| Gov. Charlie Baker and other community leaders today joined EF Education First North America CEO Dr. Edward Hult to break ground on the company’s third new building in Cambridge’s North Point neighborhood, which will result in the creation of 300 new jobs, acres of new public parkland and recreational amenities, and a new permanent operations and maintenance facility for the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR).
“Today’s groundbreaking is an important moment for EF that also highlights how public-private partnerships can lead to economic development, jobs and the creation of beautiful public spaces that benefit our staff and students as well as the residents of Cambridge and Boston,” Hult said in a statement.
The State Legislature in 2014 unanimously passed special legislation allowing EF to acquire for $20.4 million a 125,000-square-foot parcel of land owned by DCR and MassDOT, which previously housed a temporary maintenance facility for DCR. The proceeds from the land sale will fund the construction of a permanent maintenance facility for DCR on one portion of the parcel, an unmet Big Dig mitigation obligation.
“Massachusetts is a global and welcoming community with educational opportunities that attract students from around the world,” Baker said in a statement. “For over 30 years, EF Education First has been making a positive impact on the lives of those learning from the individuals they employ and teach, while drawing tens of thousands from abroad to see all the commonwealth has to offer. We are excited to see their continued commitment to Massachusetts through this expansion and addition of public park and recreational space for their neighbors in Cambridge.”
EF’s new 300,000-square-foot, 12-story building will be designed to a LEED Gold standard and is scheduled to open in late spring 2019. The ground floor will be completely dedicated to public space with a mix of uses throughout the upper floors, including new student housing for Hult International Business School – which is affiliated with EF through the company’s founding family and owners – general office and administrative space, and above-grade parking. The ground floor will include a public fitness center with a rock climbing wall, a small café, public restrooms and hundreds of new public bike parking spaces.
