Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

The question you have to ask is will Kendall Square finally surpass Boston in Commercial Rental Rates: That's nuts.

As Whigh--said MIT is the key-- to what is going on .

Yea, but it's not really nuts if you think about it. Kendall Square is arguably the most desirable area in the world for bio/pharma. On top of that, it's very urban. It's like Silicon Valley being as/more expensive than San Francisco. It is a unique spot and everyone in a few specific industries (extremely high skill/high pay industries at that) are striving to be there.

It may not be traditional, but it's not really a mystery.
 
Window wholesaler warehouse on New St. across from Danehy Park and next to the new luxury condos is all boarded up and fenced off. Looks like demolition is imminent. Anybody know what's slated to go there (more condos?)?

93 more condos by the same developer.

http://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/CDD/ZoningDevel/SpecialPermits/sp286/sp286_plans.ashx

The DPW is also going to redo New St with full bike lanes and sidewalks on the Danehy side (I believe the developer is paying for the sidewalk fronting the buildings).

http://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/...Streetscape Presentation January 15 2015.ashx

I hope this project will get some momentum going on finally determining a proper plan for a right of way through the mall parking lot over to Terminal Road. Apparently the mall owners are not interested in collaborating with the city on anything (hence the shopping-cart stairs to that worn-out path up the embankment) and there was some council scuttlebutt last year about using eminent domain to create a ROW but it didn't amount to much.
 
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93 more condos by the same developer.

http://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/Files/CDD/ZoningDevel/SpecialPermits/sp286/sp286_plans.ashx

The DPW is also going to redo New St with full bike lanes and sidewalks on the Danehy side (I believe the developer is paying for the sidewalk fronting the buildings).

http://www.cambridgema.gov/~/media/...Streetscape Presentation January 15 2015.ashx

I hope this project will get some momentum going on finally determining a proper plan for a right of way through the mall parking lot over to Terminal Road. Apparently the mall owners are not interested in collaborating with the city on anything (hence the shopping-cart stairs to that worn-out path up the embankment) and there was some council scuttlebutt last year about using eminent domain to create a ROW but it didn't amount to much.

Yeah. When I was walking by there yesterday at lunch the traffic across the 'blasting across the alkalai flats' rear parking lot shortcut to New St. was backed up and reduced to one lane because crews were delicately patching this winter's new potholes around the rail grade crossing at the parking lot. Patching the grade crossing of the line that was abandoned 7 years ago which DCR now owns. Like...you could just pave over the whole thing now instead of using hand tools to pack the asphalt patch around the crossing rubber? But apparently, save for a slightly updated building facade, it's 1978 forever at Fresh Pond Mall.
 
big brother
16327538651_7843d2d7dc_c.jpg
 
I really like this building but I get why some people don't. It's massive but I think the pixelated facade actually works to break up the visual impact. If this was just brick with some window treatments it would be oppressive. Think about how they used to "camouflage" battleships in the World Wars: they painted crazy designs on them because from a distance or submarine periscope it was hard to make out what it was. That's the effect they are going with. Whether it works or not, I think, is up for debate.
 
"camouflage"

^^ Agreed. It has been great fun to watch this arrive at this stage so quickly. From our unit we can see a bit around the east side and it looks as if the team has been grading the grounds for the large triangle-shaped park area for the last 3-4 weeks (about as long as they did at Twenty|20 before those folks began lifting their dirt moat to "secure the perimeter").
 
Think about how they used to "camouflage" battleships in the World Wars: they painted crazy designs on them because from a distance or submarine periscope it was hard to make out what it was.

It is called Bedazzled camouflage. It was fantastic.

dazzle_1.jpg
 
Proposed MIT buildings 2-5 and the residential addition to 1 Broadway (NoMa project) made it into Emporis.com

If anyone has tweaks for them, let me know.
 

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