Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

Brad Plaid said:
Pretty sure the developer was forced by Cambridge to put in the open space. Activists praised it as a welcome extension to the new two acre park diagonally across the street.
Click to expand...

Of course the activists did.

Shame on Cambridge's city government for not knowing how a city should look and work.
 
EF building
045_zps8ec86da2.jpg
044-1_zpsf120bbac.jpg
036_zps5d0622d8.jpg
035_zpsf827a292.jpg
034-2_zps26a94a9c.jpg
026_zps429b53f8.jpg
023-3_zps6eaf9ea8.jpg
022-2_zpsfed3add2.jpg
020-2_zps6781b08e.jpg
014-2_zps073551f3.jpg
002_zps1bcf9daf.jpg
 
Pile driver is on site for Building N (apartment building) at NorthPoint. Test piles will be done in a few weeks. We were told that steel may begin late summer.
 
Nice!

Other highlights from the article that I'd not known about:

Some of the projects in the works include a proposal to turn the Kaya Korean and Japanese Restaurant into the Kaya Hotel, a move that would turn a one-story building into four stories. The St. James Church on Mass. Ave. won a special permit to construct 67 housing units. A building on White Street is slated to turn into eight units of housing. And, the former Bob Slate’s building is expected to attract interest in developers, along with the now shuttered Roach’s Sporting Goods store.
Click to expand...

@ BOLD: Please and thank you! Converting 1 stories into 4 stories should be happening everywhere in Cambridge/Boston/Somerville!
 
This has been in planning for years. I preferred an earlier design that was more adventurous but certainly this is a winner. There was also a rendering showing the building positions switched which would seem far easier to build and a lot less expensive than relocating the church.
 
BussesAin'tTrains said:
Landscape ripe for change in Porter? Lesley's readying an expansion and there's some redevelopment in the works.
Click to expand...

There are 2 large surface parking lots right across from the Sears building just begging for a couple of 15 story residential towers. That's a fantasy of course because that would require non-self absorbed neighbors who understand dense TOD and are concerned with the greater good of creating more housing. The reality will be 3-story garden apartments on one lot and a park on the other.

Porter Square is criminally underdeveloped.
 
Brad Plaid said:
There are 2 large surface parking lots right across from the Sears building just begging for a couple of 15 story residential towers. That's a fantasy of course because that would require non-self absorbed neighbors who understand dense TOD and are concerned with the greater good of creating more housing. The reality will be 3-story garden apartments on one lot and a park on the other.

Porter Square is criminally underdeveloped.
Click to expand...

Those lots are owned by Lesley as well.

I'm pretty sure we have a thread for Porter or Lesley somewhere around here.



I'm surprised they're moving the church! I thought they were re-purposing it. It doesn't seem worthy of moving, IMO. Either use it or bulldoze it, come on.
 
I remember when a semester or two ago I saw them selling the pews that were once in the church out on the sidewalk. Weird sight.

Anyway, I've gone back and reviewed the masterplan. They are indeed moving this not only over to the vacant space, but moving it closer to Mass Ave. They'll be expanding out the backside, allowing the new structure to tie into the church, with the new structure having a streetwall along Roseland St and Mass Ave. I'm impressed. I can't tell if there's any retail components though. I know they have retail components slated for the two parking lots opposite Mass Ave from University Hall, though.
 
I worked in the legal dept at Lesley for one summer and this project was tied up for 3+ years in private litigation. Neighborhood opposition was led by a harvard law prof. Retention of the historically insignificant church is most likely due to that. As I recall there was some importance to the yellow hose next door towards harvard. Glad its finally getting done and Boston Institute of Art is finally getting its own building again. Also glad they're replacing the crap steeple from some other church that was thrown on after a fire at some point.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top