Elkus Manfredi Architects
MIT’s redevelopment of the Volpe Center property will include 1,400 housing units, including a 50-story tower and 1.7 million square feet of commercial space, a project that MIT says will propel Kendall Square’s tech- and life science-fueled economic hub to the next level.
Cambridge city councilors Monday approved a zoning petition that lays out guidelines for the future of the sought-after property in Kendall Square. The General Services Administration in January selected MIT to acquire and redevelop the 14-acre site, including a new headquarters for the federal Volpe National Transportation Systems Center offices and new development on 10 acres.
The residential component will include 280 affordable units and 20 middle-income units. Height limits will range from 170 for commercial buildings to one residential building at 500 feet, while 2.5 acres will be retained for open space.
A community benefits agreement includes:
- $8.5 million to design and build a multiuse community path on MIT’s property in the Grand Junction railroad corridor.
- Creation of a $22.5 million on-site community center with a job connector program.
- Contribution toward transit programs.
- Support for ongoing innovation arts programs in Kendall Square.
- Contribution to Cambridge’s fund for nonprofits.
- Support for ongoing community event programming in Kendall Square.
“The Volpe parcel is in the center of the city’s business district on a major transportation node,” Steve Marsh, MIT’s managing director of real estate, said in a statement. “It’s the perfect location to build because it will augment the city’s thriving knowledge economy and will create a stronger sense of community for all involved.”
Requirements for the commercial segment include 5 percent set aside for entrepreneurship and incubator activity and 65 percent of ground floors set aside for retail and active street uses.
MIT also has agreed to build 950 new graduate housing units, 450 of which are under construction at its nearby Kendall Square redevelopment. The school is researching sites for another 500-unit residence hall.
