Bob La Trémouille

Return to www.cambridgegreen.org/greenforum2003.htm

Bob La Trémouille

Defending beautiful little guys with a lot of success!!

30 years experience as an environmental activist in Cambridge!

Downzoned 80% of Mass. Ave. between Harvard and Central Squares in three separate petitions, making it more green, more residential and less large.

Protected neighbors against irresponsible development on Massachusetts Avenue in Mid-Cambridge/Riverside, Cambridge Street in Inman Square and East Cambridge, River Street, the Trader Joe’s Site, and places on Mount Auburn Street, Broadway, Western Avenue, Blanchard Road.

3 important victories over Harvard:

Saved the historical 10 Mount Auburn building with key neighborhood importance.

Forced the Inn at Harvard building in Harvard Square to be set back from the sidewalk rather than building solid walls right at the sidewalk. This resulted in the beautiful grass and trees which have been provided. Kept the Inn at Harvard building from being constructed 70% larger.

Pivotal in preventing a major part of Corporal Burns Playground on Memorial Drive from being destroyed for Harvard expansion.

Prevented construction of massive garages on residential side streets next to business districts anywhere in the city, reversing previous provisions of the zoning ordinance.

Removed severely unlimited variance powers formerly possessed by Planning Board which they used to permit buildings 50% larger than allowed under zoning a block from the Cambridge Common.

Drafted rezoning to Open Space of AD Little parking lot in the Alewife Reservation near Alewife Station.

Drafted successful downzonings in Green Street, Maple Avenue, Fayette Street, Youville – Cambridge Hospital Area, Leslie College – Harvard Law School areas.

Active in killing of many extremely destructive development initiatives from Planning Board and friends of the Cambridge Development Department.

Since the turn of the Millennium, through the Friends of the White Geese, has generated more complaints to the Cambridge City Council against government attacks on the Charles River environment and wildlife than complaints on any other issue.

Organized a pressure campaign which forced the Governor’s veto of a silly piece of bicycle regulation AFTER it had passed both legislative houses without a negative comment.

Forced the Cambridge City Manager to rebuild Guffey Park at Arrow and Mass. Ave. AFTER he destroyed it.

Well established as a fighter for the environment, and for the little guy, against developer / development professional influenced groups which are so extremely visible in Cambridge government.

Active in Transportation Planning, Police Planning, and Landlord-Tenant Planning. Familiar with intricacies of Federal Housing Subsidies and with Health Planning issues.

Co-Founder of Friends of the White Geese.

Former director, Massachusetts Tenants Organization.

Charter / very early member of neighborhood associations in Mid-Cambridge and North Cambridge.

Host, The Cambridge Environment, CCTV, Cambridge Cable Channel 9, 6:30 pm Sundays for last 8 Years

Governor’s Office internship in Consumer and Health Fields.

Born in Cambridge, Raised in Southeastern Massachusetts.

Present or former resident of the following neighorhoods: Riverside / Franklin Street, Mass. Ave. near City Hall, Cambridge Hospital area, Harvard Square East near Main Library, North Cambridge near Trolley Yards, Windsor Street, Lower Harvard Street.

B. La Trémouille
Post Office Box 391412
Cambridge, MA 02139-0015
Telephone 617-576-9780

return to www.cambridgegreen.org/greenforum

Answers to 19 questions on environment:

1. Do you support the LEED silver standard for new buildings?

This questionnaire is deceptively detailed while omitting massive environmental destruction on the Charles and at Alewife being fought by the City of Cambridge and the MDC and by sponsors of this meeting. Soon to come destruction of all wetlands, wetlands vegetation, animal habitat and 300 trees on the Charles River is not at all handled by this questionnaire. That makes the apparent detail of this questionnaire a shell game. The apparent detail is a fraud on the public. This massive environmental destruction, in very major part supports the moving of traffic from Harvard’s newly purchased Mass. Pike Cambridge and Storrow Drive ramps. It would move the traffic to Memorial Drive and Cambridgeport over the Charles River railroad bridge. These environmentally destructive actions are being done WITH VERY LARGE PUBLIC FUNDS ($7 million to destroy 220 trees between the BU and Longfellow Bridges, $1.5 million to destroy Magazine Beach; massive additional expenses in between) WHILE SCHOOLS ARE BEING CLOSED. The Cambridge City Manager should be fired. The MDC should be stripped of all environmental property in Cambridge. The MDC’s front organization, the Charles River Conservancy, should not be allowed anywhere near this candidate forum, let alone be a sponsor, and the Sierra Club is hard to distinguish from the CRC and the MDC.

2. Do you support tax incentives for private developers to use LEED silver standards for building and restoration?

See 1.

3. Would you support master planning, zoning, incentives and requirements by the City to make shopping, laundry, schools, parks, recreation and libraries and essential services within a ten-minute walk of residents?

See 1.

4. Would you support life-cycle costing in planning so that the cost of use, harm, waste, and renewal is included in costing for decisions, for example leaf removal?

See 1.

5. Would you support conservation by-laws to restrict building in one-hundred year flood plains?