Cambridge Planning Board backs Biomed Realty zoning petition for 320 Charles with conditions

The Cambridge Planning Board voted 5-0 April 29 to recommend the City Council adopt a zoning petition by BMR 320 Charles LLC (BioMed Realty) that would create an East Cambridge Community Enhancement Overlay District to allow greater height and floor area at 320 Charles Street, with conditions the board said address community concerns.

The petition would permit up to a 2.8 floor‑area ratio and up to 65 feet of building height at 320 Charles if approved by special permit under the new overlay. The petitioner committed in public materials to a minimum 20% lot open space for projects seeking the overlay, a minimum of 14,000 square feet of open space facing Charles Street, and other dimensional stepbacks and setbacks shown in supplemental materials submitted April 18, 2025. The project team also identified proposed community benefit estimates, including about $20 million suggested for East End House and on the order of $10 million to the Affordable Housing Trust.

Why it matters: the site is a roughly 2.4‑acre former industrial property adjacent to Ahern Field and residential neighborhoods. Supporters argued the overlay and accompanying design changes would turn a vacant, underused property into an active, better‑designed building and could fund a long‑needed replacement of East End House. Opponents said the change amounts to spot zoning and warned about scale, shadows on Ahern Field and neighborhood impacts.

Petition and project details

BioMed Realty representatives described extensive community engagement and said the current proposal is…