New Development Plan Unveiled for Alewife Area

A recently released master plan for North Cambridge's Alewife area calls for expanding open space while also encouraging private development.

The Cambridge Community Development Department presented the 53-page plan yesterday to a group of the area's commercial landowners.

The plan, released last week, details goals in five planning areas: environment and open space, housing, economic development, and urban design.

In yesterday's meeting at the Chamber of Commerce, "People were interested and asked thoughtful questions and the reaction seemed positive," said Mary Flynn, deputy director of the Community Development Department.

Al Wilson of the Wilson-Cambridge Realty Trust, who attended yesterday's meeting, said, "The entire membership of the chamber seems to feel it is a good solution. There are some problems to work out, but the direction is good."

John A. Ginsberg, director of public affairs and community relations for the Chamber of Commerce, said the plan "gives a good framework for the residential and business communities to discuss and plan future land use decisions and economic plans."

The city Planning Board will hold a hearing to get testimony from residents and businesses on the evening of Tuesday, November 16. The board will then decide whether they want to make any changes, Flynn said.

The master plan will then go to the City Council for discussion and a vote.

Upgrading Resources

The plan calls for protecting and upgrading existing environmental resources such as the Alewife and Fresh Pond Reservations, expanding existing open space in the interior portions of the district through landscaping and tree planting, and creating a safe environment for people.

On transportation issues, the plan will promote use of and improvements in pedestrian and bicycle paths, as well as discourage solo driving options to reduce traffic.

The proposal recommends creating opportunities for housing along the residential edges while still permitting housing in Alewife's subdistricts. It also encourages private development to expand job opportunities, increase the tax base and upgrade the physical environment.

In addition, the plan calls for Alewife to provide strong retail areas and other support services.

Finally, the plan discusses three urban design goals which aim to create a more positive image for Alewife. Alewife should connect to Cambridge, have a more cohesive and livable environment and create a sense of place.

The plan describes the recommendations for all of Alewife, and discusses improvements in four specific areas. These areas are the Alewife Reservation, the Triangle, the Quadrangle, and the Fresh Pond Commercial Area.

These four areas are largely undeveloped compared to the remainder of Alewife and the plan discusses development framework, access, uses and linkages for each.

The plan also describes the implementation and funding of the proposals.

Zoning Proposed

The master plan also encourages the use of zoning to direct change in Alewife. Zoning could be used to increase the amount of open space by mandating a certain percentage of open space on a developed lot.

Zoning could also encourage a better mix of uses for areas by prohibiting undesirable uses and allowing desired uses. It could also improve the level of environmental quality by requiring conformity to a particular urban design scheme, setting controls on parking facilities and mandating greater public review of site development.

While the current plan has been more than two years in the making, it may undergo still more revision before it is finally adopted by the City Council.

Concerns Raised

"There were concerns [at yesterday's meeting] over the impact of the existing parking freeze and over future development plans," said Ginsberg.

Various members of the Alewife Steering Committee, which assisted the Community Development Department in formulating the plan, raised other concerns.

"We can't see now any reasonable location for housing in Alewife," said Wilson. He explained that "neither the city nor [the committee] see that housing would fit in the area as now being planned."

"My concern is that the Highlands neighborhood could be accessed by the industrial area known as the Quadrangle, and there is no design buffer zone between the neighborhood and the industrial area," said committee member George Spartichino.

Spartichino added that he is also concerned about traffic, and the open space bonus, which allows a firm to "develop more density on their property or receive more floor area" if they help develop the open space.

"The community also expected more housing to be incorporated into the plan," Spartichino added.

Jack I. Joseph, another member of the steering committee, said, "I would like to reinforce the city's commitment to connections across the railroad tracks so that there may be a vitality and interconnection between the two major sections called the Quadrangle and the Triangle sections."

Joseph also said that he thinks the plan "needs more of a spark of creativity and needs greater support by other agencies of the city government."

Joseph believes that the Planning Board or the City Council may revise some of the "zoning and bonuses and categories that can be incorporated into the general zoning laws to encourage planning options that were considered."

The time schedule for council consideration of the plan "depends on the outcome of next Tuesday's [hearing]," Flynn said. "If the changes are minor or few, then [the plan will go to the council] shortly after, but if there are major changes then it will take longer."

When asked if the City Council would approve the plan, Ginsberg said, "I am not good at predicting the future."

"No one ever knows what the Cambridge City Council will do," Wilson said.

Flynn said that the plan will be submitted to the City Council in draft form so they can make changes as well.

Neighborhood Initiative

The Community Development Department originally came up with the plan after an earlier study in which the North Cambridge neighborhood asked the city to reexamine the previous plan, according to Flynn.

"We knew this was the last area to be developed and a number of activists were concerned about what would happen here," said Spartichino.

"The history of business in Cambridge is to overrun the neighborhood," but Spartichino stressed that "a Kendall Square type atmosphere is not wanted here. We prefer quiet at night and non-existence on weekends."