Allston Green | 24 Linden & 8-20 Pratt Street | Allston

Scratching head........as I've been saying from the outset, wouldn't be a problem if they switched the bike lane to the side and had the parking lane buffer it from the street. It's a ridiculously unforced error.

But on-street parking is so very paramount to our "urban planners". Evidently we need the bicyclists to shelter the parked cars from street traffic, and not the other way around o_O
 
shmessy said:
Scratching head........as I've been saying from the outset, wouldn't be a problem if they switched the bike lane to the side and had the parking lane buffer it from the street. It's a ridiculously unforced error.

But on-street parking is so very paramount to our "urban planners". Evidently we need the bicyclists to shelter the parked cars from street traffic, and not the other way around o_O
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I think we discussed this earlier in the thread, or at least in another thread with a similar development. A parking protected lane requires 3 feet additional width, and this street is pretty narrow. I don't think it pencils out in this location. The choice would be no bike lane, no parking, or what we see in the render.
 
I'm excited for this project, despite some minor quibbles. The current site is one of the dumpiest parts of Allston, and not in a good way.
 
www.universalhub.com

No students need apply at new apartment complex that will replace Garage nightclub in Allston

The Zoning Board of Appeal yesterday approved plans by the owner of the Linden Street block that houses the Garage nightclub with a three-building complex with 349 tiny apartments, including some lofts set aside for artists. Read more.
www.universalhub.com www.universalhub.com

She said that in addition to asking would-be renters if they are students, and rejecting those who answer honestly, rental agents will also bar anybody who needs a co-signer for a lease, just in case some sneaky students lie about being students but need mom or dad's help making the rent. Also prohibited: Apartment subletting.
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This is housing discrimination and should be illegal.

It is worth noting that the project nonetheless was APPROVED.
 
cden4 said:
You can't just flip the location if the street isn't wide enough. A bike lane between parked cars and a travel lane can be 5', but a bike lane between the curb and parked cars needs to be 8' (5' + 3' buffer.)
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The 3 foot buffer is ONLY needed if the bike lane is next to cars.

If the bike lane stays on one side of the street, and the parking is moved to the other side, no buffer is needed. The 5 foot bike lane could be at sidewalk level with no additional space requirement.
 
Equilibria said:
www.universalhub.com

No students need apply at new apartment complex that will replace Garage nightclub in Allston

The Zoning Board of Appeal yesterday approved plans by the owner of the Linden Street block that houses the Garage nightclub with a three-building complex with 349 tiny apartments, including some lofts set aside for artists. Read more.
www.universalhub.com www.universalhub.com

This is housing discrimination and should be illegal.
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The operative words here are should be. Alas, students are not a protected class of citizen under housing law, a truth that no shortage of area landlords have exploited for strategic protection of their investment properties.

The ban on subletting isn’t unusual, however, I don’t think I’ve ever come across a developer/landlord that flat out dismisses co-signing tenants. While that’s also within the rights of a landlord, I have to wonder how that degree of selectivity will impact the pace of fully occupying the building… especially if there are significant upfront costs to lease there.
 
Banning subletting can also screw over lower income people.

So you find a new job, need to move....and now have no recourse???
 
Equilibria said:
This is housing discrimination and should be illegal.
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Students are not a protected class. Strong disagree that this should be illegal.

I don't want to live in a building with students if at all possible. I sense there is a real market opportunity here.
 
393b40 said:
Students are not a protected class. Strong disagree that this should be illegal.

I don't want to live in a building with students if at all possible. I sense there is a real market opportunity here.
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No one - not you, nor I, nor anyone else, should be able to dictate what "kind of person" we live next to. Crossing that line in anyway is a very dangerous slope to be on.
 
Equilibria said:
No one - not you, nor I, nor anyone else, should be able to dictate what "kind of person" we live next to. Crossing that line in anyway is a very dangerous slope to be on.
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So you're opposed to over 55 communities as well?

And you absolutely should be able to dictate the "kind of person" you live next to so long as it doesn't cross immutable factors of race/age/sex/disability/etc... That's absolute nonsense. That's the entire point of shopping around for a house in a neighborhood/gated-community/building/whatever.
 
393b40 said:
So you're opposed to over 55 communities as well?

And you absolutely should be able to dictate the "kind of person" you live next to so long as it doesn't cross immutable factors of race/age/sex/disability/etc... That's absolute nonsense. That's the entire point of shopping around for a house in a neighborhood/gated-community/building/whatever.
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You're not helping your case with me by talking up gated communities, FWIW, but this thread shouldn't become a call-and-response.

And yes, I do oppose over-55 communities if they aren't providing services relevant to that population. And since younger people can and do sometimes need assisted living...
 
The point of over 55 is so they don't have kids. It's not an assisted living thing.
 
186 studios, 116 one-bedroom units and 41 two-bedroom units - if you wanted less students (in Allston, of all places), don't make 88% of your units ideal for students.. I'd be impressed if college students managed to throw a rager in a studio apartment, to be honest.

I'm sure with the extreme demand they'll still be filled by young professionals.
 
stefal said:
186 studios, 116 one-bedroom units and 41 two-bedroom units - if you wanted less students (in Allston, of all places), don't make 88% of your units ideal for students.. I'd be impressed if college students managed to throw a rager in a studio apartment, to be honest.
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The article made it sound more like the ZBA/planning board was the one pushing the restriction more than the developer.
 
jklo said:
The article made it sound more like the ZBA/planning board was the one pushing the restriction more than the developer.
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I got that. I also saw their concerns about the size of the units, but that was the whole point of the project.. What pilot are they running through for the compacted living allowance? Just a City of Boston pilot that didn't consult the zoning board or BPDA? Shouldn't they have expected students here if it got approved to run through the pilot at this site?
 
jklo said:
Yes
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I'm totally against the 55+ communities. How is it fair that they wouldn't have to pay taxes for schools while people like my husband and I and many others who don't have any kids and never plan to still have to pay for schools until we're over 55. If that's really the case for 55yr restrictions then that needs to be thrown away right away and create a new law for people who never plan to have kids get a tax break of some sort.
 
guitarguynboston said:
I'm totally against the 55+ communities. How is it fair that they wouldn't have to pay taxes for schools while people like my husband and I and many others who don't have any kids and never plan to still have to pay for schools until we're over 55. If that's really the case for 55yr restrictions then that needs to be thrown away right away and create a new law for people who never plan to have kids get a tax break of some sort.
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They still pay normal taxes, but the idea is that you eliminate the potential for additional students in the school system which would "overwhelm" the local school. At least that's what they claim elsewhere, usually in the suburbs. I've never heard of a carveout in local real estate taxes like a school line item that would be exempt for a particular group of owners. I didn't read too much of the above discussion in detail, but isn't this project more about preventing college students from living there, not families with kids?
 
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