Jefferson Park - Federal

Jefferson Park Federal is a Cambridge Housing Authority (CHA) development located off Rindge Avenue in North Cambridge adjacent to Jefferson Park State. Built in the early 1950s, the previous housing was in need of significant upgrades, with 57 units having had to be brought offline due to deteriorated conditions. The CHA determined that it was not feasible to repair and preserve the existing buildings, so they decided to pursue modernization.

The redevelopment of Jefferson Park Federal involves the complete demolition and rebuilding of the 175 existing affordable units, including the 57 units that were offline, and a redesigned site layout to better integrate the housing into the surrounding neighborhood. In addition to the 175 replacement units, the CHA plans to add more than 100 new affordable units to Jefferson Park Federal. The new site will have improved open space, a Bluebikes station, and community spaces for residents.

The CHA has begun a comprehensive modernization of this site under provisions of the Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO).

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Schedule
Description
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Planning Board Materials
Affordable Housing Trust Materials

The CHA completed the AHO process in March 2022 and closed on financing of Phase I of Jefferson Park Federal in late July 2024. The construction of 195 affordable housing units in the first phase is underway and the construction of the final 83 affordable units in the second phase is anticipated to begin in Spring 2026. The entire project is scheduled to be completed by the end of 2026.

Click here to learn more about the Jefferson Park Federal revitalization, including the final advisory design review report issued by the Planning Board.

Jefferson Park - Federal Public Meetings:

Meeting	Date/Time	More Information
Planning Board	Tuesday, February 15, 2022 at 6:30 p.m.	View the meeting materials.
Planning Board	Tuesday, November 9, 2021 at 6:30 p.m.	View the meeting materials.
CHA Community Meeting	Tuesday, October 19, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.	View the meeting flyer.
CHA Community Meeting	Thursday, April 1, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.	View the meeting flyer.
CHA Community Meeting	Tuesday, March 2, 2021 at 6:00 p.m.	View the meeting flyer.

Existing Site:

In 2021, there were 118 occupied apartments at JP and 57 unoccupied apartments that were taken offline in 2018 and 2019 due to poor conditions.

Proposed Redevelopment:

New construction of 278 affordable rental units including 175 affordable replacement units and 103 additional affordable units
Site redesign to integrate housing into surrounding neighborhood and create new green spaces
Maximize livability of new housing through thoughtful design of living spaces and interior and exterior common areas
Jefferson Park Federal will continue to serve a range of household sizes, with 47% of the units being 3-bedroom or larger