Cambridge Infill and Small Developments

I don't know about the zoning in Cambridge but there are quite a few new 3-Deckers going up in the Dorchester area.
 
ah, but Harvard owns three deckers too, gussied up to look like San Francisco Victorians.

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These are on Grant St. in Cambridge, and Harvard is currently rebuilding two more similar houses on Grant St.

Suffolk83, did you ask about a new high-rise along the Charles that you could see from Kenmore Sq and Storrow Dr.? That may have been Peabody Terrace (Harvard housing near Western Ave.) that Harvard is rebuilding the facade on.
 
The three front doors on the first one is pretty unusual. Seems to benefit the top unit at the expense of the first floor.
 
I want to take it back to what was being discussed a few posts ago, about Cambridge throwing up a FEW 500 ft towers up. I think that would be great to see, especially in Kendall Sq. or near Lechemere, maybe even Central Sq. I drove to NY this weekend and when I was going through White Plains I saw a few of their towers. I said to myself if White Plains has towers, why can't Cambridge. It really would add a whole new demention to the city. In those areas, and only those areas, I think it would greatly benfit the city. Really make the view from Boston more impressive.
 
Kendall and Central Square need 500 foot towers like we need Romney for president.
 
lrfox said:
Kendall and Central Square need 500 foot towers like we need Romney for president.
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I can understand Central not needing any, but Kendall Square? Why on earth wouldn't a 500-footer be ok when it's already strewn with 300-footers? I mean as long as the ground floor is engaging, what's the problem?
 
kz1000ps said:
I mean as long as the ground floor is engaging, what's the problem?
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Well that's sort of the point. The priority in both of those places should be making the street level engaging... height should be but a secondary concern. I'm not saying a 500 foot tower couldn't work there I'm just saying Kendall doesn't NEED a 500 foot tower.
 
The street level of Mass. Ave. in Central Square is just fine as it is. What Central Square needs is not towers, but rather intelligent low-rise infill on side streets such as Prospect, Bishop Allen, and Green.
 
Lrfox said:
I'm not saying a 500 foot tower couldn't work there I'm just saying Kendall doesn't NEED a 500 foot tower.
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Ah ok. I took the hyperbolic part as saying we do NOT need a tall tower under any circumstances, because surely the other part (Romney as president) will never, ever, ever be needed.
 
Kendall Sq. needs a 500 ft tower like we need Romney for Presiden. Hmmm. I'm going to half to disagree. Central Sq. ok maybe it dosn't, but Kendall Sq. Kendall is clearly trying to be Cambridge's "downtown" area. It is infact not quirky artisitic shops, but large business buildings, large hotels and some large condo/appartments. I think that one maybe two 500 footers around those 20 story towers would really make that area pop out. Or it could just stay Cambridges half ass downtown. I mean its crazy to think that a taller tower would do well in an area that is near the river, provides awsome views of boston, right on the red line, minutes from downtown Boston (by T, or by car) in the most comercially developed part of a city that is more dense than most the rest of the country. Of course I'd be talking about a nice tower and not a generic one.
 
The steel has started going up on this project at Linskey Way (now blocked off) and 2nd St. After the excavation and retaining walls were built, the site was left to the mosquitoes for a long time. A new contractor, Berry, was brought in, and it now seems the project is well underway again. Who the building is for, and the building's purpose, I know not.

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^I'm not certain that this will be a building. It would be great if that is true. For the longest time, this site was just a giant hole in the ground.
 
LeTaureau said:
^I'm not certain that this will be a building. It would be great if that is true. For the longest time, this site was just a giant hole in the ground.
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You think it will be just a big underground parking garage? There looks to be five levels of parking. Thats an expensive way to garage cars, even for Cambridge.
 
Most likely, it's both -- underground parking with a building on top.
 
I work for Genzyme. I guess there was some talk that it could become Genzyme Center 2, but I'm not sure how serious they were about building it.
 
Well, at least that disgusting green water/muck is gone.
 
I just walked by that site right now. It has www.berry.com on the fencing. I went to the website and saw a bunch of projects in Cambridge, but couldn't figure out which one it was.

* Also a fun little side note, that ice skating rink right next to it is a real hidden gem. Cheap, not crowded, with nice appropriate sized indoor area to put your skates on. They offer rentals and skate sharpenings too.
 
^^^ Last year there was a discarded construction sign by the foundation wall suggesting that the previous contractor was DiMeo. But no indication of the project on the DiMeo website, which lists projects going back to 2003.
 
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