Boynton Yards | 99-101 South/808 Windsor | Somerville

Dr. Rosen Rosen said:
Maybe I’m being a little bit picky here, but I’m not convinced Boynton Yards will work that well without a footbridge over the tracks. It’s like double the walking distance without one.
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I think it will work fine too, but a Windsor to Lindsay pedestrian bridge would certainly improve connectivity.
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stick n move said:
On Apple Maps it shows it as an 8 minute walk. You can’t really ask for a transit stop closer than that. It definitely would be nice to have the ped bridge go right to the front door, but an 8 min walk is definitely well within the means of the majority of people. I don’t think it will be an issue at all.
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I think your assessment is totally accurate and fair. I guess I’m mostly wondering why we haven’t seen any masterplans including a ped bridge. Why not bake that in early?
 
Dr. Rosen Rosen said:
I think your assessment is totally accurate and fair. I guess I’m mostly wondering why we haven’t seen any masterplans including a ped bridge. Why not bake that in early?
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My guess is because that is the sort of thing that gets negotiated on in exchange for concessions like taller/bigger buildings than zoning allows. The city has mentioned such a bridge as a wishlist item for some time, but it's always "somebody ought to do this" sort of chatter. It would be most likely to occur when there are deep-pocketed parties on both sides of the tracks that stand to benefit--a la the Encore situation. So when Target gets blown up that developer would be incentivized to collaborate on a bridge that connects two lab neighborhoods together. And the state, that would be involved in permitting and building, would have an easier time making the case to pitch in money as well.
 
Some details at Phase 1

The fireman tribute set on a pedestal.
It looks like a fire beacon in the middle of the sign n the left column. But there is also another beacon to the right. Maybe they will be able to remove the one at the entry?
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WIFI at the bench!! Nice touch for those working outside.
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Nice change in in the window fenestration. Breaks up the building from looking to massive.

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Exposed fasteners?
Not a deal breaker, just not typical.
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In the long run, I really think Somerville (and Cambridge) is going to regret building all this parking in Boynton Yards. Highway access is weak. This is going to funnel a lot of cars down Washington, McGrath, and up Prospect. Prospect is already over capacity most of the time and McGrath is supposed to get tamed in the near future, not add SOV capacity.

I have always believed one of the reasons you see limited commercial development in places like Porter or Davis is exactly because of poor highway access. I'm puzzled that this got approved and that anyone thinks it is a net benefit to Somerville. I suppose it doesn't hurt Somerville for the developer to waste money to build the parking as long as it ends up underutilized like most parking garages do.
 
I think the rationale I heard during the planning process was that selling lab space as transit-dependent was a non-starter.
 
$150M - Nissenbaum family is cashing in their 4 acres. Wowzers!

www.bostonglobe.com

Junkyard turns to gold in Somerville development boom - The Boston Globe

The family name still adorns the business Jacob Nissenbaum started over a century ago. But this unvarnished slice of Somerville near Union Square is about to vanish as the area is transformed by the Green Line Extension and a boom in biotech development.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
 
Dr. Rosen Rosen said:
$150M - Nissenbaum family is cashing in their 4 acres. Wowzers!

www.bostonglobe.com

Junkyard turns to gold in Somerville development boom - The Boston Globe

The family name still adorns the business Jacob Nissenbaum started over a century ago. But this unvarnished slice of Somerville near Union Square is about to vanish as the area is transformed by the Green Line Extension and a boom in biotech development.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
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Nice write-up on a small family business. This was, of course, inevitable. Mazel tov to them on their windfall!

I think with that, Boynton Yards controls all of the land in "Boynton Yards", more or less. Time to realign some streets (make South Street a real street and extend it to Webster)! Only Taza shall survive.
 
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