Cambridge Residents Celebrate Opening of Binney Street Park

Cambridge residents and city officials gathered Friday morning to celebrate the opening of Binney Street Park — the last of three new green spaces developed in East Cambridge.

The new park — conceptualized more than a decade ago — sits at the intersection of Binney and Fulkerson Streets. It features a dog park, seating areas, various tree species, and a multi-use bike path.

Nearly 20 Cambridge residents attended the opening celebration. Speakers included Commissioner of Public Works Kathy Watkins, Assistant City Manager Iram Farooq, and Vice Mayor Marc C. McGovern.

In his speech, Mcgovern said that he believes the dog park will bring “a lot of joy” to East Cambridge.

“I’ve established a lot of friendships and a sense of community when I go to the dog park in my neighborhood and other dog parks around the city,” McGovern said. “So this isn’t just for our four-legged friends, but also for us humans as well.”

Cambridge obtained the Binney Street Park land during a 2019 rezoning exchange with Google, according to Farooq. In order to maintain the number of public green spaces in the area, the city agreed to develop 322 Binney Street into a new park while offering Google the rooftop of the Kendall Hotel — which was previously a public space — for their expansion plan.

“This is a significant open space, and it’s been long desired by the community to be not just sitting here as a grassy area, but something that actually does more,” Farooq said. “So as part of that rezoning transaction, the city was able to get this land and then have worked with the community on what’s the desired best use for it.”

Farooq, who served as one of the park’s main developers, told The Crimson that certain features drew inspiration from winning entries in a design competition held by the Eastern Cambridge and Kendall Open Space Committee.

“We had a jury of experts, but we also got community input in terms of what people really liked the most about the various entries,” she said. The committee “used that then to frame the vision that is now coming finally to fruition that we’re super excited about.”

Farooq said that she and the committee worked to create a flexible design to serve the diverse needs and desires of park users.

“The people who occupy them change, and their desires and needs change, so thinking about how you design a space so that as its users change, it can still remain a functional, usable and joyful place for people to be in,” she said.

Farooq also emphasized the importance of open spaces in urban environments like Cambridge.

“One of the things that you do need is places for people to come together as a community — green spaces, which serve as breathing areas amidst all the buildings,” she said.