The Porter Square Shopping Center will be overhauled eventually into a mixed-use development for housing and businesses, but several long-term leases on the property prohibit big changes in the immediate future, the commercial real estate developer Tom Wilder told the Porter Square Neighbors Association in a July 17 presentation.
No official design mock-ups or construction timelines exist to be shared during the meeting, which had about 60 attendees over Zoom and in person.
The company describes the property as a “suburban-design grocery center in the middle of the city,” with its largely one-story buildings around a parking lot. Especially because the Porter Square subway stop and commuter rail station are across the street, city staff have envisioned the center as someday adding towers with homes whose residents will support the businesses at their base and ride mass transit.
The city’s Massachusetts Avenue Planning Study recommends that the area immediately around the T stop, including the shopping center, should be 12- to 18-story buildings made up mostly of residential units.
Rising interest rates and the costs of building materials makes now an inopportune time financially for new development, and some of the small businesses in the center pay below market-rate in rent, said Wilder, whose Wilder Cos. has owned the shopping center since 2022. Rents would almost certainly have to rise to help pay for an expensive redevelopment.
The Wilder Cos. share an interest in putting homes on the site, but plans are on hold until some of the long-term leases – namely the CVS pharmacy – expire, Wilder said.
“The city actually came up with a plan. They took our CVS building, which is probably a natural [property] to go up, and they showed us a plan that showed a building at 14 stories,” Wilder said. “Which is not the norm for cities, but I thought very thoughtful in terms of trying to fill the void for housing.”
Zoning changes are underway in a city process that will define residential additions on what is currently a commercial property.
An overall vision for the center in the immediate future includes barriers between sidewalk restaurants and parking, new murals and a refurbishment of the courtyard in front of the Michael’s craft store, Wilder said. But coming up with a design that suits the wide array of big and small businesses poses an interesting challenge.
Even maintaining that business mix poses challenges.
“You have CVS, and then you have Cambridge Naturals. You have Dunkin’ Donuts, and then you have Cafe Zing,” Wilder said. “It’s what we call a mix of contradictions …We spent a lot of time figuring out ‘What is the brand?’”
When an attendee expressed concern about the Mudflat pottery art gallery and shop – “I would hate to see it go because somebody else like a phone company would go in there and could pay higher rent,” the attendee said – Wilder said his company was in talks with Mudflat and the Sign of the Dove Gallery next door to negotiate a rent allowing them to stay long-term.
“That’s the balance that we’re trying to maintain,” Wilder said.
Parking was another issue. Some worried about losing the giant lot the shops surround; others wanted to prioritize the pedestrian experience and improve access for alternative modes of transportation such as bikes. There may be some changes in the distant future, but the company is not interested in getting rid of all parking, Wilder said.
Some Wilder properties have experimented with transforming small portions of parking lots into small parks, or “parklets.” “We’re very sensitive to losing parking spaces,” Wilder said. “There’s a few spaces here and there, so we haven’t come to any conclusions yet.”
The various plans and ideas for the center “add up to a great big question mark,” PSNA president Ruth Ryals said in an interview. “I can’t imagine that that shopping center will escape being dissolved over time. But it may be a long time.”
A stronger
Please consider making a financial contribution to maintain, expand and improve Cambridge Day.
We are now a 501(c)3 nonprofit and all donations are tax deductible.
Please consider a recurring contribution.
I looked at the portfolio of this real estate company. These guys are out of their depth, the only thing they own is strip malls. I hope they sell to someone who knows what they’re doing.
12-18 stories sounds awful. It will totally change the feel of Porter Square. At some point someone has to say that enough is enough. Do we really want to become another NYC?
More madness. This area works. It has a great assortment of businesses we area residents count on, like a supermarket, CVS, Tags Hardware, Healthworks gym, etc.
Why mess with something that works well? We need these businesses in our community.
“You have CVS, and then you have Cambridge Naturals. You have Dunkin’ Donuts, and then you have Cafe Zing,” Wilder said. “It’s what we call a mix of contradictions …We spent a lot of time figuring out ‘What is the brand?’”
I shop at all of these places. Porter Square doesn’t need a “brand.”
