Rindge Commons North
Just a Start (JAS) will be building two new buildings at 430-432 Rindge Avenue in North Cambridge. This two-phased project, called Rindge Commons, will create 101 affordable apartments. All units will be affordable to households earning under 80% AMI, with some being more deeply affordable. Additionally, JAS's development will provide community-wide benefits by addressing climate change mitigation and sustainability goals and enhancing the experience of pedestrians and cyclists along Alewife Brook Parkway and Rindge Avenue.
The first phase, Rindge Commons North, will include 24 affordable one- and two-bedroom rental units, as well several floors of non-residential where JAS will be consolidating its training and education programs into a centralized location. The City will also be leasing space to create three Pre-Kindergarten classrooms for children between ages three and five years old, providing much needed affordable early education for Cambridge’s working families. Rindge Commons North is located just steps away from the Alewife T-Station, and shares a site with JAS’s Rindge Tower Apartments.
The second phase of Rindge Commons will begin once Rindge Commons North is complete and will contain 77 affordable family-sized units.
52 New Street Lottery Information Session
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Marketing Underway for New Affordable Housing at 52 New Street Apartments – Information Sessions on April 28
Just A Start (JAS) is holding a second lottery for up to 20 of its one- and two-bedroom affordable housing rental units at 52 New Street in Cambridge and to fill the waiting list for units as they become available. Supported with funding from the City of Cambridge and Cambridge Affordable Housing Trust, 52 New Street was the first development to be approved under the Affordable Housing Overlay. Construction is complete. Residents selected in this round will begin moving in by late June to July 2026.
Applications for the remaining units are now available until May 20 at 3 p.m. Please visit here to complete the application online.
JAS will be hosting an information session on April 28 at 1 p.m. online. Please visit www.52NewStreetApartments.com to register for the information session. A lottery will be held on May 22 at 3 p.m. via Teams. Attendance is not required.
For more information on 52 New Street, please visit JAS’s project page at: https://justastart.org/52-new-street/. For more information about the application process and the upcoming information session, please click on the flyer here or email 52NewStreet@Wingatecompanies.com.
Parent/Child (Ages 7-10) Book Group (Main)
Join us for a lively discussion of a great book in person at the Main Library! Snacks will be provided. For ages 7-10 and a parent or caregiver.
This month's book is The Very, Very Far North by Dan Bar-el, a gentle story about animal friendships. In the Very, Very Far North, past the Cold, Cold Ocean and just below the hill that looks like a baby whale, you'll find Duane and his friends. Duane is a sweet and curious young bear who makes friends with everyone he meets--whether they're bossy, like Major Puff the puffin, or a bit vain, like Handsome the musk ox, or very, very shy, like Boo the caribou. For these arctic friends, every day is a new adventure!
Both caregiver and child should read the book before the discussion to participate. Registration is required — only one registration is needed per family. For a copy of the book, stop by the Children’s Room after you've registered. If we run out of books at the desk, you can place a hold on the book by clicking on the book title in the paragraph above.
For questions about parent/child book group, please email Meagan: malbright@cambridgema.gov
Summer Reading: Fresh Pond Wild Edibles Walk with Russ Cohen (Main)
Cambridge is home to over 80 species of edible wild plants, some of which are more nutritious and/or flavorful than their cultivated counterparts. These include native species like Fox Grape and Shagbark Hickory; non-native weeds like Chicory and Burdock; and invasive species like Japanese Knotweed and Autumn Olive. Join expert forager Russ Cohen on a 2.5 hour ramble around Fresh Pond to learn about over two dozen species of edible wild plants. Keys to the identification of each species will be provided, along with info on edible portion(s), season(s) of availability and preparation methods, as well as guidelines for safe, ethical and environmentally-responsible foraging.
NOTE that this is an educational walk only: no actual foraging will take place, as that activity is prohibited with in the Fresh Pond Reservation.
We will meet at Fresh Pond, in the main parking lot by the ranger station and water department.
Russ Cohen is a naturalist and wild foods enthusiast from Weston, Mass., currently in his 52nd year of leading walks and talks about wild edibles. He has led talks for the Massachusetts Audubon Society, the New England Forestry Foundation, and The Trustees of Reservations. Russ' foraging book, Wild Plants I Have Known...and Eaten, is now in its ninth printing. Russ has taken on the role of Johnny Appleseed for edible native species, collaborating with land trusts, cities and towns, and other groups (including one in Cambridge) to plant plants from his nursery in appropriate places on their properties.