Harbor Garage Redevelopment Pontificating | Waterfront

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Notice the gaps in the skyline where the brutal monoliths are?

Remember those 345' towers that were gonna soar over Boston from a few years ago? Columbus Center, Clarendon,

Avalon Exeter, Fenway Center, Copley tower.... oh my God they're gonna destroy Boston!
 
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Re: What's Happening With Project X?

Anybody read this in the Commonwealth?
The aquarium spends 420,000 in lobbying to fight off Harbor Garage Development?

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/st...egies-lobbying-fees-hit-record-level-in-2018/

So our beloved leaders at the Aquarium who cry that they don't have any money to create a better facility for the area spends almost a 1/2 Million a year on lobbying against the Harbor Garage development.

I will never ever give my hard earned money to these non-profit groups anymore. Its all a sham.
 
Re: What's Happening With Project X?

TheRifleman said:
Anybody read this in the Commonwealth?
The aquarium spends 420,000 in lobbying to fight off Harbor Garage Development?

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/st...egies-lobbying-fees-hit-record-level-in-2018/

So our beloved leaders at the Aquarium who cry that they don't have any money to create a better facility for the area spends almost a 1/2 Million a year on lobbying against the Harbor Garage development.

I will never ever give my hard earned money to these non-profit groups anymore. Its all a sham.
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Silly Rifleman. How else are they going to expand the IMAX Theatre if they can't take over the garage property? Since they have a blank check from the very citizens groups that are supposed to be protecting our harbor views, why wouldn't they leverage that? :D
 
Re: What's Happening With Project X?

Rover said:
Silly Rifleman. How else are they going to expand the IMAX Theatre if they can't take over the garage property? Since they have a blank check from the very citizens groups that are supposed to be protecting our harbor views, why wouldn't they leverage that? :D
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Imagine these hypocrites would rather spend a 1/2 Million to lawyers/lobbyists than actually better the mammals habitats. WOW.

The Aquarium Board & upper Management is nothing more than SCUM.

This is why-- (SET THEM FREE) I actually find it very disturbing watching those Seals swim in that Fiber Glass containment as onlookers are banging on the glass.
 
Tear it all down; Garage, Aquarium, everything. Get a law passed to get new funding over (whatever) timetable.

Cease operations for 10~15 years.

The new Aquarium should begin with a core idea; to stop being a joke. Start the new Blueway thing....

Return (someday) with something of value that serves the public.
 
odurandina said:
Tear it all down; Garage, Aquarium, everything. Get a law passed to get new funding over (whatever) timetable.

Cease operations for 10~15 years.

The new Aquarium should begin with a core idea; to stop being a joke. Start the new Blueway thing....

Return (someday) with something of value that serves the public.
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Toss the wretched twin Harbor Towers into your scheme as well.
 
If the Aquarium Executives can afford to give this type of money to lobbyists to fight the Harbor Garage development why wouldn't they try to upgrade their own facility for the overall public?
*If anything try to raise the money to buy the Garage? Are the executives that lazy no lack of vision?

I really can't believe they spent 430K on lobbyists instead of their beloved Mammals environment.
These sick individuals are using these poor Mammals as hostages to pay off a bunch of Lobbyists. This is sickening. They would rather enrich a Million dollar law firm of corrupt scum than help those poor seals.

The Aquarium Board of Directors should be called out on this.

WOW ........ This is a new low for a non-profit organization trying to protect the Marine life.
 
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^^ I neither approve nor disapprove of how the aquarium has chosen to spend its money but do you realize how little money $430k is in the context of capital improvements for an aquarium?
 
kmp1284 said:
^^ I neither approve nor disapprove of how the aquarium has chosen to spend its money but do you realize how little money $430k is in the context of capital improvements for an aquarium?
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430K a year x 10 Years is 4,300,000--- Its a good start to build a vision and foundation for the Mammals.

The Board of Directors/ Management better start realizing that they got hired to protect Marine Life not support some political agendas through other non-profit groups.

