Porter Square Infill and Small Developments

Councilor Carlone trying to make labs non-conforming city-wide is so very Cambridge.
 
#bancars said:
The nerve to say something this callous. How morally bankrupt does one have to be to casually throw out a comment like that when discussing new homes, especially a project of this type. :mad:
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Also, can someone ELI5 how the ZBA still has any discretion here given the passage of the affordable housing overlay? Isn't the AHA designed to stop crap like this?
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They're flipping out over a nine story building? Mass Ave is a major urban corridor, and thus deserves some nine story buildings. True, the adjoining residential areas are all triple deckers and whatnot, but Mass Ave? WTF?
 
RandomWalk said:
I do wonder how much longer the Shopping Center auxiliary parking is going to hang around, if they are building smaller labs like this one.
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The Shopping Center Property was recently purchased by TA Realty and Wilder (2 firms). It seems as if Wilder has mostly surburban shopping centers like this in their portfolio, but their more urban properties do include Arsenal Yards and a site on Newbury Street. I'd give it a 50/50 chance of something substantial being developed.
 
Apparently the brick building next to Anna's Taqueria (815 Somerville Ave.) is being proposed for office/lab conversion:

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Maps: https://goo.gl/maps/3XM9nkf4dKPXzq4S8

City of Cambridge Community Meeting Notice/Flyer:
 
So it’s going to get enough height from the HVAC penthouse to shield Porter Square from the solar arrays on the condos on White St.
 
Oops I reacted too fast when I read Anna's and felt nostalgic about the late 90s early 2000s when I used to eat there.

More labs 😩


bigpicture7 said:
Hmmm, this may be the first time in aB history a "lab conversion" got a love emoji? guitarguy, please do feel free to explain (or not)
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guitarguynboston said:
Oops I reacted too fast when I read Anna's and felt nostalgic about the late 90s early 2000s when I used to eat there.

More labs 😩
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Haha, I'm with ya. Anna's has a special place in my heart dating back to approximately the same era you mention (more like early-00's for me). However, I'll note that this lab conversion is for the separate building next to (to the right of) Anna's, not Anna's itself. (Maybe the scientists can get some burritos for lunch break?)
 
Anna's is my top place for burritos in my lifetime. Go-to order is a super steak burrito with cheese, rice, black beans, lettuce, salsa, and guacamole. Sometimes I'll make it spicier but the order is honestly better/perfect without it. The only thing with Anna's is that you better not have plans the next day because it sure takes its toll on the way out! It's so good that it's still worth it once in a great while....
 
DZH22 said:
The only thing with Anna's is that you better not have plans the next day because it sure takes its toll on the way out! It's so good that it's still worth it once in a great while....
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It's a good time of year for a little spring cleaning.
 
Dr. Rosen Rosen said:
Is the dry wall new??! I’ll take anything. At least the building is next to trains. It’s going to have some great views of Somerville and Boston too…
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Drywall's been around for quite some time, almost as long as the hole(s) in the wall for whatever electrical/plumbing they're still "working" on since they put up the sheets (visible in your first picture if you zoom in)..

I find the graffiti on this hilarious.. it highlights that it's been around and dormant long enough for that to occur, and that they didn't even finish painting their foundation, but started it at least...

We've gotta be at at least 7 years and counting on this...
 
stefal said:
Drywall's been around for quite some time, almost as long as the hole(s) in the wall for whatever electrical/plumbing they're still "working" on since they put up the sheets (visible in your first picture if you zoom in)..

I find the graffiti on this hilarious.. it highlights that it's been around and dormant long enough for that to occur, and that they didn't even finish painting their foundation, but started it at least...

We've gotta be at at least 7 years and counting on this...
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This is The Mazzula of developments.
 
Somerville’s permitting process beats Cambridgeany day! ;)

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“Cambridge real estate developer is seeking to put a four-story lab building in Porter Square, literally feet past Cambridge city limits in Somerville.

SGL Development has proposed to demolish two homes and a one-story print shop at 32, 40 and 44 White St., across from the Porter Square Shopping Center, in order to build a 42,000-square-foot R&D site on the parcels.

The properties sit on the Cambridge-Somerville border. The shopping center is in Cambridge, as is the commercial building next to 32 White St., the parcel closest to Porter Square.

Some Cambridge city councilors have expressed concerns about the addition of lab space in parts of the city like Porter Square. A pair of councilors put forward legislation last year to prohibit new lab development outside Kendall Square, Alewife and Cambridgeport. This spring, however, the Council moved instead to set up a working group to consider size limits and other restrictions on labs in city neighborhoods, rather than an outright ban.

“There’s an advantage in having a permitting process that’s more forgiving in Somerville, in regard to life sciences development in squares,” SGL principal Adam Siegel said.

Porter has seen little in the way of life sciences activity to date. Earlier this year, another developer proposed converting a three-story office building on Somerville Avenue into labs.

Somerville’s Davis Square, located just north of Porter, has seen a few smaller-scale lab proposals, including one that won approval on Elm Street last year that would be built above and around the beloved Burren Irish Pub, while displacing several other small businesses.

This will be the first life sciences project for SGL, which has focused on residential development. (The firm is working with Avison Young’s project management team on the proposal, Siegel said.) SGL was drawn to the location by its proximity to the Red Line and commuter rail and the nearby shopping options, according to Siegel.

Somerville’s planning board has scheduled its first hearing on SGL’s proposal for July 20. The project, located within blocks of the Porter Square MBTA station, would not have any on-site parking.

The development’s size would be a good fit for startups exiting incubator space or for a growing company looking to establish an auxiliary location, Siegel said.”
 
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