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

Re: GrandMarc at St. Botolph (Fenway YMCA Dorm)

That's two projects killed today. El Generalissimo has had a busy day.

This project was spread among a few different threads. I merged them into one.
 
Re: GrandMarc at St. Botolph (Fenway YMCA Dorm)

What is the other project killed?
 
Re: GrandMarc at St. Botolph (Fenway YMCA Dorm)

They should just sell the land to Northeastern University seeing that St. Botolph street is practically in the NEU campus. Northeastern's been looking for space to expand anyways.
 
Re: GrandMarc at St. Botolph (Fenway YMCA Dorm)

Uh, yeah! Why weren't they considering making this class space in the first place?! While NU has been on the cutting edge with new student housing over the last 10 years, they've seriously been lacking on new-and-improved academic space.
 
Re: GrandMarc at St. Botolph (Fenway YMCA Dorm)

My understanding was that Northeastern was outbid for the project. I have a feeling it will be sold to the University when the current developers realize they aren't going to turn a reasonable profit thanks to the idiocy of the mayor's office and the CDC.

The Fenway CDC is more concerned with scoring politically correct points for 'diversity', petty ADA issues, 'the urban village' (um, you're in a city it's called a 'neighborhood' you dolts!), and providing section 8 housing, than they are in improving the neighborhood for the people whom actually pay taxes there. They block good projects and support many bad ones over contradictory ideals, and it usually takes an outside push (Susan b. Ellis Senior Housing & the new building opposite the Hotel Westland) to get anything of merit approve. The houseboat across from Brown Sugar Cafe (Jersey Street) is a fine example of what they push, while projects like Grandmarc get lawyered to death.

I still think NU, or anyone else for the matter, is going to have problems building anything on the GrandMarc site if it's sold to them, given that their campus is the no man's land (it's not in any neighborhood really, unless you consider NU a neighborhood in itself, which it should be considered, but that would irk the city) nexus between several neighborhood NIMBY organizations.
 
Re: GrandMarc at St. Botolph (Fenway YMCA Dorm)

I love to prognosticate so here goes:

NU will end up with the property, it really only makes sense for them. They will build something between 15 and 20 floors with a dorm, classroom and activities mix - height comparable to their own building on Huntington and others on Huntington near Copley Place. It will look better than their new dorms UC now (practically sure thing).
 
Re: GrandMarc at St. Botolph (Fenway YMCA Dorm)

Also, if/when NU does get it, count on it aiming for LEED gold certification... something I don't recall GrandMarc ever mentioning with their proposal.
 
Re: GrandMarc at St. Botolph (Fenway YMCA Dorm)

The student government passed a resolution demanding that the university builds only green facilities from now on, while retrofitting existing ones. It was in one of the smaller newspapers talking about their new Ruggles megadorm. Also explains the extensive window and mechanicals replacement on many of their buildings over the last two years.
 
What happened to the private dorm?

I have not heard anything in over a year about the Grandmarc proposal behind the YMCA on Huntington Avenue. I looked on the BRA website and no updates, and if they are withdrawling or selling the land it has gotten no press. Anyone have any updates?==

http://www.grandmarcatbotolph.com/user/about.asp
 
http://www.northeastern.edu/news/stories/2010/10/residence_hall.html

Northeastern University, the YMCA of Greater Boston and Phoenix Property Company have reached an agreement that will result in the construction of a 720-bed residence hall that will be available to house Northeastern undergraduates. The new residence hall will be built on YMCA property, which faces St. Botolph Street and is directly adjacent to Northeastern?s campus.

The YMCA property on Huntington Avenue consists of three wings: the Hastings Wing, 316 Huntington Avenue, and St. Botolph?s frontage, which is in the rear of the building and houses the YMCA?s gym. Under the agreement, Phoenix Property Company will purchase two of the wings?the Hastings Wing and St. Botolph?s frontage?from the YMCA for $21.5 million. Phoenix will invest $75 million to build a residence hall with 720 beds on St. Botolph?s frontage.

"I applaud Northeastern University for this creative solution that will fulfill its commitment to the city and the neighborhood to increase the amount of university-approved housing for undergraduate students. These new dormitories will have the same high standard of student accountability that is maintained in other Northeastern dorms," said Mayor Menino. "The project is a great example of how Boston institutions can work together to solve problems and create jobs in our city."

