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The situation is obviously neighborhood dependent, but I haven't seen any project in Allston in the past few years get pushback from the BPDA on insufficient parking. At the same time, planners absolutely have told projects to reduce parking, so I'd be really surprised if this doesn't sail through.

On an unrelated note, could someone provide a brief description on how modern diesel locomotives (like the ones the T plans to order) compare to the oldest locos in the CR fleet? I know we should expect better fuel efficiency, improved acceleration, lower NO2 and particulate pollution, and...

It means 2 tph at every station, both directions, all day. There would additionally be 4 tph at Framingham and the Boston stations. Here's a Streetsblog article with more info.

I don't know for sure, but I'm assuming it's related to the proposed 30-minute headways on the line. The T hasn't published much information on it, but here's some CIP info: The announcement also mentions that "crews will also perform culvert upgrade work near Westborough", so you have that too.

Assuming the light red in the render is the same brick, this will probably look fine, if not pretty nice. However, it is a shame that the render is so poor that we can't really tell

I assume on congestion pricing writ large, not border tolls? Exactly this. It blows my mind that we're not funding East-West rail and Worcester line improvements (electrification, level boarding, grade crossing removal, etc.) with a slightly higher Turnpike toll, as just one glaring example

Is there no way to get a waiver/exception here? It also should not be much of a problem to only open half of doors on the Union Station side of the train given conductors are manually opening doors at most stops already.

Completely agree. There's way too much that went wrong for the operator to be dodging blame like this. When I said it was telling, I meant of the operator and the light rail work culture, not of the T itself.

After passing a double red and going 36 in 10 MPH zone, it is pretty telling what the operator had to say:

Humans are always going to be worse at following rules than computers, but how much worse they are depends on so many factors. Two of the most important being enforced consequences for non-compliance (which sounds much higher than its been in decades) and pressure to decrease trip times. Given...

The restriction is entirely self-imposed from what I understand. Gates, lights, or even fencing that forces pedestrians to slow down and look in the direction of tram (pictured below, I don't know the actual name for this) could increase crossing safety. However, I was given the impression by...

@Electric_Brooke almost certainly knows more as an operator, but I've consistently gotten the impression from city and T officials that improving safety practices on the Green Line is a much higher priority than speeds currently. For example, Boston is studying a redesign of Comm Ave and is...

The 700 feet commonly sited in these articles commonly cite is technically true, but very misleading. The only place that will allow 700' skyscrapers is already fully built out with 500+ foot buildings. The map final map of zoning changes is below and will allow a number of more 500' buildings...

Plan: Downtown Approved https://www.universalhub.com/2025/boston-planning-department-advances-changes-downtown-zoning-encourage

There's a lot in here, most of which is of the traditional YIMBY mold (increased density, less housing development regulation). However, Section 4 would create a statewide Inclusionary Development Policy (IDP) of 10-15%. I doubt this part will make it out of committee given the influence of the...

Great Scott! Board approves new Harvard Avenue building for venerable venue, O'Brien's and 139 apartments "The Zoning Board of Appeal today unanimously approved plans to replace low-slung storefronts on Harvard Avenue at Cambridge Street in Allston with a new nine-story apartment building...

Links to the proposal web page and summary document: MEPA Amendment Background Document Definitely a step in the right direction, and the criteria to qualify for expedited review seems pretty reasonable. Three main points stick out: projects can be large but not massive (less than 10 acres &...

It very well might have been me. I'm not associated with the petition, but am quite excited by it. As for momentum, it's hard to say. However, the organizers are at the very least serious about it. Here's a blurb on signatories from the CommonWealth Beacon article covering it: More info here...

Actually, it looks like a new proposal has been made by the city for PLAN: Downtown. From what I can tell, it's basically identical to the last set of zoning changes with two tweaks: The language around compliance with the state shadow law is clarified. I'm not sure if this means much in...

The proponents are calling this the "Legalize Starter Homes" proposition, which is a fair, but maybe overly optimistic, name. As an example how this could play out, Weston currently has lot minimums of 60,000 sq ft in most of the town. Theoretically, these could be divided into 12 separate lots...