Bid to revive rent control falls hard in Cambridge

Only 7,218 voters supported the rent-control plan, with 11,010 voting against it, according to unofficial results from the Cambridge Election Commission. To pass, the ballot question needed the support of 18,809 voters. The home-rule petition, which also required legislative approval, would have rolled back rents on some apartments to the level of Feb. 1, 1999, the date the Cambridge City Council declared a housing emergency. It also would have created a city board to evaluate rent changes and vote on proposed evictions.

Supporters said the changes would have saved residents from evictions and made the city affordable for the less affluent.

Opponents, including the Cambridge Homeowners Coalition, said the plan would discourage development in Cambridge and encourage landlords to ignore needed repairs.

Denise Jillson, chairwoman of Massachusetts Homeowners Coalition 2003, said she was delighted by the results.

On the day rent control ended in 1994, she said, electricians, plumbers, and painters descended on local buildings as landlords invested in upkeep and construction. "This initiative was ill-conceived," Jillson said.

Rents in Cambridge have fallen in recent months, and the city has a relatively high vacancy rate.

The Boston City Council rejected a rent stabilization plan last year, despite support for it by Mayor Thomas M. Menino. A new proposal for Boston would limit rent hikes to 10 percent each year for low-income, disabled, and elderly residents.

Benjamin Gedan can be reached at gedan@globe.com.