1826 and 1840 Massachusetts Avenue
Just A Start Corporation (JAS), a local non-profit affordable housing provider, purchased 1826 and 1840 Massachusetts Avenue, two surface parking lots, from Lesley University in late November 2024. Located in the Neighborhood Nine neighborhood, the site is in close proximity to the many amenities of Porter Square including restaurants, retail and the MBTA station.
JAS is planning to create new affordable housing at the sites under the provisions of the Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO).
Danehy Gateway Pavilion Project
The Danehy Gateway Pavilion project, a collaboration between the Department of Public Works and the Department of Human Service Programs Recreation Division, is the construction of a new sports pavilion (5,800 sq. ft.) and other improvements to Danehy Park. Located at 100 New Street, the pavilion will serve sports teams from Cambridge Rindge and Latin School (CRLS) and the community. The facility will provide female athletes with more equitable access to amenities, including new restrooms, changing and locker rooms, an athletic trainer’s room, a coach’s office, storage for athletic equipment, and multi-purpose space. The pavilion will also provide public restrooms for park visitors.
Additionally, the project scope includes lighting improvements to Danehy Dog Park, the provision of fiber optic to enable public internet access in the park, landscape improvements, and renovation of the existing New Street Parking Lot.
The project will be net‐zero emissions (all electric) and will target LEED Gold new construction and Passive House Certification. It will include a solar photovoltaic array and provisions for future electric vehicle charging stations.
The project is currently in the design phase.
True Crime Book Group (Main)
This month's book: We Keep the Dead Close: A Murder at Harvard and a Half Century of Silence, by Becky Cooper
Audience: Adults who are true crime fans.
How to get the print book: Copies of the print book are set aside at the Main Library. Visit the Main Library Q&A Desk at 449 Broadway during service hours and a staff member can help you check out a copy.
How to get the e-book or digital audiobook: This month’s book is available as a digital audiobook through the Libby app.
How to register: Click the registration link below to register.
We'll meet in the Rossi Room on the first floor of the Main Library.
For more information, contact Amie at alemire@cambridgema.gov.
Climate Action Book Club (Collins)
Join the Collins Branch Library in collaboration with the Cambridge Climate Leaders Initiative for a monthly discussion of a climate-related topic. Each month the group will discuss a book on the topic at hand then hear about a related local program or initiative and how you can take action.
Topic: Countering Consumerism
Book: The Day the World Stops Shopping: How Ending Consumerism Save the Environment & Ourselves by J.B. MacKinnon
Copies of the book will be available at the Collins Branch during library hours.
Registration is encouraged, but not required. For more information contact Jo at jpercell@cambridgema.gov.
37 Brookline Street
37 Brookline Street is a 6,582 square foot property in Cambridgeport, located a couple of blocks south of Massachusetts Avenue and the amenities of Central Square, including shops, restaurants and the Central Square MBTA station. The property contains an existing vacant three-family building, which was most recently owned by the late artist Peter Valentine, a well-known member of the Cambridge arts community. Just A Start (JAS) purchased the property in July 2023 and intends to replace the existing triple-decker with a new affordable multi-family rental development under the provisions of the Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO).
Canopy Report
The Department of Public Works is excited to share the latest update to the City’s tree canopy assessment! The assessment was prepared by the University of Vermont’s Spatial Analysis Lab and analyzes changes to the tree canopy from 2018 through 2024. Our canopy experienced both loss and gains with an overall increase in Cambridge’s canopy by 5% from 2018 to 2024!
Sustaining Community: A Climate Change Book Group (Main/Virtual)
The climate is changing, and we're all here on the planet together. Join us for a monthly community gathering and discussion of a variety of books about climate change. We will share thoughts, resources, and occasionally host special guests in a welcoming small-group environment.
For our May meeting, we will discuss The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben, which was originally our book for February but due to weather, we couldn't meet. Attendees are invited to choose between reading the original text, the illustrated edition, the graphic adaptation, or watching the film version of this book!
This work is available in many different formats. Copies of the print book, the illustrated edition, the graphic adaptation, and the DVD are available at the Main Library Q&A Desk. E-book and e-audiobook copies are available to borrow on the Libby app and immediately on the Hoopla app.
This is a hybrid event. A Zoom link will be sent to all registered participants 1 hour before the event.
Registration is required. Please contact alengel@cambridgema.gov with questions.
Safety Net Family Shelter
The state led site, which was used in the evening and overnight hours, ensures that families -- who are initially assessed at a state intake site and confirmed to be eligible for Emergency Assistance -- have a warm and safe place to stay overnight until an Emergency Assistance shelter unit is available is now closed.
2 - Area 2/MIT
Area 2 consist almost entirely of the MIT campus, along the Charles River on Cambridge's southernmost edge and across the river from Boston's Back Bay.