990 American Legion Highway | Hyde Park

Ugh, not great. But realistically, I don't think we can expect much else at this location. It's not well served by transit. The 32 bus is frequent but super crowded, and the 14 and 30 are much less frequent. And there's not a lot you can walk to from there, either, aside from the Stop and Shop and Walgreens. It's not going to attract people without cars, and street parking is quite scarce. So that leaves the option of a lower density complex with surface lots that remains more affordable, or a higher density development with a garage that is less affordable.
 
HenryAlan said:
Ugh, not great. But realistically, I don't think we can expect much else at this location.
Click to expand...

Could be at least go for a more urban design? This apartment complex would be fine in some car oriented suburb but this isn't that. That section of American Legion has potential, but if we develop sites like this then we're forever relegating it to being a highway instead of a street.
 
HelloBostonHi said:
Could be at least go for a more urban design? This apartment complex would be fine in some car oriented suburb but this isn't that. That section of American Legion has potential, but if we develop sites like this then we're forever relegating it to being a highway instead of a street.
Click to expand...
Yes, I think that's a reasonable goal. I was speaking more to the number of units and parking ratio issues. That said, while I agree with you that it could be a decent urban corridor, at least between Hyde park Ave. and Walk Hill, push back is going to come against that, and not just from suburban car types, but also from environmentalists, who see any efforts at large scale development in the area as taking away from trees and recreational opportunities. Most of the opposition I've seen to this particular project has been open space NIMBYism, rather than parking NIMBYism. The same is true for a large and more urban styled proposal on the corner of Walk Hill and ALH.
 
Massachoicetts said:
Lots of parking. Looks like something you would see in Raleigh. I didnt submit the best comment.
Click to expand...
Thank you for submitting a comment regardless. This is a pretty significant developer on a large parcel and shouldn’t be able to skate through the Article 80 process without hearing from us. I think I called the design “horribly suburban” and advocated for increasing density, decreasing parking, increasing affordable housing units, and at least give some thought to actually improving the public realm.
 
From Universal Hub; (LINK) looks like the planning board is looking for more than a suburban community. I bet the board probably wants something similar in urban density to the East Boston Orient Heights project. A mix of large buildings (stepping up into the site) up from the American Legion and then possibly a mix of townhouses and then even 2-3 family deckers. The request for less parking lots and to allow street parking would be nice in an urban context but that is up to the developers. The other request to connect to the surrounding streets seems odd as well, since there are a bunch of cul de sacs around the knoll. Also attached is a planned layout before American Legion was built. Looks like a large cul-de-sac was intended for this area from the start.
site.png

Untitled 1.png

Untitled2.png
 
Interesting dynamic at play with this one. The project actually complies with the underlying zoning as written and the BPDA is saying no, we want you to seek zoning relief because this project is not sufficiently dense/urban. Shows how backwards our processes are and I'm glad the BPDA is not budging.
 
Well now it's all in court. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/08/22/business/housing-trees-hyde-park-apartments-crane-ledge/

Given that the renders in the Globe look the same as the PDF, I have to wonder what the judge was smoking when he said "You’ve got 200 some odd units [that are] I’m told as of right, a very nice area. It looks like they would fit in very nicely. It would be wonderful if you would all agree about how they should get built.”

The issue is that the site could and should accommodate more than 200 units - the BPDA (now the Boston Planning Department) is looking to add more housing, not less. The neighbors, of course, would like to add none.

This is what happens when you hire a company from Texas to develop in Boston...
 

Judge says Texas developer can carve apartment complex out of American Legion Highway hillside, but with fewer units than in the plans the BPDA kept rejecting​


“A Land Court judge has ordered the Boston Planning Department to let a developer proceed with plans for a nine-building apartment complex on the Crane Ledge hillside on American Legion Highway on the Hyde Park/Roslindale line, but with 204 apartments, not the 270 the then BPDA rejected twice as completely inappropriate for the site and the surrounding neighborhoods.

In a ruling issued earlier this month, Land Court Judge Kevin Smith wrote that ISD has given initial approval Willow Bridge Property Co.'s revised 204-apartment plans as fully compliant with the 14-acre parcel's zoning, which he said means the planning department cannot keep blocking it with conditions that might mean even more major changes that might require zoning variances from the Zoning Board of Appeal.

While the planning department can conduct another review of the revised plans, it can only set "reasonable terms and conditions on the use," Smith said.”

https://www.universalhub.com/2025/j...oper-can-carve-apartment-complex-out-american



“Additional information” presentation on bostonplans:

One of the grass fields is missing now…
IMG_2431.jpeg

IMG_2452.jpeg

IMG_2434.jpeg

bpda.app.box.com

2025-04-17_Additional Information_990 American Legion Highway.pdf | Powered by Box

bpda.app.box.com bpda.app.box.com


Previous presentation:
IMG_2443.jpeg


IMG_2453.jpeg
















bpda.app.box.com

2023-01-11_Presentation_990 American Legion Highway.pdf | Powered by Box

English
bpda.app.box.com bpda.app.box.com


More renders from an earlier presentation
IMG_2445.jpeg

IMG_2449.jpeg

IMG_2446.jpeg

IMG_2447.jpeg

IMG_2448.jpeg

IMG_2450.jpeg

IMG_2451.jpeg

bpda.app.box.com

2021-06-04_Project Notification Form (PNF)_990 American Legion Highway.pdf | Powered by Box

bpda.app.box.com bpda.app.box.com


-So basically all that the nimbys accomplished was they removed 66 apartments that dozens of people would have been able to live in, for… reasons. It looks exactly the same and basically is the same physical project. Then they also got rid of one of the grass fields that was in the proposal and in turn got more asphalt. Thats a win somehow?

Anyways definitely not a development to write home about, but we need the housing so its better than nothing. It also looks a lot denser from street level than the overhead view. Its housing…
 
Last edited:
While I don't like the project at all, what else can you say when it's "fully compliant with the 14-acre parcel's zoning, which [...] means the planning department cannot keep blocking it". It's hard to change zoning, but that's not really the developer's problem at the end of the day, is it? Someone at sometime under some administration said this is the type of development that is appropriate here and no one prioritized changing that zoning before a proposal came through.
 
Wholly underwhelming, this type of development belongs 10-15 miles further from the city than the current location. It would fit better in the towns near 495, as similar complexes surrounding 95 are already taller/denser. Frankly, this is flat out embarrassing for a Boston neighborhood.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top