Columbus Center: RIP | Back Bay

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Re: Columbus Center

pelhamhall said:
. . . nothing can be built here at a profit without government money. . . . This is probably not a viable development site. For anything. . . . if they can't devise a plan that works, why should we assume some other developer magically can?
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That?s all untrue._ These 7 acres are some of the most valuable unused urban land in the nation, and plenty can be built here, all without tax dollars._ No one?s seen any of those possibilities, because the property?s been tied up by Winn for 14 years.

When I met with Beal they confirmed that their mandate was to determine only whether the 2003 proposal could be finished, exactly as proposed ? unchanged and unaltered. _ But that proposal depended upon hundreds of millions of public dollars that never materialized, and upon a claimed bank loan that never existed, and upon commercial lending criteria that the project never met._ So no, nothing proposed by California-CUIP-MURC-Winn-Beal-Related can be built here, but yes, other viable proposals are possible.
 
Re: Columbus Center

pelhamhall said:
. . . Who do you go after? Who do you blame?
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1st:_ the developer (California-CUIP-MURC-Winn).
2nd:_ Mayor Menino and his development staff, who approved everything that?s happened.
3rd:_ EOT / DOT / MTA officials, who approved everything that?s happened.

tobyjug said:
I'd go after whoever underwrote the performance bond, or in the(unacceptable) alternative, blame whoever waived a performance bond requirement.
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It was EOT-DOT-MTA who let the developer launch ?site preparation and pre-construction activity? in September 2007 without the $295 million performance bond.

Shortly after signing the lease in spring 2006, the developer demanded to re-negotiate it, and then dragged the process out for nearly 2 more years._ When re-negotiations finished in March 2008, California-CUIP-MURC-CWCC at the last minute refused to sign the amended lease, then refused to buy the bond, and then walked off the site.
 
Re: Columbus Center

bbfen said:
. . . Wasn't the development branch of the turnpike authority uncerimoniously detached from the MTA six weeks ago?
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No._ The former MTA employees who oversaw all I-90 development (Stephen Hines and Shirin Karanfiloglu) were laid off in April._ In June, Hines? I-90 duties were transferred to EOT Deputy Secretary for Real Estate & Economic Development Peter O?Connor, and Karanfiloglu?s I-90 duties were transferred to MTA Real Estate Deputy Director Bill Tuttle.
 
Re: Columbus Center

Ned Flaherty said:
When I met with Beal they confirmed that their mandate was to determine only whether the 2003 proposal could be finished, exactly as proposed ? unchanged and unaltered.
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Ned, first off thanks for the information in your previous posts.

Secondly, in reference to the above quote, that is indeed "the company line" but in my opinion (and I have no relation to this project whatsoever) the unusual nature of this business arrangement means something else is up.

Don't believe for one second that Beal doesn't have some tricks up his sleeve.

The failure of the Clarendon/One Back Bay doesn't bode well for getting this traffic trench covered anytime soon though.
 
Re: Columbus Center

Ned, if I read you right, there was no performance bond before there was a physical disturbance of the site? I bet the designers and project managers in our audience are laughing at that one.

Leaders of a public authority who allow work on public property without a bond are incompetent. Hello...Inspector General?
 
Re: Columbus Center

This story is full of problems because you dont know BOSTON HISTORY!!!

Boston is the home of RIGHTS. That is what they died for. And we must continue to do it. Air rRIGHTS. You see the key word here. Everyone has such rights, freedom to breath, freeedom to gather, freedom to VOTE. This is why Mr. Ned votes for freedom of breath..his RIGHT to air. And you should not poone him about his exercise.

Second. What is to be done?? It is all the fault of thet big ditch. And you CANNOT blame Mr. Ned for that or the neighbors because they DIDN'T DIG IT.

Next. Here is where MORE history comes to play. One of you smarter posters wrote cars are get cleaner and I say you are RIGHT (again you see the key word here.) Those hybrids and TotoyaPriaps so things are better in the air, carwise. It is the trains that stink.

So, you ask? What about HISTORY. You look at an old map of Boston and you don't see those train tracks there. Trains there there ARE NOT BOSTON HISTORY. You wouldn't see them in the GOLDEN AGE of the colonial times. BUT they werent there. They stopped out by the back of Back Bay and that was it. There was NO big ditch.

HERE is the SOLUTION to Mr. Ned: Get rid of those trains there and those poisonos fumes that KILL your brain. Build a new WEST STATION. Tracks in his neighborhood are for electric shuttles back and forth to SOUTH STATION and WEST STATION. I think of this aiport at Tampa when my family went to Bush Gardens and electric shuttle trains are there every couple of minutes between terminals .

