presentation from a hotel developer interested in building on Cambridge Harbor and a decision to move forward with creating a tax increment financing policy — a financing method Cambridge Waterfront Development Inc. has been looking into using for the Cambridge Harbor project — council members shared their thoughts on the project and the city’s relationship with CWDI.

Tensions between the two have been bubbling to the surface for the past year.

In October, the city wrote a letter to CWDI expressing concerns with the Cambridge Harbor project. In March, then-City Manager Tom Carroll submitted his resignation and said he was resigning over concerns with the project.

On Aug. 21, the city and CWDI settled a lawsuit, which was filed by the city in May alleging CWDI was in violation of a transfer agreement it entered into with the city in June 2021.

After the settlement, both Mayor Stephen Rideout and CWDI Board President Angie Hengst expressed hopes for a stronger relationship between Cambridge and CWDI moving forward. Part of the settlement involves both parties entering into a memorandum of understanding to address issues between the city, county, state and CWDI that were not included in the lawsuit.

At the council meeting on Aug. 26, Commission President Lajan Cephas reminded everyone that CWDI’s board is made up of volunteers. She said that the hotel presentation is an example of what CWDI can do.

“If we just give them just a little more faith, I know we can work together to make the project moved forward,” she said.

Commissioner Brian Roche said he is excited to see the project move forward “despite the ups and downs.”

“I think the progress — however uncomfortable it’s been made — with the Yacht Maintenance expansion, the working waterfront, things that have been in our comprehensive plan, thank god we’re moving that forward,” he said.

Cephas asked about city spending on litigation with CWDI. She said the city has spent $34,000 and asked when it will stop. She said it looks like the project is moving in the right direction, and the money that has been going toward litigation should be saved.

“I’m hoping that maybe the next meeting, the next couple meetings, we can have a plan in place for how we can end that that process,” she said.

Acting City Manager David Deutsch said the city would provide a report on the matter.

In July, CWDI Board Treasurer Frank Narr said CWDI was $200,000 over budget on legal expenses so far this year. He said the number was “strictly related to litigation.”

Commissioner Jameson Harrington shared feelings on CWDI at the Aug. 26 meeting that contrasted Cephas and Roche’s.

“I’ll start off by saying not running for election again means I’m free to speak my mind, which also means I’m not going to sit here and falsely praise CWDI and give them thanks that they’re not due,” he said. “I’ve sat here, and over the past year, they have been unhelpful at best, antagonistic at worst.”

Harrington said that it took a third party to get to this point in the relationship between the city and CWDI.

“And I’m not going to sit up here and pretend that didn’t happen,” he said. “So to sit here and praise them? No, that’s not going to happen.”