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Re: Jackson Square/225 Centre I just don't think Jackson square has "the bones" of the south end. The neighborhoods with the "best bones" have mostly been redeveloped. The area around JFK, fields corner and shawmut have potential...the quality of construction was decent, and the street grids...

Re: 120 Kingston, 29 Story Tower in Chinatown what kind of rents do you think they are going to be asking? $4.50/ft? More?

Re: South Boston Development It's a shame we don't have a better street grid in boston...this part of southie is a perfect example of how a street grid in an old commercial/industrial zone can be redeveloped into great modern rowhouse housing. This couldn't happen in newmarket, nor the marine...

Re: Jackson Square/225 Centre You're right. They are more complicated...this just imagines that the NMTC costs evaporate...which they don't. You have ongoing fees to the provider as well as tax forgiveness expenses. But even if you got a 40 year note at 3% the project would still be tight. But...

Re: Jackson Square/225 Centre I just ran the numbers on the project and I don't understand how they can make it work...the total cost is $52mm, I see various accounts of subsidies including, DHCD, LIHTC, New Market and others. Some say they are only getting $5mm, others say more like $12mm...

Re: Jackson Square/225 Centre Oliver/Ditson did have the benefit of the 20% historical tax credit...which helps a bit on the revenue end. You don't have to get great rents to make your numbers. I am sure the CDC that did this project also had some help and it doesn't have the profit imperative...

Re: Jackson Square/225 Centre That's true...but there won't be any road narrowing of that intersection. It will still feel unfriendly to the pedestrian. Any additional new construction will help the feel of the area. But this project has a significant market rate component. Potential renters...

Re: Jackson Square/225 Centre The neighborhood sucks...I'm there once per week as I have two "little brothers" who live around the corner. The urban fabric there is in bad shape. Columbus Avenue is a highway at that point and there are lousy buildings across the road. For a project that is...

Re: Jackson Square/225 Centre My prediction is this building is going to tank as an apartment rental project...the rents are relatively high and, let's be honest, the neighborhood sucks. The projects there are crime heavy, the aesthetics of that intersection are grim and there are no amenities...

New office project on East Berkeley...PNF with renderings below. http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/DevelopmentProjects/PipeDocs/East%20Berkeley%20Street%20Project/East%20Berkeley%20Street%20Project_PNF.pdf

Re: Berklee Expansion Plans Some of the old renderings show, what appears to be, a light colored stone block facade. I don't know at what point that changed or whether the university went back to the BRA during the construction shut down and did some value engineering. Either way, the...

Re: Berklee Expansion Plans Was that corrugated metal panel always the plan here? I've seen that cladding (or cladding of a similar style) look dirty and cheap rather quickly. I hope this is a superior grade, but it doesn't look top notch to me.

Commercial activity makes the common more vibrant and enjoyable...you would be hard pressed to find New Yorkers (or anyone in their right mind) who believes that commercial activity in Bryan, Madison, Central Park or Union Square Park detracts from the public's use of the parks. They are better...

So you're against New York style improvements to the Common? Have you visited Bryant Park or Madison Square Park? I don't know how anybody could visit those spaces, then look at Boston Common and say, 'screw that, we don't need that here'

In my opinion Ross would not be the most pro development of all the candidates. He's a decent, reasonable guy, but I'm not sure he is ready to change the way business is done in Boston. He is an appeaser. Marty Walsh is a union guy, which means he likes construction jobs. Ergo, he might approve...

That's sensible. That said, I won't be surprised to see the project move incrementally at a snail's pace. The example of the Empire State building going up in a year is used a lot, but I do think we've lost the ability to coordinate work over the past eighty years. I tend to think much of it can...

Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition It was a goofy concept (make a building resemble a polaroid camera) that never should have come to fruition. The manifestation of the gimmicky idea has little or no redeeming aesthetic features. It's like a fifth grader's idea writ large. "Hey, wouldn't it be cool...

The bridge has been partially closed for almost two weeks now...I've probably gone over or around it ten times but I haven't seen anything happening. How is this okay? It's infuriating (but not surprising) to me that the state would close the bridge but not schedule MAJOR work immediately. I...

Re: Fogg Art Museum Addition Another Harvard monstrosity...it's a frankenbuilding. This is a murderer's row of architectural experimentation gone wrong. This mishmash mess, the GSD and the ridiculous science center make quite a corner for the campus. At least the Carpenter Center worked...

There is construction fencing around a site at the corner of Rogers and First Street in Cambridge next to Boca Grande and across from the new Calumet store. I've been told it is going to be a sizable apartment project. Anybody know anything about this?