Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

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Charlie_mta said:
It would've been good to add 2 more stories. After all, this is located in a large square (Inman).
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This isn't a new building or any new construction, really, so there's no chance to add stories. This is an existing building where they're reconfiguring the ground level to add retail and dining space. (Until recently it was a non-profit office space and kids tutoring center, I think).
 
ritchiew said:
This isn't a new building or any new construction, really, so there's no chance to add stories. This is an existing building where they're reconfiguring the ground level to add retail and dining space. (Until recently it was a non-profit office space and kids tutoring center, I think).
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Based on the latest planset from the CRA, I think 3 retail, 1 café, 1 fitness use - all of the units are small, 500-600ft², other than the corner cafe which is 854ft² which is probably too small for a proper restaurant.
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Stlin said:
Based on the latest planset from the CRA, I think 3 retail, 1 café, 1 fitness use - all of the units are small, 500-600ft², other than the corner cafe which is 854ft² which is probably too small for a proper restaurant.
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Unless its a very reduced rent - I struggle to see how a cafe without a kitchen will pencil out in Cambridge.
 
as02155 said:
Unless its a very reduced rent - I struggle to see how a cafe without a kitchen will pencil out in Cambridge.
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Erhm, I think most of the coffee shop / cafés in the city don't have a kitchen? I know of many that just sell brought in pastries, and of the rest I suspect the vast majority don't cook anything more complicated than a breakfast sandwich, which you can pull off pretty easily with just a countertop speed oven.
 
Stlin said:
Erhm, I think most of the coffee shop / cafés in the city don't have a kitchen? I know of many that just sell brought in pastries, and of the rest I suspect the vast majority don't cook anything more complicated than a breakfast sandwich, which you can pull off pretty easily with just a countertop speed oven.
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Most cafes in Cambridge a hybrid cafe/restaurant because coffee and pastries just doesn't make rent. I can't think of a coffee shop nearby that doesn't have some sort of kitchen - except Dunks. 1369, bom dough, Cicada, the children of Darwin-Asaro/Citrus.

The only true coffee/pastries with countertop oven that I see around are those that are functionally serving a large corporate building - like the Starbucks in Target or some of the new lab buildings with dedicated coffee spaces (to further capture rent for the landlord).
 
The denizens of Huron Village are going to blow a gasket, if they haven’t already.
 
I think it's likely they'll start protesting at every city meeting until this zoning amendment is rescinded if they start to build more of that around those homes. Plenty of nice six-story buildings that you could build. That design is quite bleak..
 
FormFollowsBudget said:
I think it's likely they'll start protesting at every city meeting until this zoning amendment is rescinded if they start to build more of that around those homes. Plenty of nice six-story buildings that you could build. That design is quite bleak..
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They can if they want to, but I suspect they largely voted the anti-rezoning slate for City Council and mostly lost. You get a redo on that every two years, but I think outrage would need to be widespread to overcome the pro-housing majority.
 
This is why some were pushing for district councilors instead of city wide. Thankfully, it didn’t happen.
 
I used to live right down the street from here and I'm mostly just mourning the likely loss of vegetation here. The tree canopy is so nice on these streets. That and the fact that this is an ugly design. Hoping it will look better in real life than the rendering.
 
Equilibria said:
They can if they want to, but I suspect they largely voted the anti-rezoning slate for City Council and mostly lost. You get a redo on that every two years, but I think outrage would need to be widespread to overcome the pro-housing majority.
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Fair points, and a little hyperbole and a lazy complaint on my part (Monday morning after all). Still useful context on how the rezoning process in Cambridge actually works. My worry is that if we see more of this, people who are even less familiar with the process than myself, who is slightly uninformed, will keep filling the conversation and taking shots at every project.
 
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