Vail Court

Tree removal taking place Monday, 9/28/2020

The City is aware of the tree that has fallen into the Vail Court property. The City Arborist will be coordinating removal of this tree on Monday, September 28th.

Following removal, the site will be cleaned up and the fence will be repaired.

The City's contractor, Lambrian Construction, may be back on-site at Vail Court on Saturday, January 19th to to perform final clean up of the work site.

This work is not expected to cause any noise or traffic disruptions.

Thank you for your patience as we work to complete the demolition and abatement of this property.

The City’s contractor, Lambrian Construction, will begin abatement and demolition of the Vail Court property starting next week, pending MassDEP inspection availability. Once demolition begins, the work is expected to take 2 weeks to remove the buildings followed by the removal of the foundations. To ensure work can begin immediately following MassDEP inspection, the contractor will start bringing equipment on-site Saturday, September 22th, after 9:00AM, in accordance with the City’s Noise Ordinance.

• Parking Restrictions along Bishop Allen Drive and a small portion of Inman Street.
• Truck activity around the site to remove debris
• Heavy equipment on site including water misters controlling dust
• Activity on site should last approximately one month

Vail Court Project - Updates/information for neighbors & community members

Pre-demolition activities will begin on the Vail Court site next month in advance of abatement and demolition scheduled for August/early September.

During the pre-abatement and demolition effort, temporary fencing will be erected around the site and rodent control will be performed. The recommendation of Inspectional Services Department is to place bait boxes every 20’-30’ around the perimeter of the site. These bait boxes are tamper-proof when installed properly to protect children and pets.

In conjunction with baiting on the City property, the Inspectional Services Department will be inspecting properties surrounding the site for rodent activity and issuing citations to those in violation of applicable ordinances. If you are interested in having your property inspected and having rodent bait boxes provided to you at no cost, please contact Dave Power of the Inspectional Services Department at dpower@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-6119 so that he can provide you with a waiver to sign.

In addition, the City will be surveying points of houses adjacent to the site and installing vibration monitoring equipment on site. Neither of these activates will require access to private property.

The City Arborist has visited the site and determined that all of the trees on perimeter of the site on the North and West sides are to remain and be protected during construction activities to avoid any further damage.

Once abatement and demolition activities begin in August, it is anticipated these activities will last for 4-6 weeks and include the full take down of both buildings including the foundations. All debris shall be loaded on trucks and hauled off site, and trucking activities are expected to be two weeks in duration. The areas where the foundations are removed shall be backfilled and capped with crushed stone, new fencing shall be installed and the site left clean.

Information and Assistance:
To receive future updates via email regarding this project, please contact Kate Riley at kriley@cambridgema.gov or 617.349.4870. To view more information on this project such as updates, documents, etc., please visit http://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/citymanagersoffice/vailcourt

Vail Court Property - Community Meeting Notice
Public Meeting to Discuss Demolition of Vail Court

As you may know, the City of Cambridge has acquired the property located at Vail Court off of Bishop Allen Drive.  Presently there are no occupants in the building(s).   

As part of the eminent domain process, the City recommended redeveloping the site for affordable housing.  Due to its condition, the City plans to demolish the buildings that currently exist on the site.      

Due to the delay caused by the litigation, the City needed to re-bid the contract to hire a new contractor for work at the property.

On Thursday, May 24 at 6:00 pm, the City will hold a public meeting in the Sullivan Chamber at City Hall to provide project updates, introduce the contractor selected for abatement, demolition and site work activities that are planned, and to share available details regarding the abatement and demolition process and schedule.

Vail Court Property - December 18, 2017
Litigation and demolition update

On December 5, 2017, the Court issued an order vacating the temporary restraining order that prohibited the City’s proposed abatement and demolition of the buildings at the Vail Court property. Accordingly, the City may now proceed with the planned abatement demolition of the buildings.

Due to the delay caused by the litigation, the City will need to re-bid the contract to hire a new contractor for work at the property. We expect abatement and demolition to move forward in spring 2018 as the method of demolition (using water) that will likely be used cannot be done without a consistent outdoor temperature above 32 degrees. The City will be maintaining rodent control on site in the interim. Those with questions about abatement/demolition and conditions on site should contact Dan Riviello at driviello@cambridgema.gov / 617-349-4825.

