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

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

"Everyone"? I think that there are many in the East Fenway who have very mixed feelings regarding the prospect of more students.

As a resident of East Fenway, I see this as a way of getting some of the students out of buildings that could otherwise turn residential and make the area more of a real neighborhood rather than a spill-over dorm.
 
Re: NGCBY

The NEC expansion will have the effect of further crowding the already crowded intersection of Huntington and Gainsborough.

What on earth are you talking about? Come on. NEC has been a good neighbor for over 110 years on this corner. The proposal is to replace an existing building and pave a parking lot and help reknit the corner back together.

Not sure why I'm even engaging you. What would make you happy? Kick out all the colleges to build a bunch of commie blocks with street curfews and silence after 9PM?
 
Re: NGCBY

What on earth are you talking about? Come on. NEC has been a good neighbor for over 110 years on this corner. The proposal is to replace an existing building and pave a parking lot and help reknit the corner back together.

Not sure why I'm even engaging you. What would make you happy? Kick out all the colleges to build a bunch of commie blocks with street curfews and silence after 9PM?

bbf -- I think Joe's cronies were in the mob that "stormed"* the MBTA meeting today and caused the finance committee to adjourn without doing any business

* -- heard the term on the radio news today
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

MAJOR DEVELOPMENT NEWS REGARDING YMCA:
http://www.bostonherald.com/busines...untington_ave_project/srvc=home&position=also

Boston YMCA files plan for Huntington Ave. project

By Greg Turner
Tuesday, March 27, 2012

The YMCA of Greater Boston filed plans with the city to renovate its 316 Huntington Ave. facility.

The Y’s $25 million project involves demolishing the pool building and constructing a 23,000-square-foot addition housing an aquatics center, gymnasium and racquetball courts, according to plans released today by the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

“These are much needed improvements that are going to benefit the ymca members,” said Michael Connelly, a senior vice president at Jones Lang LaSalle, the Y’s project manager


The real estate company will try to time the construction with the adjacent Northeastern University dormitory project. The Y sold part of its property to make way for the 17-story Grandmarc dorm facing St. Botolph Street.

“We’re trying to catch up to that project so both projects can be built concurrently,” Connelly said. “It’s just better for everybody.”

The separate dorm project — which involves demolishing a century-old gymnasium — won BRA approval a year ago, but the project has been held up by a review by the Massachusetts Historical Commission and subsequent appeals.

The Y project has already received a go-ahead from the Boston Landmarks Commission but must undergo a state historic review.

“We feel that because our project is much smaller in size and scope ... that our review process will be more reasonable,” Connelly said.

Despite my familiarity with the dorm project and the YMCA site plan, I'm a little confused as to where/how they will accommodate this new gym plan. Can someone please explain where the Aquatics building is they're talking about relative to the property? I thought that was in the basement.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

MAJOR DEVELOPMENT NEWS REGARDING YMCA:
http://www.bostonherald.com/busines...untington_ave_project/srvc=home&position=also



Despite my familiarity with the dorm project and the YMCA site plan, I'm a little confused as to where/how they will accommodate this new gym plan. Can someone please explain where the Aquatics building is they're talking about relative to the property? I thought that was in the basement.

Though I'm loathe to stir a quietly simmering pot -- I hate to think how this will affect JoeG
 
Re: NGCBY

What on earth are you talking about? Come on. NEC has been a good neighbor for over 110 years on this corner. The proposal is to replace an existing building and pave a parking lot and help reknit the corner back together.

Not sure why I'm even engaging you. What would make you happy? Kick out all the colleges to build a bunch of commie blocks with street curfews and silence after 9PM?

NU and NEC are non-profit. Huntington Ave is becoming a "No
Capitalism" strip.

Communism usually has a central planning authority decide what is best for the "people". Sounds like the BRA to me.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

If it's capitalism you want, maybe the for-profit University of Phoenix will build on Huntington Ave.
 
Re: NGCBY

NU and NEC are non-profit. Huntington Ave is becoming a "No
Capitalism" strip.

Communism usually has a central planning authority decide what is best for the "people". Sounds like the BRA to me.

Aren't you really pushing for the YMCA to keep everything. You do realize that the Y is also a nonprofit and a business is buying the property and paying taxes on it?
 
Re: NGCBY

NU and NEC are non-profit. Huntington Ave is becoming a "No
Capitalism" strip.

Communism usually has a central planning authority decide what is best for the "people". Sounds like the BRA to me.

So you want it as true Capitalism? Unfortunately for you, if that was true, the dorm would have been constructed already. If it was true capitalism, the project would have been decided by money and supply and demand, not community input. Since NEU needs to increase its housing supply to support the high demand and has agreements with a 3rd party member who is willing to invest in the construction of a new dorm, in a true capitalistic market, the project makes more than enough sense and will be built without going through these appeals.

Be happy that the BRA exists, else there will be no such thing as community inputs.
 
Re: NGCBY

NU and NEC are non-profit. Huntington Ave is becoming a "No
Capitalism" strip.

Communism usually has a central planning authority decide what is best for the "people". Sounds like the BRA to me.

JoeG -- your random firing makes Riff's shotgun blasts seem like the best rife marksman ever

MIT is a not for profit -- that somehow hasn't stopped Kendall / Cambridge Center from being the home of thousands of jobs created by more than 100 for-profit companies

By the way -- WIT has a longish-term plan to take the Sweeny Athletic Field and move it a few blocks and then to build on the site -- a structure devoted to innovation -- perhaps even hosting some capitalist start-ups such as the case of the BU-Photonics Center

Come to think of it -- Joe if you get started now you might have a couple of years to come up with slogans to oppose WIT's expansion and removal of Green-space from Huntington Ave.

