Dorchester Infill and Small Developments

005-2.jpg
004-5.jpg
looks like work is proceding again!
 
‘Gauntlet’ of vagrancy decried in Edward Everett Square
By Mike Deehan, Special to the Dorchester Reporter
Apr. 19, 2012

With neighbors forced to deal with everything from aggressive panhandling to booting intoxicated addicts off their porches, residents sent a clear message to local law enforcement and elected officials last week: Things have gotten out of hand in Edward Everett Square.

More than 50 people, including representatives from the Boston Police Department and elected officials, packed a room at the Dorchester Historical Society last Thursday to air their grievances against a group of vagrants who have made life miserable for some at the junction of Massachusetts Avenue, Columbia Road, and Boston Street. Others came to offer ideas on how to reverse the deterioration of a corner that was seen just a few years ago as a place where history and community met.

“Some people get very aggressive with their panhandling. Some of them get very aggressive with the things they throw at you,” said Wayne Canto, who lives near the square. Canto and other neighbors described a scene where eight to ten individuals hold court in the square’s park and in the adjacent parking lot, drinking, fighting, relieving themselves, and committing other lewd acts all in open view of residents, drivers and their children.

Eddie Debortoli said the people from the square have come onto his property to have sex and have even used his outdoor power outlets to charge their cell phones. Debortoli, a Dorchester homeowner and resident for 20 years, said he has even caught panhandlers picking flowers from the landscaped park to sell to drivers who pass by the busy intersection. “I don’t know why it has been allowed to happen for so long,” Debortoli said.
Click to expand...

Continues ....

http://www.dotnews.com/2012/gauntlet-vagrancy-decried-edward-everett-square
 
Could the businesses chain off that parking lot during hours when they are closed?
 
Ron Newman said:
Could the businesses chain off that parking lot during hours when they are closed?
Click to expand...

Ron -- if the individuals are " drinking, fighting, relieving themselves, and committing other lewd acts all in open " -- why would a chain bother them

No -- I'm afraid that if the Police don't take the matter in hand - the solution to protect the lot is high fences topped with razor wire
 
Washington st and Columbia Ave
627db155.jpg
eeb24271.jpg
c84c1603.jpg
Kind of matches the older surrounding apt buildings
6f554e2d.jpg
0c38b59e.jpg
a89d03e9.jpg
 
Kind of matches the older surrounding apt buildings
Click to expand...

Honestly though, those older buildings were short on good design from the get go. I know they are part of the existing fabric, but is it unnecessary to replicate low quality design?

cca
 
I think the older ones work well enough. I like that section of Columbia Road, in large part because the street wall is so effectively filled in. These buildings do a much better job of this than a series of triple deckers, for example.
 
Yup ... I guess thats subjectivity for you. No argument to be had ... just a personal preference. Carry on.

cca
 
The older buildings still manage to look far better, low quality or not.

Still, can't complain about another one-story commercial building getting built on.
 
The older buildings still manage to look far better, low quality or not.
Click to expand...

I cannot say I agree with that. Again ... subjective. Bad design is just always bad design. (I wish there was a subjectivity symbol)

cca
 
Can you elaborate on what makes them so terrible? From a layout perspective they may not be ideal, but the lintels, capstones, and cornices give them a far more complete look than what the new structure is going for.
 
Columbia Road was laid out to be part of the Emerald Necklace, connecting Franklin Park to Carson Beach. Any residential or commercial development there should try to nudge it back towards this original purpose.
 
That and I think it had a streetcar line down the middle (as did Blue Hill Ave)
 
As we debate the value of handsome (if understated) century-old brick apartments, what do we think of the non-brick cladding on the left if the first photo?
 
Beton the new part in the back is panel in muti-colors, I'll try to get pixs of the rest of the complex next time I'm around that area!
 
^^^
That company has a stunning lack of imagination in brick shape and bond variety.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top