Affordable Housing Development in Porter Square Completes AHO Review Process

A proposed affordable housing development at 2072 Massachusetts Ave. completed its second review by the Cambridge Planning Board on Tuesday, advancing a 12-story project in Porter Square.

The 90,000-square-foot building would include 74 income-restricted units under the city’s Affordable Housing Overlay, a policy that allows developers of 100 percent affordable housing to exceed existing size and density limits.

The overlay requires developers to hold two community meetings and participate in a design consultation with the Planning Board. The board does not approve or reject projects under the program, but instead offers feedback intended to guide the final design.

Tuesday’s meeting marked the project’s final required design review, giving board members an opportunity to evaluate revisions and comment on the building’s architecture, site planning, and public-facing features.

The review process spanned more than a year after development firms Capstone Communities and Hope Real Estate Enterprises first introduced the project to residents in October 2024.

Since the initial proposal, developers have made minor adjustments to the building’s facade and removed a second-floor bike storage room. The change allowed for one additional apartment, bringing the total to 74 units without altering the building’s exterior design.

Plans also include a rooftop garden and shared outdoor space for residents, which developers said were refined in response to community feedback. Additional design changes focused on improving the pedestrian experience along Massachusetts Avenue, including a proposed mural facing the street.

Planning Board members responded positively to the revisions on Tuesday, noting improvements to the building’s street presence and pedestrian environment since the developers’ previous review session in October. Several members praised the addition of public art and design changes that strengthened the building’s relationship to the sidewalk and surrounding neighborhood.

Some concerns remained, however. Board members suggested adding shade trees along the rear of the property and improving lighting in darker areas. They also encouraged developers to further consider street-level landscaping, including additional trees along the surrounding sidewalks.

The proposed building reaches the maximum height permitted under the Affordable Housing Overlay, which Cambridge passed in 2020 and amended in 2023 in an effort to expand the city’s supply of affordable housing.

The project would be the 11th development proposed under the program. Five other projects have completed the overlay’s review process and are expected to break ground in the coming months, while four remain under review.

Four AHO developments are currently under construction across the city. A 62-unit building at 116 Norfolk St., which completed the review process in 2022, was the first project completed under the overlay and began leasing units last June.

—Staff writer Isabel K. Crews can be reached at [email protected] or on Signal at isabelcrews.29. Follow her on X @isabelkcrews.