General South Bay Development (Formerly Gateway Center)
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TheBostonBoy
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Wow, good shit in this thread, too bad it has been silent!
Well let's bring it back to life...
Anyone got any news about SBD??
I looked on the development website, and it seems like it is abandoned. I haven't heard anything about this for a good while! :?
Well let's bring it back to life...
Anyone got any news about SBD??
I looked on the development website, and it seems like it is abandoned. I haven't heard anything about this for a good while! :?
a few words from the mayor:
On the Chinatown Gateway
The city and state have recently called a 20-acre area of land abutting Chinatown the ?South Bay Planning Study Area.? But Chinatown advocates want the land called the ?Chinatown Gateway,? contending that most of the land, which is up for development, is under Chinatown-area zoning. During the mayor's talk, Jeremy Liu, director the Asian Community Development Corporation, asked the mayor to have the land called the ?Chinatown Gateway.?
Menino's response: ?As long as I?m around, it?s the ?Chinatown Gateway.? Give me a break?.That?s the first time that somebody brought that to my attention.?
Link
On the Chinatown Gateway
The city and state have recently called a 20-acre area of land abutting Chinatown the ?South Bay Planning Study Area.? But Chinatown advocates want the land called the ?Chinatown Gateway,? contending that most of the land, which is up for development, is under Chinatown-area zoning. During the mayor's talk, Jeremy Liu, director the Asian Community Development Corporation, asked the mayor to have the land called the ?Chinatown Gateway.?
Menino's response: ?As long as I?m around, it?s the ?Chinatown Gateway.? Give me a break?.That?s the first time that somebody brought that to my attention.?
Link
Beton Brut
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ablarc said:
That Menino blocked too many kicks without a helmet.
My office faces this site, and I'd say there's no way it's more Chinatown than leather district. For the past two years they've used the space to play construction. They move piles from one place to another, and I've even seen them training guys on how to operate different machines. We have a live cam in our office that faces the intersection. No promises, but I'll see if I can get everyone access to it. The picture quality is unparalleled, and you can control the camera with your arrow keys.
saltbox
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Before the Turnpike Extension was built in 1962, the Hudson and Albany Street area south of Kneeland (i.e. part of Chinatown Gateway) was once a vibrant residential neighborhood of Chinatown. Construction of the Turnpike Extension caused many homes and businesses in that neighborhood to be destroyed. Most notably, the east side of Hudson Street, where groceries, restaurants, and homes have been replaced by a concrete embankment. This section of Chinatown, affected by air and noise pollution as well as physical ugliness, has declined ever since.
This is why it's "Chinatown Gateway" and not "South Bay"
[/url]
This is why it's "Chinatown Gateway" and not "South Bay"
Whatever the name, does anyone actually have any recent info on this? Has it been officially squashed? As someone pointed out...this land seems far too valuable to just sit undeveloped or covered over in a series of overpasses and pavement. Would be a shame if something worthy doesn't get built.
Patriots_1228
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i hope it didnt die, it looks awesome.
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I haven't heard anything in a long time but given the problems that the Columbus Center is having AND the problems of the Big Dig tunnels falling apart I'd say the prospect of this happening is diminishing by the day. If it is expensive to build over a short segment like Mass Pike it must be crazy complicated costing mad duckets to build over an entire interchange.
Having a Say in the Gateway
Chinatown Groups Hope to Shape the Gateway Area
Jul 20, 2007
by Adam Smith
Can Chinatown residents and community groups gain enough clout to influence the development of 20 acres of land abutting the neighborhood?
Many are betting the answer is yes.
Dozens of residents and others are joining the Chinatown Gateway Coalition's efforts to design a "vision" for the Chinatown Gateway/South Bay Planning Study Area, an area bounded by Kneeland Street, Albany Street, the Massachusetts Turnpike I-90 mainline, and the I-93 northbound mainline.
The coalition, a group of neighborhood organizations and activists, hopes to engage Chinatown residents and others to help craft a plan for the land that the coalition considers mainly an extension of Chinatown. The city, however, plans to create a new district of Boston on the property, which consists mostly of Big Dig parcels now available for development. Many in the Leather District, which the area also abuts, also want to shape the land?s development.
"It's very important for Chinatown to look at the Chinatown Gateway Area in the context of the community's needs," said Lydia Lowe of the Chinese Progressive Association, a member organization of the coalition, during a July 10 community meeting introducing people to the property.
Since 2005, the group has been working around influencing what happens on the Gateway area, which consists of many former Big Dig parcels now available for development. Despite its downtown location, the property could pose some challenges for development because it is sliced up by a stream of elevated roads, leaving only about 10 acres that are fit for buildings and open space. Building decks over some of the existing roads could create more developable areas, but would also drive up costs.
The coalition's work comes several years after the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and the Boston Redevelopment Authority already started a planning process for the Chinatown Gateway/ South Bay Planning Study Area. In 2004, the two authorities created an initial development plan based on a series of community meetings and subsequent planning that was proposed by the BRA. A request for developers to submit building plans for the area, which the city wanted developed as one large new neighborhood, yielded only one submission that was eventually withdrawn.
