Greenway Residential Building | 55 India Street | Downtown

JumboBuc said:
The building across the street is an absolute stinker. It's been done for years now and the ground floor space has never been anything but vacant.

The previous bars + outdoor patio were a much better use of that real estate.
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I swear that some of the ground floor retail slots we see going up in Boston/Cambridge are solely there to show the approval authorities what they want to see in terms of ground floor activation / help building designs sail through the approval process. They are like sacrificial lambs. The associated developers have little care/intention of filling these slots. Yet this is not true in all cases, as some retail slots are aggressively marketed and filled relatively quickly. There's an ostensible discrepancy in how this is handled across new buildings.
 
bigpicture7 said:
I swear that some of the ground floor retail slots we see going up in Boston/Cambridge are solely there to show the approval authorities what they want to see in terms of ground floor activation / help building designs sail through the approval process. They are like sacrificial lambs. The associated developers have little care/intention of filling these slots. Yet this is not true in all cases, as some retail slots are aggressively marketed and filled relatively quickly. There's an ostensible discrepancy in how this is handled across new buildings.
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Even if it's the case that they wouldn't otherwise build retail, I still don't understand why the owners wouldn't just lower the rent to such a cheap price that a commercial tenant would finally bite. Surely that must be better than no revenue.
 
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W-4 said:
Even if it's the case that they wouldn't otherwise build retail, I still don't understand why the owners wouldn't just lower the rent to such a cheap price that a commercial tenant would finally bite. Surely that must be better than no revenue.
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Probably a combo of already "dying" retail with COVID thrown in, and on the restaurant side COVID along with ridiculous costs for liquor licences don't help on the business side. On the building side - well, I think there are probably incentives to not fill it. Less of a headache/mess/noise/etc for residents (plus pest control for restaurants/etc), risk to get a tenant in that doesn't meet the brand level they want for the building which could hurt the image, etc. Plus, I would guess they have done cost benefit analysis where they are willing to eat the no rent months while waiting for someone who can pay their top rates (and sign a multi-year deal). Cause Also remember commercial/retail leases are usually for quite a number of years, so, if you sign someone you are committing to that for awhile.
 
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bakgwailo said:
...along with ridiculous costs for liquor licences don't help on the business side...
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Yeah, it's hard to overstate the impact of the current liquor licensing regime on Boston's bar and restaurant scene. The (lack of) liquor license availability is the marginal causal factor that causes plenty of establishments to close and also keeps plenty of others from ever opening.
 
Apparently this project has secured financing:

www.bostonglobe.com

A high-end rebound? Luxury condo project among first since COVID to break ground downtown. - The Boston Globe

Overlooking the Rose Kennedy Greenway, the 12-story tower will include 29, two- and three-bedroom units and a 4,250-square-foot ground floor restaurant.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com

1727954115040.png
 
It only took ten years. What a frustratingly slow process this is. 🙃
 
stellarfun said:
Referencing the conversation on the renderings for the new building on the Shreve Crump & Low site, the rendering below is ground level:

QDKFLA72Q5CTJNCE2NS6VF2OPU.jpg


I would not guess that the aerial rendering upthread is the same building.
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If ever there was a picture demonstrating how poorly exhibitionist glass walls compare to honest architectural effort...
 
stellarfun said:
Referencing the conversation on the renderings for the new building on the Shreve Crump & Low site, the rendering below is ground level:

QDKFLA72Q5CTJNCE2NS6VF2OPU.jpg


I would not guess that the aerial rendering upthread is the same building.
Click to expand...
Honestly, I like it. I think it juxtaposes and highlights both the Grain Exchange and 88 Broad St in a way that is very Boston. I only wish it were taller.
 
Vagabond said:
If ever there was a picture demonstrating how poorly exhibitionist glass walls compare to honest architectural effort...
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In this case, if this is the approved architectural plan, I would definitely prefer the exhibitionist/translucent glass walls to the darker opaque windows that are popping up in other developments.
 
Twilight is an improvement, but they really should go for the artistic night time render.
 
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