GrandMarc Residence Hall (YMCA) @ Northeastern U | 291 St. Botolph Street | Fenway

Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Ron you are forgetting that school still has a lot of commuter students and faculty from out of state.

The YMCA isn't being opposed by the majority of the community, as in the immediate neighbors, but by the usual shakedown artists and suburban members of the YMCA that use that facility after work.

I'm kind of hoping the deal falls through at some point now. Have the YMCA close the branch and sell it to a private developer, some asshole like Druker, that sticks a luxury hotel on the site to replace the Midtown down the street. It would be the ultimate "fuck you" to the usual weasels that ruin every institutional project in the city looking for a payoff.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

KentXie said:
Oh boy, here comes the shadow argument again.


http://www.boston.com/news/educatio...panel_frowns_on_nu_dorm_plans/?p1=Local_Links

Seriously, fuck Boston and some of its people.

Community: "Hey we want your students out of our neighborhoods."

NU: "Okay then, we will build another dorm on our campus to resolve that problem. It will house 1800 students."

Community: "No, you will cast eternal darkness upon ancient buildings. Tell you what, why don't you build little by littlle by building low-rises."

NU: "By doing so, we would need to expand into the neighborhood because our campus don't have enough room to build tiny dorms and would require years to obtain new property and approval."

Community: "No it must be built on campus and it must been done as soon as possible."

NU: "But we can't do both. We can only do one-

Community: "No"

NU: "But if you want our students on campus we have to build high-

Community: "NO"

NU: "Or allow us to expand-

Community: "No, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, HEEHAW, HEEHAW, HEEHAW."
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^^ LMAO!!! SO TRUE!!!

In the defense of some of the other posters, though, I do request answers from NU's administration and campus development office with regards to why they haven't announced/explored developing on currently-owned parcels of land (namely the Columbus Lot). The plan for Cullinane Hall to be redeveloped into East Village seems to have disappeared, and all feels nearly forgotten on the redevelopment of the Gainsborough Garage into part of an East Village housing complex for undergraduate students.

I understand money is an issue, but I'm fairly certain that the university sees a pretty quick return on investment for any residential project they construct. I hope/imagine that the Columbus Lot will one day become a 4-level garage buried underground and topped with a mixed-use NU complex. In this complex: a series of 13-, 16-, and 20-story residence halls; a new academic building with ample studio space for the architecture program (so they can get out of their hole in the wall at Ruggles station); and maybe at street-level put a giant Stop-N-Shop or Trader Joe's grocery store (this neighborhood is direly lacking a big grocery store).

Sorry, these are just thoughts and I tend to let them run wild occasionally. :rolleyes:
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

^^My understanding is that right now, NU cannot borrow the money to build a big residence hall due to all the debt they owe on the past dorms. hence the leasing deal with Phoenix. NU still plans to build an additional residence hall for 1200 students on the site of the Gainsborough garage---eventually. Combine that with the NEC's planned 400 student residence across St. Botolph and the "community" is conplaining about too many students in that one area. The site of Cullinane will likely become an academic building, which NU needs too.

Now ifr the Commonwealth of Massachusetts were to guarantee dorm financing for private schools, that might speed everything up.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

dshoost

There is a Stop N Shop near Brigham and a Shaws at the Pru so I wouldn't exactly say that the neighborhood lacks a big grocery store.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Ron Newman said:
But Northeastern also has plenty of garages. Why does it need surface lots?
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It doesn't if said surface lots are replaced by an additional garage. As I mentioned before, the entire surface lot at Ruggles are completely full during the day (and at least 3/4 full at night). I don't exactly know how full the garage next door is but seeing how all these lots are full or near full, I can safely assume that the garage is near full as well and replacing the giant lot at ruggles without another garage structure will be displacing hundreds of cars.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

KentXie said:
dshoost

There is a Stop N Shop near Brigham and a Shaws at the Pru so I wouldn't exactly say that the neighborhood lacks a big grocery store.
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As more people concentrate onto Northeastern's campus and south of the Orange-Line, there will be a greater need for services nearby. Anyone living on South Campus at Northeastern needs to walk more than 1 mile in any direction to get to the nearest supermarket. And this issue isn't exclusive to south campus at Northeastern; it also affects Roxbury and South End residents as well.

Northeastern has created an identity for itself different from the half-dozen neighborhoods that surround it, and as the area colleges concentrate more students onto their campuses, it would be wise for them to invest now in a quality grocery store in their neighborhood.

Not all of us commute from Charlestown and drive cars. Actually, KentXie, you're part of a 15% minority of students, faculty and administration that have cars on NU's campus anymore.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

It's still better, urbanistically and for the neighborhood, to "displace hundreds of cars" rather than displacing a popular and historic non-profit that seems to be well-loved by its current users in its current form. Let this be an opportunity to rework the plans so that they benefit everyone involved.

If "students drive to classes because it's more convenient", then fewer will drive if it becomes less convenient.

As for the supermarkets: besides the Prudential Shaw's and the Brigham Circle Stop & Shop, there's also a Whole Foods next to Symphony Hall.
 
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Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Ron Newman said:
IAs for the supermarkets: besides the Prudential Shaw's and the Brigham Circle Stop & Shop, there's also a Whole Foods next to Symphony Hall.
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That Whole Foods is far too small for the population it serves, nearly a mile away from said South Campus residences, and still a schlep to get to because of the stairwells at the Orange Line.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Ron, the YMCA has NO MONEY and membership has been plunging for decades. That's why that location is mostly empty and suffering from a serious case of deferred maintenance. It doesn't matter if the three old ladies with fifty cats on the corner love the place, if the building was built for a member base of few thousand PAYING people which no longer exist, somethings got to give. The current plan is as good as it is going to get for that YMCA branch without closure becoming a real option.