THIS GIVES HIM AND THE OTHER GOOD CITIZENS their RIGHT TO BREATH jus5 liie in the Declaration of Independence!!! And you build your trophy HIGH RISEbut not kill him trophy too!!!

See. HISTORY in Boston is ALWAYS the answer.
 
Re: Columbus Center

tobyjug said:
. . . there was no performance bond before there was a physical disturbance of the site?
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Correct._ Here?s what happened.

02 May 2006 ? Landlord MTA and Tenant California (CalPERS-CUIP-MURC-CWCC) signed a lease._ In Article 4.12(b), sub-sections (vi) and (vii) required California to deliver copies of MTA-approved payment-performance-lien bonds and MTA-approved insurance policies, and section (viii) required California to obtain 100% financing, including MTA-approved construction loans.

05 December 2006 ? California purchased an insurance policy protecting California, but never bought performance bonds protecting MTA.

September 2007 ? California halted its funding of the project.

October 2007 ? To keep current investors, add new investors, and attract bankers, Winn Development rented construction equipment and hired temporary laborers using its own funds, and got MTA to approve only ?site preparation and pre-construction activity.?_ MTA withheld approval to start construction of tunnels or buildings.

19 January 2008 ? In closed session, the MTA Board of Directors approved an 855-page amendment to the 2,489-page lease, bringing the total to 3,344 pages._ The amendment included 3 requirements for a total of $295 million in bonds that would protect the MTA against defects, delays, or other difficulties caused by California.

20 March 2008 ? The ?site preparation and pre-construction activity? that began in October 2007 failed to attract any investors or bankers, and California asked MTA if buying performance bonds, amending the lease, getting financing, and resuming construction could be delayed until 20 September 2009.

30 November 2008 ? California reached its 3rd default on the original May 2006 lease:_ (1) failing to get financing; (2) failing to start tunnel construction; and (3) failing to finish the tunnels by 30 November 2008.

5 February 2009 ? Boston Globe reported Arthur Winn?s confirmation that all major decisions since 2006 were made by California.

24 April 2009 ? MTA Executive Director Alan LeBovidge threatened litigation if California did not finish restoration of the site and remove the 392 Jersey barriers along the railways, highway, and city streets.
 
Re: Columbus Center

Pathetic. They could have segmented the work, and segmented the bonds accordingly. As an oversimplified example:

Phase One- excavation in Cortes Street area to include removal of vegetation, subsurface exploration... Approximate cost to restore: $X
Phase One security- performance bond to the value of $X

The developer doesn't get upside down over the bond cost, the surety has a defined scope and a comfort level (with the prospect of limited liability) and most importantly, the public is protected.
 
Re: Columbus Center

bostonbred said:
This story is full of problems because you dont know BOSTON HISTORY!!!

Boston is the home of RIGHTS. That is what they died for. And we must continue to do it. Air rRIGHTS. You see the key word here. Everyone has such rights, freedom to breath, freeedom to gather, freedom to VOTE. This is why Mr. Ned votes for freedom of breath..his RIGHT to air. And you should not poone him about his exercise.

Second. What is to be done?? It is all the fault of thet big ditch. And you CANNOT blame Mr. Ned for that or the neighbors because they DIDN'T DIG IT.

Next. Here is where MORE history comes to play. One of you smarter posters wrote cars are get cleaner and I say you are RIGHT (again you see the key word here.) Those hybrids and TotoyaPriaps so things are better in the air, carwise. It is the trains that stink.

So, you ask? What about HISTORY. You look at an old map of Boston and you don't see those train tracks there. Trains there there ARE NOT BOSTON HISTORY. You wouldn't see them in the GOLDEN AGE of the colonial times. BUT they werent there. They stopped out by the back of Back Bay and that was it. There was NO big ditch.

HERE is the SOLUTION to Mr. Ned: Get rid of those trains there and those poisonos fumes that KILL your brain. Build a new WEST STATION. Tracks in his neighborhood are for electric shuttles back and forth to SOUTH STATION and WEST STATION. I think of this aiport at Tampa when my family went to Bush Gardens and electric shuttle trains are there every couple of minutes between terminals .

THIS GIVES HIM AND THE OTHER GOOD CITIZENS their RIGHT TO BREATH jus5 liie in the Declaration of Independence!!! And you build your trophy HIGH RISEbut not kill him trophy too!!!

