Rindge Avenue Community Connectivity
We are studying how to improve the open space and connections at 362, 364 and 402 Rindge Avenue. We want to make the area outside the buildings a nicer place to be, and easier and safer to get to the places you want to go.
ABOUT The Project
Residents from 362, 364, and 402 Rindge Avenue provide design feedback at a Community Open House held in January, 2024.
The Rindge Avenue community is a residential neighborhood in North Cambridge located between Rindge Avenue, Alewife Brook Parkway, the North Cambridge Cemetery, and the Fitchburg Commuter Railroad. While the neighborhood is geographically close to important community resources, physical barriers restrict convenient access to nearby natural and local amenities. The CRA recognizes that the Rindge Avenue community deserves improved and safer connections that allow residents to move between places easily, at all times of the day, and for people of all ages and mobilities.
The CRA is now engaged in a study with Rindge neighborhood residents to understand local connectivity priorities. The current project includes multiple opportunities to hear from the community and will include landscape design and engineering services to move the potential path towards eventual construction. The CRA is working with engagement coordinators from the neighborhood and with consultants from Copley Wolff to develop ideas for a public multi-use path.
An illustrative site plan of possible multi-use paths that would be added to the southern and eastern edges of the parking lots surrounding 362, 364, and 402 Rindge Avenue. The plan also includes a possible path that would replace the existing fence between properties.
The CRA has completed its first phase of community feedback through tabling and community survey, which was offered in nine languages and received over 300 responses. The results confirmed resident interest in having the CRA continue to pursue concept design work, and identified that 75% of respondents wanted to see improved connectivity within their neighborhood.
In the fall, the CRA and Coordinators also conducted focus groups with 362, 364 and 402 Rindge Avenue residents. This provided an opportunity for participants to reflect and comment on the survey results, and to provide more direct design feedback. The CRA conducted one focus group in Amharic and two focus groups in English. In January of 2024, the CRA conducted a Community Open House to further engage with residents, reflect on past input heard, and solicit new feedback. The CRA will provide more project updates and opportunities for feedback in 2024.
Learn More
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Project Goals
Improve a feeling of community and sense of belonging.
Empower residents to have a voice in the planning of their community.
Make access to local points of interest faster and easier.
Make connections safer.
Create open space for environmental resilience.
Create open space for physical and mental health benefits.
Add community amenities like benches, pet friendly areas, and community gardens.
Past Work
In the fall of 2021, the CRA collaborated with Gamble Associates to consider further opportunities for connectivity within the Rindge Tower properties, owned by Just-A-Start and The Schochet Companies. Their connectivity ideas were presented to the CRA Board on March 16, 2022, and can be found here. The study provided a conceptual approach for near and short-term recommendations to enhance connectivity to and from the neighborhood.
Diagram of Rindge Avenue area connectivity from the 2021 Technical Report
Related Projects by the City of Cambridge
The Danehy Park Connector / New Street Path is a proposed multi-use path between Concord Avenue and Danehy Park being developed and built by the City of Cambridge. The goal of the project is to provide community members a safe path to a variety of destinations. The design process will also consider opportunities for landscaping and tree planting, lighting, seating, and public art as part of the pathway project. Path users will enjoy better access to Danehy Park, residential buildings along New Street, Fresh Pond Mall, and to the existing Watertown Greenway multi-use path along Fresh Pond.
Diagram of the project area for the City of Cambridge’s Danehy Park Connector / New Street Path.
Diagram of project area for the City of Cambridge’s MBTA Commuter Rail Line Crossing Feasibility Study.
The City of Cambridge is currently studying the feasibility of creating a pedestrian/bicycle crossing across the MBTA commuter rail line tracks in North Cambridge to better connect the Rindge Avenue residential neighborhood with Danehy Park, retail stores and shopping, and Fresh Pond. The feasibility study includes options for both an underpass and bridge crossings.