When the coalition was formed in 2005, it wasn't satisfied with the development process already in place. It appeared that collaboration between the city and the group could be a struggle. Even from the start, a point of contention has been whether to call the area the South Bay Planning Study Area, which the BRA prefers, or the Chinatown Gateway District, the name of choice of the coalition. Also, one of the more active members of the coalition, the Chinese Progressive Association, has butted heads with the BRA in the past.
But at the Chinatown Gateway Coalition's first design meeting on July 10, which 80 people attended, city and state officials appeared supportive of the group's community charrette, or collaborative design process, which is expected to result in two or three "visions" for the area.
Dick Garver, deputy director of infrastructure and transportation planning at the BRA, said the design meetings would complement the BRA's earlier efforts and could be used for its second phase of planning for the Gateway area.
"We really welcome this charrette," said Bill Tuttle, the deputy director of real estate at the Turnpike Authority, which owns most of the area.
The coalition's coordinator, Kye Leung, has said he's working to bring the groups together to increase the likelihood that the coalition would influence development of the Gateway area.
The BRA's vision of the property so far includes a pedestrian-friendly district of Boston that would serve as an "iconic gateway" to the city, according to Sue Kim, a planner with the city authority. Uses, she said, could be divided into thirds: housing, office and commercial buildings, and other space such as parks and public facilities. The BRA has also said that it prefers taller buildings at the southeastern end of the property, that it wants a large park somewhere within the Gateway area, and that it envisions an architectural feature -- possibly a building -- that acts as a gateway to the city.
The 2004 proposal that was later withdrawn included a towering 67-story high-rise as well as hundreds of condos and apartments.
It's not clear yet what the coalition's vision will be, or how much it will differ from the city's, but the group plans to release its proposal at the final charrette meeting on July 21.
Coalition members have emphasized a desire for plenty of affordable housing and public spaces. During a July 14 meeting to discuss what residents want on the land, more than 60 people gathered to explore uses such as housing, open space, and jobs. They walked around downtown Boston to observe and document what they wished to see replicated for the new development.
"The neighborhood is looking for community resources and certain opportunities for buildings that have a character that is consistent with the neighborhood," said Arturo Vasquez, an architect with SAS/Design, Inc., a firm hired by the coalition.
Some, however, are skeptical of how much influence the coalition will actually have over the development of the land.
"To the extent that any community members are involved in thinking about the area, that's great," said David Seeley, a trained architect living in the Leather District who has volunteered in the city's community design of the area for a decade. But, Seeley said, he wasn't sure why the Gateway Coalition wanted to work outside of the process the BRA already has in place, and expressed concern that they could be duplicating efforts that had already begun.
"I think it actually can be good that it's done independently of the city [process] -- but the city process is the one that is recognized by the city. To that extent, you want to spend your volunteer community hours in the way that you think will be most effective."
In addition, some observers question whether the BRA will in the end follow whatever plan is approved, because the city authority has been known to encourage developments out of scale with underlying zoning regulations anyway. For example, the recently built 28-story Archstone Boston Common building is in an area zoned for eight to 10 stories, and the proposed 29-story building at 120 Kingston St. has the same height restrictions.
"They haven't paid attention to the first plan, why would they pay attention to the next plan?" asked Shirley Kressel, a long-time critic of the BRA and former landscape architect.
But Vasquez, who worked with community groups in the Fenway around development plans there, feels there will be a real chance to influence the development of the Gateway Area, and that the process would complement the city's.
Said Kye Leung at the July 14 charrette meeting: "Usually, the developer pitches an idea to the community, which can either accept or reject the idea. But...the charrette allows the residents to give their input to the developers."
According to Sue Kim, the BRA will begin its second phase of planning for the Gateway Area this fall.
Phase two, she said, will look at what's feasible for the area, such as a proposal to modify highway ramps and create a final plan and new zoning.
Link
Chinatown Groups Hope to Shape the Gateway Area
Jul 20, 2007
by Adam Smith
Can Chinatown residents and community groups gain enough clout to influence the development of 20 acres of land abutting the neighborhood?
Many are betting the answer is yes.
Dozens of residents and others are joining the Chinatown Gateway Coalition's efforts to design a "vision" for the Chinatown Gateway/South Bay Planning Study Area, an area bounded by Kneeland Street, Albany Street, the Massachusetts Turnpike I-90 mainline, and the I-93 northbound mainline.
The coalition, a group of neighborhood organizations and activists, hopes to engage Chinatown residents and others to help craft a plan for the land that the coalition considers mainly an extension of Chinatown. The city, however, plans to create a new district of Boston on the property, which consists mostly of Big Dig parcels now available for development. Many in the Leather District, which the area also abuts, also want to shape the land?s development.
"It's very important for Chinatown to look at the Chinatown Gateway Area in the context of the community's needs," said Lydia Lowe of the Chinese Progressive Association, a member organization of the coalition, during a July 10 community meeting introducing people to the property.
