GrandMarc Residence Hall (YMCA) @ Northeastern U | 291 St. Botolph Street | Fenway

It looks a lot taller than it actually is. There aren't really any buildings of a comparable height in the immediate vicinity of this proposed tower, so the illusion that it is really tall is made.
 
A reminder that the meeting concerning this project is tomorrow at 6. There's an 85% chance I'll be attending.. who else is pretty much a go?
 
Went to the meeting, and it was the usual public commenting shit show. I don't feel like summarizing what was said right now, but I do feel like posting pictures

they're 1600x1200s










Edit: thumbnails are a happy compromise!
 
Great job. That tower looks great but this being Boston, we can't have nice things.
 
Went to the meeting, and it was the usual public commenting shit show.
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That's the exact term I used when explaining it to my friends haha.
 
What will happen to the YMCA? Will it remain a Y, with its current functions, or will it be totally absorbed into the dormitory?
 
They will be consolidating their functions into what space they'll have left, and this has been their plan for some time now, long before this proposal came along. As for any absorbing/merging, that won't happen, but I'd imagine that there will be some kind of membership deals for the new building's residents.

Anyway, the bottom line is that the Y will stay a Y -- it'll just have less square footage to work with.
 
When I went to NU, it was cheaper to find an apartment off campus than to live in upper-class housing. West Campus wasn't completed when I was there, and maybe things have changed...but I wouldn't worry too much about the cost of the new dorms. The money some of these kids come from is truly insane, and the increased supply couldn't hurt the rest of the students looking for housing.
 
What was the "neighborhood" reaction to the proposal? You say it was a shit-show, who was making the noise? What were their points of contention?
 
One guy was reeeeally hung up on the zoning rules as to whether the dorm rooms without kitchens were legally "dwellings" and how that would pertain to the open space requirements, to which the developers and the BRA spokesman said they would obviously need variances.

Another man, who was by far the most impassioned of the lot and made it perfectly clear how many years he'd lived in the neighborhood (17, I believe), took issue to the generally accepted fact that this project would get students out of the housing stock, saying that in all his time here he hasn't seen any students leave the neighborhoods. Anyone with any knowledge of said neighborhoods would know his complaint rings true to an extent, but he seemed to be under the impression that building any dorms, now or forever, wouldn't do a damn thing, period.

The same man also took issue to the tower's height (everyone on cue: roll your eyes) in that it soars to four times what's allowed by zoning (90 ft), this being zoning that the community helped to create earlier this decade. However, he was one of the only people to take issue with the height, to which castevens and I showed some surprise at, figuring it would be a much bigger deal.

The two other big issues that were generally held throughout the audience was that of parking and policing.

About the parking, there will be 16 spaces underground for YMCA use to replace those that currently exist, but none will be supplied for students, AND the entire building will be blacklisted from being able to obtain permits for on-street parking. In compensation, the developers identified all parking in the area that the students could use, and also were open to the idea of having a Zipcar be kept in the underground parking area.

Lastly, concenrning policing, the main issues here was who would be doing it -- since there will potentially be multiple schools in the building no one school security dept. can oversee it, and it was then a matter of whether Boston Police or a private contractor would supply it. I really don't remember any more specifics on this issue.. maybe castevens can fill in the picture a bit.
 
The rear of the Y that will be demolished

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half of this wing (furthest from the camera) will stay so as to not change any of the Hungtington Ave facade

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and just across the street, the little brick buildling will come down to make way for a 22 story NEU dorm

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Thanks for the photos. They help put the building's location into a little bit better perspective.
 
The Globe said:
Student high-rise proposed near NU

Developer's idea draws criticism
By Peter Schworm, Globe Staff | June 21, 2007

A private development team's proposal to build a high-rise for student housing on the edge of Northeastern's campus is angering the university, already under fire itself for its dorm projects that would push student residences farther into -- and above -- the urban neighborhoods that surround them.

The proposal opens a new front in the town vs. gown battles already raging in Allston with Harvard University, and in Brighton with Boston College. As with the other plans, wary neighbors fearful of hulking buildings and booming parties are also pushing back.

"The big picture is, this could eventually bring 3,000 students into basically a one-block area," said Barbara Simons , who lives on Symphony Road and leads a group of neighbors who oppose the high-rise. "It's a huge 34-story tower, and we don't like it one little bit."

This battle, though, comes with a twist. If built, the project could mark the first private dormitory in the Boston area, and Northeastern officials say they are as unhappy as the neighbors with the plan. Those neighbors, meanwhile, are wondering where to turn and who m to blame.

The $200 million development is now under review by the Boston Redevelopment Authority, which would have to approve the project. The Dallas development team, Phoenix Property Co. and Lincoln Property Co., would like to begin construction by the middle of next year. The proposal for the tower, which would be called GrandMarc at St. Botolph Street, comes on the heels of Northeastern's plans to turn nearby Cullinane Hall into a 600-student dormitory and longer-range plans to turn nearby Gainsborough Garage into a large residence hall. The time lines for the two NU projects are still being worked out.

The GrandMarc, a 470,000-square-foot building, would stand on St. Botolph Street behind the YMCA of Greater Boston and would be open to any renters, though its target market is students.

Northeastern, whose campus borders Roxbury, the South End, and the neighborhood around Symphony Hall, recently began construction on a high-rise dormitory at Tremont and Ruggles streets.

The developers said they were drawn to Boston because of its acute need for student housing, and they are working closely with neighbors to respond to concerns.

A Northeastern University spokesman would say only that the university is not involved. But in a June 15 letter to the BRA, the school's vice president of facilities, Daniel Bourque, said he thought construction on the project would interfere with the school's plans for the Cullinane Hall dorms.

