A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 18-01, regarding a report on possibility of a supermarket opening at 20 Sidney Street

C I T Y O F C A M B R I D G E Community Development Department IRAM FAROOQ Assistant City Manager for Community Development Sandra Clarke Deputy Director Chief of Administration 344 Broadway Cambridge, MA 02139 Voice: [phone removed] Fax: [phone removed] TTY: [phone removed] www.cambridgema.gov To: Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager From: Iram Farooq, Assistant City Manager for Community Development Re: Policy Order O-1 – 20 Sidney Street Grocery Date: February 7, 2018 Background On December 29, 2017, Star Market announced that its store located at 20 Sidney Street would close on February 3, 2018. The 50,000 square foot grocery store is located in the University Park development that is operated by Forest City on land owned by MIT. Food Access in Central Square Within a half-mile walking radius of Central Station, there are three grocery stores (H-Mart, Harvest Co-op and Whole Foods). In addition, there are a variety of convenience stores and general merchandise stores, such as Target and CVS that sell produce and other grocery items. Central Square is also serviced by two farmers markets - Central Square Farmers Market that runs from May to November, and the Cambridge Winter Market that runs from January to April at the Cambridge Community Center in Riverside. Zoning Requirements 20 Sidney Street is a part of the Cambridgeport Revitalization Development District, regulated by Article 15.000 of the Cambridge Zoning Ordinance. There are no zoning requirements for the 2nd story retail space to be a grocery store and no mention of it in the Forest City development commitment letter. However, Forest City staff have stated that they remain committed to exploring a variety of retail options for the space. Current Status Mayor McGovern organized a community meeting that was held on January 25, 2018 to address the future of the Star Market site. The meeting was well attended by city staff and members of the community. Forest City also attended the meeting and provided a status update on their work to seek a new tenant for the space. Community Development Department (CDD) staff have reached out to real estate representatives at several grocery chains, including Market Basket, Aldi, Trader Joes, and bFresh to inform them about the opportunity and connect them to Forest City. Several grocery store representatives mentioned that they do not have plans to expand at this time, or that the space is too small for their traditional size requirements. Regardless, CDD staff has relayed the grocery store chains contact information to Forest City staff. Staff will continue to explore options and communicate with Forest City about possible tenants.