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Community Development > Mass Ave Planning Study - Cambridge Common to Alewife Brook Parkway
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Mass Ave Planning Study - Cambridge Common to Alewife Brook Parkway

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The Mass Ave Planning Study (MAPS), spearheaded by the Cambridge Community Development Department, is creating a vision plan for what Massachusetts Avenue will look like in 2040 between Alewife Brook Parkway and Cambridge Common. 

This plan is part of the implementation of Envision Cambridge, the City's comprehensive plan. It will study various aspects such as land use, zoning, urban design, housing, climate resiliency, small business support, mobility, and public space.

The team will work with the community to develop a shared vision to shape future development types and scales, and lead an engagement process to capture all the voices that call this part of Mass Ave home.

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Latest Updates

Mass Ave Planning Study - North Mass Ave Draft Ideas 

In case you missed our community open house on November 14, don't worry! There's still time to provide input via our ideas survey.

The following draft ideas focus on the North Mass Ave planning area and were shared with community members at a community meeting on Thursday, November 14 at Lesley University (1815 Massachusetts Ave). Using the online form, you can participate and share your thoughts and feedback in a similar format as the in-person event.
 
Please answer a few questions to help us understand who is participating and then explore the potential ideas for North Mass Ave!

You can submit comments via our feedback form. Please take a moment and explore the ideas for North Mass Ave!

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Community Engagement

Recent Meetings:

Working Group Meeting -  Zoning for Mass Ave - December 11, 6 p.m. - 8 p.m.

The last Working Group meeting for the Mass Ave Planning Study focused on zoning for Mass Ave, specifically the areas of North Mass Ave and South of Porter Square. We discussed

  • zoning principles and priorities,
  • district boundaries,
  • allowed and preferred uses,
  • building heights,
  • dimensional and design standards,
  • open space, and
  • other zoning related issues.

Please see the Meeting Materials section to view the recording and presentation slides.

What's Next for the Mass Ave Planning Study?

A Spotlight on Porter Square

Starting this winter, we will place a spotlight on Porter Square to discuss how it will change in the future. We will dig into zoning, urban design, open space and housing in greater detail with the community.

This is the commercial center of the study area, and we're excited to hear what folks are thinking! Following these discussions, we will begin to draft zoning recommendations for the Mass Ave corridor and present final plan recommendations this winter.

Check back in on our website for future project updates and meeting schedules.

 

Meeting Materials

Working Group Meetings

  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 7 (Zoning - NMA and South of Porter) 12/11/24 presentation
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 7 (Zoning - NMA and South of Porter) 12/11/24 video
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 6 (North Mass Ave) 10/30/24 presentation 
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 6 (North Mass Ave) 10/30/24 video
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 5 (North Mass Ave) 10/11/24 presentation and meeting minutes
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 4 (South of Porter) 06/27/24 presentation
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 4 (South of Porter) 06/27/24 video
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 3 (South of Porter) 04/24/24 presentation
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 2 (South of Porter) 03/14/24 video
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 2 (South of Porter) 03/14/24 presentation
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 1 02/08/24 video
  • MAPS Working Group - Meeting 1 02/08/24 presentation

Community Meetings

 

Working Project Schedule

Study Area

The Study Area for the Mass Ave Planning Study stretches from the Cambridge Common to Alewife Brook Parkway, two miles of Mass Ave. 

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Key Resources

Local and Area Plans

Citywide Plans

Links to Neighborhood Planning

Mass Ave Planning Study Working Group

For a more complete description of the working group and its members please reference the City Council packet from January 22, 2024 (page 88)

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