Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

Officials still ‘trying to figure out’ process for a master plan, but it’ll start in Alewife

By Marc Levy
Tuesday, November 4, 2014

What might be called the catastrophic success of development in the Alewife area makes it the place to start a citywide planning process, city managers told the City Council on Monday.

The master plan process got off to a rocky start, considering officials insisted until April that an adequate master plan already existed, and that the authors of a July interim report on the process questioned that a master plan was about development or would actually happen.

Officials said Monday they still weren’t sure how to do the master plan – but were confident the work would start in Alewife, where residents have described a “tsunami of development.”

City Manager Richard C. Rossi described the situation in milder terms.

“Recent development in the Concord-Alewife area, especially the number of large housing developments, has been consistent” with goals from a plan the council adopted in 2006, Rossi said, but “the speed of development and specifics of design have caused some to be concerned about the overall direction of development in the area.”

Speed of development

By the count of some of those concerned residents testifying at meetings in recent months, construction of housing in the area is already significantly over city goals, even though a plan has been in place for only half its expected life through 2024.

In 2004, there was a combined 4.5 million square feet of commercial, residential and retail space in the area, and the Community Development Department’s projected totals would bring it to 7.3 million. But the plan called for 1.3 million square feet of commercial space, and according to a department memo for the Planning Board in April, no commercial space has been issued permits since the plan. Similarly, 176,665 square feet of retail was expected, and only 17,000 square feet of retail developments have been given permits, or less than 10 percent.

Meanwhile, of the 1.3 million square feet of residential development expected, there have already been permits granted for 1.5 million, with much more on the way. By one estimate based on a June report to the council’s Transportation Committee, residential developments accounted for in city planning overshoot projections by just short of 500,000 square feet.

“When we talked about what we thought might happen there back in 2006, I don’t think any of us imagined, quite frankly, it would happen as quickly or as broadly as it has,” Mayor David Maher said.

From Alewife to all

An update to the Concord-Alewife plan was asked by councillor Leland Cheung in March, but Cheung didn’t argue Monday with city managers turning that request into a springboard for a wider look.

Councillors agreed with going back to Alewife, starting with walking tours to get an in-depth understanding of the area’s “challenging development issues” ahead of a Dec. 1 roundtable about planning – but as part of a broader process. As Rossi said in a letter to the council:

Rather than conducting a separate update of the Concord-Alewife Study, we expect to develop recommendations for updating the plan and zoning in the Concord-Alewife area as the early phase of the upcoming citywide planning process in the context of the overall city goals and objectives.
Maher agreed that the rapid development in Alewife – where an estimated 45,000 cars jam a rotary daily and there’s been a 19 percent increase in use of an aging and overburdened mass transit system since 1997 – makes it the right place to start thinking citywide.

“It makes perfect, perfect sense to start looking at this planning initiative right here in a place that has significantly changed since 2006,” he said. “It’s definitely the place to start and look and see what we can do to help effect a better and well-positioned neighborhood and city.”

No dates attached

Still, there are no dates attached to the master plan process since the July interim report, which was based on input from 18 community meetings and drop-in sessions between May 31 and June 30 and included resident suggestions on how city officials could get people involved.

“We’re still trying to figure out exactly how it’ll work,” said Brian Murphy, assistant city manager for community development, referring to the master plan process and community involvement.

“This is all part of a comprehensive plan that’s going to be trying to be coming up with a vision of the best Cambridge for the next generation to come. That’s only going to be successful if we have truly broad representative input from the community … I absolutely pledge to you that it will be quite extensive,” Murphy told councillors, promising he would be back for their ideas on getting residents involved.
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Cambridge Day
 
"“Recent development in the Concord-Alewife area, especially the number of large housing developments, has been consistent” with goals from a plan the council adopted in 2006, Rossi said..."

In what universe does having permitted 1% of the commercial/retail and 115% of the residential suggested in the plan constitute consistency? The plan suggested a dense mixed-use semi-urban neighborhood. Instead, Cambridge has permitted superblocks of suburban apartments that are hostile to the street, while not making any forward motion on the pedestrian (and vehicular) connections that would allow this area to function as a neighborhood.