This is pretty low----Using Non-profit funds to support Lobbyists over innocent Mammals that cannot protect themselves or are forced to swim in a fiber glass container.

So basically our non-profit agencies that do not pay any taxes--- PAY our beloved Lobbyists in FULL. What a great system we live in.
 
Hmmm, this again seems to go against Chapter 91....there needs to be more pushback against this shit.
 
In the NEAQ's defense Rifleman we need to check Amos Hostetter's bank accounts first. I'm guessing there was a check written in his name for $420K somewhere in there which coincidentally is for the same amount that they spent lobbying. ;) Suffice to say that check would NOT have been delivered for any other purpose...
 
Is there any news on this project or are people just continuing to rant about the same thing that has been rehashed 100 times?
 
Technically, the NEAQ lobbying money story is new, newsworthy, on-topic and worthy of discussion. Frothing at the mouth about it is optional.
 
Re: What's Happening With Project X?

TheRifleman said:
Anybody read this in the Commonwealth?
The aquarium spends 420,000 in lobbying to fight off Harbor Garage Development?

https://commonwealthmagazine.org/st...egies-lobbying-fees-hit-record-level-in-2018/

So our beloved leaders at the Aquarium who cry that they don't have any money to create a better facility for the area spends almost a 1/2 Million a year on lobbying against the Harbor Garage development.

I will never ever give my hard earned money to these non-profit groups anymore. Its all a sham.
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I know, in your universe, its the world against Don Chiofaro.

A principal of the lobbying firm retained by the Aquarium was quoted in the Commonwealth magazine article:
He estimated close to half of the company’s business is project related, helping firms launch a development project and then push through the permitting and approval process.
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And what project did the Aquarium announce in 2017?
https://boston.curbed.com/2017/3/6/...nway-extension-blueway-chiofaro-harbor-garage

In the universe I live in, I view the lobbying firm as being retained by the Aquarium to facilitate development of the Blueway, which is key to Chiofaro developing the garage.

Also in my universe, it seems everyone else does the heavy lifting for Chiofaro. The city of Boston did the shadow stowers for his possible tower, the HT residents hired a professor from Northeastern to do the massing studies. The Commonwealth, when rejecting his initial (and only) ENF, devoted almost as many pages detailing what he omitted from the ENF as were in his submission.

In all these many years, he has only paid for one rendering of a full height elevation of his proposed tower(s), and that was the east elevation of the initial proposal, as seen from an airport runway at Logan.

I suggest you consider starting a GoFundMe page for Don to help him pay for some of this necessary work. He appears to be either very frugal, or financially strapped.
 
Re: What's Happening With Project X?

stellarfun said:
I know, in your universe, its the world against Don Chiofaro.

A principal of the lobbying firm retained by the Aquarium was quoted in the Commonwealth magazine article:


And what project did the Aquarium announce in 2017?
https://boston.curbed.com/2017/3/6/...nway-extension-blueway-chiofaro-harbor-garage

In the universe I live in, I view the lobbying firm as being retained by the Aquarium to facilitate development of the Blueway, which is key to Chiofaro developing the garage.

Also in my universe, it seems everyone else does the heavy lifting for Chiofaro. The city of Boston did the shadow stowers for his possible tower, the HT residents hired a professor from Northeastern to do the massing studies. The Commonwealth, when rejecting his initial (and only) ENF, devoted almost as many pages detailing what he omitted from the ENF as were in his submission.

In all these many years, he has only paid for one rendering of a full height elevation of his proposed tower(s), and that was the east elevation of the initial proposal, as seen from an airport runway at Logan.

I suggest you consider starting a GoFundMe page for Don to help him pay for some of this necessary work. He appears to be either very frugal, or financially strapped.
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In my universe: The developer proposed to knock down the decrypted garage that blocks 90% of the waterfront from the public in 2008--That's 11 years ago. How is everybody doing the heavy lifting?

