An update on the successful completion of the 221 Mount Auburn Street demolition

How it started

May 7, 2026 · Submitted by Yi-An Huang, City Manager.

What happened

May 11, 2026 · 📁 Placed on file. This was an informative report; there were no decisions to make. (voice vote, 9 present)

Present and voting at this meeting (9)

Ayah Al-Zubi
Burhan Azeem
Tim Flaherty
Marc McGovern
Patty Nolan
Sumbul Siddiqui
E. Denise Simmons
Jivan Sobrinho-Wheeler
Cathie Zusy

Filed by voice vote. A voice vote records the outcome, not individual positions. No member's yes or no is on the record (though a member can ask to be recorded in the negative in the minutes). Showing the members who cast recorded votes at this meeting. Rule 6 requires a roll call for spending over $50 or on any member's request; state law requires one for every vote when a member participates remotely. · photos: City of Cambridge · roster: PrimeGov roll calls, May 11, 2026

What’s next

🚪 End of the line: filing closes the matter. Nothing further is scheduled.

The document Agenda item attachment · 35 pages

🏛 The city's agenda for this meeting: May 11, 2026the city publishes no page for a single item: this one is a row on that agenda📄 Download original PDF 📖 Full reader view

City April 28, 2025

7 Punching Shear -- The slab needs to be strong enough to support the weight 8 Slab Column 9 Asbestos Consistent with buildings of this era, chrysotile asbestos was identified in joint compound, floor tiles and popcorn ceilings. Asbestos is a naturally occurring mineral found in the ground. Widely used in buildings due to its fire and heat resistance, durability and insulation until health risks associated with airborne asbestos became apparent. Individual asbestos fibers are too small to see with the human eye. www.mesotheliomahub.com/mesothelioma/asbestos/types-of-asbestos/

City Involvement

10 11

Timeline for City Involvement

• April 2025 – City began regular meetings with owners • Consensus – building must be demolished • City’s involvement is based on public health & safety • July – met individually with all neighbors • In-person meeting July 10th – 80 people • July 19th – Closed Mt. Auburn & Sparks streets • July 22nd – Board or Survey • City Council appropriated $20M on July 23rd. • Zoom meeting July 24th – over 200 people • Zoom meeting October 22, 2025 – meet the team 12

Timeline for City Involvement

Nov 17, 2025 – Jan 31, 2026: 205 Mt Auburn

Street residents (17 units) temporarily vacated Demolition Progresses smoothly, under budget and without incident Speaks to the quality, skills and dedication of the full team of staff and contractors working on this project

Demo & Progress Photos

13 14

Site Overview

Two separate buildings: 221 Mount Auburn Street – 9-story concrete structure with 66 units – Demolished 3-story wood and brick Bradbury Building with 14 units – Remains in place 15 6 Phases of Demolition – Timing of Phase 3 Critical Residents of the 17 units at 205 Mt Auburn temporarily evacuated, through Phase 3 16

Pre-Demo Preparation

Air quality monitors installed & approved by DEP DEP site inspections (20+ throughout demo) before and after each phase – confirm consistency with Non-Traditional Work Plan (NTWP) Fire Department inspections to ensure they were prepared to respond to an incident Temporary power for trailer and monitoring 17 units at 205 Mt Auburn temporarily evacuated, through Phase 3 17 11.2020 18

Week of 12.22.25 – Phase 1 Balconies

Week of 12.29.25 – Phase 2

Week of 1.12.26 – Phase 3

Week of 1.19.26 – Phase 3 Complete

Residents of 205 Mt Auburn can prepare for return 23

Week of 1.26.26 – Phase 4

Week of 2.2.26 Phase 5

Week of 2.9.26 Phase 5

Week of 2.16.26 – Final Demolition

Week of 3.2.26 – Removal of Material

ZERO EXCEEDANCES

Recycled

Scrap Metal

📊 From here the report is project tables and figures, which don’t survive text extraction faithfully. Read them in the original PDF.

🗓 The meeting where this was taken up: May 11, 2026