Image courtesy of Elkus Manfredi Architects
A comprehensive revamp of the 30-year-old Cambridgeside mall would include 575,000 square feet of additional development including 200 housing units and office space, and new sidewalk-facing storefronts.
Boston-based New England Development is seeking approval for conversion of the East Cambridge property into a mixed-use development including buildings up to 155 feet tall, bringing total development on the property to 1.7 million square feet. The housing component would include a 65 percent affordability component, or approximately 130 units.
The Cambridge Planning Board will begin its review at a virtual meeting scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.
The project includes 175,000 square feet of residential space and 135,000 square feet of office and retail space occupying the above-ground Upper Garage portion of the complex. The existing Macy’s space would be expanded to a 10-story office-lab building with average 35,500-square-foot floor plates. The former Sears space would receive a new entrance on First Street and be converted into office, lab and retail space.
A later phase of the project beginning in 2023 would convert the garage and Best Buy space into a mix of retail, office, lab and residences.
“Despite consistent efforts to attract new tenants, including a recent multi-million dollar interior renovation and an application to expand permitted office use, the long-term success of Cambridgeside as a mixed-use center requires a more comprehensive redevelopment,” New England Development CEO Stephen Karp wrote in application materials submitted last year.
Subject to special permit approval by the planning board, the redevelopment would begin late this year and be phased over the next seven years, concluding with the conversion of the complex’s Upper Garage and Best Buy buildings.
In December, New England Development received approval from the city council to rezone the property for a mixed-use redevelopment including housing, office and lab space and retail.
A $90-million community benefit agreement and mitigation package offered by New England Development includes $15 million for arts, open space, infrastructure, transportation and environmental programs, $9 million for the refurbishment of the East End House community center and $7 million in transportation upgrades.
