The Cambridge City Council last night approved a compromise plan that will allow Google to expand in Kendall Square — and avoid the potentially humiliating prospect of city leaders frittering away the chance to keep one of the world’s best-known companies right here in the Boston area.
The final package includes an agreement by Boston Properties, which owns the buildings where Google is now located, to build more housing and a new park in the neighborhood, in exchange for the company’s effective expansion over an existing park over a garage.
For a while there, it looked like the dispute would turn into a classic Massachusetts fight: Argue, argue, argue, until a company gets fed up and leaves for more appreciative environs. But the council did act fast (within a month of the initial proposal being officially unveiled) and did get some good concessions. Google officials also appear to have handled the negotiations well, not pushing too hard and seeming to understand neighborhood concerns.
File under: Win-win
