Demolition of a West Cambridge condo complex evacuated last last year for fears of collapse is expected to start in early December, city staff said at a Wednesday meeting for owners and concerned neighbors.
Due to the structural dangers, the nine-story, 66-unit Riverview Condominium building at 221 Mount Auburn St. can’t be cleared of the asbestos in joint compounds, floor tiles and popcorn ceilings before demolition. Instead, the project will require a “nontraditional work plan” to demolish the building safely while containing and disposing of the asbestos-containing materials, Cambridge Department of Public Works staff said.
The city is working with state environmental protection and labor standards departments, consultant organizations SGH, TRC and Consigli, and the demolition group NorthStar, and consultants survey the building biweekly by drone to spot changes as the team continues to work toward full demolition, staff said.
Nearly 400 people attended the virtual meeting, community relations manager Kristen Kelleher said. Some were the residents forced to pack up their lives in November and leave their homes when it was learned that irrevocable damage was setting in from construction in 1963 that seemed not to follow approved architectural plans. Others are neighbors affected by road closings and detours put in place in July to keep people at a safe distance if the building falls before demolition.
Demolition plan
Demolition is expected to span from December to March, with final site work in April, and be carried out by a high-reach excavator machine that will load debris into trucks to be removed safely from the site: sealed with liners by field staff and trucked to a landfill in Ohio that accepts asbestos material. The trucks will enter and leave on Mount Auburn Street and depart toward Fresh Pond Parkway, cleaned as they leave the site to remove clinging debris.
NorthStar plans to use a dust suppression system during the teardown. That includes a water cannon that mists the working area to weigh down particles of asbestos and keep them from getting out of the demolition site.
The dust suppression system will use water from nearby hydrants and be reused; any excess will be managed and disposed of as asbestos containing material, meeting attendees were told.
Exclusion zones are set at 21 and 42 feet from the demolition site. The first is a no-go area for everyone due to fears of building collapse; the second allows only vital workers within a protected cab. Because the second zone includes the 205 Mount Auburn St. condos to the east, residents there must vacate until enough progress has been made to shrink the danger away from their property.
The demolition will be completed in six phases – balconies, part of the west side, east side, the rest of the west side and middle sections – over the four months. The split phases on the west side are intended to open up more space to complete the east side demolition so 205 Mount Auburn St. residents can return as soon as safely possible.
Neighborhood impact
No other neighbors will be required to vacate the area, though access to the closest three driveways on Sparks Street will be blocked for much of the demolition. The city is coordinating with residents to minimize impact, deputy city manager Kathy Watkins said.
The demolition is expected to be noisy but will follow normal hours in accordance with a city noise ordinance, running 7 a.m to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday. The operation will rely primarily on machinery, with only as many as 30 people onsite at any given time – meaning there will be less strain on parking and traffic in the area than a construction project, staff said. Mount Auburn Street will remain closed during demolition, but adjacent streets, including general access to Sparks Street, is expected to be largely unaffected.
Consultants will monitor vibration and air quality regularly with oversight from city and state staff. Testing at properties closest to the site will ensure the outer limits of the area are protected. “We want to make sure that we are taking every necessary precaution to reduce those risks and protect public health and safety throughout this process,” Watkins said.
Next steps
Watkins, Jason Flood from Consigli and others answered specific questions submitted by the public and moderated by Kelleher. Follow-up answers and additional information will be posted on the project’s website, including the specific route for the debris trucks, decibel levels for construction noise, and exact amounts of asbestos in the building.
Staff said they would share frequent updates and survey results with the public. Preconstruction surveys will begin next week, contractor prep work will take place the following week and equipment will start to be set up on site in mid-November, they said.
Plans for a future redevelopment on the property are not clear.
The city allocated $20 million for demolition. Bills will be issued to individual condo owners for repayment when the final costs are known.
“My heart goes out to all of the residents of 221. They were doing regular maintenance. They were doing all the right things with the building – and it is structurally unsound and needs to be demolished,” Watkins said.
The condo owners “are ultimately responsible for the demolition cost,” she said.
The ultimate sale of West Cambridge land overlooking the Charles River will help cover costs, but to ensure repayment, “we would go through a legal process to lien those properties such that when the property is sold, we would be first in line to get repaid,” Watkins said.
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