Photo by Steve Adams | Banker & Tradesman Staff
MBTA officials abruptly cancelled their largest upcoming real estate project, a redevelopment of Cambridge’s 30-acre Alewife station and parking garage that could have included millions of square feet of commercial space and housing.
An MBTA spokesperson confirmed a Monday report by StreetsblogMASS that it cancelled the procurement process that would have formed a joint venture with a private developer.
The 1985-era garage needs $250 million in repairs, according to the MBTA, and has been plagued by structural deterioration that forced repairs to crumbling concrete.
“We remain interested in models like joint development and recognize its value, as it offers innovative ways to support the communities we serve. We will continue to explore and evaluate opportunities that align with our long-term goals,” the MBTA spokesperson said in an email.
Although the project was not expected to break ground for several years, the MBTA released a statement blaming a “major market shift occurred during the procurement, which would have impacted pre-development labor costs including labor and material.”
In mid-2024, MBTA real estate officials presented options to maximize the development potential of the site, including one that would have closed the 2,733-space garage for 28 months during demolition. They also discussed an option to offer air rights construction over the Fitchburg line commuter rail tracks that run alongside the property.
“It is no longer financially sensible for us to continue to put band-aids on it,” MBTA Director of Transit-Oriented Development Scott Bosworth said at the time.
The MBTA initially indicated it would issue the formal request for proposals in fall 2024 and select a joint development partner in early 2025.
The project would have included upgraded retail and improved bus and shuttle connections. The station attracts approximately 5,000 riders each weekday.
The MBTA recently completed a partnership with Houston-based developer Hines on the South Station Tower, while other attempts to maximize the potential of transit properties have stalled.
In Boston’s Back Bay, the MBTA designated Peebles Corp. as developer of air rights parcel 13 above the Massachusetts Turnpike. The Miami Beach-based developer has failed to update its development plans for a life science complex since 2023.
In 2022, Peebles Corp. was designated as developer of parcel 25 in Boston, but has failed to submit any development plans.
Newton-based Mark Development is pursuing a long-planned development next to the MBTA’s Riverside station, after receiving approval in December for a 753-unit housing development.
