Retrofit Atlas

Office parks · Massachusetts

Cambridge Discovery Park

Imported, unreviewedRedevelopedRegreenedPartly retrofittedCambridge, MA

Retrofit completed (2000–2002) with 820k sq ft of new LEED office space; site status 'partial' despite work being done. · summary, model-written

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Site profile10 elements · what this retrofit is built with · tap a chip for the evidence

Place
3+ other atlas sites within 10 kmThis site: 16 within 10 km computed · all sites with this
30,000+ vehicles a day on an adjacent roadThis site: 66,383 on a counted road fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
County lost 10%+ of retail establishments since 2012This site: -10% census-cbp · all sites with this
County permitting 2,000+ apartment units a yearThis site: 2,440 units, Middlesex County census-bps · all sites with this
County typical rent $2,000+This site: $3,069/mo zillow · all sites with this
Interstate or freeway within 600 mThis site: fhwa-hpms · all sites with this
Strategy
RedevelopedThis site: …six different LEED-certified office and laboratory buildings totaling up to 820,000 sf and two structured parking garages. It includes green space with walking… record · all sites with this
RegreenedThis site: …six different LEED-certified office and laboratory buildings totaling up to 820,000 sf and two structured parking garages. It includes green space with walking… record · all sites with this
New use
OfficeThis site: …six different LEED-certified office and laboratory buildings totaling up to 820,000 sf and two newtypes-extraction · all sites with this
Park and open spaceThis site: 820,000 sf and two structured parking garages. It includes green space with walking and bicycle trails as well as two buildings an newtypes-extraction · all sites with this

All elements and lists · Trends

Now

StatusPartly retrofittednewtypes-extraction
StrategyPartial Redeveloped · RegreenedWikipedia
New usesoffice, parkWikipedia
What is there nowsix different LEED-certified office and laboratory buildings totaling up to 820,000 sf and two structured parking garages. It includes green space with walking and bicycle trails as well as two buildings and a parking garage.newtypes-extraction
Retrofit year2000newtypes-extraction
RedeveloperBulfinchnewtypes-extraction

Deals and debt

DateEventPricePartiesSource
2000Sold—Bulfinch ← Arthur D. LittleWikipedia

Site context

Housing permits, Middlesex County (MA), 20242,440 units in 5+ unit buildings, 166 in 2–4, 889 single-family; 2023: 2,902 in 5+Census BPS
Other atlas sites nearby16 within 10 km, 25 within 25 km: A&P food-storage and bakery warehouse (4.1 km); Arsenal Mall (4.2 km); Assembly Mall (5.5 km); Bay Colony office complex (7.6 km); Bay Colony (7.6 km)computed
Retail trade in the county, 2012 to 20234,650 establishments (-10%); 79,115 jobs (-5%)Census CBP
Housing market in the countytypical home value $804,837 (+2% 1 yr, +22% 5 yr); typical rent $3,069/mo (+2% 1 yr), 2026-09Zillow Research
Traffic on the busiest road within 600 m (2024)66,383 vehicles a day (freeway or expressway, 4 lanes); 3,733 trucks; 8 counted segmentsFHWA HPMS
Site metrics13,333 sq ft GLA per acre; FAR 0.31computed

Summary, model-written

Cambridge Discovery Park (formerly Acorn Park) opened in 1953 as an office park for Arthur D. Little, closed in 2002, and underwent retrofitting starting in 2000. Bulfinch acquired the site in 2000 and completed a redevelop/regreen project. The park now includes six LEED-certified office/laboratory buildings (820,000 sq ft total) and green space with trails, replacing original structures. The site remains partially occupied by original elements (per 'status': partial).

Why. Retrofit strategy was executed (2000–2002), with completed work including new buildings and regreening. Original GLA (400,000 sq ft) expanded to 820,000 sq ft. Status is 'partial' despite retrofit completion.

Where it stands. Located in Cambridge, MA (30 acres), adjacent to Route 2 and Alewife Red Line transit. Nearby context includes Arsenal Mall (4.2 km, built) and proposed developments within 10 km. Housing market data (ZHVI $804k) and retail trends (10.5% business decline 2012–2023) are noted but not directly relevant to the park’s status.

For a planner

  • Retrofit work is complete (2000–2002), but site status remains 'partial'—likely meaning original structures were partially retained or repurposed.
  • Proximity to transit (Alewife Red Line) and bikeways is confirmed in narrative.
  • No new development activity noted post-2021 (gates locked in 2021).

For a developer

  • GLA increased 105% (400k → 820k sq ft) post-retrofit.
  • Median rent $2,126/sq ft cited as opportunity factor, but retrofit is already built (opp_score: 0).
  • No new construction permits reported since 2024 (permits data shows residential units, not park updates).

What we do not know yet

  • 'Status: partial' contradicts 'retrofit already built' in opp_reasons—exact meaning unclear.
  • No current occupancy rate or tenant mix provided.
  • Traffic data (66k ADT) is for Route 2, not park access.
  • Verified status is 'draft'—data may be unconfirmed.

Generated by qwen3-30b-a3b-64k:latest on Dell 5820 RTX 3090 (Ollama, qwen3-30b-a3b) from the fields, parcels, deals and context layers on this page, with no outside knowledge. It is regenerated when the record changes and has not been checked by a person. How it is made.

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Multifamily screen

  • retrofit already built
  • 30 acres
  • median rent $2,126

Inputs: record fields (size, status) and county Census ACS 2018–2023 figures (growth, rent). How the points work. Not a recommendation.

History and original facts

Opened1953newtypes-extraction
Closed2002newtypes-extraction
Acres30.0newtypes-extraction
Gross leasable area400,000 sq ftnewtypes-extraction
Original developerArthur D. Little, Inc.newtypes-extraction
AnchorsArthur D. Little
CountyMiddlesex County
Census division1 · New England
NotesDraft from Wikipedia, model-extracted, unreviewed: A former suburban office park, Acorn Park, was redeveloped into Cambridge Discovery Park, a mixed-use office and laboratory campus with green space.

Background

Cambridge Discovery Park (CDP or the Park), formerly known as Acorn Park, is a 30 acres (12 ha) office and laboratory campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts. It is located along Massachusetts Route 2, and is connected to the Alewife Red Line subway terminus and bus station by a walking path, and to the Minuteman Bikeway. It was the home office of Arthur D. Little, an international management consulting firm, from 1953 to 2002. Since 2000, CDP has been owned and managed by an affiliate of Bulfinch, a real estate firm.

Excerpt from Wikipedia (authors and history), CC BY-SA 4.0. May be older than the record above.

Timeline

  1. 1953 Park opened as Acorn Park
  2. 1953 Opened
  3. 1999 Arthur D. Little owned the site until 1999
  4. 2000 Bulfinch purchased and began managing the site
  5. 2000 Retrofit: redevelop, regreen
  6. 2002 Arthur D. Little ceased to occupy the site
  7. 2002 Closed
  8. 2003 Original buildings began to be demolished
  9. 2008 Awarded Silver Award Certificate of Merit for Engineering Excellence
  10. 2011 Received preservation award from Cambridge Historical Commission
  11. 2011 Awarded GoGreen Award for stormwater design
  12. 2021 Locked gates constructed, limiting accessibility

Sources

  • Cambridge Discovery Park · CC BY-SA 4.0
    10 quoted sentences
    Cambridge Discovery Park
    In 1953, the Park opened and was named Acorn Park
    Arthur D. Little owned the site until 1999
    When Bulfinch purchased the Arthur D. Little site in 2000

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