Seaport Neighborhood - Infill and Discussion

Heading for parcel L5 (recently paved over). Much better than more parking IMHO
www.bostonglobe.com

An outdoor pickleball and padel complex with a bar and café is coming to the Seaport this summer - The Boston Globe

Come winter, the plan is to convert the pickleball courts to an ice rink. The courts and social spaces will be open to all.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

"What measures 30,000 square feet, makes a thwack-thwack sound, and is coming to the Seaport this summer? That would be Ballers, a new social-and-sports concept featuring outdoor pickleball and padel courts, a bar and café with a noted chef, and community events like tournaments and theme nights. Come winter, the plan is to convert the pickleball courts to an ice rink. (Heaters and hot toddies should keep things comfy.) Courts and social spaces will be open to all.

Set to launch in mid-July, Ballers is backed by several pro-athlete investors, including tennis stars Kim Clijsters, Sloane Stephens, and Andre Agassi (now a pickle baller), along with pickleball champ Connor Garnett and NBA All-Star Tyrese Maxey. Ballers will open its first location in Philadelphia in mid-June, followed by Boston. The company aims to open 50-plus locations in the United States in the next seven to 10 years."
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cburns said:
Heading for parcel L5 (recently paved over). Much better than more parking IMHO
www.bostonglobe.com

An outdoor pickleball and padel complex with a bar and café is coming to the Seaport this summer - The Boston Globe

Come winter, the plan is to convert the pickleball courts to an ice rink. The courts and social spaces will be open to all.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

"What measures 30,000 square feet, makes a thwack-thwack sound, and is coming to the Seaport this summer? That would be Ballers, a new social-and-sports concept featuring outdoor pickleball and padel courts, a bar and café with a noted chef, and community events like tournaments and theme nights. Come winter, the plan is to convert the pickleball courts to an ice rink. (Heaters and hot toddies should keep things comfy.) Courts and social spaces will be open to all.

Set to launch in mid-July, Ballers is backed by several pro-athlete investors, including tennis stars Kim Clijsters, Sloane Stephens, and Andre Agassi (now a pickle baller), along with pickleball champ Connor Garnett and NBA All-Star Tyrese Maxey. Ballers will open its first location in Philadelphia in mid-June, followed by Boston. The company aims to open 50-plus locations in the United States in the next seven to 10 years."
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Better than surface parking, but I find it incredible that they can’t get residential rental to pencil on this site, right now.
 
jdrinboston said:
Better than surface parking, but I find it incredible that they can’t get residential rental to pencil on this site, right now.
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From what I'm hearing, uncertainty around material costs with tariffs, and union construction costs are prohibitive, nothing union is pencilling right now. Not to mention the City's new affordable housing requirements!
 
real_EthanHunt said:
it might not be helping, but this has been an issue since before January. its not just union costs but many factors including 20% affordable.
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Also, don't forget interest rates remain high. All that adds up when trying to pencil out construction margins. Projects simply do not pass the risk threshold for investment.
 
The Seaport could feature more open spaces for socializing, like these new Pickleball courts, bar, etc. Otherwise, it's mostly a maze of tall buildings, with only lobbies to walk past and to look into from a pedestrian POV. It reminds me a little of Houston's upscale residential and office area, or second downtown, "Uptown." Nothing much is up here, except for the people inside.
 
Scott said:
Cute, but let's be real, it's the tariffs not the unions.
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It's all of it, death by 1,000 cuts. Remove the tariffs and some things will pencil out. Remove the unions and some things will pencil out. Remove the affordability requirements and some things will pencil out. Remove 2 out of 3 and more things will pencil out. Remove them all (and ignore any "community process" while you're at it) and pretty much everything would pencil out. Can't just point to one thing and say THAT is THE reason why.
 
TC_zoid said:
The Seaport could feature more open spaces for socializing, like these new Pickleball courts, bar, etc. Otherwise, it's mostly a maze of tall buildings, with only lobbies to walk past and to look into from a pedestrian POV. It reminds me a little of Houston's upscale residential and office area, or second downtown, "Uptown." Nothing much is up here, except for the people inside.
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The Harborwalk portion is extensive and a great public area, but you're right that there's no really useful green spaces other than that. I guess you'd have to go over to the "Lawn on D" for the closest open space park, or otherwise cross the Fort Point Channel to the Greenway.
 
Newer buildings become de facto walls without the retail options and variety that older ones have. I lived in midtown Manhattan for a few years and the variety of stores, etc. is so high that less green space is not as much a factor. The Seaport is missing this--variety from the ground. But I get it. It's about money.
 
DZH22 said:
It's all of it, death by 1,000 cuts. Remove the tariffs and some things will pencil out. Remove the unions and some things will pencil out. Remove the affordability requirements and some things will pencil out. Remove 2 out of 3 and more things will pencil out. Remove them all (and ignore any "community process" while you're at it) and pretty much everything would pencil out. Can't just point to one thing and say THAT is THE reason why.
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Let them eat cake says the suburbanite. I want my 1000 footer
 
I apologize DZH22. I was in a bad mood about something else. If I had my way they would build a thousand footer in Neponset Circle
 
Scott said:
If I had my way they would build a thousand footer in Neponset Circle
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I don't think they can do that without moving the airport. However, similarly to you, if I had my way they would build to the FAA limits on all remaining parcels downtown, in Back Bay, Kendall, etc. (not in the historic area but yes in the high spine). We'd have 800'+ in North Station and 900'+ in both Back Bay and Kendall. No more stumps, no more 10 stories right on the Greenway, etc. Also the remaining North Point parcels would all go over 500' (literally the biggest lost-opportunity of our lifetime compared to what could have been).
 
DZH22 said:
I don't think they can do that without moving the airport. However, similarly to you, if I had my way they would build to the FAA limits on all remaining parcels downtown, in Back Bay, Kendall, etc. (not in the historic area but yes in the high spine). We'd have 800'+ in North Station and 900'+ in both Back Bay and Kendall. No more stumps, no more 10 stories right on the Greenway, etc. Also the remaining North Point parcels would all go over 500' (literally the biggest lost-opportunity of our lifetime compared to what could have been).
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I wonder if it's possible to get the "new" FAA to sit at the table and renegotiate this little map they drew.
 
Longfellow said:
I wonder if it's possible to get the "new" FAA to sit at the table and renegotiate this little map they drew.
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Would that make a difference? Places that seem like they would want to build taller are in places where the restrictions make sense (like seaport).

In other places, people aren’t biting at the existing height limit, so even if it were removed it doesn’t seem like anyone would go for it anyway.
 
the area is so weird. i guarantee, the only surefire way to see something taller than JHT in boston proper is for kendall to build a tower taller than JHT and then the city will freak out and, hey presto -- suddenly shadow laws and faa restrictions are (momentarily) easily worked around.
 
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