General Boston Discussion

I guess it's all fine if he doesn't put the money in his bra.
 
I'm strongly in favor of more home rule for Boston on all fronts (tax policy, zoning, liquor licenses) but dare I say Collins has a point (blech). As the residential tax burden increase continues to get smaller, the need for the petition goes down, especially if there are some small cuts that can be made to make everyone whole.

First, it's good that the decrease in assessible value of commercial parcels isn't as bad as first thought. I hope this also gets some of the more annoying local pols to stop talking about a doom loop. But it also means that any increases beyond legal limits should be even smaller and/or for a shorter duration (if they pass at all).

My money is on nobody doing anything, residents get a ~10% increase, and then Collins, Flynn and others blame Wu for the increase and run on it (despite it being their faults). Politics!
 
2007:
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2024:
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Can anyone identify this brick building on Beacon Street next to the Pike? I always assumed it was a Green Line vent shaft, but now I'm not sure. It was built between 1985 and 1995, which seems like an odd time for a Green Line structure, and there's no MBTA signage to be found. The building to the left is an old Boston Edison substation. The brick building doesn't appear to be connected to the substation except by the brick facade, so I'm not sure whether they're related. Assessor data just lists it as belonging to the Turnpike Authority, which doesn't mean much.

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The EGE said:
Can anyone identify this brick building on Beacon Street next to the Pike? I always assumed it was a Green Line vent shaft, but now I'm not sure. It was built between 1985 and 1995, which seems like an odd time for a Green Line structure, and there's no MBTA signage to be found. The building to the left is an old Boston Edison substation. The brick building doesn't appear to be connected to the substation except by the brick facade, so I'm not sure whether they're related. Assessor data just lists it as belonging to the Turnpike Authority, which doesn't mean much.

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It might be odd timing, but that is definitely a MBTA GL tunnel vent structure. It's been discussed here before, but no ones quite sure why in the 80s they built that one and this one on Mass Ave, now integrated into the Lyrik / Parcel 12 building. That said, that raises an excellent question.

Why didn't they give this one to the Parcel 7 / Fenway Center folks as well? Clearly they have a working relationship, see Landsdowne Station - a ventilation structure can't be that hard to integrate, plus I feel like the extra terra firma would have been worth its. Parcel 12 did it pretty seamlessly, so this is just going to remain as is forever since I doubt anyone will be touching the Edison Electric facility.
 
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HenryAlan said:
Can you explain how it's unethical?
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Tongue in cheek, but I will argue the point anyway. I consider the building and others like it to be fruit of the poisoned tree. Anything we made via urban renewal should be continuously reevaluated in case we decide it's time to 'undo' those mistakes. It could be a great monument to architecture and a priceless part of Boston's history, and still be worth knocking down for this reason. I am also concerned that it helps cement the legacy of the Paul Rudolph types, when we should hopefully be working to bury that legacy (with dense, new buildings and an actual urban fabric, not superblocks etc) I recognize this is a minority opinion.
 
Thanks, that helps me to understand your view. And I kind of agree, but at the same time, I don't see a viable path to restoring the old West End.
 
HenryAlan said:
Thanks, that helps me to understand your view. And I kind of agree, but at the same time, I don't see a viable path to restoring the old West End.
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You're probably right with regards to NIMBY opposition and lack of political will. But it is physically possible to leave the existing Charles River Park buildings largely in place while infilling around them with small streets and density of varying heights. A few years ago I came up with this infill layout concept, which needs to be updated.
Beige color areas would be new development, and new streets are in red.
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City Hall is not the worst building in the world, but the plaza itself (which was the real crime to begin with) is just too big. They should take the lower portion of the JFK and turn it into 2 tall towers that push somewhat into the existing plaza. The middle of that should then become a thruway straight to Sudbury. Something like the following, with towers on the yellow highlights and a thruway on the black. Note this is very imperfect but that's the "dead side" of the plaza, even with the playground. The playground can stay but the section above should be pared down and developed. (EDIT it might make even more sense to push the towers all the way to Sudbury St)

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