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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 Collaboration Map!

The Mass Ave Planning Study team has created an online mapping tool for anyone to provide their input and feedback on the part of Mass Ave within our study area. You can point out areas you love, places that need improvement, and opportunities for change. The mapping tool will help the planning team uncover pressing issues and gather ideas for the planning study.

You can also submit comments via our feedback form. We take all forms of feedback into consideration. Please take a moment and explore the map!

Submit Feedback Start Mapping!

Community Engagement

South of Porter Square Focus Area - Round 1 meetings

Upcoming meetings for the Mass Ave Planning Study will focus on the area South of Porter Square. The first round meetings (Working Group and Community Meeting) will provide an overview of the area's existing conditions and findings from the team's initial research. Our goal for this phase is to collaboratively refine our understanding of the area's needs and aspirations, laying the groundwork for the next phase of our planning study.  

Community Meeting     March 27, 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. (recap)

Thanks to everyone that joined us for our Community Meeting that focused on the area South of Porter Square. We discussed the existing conditions of this area and the issues facing it. We also had discussions on what people were interested in exploring (open space, building scale, mobility and walking all came up) and how it ties to the vision they have for South of Porter Square. It was a great opportunity for the community to have robust conversation and provide feedback to the planning team. Please see the link in the Meeting Materials section to view the presentation.

Meeting Materials

Working Group Meetings

  • 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

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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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