Boston Redevelopment Authority

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JohnAKeith

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Interesting. We don't have a thread solely on the BRA. Eh, do we need one?

Anyway, the Boston Redevelopment Authority 2009 annual report is now available: http://bit.ly/7BrUNM

Here are the highlighted developments (you may have to squint to read, if old):

bra1.png
 
This looked like the best place to post this, and I agree (with Keith from more than six years ago) that a thread devoted to the BRA is a good idea.

Anyway, just wanted to get thoughts on the BRA saying in their weekly email that spending money to rebrand themselves constitutes "further reforms." Perhaps a revamped mission statement and/or values are a good idea, but to some extent this is akin to paying someone to come up with a way to tell the public that it's raining when the BRA is peeing on their leg. (With no connotation implied that the BRA is actually urinating on people.)
 
Process is too slow, wimply and terrified of the people already.

They'll never get to even 30,000 housing units by 2030 with a softer, kinder BRA.
 
There are a few other more active (i.e. with posts within the last year or so) BRA threads.

Like this one: Design a Better Boston > Should the BRA's Urban Renewal Authority be Extended?
And this one: Boston Architecture & Urbanism > Why the BRA Needs to Go

Maybe these could be merged by a moderator?
 
i would say to many asshole nimby Globe readers:

Brian Golden and BRA board don't deserve the endless slander a few cowards dish out. You got a problem with the BRA? Everyone has email and they read their mail. Don't slander people who work so very hard on behalf of a noisy, ungrateful public. Please sign up and POST your support!!

http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...ewal-powers/DsJ6QuLGOabvshs2osJ7nI/story.html
 
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The public is ungrateful, and that's why the BRA is slow and unresponsive. Mm'kay.:rolleyes:
 
The should drop the "Re" from Redeveloment. Make it the Boston Development Authority or BDA.
 
The BRA agreed to enter into an agreement with Continuum (to lead their brand strategy & organizational identity effort) at last night's Board meeting.
 
Has anyone done a tally on how many housing units that the BRA has approved this year compared to last year

I'm guessing that the May meeting approved about 1000 units and no towers were involved. That's about 1/2 of the total that needs to be approved per year to meet the 2030 goals
 
whighlander said:
Has anyone done a tally on how many housing units that the BRA has approved this year compared to last year

I'm guessing that the May meeting approved about 1000 units and no towers were involved. That's about 1/2 of the total that needs to be approved per year to meet the 2030 goals
Click to expand...

my rough estimate from last night would be a little over 1,000 without the towers (455 of that from south bay, 362 from Dot Block, 132 at 300 Western Ave = 3 projects giving you 949 already).

But there was also Block M that I consider to be towers and is 733 units.

So, last night, there were a lot of units approved.
 
05/12/16 BRA BOARD/EDIC MEETING

1470 Tremont: 33 rental
410 W Broadway: 24 condo
530 Western Ave: 132 rental
64 Allandale St: 16 townhouses
4945 Washington: 46 rental
DOT Block: 362 rental
839 Beacon St: 45 rental
Seaport Square M1/M2: 733 rental
South Bay Center: 475 rental

TOTAL LAST NIGHT: 1866

TOTAL LESS M1/M2: 1133
 
odurandina said:
http://www.bostonglobe.com/business...er/Pdn7Aa2sxkzCghnqr0NaXK/story.html#comments
Click to expand...

This is pretty silly - $670k for a brand study for a regulatory body in a city government...such a wasteful CYA move to implement totally obvious changes

I feel like I could save them a lot of money...here it goes

1.) Define what your goals are for development in a clear and straight forward manner
2.) Have a less complex and transparent process for evaluating developments which eschews favoritism and is more consistent and less arbitrary
3.) Bring the horse trading above board and have transparent audits, control measures, and checks and balances
4.) Provide status reports measuring success against stated goals

The only "brand" you should strive for is competency, fairness, efficiency and transparency
 
novacat said:
This is pretty silly - $670k for a brand study for a regulatory body in a city government...such a wasteful CYA move to implement totally obvious changes

I feel like I could save them a lot of money...here it goes

1.) Define what your goals are for development in a clear and straight forward manner
2.) Have a less complex and transparent process for evaluating developments which eschews favoritism and is more consistent and less arbitrary
3.) Bring the horse trading above board and have transparent audits, control measures, and checks and balances
4.) Provide status reports measuring success against stated goals

The only "brand" you should strive for is competency, fairness, efficiency and transparency
Click to expand...

Novacat -- Maybe in Singapore -- this is Basssston where everything is both political and a deal and no deal is too small for even the biggest players to get involved

You just need to remember the admonishment of the Infamous West End Ward Boss Martin Lomasney [this was a time when the Italian North End was still mostly Irish as was the West End]
lomasey.jpg


Lomasney told his underlings some of whom grew up to be Mayor of Boston --
“Don’t write when you can talk. Don’t talk when you can nod your head.”
Click to expand...
sometimes in an extended version
"Never write if you can speak; never speak if you can nod; never nod if you can wink."
Click to expand...

They did name a street after him Lomasney Way next to the Tip O'neill building
 
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