BU Development Thread

Basement almost framed out for the performing arts center. Should go vertical in the front soon... the crane showed up last week and should be visible from most everywhere.


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The next BU projects will be the construction of the BSR addition to Questrom and an addition to GSD building and renovation of the existing GSD building at the medical center campus. Those projects will start in 2018 at the earliest.

http://www.bu.edu/president/letters-writings/letters/2016/10-5/
"The University is now planning the next phases of our renovation and renewal that will begin after FY2018 once the three major projects described above are complete. Several major capital projects have been advanced into the design stage. These include the expansion and renovation of the 100 East Newton Street facility for the School of Dental Medicine and the addition on Bay State Road to the Questrom School of Business. More information will be forthcoming as we develop our plans for the coming years."
 
I appreciate the recent improvements to campus and the renovation of my old dorm but I really want BU to go bold with their campus on the next go around. For example I'd hate to see the replacement of the Comm Ave bridge lead to the same set up as the current Comm Ave bridge with a mishmash of ramps and confusion. It would be nice if they started covering the Pike at least along this stretch in conjunction with the overpass replacement. There's nothing architecturally significant from Essex St to St Mary's (converted old warehouses and gas stations).
 
TomOfBoston said:
And the money for this would come from where? BU? Doubtful.
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Why not? There are 4 "BU" parcels over the Pike IIRC. #1 is between Comm ave and the Charles west of the BU Bridge. Nothing going to happen there now or ever perhaps or at least until Pike re-routing is done. #3 and #4 huge and closer to Beacon St. #2 is right by the Comm ave overpass and the school should think about how they'd like the center of campus reconfigured and piggyback on the already approved construction work to revamp that parcel as well. I know BU would like to close off access to Storrow Drive but beyond that haven't heard anything current about what they'd like to see there.
 
Rover said:
Why not? There are 4 "BU" parcels over the Pike IIRC. #1 is between Comm ave and the Charles west of the BU Bridge. Nothing going to happen there now or ever perhaps or at least until Pike re-routing is done. #3 and #4 huge and closer to Beacon St. #2 is right by the Comm ave overpass and the school should think about how they'd like the center of campus reconfigured and piggyback on the already approved construction work to revamp that parcel as well. I know BU would like to close off access to Storrow Drive but beyond that haven't heard anything current about what they'd like to see there.
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Their master plan has 6 air rights parcels, but that numbering may correspond to how the state numbers them rather than how BU thinks of them.

Any large donations will likely go towards things like StuVi 3 and other projects on solid ground. Building over the pike would be nice for unifying South Campus and making the bridge over the pike less of a windswept landscape, but it is expensive when you still have parking lots you can build on instead.
 
And the Master plan heavily hints at a desire to bridge the gap between east and west campus, but also makes it clear that won't happen until after the road construction in the area is done, and ideally the traffic flow gets realigned. Also I don't see how any project can "piggyback" off the the comm ave bridge replacement. Primary construction is scheduled for two 3 week periods over the next 2 summers which will make the area a traffic nightmare; not really the time frame of typical building construction. And the comm ave bridge replacement is the type of project that should be done without distractions to make sure our critical infrastructure is closed for as little time as possible.
 
whittle said:
And the Master plan heavily hints at a desire to bridge the gap between east and west campus, but also makes it clear that won't happen until after the road construction in the area is done, and ideally the traffic flow gets realigned. Also I don't see how any project can "piggyback" off the the comm ave bridge replacement. Primary construction is scheduled for two 3 week periods over the next 2 summers which will make the area a traffic nightmare; not really the time frame of typical building construction. And the comm ave bridge replacement is the type of project that should be done without distractions to make sure our critical infrastructure is closed for as little time as possible.
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Will the B branch T continue to operate during those two stretches? Or will it too be temporarily suspended?
 
dwash59 said:
It will close and be replaced by buses during both stretches.

See slide 16 of http://www.massdot.state.ma.us/Port...rojects/CommAveBridge/060216_presentation.pdf
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And see slide 24 for how the bus will run. Packards to Kenmore with stops at Babcock and Silber/Blanford.

Also it explains in a few places that during construction, the half of the bridge still standing will only be open to buses, emergency vehicles, bikes, and pedestrians. So buses do have some hope of maintaining decent service.
 
This is a bigger project than I realized. What is the smaller building directly behind 808 - studio space?
 
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