Here are the changes M.I.T. has made to its proposed changes to Kendall Square (got that?). Recall that the university presented its proposals for the area to City Hall in April 2011, but then let those proposals lapse in the face of concern from residents and pols. Now, this week, M.I.T. is back, looking to make nice and to get things under way. The changes would add hundreds of apartments and tens of thousands of square feet of commercial space, including retail, to Kendall Square, a neighborhood already seeing its share of shifts independent of M.I.T. (there's also something called a "Community Living Room" in the new plans).
Per a release from M.I.T.:
· The proposed building for the One Broadway parking lot had been primarily commercial, and now is primarily residential, plus innovation space.
· As many as 300 units of housing are now proposed for the One Broadway addition, up from 120 units originally.
· Proposed retail space had been centered around the MBTA station area, and now is planned district-wide.
· Main Street had been designated as the primary area for vibrant public interaction. Now the Broad Canal, Point Park with access to the Charles River, and M.I.T.'s Infinite Corridor are also featured as enlivenment areas.
· A "Community Living Room" for public cultural and educational programming will now be included in the proposal.
· M.I.T. will commit up to $10 million of community benefits through a concept proposed by the K2 Committee, which was a city-sponsored Kendall Square community-planning effort.
· The Institute will also provide up to $4 million to the City's Affordable Housing Trust through an established housing incentive payment mechanism.
On Tuesday, M.I.T. presented the proposals to the Cambridge Planning Board. The next step's the City Council, where the university hopes a zoning vote breaks its way. Then, it's back to the Planning Board for reviews of individual parts of grand plan. It's never easy.
· M.I.T. Presents Kendall Square Zoning Concepts to Cambridge Planning Board [M.I.T. News]
· A Day in the Life of Kendall Square: Lobster and Smartphones [Curbed Boston]