Boston Landing | New Balance Complex | Brighton

dshoost88 said:
I respectfully disagree. While I'm a proponent of shared streets, paseos, and non traditional streets in most urban contexts, I think the 38 Hichborn Street development proposal's choice to directly connect a Hichborn Extension to Lantera site will be best for the neighborhood. Right now between Market Street and Everett Street there are literally no North-South streets in this part of Brighton to get you south of N. Beacon Street from Guest Street/Boston Landing. Activating one-way Dustin Street (which becomes Hichborn Street) all the way to Guest Street could meaningfully reduce trips on Market & Everett Streets by providing that directionally-sensible link. Similarly, I think the Life Street intersection at N. Beacon Street can (and should) absorb the dozen parking spaces at CORT Furniture Clearance Center to give a seamless one-way southbound trip through to Etna Street. Based on the development patterns happening in the neighborhood, the furniture showroom's , car dealership(s)', and other light industrial businesses' days along N. Beacon Street are numbered anyway. Connecting the streets in a way that reduces vehicular turning moments and traffic signal idling--and maximizes throughput of people and goods--is better for all in the neighborhood, no matter their mode.

38 Hichborn is a good proposal.
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I agree 100%. Something very frustrating about the whole region, but especially the cities of Boston, Somerville and Cambridge, is the asinine and very poorly designed traffic circulation patterns that lead to needless traffic hot spots. Two major causes of this: 1) stupid one way rules that only exist because of outside power wielded by neighborhoods not wanting cars on their roads and 2) piecemeal developments from decades ago that leave disconnections across short distances that could otherwise be spanned easily, by punching thru 1-2 lots, as in the above proposal.

Unfortunately, a huge potential for legitimate discourse on these issues is always drowned out by anti car fanatics who basically never want to build another road, ever, and who want driving to be essentially punitively difficult so as to force people to seek alternatives. A provocative statement? Maybe, but it is 100% true, and it’s the reason that sensible roadway improvements and connections are no longer ever even considered in planning either in private development or public works projects. I am 100% all in for narrow car lanes, eliminating parking, bike amenities, congestion charge, increasing gas tax etc, and I oppose the idea of new highway construction in general. But I also believe that roads, and let’s be clear I’m talking about the auto lanes of the roads, are made for car travel and it’s idiotic to not have one of the main priorities being to always optimize traffic flow. The lack of north south connection mentioned by the previous poster is an issue in this region and one of the root causes of the horrendous traffic. Transit projects alone will not solve the problem. And this is a minor area problem: the lack of there ever being a serious real discussion about building a much needed bridge for cars to get from Babcock/Brookline to lower Allston as part of the mass pike project is such an utter loss and emblematic of the small minded thinking and oversized influence of local power that benefits micro neighborhoods at the expense of the greater whole and bedevils the region. I have said this before but I believe wholeheartedly that one important part of the solution to Boston’s transit and traffic problems is to improve auto circulation. That doesnt mean mega highways, but there are easy small changes all over that could be done. It’s sad that the parkway system wasn’t built on a bigger scale and that small avenues weren’t laid out continuously further outside the urban core, back in the day... smaller roads that are also main streets/arteries are where it’s at. I often think that the era of highway construction was a real lost opportunity—in the days when eminent domain was easier, it would have been much better to build out hundreds of Beacon Streets and dozens of selectively placed VFWs across the region, rather than a few highways that damaged the fabric of the communities.
 
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Having not seen this complex in person, am I looking at this correctly in my assumption that it is f-ing huge? It looks massive!
 
Wow, I really need to plan a trip to Boston. It has been so many years. Last time I was in town, the only thing there was the original New Balance building.
 
NPC with first detail for 60 Guest:

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2021-07-19_Notice of Project Change (NPC)_Boston Landing.pdf | Powered by Box

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Lab building developed with Lendlease. They have run out of sports teams. The do specify that the design is conceptual.

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It looks like this lab is one of 2 remaining developable plots left here, with the other being the future hotel at 180 Guest Street. I was worried this might be replacing the hotel, but I guess they're just waiting to do that one last.

It's 164' to the main roof, but really will count as (and visually be) 182' to the top of the mechanical screen. Design is pretty boilerplate but should fit into the area.
 
Technically not Boston Landing, but a big shoe to drop:

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This is the warehouse directly to the south of the parking garage. Should get its own thread once we get a PNF.
 
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