Just a Start presents 35 Cherry St. affordable homeownership plan; board hears flood-resilience, accessibility questions

The Cambridge Planning Board on March 18 heard an informational update from the Community Development Department and developer Just A Start on a proposed affordable homeownership project at 35 Cherry Street, a city‑owned lot in the Port neighborhood.

The proposal, presented by Just A Start and city housing staff, would place three three‑story buildings on the roughly 10,000‑square‑foot city parcel. The project team described a development totaling about 14,000 square feet, organized as three buildings and a smaller rear unit, with roughly 10 homeownership units restricted to households earning up to 100 percent of the area median income and a mix of two‑ and three‑bedroom floor plans aimed at larger families.

Why it matters: the site was committed to the city as a long‑term community benefit and transferred to the Affordable Housing Trust; the project integrates long‑running community design principles adopted by the City Council and CDD, and it raises questions about flood resilience, accessibility and energy performance that the board emphasized at the meeting.

Anna Dolmage, senior manager for homeownership in the Housing Department, summarized the lot’s history, saying the parcel was acquired by MIT in 2003, dedicated to the city as a community benefit during later Kendall Square permitting and later transferred to the Affordable Housing Trust with community‑driven design guidelines attached. “The trust currently possesses ownership of the lot and put out an RFP that included the guidelines that had come out of the community process,” Dolmage said.

Noah Sawyer, director of real estate at Just A Start, and project manager Madeline Lee walked the board through the team’s response to those guidelines. Sawyer said Just A Start was selected in late 2023 and has worked with community planning, Davis Square Architects and CDD to develop a design that the team described as emphasizing family‑sized units and private outdoor space. “We are proud of the synthesis and what we put together and think it will be a real asset to the neighborhood and the Cambridge community,” Sawyer said.

Lee showed schematic plans and renderings that, the team said, reflect community feedback collected in three outreach meetings in 2024. The design includes private patios, a shared yard, preserved street trees where possible and screened mechanical equipment. Lee said the team heard “a preference for more open space, preserving mature trees where possible, and prioritizing that over having up to around three parking spaces.”

Flood resilience and accessibility drew particular board attention. The consultant team showed long‑term FEMA/state flood maps identifying flood elevations near the site and said the project raises the first‑floor elevation and critical equipment above those elevations; the Department of Public Works has reviewed those measures and will continue review during permit review. Lee said, “we are raising the first‑floor elevation and critical infrastructure and mechanical equipment above this flood elevation to add resiliency to the project.” The presentation noted long‑term flood elevations of roughly five feet above parts of existing grade in the immediate area.

Planning Board member Ted Cohen asked whether the raised entries would comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. “With the raising to make them flood resistant, do the front stairs and the entryways comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act?” Cohen asked. The project team replied that, given the project’s scale, there is not a requirement to include an accessible unit for this development and that providing a ramp to the raised floor would require a very long — and space‑consuming — ramp (the team estimated roughly 60 feet of ramping), which they judged would significantly reduce the limited open space on the lot. They said they had evaluated options but had not chosen to include a ramped, accessible entrance for the raised units in the current scheme.

Tom Sinovich asked about energy performance and whether the team planned to pursue passive‑house certification or similar standards. The team said the buildings will be designed with passive‑house principles in mind though they may not pursue certification, and that the design approach tries to balance energy efficiency with simplicity and maintainability for first‑time homebuyers.

Board member Dan Anderson and others pressed the team on specific resilience and dimensional questions; Anderson noted the tight margin between modeled future flood elevations and the proposed first‑floor elevation and urged the team to examine additional vertical clearance and roof‑structure details for mechanical and insulation depth. The team said those technical details remain in development as the project advances toward permitting.

The project team said it plans additional community outreach, including another public meeting in early April, and is preparing to select a general contractor with a target construction start in the fall and an expected 12‑ to 13‑month construction schedule. The team also said it will post meeting materials and updates on a project website and that homeownership application details will be released later in the process.

After discussion the Planning Board voted to conclude deliberation on the matter. Tom Sinovich moved to conclude the discussion; Ted Cohen seconded. A roll‑call vote of the five full members present recorded: Ted Cohen, Mary Lidecker, Diego Macias, Tom Sinovich and Mary Flynn — all voting yes. The motion to conclude passed.

What’s next: the developer will continue technical design and resiliency reviews with DPW and CDD, hold a public event in early April, select a general contractor and advance permit applications. Project materials and past meeting records are posted on the project website, the team said.

Speakers (selected): Anna Dolmage, Senior Manager for Homeownership, Cambridge Housing Department (government); Jeff Roberts, Director of Zoning and Development, Community Development Department (government); Noah Sawyer, Director of Real Estate, Just A Start (nonprofit); Madeline Lee, Project Manager, Just A Start (nonprofit); Scott (Davis Square Architects) (business); Tom Sinovich, Planning Board Member (government); Ted Cohen, Planning Board Member (government); Dan Anderson, Associate Member (government).

Authorities referenced: Affordable Housing Overlay (zoning/ordinance) — referenced in meeting discussion and project materials; Multifamily zoning amendment (ordinance) — referenced by staff as affecting procedural review. These were raised by staff during the update and are the basis for the project’s procedural path.

Clarifying details extracted from the presentation: {"site_area_sqft":"~10,000","proposed_gross_sqft":"~14,000","building_configuration":"three 3‑story buildings plus an additional rear unit (roughly 10 homeownership units)","income_restriction":"units restricted to households up to 100% AMI","unit_mix":"2‑ and 3‑bedroom units emphasizing larger family sizes","flood_design":"first floor and mechanical equipment raised above long‑term flood elevations (team cited ~5 feet above parts of existing grade); DPW review ongoing","accessibility":"project team said no accessible unit is required by project size; ramp to raised floor would require long ramp (~60 feet) and was not included in current design","community_outreach":"three public meetings in 2024 plus a follow‑up event planned for early April","construction_timeline":"target construction start fall 2025, construction completion fall 2026 (12–13 months)"}