Since 2005, the group has been working around influencing what happens on the Gateway area, which consists of many former Big Dig parcels now available for development. Despite its downtown location, the property could pose some challenges for development because it is sliced up by a stream of elevated roads, leaving only about 10 acres that are fit for buildings and open space. Building decks over some of the existing roads could create more developable areas, but would also drive up costs.
The coalition's work comes several years after the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority and the Boston Redevelopment Authority already started a planning process for the Chinatown Gateway/ South Bay Planning Study Area. In 2004, the two authorities created an initial development plan based on a series of community meetings and subsequent planning that was proposed by the BRA. A request for developers to submit building plans for the area, which the city wanted developed as one large new neighborhood, yielded only one submission that was eventually withdrawn.
When the coalition was formed in 2005, it wasn't satisfied with the development process already in place. It appeared that collaboration between the city and the group could be a struggle. Even from the start, a point of contention has been whether to call the area the South Bay Planning Study Area, which the BRA prefers, or the Chinatown Gateway District, the name of choice of the coalition. Also, one of the more active members of the coalition, the Chinese Progressive Association, has butted heads with the BRA in the past.
But at the Chinatown Gateway Coalition's first design meeting on July 10, which 80 people attended, city and state officials appeared supportive of the group's community charrette, or collaborative design process, which is expected to result in two or three "visions" for the area.
Dick Garver, deputy director of infrastructure and transportation planning at the BRA, said the design meetings would complement the BRA's earlier efforts and could be used for its second phase of planning for the Gateway area.
"We really welcome this charrette," said Bill Tuttle, the deputy director of real estate at the Turnpike Authority, which owns most of the area.
The coalition's coordinator, Kye Leung, has said he's working to bring the groups together to increase the likelihood that the coalition would influence development of the Gateway area.
The BRA's vision of the property so far includes a pedestrian-friendly district of Boston that would serve as an "iconic gateway" to the city, according to Sue Kim, a planner with the city authority. Uses, she said, could be divided into thirds: housing, office and commercial buildings, and other space such as parks and public facilities. The BRA has also said that it prefers taller buildings at the southeastern end of the property, that it wants a large park somewhere within the Gateway area, and that it envisions an architectural feature -- possibly a building -- that acts as a gateway to the city.
The 2004 proposal that was later withdrawn included a towering 67-story high-rise as well as hundreds of condos and apartments.
It's not clear yet what the coalition's vision will be, or how much it will differ from the city's, but the group plans to release its proposal at the final charrette meeting on July 21.
Coalition members have emphasized a desire for plenty of affordable housing and public spaces. During a July 14 meeting to discuss what residents want on the land, more than 60 people gathered to explore uses such as housing, open space, and jobs. They walked around downtown Boston to observe and document what they wished to see replicated for the new development.
"The neighborhood is looking for community resources and certain opportunities for buildings that have a character that is consistent with the neighborhood," said Arturo Vasquez, an architect with SAS/Design, Inc., a firm hired by the coalition.
Some, however, are skeptical of how much influence the coalition will actually have over the development of the land.
"To the extent that any community members are involved in thinking about the area, that's great," said David Seeley, a trained architect living in the Leather District who has volunteered in the city's community design of the area for a decade. But, Seeley said, he wasn't sure why the Gateway Coalition wanted to work outside of the process the BRA already has in place, and expressed concern that they could be duplicating efforts that had already begun.
"I think it actually can be good that it's done independently of the city [process] -- but the city process is the one that is recognized by the city. To that extent, you want to spend your volunteer community hours in the way that you think will be most effective."
In addition, some observers question whether the BRA will in the end follow whatever plan is approved, because the city authority has been known to encourage developments out of scale with underlying zoning regulations anyway. For example, the recently built 28-story Archstone Boston Common building is in an area zoned for eight to 10 stories, and the proposed 29-story building at 120 Kingston St. has the same height restrictions.
"They haven't paid attention to the first plan, why would they pay attention to the next plan?" asked Shirley Kressel, a long-time critic of the BRA and former landscape architect.
But Vasquez, who worked with community groups in the Fenway around development plans there, feels there will be a real chance to influence the development of the Gateway Area, and that the process would complement the city's.
Said Kye Leung at the July 14 charrette meeting: "Usually, the developer pitches an idea to the community, which can either accept or reject the idea. But...the charrette allows the residents to give their input to the developers."
According to Sue Kim, the BRA will begin its second phase of planning for the Gateway Area this fall.
Phase two, she said, will look at what's feasible for the area, such as a proposal to modify highway ramps and create a final plan and new zoning.
Link
palindrome
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Mike said:
God i hate her. Does she cover all of Boston? A landscape architect is criticizing urban development. Give me a fucking break. Dam i wish we all had more time for that Prodevelopment group.
Bos77
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If you want to get in contact with the self-appointed savior of Boston:
http://www.abnboston.org/contact.html
Read their web site too... literally a complaint about EVERYTHING going on in the city over the past 10 years.
http://www.abnboston.org/contact.html
Read their web site too... literally a complaint about EVERYTHING going on in the city over the past 10 years.