MA: MBTA scraps Alewife Station redevelopment due to market conditions
A major development planned at the MBTA’s Alewife Station, including the redevelopment of the station’s aging parking garage, has been put on hold because of increasing construction costs, the transit agency confirmed Tuesday.
The project would have replaced the five-story, 2,733-space garage and improved the station in Cambridge, as well as introduced new, private development on about 30 acres of land surrounding the site. The property was expected to be used largely for new multifamily housing.
“The MBTA maximizes every dollar to build a more connected, equitable, and reliable public transit system,” an MBTA spokesperson said in a statement to MassLive. “We remain interested in models like joint development and recognize its value, as it offers innovative ways to support the communities we serve. We will continue to explore and evaluate opportunities that align with our long-term goals.”
According to the T, while the property value for the site remains high, labor and material costs have ballooned since the agency announced the plans in July. These unfavorable market conditions mean it would not be cost-effective to move forward with the development.
However, the MBTA still plans to improve the station in other ways, the spokesperson said, though they did not provide specifics.
The Alewife station and parking garage were built in 1985, according to the T. A 2020 analysis of the structural conditions at the garage determined that the agency would need to spend at least $55 million over the next decade simply to maintain the garage in its current condition.
A project page on the MBTA website was still available Tuesday and said a private development partner was expected to be chosen in summer 2025, after which project planning would begin.
During a public informational meeting in August 2024, MBTA Chief of Transit-Oriented Development Scott Bosworth said the T no longer wanted the financial responsibility of operating parking facilities at Alewife, according to StreetsBlogMass, and expected the private development partner to eventually take over that portion of the property.
The T also had not determined how many parking spaces were appropriate to meet the needs of commuters, the transportation news blog reported. A rider survey in 2022 determined that more people arrived at Alewife Station on a typical day on foot than by car.
Another neighboring development by real estate firm Healthpeak is currently being planned for another 46 acres of land and is expected to include 2,000 homes, office and lab buildings, retail, open spaces and a pedestrian bridge over the commuter rail tracks. Construction on that project is expected to begin in 2027.
©2026 Advance Local Media LLC.
Visit masslive.com.
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.