Armstrong Property Proposal | 10 Plain Str. | Braintree

Fronting that the most important thing is the housing, I think people are being delusionally optimistic about non-automotive trips coming out of this place. This is auto-oriented, suburban density. That's what the developers see it as, that's what the town sees it as. This is the development that gives future NIMBYs fodder to hand wring about traffic impacts (as they successfully argued with the much smaller proposed Dalton development practically across the street) because it's going to have noticeable impacts.

With a different layout that wasn't "big rectangles in the middle of a parking lot", some mixed use (which the developer wanted to do but said couldn't pencil out with the increased parking requirements), an extension of the montatiquot walkway under the tracks and into the Pearl Plaza, some bike/ped improvements on Hancock, and maybe pushing the 230 to 2 buses an hour during midday I think it would really be cooking. You'd also be creating the condition for more supportive infill developments like the proposed-but-dead Dalton which just further increases the viability.

Instead we're getting a nice boost in the housing stock. Which is good. Needed. This and the SSP development are great to see from Braintree. But let's call a spade a spade. The units will be more expensive than they have to be and living here even car-light would be burdensome enough that most people won't.
 
KCasiglio said:
Fronting that the most important thing is the housing, I think people are being delusionally optimistic about non-automotive trips coming out of this place. This is auto-oriented, suburban density. That's what the developers see it as, that's what the town sees it as. This is the development that gives future NIMBYs fodder to hand wring about traffic impacts (as they successfully argued with the much smaller proposed Dalton development practically across the street) because it's going to have noticeable impacts.

With a different layout that wasn't "big rectangles in the middle of a parking lot", some mixed use (which the developer wanted to do but said couldn't pencil out with the increased parking requirements), an extension of the montatiquot walkway under the tracks and into the Pearl Plaza, some bike/ped improvements on Hancock, and maybe pushing the 230 to 2 buses an hour during midday I think it would really be cooking. You'd also be creating the condition for more supportive infill developments like the proposed-but-dead Dalton which just further increases the viability.

Instead we're getting a nice boost in the housing stock. Which is good. Needed. This and the SSP development are great to see from Braintree. But let's call a spade a spade. The units will be more expensive than they have to be and living here even car-light would be burdensome enough that most people won't.
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The prices will be as high as they can rent for like any other development but the transit situation seems like just enough of a hassle that it’s not going to command the rents it could if it was within easy walking distance of a CR or T station, plus not a ton of amenities nearby like decent restaurants, gyms, etc. I suspect when this opens residents who work in Braintree, Quincy and Weymouth will outnumber those in central Boston at least three or four to one.
 
kmp1284 said:
The prices will be as high as they can rent for like any other development
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Definitely, it would be better if I'd phrased it as "more expensive to build than they have to be". Those savings would have gone somewhere. Either into more units, more community amenities (playground was repeatedly asked for, bike-ped connection to pearl plaza), or allowing the commercial uses to pencil out. Likely some combination thereof.

plus not a ton of amenities nearby like decent restaurants, gyms, etc.
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But they could have
1) Developed the better connections to what does exist
2) Included some into this project
3) By doing 1 and 2, encouraged more nearby (such as the proposed-and-killed Dalton)

You get what you build for, and this location (as is the south shore plaza development) is much better suited to be the place to anchor it than almost any other opportunity that's going to come in Braintree.

Again, I don't mean to come across as saying this project is bad or shouldn't happen, but I think we should be clear eyed about what is being built and how it could be better while still supporting the increase in housing stock. If I own this parking crater next door there's nothing about this development that would make me lean towards redeveloping it into something more transit-oriented. If Armstrong was more like what I described above, then what does this or Pearl Plaza look like in 10 years? What about South Braintree Sq?

I don't think anything you said is wrong, I think it's an accurate assessment of the situation, but I think it's also the case that we (royal, the public) have more ability to shape our built environment than we give ourselves credit for.
 
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