Charlesview Redevelopment | Western Ave | Allston

[BeeLine]

https://flic.kr/p/rUpzWe
Looks like people are starting to move into these new units.
https://flic.kr/p/rBQFs1
Big surprise in this neighborhood is that they have demolished a large one story industrial/warehouse building on the
NW corner of Antwerp and Holton. I'm guessing it took up 2/3's of a city block. I hope they fill it with more of the 2 and
4 unit buildings shown above.
https://flic.kr/p/rUptgv

 

[Downburst]

That area is positively screaming for some greenery. I'm assuming they'd wait until the weather's a bit warmer to do any planting?

 

[coleslaw]

does it look as sterile in person?

 

[kz1000ps]

Psh, this is Allston. Allston don't need no stinkin' trees.

 

[vanshnookenraggen]

Any new development is going to look sterile. Go check out a Levittown today and it looks like a wonderful place. 50 years ago it was the definition of sterile.

This is a great development, a place that I would actually like to live in. Plant some trees and in a decade this is going to be a model for blighted public housing redevelopment.

 

[stellarfun]

Beeline, Harvard bought the Brookline Machine Co, 90 Antwerp St., six years ago. It was never Harvard's intention to use the site for Harvard, but either to do a land swap, or simply advance the redevelopment of the south side of Western Ave.

http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2009/1/8/harvard-adds-to-allston-land-holdings/

A bit of the park versus housing debate, after Harvard gave the land to the BRA two years ago.

.http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2013/11/15/allston-brookline-machines/

 

[BeeLine]

^^ Thanks much for the additional info.

 

[schwein]

does it look as sterile in person?

yes very, the interiors are the same.

 

[Brad Plaid]

This is a great development, a place that I would actually like to live in. Plant some trees and in a decade this is going to be a model for blighted public housing redevelopment.

How well maintained are these buildings going to be though? And at what cost? I would think wood siding, roof shingles, porch railings, etc. are fragile-ish and expensive to maintain unless these are some kind of engineered materials that are longer lasting and don't require frequent painting/repairing/replacement. Hope so, otherwise that blight could quickly return.

 

[davem]

How well maintained are these buildings going to be though? And at what cost? I would think wood siding, roof shingles, porch railings, etc. are fragile-ish and expensive to maintain unless these are some kind of engineered materials that are longer lasting and don't require frequent painting/repairing/replacement. Hope so, otherwise that blight could quickly return.

The siding is all hardiboard. Besides, the surrounding neighborhood (which I live in) is exactly the same stuff and looks pretty good after a century. The new crop that just went up are also market-rate townhouses, so it will be the owners responsibility to maintain them. The Charlesview stuff was all built with maintenance in mind, less porches.