"We view the GrandMarc proposal as a potential impediment to the harmony of the existing campus as well as recently approved future development projects," Bourque wrote.

Northeastern bid on the property, owned by the YMCA, last March but was rejected, the letter stated.

Michael Paradiso , interim president of the student government association at Northeastern University, said that although students want more housing choices, they would be uneasy with the idea of private residence halls because such facilities are not actually run by the college.

Paradiso said he sympathizes with neighbors' concerns because a private building might not be as well-supervised as a university one.

"The university has made good progress with community relations, but this could severely impede that," he said.

But John Cappellano , senior vice president at Lincoln Property Co., said the private student residence model has been well received in college towns across the country. The company has built similar developments near Texas Christian University in Fort Worth and the University of Maryland in College Park.

The GrandMarc would feature a mix of traditional dorm rooms with two beds and a shared bathroom, and larger suites with individual bedrooms. They would be fully furnished and average $1,000 a month, with utilities included -- more expensive than Northeastern's freshman dorms, and roughly equal to upper class dorms.

With a parent co-signer, students could lease apartments directly from the developer. Although the apartments would not be restricted to students, nonstudents almost never express interest, he said.

The university would not be involved, but Cappellano said students would be hired to oversee the residents, and that troublesome students would be evicted.

"We have tight rules, we have tight leases," he said.

Neighbors said they're concerned about unmonitored behavior and believe that Northeastern has done a better job of cracking down on problem students in recent years. The effort to house more students on campus came at city leaders' urging in 2004 after the death of a 21-year-old man on Symphony Road during post-Super Bowl rioting near Northeastern.

"It feels like a bait-and-switch," Simons said of a private developer putting in a dorm after neighbors thought they had established what would be in the area with Northeastern. "Once it gets built, there will be no one minding the store. All that will be left is a managing company."

Lucy Warsh , deputy press secretary for BRA, said the city shares some of the community's concerns about the height of the building and the management of students at the dormitory and would closely oversee the project. Once the building is constructed, the BRA has no oversight.

Some worry the high-rise building would permanently blight the landscape.

"It's not an appropriate place to build a tower," said Jim Hartmann , who lives on Gainsborough Street. "We're not downtown."

New England Conservatory, which stands on Huntington Avenue near the proposed high-rise and could have students leasing apartments there, said it is still trying to decide whether the dorms are a good fit for the area.

"We see it as a work in progress," said public relations manager Ellen Pfeifer. "It would be tall, though."

The YMCA of Greater Boston sold the developers the property, which now is the site of two wings of its building, last June for $25 million. The developer will knock down the two wings to create space for the new tower. The Y will maintain its current location and current programs, as well as 88 units of affordable housing above its headquarters.

"We want to make sure the community knows we aren't going anywhere," said YMCA spokeswoman Kelley Rice. "We're here for the long haul."

Rice said she believes the students would make good neighbors.

"We're surrounded by colleges and universities right now," she said. "Students are a natural part of life down here."

Peter Schworm can be reached at schworm@globe.com.
? Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.
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"It's not an appropriate place to build a tower," said Jim Hartmann , who lives on Gainsborough Street. "We're not downtown."
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well jim, your not exactly in the suburbs either. :roll:

Longwood doesn't seem to have a problem with a tower fitting in.
 
kz1000ps said:
Rice said she believes the students would make good neighbors.

"We're surrounded by colleges and universities right now," she said. "Students are a natural part of life down here."
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Wouldn't it be nice if everyone had this attitude?
 
They are literally a stone's throw away from the 2nd and 8th tallest buildings in the city (Symphony is directly on the other side of the CSC reflecting pool) and within half a mile of New England's tallest. They're basically "downtown" just not in the financial district...
 
"The big picture is, this could eventually bring 3,000 students into basically a one-block area," said Barbara Simons , who lives on Symphony Road and leads a group of neighbors who oppose the high-rise. "It's a huge 34-story tower, and we don't like it one little bit."
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I feel like they have a talking points memo, they just fill in the blanks everytime something new is proposed.

"It's a huge 50-story tower, and we don't like it one little bit"
"It's a huge 6-story tower, and we don't like it one little bit"
"It's a huge church tower, and we don't like it one little bit"

Let's just tear down all the tall buildings, and build a massive recreation of Rockport. We could even outlaw alcohol too.
 
NU students are spoiled brats

Nobody in their right mind would want to live near Northeastern students. I had some living beside me and spent every Friday and Saturday night knocking on their door and then calling the police. No one has the right to have a loud party ever weekend disturbing the entire neighborhood.

I like the idea of this building but if this is not the right location how about some suggestions from forum members.

Several years ago a developer proposed creating a grad student village in Somerville where the Ikea store is now going.


ps I'm a NU grad
 
Isn't the idea to contain all the ruckus to this tower, instead of having it in off campus housing where it will impair the neighbors?

Will the noise from the partys in this tower effect the neighbors?

I am sick of people (not anyone on here - i just see this common trend among nimbys) complaining about off campus parties, and then shooting down dorm proposals. The students are not going away.
 
some concerns of the neighborhood

One fear of the neighborhood has is that the kids will leave the clubs on Lansdown street after closing time and cut through the neighborhood on the way home and create a 'ruckus' as they do now.

One point I don't think the neighborhood has thought of is that the new dorm will probably be alcohol free so the nearest 'kegers' will be the student who still rent in the neighborhood. So that's a lot more kids drunk, rude, urinating and vandalizing in their neighborhood. Not to mention threatening people when the are asked to be quit.

Attend some of these meetings and see the other side to this discussion.
 
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