Allston-Brighton Infill and Small Developments

I was going to say this development could only help things from an urban design standpoint, but the land comes to a flatiron-style point at the intersection, and I'm guessing they'll take the easy route out and not build to that lot line.

If they did, however, it would dramatically change the feel of that stretch.
 
From the Allston-Brighton TAB:


Allston-Brighton TAB said:
Greylock plan spurs questions
By Julia Bird

Thu Aug 06, 2009, 07:37 PM EDT



Brighton, Mass. -
Residents of Allston and Brighton raised concerns and questioned the developer and architects of the proposed new development at 21 Greylock Road at a public meeting at Jackson Mann Elementary School on Thursday, July 30.

Developer Dmitry Baskin, and architects Eric Robinson and Kevin Deabler of RODE Architects Inc., took 20 minutes for their presentation of the proposed design before opening it up to questions and comments from residents.

As described by the architects, a new building would be placed on the corner of Glenville Avenue and Greylock Road. The building site would consist of four properties at 17, 19, 21 and 23 Greylock Road. The existing houses at those addresses would be demolished, and be replaced with an apartment complex consisting of 18 two-bedrooms and two one-bedroom units.

The building, if approved, would be three stories tall ? 38 feet in height and set back 20 feet from the road ? the same distance from the road as other houses in the area.

?Maintaining this setback will help to reinforce the residential scale of this street,? said architect Eric Robinson.

Within the setback, there will be a small garden between the street and the building entrance. Although the specific planting design has not been determined yet, the architects propose to use native plants.

The apartment complex would have a parking structure underneath the building with 21 spaces. The underground structure will be ventilated with fans, naturally through large openings, or a combination of both methods.

?The secured underground parking area will have a bike rack for the residents, a central trash collection area and a direct elevator access to the building,? said Robinson.

The apartment complex will be clad with composite siding.

?It is made of some recycled materials that give it strength and a long life,? said Robinson.
The size and color of the panels have not been determined yet, but the architects are looking towards the neighboring buildings for inspiration.

?We would utilize a larger-sized panel to respond to the bigger neighboring buildings on Glenville Avenue, and a smaller, more ?residential? scale panel relating to the Greylock Road buildings,? said Robinson.

Following the architect?s presentation on the design and structure, the residents asked the team a range of questions. The residents? main concern was the impact on the community, and assessing the benefits of the apartment complex.

?First and foremost, new development has to benefit the community quality of life, and if you achieve that, you will be financially rewarded,? said Allston resident Sal Pinchera.

The discussion progressed to the target demographic, described as young professionals and starter families, and their role in the community and duration of their stay.

?For the most part, people live here for a few years, and then move somewhere else to have a family there,? said Allston resident Harry Mattison.

Baskin expressed the opinion that young professionals and young families would be a positive addition to Allston.

?This hard-working, motivated and civically minded group is an asset to the community and the neighborhood,? said Baskin. ?This could potentially bring an additional 20 families into the area, which would go a long way to help strengthen the area as a family-friendly neighborhood.?

Residents asked about the possibility of renovating the existing homes, and if condos could be built rather than apartments.

?If they were here to build three-bedroom condos, they would have our full support,? said Mattison.

Baskin reiterated that the shape of the lot and surrounding buildings is not conducive to attractive family homes, and renovating the existing homes is not economically possible.

?If the BRA wants to approve it, it is pretty much telling us what they want, more short-term rental units,? said Mattison.

The proposal is subject to the approval of the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

The architects are seeking five zoning reliefs: property line setback; height; unit count; FAR; and parking and loading. If approved, the construction is scheduled to begin September 2010.
The Boston Redevelopment Authority is accepting comments concerning this proposal. The comment period closes on August 21.

LINK
 
"Maintaining this setback will help to reinforce the residential scale of this street,? said architect Eric Robinson."

which really means "maintaining this setback will help reinforce the suburban feel that we hope for the development"

"Within the setback, there will be a small garden between the street and the building entrance. Although the specific planting design has not been determined yet, the architects propose to use native plants."

sweet.
 
Walgreens open for business:

1060543.jpg
 
Greylock Street:

dscn1717.jpg


dscn1719j.jpg


MATCH High School on Comm Ave:

dscn1935.jpg
 
Greylock Street:

dscn1717.jpg


dscn1719j.jpg

Someone mentioned this earlier, but if they were to build out to the street on this corner it would have a pretty dramatic effect. It is a shame they are instead striving for timidity. This little area between Comm Ave, Brighton Ave, Harvard Ave, and Allston St. really wants to be more urban.
 
^ That was me who mentioned building out to the corner, and I completely agree with you. Glenville Ave is almost all 4-5 story tenements except for this one stretch.
 
That graystone building with the mansard roof on Greylock Street looks like it was airlifted in from Montreal.
 
Couldn't someone have required that the parking lot be in back and the store be on the street? More suburbanization...
 
They could have, but then they wouldn't have been able to reuse the Comp USA's shell.
 
17-23 Greylock road Project Notification Form is online, including renderings:

http://www.bostonredevelopmentautho...Greylock Road/PNF/17-23 Greylock Road_PNF.pdf


From what i can tell, this project doesn't look that bad at all--much better than what i was expecting. This area really needs to be more urban to maximize the value of the green line.

Got the info from Harry Mattison's blog.

I understand his opposition based on the various zoning issues, and his vision of suburban allston brighton, but in my opinion, i don't think their should be a single 1 family home anywhere in this area, but...thats just my opinion.
 
Neighbors shouldn't object to this because it is out of context, they should object to it because it is an ugly piece of crap.
 
Match
IMG_2935.jpg


This looks new (harvard ave and brighton ave)
IMG_2936.jpg


Allston St
IMG_2937.jpg


???
IMG_2938.jpg
 

Back
Top