Alewife got to be light industrial hell because Cambridge didn't care about the isolated border area. They never started caring - they just green-lit everything that was proposed and called it "planning."
 
When you look at Northpoint, Assembly Sq and even the SBW you see that Cambridge really dropped the ball. Hell, they didn't even pick the ball up, just kicked it off to the side.

Cambridge is such an odd place; on one hand they are super strict about small scale development which leads to a beautiful and unique housing stock, old and new, while on the other hand they fully support suburban style commercial districts being built all throughout the city. They have the urbanism right where is hasn't been destroyed but can't seem to replicate it in the developing areas.
 
Render for above. Linder Art Center at Lesley

aib-perspective1.gif
 
DZH22 said:
It's amazing how much effort they went through to move that church, only to build such a rinky dink building in its place.
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Architecturally, it isn't a knockout, but this is Porter Square so competition is modest. For Lesley, this is a pretty big project. They've always been a school that occupies existing buildings, and this is unique for them to actually be building something.
 
Lesley has also run into community opposition to almost everything they propose with their properties in the Porter Square area. I think they also got a lot of flak when they bid on the air rights over the rail for use as residence halls.

Students in Cambridge: Can't live without 'em. Can't stand their effects on rents. Can't stand large collections of them in on-campus housing.
 
http://www.cambridgeday.com/2014/11...oject-arrives-with-some-questions-complaints/

This one looks interesting. 195' in Lafayette Square in the old Quest Diagnostics building and parking lot. Seems like not that much neighborhood opposition for something this high and against zoning. Developers offering 17% units affordable, 5% micro or "innovation, and 10 3br units. Also something about denying parking permits to residents but I'm not sure if that's for the whole building or just the micro units. 150 spaces for 230 units.

If this works out, than I'd take it along with 88 Ames as a sign that Cambridge is waking up to the housing crisis and that they need to add some height to increase supply.
 
kjdonovan said:
Architecturally, it isn't a knockout, but this is Porter Square so competition is modest. For Lesley, this is a pretty big project. They've always been a school that occupies existing buildings, and this is unique for them to actually be building something.
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I saw this one up close this morning, and it's not rinky-dink at all. It's actually pretty striking from the street. The render doesn't really do it justice.
 
Equilibria said:
I saw this one up close this morning, and it's not rinky-dink at all. It's actually pretty striking from the street. The render doesn't really do it justice.
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It's rinky dink when you consider the insane amount of effort it took to move that old church. Seems like a small payoff for such a large undertaking.
 
Owners of Cambridge’s Middle East Club Purchase Building

Joseph and Nabil Sater, the longtime owners of the renowned Middle East club in Central Square, have purchased the building that houses the venue’s multiple stages and restaurants, a source has confirmed to Boston.com this evening.

The fate of the club, which has played host to a who’s who of the music world since it began holding rock shows back in 1987, has been in question of late. Earlier this year it was feared that the end may be in sight for the club, with the Saters needing to come up with a reported $7 million to purchase the building.

Plans for adding four to five stories of apartments on top of the space were being considered to help offset the cost of investment.
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http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...se-building/SXXpfFhbJRe4hBMyFMFu0K/story.html

I'm very pleased to see this. The Middle East was like a second home to me when I younger and it plays a very important role in the city's cultural landscape.
 
Savin Hill said:
Owners of Cambridge’s Middle East Club Purchase Building



http://www.boston.com/news/local/ma...se-building/SXXpfFhbJRe4hBMyFMFu0K/story.html

I'm very pleased to see this. The Middle East was like a second home to me when I younger and it plays a very important role in the city's cultural landscape.
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That is great news. I saw Elliott Smith play there in 1998 and Mark Sandman play there in either late 1998 or early 1999 (it was a last minute impromptu show with about two dozen people in the audience, which included most of the Bosstones; I know it was very shortly before he passed on). That place is hallowed ground.
 
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