1274 Massachusetts Avenue | Dorchester

Wow! This is at the southern end of that Methadone Mile of Mass Ave south of Melnea Cass.

I strongly support this type of development if it can spread and clean up that dangerous stretch. There's some great Vietnamese restaurants further down and I tried walking there a few months ago but hailed an Uber.

There is nothing humane about letting that strip fester - - get help (or the Long Island bridge fixed) for the victims of the Opioid Crisis and get that street fixed up.
 
The absolutely gorgeous yellow brick building (columbia flats) to the left of it was just built a couple years ago.
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I think theyre going about it the right way, slowly redevelop each parcel along mass ave and eventually by the time it reaches bmc/methadone mile it will have gentrified.
 
Scott said:
Some people clearly obsess about Mass and Cass, but this is nowhere near there
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There's almost always 5-10 junkies in andrew everett square. The internet definitely obsesses over mass and cass tho that is correct
 
Scott said:
Some people clearly obsess about Mass and Cass, but this is nowhere near there
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Exactly. "Southern end of that Methadone Mile of Mass Ave south of Melnea Cass" does not mean "AT" Mass and Cass. To get to this place on foot from the South End means running a 'problematic' gauntlet' of 0.9 miles according to Google Maps.

I tried walking from the South End to the excellent Bon Me place in Dorchester (Ba Le) halfway down to this new development and had to turn back and drive. It definitely IS something to obsess about. The sooner that obstacle on the Washington Street corridor gets 'stented', the better Boston becomes. This is a case of "1 +1 =3". A ton of development opportunities can occur on that major artery there.
 
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This is a thread about an apartment building in Dorchester. I think it looks great and will improve the streetscape. We do discuss Mass and Cass. I don't see the conspiracy
 
stick n move said:
The absolutely gorgeous yellow brick building (columbia flats) to the left of it was just built a couple years ago.
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View attachment 53266
Link

I think theyre going about it the right way, slowly redevelop each parcel along mass ave and eventually by the time it reaches bmc/methadone mile it will have gentrified.
Click to expand...

This is so beautiful, I decided to make it even better:

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Columbia Flats really is an exceptional success.

Purely anecdotal, but from the couple of times I've walked it recently the drug addicts generally travel along Mass Ave only as far south as South Bay; I don't really remember them being present down here at this site. The location isn't great in general - Mass Ave is a very busy thoroughfare and pedestrians are scant, and you're basically catty corner from a large industrial area. Still, if the developer believes their numbers work then it'd be a great addition to the neighborhood.
 
Scott said:
This is a thread about an apartment building in Dorchester. I think it looks great and will improve the streetscape. We do discuss Mass and Cass. I don't see the conspiracy
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"Conspiracy"? Whoa, calm down there.

1274 is further along the way from Mass and Cass which, safety-wise, is currently an obstacle/blockage for pedestrians who want to walk the approximate one mile from the South End to this area or vice versa.

Simple as that. It would be nice to have Massachusetts Avenue as a contiguous thruway for pedestrians of this nice area (which is getting nicer) to and from the South End and downtown. Access to this area is a completely relevant issue.

There's no "conspiracy". Just an observation. Fine that you may not agree with it.
 
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I was headed to South Bay this morning so I decided to walk the stretch of Mass Ave between Washington St and Columbia Rd. From the looks of it the police had recently cleared it out again, but unfortunately not much seems to have changed there.

Green: Virtually no used needle caps or shady-looking individuals present.
Yellow: Sporadic to semi-frequent needle caps; occasional homeless/addicts by themselves or in groups of 2-3.
Red: Sizable clusters of needle caps; slightly heavier concentration of individuals. Homeless & city officials participating in cleanup underneath the RR bridge.
Dark Red: Absolutely disgusting area with heavy concentrations of needle caps, trash strewn everywhere, bodily discharges visible. Group of > dozen at the NE corner of Mass and Cass. Police on hand; samaritans handing out free soup.

South Bay was pretty quiet; a private security car and EMS vehicle were present, and a few small groups of homeless-looking people milling around, mostly around Stop & Shop.

No part of Mass Ave had any sizable "normal" pedestrian traffic; in fact, going in both directions between South Bay and Columbia Rd, I was the only one walking on that entire stretch. This is quite simply not a pedestrian area.



Anyway, project site as of 9/22:



 
mssrro said:
I was headed to South Bay this morning so I decided to walk the stretch of Mass Ave between Washington St and Columbia Rd. From the looks of it the police had recently cleared it out again, but unfortunately not much seems to have changed there.

Green: Virtually no used needle caps or shady-looking individuals present.
Yellow: Sporadic to semi-frequent needle caps; occasional homeless/addicts by themselves or in groups of 2-3.
Red: Sizable clusters of needle caps; slightly heavier concentration of individuals. Homeless & city officials participating in cleanup underneath the RR bridge.
Dark Red: Absolutely disgusting area with heavy concentrations of needle caps, trash strewn everywhere, bodily discharges visible. Group of > dozen at the NE corner of Mass and Cass. Police on hand; samaritans handing out free soup.

South Bay was pretty quiet; a private security car and EMS vehicle were present, and a few small groups of homeless-looking people milling around, mostly around Stop & Shop.

No part of Mass Ave had any sizable "normal" pedestrian traffic; in fact, going in both directions between South Bay and Columbia Rd, I was the only one walking on that entire stretch. This is quite simply not a pedestrian area.



Anyway, project site as of 9/22:



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Good reporting - albeit right after a recent clear out - so much potential for making that into a dynamic major boulevard if the city clean up the area ( and if the Long Island treatment facility/bridge can be rebuilt).

The bones/structure for it are all there for a spectacular and efficient conduit for vehicles/bikes/pedestrians opening up a new modern/upgraded frontier. From your map/experience, if the area between Harrison and the Nike Factory can be “stented” big things could happen.

Anyone claiming “there’s nowhere else in Boston to build” should really look at this area as a great opportunity.
 
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I know we have the #1 bus, but I think a Streetcar along the length of Mass Ave from Central Square down to Columbia road would really spur retail and housing activity. (Maybe I just have Melbourne envy from all the excellent streetcars we used while visiting.)
 
And let's give that streetcar some priority lanes if not an outright reservation. It would definitely be a great shot in the arm for the area, but also, if done right, it would improve transit along a fairly important corridor. As for the stretch between Albany and the Fairmont Line bridge, I'm generally comfortable biking it, but I don't think I would walk it. And I say that as somebody who is generally fairly comfortable around the unhoused and addicted. But when the numbers get high enough, and when there is very little of actual interest along that stretch, it's just not a good place to walk.
 
Java King said:
I know we have the #1 bus, but I think a Streetcar along the length of Mass Ave from Central Square down to Columbia road would really spur retail and housing activity. (Maybe I just have Melbourne envy from all the excellent streetcars we used while visiting.)
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Ideally it shouldn't just end at Columbia Road. As a crazy transit pitch, it could follow Columbia and connect to JFK/ UMASS to the east and the Fairmount and Forest Hills to the west
 
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