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New construction, by definition, is always going to be more expensive. It is, after all, new. It’s not like when you buy a new car you expect to get a discount over a used one. The cost of new construction is irrelevant. What matters is the effect of new housing on the overall market. Suddenly...

"Towns may not refuse to confront the future by building a moat around themselves and pulling up the drawbridge." That is a line from a NH court case (requiring communities to zone for multi-family housing), but it is very relevant in Mass where so many towns have been pulling up the...

This is the key line from the Wrentham story and sums up the flaws with the MBTA Communities Act succinctly: “We don’t think any [housing units] will get built,” planning board Chairman Thomas Maloney said of additional housing units. “We just think this is the best plan for Wrentham.” I think...

There aren't a lot of new apartments in large complexes close to the core with all of the bells and whistles that certain folks look for -- i.e. expansive fitness centers, pools, secure package receiving systems, EV charging, etc. Also, many of the new buildings have space for commercial uses...

Agreed, but the transit accessibility of the 49 D Street project in Southie, which arguably had better transit accessibility, with an 8 minute walk to the Andrew red line station and a short ride to South Station and all of those CR lines, was not enough to save it from the ZBA. That was the...

If the changes are approved that would make for a total of 38 parking spaces serving 344 residential units, down from 147 spaces in the revised proposals and 158 in the originally approval project. I think it's wonderful, but question if the BPDA will go for it based on past practice. I am...

Unfortunately, the way this process is legislated, it doesn't really matter what we think or what is good policy. What matters is what can survive and hopefully endure politically. There is a long history of towns/cities repealing or drastically scaling back upzoning initiatives when they are...

According to the MBTA, the Lynn garage is "in good condition for its age." :unsure: https://itemlive.com/2025/09/04/lynn-mbta-garage-plans-up-for-discussion/ I'm not sure what alternative reality the MBTA is viewing it through, but I would argue the garage has gone past the point of deferred...

Closer to home, this hotel was recently approved for along Bellevue Avenue in Newport, RI to be called, of course, Bellevue Hotel. Renderings from Centerbrook Architects --

10-24-2025 from the Boston side of the Charles —

Actually this does need municipal approvals. The MBTA has been trying to get a permit from the Reading Conservation Commission since late 2024 because portions of the turn-back track fall within a wetland buffer zone. The Reading Conservation Commission has held at least 5 public hearings and...

This is not a project that should require any municipal hearings or approvals at all. It is nuts to me that the Reading Conservation Commission, and now the Select Board and local state lawmakers, is holding up a regionally important commuter rail infrastructure project. These hearings become a...

Dear God, how many more public hearings do we need to have for this? We have been talking about this for at least 10 years. In 2021, the State committed to building the project. Baker: "It's going to get paid for and it's going to get done" --...

Terminal E Parking garage construction underway 10-19-2025. This works was being done around midnight. The first photo is directly adjacent to Terminal E (leading to Terminal C), so not sure if that is related to the garage or other capital improvements —

This is a bit of a transit no-man’s land despite being relatively close to the core (less than 2 miles from Assembly). This location would be served well by a south Malden infill OL station if it ever materializes. Malden has dozens of acres of crappy 1-story industrial uses in the vicinity that...

The problem is that we are not building any new highways or widening existing roads. So we can build as much parking as we want - City-owned lots or private ones - but you’re going to hit a capacity problem. The existing road/highway infrastructure was not built for all these cars. The only way...

10-5-25 Poking out just a bit from various spots along the Esplanade across the River —

The NY Times has a story on the growth of EV fast-charging stations across the country. While Mass. has the most stations, Vermont has a lot more stations per capita: Number of fast-charging EV stations per capita (Total stations): Vermont 12.75 (82) Maine 6.24 (85) Mass...

The ‘Ella’ project, directly abutting the Melrose Highlands commuter rail station, has wrapped up construction bringing 21 residential units and retail space. With the exception of the slightly trippy digital clock, it looks like it’s been there for 100 years — Directly across the tracks...

This headline is thought-provoking -- Hines Opens South Station Tower in Boston After 27-Year Development Process https://www.connectcre.com/stories/hines-opens-south-station-tower-in-boston-after-27-year-development-process/ I realize that this project is more complex than most and that the...