Ellery Proposals
Months ago, I made a post regarding 60 Ellery St on Nextdoor. The reason for the post was due to several concerns that the current building shouldn’t be knocked down, and that the current proposal did not fit the neighborhood. Since then, another development proposal was brought forward for 84-86 Ellery St. Both projects share a lot in common.
For those of you who don’t know, 60 Ellery started as a 29-unit proposal, now 30 units. It would destroy a functional brick home that currently has 4 units with 4 parking spots. The home is in good condition with sizable units, as the building at one point had 9 units and was reduced over time. The new building proposal has no parking, would be 6 stories tall, and has a rooftop party area. As if this is not bad enough, it also builds over an easement. This building doesn’t belong on Ellery Street. The materials and size do not match the neighborhood.
I’ve regularly attended meetings regarding 60 Ellery, just to learn that there was an added project that is in many ways worse. This project would knock down a beautiful 14-unit home to build another 6-story building with a rooftop hosting place. The current property has 9 parking spots but the next proposal will have none. It will be 80 units.
Between these two proposals, there would be over 100 additional units and a reduction of 13 parking spots. Both would destroy these existing beautiful brick buildings to be replaced with modern designs without soul. I wouldn’t want to see a 100-year-old brick building destroyed in general. It’s bad for the environment, and with labor costs, it is nearly impossible to get developers to decide to build with brick unless required to. But these are the least of my concerns regarding these developments; if these are approved, this will introduce a plethora of other issues: tenants getting kicked out of affordable apartments, the sudden increase in residents increasing noise in a peaceful community, and creating a chronic safety hazard as where the equipment would be for staging builds dangerously near the property line, with one side of the building only 5 '9 from the property line.
The historical commission was the best way to fix these projects. That’s why I created hundreds of flyers with information about the project and the meeting, and handed them out on and around Ellery St. Tonight, we had a meeting to discuss the crazy proposals. After hours of discussion, the commission voted to revisit approval of 60 Ellery after new design criteria are met. For 84-86 Ellery, the demolition proposal was shot down and told to come back with a design that maintains the structure and has additional housing in the back! I am really pleased with everyone's commitment and energy in showing up to the meeting, and was surprised by the level of engagement displayed by the community. That said, the zoning must be amended, or these projects will pop up all over the city, and the history of Cambridge will disappear!
