archBoston Meetup!

BostonUrbEx

BostonUrbEx

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archBoston Meetup
6:00pm on Thurs, July 16
at the Beat Brasserie
in Harvard Square
13 Brattle St
Cambridge, MA

Meet forum members, talk architecture, urban planning, transportation, etc.
 
Uh, so I invited Cambridge City Councillor Nadeem Mazen to the meetup and he said he's going to try to go!

Thanks so much Tim :) I will definitely be in touch and will try my darnedest to be at Beat July 16.
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datadyne007 said:
Uh, so I invited Cambridge City Councillor Nadeem Mazen to the meetup and he said he's going to try to go!
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Interesting. He is a big proponent of the (anti-)Development Master Plan and is far more anti-development than pro-.
 
fattony said:
Interesting. He is a big proponent of the (anti-)Development Master Plan and is far more anti-development than pro-.
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Well we'll just have to teach him about the error of his ways over beer.
 
fattony said:
Interesting. He is a big proponent of the (anti-)Development Master Plan and is far more anti-development than pro-.
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BostonUrbEx said:
Well we'll just have to teach him about the error of his ways over beer.
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He's someone with actual political influence. This kind of mentality (labeling anti/pro) is going to get us nowhere. What I hope becomes of this (if he shows up) is a dialogue on both sides about various development issues. We can learn from him and he can learn from us. Most of the crowd on here lives in lala land. He lives in reality.
 
I'm officially working, so I'll be the guy in a black shirt (as opposed to a vest) behind the bar. Matthew, Data and Equilibria (if he's coming out) know what I look like, anyway.

It's also the Billie Holiday tribute night starting at 9, so the music should be really good for those who stick around.
 
I have an interesting discussion topic that many of you will enjoy:

I just bought a condo that comes with two off-street parking spaces. I do not own a car and do not plan on purchasing one. Rather than rent the spaces, I think it would be awesome to convert the parking spaces into usable, outdoor space of some kind. Bring any ideas to the meet-up. :)
 
bigeman312 said:
I have an interesting discussion topic that many of you will enjoy:

I just bought a condo that comes with two off-street parking spaces. I do not own a car and do not plan on purchasing one. Rather than rent the spaces, I think it would be awesome to convert the parking spaces into usable, outdoor space of some kind. Bring any ideas to the meet-up. :)
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Photos?
 
Congrats but I think you might be heading for a fight. Most municipal codes make it illegal to use parking spaces for anything other than car storage. It's an incredibly immoral rule, and I encourage you to fight it, but that's your choice to make.

Somerville?
 
Boston. Know anything about Boston municipal codes relating to this idea?
 
Article 23 Section 10 of the Boston Zoning code:
All off-street parking facilities provided to comply with this Article shall be maintained exclusively for the parking of motor vehicles so long as a use requiring them exists.
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Article 23 doesn't apply to many neighborhoods, which have their own articles. But, the same language is likely to be found in all of them. I know it is in Article 51, "Allston/Brighton", for example.

As I said earlier, the rule is corrupt and immoral, as is much of the zoning code of Boston that dates to the 1950s and 1960s, when city planners were actively trying to destroy urban neighborhoods (not to mention the underlying bigotry and racism that threads through everything from that era).

You could be challenged by ISD for doing something with the space other than parking cars. ISD has been known to go after people who do things like this (yet, they are reticent to do anything about rats and dangerous housing conditions). On the other hand, it's 2015, the Mayor is promoting "Imagine Boston 2030", and this could make a great case to highlight the absurdity of the rule. Especially if you do something that your neighbors find pleasant, like a garden.

I don't think he wants "Imagine Boston 2030: Marty Walsh bulldozes gardens for parking!" to be the story. But you never know...
 
Good info! Definitely something to discuss at the Meetup. I hope you're coming.
 
Just got on the bar. My girl is bartending tonight too, looking forward to meeting you all
 
I work in Harvard Square so I will be there a bit early. Looking forward to meeting everybody!
 
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