March 22, 2012

Cambridge Council Caves Again




This is only the latest example of the spinelessness of Cambridge City Councilors. They are more like cuttlefish than humans. You can be certain if the City Manager opposed this land deal it would not have been approved. The Councilors are unable to stand up to their employee no less to private corporations or (Gasp!) Harvard University.
 

[Heather Hoffman's Comment]
The 'arcade' is primarily more space for Google. It is not a community amenity, although there will allegedly be some retail included in it.

Never forget that this additional 40,000-50,000 square feet of building was made possible by the zoning amendment last year that gave Boston Properties 300,000 square feet of additional development rights because (you'll notice a pattern here) otherwise the Broad Institute would leave Cambridge. Never mind that the Broad spokesman said they would not leave, even if the building wasn't built. I'm sure it will not surprise anyone that the Broad turned out not to need the whole 300,000 square feet we were assured it desperately needed. The extra has been repurposed for this new development. Anyone want to bet on when BP will be back with another marquee tenant who will leave if they don't get yet more freebies from the City Council?

Finally, it is ridiculous to suggest that this deal was more lucrative than what was on the table already. The members of the East Cambridge Planning Team board who participated in 'negotiations' and the ones who subsequently signed on to a deal that completely contradicted a vote of their members a few days before may salve their consciences by telling themselves that, but it's just another lie in the string of lies spread throughout Kendall Square. They were played for fools, and they sold us out without getting even a mess of pottage for their trouble.

http://www.wickedlocal.com/cambridge/news/x1730866329/Cambridge-council-approves-Google-expansion-in-Kendall-Square?zc_p=0#axzz1pp12c0Dm


Cambridge council approves Google expansion in Kendall Square
Cambridge Chronicle
Posted Mar 21, 2012 @ 11:03 AM

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