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Green New Deal (except for parking)

Interesting dynamic at play with this one. The project actually complies with the underlying zoning as written and the BPDA is saying no, we want you to seek zoning relief because this project is not sufficiently dense/urban. Shows how backwards our processes are and I'm glad the BPDA is not...

Could not find the thread for Parcel H on Fan pier, but seemingly out of nowhere it is going before the Design Commission tomorrow night. If the mods know where this thread is please relocate. https://www.bostonplans.org/news-calendar/calendar/2023/02/07/boston-civic-design-commission-meeting

That's the problem. It's not the free market deciding the most productive use of the land. It's essentially a closed market because the owner needs permission from multiple different arbitrary veto points (design commissions, shadow laws, litigious residents) and is heavily taxed in the form of...

https://www.universalhub.com/2023/four-story-residential-building-rejected-stretch https://www.universalhub.com/2023/board-rejects-four-story-residential-building New year, another shameful day at the Boston ZBA. Two four-story developments rejected as out of scale with their three-story...

100%. What happens when the community is against all of this?

What are the financing challenges here that would make a larger project infeasible at these parcels, say 300-400 feet? I would think people would be lining up to build on terra firma in Boston's urban core considering the market rates are up there with NYC/SF. Is it construction costs? Lack of...

Diane Valle of Charlestown noted that the master planning process in communities such as Charlestown is not going well, a comment that came as a surprise to Jemison. NIMBY attitudes are never going to change, but hopefully it's starting to become crystal clear to Jemison that you cannot engage...

There are always significant challenges with building to that height, but I think there needs to be a fundamental shift in how we're approaching building in this city. The process is always focused on mitigating, minimizing, and containing development as if it's this horrible virus. We need to...

"A nice tall building site." Anything less than the FAA limit at Pi Alley and Bromfield is a failure. It's great that Jemison and Mayor Wu both agree that they key to bringing back downtown is adding residents. The question is are they going to cave to existing residents or welcome new ones?

Just having a full board with a full slate of alternates is a massive improvement and should help the board function while more structural improvements are made.

Within 20 days, the neighbors will file another lawsuit challenging the approval. Hopefully they can be bought off via settlement. If not, lawsuit could drag on for years and ultimately kill the project.

https://bpda.app.box.com/s/xynlfk8d1845vlt85llk49ctnh6s9qqh BPDA presentation from 8/8. Even as-of-right, this still triggers BPDA review due to its size but more importantly it is not impacted by neighbors, neighborhood associations, and the ZBA. This project is a poster-child for as-of-right...

Developer is in a lose-lose. If the ZBA somehow approves this over neighborhood opposition, this neighbor will sue and hold it up for years with her unlimited resources to pay Mintz Levin. If the ZBA denies, project is over. No Cross Street improvements, no Cutillo Park improvements, horrible...

Agreed very skeptical. To my knowledge, that area does not allow PDAs either to rewrite the underlying zoning allowing for only 100 feet. In an alternate universe, tall buildings would be allowed next to a massive transportation center.

http://northendregionalreview.com/2022/07/28/700-foot-development-raises-eyebrows/ Didn't know where to put this because it is still very early. 700 foot proposal at 251 Causeway/North Washington Street.

Regarding downtown cleanliness, I need to shoutout the men and women working for the Business Improvement District. The work they do emptying the trash, cleaning the sidewalks, helping and welcoming tourists, and being first on scene when there are emergencies is invaluable.

https://bpda.app.box.com/s/mkt9uq2cmqex1rz3bupfwgnmitzvyymo Update from IAG meeting 6/28. Sounds like the developer has been working over the past year to figure out the connection to 93. If I'm reading it correctly, there is only going to be a connection from 93, not both ways. This might lead...

Great proposal that should be allowed as of right. Instead, multi-family housing in this area requires a conditional use permit, the allowed FAR is 1.0, and the max height is 35 feet. Laughable.

It's a beautiful thing when you don't have to dig multiple levels of underground parking.