50 West Broadway (former Cardinal Cushing HS)

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saltbox

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Does anyone have the 411 on this project? Didn't see it prior posts.

Also, note there will be 152 parking spaces (according to BRA) for the 139 units in this project, which is across the street from Broadway Sta. And they're widening A Street. They call this TOD!!!???


[size=+2]Ground broken for $61 million luxury condo project in Southie[/size]
Boston Business Journal - by Denise Magnell
Wednesday, May 21, 2008 - 2:54 PM EDT

A $61 million, 139-unit luxury apartment complex in South Boston got underway Wednesday with a ground-breaking attended by development and city officials.

The project, 50 West Broadway, is a transit-oriented development near the Broadway MBTA station and will include studio apartments and townhouse-style one- and two-bedroom units with rents ranging from $1,800 to $3,600.

The apartments, built on the site of the former Cardinal Cushing High School, will include 20 percent affordable apartments, 3,500 square feet of retail space, and 9,000 square feet of new open space. Heights within the structure will range from two- to six-stories.

MassDevelpment, the state's development authority, provided $47 million in tax-exempt bonds, purchased by GE Capital.

In addition to nearby access to the Broadway train station, the project will include a widening of A Street to improve traffic through the neighborhood.

John M. Corcoran & Company LLC of Braintree, Mass., and Boston-based The Brennan Group Inc. are developing the project. Fianncing also is a joint venture with equity partner Workers Realty Trust, through Commonwealth Realty Advisors of Chicago; Sovereign Bank is the construction lender. Fantini & Gorga/iCap Realty Advisors arranged the project financing.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino attended the ground-breaking along with state Secretary of Housing and Economic Development Daniel O'Connell and MassDevelopment President/CEO Robert Culver.

"This vibrant apartment community illustrates the tremendous appeal of Boston to developers," the mayor said in a statement. "It will bring even more energy to this area of South Boston and continue the revitalization of this neighborhood."

The project is expected to be ready for occupancy by mid-2009.
 
I created a thread for this project.

This is from Arrowstreet's site:

The Residences at 50 West Broadway
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? New transit-oriented development of 130 residences located within an easy commute to downtown Boston.
? A 6-story building which offers many appealing US Green Building Council LEED certifiable design features.
? Includes a landscaped courtyard spanning over an underground garage.


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From today's Herald:

The Boston Herald said:
Developers nix condos, build rentals in Southie

 By Scott Van Voorhis | Wednesday, May 21, 2008


After a flood of condo development, work will kick off today on one of the largest luxury rental complexes yet in South Boston.


A pair of high-powered local developers, after initially planning high-end condos, has shifted gears and will build 139 apartments on the former Cardinal Cushing High School site.


The decision comes amid a tough sales market for new condos, one that has seen other for-sale projects near North Station and in the Charlestown Navy Yard go rental.


The $61 million project, at 50 West Broadway near the Broadway MBTA station, takes shape not far from a pair of expensive condo high-rise projects.


Slated to open in fall 2009, rents at the West Broadway apartment complex will range from $1,800 to $4,000 a month. The development is a joint venture of the Brennan Group and John M. Corcoran & Co.


?A year ago, when the development team saw what was going on in the for-sale market, they decided to reposition it as a luxury rental project,? said Timothy Brennan, vice president of the Brennan Group.


State Rep. Brian Wallace (D-South Boston) said he worries that the switch from condo to rental will set a precedent. Condo owners are more likely to be committed to their complex and the surrounding neighborhood, he argues.


But City Hall?s development arm believes the project will create badly needed housing near a major transportation hub.


?The city is really excited that there is new housing going up in this area,? said Jessica Shumaker, a spokeswoman for the Boston Redevelopment Authority. ?For many years nobody lived around the Broadway T station because it was primarily commercial.?


Article URL: http://www.bostonherald.com/business/real_estate/view.bg?articleid=1095408
Click to expand...
 
When I was at the last Seaport Square meeting, there was a lot of discussion about current traffic patterns, and one of the areas of concern was the intersection of A Street and Broadway. I didn't know that they (who?) were widening A Street; if so, that's a good development which will benefit all projects. Oh, and the neighborhood too, I guess.

(Maybe Mul's won't have any more cars drive through their front door, any longer?)
 
My wife went to High School there. It's weird to see the building gone. I drove by it the other day and they have steel going up.
________
og kush marijuana
 
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This project is coming along. I was in the area last night and they have all of the framework up. Their website could use some construction photos:
http://www.50wb.com/
 
The area shown in red, I've never noticed before. Couldn't this be the next Harvard Square, or something like that? A real urban square for Southie? A real way to connect Southie to Fort Point Channel and Chinatown, especially if that Gateway project is ever realized.

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It definitely has some potential, but Dorchester and Broadway to the west are really boundaries adjacent to rail yards and elevated highways. It's still industrial and kind of a no-mans land. And also these crossroads don't really connect as well as they could. Dorchester continues north to become an access road to the US Post Office and South Station ... restricted to normal traffic. It's too bad because it could connect South Boston to the Fort Point Channel, as you suggested.
 
I'm thinking that is part of the plans for the post office redevelopment. Dot Ave. actually ends up connecting to Congress street, which would be a great alternate route into downtown for residents.
 
^I work nearby, so I pass it every day. Most of the brick facade is up. The alucobond (gulp) is mostly up as well. Barriers have come down so the new sidewalk is accessible as well. I'll try to get some iPhone pics on my way home.
 
50 West Broadway is pretty much complete. Not sure if CO's have been issued but it must be close. Some iPhone pics:

From across the intersection of A St and West Broadway:


The main entrance:



Probably not the best spot to vent the garage:


The entrance to the garage is around the back in an Alley off A St:


Some direct entrance units on A St (a relative rarity in Southie):

 
Ugh. Those aren't the worst I've seen but all that metal detailing is precisely what is wrong with contextual residential housing today.
 
Sad that Mul's Diner (kickass sign) has to sit in the shadow of this cheap-ass thing.
 
What a cheap-looking mess of a building. We were better off with what was there before.
 
Admittedly cheap looking, and the bones they throw at being contextual are a joke, but it puts more people in an increasingly busy corner of the city and across from a T station. Plus I'm assuming there will be groundfloor retail at the corner of A St.
From an architecture POV: Shit
From a development POV: Meh
 
I think the HS probably put more people on this corner on any given day.
 
A fair point 20 years ago, but the HS has been closed since 1992. The site has been underutilized and run down ever since.
 
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