Bulfinch Crossing | Congress Street Garage | West End

Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Seriously! It's in the heart of the city, directly on all the infrastructure/transit you could imagine and it's several blocks away from where anybody lives or any "neighborhood"

The site is huge - there's breathing room here for something dramatic. I hope tonight's meeting isn't dominated by the same small cartel of anti-growth yahoos that oppose everything in this city. Conversely, I hope the developers are prepared to be bold and don't opt for some Fan Pier style, mid-rise yaaaawn.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Run Congress St. through Hotel Atraction like a cart path through a sequoia.

Hotel_Atraction.jpg


Wawona_Tree.jpg
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Hate to admit it, but I kinda like the old dog, in a sentimental sort of way. Its submissive hulking stature pays respect to the quaint little neighborhood it replaced. But as President Reagan once said "...tear down that wall!"
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Anyone else go to this?
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

I was meaning to go to this but it completely slipped my mind. How did it go?
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

There were about 70 people (I asked the security guard for a number). I came in a bit late, because I'm all the way out in Brookline Village.

In short, the garage owners seem to get it -- they suggested a lot of things that are consistant with the informed positions and bright ideas posted right here. I told them they have a better site than Steve Belkin and they smiled.

As part of the redevelopment, there's an interest in absorbing the Police Station and other smaller buildings on the westernmost end of the site into the project scope -- that's where the tower(s) would go. Interestingly, you can only go down about 30' before you hit bedrock, so an underground garage even half of this scale would be impossible.

The City wants to keep them to 150' on the Greenway (this is a mistake, should be at least 250'). They reinforced that this is an historic opportunity to remake the entire area, and what happens on this site will influence whatever may happen at North Station and City Hall Plaza. We may even get a "real" architect on the project.

Some well-meaning but uninformed folks (mostly golf-widows) from the North End and Beacon Hill and the West End voiced the predictable concerns about height and traffic and shadows. I didn't see our pal Shirley there.

Nothing's been decided, or more likely, the owners aren't ready to tip their hand. If the City coughs up the Police Station and other properties on the western side of the garage, it changes (and improves) the game.

There'll be more of these meetings, and more of us should go. I'll buy a round at the Green Dragon.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Thanks a lot Brut. I'll keep my eyes peeled for the next meeting.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Thanks pelhamhall -- you shamed me into attending.

pelhamhall said:
I hope tonight's meeting isn't dominated by the same small cartel of anti-growth yahoos that oppose everything in this city.
Click to expand...
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

I really wish I could have gone, I tried to re-schedule prior commitments but couldn't.

The developer has got Flagship Wharf built in Charlestown - something you could argue is huge and out of scale with the historic Navy Yard (you could, I wouldn't) and they also got a tower built on Copley Square - Trinity Place - so they have some experience going for height and density in sensitive areas and succeeding.

Chan Krieger is the master planner for the site, so we're in good hands.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

It would be great to see the Police move back to the building they were temporarily housed in (is it called the Tunnel Authority Building?).
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

I wonder if the city will ask the developer's for the same kind of deal the developers of 125 High Street got, where they were allowed to tear down the fire station, but had to rebuilt it within their project. Now you have a fire station in prime Class-A tower space, fronting the so-called Greenway. So why not a police station tucked away in some corner of this new complex? I'm guessing if there is a hotel/residential aspect to this complex nobody would want to share it with police sirens, but could it be put somewhere that is shielded from residents?
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Who would fill a public school? You could probably count the kids under 20 in the whole N. End or CRP on one hand. You do see a decent number of toddlers on Beacon Hill, but once they turn 4 or 5 it's off to the affluent environs.

Maybe they should consider a doggy daycare instead.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

briv said:
Who would fill a public school? You could probably count the kids under 20 in the whole N. End or CRP on one hand.
Click to expand...

not once the pool opens. I don't know if those kids truck in for the day from elsewhere, but there is tons of them, and they all know each other. And I'm fairly certain many of them live in the neighborhood.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Being on the Green and Orange lines would make it easier to get to than the big school complex in W Roxbury.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Regarding schools in the area:

The North End already has a K-8 school, the Eliot School. Its primarly attended by children from far outside the N. End. A bit less than 1/3 of the approx. 175 kids in the school are "walk zone" students from the local neighborhood. If student assignment procedures were altered maybe local enrollment would increase? I'm not sure.

In Beacon Hill, over the years, some have voiced support for a public school. There used to be one on Joy Street, but it was closed in the 1980's and it now houses tenants who are low income and have HIV/AIDS. I'm guessing most of families with school age children in Beacon Hill would prefer the public exam schools for middle and high school or private schools and they probably have the financial resources for the latter option. The community tried to convince Boston Public Schools to buy a building on Brimmer street in the flats for a public school a few years back but Boston Public said the neighborhood demographics couldn't justify it. The building is now a private school - Park Street School. That would have been the best location as it is accessible to families in Beacon Hill and Back Bay.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

"I DECIDE WHERE THERE'S GOING TO BE SCHOOLS!" said our illustrious Mayor. He has said "no" on two occasions: the Brimmer St school and at Seaport Square.
 
Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

The parents in the Back Bay and Beacon Hill were willing to buy the school for the city,and the Seaport developer is willing to pay for it himself. Look for the Seaport School to happen.

Many people move out of the city when their kid get to be school age and they don't get the school they want. I think you would see a big change Beacon Hill and Back Bay had their own school and busing ends.

ps we don't want to turn this into a busing thread
 
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Re: Congress St Garage is being sold.

Maybe this is the place for the "Grand Public Market Structure

A great Glass tent opening onto the Greenway surmounted by a very tall thin tower mixing residential, hotel and office space

with provisions for both permanent and transient vendors as well as a place to shelter the Greenway pedestrians from inclement or excessively hot weather and perhaps temporary exhibits as well

Westy
 
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