The sale of the 17-story office tower at 1 Memorial Drive, Kendall Square, is being called the biggest of its kind so far in 2021, but think of the three-story building going for $35.5 million. MIT has broken ground on a college of computing, too, and more apartments are going up near Union Square.

The affordable housing project at 2072 Massachusetts Ave., North Cambridge, was withdrawn by developers Friday in a letter to the Board of Zoning Appeal, but one said they remain “100 percent committed to building an affordable housing project on that site.”

The 20-room Mary Prentiss Inn near Porter Square has sold for $6.1 million after more than a year on the market; a 15-unit building in Inman Square sells for $5.9 million to buyers who plan to “reposition” it; and a Harvard professor’s single-family home goes for $4.6 million.

A life science developer paid $130 million for One Canal Park in East Cambridge, up from its $72 million value five years ago, while construction continues on 1,038 more residential units for Cambridge and a seller makes around $56.4 million on two properties.

A 15-acre project called USQ got a groundbreaking ceremony Wednesday, signaling what one speaker declared “the return of Union Square as the center of commerce for Somerville.”

When plans for the 14-acre Volpe parcel return to the Planning Board on July 20 for a rezoning petition filed June 21, there will be a few notable changes, including a Third Street Park redesigned for more combined open space and a community center expanded to 25,000 square feet.

A captain of private equity appears to have bought into Harvard Square, the scene of his college years, while Somerville has approved three projects around Union Square.

Plenty has been going on in development this spring, including an environmentally focused building planned for North Point’s Parcel U, a slew of MIT moves and more on BioMed Realty’s push into Somerville.

It was as if nothing had changed in six months: On Thursday the Board of Zoning Appeal declined to approve a comprehensive permit for a 2072 Massachusetts Ave. affordable development five blocks north of Porter Square, citing its height.

Harvard Square’s Garage mall would be remade under a proposal by owners Trinity Property Management with expanded restaurant and entertainment space below ground; street-level shops and eateries with more access from sidewalks; and offices on five stories overhead.