Image courtesy of MBTA
MBTA officials began the formal redevelopment process for Cambridge’s Alewife station, asking for private joint partners capable of building a “world-class public transportation hub.”
Letters of interest are due Nov. 19. A formal request for proposals will be issued in December for what could become a multi-million-square-foot development at the northern end of the transit system’s busiest subway line.
The MBTA hopes to pick a development partner as soon as summer 2025, according to a request for letters of interest issued Friday.
In August, MBTA officials said they will entertain redevelopment ideas under a new public procurement process, selecting a joint development partner early in the design process.
The offering includes the 1 million-square-foot garage and air rights above the Fitchburg commuter rail line tracks on the western side of Alewife Brook Parkway.
“The MBTA seeks to create a world-class transportation hub through a future-forward redevelopment project, to enhance the public realm in the station area, and to contribute to economic development and sustainable growth in the community,” the MBTA announced.
Development plans are subject to approval of a master plan by the city of Cambridge. Some Cambridge officials have called for a large multifamily housing component in any project at Alewife.
The 34-year-old garage is plagued by structural deterioration including ceiling collapses. The redevelopment project would turn a $175 million liability for the transit agency into a potential new source of revenues, MBTA Head of Transit-Oriented Development Scott Bosworth said this summer.
Developers also would be required to include upgraded technology and improved connections to shuttle services and MBTA bus service, officials said. The station attracts a weekday ridership of approximately 5,000.
In selecting a partner, the MBTA will consider project experience, key personnel and financial capacity, according to the procurement document issued Friday.
The new procurement process would minimize market risks for developers by delaying the development agreement until closer to groundbreaking, according to the MBTA.
Development projects with a large life science component planned for MBTA and Massachusetts Department of Transportation properties have been delayed amid the lab market downturn, including the Riverside station project in Newton and the parcel 25 project on Kneeland Street in Boston.
Under a pair of options presented by consultants SGH, a phased demolition of the garage would cost $72.4 million and take 43 months to complete. A total closure would cut the cost to $66.2 million and closure to 28 months, but require the MBTA to find replacement parking off-site and add shuttles to Alewife station.
The air rights portion of the project could bridge a pair of recent development clusters on Cambridgepark Drive and the Quadrangle district off Concord Avenue, where life science developer Healthpeak Properties acquired 36 acres in 2021.
