Housing proposed near hall in Southie

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Mike

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Housing proposed near hall in Southie
By Scott Van Voorhis
Boston Herald Business Reporter
Friday, August 4, 2006 - Updated: 01:02 AM EST


Townhouse-style living, just blocks from Boston?s $800 million-plus convention center.

Such might be the unusual sales pitch of a Midwestern builder looking to turn a scruffy industrial block near the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center into a residential oasis.

Chicago-based MCL Development is looking to build out a city block near the hall with 242 townhouse-like units, with an acre-sized public park in the center.

MCL is just one of a number of developers with big plans for the barren industrial acreage that surrounds the new center, built on a sprawling site near South Boston?s waterfront. At least three other developers are also planning projects near the convention center that include condos or apartments, drawn in part by the lure of relatively less expensive building sites, industry observers say.

Still, not everyone is thrilled with the residential boom taking place around the giant meeting hall.

In fact, some neighborhood residents are uneasy about the size and density of MCL?s plans to build townhouse-style units near the convention center.

The builder has taken plans back to the drawing board after neighborhood residents complained the project was too dense and too high, reaching six stories at some points, said state Rep. Brian Wallace (D-South Boston).

While the proposed building site is rather rough right now, that should not give the developer a green light to build whatever the firm wants, Wallace said.



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The builder has taken plans back to the drawing board after neighborhood residents complained the project was too dense and too high, reaching six stories at some points, said state Rep. Brian Wallace (D-South Boston).
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I had to read that twice, then laughed, and then stopped laughing because they're actually serious.

Providing they look decent, townhouse style buildings could lend something different to the area. Of course, at this point, I've all but completely given up on the waterfront.
 
Too Dense? Too tall? (at 6 stories, give me a break!) We're not talking Lincoln or Sudbury here, we're talking Boston. It's hard to believe that city dwellers, especially in a newly developing area like the Seaport, would have a problem with more people moving in. More people bring more eyes on the streets (safety), more retail, more cafes and restaurants, more businesses to serve the growing population. It's a GOOD thing!! I read a similar piece a few days ago in the Herald about the North End residents having a fit over building out the Prince Pantry building into condos. They're upset that they're loosing mom and pop grocery stores and other retail which is understandable. But, arn't these the same people who have lobbied for years to get a Stop and Shop or Shaw's near the North End. Hmmmmmmmmmm, that doesn't sound like a "support your local business" mode to me. It takes lots of people to support a business, keeping people from moving in hurts local business. I really don't get it. We moved into Midtown Atlanta 4 years ago and love it every time a new residential building goes up. Seriously, I bet 1500 units have be built in the immediate area since we have moved in (I read close to 10,000 more will be built in the city proper itself over the next few years) Over the last 4 years all sorts of retail and restaurants have moved into the area. It's also nice to see the streets around the neighborhood active with people till late into the night. Frankly, I think the Seaport developers should build out their whole block into residential and forget the 1 acre park just because the Boston could use the additional housing units.
 
Which block is this proposed for?

I can't find any other details on the project. Which piece of land is it? Anyone know?
 
The type of folks who will be buying townhouses in the seaport are not the the same sort who have elected South Boston's current crop of politicians. I don't think this is a density issue; rather, it's a form of gerrymandering.
 
EDIT: I should have prefaced this by saying that 6 stories is NOT too tall for D Street.

People like new development but like it better when it is filling in gaps in the street scape, which there are many, or near Broadway where about 500 of those condos are being built in a small three block area. People might not buy all 2000 fancy condos at stupid prices and hurt the property values of condos in the whole area. South Boston has a modest population though any particular neighborhood could become over valued like in the booms of the 80's and 90's and the impact is different than in Town. History tells us buildings can stay vacant or half built, and lots that are cleared can stay cleared for ten years or more.

I think people have a reason to be critical, they have come up with decent plans to increase density in the residential areas, which is obviously working, while the ahem... Seaport... is ugly without and real cohesive street scape and soulless without any city squares. The best parts of it is what existed before this last boom, save the ICA and BCEC which are brilliant.

If anyone wants this area to look like Atlanta-by-the-Sea they will not be disappointed.
 
Oh, but I must disagree ...

I dunno. I think the area could use some dense residential housing.

Plus, I think the ICA and BCEC are ugly structures, and don't benefit the neighborhood, or Boston, at all.

Plus, don't forget, the ICA hasn't even opened yet. Whether or not it will be a "success" has yet to be determined.
 
Is this what was formerly known as the D St Housing proposal? If so, does anyone have any of the old renderings?
 
http://boston.metro.us/metro/local/...on_Southie_residential_developments/3830.html

I seem to have Rep. Wallace's stance backwards, he wants a stop to all construction NOT on the Seaport which isn't a very good idea. He's right that the local market may be saturated but should not remove the right of the little guy to build within zoning.

btw- I totally support dense housing in the Seaport but IMO the best development in this area is happening around Broadway. Hundreds of units of housing will connect with the channel developments via A Street and perhaps someday a huge South Bay development.

I think the ICA is brilliant and you don't... that's why we have discussion forums. :)
 
Maybe this is what the Rep is afraid of: This is Dorchester Street past Perkins Sq and every building in this picture was formally a vacant lot, a total rehab or an auto body shop. You can't even see all the condos in the distance on both sides of the street. I wasn't going to use this pic cause I was going to return on a nicer day but...
dotstreet1.jpg
 
I think Wallace is more worried about demographic changes which will affect his incumbency. I can't think of one other politician that has complained about a glut of housing in Boston, particularly given the concern over the lack of affordable units, which tend to start appearing when the market actually has supply fulfill or overcome demand. Additionally, local business, construction companies, tradespeople, et al. all love new construction that adds customers, which would otherwise be a good thing politically unless someone is heavily invested in a gerrymandered district.
 
I dunno, isn't he the same guy that authored the spending bill with funds for the Fenway neighborhood improvements? Why would he do that if he was only looking out for Southie and Numero Uno?
 
Scott said:
I dunno, isn't he the same guy that authored the spending bill with funds for the Fenway neighborhood improvements? Why would he do that if he was only looking out for Southie and Numero Uno?
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Thats a good point. Wouldn't you want more votes? Perhapse he thinks that the demographic would be too different (upper middle class) and vote him out. That would be a legit concern for him.
 
Maybe this is what the Rep is afraid of: This is Dorchester Street past Perkins Sq and every building in this picture was formally a vacant lot, a total rehab or an auto body shop

And this is a bad thing? Something to be afraid of? Vacant lots, crumbling apartment buildings and auto body shops now turned into attractive housing for the neighborhood? I don't get it!
 
^ I don't understand it either. I think filling in gap teeth in neighborhoods is exactly what they should be doing. Perhaps he's getting calls from voters concerned that they may have paid too much and will never be able recoup what they put into their condo.

I'll ask a few people familiar with the issue, who may know something about it.
 
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