Adam Siegel of Old North Development introduced himself and his plans to build a six-story mixed-use development at 1740 Massachusetts Avenue (currently Walgreen’s, Simon’s and Keezer’s). Architect Peter Quinn showed the plans. There will be a total of 71 apartments, of which 12 will be affordable as required. The mix will be 55% studios (from 500 to 600 sf) and 45% 2- and 3-bedroom units. The site is 12,500 square feet and trapezoidal. The basement and first floor will be steel frame, with wood frame above that. There will be a generous service bay for residential needs and an area for delivery trucks, interior parking for bicycles as required by zoning, but no off-street parking for cars. Construction is expected to start in Summer of 2026 and to be done 20 months later. Keezer’s wants to come back and wants the entire lower-level retail area. Adam hopes to entice Simon to come back, possibly with interior seating in the building lobby. Walgreen’s is not expected to return so Adam is looking for a strong tenant or two for his corner anchor space, possibly a pharmacy. Leads welcome. The ground floor will be 18’ floor to floor with beautiful glazing so a national tenant might be interested. Demolition and excavation will be relatively quick. Two perimeter foundation walls already exist, but pilings will need to be driven along the other two sides. The pounding should take ~2 weeks. Medium density ceramic cladding from Japan. Green roof. Adam has tailored his unit mix toward graduate students, many of whom are already in their 30’s and don’t want to live in a dorm. Fun facts: water table is at 13’ and bedrock is at 75”.
Noah Sawyer, Director of Real Estate for Just A Start, led a delegation of three Project Managers to gather neighborhood feedback regarding how to develop the two former Lesley parking lot sites (1826 and 1840 Massachusetts Avenue). Madeline Lee led the presentation. Just A Start already has developed and owns ~600 affordable dwelling units in Cambridge and they intend to develop and own here as well with a goal of one-hundred brand new 100% affordable units in a mix of 1-BR (600 to 650 sf), 2-BR (850 to 1000 sf) and 3-BR (1100 sf). They hope for an age-diverse tenant mix plus community space. Construction is set to start in November 2027 and last for two years. Site footprints are 12,000 sf and 14,000 sf. Building height could be as tall as 15-stories with setbacks, half that without setbacks or something in between. PSNA members expressed concerns ranging from height relative to the dwellings behind the sites, impact on parking in the neighborhood, traffic congestion during construction, and a desire that the design be timeless and contextual. JAS said they would be back with more detailed ideas once they had a chance to digest and incorporate our input.
Following the meeting, PSNA had its annual election of officers.