Alewife Park | 36-64 Whittemore Ave. | Cambridge

jklo said:
Three stories doesn't sound very ambitious.
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Next to established residential neighborhoods you're not going much higher than that in Cambridge, the biggest small town in the US. I used to go to my Boy Scout meetings in the early 1960's in one of those existing buildings.
 
They explicitly call out compliance with existing zoning, so three stories is all you get. They’re probably keeping their powder dry for the fight they’ll have building on the parking lots north of Whittemore.

They also can’t underground the parking due to the floodplain.
 
Equilibria said:
I get that it's currently a parking lot, but they couldn't put that parking under their 3 story lab buildings?
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The orientation of this proposal, especially the location of that parking lot is really strange. Looks to me like the "natural space" is code for "future expansion block."

At a minimum, why not use the parking garage to block the highway? And the development ignores the T access point even though it will be a main source of activity.

Flip the whole thing 90 degrees, have the T as the entry point, and add a residential component with limited parking overlooking the playing fields.
 
Charlie_mta said:
Next to established residential neighborhoods you're not going much higher than that in Cambridge, the biggest small town in the US. I used to go to my Boy Scout meetings in the early 1960's in one of those existing buildings.
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Isn't this next door to the projects? You could have these buildings be much taller and it'd still wouldn't really change the landscape much.
 
Well this is certainly designed by a developer, not an architect. That's for sure. The Jerry's pond enhancements look nice, though, that's about it.

There should really be no reason to not include housing at any scale here. Virtually a blank slate within a 60 second walk to the Red Line...
 
Charlie_mta said:
Next to established residential neighborhoods you're not going much higher than that in Cambridge, the biggest small town in the US. I used to go to my Boy Scout meetings in the early 1960's in one of those existing buildings.
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THis is the part where we should allow the "established neighborhood" to upzone itself--make it easy for them to assemble parcels collaboratively and all sell out together
 
The asbestos ordinance reference in the presentation materials is about the restrictions on disturbing the ground in the area. That will hem in what the developer can do with the land.
 
jklo said:
Isn't this next door to the projects? You could have these buildings be much taller and it'd still wouldn't really change the landscape much.
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Rindge Towers is a few blocks to the south, but Rindge Towers is not immediately next to a residential neighborhood, and they were built back in the day before the rigid NIMBYism of today.
 
I think the location of the parking garage is due to that being where the parking lot is. Plus if Cambridge ever decides to do something about the traffic hell, it'd likely be involve something that abuts the garage.

Charlie_mta said:
Rindge Towers is a few blocks to the south, but Rindge Towers is not immediately next to a residential neighborhood, and they were built back in the day before the rigid NIMBYism of today.
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Looking at the map, technically the Pond does act as sort of a buffer. To the right of the Towers is an apartment complex, and across the street from that is mostly SFH.

RandomWalk said:
The asbestos ordinance reference in the presentation materials is about the restrictions on disturbing the ground in the area. That will hem in what the developer can do with the land.
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Forgot about that part, it might be too polluted for residential.
 
RandomWalk said:
They explicitly call out compliance with existing zoning, so three stories is all you get. They’re probably keeping their powder dry for the fight they’ll have building on the parking lots north of Whittemore.

They also can’t underground the parking due to the floodplain.
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I suspect that the proposed use for most if not all of these buildings will be bio-manufacture not labs


from a Biznow a couple of days ago
www.bisnow.com

Boston Has A 'Dire Shortage' Of Biomanufacturing Facilities

Greater Boston's competitive life sciences market faces a dire shortage of biomanufacturing facilities, experts say.
www.bisnow.com www.bisnow.com

Boston Has A 'Dire Shortage' Of Biomanufacturing Facilities
BostonLife Sciences
January 7, 2021 Andrew Martinez, Bisnow Boston

The red-hot life sciences market in and around Boston is lacking a critical piece as its growing companies look to expand.

Biomanufacturing facilities are few and far between in the region, and biopharmaceutical companies are scrambling for solutions, experts said. New medicines require fundamentally different manufacturing than the drugs of the past, meaning most of these facilities need to be built new.
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"Another acre was added Tuesday to the Cambridge Highlands holdings of Healthpeak, a Denver builder and manager of labs, medical offices and retirement communities. At a price tag of $18 million, it becomes the 19th parcel the firm has picked up north of Fresh Pond since August for a total $391 million.

The pattern of purchases has caused some alarm among city officials. On Thursday, councillor Patty Nolan submitted a policy order for a Monday meeting calling for a moratorium on additional office and laboratory uses in the area until Dec. 31, 2023, or “such time as new Alewife District zoning is ordained.” The order is cosponsored by Marc McGovern and Mayor Sumbul Siddiqui."

Healthpeak execs say they plan a 36-acre life-science campus... It’s been acquiring under the names LS Alewife I, II, III and V – suggesting an Alewife IV deal may just be lagging.

 
As someone who works in this part of the industry, Boston is actually a leader in biologics manufacturing (not #1, but big). Yes, there is a dire need for more, but R&D in Kendall will not be hamstrung by a shortage of manufacturing capabilities down the street in Alewife.

The people who work in biologics manufacturing have different degrees and skill sets than a biologics R&D lab, and you can also use low-skilled labor for some of the work.

Pushing the work out past 128 and ideally along 495 is perfect. Devens, MA has production capacity and up in Portsmouth, Lonza, the world leader in biologics manufacturing has one of their key global biologics manufacturing plants. The work should be close to R&D, but does not need to be next door.
 
Now sold to Healthpeak. Details are here: https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media...Permits/sp387/sp387_appgraphics1_20211227.pdf

@BeeLine, please change the thread title to "Alewife Park | 36-64 Whittemore Avenue | Cambridge".


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Are they performing remediation on Jerry’s Pond itself, or just activating the environs?
 
RandomWalk said:
Are they performing remediation on Jerry’s Pond itself, or just activating the environs?
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Good question. As a kid I used to swim in Jerry's Pond (Jerry's Pit as it was called then) until I was about 11. There was a beach there heavily used by the kids and adults from the adjoining neighborhoods. Then the swimming pool on Rindge Ave finally opened. Jerry's Pond was, and is, laden with toxic chemicals from the old Dewey and Almy plant (later WR Grace) immediately to the north. Fortunately I seem to not have suffered any effects from swimming in it (I do glow in the dark a little, LOL). Glad they're fixing up the area, but as you say, addressing the toxic waste in the pond needs to be part of the package.
 
 
This area of Cambridge is thick with the NIMBYs who get the vapors at any affordable housing. I expect any gaskets they possess will perform a rapid unscheduled disassembly at this.
 
 
 
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