While the Court has vacated the temporary restraining order issued earlier this year, the litigation brought by the former owner against the City in this matter is still pending. We cannot predict how long this challenge will be pending, however can say that litigation like this can often take considerable time to resolve. The City will continue to vigorously defend against this challenge to the City’s ownership of the property. However, as the litigation is still active, we believe the best course of action at this time is to continue to delay the process to plan for the redevelopment of the property as affordable housing. The City and the Affordable Housing Trust will monitor the status of the litigation, and, when advisable, reengage with the community. As was discussed at the last community meeting, both the City and the Trust remain committed to holding a second public meeting to gather more community input to be considered in the redevelopment of the property as affordable housing, and will do so at the appropriate time. The City remains committed to moving forward with building new affordable housing at the property as swiftly as possible, however must move forward in a manner that acknowledges the active legal challenge to this effort.

We will provide more information when it becomes available and encourage residents to visit the project page at www.CambridgeMA.gov/VailCourt to subscribe to email updates.

Vail Court Property - October 6, 2017
Update on the Vail Court property redevelopment

At the public meeting hosted by the City and Affordable Housing Trust on July 24, 2017, City staff indicated that they would hold a second public meeting in the early fall to gather additional comments from the community on affordable housing needs, how the Vail Court property could be used to address these needs, and site and building design considerations. At this time, based upon developments in the litigation filed by the former owner of Vail Court, we believe it is advisable to delay that second public meeting until we have heard from the Court and the litigation progresses.

At an August 23, 2017 court hearing concerning the request of the former owner of the Vail Court property for a temporary restraining order prohibiting the demolition of the buildings at the property, the Court had ordered the parties to submit a joint report containing a protocol that would allow the former owner and his consultants to access the buildings at the property for the purpose of inspecting said buildings and removing any personal property contained therein. Because the City and the former owner were not able to reach an agreement as to a proposed protocol or the language of a joint report, the parties filed separate reports with the Court. We are now waiting for the Court to review the respective reports and issue an order regarding a protocol that would allow the owner and his consultants to enter the property. The temporary restraining order issued on August 23, 2017 prohibiting the demolition of the buildings at the Vail Court property also remains in place until further notice from the Court.

After we hear from the Court and the litigation progresses further, City staff will be better able to assess when it would be appropriate to schedule a second public meeting. Both the City and the Trust remain committed to holding a second public meeting at the appropriate time to gather more community input to be considered in the redevelopment of the property

At an August 23, 2017 hearing concerning the request of the former owner of the Vail Court property for a temporary restraining order prohibiting the demolition of the buildings at the property, the Court ordered the parties to submit a joint report containing a protocol that would allow the owner and his consultants to enter the property for the purpose of inspecting the buildings and removing any personal property contained therein. The Court ordered the parties to provide the joint report to the Court by September 6, 2017. The City and the owner did not agree on the terms of a joint report and therefore each party filed its own respective report with the Court on September 6, 2017.

We anticipate that the Court will review the respective reports that were filed by each party and issue an order adopting a protocol that would allow the owner and his consultants to enter the property. The temporary restraining order prohibiting the demolition of the buildings at the Vail Court property is still in effect until further notice from the Court. When we hear from the Court, we will provide you with a further update.

A hearing was held in the Middlesex Superior Court on August 23, 2017 with regard to the lawsuit the property owner has filed against the City concerning the eminent domain taking of the property at Vail Court.

At the hearing, the Court ordered the City and the property owner to submit a joint report to the Court by September 6, 2017 in order to establish a protocol to allow the property owner and his contractors/consultants to enter and inspect the buildings at the property and remove any personal property from them.

After the Court receives the report, the Court may order the parties to proceed forward with the proposed protocol, or hold a further hearing.

At this time, there is no further hearing scheduled in this matter, and the temporary restraining order remains in place.

If and when the Court removes the temporary restraining order and allows the demolition of the buildings to proceed, the City will notify abutters and neighbors as to when the demolition will occur.

At the August 23, 2017 hearing before the Superior Court, the Judge ruled that his temporary order prohibiting the City from demolishing the buildings at Vail Court would remain in effect.

The City and previous property owner were ordered to report back to the Court by September 6, 2017 with a proposal for how the previous property owner could access the property to remove any personal property before the City moves forward with demolition.

We will provide you with an update once the next hearing is complete. We look forward to moving forward with the project to redevelop Vail Court.

The demolition of Vail Court scheduled to begin on Monday, August 21, 2017, has been postponed.

The previous property owner received a temporary restraining order last week, and a hearing on the matter is scheduled for Wednesday, August 23, 2017 in Superior Court.

We will provide you with an update once the hearing is complete. We look forward to moving forward with the project to redevelop Vail Court.

The Cambridge Fire Department will be utilizing the land at the Vail Court property to conduct training exercises beginning on Tuesday, July 25th and lasting for approximately two weeks.

While the exact dates and times the Fire Department will be on site are yet to be determined, these exercises will be conducted intermittently over the next two weeks and will not begin before 8:00am.

