BCEC expansion | Seaport

Equilibria said:
Some more details: https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/0...lly-black-college-footprint-in-massachusetts/
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I was struck by the Herald's highlighting of Pensole-Lewis becoming the the first HBCU in Massachusetts. I had never heard of this institution,, though I have a bit of now-dated familiarity with HBCUs from oversight of Federal Department of Education grant programs.

Pensole-Lewis College of Business and Design, referenced in the Herald article, appears not to be accredited, and is a reincarnation of a HBUC, under a different name, that closed in 2013 after losing its accreditation, It appears that Pensole-Lewis' only courses are a relatively short class in footwear design.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/joshua...after-500-million-investment/?sh=28cd6825dc09
^^^ The referenced investment is directed at the city of Detroit, and not exclusively for Pensole-Lewis

https://www.wxyz.com/news/detroits-hbcu-pensole-lewis-college-has-huge-plans-for-the-future
^^^
The five-week accelerated course is a partnership between the school and different brands. The companies cover the cost, and even help people with housing for students who needed. After the five weeks, a select few are offered internships.
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https://pensolelewiscollege.com/faq/
^^^
Pensole Lewis College is not a traditional educational institution. We are proud to offer students the opportunity to grow their knowledge and skills through intensive curriculums aimed at providing real-life experiences relevant to their disciplines.

We work to empower everyone to follow their dreams. That is why our financial approach lowers the barrier to entry for all students interested in receiving an education.
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As Pensole does not appear to be accredited, it would be ineligible for Federal funding under a special program of assistance for HBCUs.

HBCUs innovated to embrace remote learning and redirected funds to provide their students with much-need support. And they received an outpouring of funding; the federal government allocated more than $6.5 billion to 101 HBCUs over the past two years, and private donors have significantly stepped up their giving. As a result, HBCUs gained a renewed sense of optimism and hard-won resilience.
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https://uncf.org/news/uncf-report-calls-for-congress-to-increase-funding-for-hbcus
 
Rather unusual for a Globe editorial to link to an article in the Herald that references a minority enterprise component. From the Herald, the linked section:
..Pensole Lewis College, based in Detroit, would have space in and a relationship with another “first-of-its-kind in Boston,” a Black Chip Art Gallery, “where lesser-known artists of color will be able to display their work,” said Tavares Brewington, founder of Street2Ivy, who partnered with Cronin Development on this proposal.

Pensole, Michigan’s only historically Black college or university, was founded by the self-described most prominent Black footwear designer in the world, D’Wayne Edwards, who was the lead designer of the Nike Jordan brand. The college had failed financially, Brewington said, until Edwards was able to reinstate it with the support of investors last year.
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Pensole Lewis has been described up-thread.

Tavares Brewington is Black, the general counsel of Keolis, a graduate of Holy Cross, Boston College Law, and has a MBA from Cornell. More info on Street2Ivy can be found here.
https://www.s2icommunity.org/about

Surely coincidental that the Globe would link to a minority enterprise component when addressing the objections of three White elected officials with roiots in Southie.
 
stellarfun said:
Rather unusual for a Globe editorial to link to an article in the Herald that references a minority enterprise component. From the Herald, the linked section:


Pensole Lewis has been described up-thread.

Tavares Brewington is Black, the general counsel of Keolis, a graduate of Holy Cross, Boston College Law, and has a MBA from Cornell. More info on Street2Ivy can be found here.
https://www.s2icommunity.org/about

Surely coincidental that the Globe would link to a minority enterprise component when addressing the objections of three White elected officials with roiots in Southie.
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It's not remotely coincidental, and given the movement toward ensuring MBE participation in real estate developments in Boston, White elected officials with roots in Southie will need to increasingly consider the possibility that their objections will be considered in that light.

NIMBYism and racial exclusion are not independent concepts by a long shot, in Boston or anywhere else.

None of this is defending the particular institution in Detroit, btw. Seems sus.
 

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I'd roll my eyes at Cronin's ambitious architecture if he hadn't delivered at the St. Regis. In the face of spurious objections from the CLF, no less.

To Stellarfun's point earlier, the only affiliation with Pensole Lewis would be to populate the art gallery. If they end up not being reliable, I'm sure another operator can be found.

Also from the BBJ:

Within 270 days of being selected, the victorious team is expected to complete the Boston Planning and Development Agency’s Article 80 review process, secure all needed building permits, and line up financing and equity, among other steps. It’s a timeline that projects smaller than BGI’s regularly fail to meet in Boston — and one that is likely to come amid major changes to the city’s development process under Mayor Michelle Wu.
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It seems like vocal opposition from the good ole' boy brigade might make that hard.
 
Equilibria said:
It's not remotely coincidental, and given the movement toward ensuring MBE participation in real estate developments in Boston, White elected officials with roots in Southie will need to increasingly consider the possibility that their objections will be considered in that light.

NIMBYism and racial exclusion are not independent concepts by a long shot, in Boston or anywhere else.
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Current southie resident here, my neighborhood association is pretty staunchly opposed to just about anything really it seems, especially at first blush, but the more time I spend attending the meetings it becomes more and more apparent there's some extreme bias against any nonwhite entity trying to get something done. Its hiding in plain sight but its not always blatantly obvious
 
Curious if they at least wrap that in other language. Not human scale, shadows, parking, traffic, etc. I’ve attended a number of meetings in my neighborhood and while you see the presenters on zoom it’s not immediately clear which ethnicity is behind each development project. Honest question how you deduced that for Southie.
 
Justbuildit said:
Curious if they at least wrap that in other language. Not human scale, shadows, parking, traffic, etc. I’ve attended a number of meetings in my neighborhood and while you see the presenters on zoom it’s not immediately clear which ethnicity is behind each development project. Honest question how you deduced that for Southie.
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See:

BCEC expansion | Seaport

Two RFP responses are in. https://www.bizjournals.com/boston/news/2022/12/23/mcca-proposals.html
archboston.com
 
Equilibria said:
I'd roll my eyes at Cronin's ambitious architecture if he hadn't delivered at the St. Regis. In the face of spurious objections from the CLF, no less.

To Stellarfun's point earlier, the only affiliation with Pensole Lewis would be to populate the art gallery. If they end up not being reliable, I'm sure another operator can be found.

Also from the BBJ:



It seems like vocal opposition from the good ole' boy brigade might make that hard.
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Be quite interesting to know how much each developer is willing to pay annually for the 99 year lease.

IMO, Cronin's proposal is too large; too unified in connecting three distinct, separate parcels; and tries too hard to make an architectural statement. Its as if he is trying to maximize the allowable envelope. Is his annual payment commensurate with the grand scale?
 
The winning bid could come from one-eyed one-horned flying purple people eaters, I still can't see anything near as grand what's shown actually going in. Now a collection of bland 3-over-2 boxes with a few hundred $2k/month apartments...
 
"Neighborhood groups," Nick Collins, and Michael Flaherty criticized the process for being too rushed and lacking community input. The new bid process will be 3 months, as opposed to 1, with a period of community outreach alongside the BPDA.
 
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