As our leaders/Govt Agencies have given 100's of Millions in tax incentives to corporations to build & wall off the waterfront in the Seaport from the public without investing in proper infrastructure so the public could actually enjoy the area. Where was CLF, Barr Foundation on this? The entire Seaport got walled off as it was sitting on unlimited open space.
Am I missing something-- as a hardworking taxpaying citizen?
*How is that 46 Million tax break that Menino and Patrick basically gave Liberty Mutual to Build in the backbay with a 5% vacancy at the time?


Chiofaro/Pru proposed a smart development on a close proximity of a transit line which would help smart growth for the city and the overall public. Not only that it would make the Greenway flourish for the overall public in that area.

Its been 11 years. Now the city & state are contemplating a Congestion Tax? Really ----They can't even consider smart developments now they are trying to implement a congestion tax.

Now we have the Aquarium executives investing in Lobbyists and trying to continue to slow down anytype of progress on the garage?

The Aquarium is SHITHOLE. You have beloved Mammals swimming in a 10x10 Glass Container. How is that even positive for the psyche. But no worries they are spending 1/2 Million on blood sucking Lobbyists. FOR WHAT--Invest that money in the Aquarium. The workers that work for $10 an hour to clean these glass containers or take care of the Marine life. What about them?

That is what I'm seeing in my Universe. Maybe you should really open your eyes or you are just part of the system or the hypocrisy.

The way I see it--People with these types of views
Bailout Corporations,
Unlimited Tax breaks for corporations to build--on prime real estate
Only drives up costs/congestion for the overall public
Create laws that contradict themselves like Chap 91 (Makes no sense on why Harbor Garage is good for the public.)
Non-profits that don't pay any taxes and use their money for personal views.

People with these types of views are cancer to a balanced & fair free society.

Just curious--- HOW IS HARBOR GARAGE looking these days?
 
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stellarfun said:
Don Chiofaro is not above seeking a tax break.

http://archive.boston.com/business/articles/2006/05/25/chiofaro_plans_high_rise_housing_on_greenway/

If he got the tax break that he sought 13 years ago, and it continued for the years subsequent, the cumulative tax break amount is about the same as Liberty Mutual.
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Didn't the developer also offer the city 50 Million to invest in the overall area in exchange for the height?
What did GE offer Boston? More Congestion?


I would rather give the developer the tax break to get rid harbor garage than a billion dollar insurance company to build in the backbay which represented 5% vacancy at the time.

How does Harbor Garage look on the Greenway for the Public? Do you see anytype of water view that we need to protect?

Its called LOGIC----Harbor Garage truly shows that Boston is run by a bunch of entitled groups of people that don't care about the public. "See Congestion Tax Fee proposal"

The Seaport had unlimited waterviews before the developments. What happened to protecting the views for the public there? See Non-profit organizations that pay no taxes (CLF, Barr Foundation)
 
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Chiofaro offered $50 million in unrestricted money provided the city let him build 1.5 million square feet, and two towers 59 stories and 40 stories. Anything less, no money.
 
stellarfun said:
Chiofaro offered $50 million in unrestricted money provided the city let him build 1.5 million square feet, and two towers 59 stories and 40 stories. Anything less, no money.
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At least the developer try to offer something WTF has all these other billion dollar corporations offered Boston?

Our leaders took a unique city based on hardworking class of blue collared workers and transformed Boston into a corporate tax haven by driving up all living expenses in the area on the working class.

We got sold out and now we are listening to nonprofit agencies that are controlled by billionaires who pay no taxes telling us what is good developments and bad developments. Now suggesting we need to create a congestion tax because the city has become gridlock.

Seriously how much does a aquarium worker get paid an hour? 14 bucks—but they are spending 1/2 million on lawyers to stop a private development in a year.
 
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stellarfun said:
Chiofaro offered $50 million in unrestricted money provided the city let him build 1.5 million square feet, and two towers 59 stories and 40 stories. Anything less, no money.
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Just curious since you seem to be in the know on such issues:

How much did the NEAQ pay the city for blocking the view to the harbor with the IMAX theatre?

Also, did Don run over your dog or something?
 
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