A University Residential Community at MIT

Paul E. Gray

This article is intended to address questions about the purpose and status of an activity that is called A University Residential Community (URC) at MIT. URC represents the interests and efforts of a group of nine individuals incorporated as URC, LLC. The members include: Paul Grayson and Charles Harris, emeriti faculty at the Harvard School of Design; Carl Sapers, professor emeritus at the Law School; Richard Dober, a school and university planner; Neil Harper, a graduate of the MIT Civil Engineering department; Bob Simha, retired planning officer here; Kay Stratton; Priscilla Gray and myself.

About two years ago, Paul Grayson brought together six of the people named above to ascertain interest in his concept of a different mode of housing for persons at or near retirement. Called "Aging In Place," it would include physical arrangements appropriate to persons with disabilities or limitations on mobility (i.e., doorways wide enough for a wheelchair, walk-in showers, etc.) in a building as close as possible to the Institute. The building would have common spaces, and a concierge with the resources and ability to provide services such as transportation, shopping, cleaning, housekeeping, home nursing care, etc. While the cost of the concierge and other common facilities would be shared among the residents, services provided to any resident would be paid for by the user. In this respect, the URC idea draws from the model of Beacon Hill Village, in which participants living in their homes receive services as required through an office that is on call 24/7.

URC came together in the spring of 2003 to develop and, if feasible, implement this private development. With the help of the MIT Office of the Provost, we surveyed the population of retired and active MIT people age 55 and older. This survey revealed considerable interest in the concept, particularly from families now living in the suburbs who were eager to move to smaller residences close to MIT. The survey gave us much information about the needs and desires of potential participants. We also had valuable advice from the real estate group in the MIT treasurer's office.

We also decided that the facility should not be restricted to persons near or in retirement, but that MIT (or Harvard) related persons of any age would be welcome.

Inasmuch as Cambridge requires that 15% of the units in any residential construction must be priced for persons of average income, younger members of the MIT community might wish to live in our building.

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At the same time we sought legal advice from Palmer and Dodge, LLC, and moved to incorporation in January 2004. We also held discussions with the leadership of the MIT Medical Department and learned that a relationship with a URC residence was seen as feasible and desirable. URC residents who were not members of an MIT Health Plan would be welcome to join, and arrangements might be made to have, on a part-time basis, a nurse practitioner present at a limited-service medical office in the building.

Last spring we held two meetings at MIT to which we invited about 400 persons who had expressed interest in hearing about our plans. Those meetings, and interest expressed since then, have generated a group of about 60 individuals or families who have made $1000 fully refundable deposits. We believe we need 100 to 150 units in the URC building to share the costs of common space and services. That scale suggests that we must have 70 to 100 firm commitments to move ahead.

Throughout this year we have been searching for a suitable site and an arrangement with a developer who would work with us to create a building that would meet our needs. This effort has identified several sites within 10-15 minute walks of MIT. Our efforts are now focused on a site on the east side of Third Street (#350) just north of the office building on the corner of Main and Third Streets.

The developer has in hand permits for a 300-unit, 24-story apartment building, and is prepared to modify the building to accommodate our needs, including 100 to 150 units ranging in size from one bedroom to three bedrooms that would be built and sold as condominiums.

The building will include an exercise facility, retail shops on the ground floor, and underground parking. Purchase costs are estimated to be in the range of $600 to $900 per square foot, depending in part on elevation in the building. These estimates reflect the costs of upscale construction and amenities in Cambridge and Boston. Unit sizes will range from just under 1000 square feet for a one-bedroom unit to about 2000 square feet for a three-bedroom unit. Because permits have been issued, occupancy could be as early as mid 2006.

The area around this site is undergoing rapid redevelopment. Nearby are the new headquarters of the Genzyme Corporation and Laboratories for the Vertex Corporation. In addition the development will include the Constellation Center, which will have music and film performance facilities. (See http://www.constellationcenter.org/loca.htm.) Adjacent to the residence, the developers propose to build a new boutique hotel that will offer catering services to the URC residents. A small number of additional loft condominiums are also proposed for a neighboring site east of the residence.

We hope to conclude negotiations with the chosen developer very soon. We will soon thereafter provide specific illustrations of unit accommodations, common facilities and prices, as well as of the building in general. At that time we will seek firm commitments and significant down payments from persons who wish to live in the University Residential Community at MIT.

For more information, please visit our Website at http://web.mit.edu/ir/urc/, or contact me (x3-4665) or Bob Simha (617-876 6977).

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