Google to Expand in Kendall Square

Google plans to expand its presence in Cambridge, a move that the Cambridge City Council approved on Monday and that computer science professors said might prompt the internet titan to further support Harvard students.

After the City Council approved Google’s plan to remodel its Kendall Square branch, Steve Vinter, who heads the office, said that he was pleased with the decision.

“We’re really appreciative of the enormous amount of work that has been done by the community and the Council and all the other partners involved to make this possible tonight,” he said.

As part of the project, Boston Properties—the real estate investment trust that owns the three buildings that will be renovated—will construct walkway bridges between the properties to allow Google to occupy contiguous space in all three buildings.

When the renovation was proposed in late February, it encountered opposition from some councillors because one of the bridges will displace half of a rooftop garden that is protected by an open spaces covenant.

Boston Properties responded with a revised proposal that included a $2 million pledge to develop a new park on Binney Street to counter the impact of the lost open space. The Council approved the plan on Monday by a vote of 7-2.

“The offerings they made about open space more than make up for the losses,” said Cambridge Mayor Henrietta J. Davis, who voted on Monday to support Google’s expansion. “I think that going forward to the future with Google based here in Cambridge is a great idea.”

David J. Malan ’99, who teaches the crowd-pleasing introductory course Computer Science 50, expressed enthusiasm about Google’s growth in Kendall Square.

“We’re thrilled they’ll be expanding their presence in Cambridge,” Malan wrote in an email. “These are exciting times for computer science in Cambridge.”

In regard to the effect of Google’s greater presence in Cambridge on Harvard students, Malan added, “Google has been a good friend to CS50 and to CS at Harvard for some time now. Odds are Google’s expansion will mean all the more opportunities for students in the months to come.”

Computer science professor Greg Morrisett said that Google’s expansion in Cambridge is only part of an “explosion” of computer-related businesses in the area—a trend which stands to help Harvard students interested in computer science.

“It’s a great opportunity for everyone,” Morrisett wrote in an email. “For example, we’ve struck partnerships to bring in people from these major companies for help with everything from mentoring to lecturing. That helps inject their wisdom and experience into the classroom.”

—Staff writer Mercer R. Cook can be reached at mcook@college.harvard.edu.

—Staff writer Maya S. Jonas-Silver can be reached at mayajonas-silver@college.harvard.edu.