Volpe Transportation Center Development | Kendall Sq | Cambridge

Pheldy34 said:
"M.I.T. is hosting two public meetings on Thursday, February 16, to hear feedback re: its plans to redevelop the 14-acre Volpe transportation hub in Kendall Square."

http://boston.curbed.com/2017/2/10/14574298/mit-volpe-center-plans-kendall
Click to expand...

Per Cambridge Day, the meetings will be held at noon and 5:30 pm. So, basically, anybody with a "normal 9-5 job" will have some difficulty making either.

It seems like if they truly want feedback from a representative sample of the public they should schedule the meetings at times when a representative sample of the public can attend. And I have no hard data to base this on, but I suspect that the segment of the population that does not spend their weekdays at work is more anti-development than the segment of the population that does...
 
JumboBuc said:
Per Cambridge Day, the meetings will be held at noon and 5:30 pm. So, basically, anybody with a "normal 9-5 job" will have some difficulty making either.

It seems like if they truly want feedback from a representative sample of the public they should schedule the meetings at times when a representative sample of the public can attend. And I have no hard data to base this on, but I suspect that the segment of the population that does not spend their weekdays at work is more anti-development than the segment of the population that does...
Click to expand...

The later of the two meetings was originally at 7:30PM. CambridgeDay states that it was moved due to snow in the forecast for Thursday night.
 
Equilibria said:
The later of the two meetings was originally at 7:30PM. CambridgeDay states that it was moved due to snow in the forecast for Thursday night.
Click to expand...

They were originally scheduled for last Thursday, the 9th, and moved to this Thursday because of the snow. There is no snow in the forecast at any time this Thursday.
 
JumboBuc said:
They were originally scheduled for last Thursday, the 9th, and moved to this Thursday because of the snow. There is no snow in the forecast at any time this Thursday.
Click to expand...

Sorry, misread the article. In any case, the meeting was initially at 7:30.
 
Gameguy326 said:
Yes, that is exactly the plan. They keep stressing this endlessly in all the community meetings since everyone is scared about the impact of demo-ing Eastgate without a replacement.
Click to expand...

Like everyone, i've never thought much of Eastgate. But, it does provide a considerable quantity of housing density. It sort of amazes me that MIT could build something as recently as the Late '60s that is so bad, that even if you gutted it, it couldn't be returned to service to an acceptable level of livability/servicabilty + passible LEED standards vs implosion and redo.

Is the tower's location also a problem?
 
odurandina said:
Like everyone, i've never thought much of Eastgate. But, it does provide a considerable quantity of housing density. It sort of amazes me that MIT could build something as recently as the Late '60s that is so bad, that even if you gutted it, it couldn't be returned to service to an acceptable level of livability/servicabilty + passible LEED standards vs implosion and redo.

Is the tower's location also a problem?
Click to expand...

If you think of Eastgate as a "considerable" level of density, the graduate housing MIT is proposing to build is even more dense. Eastgate is surrounded by a parking lot and a plaza with picnic tables.
 
odurandina said:
Like everyone, i've never thought much of Eastgate. But, it does provide a considerable quantity of housing density. It sort of amazes me that MIT could build something as recently as the Late '60s that is so bad, that even if you gutted it, it couldn't be returned to service to an acceptable level of livability/servicabilty + passible LEED standards vs implosion and redo.

Is the tower's location also a problem?
Click to expand...

My understanding about the refurbishment of many of the poured concrete Brutalist structures, is that the way the utilities and building systems are integrated into the concrete building structure makes them horribly impractical or at least very costly to retrofit.

It is my understanding that both the Harbor Towers and Boston City Hall have these same issues. (Brutalist experts, please chime in!)
 
Equilibria said:
If you think of Eastgate as a "considerable" level of density, the graduate housing MIT is proposing to build is even more dense. Eastgate is surrounded by a parking lot and a plaza with picnic tables.
Click to expand...

They still easily could have chosen to build around Eastgate and probably get higher density...however, I think a factor in the decision was also to have a more active streetscape, and Eastgate's placement does not afford that.

I still think getting rid of Eastgate is dissapointing.
 
JeffDowntown said:
My understanding about the refurbishment of many of the poured concrete Brutalist structures, is that the way the utilities and building systems are integrated into the concrete building structure makes them horribly impractical or at least very costly to retrofit.

It is my understanding that both the Harbor Towers and Boston City Hall have these same issues. (Brutalist experts, please chime in!)
Click to expand...

A couple of years ago, the residents of Boston’s Harbor Towers Condominium were hit with a $75.6 million special assessment—believed to be the highest ever in Boston—to cover the costs of repairing and replacing the heating and cooling systems of their two waterfront mid-rises. The one-time assessment, ranging from $70,000 to $400,000 per unit owner, led to a bitter political struggle and panic on the part of some residents who would likely have to sell their units to pay the huge bill, due in November of 2007.
Click to expand...
https://cooperator.com/article/dealing-with-special-assessments
 
JeffDowntown said:
My understanding about the refurbishment of many of the poured concrete Brutalist structures, is that the way the utilities and building systems are integrated into the concrete building structure makes them horribly impractical or at least very costly to retrofit.

It is my understanding that both the Harbor Towers and Boston City Hall have these same issues. (Brutalist experts, please chime in!)
Click to expand...

I don't know about Harbor Towers, but I do know that the plumbing, IT, and utility conduits (with the exception of some vestigial floor sockets in some departments -most have been deactivated over the years) at City Hall are all external to the concrete structure.
 
Retrofitting city hall would be a huge mistake. Itll cost a ton of money just to still be the same POS. When off some day in the future they finally address this it needs to be an all encompassing solution of the street grid, building itself, and public realm. Maybe even move it to a different location and then reconnect the streets snd sell the land.

This project though has been quoted as being the most valuable real estate development in America. Is this true?
 
"The height of each of the eight buildings would range from 135 feet to more than 500 feet."

More than 500' could be 501'! More than 500' could be taller than the Hancock! Probably closer to 501', but still, changing the game in Kendall! Hopefully the designs live up to the hype.

"Marsh estimated that facility could take between four to five years to plan and build. The eight residential and commercial buildings wouldn’t be built until the new federal facility is finished."

Timeline says.... This is still a long way away.
 
DZH22 said:
"The height of each of the eight buildings would range from 135 feet to more than 500 feet."

More than 500' could be 501'! More than 500' could be taller than the Hancock! Probably closer to 501', but still, changing the game in Kendall! Hopefully the designs live up to the hype.

"Marsh estimated that facility could take between four to five years to plan and build. The eight residential and commercial buildings wouldn’t be built until the new federal facility is finished."

Timeline says.... This is still a long way away.
Click to expand...

That's a benefit of MIT, though... they can deal with long timescales. They won't go belly up or walk away.
 
stick n move said:
This project though has been quoted as being the most valuable real estate development in America. Is this true?
Click to expand...

Probably not. I mean ,Hudson Yards is bigger and more valuable. On the other hand, Kendall Square is one of the tightest markets in the country, after Midtown NY and SF/SV.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top