See. HISTORY in Boston is ALWAYS the answer.
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Well, I suggest you look at your boston history, and history in general.

This project has nothing to do with the Big Dig, nor is it relatively close to the big dig...

"Everyone has such rights, freedom to breath, freeedom to gather, "

Neither freedom to breath or freedom to gather [what does that mean] are listed as unalienable rights which i assume is what you are referring to [because those are the only rights that you have to give people] on the declaration of independence, which has little to do with Boston history since it was written in in Virginia and signed in Philidelphia. And the concept of unalienable rights isn't even American, its been around since the magna carta.
 
Re: Columbus Center

Do you have to be Einstine or INDIANA JONES in the Temple of GLOOM to not see that Mr. Ned F. lives next to a BIG DITCH? WITH TRAINS IN IT? Or did the Perkins school not screne Trainspotting in FILM APPRECIATION CLASS???

And you say that freedom to BREATH is an aliens right only??? LOL. I am going to buy the Perrier oxygen bottle franchise to sell you air!!! Do you want to buy Tobins Bridge too?

DUDE YOU GET BOSTON HISTORY WRONG AND GIVE THE CREDTIT TO VIRGINIA!!! John ADams wrote the real bill of right uphere in the MASS CONSTITUTION THAT OTHERS COPIED. LOOK IT UPO!!!
 
Re: Columbus Center

Now let's just calm down for a second. There are plenty of capital letters and punctuation marks to go around.
 
Re: Columbus Center

I am sorry. I get too excited if someone insults Boston. It is the best. And it has been the leader. Always. I can't explain how STRONG I feel about this feeling. It is spititual.

How great would it be to fix this Ditch and that the air could be cleaned too, all at the same time. And like they say about Storrow, it should be fixed in this lifetime. PLUS, with the train ditch on one side and Storow on the other, it is like, you know, like putting a MASTERPEACE in the cheap frame, not a nice one from a museum.
 
Re: Columbus Center

I feel that the level of discourse in this thread has been taken up a notch.
 
Re: Columbus Center

1. I never insulted Boston. I merely gave credit where credit is due.

2. What is the Big Ditch? You mean the big dig? The big dig was a project to place the central artery underground. What you are referring to is the mass pike which has been around for god knows how long. Ned's house is in the south end [if i recall] which borders the Mass Pike but is nowhere near the big dig.

3. How immature are you making jokes about the perkins school?

4. Did you go to school? Unalienable means that it cannot be denied. Those rights are unalienable because it is wrong to deny someone those rights. It has nothing to do with fricking space aliens.

5. You really need to pay attention in history class, or at least look stuff up on wikipedia before you say it. While John Adams was influential in convincing congress to sign the declaration, he only played a minor role in writing it, it was primarily jefferson who wrote it*

The Massachusetts constitution, written in part by John Adams, which you pointed out, was written 3 years after the declaration in 1779, so how on earth could they have copied him when they wrote theirs 3 years prior? There isn't even a relation between them anyways, they are two different types of documents.

6. If the light on your keyboard is green, it means you might have hit caps lock accidentally.
 
Re: Columbus Center

Shepard said:
I feel that the level of discourse in this thread has been taken up a notch.
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I say thank you, because better to fix this than be necrophiliacs over the dead. As for RIGHTS, mr,pat, look at youre bill of rights and youll see I am right. On the Big Ditch I say go to Clarendon and Boylston, walk south, when you get on the bridge, take a left over the rail. Bingo, when you fall 50 feet you found it. Go now. Whoops... GO NOW!!! (LOL!!!)
 
Re: Columbus Center

I am NOT a Braintree surgeon but neither you not to say Adams was best in setting up the RIGHTS of which you speak. And it is in BOSTON that the OLDEST CONSTITUTION still lives. NOT the boat, but everybud nows that is old too. (And cool.)


http://www.socialaw.com/article.htm?cid=15747


http://books.google.com/books?id=E9...vtn9Dw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=6

What this has to do is that Mr. Ned F. and others have the right to their peace, and we should find a way TO GIVE IT TO THEM!!!

Bedtime sad to say.
 
Re: Columbus Center

Check your private messages, Bostonbred.
 
Re: Columbus Center

^yes but as I said the idea of unalienable rights comes from the declaration of independence many years earlier, and those ideas go back even further to the magna carta in england centuries ago. I can't even see the point your trying to make. Ned has his air. Nobody is sealing off his house or something. The south end is still going to be a lovely place if this tower is built. And how will a tower deny him fresh air? please explain that?
 
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