Pending neighborhood support and city approvals, the residence hall would open in September 2013. The building will be 16 stories in height, which is comparable to Northeastern?s Village H building, and provide 590 dorm-style beds and 130 apartment-style beds available for Northeastern undergraduates.

Northeastern also announced that beginning next fall it will implement a plan requiring all freshmen and sophomores to live in university-approved housing.

"All of this is possible because of Mayor Menino?s tireless work to champion the interests of the city and its universities," said Joseph E. Aoun, president of Northeastern. "We believe that housing more of our students in university-approved settings is a true win-win. It?s good for our students and fulfills a commitment the University made to our surrounding neighborhoods. We look forward to working with the mayor and our neighbors to make this project a reality."

The addition of 720 university-approved beds exceeds Northeastern?s 2006 commitment to house an additional 1,800 undergraduates. The majority of this commitment was met with the opening in fall 2009 of International Village, a 1,200-bed residence hall at the intersection of Tremont Street and Melnea Cass Boulevard.

"Today marks the continuation of a long, shared history between two venerable institutions in Boston ? the Y and Northeastern University," said Kevin Washington, president and CEO, YMCA of Greater Boston. "This is an opportunity that will maximize an underutilized asset for the Y while helping to support the City of Boston?s vision for more university-supervised student housing."

Phoenix Property Company has a proven track record building and running residence halls for college campuses. Currently, it provides housing for students at the University of Maryland, Texas Christian University, Florida State, UCLA and the University of Texas.

"We are thrilled to be part of this agreement with two great Boston institutions," said Jason Runnels, executive vice president of Phoenix Property Company. "Phoenix Property Company has a strong track-record of developing student housing around the country. We look forward to working with the YMCA, Northeastern, Mayor Menino and other community leaders to make this exciting project a reality."

The agreement provides the University the option to purchase the residence hall from Phoenix Property Company in the future. It also provides an option for the University to purchase the Hastings Wing, where the University currently leases four floors for classroom space and 88 dorm-style beds. The top two floors of the Hastings Wing house the Cardinal Medeiros housing program, which assists people in transition. The Cardinal Medeiros program is expected to continue its operations in the Hastings Wing, renting the space from Phoenix Property or Northeastern instead of the YMCA.

The YMCA will continue to own the third wing, 316 Huntington Avenue, where its headquarters are located. The agreement gives Northeastern the "right of first offer" should the YMCA decide to sell the 316 Huntington Avenue wing in the future.

The agreement leverages the strengths of each organization and enables Northeastern, the YMCA and Phoenix Property Company to accomplish more together than each could accomplish independently
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

Unlike the earlier proposal for this YMCA site, this building will be exclusively for Northeastern students.

Northeastern's recession delayed Building K which will house 600 students is still planned for the site of Cullinane Hall, across from this new project. It is awaiting financing.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

Northeastern University actually began as a division of this YMCA.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

Shucks 2013. I'll be graduating that Spring and miss the opening.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

Yes, the back half facing st. botolph Street.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

720 beds...thats a good amount of students taken out of the rental market (around 180 rental units if averaging 4 to a unit.) Good move all around. Now lets get some renderings.
 
Re: Northeastern eyes dorms

720 beds...thats a good amount of students taken out of the rental market (around 180 rental units if averaging 4 to a unit.) Good move all around. Now lets get some renderings.

Just out of curiosity, I'm new in town (and in the neighborhood) and wonder what positive impact this will have. I'm sure it's obvious to those that know how university student housing vs. open rentals work in a city like Boston, but probably missing a lot of the angles. Why is this a "win-win" as someone else said, and why is this a triumph for Menino?
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

Less absentee slumlords can charge inflated rents to the only people whom will pay them, in other words students, and the result will be fewer absentee landlords, less drunk students in residential neighborhoods, and more residential rental units at a reasonable market rate with decent maintenance. Students DRAMATICALLY inflate the cost of rent and the decrease the quality of housing stock since they are willing to pay more for dumps that no one else would rent.
 
Re: YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

This won't stop me from renting though. It's much cheaper for me to rent an apartment than to pay for dormitory. Sorry guys.
 

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