Rentals planned at former disco

Developers have plans for 240 apartments on this site. (JOANNE RATHE/GLOBE STAFF/FILE 2002)

The dilapidated sign bearing the name of the long-deceased disco Faces has stood at the northern gateway to Cambridge for decades. Now, two local developers want to knock down the shuttered disco on Route 2 to make way for a 240-unit apartment complex.

The developers, The McKinnon Co. and Criterion Development Partners, submitted a pre-proposal to city government in May. According to Richard McKinnon, the head of McKinnon Co., they will now digest feedback from city planners, community groups, and environmental agencies before submitting a formal proposal in late October.

"I'm very much looking to have this project under construction during the second quarter of 2009, McKinnon said.

The plot of land in question is adjacent to the Alewife Reservation, a wetlands haven for wildlife and humans alike. Addressing environmental sensitivity and flooding issues are a top priority, according to McKinnon.

To assuage worries of increased traffic congestion on Route 2, McKinnon said he will encourage residents of the complex to be less car-dependent by building a lighted path to the nearby Alewife T station and Minuteman Bikeway.

McKinnon said he is not seeking zoning variances and is "not looking to push any limits." The "more modest" plan does not infringe on the 100-foot buffer zone separating the building and the reservation.

"I'm taking the same group of people -- consultants, engineers -- who have already dealt precisely with these issues in this area of the city," he said.

Beth Rubenstein, assistant city manager for community development, said that the planning board is "still in the listening stage."

"We're looking forward to more details," she said, adding that the transportation issue is of high importance.

McKinnon will meet with the North Cambridge Neighborhood Group at 7 p.m. on Wednesday to further discuss the project. The meeting will be held at the Daniel F. Burns apartment building at 50 Churchill Ave.

JENNIFER SCHWARTZ