BU Development Thread

I just love that building.
It's just that if it were being used I'd know it was being taken care of.
In its current state they are free to neglect it.

But yes, I'm glad to hear there are no plans to demo it.
 
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I agree -- I've always loved that building. Perhaps a new developer can convert it to appropriate commercial/office use if Kenmore can attract tenants.
 
If BU believes this building should be commercial, why don't they fit out its upper floors for that purpose and get some revenue? Perhaps it would make a good place for entrepreneurial startups, given that it's next door to the School of Management.
 
The City and University have not done a good job of marketing Kenmore Square. That would be a fantastic idea--having known many students in the Management program who started up small businesses during college, a space devoted to such things would really be an asset.
 
itchy said:
Thanks, guys. I didn't realize Harvard owned them. Are they part of the Allston expansion? If not, are there any known plans for them? Are they still used? (Apologies for stealing BU's thunder...)
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IIRC, Harvard outbid BU for the railyards, and there is also some contiguous land that was owned by the state. It was a complicated purchase in which Harvard was/is precluded from developing the land as long as CSX is using it. However, CSX is apparently moving its operations out of the yard, which will open the door to development.

Harvard's recent draft Institutional Master Plan did not propose any development of this property.

There is some sensitivity at land-starved BU about Harvard now owning and developing dozens of acres that directly abut BU's west campus.
 
BSA Urban Design Committee meeting on BU plans

For those who may be interested to attend...

BSA Urban Design Committee

January 21 / 5:30 pm
The Architects Building
52 Broad Street, Boston

Join the Urban Design Committee on January 21 at 5:30 pm at The Architects Building for a presentation on Boston University's strategic plan by David Nagahiro AIA and Kishore Varanasi of CBT.
Boston University is a unique urban campus that has helped to shape the surrounding city over the last 150 years. CBT's strategic framework was built on the university and surrounding city's varied set of planning interests and needs, many of which are dynamic and in various stages of development. A specific area at the geographic core of the university, the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue and Boston University Bridge, was the central focus of initial planning work. The knuckle is a remnant of the mid-20th-century transportation infrastructure that is currently under disrepair. The proposed vision for this area calls for a dynamic public space on Charles River with an intermodal transit facility called the River Station creating a new heart for the university and the City.
 
Intermodal? Between what, trolley and bus? Does BU really need a new station for this?
 
And commuter rail (and Urban Ring... eventually)
 
cden4 said:
And commuter rail (and Urban Ring... eventually)
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Yeah, they want ANOTHER green line stop, a place for the 57 and CT2, and a stop on the worcester line (which honestly would be better in allston)
 
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Is there a BU bridge rehab thread? Today stuck in traffic on Storrow Dr
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already spray-painting
 
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jass said:
Yeah, they want ANOTHER green line stop, a place for the 57 and CT2, and a stop on the worcester line (which honestly would be better in allston)
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Moving BU West here and getting rid of BU Central would make a lot of sense.
 
jass said:
Yeah, they want ANOTHER green line stop, a place for the 57 and CT2, and a stop on the worcester line (which honestly would be better in allston)
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If we ever get "Indigo Line"-like service on the Worcester line (e.g. out to Riverside) then stopping at both Allston (the Sports Depot) and here at the BU Bridge would very effectively cut down the strain on the B line and the 57.

I don't think it will ever make sense to have intra-urban commuter rail stops beyond a few logical connection points (e.g. Porter). Until trains start running on a rapid transit type of schedule, stops like Yawkey or BU Bridge will be relatively pointless.
 
Shepard said:
If we ever get "Indigo Line"-like service on the Worcester line (e.g. out to Riverside) then stopping at both Allston (the Sports Depot) and here at the BU Bridge would very effectively cut down the strain on the B line and the 57.

I don't think it will ever make sense to have intra-urban commuter rail stops beyond a few logical connection points (e.g. Porter). Until trains start running on a rapid transit type of schedule, stops like Yawkey or BU Bridge will be relatively pointless.
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I agree, there should be a 3rd track for a shuttle to do the following route:

South Station
Back Bay
Yawkey (replace commuter rail stop)
BU Bridge
Cambridge Street
Market Street OR North Beacon St
Washington St/Centre Street
Newtonville (replace commuter rail stop)
West Newton (replace commuter rail stop)
Auburndale (replace commuter rail stop)
Riverside Intermodal Center - new worcester line stop for transfer between shuttle, commuter rail and green line

Run this at 10-30 minute headways
 
Don't forget the BU master plan meeting, this evening. Details somewhere else on this board.
 
Mass88, the BU Bridge isn't being replaced in its entirety but repaired in a multiphase project. Which is taking forever, will reduce the number of vehicular lanes and add bike lanes.

DCR pdf of the project
 
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