There would be no access into the building(s), and the exercises will be focused on training methods for how to raise a ladder to a structure. These exercises will not include controlled burns of any kind.

Fire Department vehicles, equipment, and staff will be on site during these exercises.

Please contact Tom Cahill, Chief of Operations at the Cambridge Fire Department, at 617-349-4975 with any questions or concerns.

• Monday, July 24, 2017 from 6pm-8pm
• City Hall Annex at 344 Broadway, 2nd floor

A second meeting with a similar agenda will be scheduled in the fall for anyone unable to attend the July 24th meeting.

For more details and updates, please visit: www.cambridgema.gov/vailcourt

Sincerely,

Cassie Arnaud
Housing Planner
City of Cambridge
617-349-4617 / carnaud@cambridgema.gov

Pre-demolition activities will begin on the Vail Court site next month in advance of abatement and demolition scheduled for August/early September.

During the pre-abatement and demolition effort, temporary fencing will be erected around the site and rodent control will be performed. The recommendation of Inspectional Services Department is to place bait boxes every 20’-30’ around the perimeter of the site. These bait boxes are tamper-proof when installed properly to protect children and pets.

In conjunction with baiting on the City property, the Inspectional Services Department will be inspecting properties surrounding the site for rodent activity and issuing citations to those in violation of applicable ordinances. If you are interested in having your property inspected and having rodent bait boxes provided to you at no cost, please contact Dave Power of the Inspectional Services Department at dpower@cambridgema.gov or 617-349-6119.

In addition, the City will be surveying points of houses adjacent to the site and installing vibration monitoring equipment on site. Neither of these activates will require access to private property.

The City Arborist has visited the site and determined that all of the trees on perimeter of the site on the North and West sides are to remain and be protected during construction activities to avoid any further damage.

Once abatement and demolition activities begin in August, it is anticipated these activities will last for 4-6 weeks and include the full take down of both buildings including the foundations. All debris shall be loaded on trucks and hauled off site, and trucking activities are expected to be two weeks in duration. The areas where the foundations are removed shall be backfilled and capped with crushed stone, new fencing shall be installed, and the site left clean.

Information and Assistance:
To receive future updates via email regarding this project, please contact Dan Riviello at driviello@cambridgema.gov or 617.349.4825. To view more information on this project, including the presentation from the June community meeting as well as additional updates, documents, etc., please visit http://www.cambridgema.gov/Departments/citymanagersoffice/vailcourt

The City of Cambridge has acquired the property located at Vail Court off of Bishop Allen Drive. Presently there are no occupants in the building(s).

As part of the eminent domain process, the City recommended redeveloping the site for affordable housing. Due to their condition, the City plans to demolish the buildings that currently exist on the site.

On Wednesday, June 14th at 6:30 pm, the City will hold its second public meeting in the Sullivan Chamber at City Hall to provide project updates, introduce the contractor selected for abatement, demolition and site work activities that are planned, and to share available details regarding the abatement and demolition process and schedule.

If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact:

Dan Riviello
Community Relations Manager
City of Cambridge Dept. of Public Works
617.349.4825 / driviello@cambridgema.gov 

More information will be posted here and sent to residents once details are finalized.

The City of Cambridge has acquired the property located at Vail Court off of Bishop Allen Drive. Presently there are no occupants in the building(s).

As part of the eminent domain process, the City recommended redeveloping the site for affordable housing. Due to their condition, the City plans to demolish the buildings that currently exist on the site.

On Thursday, March 23rd at 6:00 pm, the City will hold a public meeting in the Sullivan Chamber at City Hall to review the project and share additional details. Members of the public are encouraged to attend this meeting as the City will be discussing next steps and listening to thoughts from the community regarding future use of this property.

If you have any questions regarding this project, please contact:

Dan Riviello
Community Relations Manager
City of Cambridge Dept. of Public Works
617.349.4825 / driviello@cambridgema.gov

Please check the “Updates” tab for future schedule information and updates.

On September 26, 2016, the Cambridge City Council approved an Order of Taking for the parcel at 139 Bishop Allen Drive, by eminent domain, for the purposes of affordable, senior, and/or transitional housing, as well as an appropriation of $3,700,000 from Free Cash related to the taking.

• Community Meeting Presentation - May 24, 2018
• Agenda - Affordable Housing Trust Meeting - July 24, 2017
• Presentation - Affordable Housing Trust Meeting - July 24, 2017
• Community Meeting Presentation - June 14, 2017
• Notes - Vail Court Community Meeting - March 23, 2017
• Vail Court Disposition Request
• vailcourtreportfromcitymanager

Kate Riley

Project Administrator- Community Relations

Phone: 617-349-4870

Email: kriley@cambridgema.gov

For questions/comments about future development on site: