Fenway Infill and Small Developments

90' is probably the highest they were willing to go to limit the pushback from Red Sox ownership regarding views into the ballpark. Also, the numbers probably don't work for any larger of a building. They already have to build structured parking and from how much they are reportedly paying for the land lease, there is probably very little wiggle room in their numbers.
 
bakgwailo said:
Doesn't 90' seem kind of... short at this point for the area? I guess it doesn't really matter - its a great spot for a Hotel and we really do need more Hotel rooms in general.
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90 feet is the zoned height for that parcel.

It's worth mentioning that hotels are much more densely occupied than residential buildings. The article mentions it will have 184 rooms compared to the 212 units in the 17-story Harlo down the street. So it will add nearly the same amount of people to the streets on Fenway as a residential tower twice as tall.

All that taken into account, plus its planned independent restaurant, is a huge win over a gas station.
 
Ninety feet here strikes me as a nice step up from the older apartment blocks to the NE to the newer stuff west along Boylston. It'll also likely sail through the approval process, and there's definitely value in that.

Here are the developers other properties. Most of their stuff is cookie cutter suburban, but they do have some appropriately urban properties. I'm fully expecting this to be bland and boring but not awful.

I'm happy to to hear that they're planning on an "independent restaurant" for the ground floor. If only BPS could find a way to include additional ground floor retail in their school rebuild plans directly to the N of this along Ipswich...
 
JumboBuc said:
I'm happy to to hear that they're planning on an "independent restaurant" for the ground floor. If only BPS could find a way to include additional ground floor retail in their school rebuild plans directly to the N of this along Ipswich...
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Speaking of the BPS school. I know they've been discussing for the last decade about relocation. What is the current proposal?
 
FenwayResident said:
90 feet is the zoned height for that parcel.

It's worth mentioning that hotels are much more densely occupied than residential buildings. The article mentions it will have 184 rooms compared to the 212 units in the 17-story Harlo down the street. So it will add nearly the same amount of people to the streets on Fenway as a residential tower twice as tall.

All that taken into account, plus its planned independent restaurant, is a huge win over a gas station.
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Ah, OK, that makes super sense, thanks. Didn't check the zoning here, just thought it might have been upzoned like further down Bolyston. And, yes, should be a nice addition anyways for density (and hotel/tourists generally like to go out/dine/etc).

JumboBuc said:
Ninety feet here strikes me as a nice step up from the older apartment blocks to the NE to the newer stuff west along Boylston. It'll also likely sail through the approval process, and there's definitely value in that.
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Yeah, that also does make sense/works. I was thinking in the opposite - that increasing height as we get towards Copley/the high spine would be the way to go, but I agree in this context the step from the 5 story buildings works.
 
^
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BeeLine said:
Plans to replace the Boston Arts Academy outlined on the Bldup website this morning. The new BAA will be built at the 174 Ipswich site for $124.8 million.
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Handsome. But no retail here really seems like a mistake, both from an urbanism point-of-view and a purely economic one for BPS.
 
JumboBuc said:
Handsome. But no retail here really seems like a mistake, both from an urbanism point-of-view and a purely economic one for BPS.
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I was going to say the same thing. At least the street level is opened up with plenty of glass, compared to the dead, blank wall that current exists.
 
The adjacent gas station and single story structure look like prime development spots. Any buzz on those properties?
 
Beton Brut said:
I'm guessing that this may have something to do with school security.
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I'm pretty sure it's driven by the way school construction is funded.

I don't believe the current funding channels have any mechanisms for the construction of revenue-generating space. So even though retail space here would surely be a money maker and countless investors would be happy to cover the extra construction costs for a share of future rents, that doesn't "fit" into the way schools are built. Something like: state grants for academic space (rightfully) won't cover the commercial space, but if you raise separate capital for the commercial space costs then you (stupidly) lose out on the grants for the academic space. This is all too bad, because there should be a way to make it work. I wish that BPS et al could find it.

I don't see how securing the school separately from the commercial space would be an issue.

SlothofDespond said:
The adjacent gas station and single story structure look like prime development spots. Any buzz on those properties?
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Scroll up to the top of this page.
 
JumboBuc said:
Handsome. But no retail here really seems like a mistake, both from an urbanism point-of-view and a purely economic one for BPS.
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Normally I'm all in with street level retail in every building. But it offends my aesthetic senses when it comes to government buildings, especially schools or libraries. What does it say about a society if it needs to sell retail space or advertising in order to fund arguably the most important functions? Can you imagine police cars and school buses with advertising? It would be like placing a hot dog stand inside a church lobby, it just shouldn't be done.
 
Why does the street level public engagement have to be retail in this case? Why not an art gallery showcasing the students' work that's open to the public?

Also, I mostly agree with HenryAlan but feel there can be exceptions that are tastefully done. The Newsroom Cafe at the Boston Public Library is at street level and feels appropriately done IMO.
 
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HenryAlan said:
Normally I'm all in with street level retail in every building. But it offends my aesthetic senses when it comes to government buildings, especially schools or libraries. What does it say about a society if it needs to sell retail space or advertising in order to fund arguably the most important functions? Can you imagine police cars and school buses with advertising? It would be like placing a hot dog stand inside a church lobby, it just shouldn't be done.
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It all depends on the context; in this case the retail would be less about the school and more about the neighborhood. The high school is on a dense commercial strip right next to a baseball park, so a few additional shops would fit right in. It's not tucked away on a quiet residential street - thousands of people walk by it daily.
 
FenwayResident said:
It all depends on the context; in this case the retail would be less about the school and more about the neighborhood. The high school is on a dense commercial strip right next to a baseball park, so a few additional shops would fit right in. It's not tucked away on a quiet residential street - thousands of people walk by it daily.
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Right, it's not about "need[ing] to sell retail space or advertising in order to fund arguably the most important functions," it's about making the best use out of a space and fitting it into the community. For example, the amazing Bruce Bolling Municipal Building (BPS HQ) in Dudley has retail at the ground floor and it's absolutely better for it.
 
bigpicture7 said:
Why does the street level public engagement have to be retail in this case? Why not an art gallery showcasing the students' work that's open to the public?
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^^^
I do like this idea, and wouldn't at all mind something along those lines, just don't like the idea of a commercial oriented street face.

Also, I mostly agree with HenryAlan but feel there can be exceptions that are tastefully done. The Newsroom Cafe at the Boston Public Library is at street level and feels appropriately done IMO.
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^^^
Agree with this, which made me hesitate somewhat before posting. It's a good illustration of your point that a properly considered public oriented street level can be quite effective. However, a library is, by its very nature, more oriented to the general public than is a school.

FenwayResident said:
It all depends on the context; in this case the retail would be less about the school and more about the neighborhood. The high school is on a dense commercial strip right next to a baseball park, so a few additional shops would fit right in. It's not tucked away on a quiet residential street - thousands of people walk by it daily.
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^^^
As for this, respectfully I disagree completely. It isn't the job of a school to fit in, but rather to stand out as a temple to civic virtue. There is plenty of good street level retail around Fenway Park, though admittedly not so much on Van Ness and Ipswich streets.
 
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