MBTA Halts Alewife Station Redevelopment
The MBTA has canceled its procurement process for the redevelopment of the five-story parking garage at Alewife Station. Officials said a softening real estate market and increasing construction costs no…
(Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty ImagesThe MBTA has canceled its procurement process for the redevelopment of the five-story parking garage at Alewife Station. Officials said a softening real estate market and increasing construction costs no longer make the project worth pursuing at this time.
“The MBTA maximizes every dollar to build a more connected, equitable, and reliable public transit system,” an MBTA spokesperson told Boston.com. “We remain interested in models like joint development and recognize its value, as it offers innovative ways to support the communities we serve.”
The project was envisioned as a private-private joint development, but the procurement has been terminated per MBTA confirmation following StreetsblogMASS reporting.
The MBTA further noted it would continue to work with Cambridge to improve the station.
Cambridge Director of Media Jeremy Warnick told Boston.com, “While this changes the immediate development landscape, it does not change the City's commitment and priorities for the area.”
The Alewife garage was built in 1985. According to a 2020 MassDOT structural analysis, the MBTA would have needed to spend at least $55 million over the next decade to keep the garage operational.
Last January, the transit agency released a request for proposals in January 2025 to connect with a private-sector joint development partner to redevelop the Alewife facility, which includes commercial spaces, the Red Line station, and the 2,733-space, five-story parking garage.
Boston.com reported that the MBTA's proposal stated that since the complex is “past its useful life” and the cost to repair is “unsustainable and unwise,” the MBTA decided that demolition would be the best course of action. Any new development at the site, the MBTA said, would need to offer parking to riders.
In addition to improvements to the garage, new, private development was anticipated on approximately 30 acres of land surrounding the site. The property was expected to be used primarily for new multifamily housing, according to a MassLive report.
