MXD Commercial Towers | 250 - 290 Binney St | Kendall Square

[Spence]

Popping out of the trees from the urban park roof garden

 

[#bancars]

8.28.24 from Binney:

 

[AndrewOnTheMBTA]

290 Binney, getting close to topping out (8/29) from Discovery Cafe patio.

In my humble opinion, this area is very appropriate for much taller.

On that note - is there any chances for seeing more mixed-use between lab and residential? A taller hotel in this area is sorely needed as well. This building is too stumpy for me.

 

[bigpicture7]

290 Binney, getting close to topping out (8/29) from Discovery Cafe patio.

In my humble opinion, this area is very appropriate for much taller.

On that note - is there any chances for seeing more mixed-use between lab and residential? A taller hotel in this area is sorely needed as well. This building is too stumpy for me.

The Volpe campus redevelopment (MITIMCo) and the MXD parcels (BXP) are both Planned Use Developments, which means they have a master plan (which supersedes zoning) that specifies uses, heights, FARs, etc. Both of those developments are spec'd for one tall building each, with 121 Broadway being the one in MXD development and which has broken ground.

Aside from those two parcels, there aren't currently approved allowances for tall buildings. That could change, but it's not on the horizon, and would likely take a new proponent to establish a PUD elsewhere in the vicinity. There have been a few false starts in/around Kendall, but I think it would take something like a new build cycle (i.e., cheap financing, roaring development environment) for that to happen. Don't kill the messenger please.

 

[bigpicture7]

By the way, this graphic posted by @Justbuildit in this thread clearly illustrates the relative heights of the 250 + 290 Binney buildings relative the 121 Broadway building in the background. There has been no official design submitted yet for the other (Volpe site) tall building.

Note that this under-construction building (290 Binney) is slated to top out at 320' per this diagram

 

[Randy N. Craven-Krawtch]

A different view.