Cambridge Crossing (NorthPoint) | East Cambridge/Charlestown | Cambridge/Boston

Aprehensive_Words said:
Unfortunately between still-high demand for construction services (meaning contractors can get away with charging an arm and a leg sometimes) and stabilized-but-not-deflating construction materials costs (remember: they jumped up a bunch during the pandemic), buildings cost a lot more to put up today before you even talk financing. And high interest rates mean that a) investors now have a much less risky option for their money in the form of U.S. Treasurys, so they're demanding bigger returns and b) banks are just charging more for their loans -- if they will give you a loan at all, since a recession could hurt demand for high-end apartments like these, should one be underway when your building finally opens in a year or two.

Put it all together and it's a much less sure bet you can make enough money from rents to afford the interest on the loans you need to put the building up in the first place. It's a bit more complicated, and any actual CRE finance people on this board can explain the details, but that's the basic gist.
Click to expand...
I think that was very well put and extremely accurate
 
not my photos

Site Progress August 2023

August Aerials 2023

1693930192782.png


1693930212983.png


1693930239609.png


1693930301877.png


1693930322312.png


1693930386795.png


1693930451370.png


1693930507159.png
 
king_vibe said:
Stormwater runoff is a concern here? I wonder why that is…
Click to expand...

You wonder why they are being responsible by providing a stormwater system adjacent to their parcel that had previously been a permeable gravel field for 100+ years, on which they are now building a parcel-spanning structure?

You expected instead that they tear up all the roads that they don't own to replace the permeability that way, or, that they should simply add burden to municipal drainage despite having a way to mitigate the added load they are creating? I prefer their current approach in the near-term to another pavement triangle.

EDIT: I hate the O'Brien highway too, fwiw
 
Last edited:
dhawkins said:
I think this was the tallest tower in East Cambridge until 2006
Click to expand...

It's always been the courthouse, which frankly has probably been the tallest tower in all of Cambridge until they built the newer MIT dorm. (and then ripped part of the courthouse's roof off, although the new mech top appears to have restored the height)
 
Great news. Besides Lamplighter, the coffee shop and the restaurant, CX is kinda dead.
 
They really need to get going on the residential building at parcel R. It will fill in one of the last gaps on the right side of cx, and also enclose the area around lechmere, plus add some much needed housing to the development area. It seems like it should be reasonably priced as well compared to whats essentially high rise units at parcel I.

https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media...designreview/sp179_pareclrdesign_20220419.pdf
 
stick n move said:
They really need to get going on the residential building at parcel R. It will fill in one of the last gaps on the right side of cx, and also enclose the area around lechmere, plus add some much needed housing to the development area. It seems like it should be reasonably priced as well compared to whats essentially high rise units at parcel I.

https://www.cambridgema.gov/-/media...designreview/sp179_pareclrdesign_20220419.pdf
Click to expand...

How about they go back to the drawing board and add 50 more floors? This is a JOKE.

1695221762822.png
 
The planning documents state that its following Northpoint East Cambridge Design Guidelines, which limits it to 85’ above grade. It’s worth asking what the logic was when they crafted those guidelines, but any of can probably guess the rationale.
 
DZH22 said:
How about they go back to the drawing board and add 50 more floors? This is a JOKE.

View attachment 42837
Click to expand...
I mean it's a fairly bland ugly building but I dont really have a problem with the height.
Seems pretty clear they don't want to cast shadows over the park. Also the height seems to be increasing from west to east.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top