Planning Board OKs floodplain permit for Jerry’s Pond boardwalks, wetlands and Eco Pavilion

The Cambridge Planning Board on May 6 approved special permits that allow IQHQ Alewife LLC to build new pedestrian boardwalks, an Eco Pavilion, floating wetlands and associated landscaping and compensatory flood storage at Jerry’s Pond in North Cambridge.

The action followed presentations by city staff and the project team, public comment from neighborhood and conservation groups, and a roll-call vote that approved the permits with conditions described in city staff memos and the project’s conservation order of conditions.

The board’s decision clears a floodplain special permit required because several project elements cross into the existing 100-year floodplain. The project team and city staff said the work in the floodplain is limited to light-touch structures — boardwalks on helical piles, a floating wetland system and limited pile-supported overlooks — and that compensatory flood storage is provided on the site to meet regulatory requirements.

IQHQ project manager Danny Frias and IQHQ senior director Chrissy Gabriel described the core elements of the public-access plan: a 300-foot, 10-foot-wide boardwalk along Ringe Avenue with an ADA ramp and an 8-foot overlook; Jerry’s Deck, a larger open gathering space; an Eco Pavilion to be operated seasonally by Mass Audubon; two floating wetlands near Ringe Avenue; and new plantings intended to result in a net increase in trees. Frias said the plan preserves an existing ash tree and includes plantings and 3,600 square feet of understory plantings. He said six trees would be removed and 51 new trees planted, “resulting in a net gain of 45 trees.”

Mass Audubon’s Renata Pomponi, identified as Senior Director of Strategic Initiatives, said the organization supports the application and intends to run seasonal nature programming at the Eco Pavilion. Local groups including Friends of Jerry’s Pond and the Alewife Study Group also spoke in favor, praising the project’s multi-year community process and internship components.

Project consultants described design and materials choices. The team said decking will be a composite product after consideration of treated wood and material constraints related to endangered species listings for certain hardwoods. Landscape architect Danielle Zeslitz said the boardwalk aesthetic is intended to be consistent with the nearby Alewife Brook Reservation boardwalk but wider (10 feet) to accommodate pedestrian flow.

The project team agreed to a set of conditions identified in the Community Development Department memo and an urban design memo. Those include continued coordination on signage and wayfinding, review of final bike parking layouts to meet city standards, refinements to fencing design to limit unauthorized access to habitat areas, further work on boardwalk and ramp details where the site meets the multiuse linear path, and continued coordination with the Conservation Commission on any changes that would exceed the scope of the order of conditions.

Speakers and city staff emphasized long-term operations and maintenance. IQHQ representatives said site operations, maintenance and security will be provided by their property-management team and that Mass Audubon and Green Cambridge will be partners for programming and garden stewardship. The team described a reservation system for pavilion and grill use and said publicly accessible walkways outside fenced habitat areas will remain open 24/7 while habitat-sensitive boardwalk sections will be open dawn-to-dusk.

After members questioned materials, lighting, bicycle parking and the potential for additional depaving, Associate Member Dan Anderson was appointed a voting member for the hearing and a motion to grant the three special permits (floodplain special permit, the bicycle-parking design modification, and the general special permit referenced in the staff memo) carried unanimously by roll call: H. Theodore Cohen, Mary Liedecker, Diego Macias, Ashley Tam, Dan Anderson and Chair Mary Flynn all voted yes. The board’s approval included the conditions identified by staff and the urban design follow-up items.

The project team said construction is timed to align with the wider development: they expect the first three certificates of occupancy on the north-side buildings this summer and said Jerry’s Pond improvements are ahead of the final building on the development site.