The Council voted on the Volpe Project last Monday and I was happy to vote in support. I believe that this site will beneficial to our community. I have been a long time advocate of the Grand Junction Path which MIT has committed to helping  come to fruition. Also besides the commitment to the Grand Junction, there is also a commitment to 280 units of affordable housing, a 25 million community center, 1.5 million to support the job connector program which will help our students utilize the opportunities in Kendall Square. There is also a 8.5 million commitment to transit improvements and open space opportunities for our community. And also due to the recent increase in linkage fees this site will be generating 26 million to the Affordable Housing Trust.

Throughout this entire process, community engagement was a priority for me. I started the MIT Volpe Working group that produced excellent results. I also believe that MIT did an excellent job engaging the community and continuously taking feedback and improving upon their plans.

I was proud to vote in support and I believe that this site will benefit our community greatly.

 

a rendering of the open space at the corner of Third and Binney courtesy of MIT