Alewife TMA's Member Spotlight King Street Properties
Feb 06, 2023

Alewife TMA's Member Spotlight

Properties -  733 Concord Avenue, 200 Cambridgepark Drive, 87 Cambridgepark Drive, & 101 Cambridgepark Drive

Real Estate Developer & Operator - King Street Properties

Interview with Tom G. Ragno,  Senior Associate

January 2023

Tell us a little bit about King Street Properties.

King Street Properties is a privately held, owner-operated developer and property management company that specializes in life sciences properties. We were founded 20 years ago with properties in Lexington, Waltham and Cambridge, and we have since expanded our footprint out to Boston, New York, North Carolina and the Bay Area. 

 

  

What drives your  company to work to reduce carbon emissions? 

King Street always strives to be at the forefront of innovation and on the front lines of positive change in everything that we do, not only in the tenants we serve but who we are and what we represent. In the last few years, sustainability and environmental impact have become major areas of focus for the life sciences industry, so we want to make sure that we are addressing those concerns and making a positive impact in the surrounding communities where our properties are located. The King Street team strongly values our relationships with local, state and federal organizations, and it’s always top of mind to be good partners and deliver a positive impact. 

What sustainability projects are you most excited about?   

We are particularly excited about the Bluebikes station that we will be installing at 101 Cambridgepark Drive. It will be good for the property and for the neighborhood. We have also invested in the expansion of the multi-modal Fitchburg Cutoff Path so that it links behind our property to Cambridgepark Drive. This will give both walkers and bikers connectivity to the path and we think that’s great. 

Additionally, we have EV charging stations on our properties and expanded bike rooms, many of which are now at full capacity. When I first started, the bike rooms were barely used and now we have some properties where we have added bike stalls to increase bike capacity. It’s been great to see the growing interest in bike commuting. 

Lastly, we also always pursue the highest possible LEED Certification for our buildings. 

What are some of the sustainable commuter benefits offered to the tenants at your properties? 

King Street offers EV charging stations and bike rooms, like I mentioned above, and our properties are always developed in areas that have access to public transportation and bike paths. For those who bike or walk to work, we have lockers and showers and we offer promotions and raffles where we give out MBTA CharlieCards and bicycles for those who take alternative transportation. We encourage our tenants to offer transit benefits to employees in our buildings and are trying to cut back on the number of parking spaces that we provide per the City of Cambridge PTDM requirements. We are always trying to make it easier for people to commute sustainably.  We also participate in the Alewife TMA shuttle. The stop at 733 Concord Avenue is on one of our properties. 

What do you find most valuable about being a member of the Alewife TMA?  

We love that the TMA is a dedicated partner in promoting transit initiatives. The work is incredibly impactful and helps us raise awareness so we can improve and enhance the transit offerings in the community. The data that [Executive Director] Melissa [Zampitella] provides on commuting patterns is tremendously helpful and it is always amazing to see how many people are utilizing the creative options and programs that the TMA offers. 

Since becoming a Board member of the TMA, I’ve learned so much about the different opportunities available to commuters and the creative ways to get to work. It’s really been eye opening for me— it’s a true partnership. It’s great to be partnering so closely with an organization that is thinking about this all the time and putting creative ideas forward to improve multimodal transportation in the community. 

Tell us about a memorable transportation experience you have personally had.  

When I first began my career, I worked for JLL as a broker. I was asked to show a listing in Kendall Square so I jumped on the T from my office at Downtown Crossing and headed out to Kendall Square. It was an early tour, so I got there around 9AM with all the commuters. When I arrived at the station and walked up the stairs, I was truly in awe of the transportation system that got me there and the world class innovation hub that surrounded me. I thought, “this is what the real world looks like!” 

 


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