KenDALL SQuare TRANsIT EnHANCEMENT PROGRAM

Working closely with City of Cambridge (City), the Massachusetts Department of Transportation (MassDOT), the MBTA, and Boston Properties (BP), the Cambridge Redevelopment Authority (CRA) has created a new mechanism and governance structure for funding public transit to serve the growing Kendall Square district. This Kendall Square Transit Enhancement Program (KSTEP) concept grew out of the Massachusetts Environmental Protection Act (MEPA) review process for the amendment of the Kendall Square Urban Renewal Plan (KSURP). This amendment provides additional development rights within the MXD District of Kendall Square. The KSTEP program was a significant mitigation component of the 2015 Environmental Impact Report (EIR), which preceded the approval of the KSURP amendment and zoning entitlements.

The program creates an initial $6 million fund for investment in local transit improvements, whether to the MBTA or other operators, such as the EZ Ride shuttle, that produce a measurable improvement in transit access to Kendall Square. It is expected that the projects to receive investment from KSTEP will be informed by the outcome of the Kendall Square Mobility Task Force planning effort, facilitated by MassDOT and the City. The $3 million payment from Boston Properties to the CRA for the KSTEP fund is due upon issuance of a building permit for BP’s first commercial property at 145 Broadway, a new office building for the world headquarters of Cambridge’s home grown technology company, Akamai. The CRA will match this funding from the sale of commercial development rights in the KSURP. The CRA has discussed the expansion of the program with other property owners anticipating new development in Kendall Square.