A 12–18 story residential building would be perfect here, right next to public transportation. That’s exactly where housing should go. Parking lots waste valuable urban space, and one beside a T stop is the worst use of all.
If we’re serious about adding housing (and we should be), putting it at a T stop is ideal. Residents wouldn’t need cars, meaning more density without more gridlock. There’s no better location.
As for concerns about the “character” of Porter Square., let’s be honest: A suburban-style strip mall isn’t exactly charming or distinctive.
12-18 stories is too short. The city needs to meet the moment and the future and think bigger
40 stories is going up in Kendall Square. That sounds more appropriate to meet the need for housing, especially since Porter has better transit access than Kendall (direct line to N Station and more bus routes in addition to the same Red Line requency).
Plus, when something finally does get built, all the anti-development folks will be long gone. Morbid, but true.
A parking lot in the middle of a city is the opposite of “working well.”
The High Cost of Free Parking
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_High_Cost_of_Free_Parking
Parking lots prioritize personal convenience over what a city truly needs.
I’m waiting for someone to defend it because it is “historical”.
as long they don’t price out cafe zing, I’m pro any new building
IMO changing the feel of Porter Square is a good thing. It’s unpleasant to walk, bike, and even drive there, and the parking lot is largely to blame.
Why would any resident of Cambridge want this? The only winner here will be the developer and the handful of people who get rent at a discount. Fight this Cambridge.
Why would any Cambridge resident want this?
Anyone struggling to pay rent.
Anyone who works here but can’t afford to live here and faces long commutes.
Anyone who finds a giant parking lot unpleasant.
Anyone who thinks suburban strip malls are soulless.
Anyone who wants to reduce car dependency.
Anyone who thinks housing should go near major transit hubs.
Anyone who believes we must build more housing to address the crisis.
All of those people would benefit and be “winners”. And yes, developers make money, that’s how housing gets built.
@TheCambridgeObserver I don’t expect you’re looking for earnest answers, but here’s why I (as a Cambridge resident!) want changes to come to Porter Square:
• The current configuration sucks for every road user. Walking, biking, and driving are all frustrating, dangerous activities in and around the plaza.
• The giant parking lot contributes to the urban heat island effect and reduces the impervious surface increases the risk of flooding.
• We have outbuilt jobs in comparison to housing in Cambridge over the past several decades, adding a lot of new homes on top of a transit stop is good for reducing traffic and the relative cost of housing.
• Building out new storefronts/sidewalks/streets gives the opportunity for more small businesses to exist in the area.
• Building taller increases the value of the land, and therefore the property tax revenue to the city.
What I don’t really understand is why people have such a strong emotional connection to a strip mall full of chain stores.
This is fantastic news.
In addition to providing much, much needed housing, hopefully they can get fully rid of the surface parking lot – it’s such an eyesore.
Mass Ave has far too many single-story businesses that can’t thrive without parking. Building up along major corridors makes a lot of sense and will provide regular customers who can walk to whatever they need. Totally support!
Great news and long overdue. Having a huge surface parking lot right on the intersection of public transportation routes is the worst waste of valuable public space possible.
The plan sounds fantastic. Walking across that parking lot is terrifying – aggressive Cambridge drivers from 16 to 99, what could go wrong. I hope I live to see the new plan finished.
“12-18 stories sounds awful”
Sounds great to me. This is right on top of the T.
“It will totally change the feel of Porter Square.”
That is the point and it is necessary. A Square with a Red line stop should not be dominated by a suburban style strip mall.
“Do we really want to become another NYC?”
NYC should not be the only place that has density around transit, Cambridge should make smart lands decisions not based on fear mongering.
“This area works.”
Not as well as it could or should given its massive transit assets.
“We need these businesses in our community.”
A smart development strategy could preserve all these businesses by developing the parking lots first and creating space for them to move into then redeveloping the existing buildings.
“Why would any resident of Cambridge want this?”
Why would any resident of Cambridge want there to be a strip mall on top of the T forever?
“A smart development strategy could preserve all these businesses by developing the parking lots first and creating space for them to move into then redeveloping the existing buildings.”
Clearly, someone who knows very little about real estate financing.
That parking lot is super busy. I won’t go there because parking is so limited. And I guarantee this high rise will be as expensive as everything else in Cambridge.