80-100 Smith Street | Mission Hill

[393b40]

The penchant for fewer, larger, glazing units is tiresome. The original design was more timeless and human scaled.

Preferable from an interior perspective tho I think? People like large windows.

I agree previous design was superior but I can understand why this change was made.

 

[#bancars]

Update on opposition to the project:

For 20 years, a Mission Hill housing development has sat in limbo. Now developers face fresh opposition. - The Boston Globe

Several neighbors who spoke with the Globe, those who filed letters against the project, as well as city leaders say trust has eroded among residents who see the development as another sign of a quickly changing city that has some of the highest housing costs in the nation.

www.bostonglobe.com

 

[Jeremi]

The city’s housing crisis will kill the city which, at the same time, will kill the housing crisis too.

 

[stick n move]

Yea its the truth. If people want housing prices to go down or stabilize without building more stock the only way to achieve that is to make the city a shittier place to be than it is today. A drastic increase in crime, the T going back to having slow zones everywhere, a degredation in city services, large corporations relocating south, a huge push to go back to full work from home… that would do the trick. Id rather just build more housinng…

 

[kdmc]

A drastic increase in crime, the T going back to having slow zones everywhere, a degredation in city services, large corporations relocating south, a huge push to go back to full work from home…

This didn't seem to fix the problem for SF

 

[stick n move]

This didn't seem to fix the problem for SF

SF still has enough going for it that it hasnt changed peoples calculus yet. Near perfect weather and beautiful scenery gives them a pretty big buffer as far as what ppl will put up with. Thats even before you throw in all of the top tech companies in the world with the highest paying jobs. Ppl will learn to live with some petty crime when you have all of that going for you. The murder rate is extremely low as well. Start jacking that murder rate up and let google, meta, amazon bail to texas and it wont be as appealing with all the petty crime and homelessness. Itll still have great weather tho…

 

[HenryAlan]

This didn't seem to fix the problem for SF

A lot of the reported livability issues in San Francisco, though perhaps based on a kernel of truth, are nevertheless highly inaccurate. They are driven by a political agenda more than by a reality basis.

 

[Banker & Tradesman]

BPDA approved:

Mission Hill Towers OK'd After Agreeing to Additional Payments

Boston officials approved a Mission Hill apartment development after the developer agreed to donate $200,000 to a neighborhood nonprofit housing group.

bankerandtradesman.com

What made the difference? $200K.

From our story (which also includes the other five buildings OK'd last night):

Boston officials approved a pair of Mission Hill apartment towers after the developer agreed to donate $200,000 to a neighborhood nonprofit housing group.

A Boston Planning & Development Agency board vote on the 218-unit development at 80-100 Smith St. was delayed in December after the Boston Housing Authority and neighborhood activists objected to the building’s height and potential additional gentrification in the area.

The developer, Boston-based Weston Associates, subsequently agreed to a $200,000 payment to the nonprofit Mission Main Task Force for rental relief programs. The Boston Planning & Development Agency board approved the project Thursday.

“The actions taken are meaningful and important,” BPDA Board Chair Priscilla Rojas said.

The community benefits package also includes a $75,000 donation to a city park fund and $75,000 for financial assistance to first-time homebuyers in Mission Hill, to be administered by the Mayor’s Office of Housing.

 

[Justbuildit]

Glad to have it, but it's amazing and NOT AT ALL blackmail when $200k in cash makes the concerns about shadows and height just melt away. One interpretation is that perhaps arguments made by neighborhood groups aren't always in good faith, and the cumbersome approval process we have is ripe for delays on dubious grounds.