North Point (Cambridge, Massachusetts)
North Point is neighborhood within the East Cambridge section of Cambridge, Massachusetts. A former railroad yard, the site was originally built by the Boston and Maine Railroad. It is triangular in shape and bound by Pan Am Systems (formerly Guilford Transportation Industries), the Charles River and associated dam with the Lechmere Viaduct, the former Lechmere wetlands and Millers River remnant that once divided Cambridge and Charlestown, along with the Interstate 93 Northern Expressway viaduct to the northeast.
After development continued in the area surrounding, it was decided to turn portions of the now-unused rail yard area into a large development, containing commercial, retail and residential development, along with a relocated Lechmere Green Line transit station. The area was master planned and partially constructed under the name NorthPoint, from which the neighborhood received its name, though a different developer has taken over the remaining site from the original developer and is now constructing Cambridge Crossing.
Site specifics
The site is bounded by the Gilmore Bridge, Monsignor O'Brien Highway, Water Street and the MBTA Commuter Rail Fitchburg Line. The area also includes existing buildings, some of which will remain, along with some new construction on the rail yard land, but built outside of the NorthPoint umbrella. The site contains roughly 19 land "parcels", in addition to new road infrastructure and parkland. To the north is also the Boston Sand & Gravel Company site and Paul Revere Park.
Construction phases
Phase 1 of the project is complete, with two NorthPoint buildings containing condominiums standing in front of a central portion of the park. Phase 2 includes additional new streets being constructed. The final plans include 4.5 million square feet of commercial, residential, and retail buildings and 11 acres of open and green space over the 42-acre site. The new relocated Lechmere station is in development with the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the MBTA and is under construction as of 2019. The station is expected to be operational by late 2021.
The area is also located a short distance from the Community College MBTA station located in Charlestown, across the Gilmore Bridge