East Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

And so it goes…

Remember that video rental store that was here too?

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bigpicture7 said:
90-unit residential w/ 20% affordable proposed for 75 First Street across from CambridgeSide

www.cambridgema.gov

PB-231A

Special Permit application, PB231
www.cambridgema.gov www.cambridgema.gov

From within: https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media...sp231amend7/sp231_amend7graphics_20221130.pdf
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Revisions to 75 First Street proposal posted to Special Permits site (4/12) showing some improvements, IMO:

From within above posting:
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I loathe the black/white/gray color palette for new construction and flips. I know real estate agents discourage bright colors because they may turn off potential buyers, but the lack of color is worse.
 
I honestly have no idea if the sign installer was drunk or if the "STREET" is really supposed to be upside down:

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That said, peering through the glass it appears to be a nice space. Too much glare to really grab any interior shots. The space spans the full block from Spring St. to Thorndike St. along First, and, from left to right includes: a cafe ("Amba"), a demo kitchen/bar, an open market area for booths/stalls, and a rentable function room. I wish the operation well. It fills a very long (~15 year) vacant space / ugly stretch of First st.
 
This project is done (former Mayflower Poultry "Live Poultry Fresh Killed," 613-629 Cambridge St.). I had noticed it seemed to be being fitted-out/occupied, with machine shop-type equipment being installed. It does seem to have been leased:


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From connectCRE

Prior to completion, Riverside secured a lease with a company headquartered in Kendall Square for 16,500 square feet of the 17,500-square-foot building, working with the tenant to design and construct a facility supporting its research in robotics and AI.
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I wonder what Kendall-based company this is...
 
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RandomWalk said:
View attachment 71127
The former Dunks on Third and Monsignor O’Brien. This is becoming condos.
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Update on this project:

csindie.com

Six-story condo building wins muted approval for an odd lot in East Cambridge beset by changing laws - Cambridge | Somerville Independent

A 23-condo building at 8 Winter St., East Cambridge, won Planning Board approval Tuesday with a few largely technical conditions to make sure the project complies with design and zoning needs. Since the project was permitted in 2023 at the site of a former Dunkin’ Donuts, laws...
csindie.com csindie.com
 
The weird thing is that they have been constructing this continuously. I wasn’t even aware they had a pending revision before the city.
 
RandomWalk said:
The weird thing is that they have been constructing this continuously. I wasn’t even aware they had a pending revision before the city.
Click to expand...
It is also pretty weird to be a developer, and have two major zoning changes impact your site after initial approval only 3 years ago.
 
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