CambridgeSide Mall Proposal Would Turn Retail Into Office
Patrons to an East Cambridge mall may soon only be able to shop till they drop on its lower levels.
New England Development is proposing a redevelopment at the CambridgeSide mall that would convert 140K SF of retail on the third floor into offices. The conversion would add much-needed office to the tight East Cambridge market and comes after the developer spent $30M in 2017 to renovate the 1.2M SF mall, the Boston Business Journal reports.
“The expansion of existing office use within the site is integral to the long-term success of CambridgeSide as a vibrant mixed-use center in light of changed circumstances in the retail market,” New England Development said in a filing to the Cambridge Planning Board.
Renderings for the project show replacing third-floor retailers like Banana Republic and Aeropostale with the proposed office redevelopment. Macy’s is also closing its home and children’s store on the third floor in mid-2019. The proposal documents show exterior access to the office level, dubbed One CambridgeSide, will be built next to the Cheesecake Factory on CambridgeSide Place.
Elkus Manfredi Architects, Goulston & Storrs, Tetra Tech and The McKinnon Co. are all listed as part of the development team in the filing to the Cambridge Planning Board.