A large number of gym users are local college students without fitness facilities. If Berklee, MassArt, and NEC complete their dormitories with in house gym facilities before this project starts the YMCA will be even more broke with lower membership.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

The Globe article says they have 2700 members. Whether that's equal to your "few thousand paying people", I'm not sure.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

KentXie said:
Ron Newman. I like your posts and all but please get out of the delusion that just because there is public transit that people will not need/use cars.[...] Students drive to classes because it's more convenient, especially during the winter when you would have to wait for a bus to get to the train to get to class (like I did during my freshman year living in Charlestown). It's also faster. It takes me 45 minutes using public transit but only 15 minutes by car to get to Northeastern. Students that live on campus (mainly out of states) park their cars here because its more convenient for them to drive to clubs and bars without having to constantly transfer from the E line, to the B line or whatever lines to get anywhere [...] having to wait for the train and transfer onto the Orange Line (or Green) is inconvenient not to mention a waste of time if the Orange Line (or Green) is late when they go home ....
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I doubt Ron Newman is deluded about people preferring to drive--that's pretty self-evident. I think the point is that places with good public transportation should not feel compelled to cater to people's preferences if those preferences conflict with other, more socially responsible, interests. A lot of planning and investment go into public transit; if neighborhoods and institutions are making this investment, I think they have a right to expect people to use it (or take their custom elsewhere--I hear there's great parking opportunities in Arkansas). Yeah, it's easier and quicker to drive. Not an argument for retaining huge parking lots. Not environmentally friendly, aesthetically friendly or socially responsible.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

dshoost88 said:
That Whole Foods is far too small for the population it serves, nearly a mile away from said South Campus residences, and still a schlep to get to because of the stairwells at the Orange Line.
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Wasn't there some plan near IV to build a vertical South Bay near IV?

Tombstoner said:
I doubt Ron Newman is deluded about people preferring to drive--that's pretty self-evident. I think the point is that places with good public transportation should not feel compelled to cater to people's preferences if those preferences conflict with other, more socially responsible, interests. A lot of planning and investment go into public transit; if neighborhoods and institutions are making this investment, I think they have a right to expect people to use it (or take their custom elsewhere--I hear there's great parking opportunities in Arkansas). Yeah, it's easier and quicker to drive. Not an argument for retaining huge parking lots. Not environmentally friendly, aesthetically friendly or socially responsible.
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That's true if NEU don't have any plans for the lot. However, only recently did they propose to build a stadium on this same lot which probably would have included an underground parking lot. I'm pretty sure NEU will plan something here at one point soon but they should think of how to accommodate students and faculties that need the car because public transit don't cater to them. I myself would had to use a car to get to work had NStar, the company I work for, not provide a cab service to their facility which is about 1.25 mi away from the Rt 128 station.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Ron Newman said:
The Globe article says they have 2700 members. Whether that's equal to your "few thousand paying people", I'm not sure.
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Apparently not because they aren't paying enough to keep the Y from selling a part of this building.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

The Columbus parking lot is intended for the eventual construction of replacement facilities for Cabot and Barletta, and a parking garage too of course. That will allow for the demolition of Cabot/Barletta and the old Forsyth Building, thus freeing up space on the central campus for new academic buildings. That is all at least a decade and quite a few $$$$$ in the future.

Meanwhile, how is the Y going to do any renovations if this deal falls through?
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

What are Cabot and Barletta and why do they need to be demolished?
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Originally Posted by Tombstoner
I doubt Ron Newman is deluded about people preferring to drive--that's pretty self-evident. I think the point is that places with good public transportation should not feel compelled to cater to people's preferences if those preferences conflict with other, more socially responsible, interests. A lot of planning and investment go into public transit; if neighborhoods and institutions are making this investment, I think they have a right to expect people to use it (or take their custom elsewhere--I hear there's great parking opportunities in Arkansas). Yeah, it's easier and quicker to drive. Not an argument for retaining huge parking lots. Not environmentally friendly, aesthetically friendly or socially responsible
Click to expand...
A lot of people would prefer to take the T and save money and not have to deal with the stress of driving and finding a parking space, the problem is the T is so slow and unreliable. For a lot of people who work and take classes at the same time, taking the T is not an option because you would never make it to where you need to be on time. Good for you if you live near a T stop that is on a line that takes you to your work and you don't have to go to multiple places during the day. Those are the people who are usually sitting on their high horse acting like everyone who drives is just lazy. A lot of people who drive are forced into it due to time constraints.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Take a look at these fairly accurate pics of what the finished project looks like. You CANNOT tell me it ruins the neighborhood in any kind of a logical way. Keep in mind the black death (shadows) will only cast its life denying cloak on Mass Ave for a very short time, most likely the shadow on Mass Ave will be caused mainly from the Y building. So thats idiotic and secondly lets beat this dead horse, they CANNOT afford to continue operation. Matter of fact it has deffered heavily on maintanaince. So either they Y members can pay for repairs or go somewhere else. This is bullshit.

briv said:
neu_grandmarc_2.jpg


neu_grandmarc_3.jpg


[/IMG]
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Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

The good news is, the YMCA building almost entirely blocks this tower from view on Huntington.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

What is so great about the YMCA building? I fail to see why this building is worth preserving.
 
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