A communication transmitted from Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager, relative to Awaiting Report Item Number 18-40, regarding an update on the Harvard Square Theater

CAMBRIDGE HISTORICAL COMMISSION 831 Massachusetts Avenue, 2nd Fl., Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139 Telephone: [phone removed] TTY: [phone removed] Fax: [phone removed] E-mail: histcomm@cambridgema.gov URL: http://www.cambridgema.gov/Historic Bruce A. Irving, Chair; Susannah Barton Tobin, Vice Chair; Charles M. Sullivan, Executive Director William G. Barry, Jr., Robert G. Crocker, Joseph V. Ferrara, Chandra Harrington, Jo M. Solet, Members Gavin W. Kleespies, Paula A. Paris, Kyle Sheffield, Alternates Date: October 29, 2018 To: Louis A. DePasquale, City Manager From: Charles Sullivan, Executive Director Re: City Council Policy Order #8 of April 2, 2018: Harvard Square Theatre update In response to the City Council’s Policy Order #8 of April 2, 2018 requesting an update on the status of the redevelopment of the Harvard Square Theatre site, I can report the following: The property owner, Kirche, LLC, filed an Application for Certificate of Appropriateness on August 14, 2018. The application was considered at a public hearing of the Historical Commission on September 6, 2018 at Cambridge City Hall. The proposal includes demolition of the existing theater building and construction of a new five-story mixed use building with two theater auditoriums in the basement, retail on the ground floor, and offices on the upper four floors. At the September 6 hearing, the Commission entertained questions of fact and opened the public comment period. Requests for additional information were made by the Commission, and the applicant consented to continue the hearing for up to 90 days. Additional public comment will be allowed at the continued hearing, which will be fully advertised in the coming months. We have received an update from the owner’s attorney that they are preparing for fabrication of a large mock-up of both the exterior wall materials and architectural lighting as well as working with Traffic & Parking on the details of the traffic study. They plan to request another 90-day continuance and would return to the Historical Commission for the continued hearing by March. The application, proposed plans, and approved minutes from September 6 are posted online at https://www.cambridgema.gov/historic/permitsApplications/projectplansandstaffreports. New materials for the continued hearing will also be posted on this web page.