Actually if I was as serious about these things as you are -- I'd be seeking landmark status for the Huntington Avenue Grounds aka "Huntington Avenue American League Base Ball Grounds " -- I hear that the Boston American League team is planning to tear them down to build a new stadium west of Kenmore Square
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

All this time I just thought Huntington was a crappy retail environment. With someone else invoking "dialectic" in the Gardner thread and now this, I detect marxism making a resurgence. Goes to show you it happen anywhere...any time...
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

I would not be against that as a matter of principal.
 
Re: NGCBY

JoeG -- your random firing makes Riff's shotgun blasts seem like the best rife marksman ever

MIT is a not for profit -- that somehow hasn't stopped Kendall / Cambridge Center from being the home of thousands of jobs created by more than 100 for-profit companies

By the way -- WIT has a longish-term plan to take the Sweeny Athletic Field and move it a few blocks and then to build on the site -- a structure devoted to innovation -- perhaps even hosting some capitalist start-ups such as the case of the BU-Photonics Center

Come to think of it -- Joe if you get started now you might have a couple of years to come up with slogans to oppose WIT's expansion and removal of Green-space from Huntington Ave.

Actually if I was as serious about these things as you are -- I'd be seeking landmark status for the Huntington Avenue Grounds aka "Huntington Avenue American League Base Ball Grounds " -- I hear that the Boston American League team is planning to tear them down to build a new stadium west of Kenmore Square

The Y has long had MA Historical Commission status. The question is whether the gym is part of the 316 building.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

All this time I just thought Huntington was a crappy retail environment. With someone else invoking "dialectic" in the Gardner thread and now this, I detect marxism making a resurgence. Goes to show you it happen anywhere...any time...

Huntington Ave is a pretty good retail environment. The Gnommon Copy has been vacant for some time. Symphony Convenience, the barber shop and the food places seem to be very viable.
 
Re: NGCBY

So you want it as true Capitalism? Unfortunately for you, if that was true, the dorm would have been constructed already. If it was true capitalism, the project would have been decided by money and supply and demand, not community input. Since NEU needs to increase its housing supply to support the high demand and has agreements with a 3rd party member who is willing to invest in the construction of a new dorm, in a true capitalistic market, the project makes more than enough sense and will be built without going through these appeals.

Be happy that the BRA exists, else there will be no such thing as community inputs.

No, NU doesn't "need...to support the high demand". Businesses take risks and pay taxes. Businesses seek and create markets for profit. NU does neither.

Seeing as how the 2006 IMP does not mention the YMCA NU should build on properties it already owns.

If 2 10 story dorms were built on the site of Gainsborough Garage and Cullinane Hall MORE students could be housed not less.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

All this time I just thought Huntington was a crappy retail environment. With someone else invoking "dialectic" in the Gardner thread and now this, I detect marxism making a resurgence. Goes to show you it happen anywhere...any time...

I voted for Ron Paul.
 
Re: NGCBY

JoeG -- your random firing makes Riff's shotgun blasts seem like the best rife marksman ever

MIT is a not for profit -- that somehow hasn't stopped Kendall / Cambridge Center from being the home of thousands of jobs created by more than 100 for-profit companies

By the way -- WIT has a longish-term plan to take the Sweeny Athletic Field and move it a few blocks and then to build on the site -- a structure devoted to innovation -- perhaps even hosting some capitalist start-ups such as the case of the BU-Photonics Center

Come to think of it -- Joe if you get started now you might have a couple of years to come up with slogans to oppose WIT's expansion and removal of Green-space from Huntington Ave.

Actually if I was as serious about these things as you are -- I'd be seeking landmark status for the Huntington Avenue Grounds aka "Huntington Avenue American League Base Ball Grounds " -- I hear that the Boston American League team is planning to tear them down to build a new stadium west of Kenmore Square

Actually your point regarding MIT is well taken. MIT is much better about these things than NU or Harvard.

However, Huntington Ave has more in common with the post-BU Kenmore Square and the totally Harvardized Harvard Square in its density.
 
Re: NGCBY

No, NU doesn't "need...to support the high demand". Businesses take risks and pay taxes. Businesses seek and create markets for profit. NU does neither.

Seeing as how the 2006 IMP does not mention the YMCA NU should build on properties it already owns.

If 2 10 story dorms were built on the site of Gainsborough Garage and Cullinane Hall MORE students could be housed not less.

Oh, if that's the case then you would rather that NU flood the housing market in the area with off-campus students, seeing how none of the newer dorms would be constructed.

As a posted earlier, Phoenix are constructing the dorm. Phoenix also owns the property until NU repays the cost. Until then, it is rented and thus your 2006 IMP argument is moot. Once NU and Phoenix purchases the two component, that property will no longer belong to the Y but instead to the two entities mentioned beforehand.

In addition, the IMP is slated to be submitted at the end of this year. At the very least you should wait considering the delay your advocated have imposed on NU/
 
Re: NGCBY

Teenagers under 16 don't use the Men's steam or sauna. The young folks who will be hurt are those from the Whittier Projects.

Teens under 16 normally don't use other amenities besides the basketball court which will be rebuilt. And trust me, they can care less if the court is NCAA size or not.
 

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