West Cambridge / Alewife Area Infill & Small Developments

ngl for someone who's recently started reading an architecture forum, I have strangely few opinions about aesthetics lmao. I'd take everything short of communist block housing (and maybe even that) if it meant enough units to improve market conditions for affordability 🤡
 
Justbuildit said:
I regret nothing! Fill Alewife with 5,000 units if that’s what it takes, even if they’re ghastly
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It's a great area for new housing, near the Red Line, bus line, shopping and the Fresh Pond Reservation with trails. etc.
 
sean99090900 said:
ngl for someone who's recently started reading an architecture forum, I have strangely few opinions about aesthetics lmao. I'd take everything short of communist block housing (and maybe even that) if it meant enough units to improve market conditions for affordability 🤡
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welcome! this place feels a bit like a vestige of the old Internet, which is partially why I love it.
 
One of the things the MBTA Board talked about in its meeting yesterday, but which didn't get a lot of attention, is that apparently they've decided that the Alewife garage will need to come down in the near future, and in doing so wants to redevelop the site into "more than a garage." This isn't going to be a small project once it kicks off, but until the T actually publishes the solicitation, I figured I'd park it in this thread. Based on the verbal content of the presentations, the T isn't thinking about this like North Quincy - the T apparently wants to get away from simple one-time ground leases to private developers and wants to be part of a JV here - a focus on lingering value and recurring revenue from leases.

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Kendall and Alewife should battle for Cambridge’s tallest building. That whole garage complex and hostile access to the Alewife Brook walking trails is depressing.
 
Charlie_mta said:
I like it, but the Arlington NIMBYs may not.
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Arlington NIMBYs are next-level. Or at least they were when I was a very tiny kid. I recall the hue and cry (before my time, but still talked about) re: the plan to have the Red Line extend into Arlington Ctr. and then Arlington Heights and even to Lexington (they didn't care about that last bit).

While that RLX "history" was still being discussed when I was there, something that DID happen during my youth: there was a proposed Burger King (the horror!) in Arlington Center. People freaked OUT. Even as a kid, I was like "I know what you're actually saying by not saying it," when protesters would express, "I worry such a development would entice bad types from Boston to come to Arlington."

"Bad types." Yup.

Anyway. The town has gotten a good bit fancier and more enlightened these days -- kinda a mini Belmont/Newton -- and Greater Boston, in general, has changed a lot, so who knows, but I suspect you're correct that anything vageuly "high rise-ish" in or near Arlington will be met with serious resistance.
 
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This will be a REALLY big undertaking for the T!
Some things:
- Realign Cambridgepark Drive to meet Rindge Ave directly
- Build the ped/bike paths on either side of the Fitchburg ROW
- Infill commuter rail station
- Several bridges across the tracks
- Already a precedent for tall buildings here
- Wetlands and drainage issues are likely going to be a concern
 
I agree there should be an infill CR station. Unfortunately theres not really any good way to connect it to the red line station, but in this case it just is what it is. If ppl want to transfer to red they can just go 1 more stop to porter, not that big a deal.
 
stick n move said:
I agree there should be an infill CR station. Unfortunately theres not really any good way to connect it to the red line station, but in this case it just is what it is. If ppl want to transfer to red they can just go 1 more stop to porter, not that big a deal.
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Alewife CR was studied as an appendage to all the Cambridgepark TOD, and it was projected to only attract 60 daily riders. Project up to Urban Rail :15 service and it still would be one of the lowest-ridership stations on the entire Purple Line. Unfortunately it's just so far a walk from the Red Line that no one would choose it over Porter, and the size of the required switchback ramps up to the Parkway lengthens the walk for so much of the neighborhood.

This is a frequent study fascination for the City, but no matter how many times they squint at it it never ends up adding up.
 

Alewife Redevelopment Could Convert Obsolete Garage Into Thousands of New Transit-Oriented Homes​

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“The city adopted a new Alewife District Plan in 2019, and in 2023, the Cambridge City Council adopted new zoning rules for the district south of the Fitchburg Line commuter rail tracks that would allow new residential buildings up to 12 stories tall.

New zoning rules for the area north of the Fitchburg Line tracks – including the MBTA station site – are next on the city's agenda. Presentations from the city's rezoning working group suggest that the city is open to allowing even higher-density housing near the T station:”

https://mass.streetsblog.org/2024/0...-into-thousands-of-new-transit-oriented-homes
 
I will believe it when I see it. Cambridge is great about talking the talk and.. doing the opposite.
 
I participated in the Alewife Garage Redevelopment Industry day (thanks to this forum pushing the information out to all), and officials from Cambridge's Planning Department were present and spoke about how the redevelopment of the garage will allow an opening to examine the zoning policies for north of the tracks as well.
 
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