Harbor Garage Redevelopment Pontificating | Waterfront

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Re: What's Happening With Project X?

TheRifleman said:
I thought Chiofaro/Pru paid to much for the site and would be bankrupt by now according to your information.

I'm just curious why the city planners have allowed this to go on for this long? almost 12+ years and counting

Arent the city planners supposed to build a better city?

How is an above garage blocking all access on the Greenway to the waterfront better for the public than the developer's proposal?
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The planners are controlled by the mayor. It comes down to Marty deciding what the political cost is of pissing off NIMBY jerks.
 
At this point can the developer actually make 900,000Sq work for this site?

The numbers seem too risky in my opinion. Why bother to assume that risk if their is not a hefty reward at the end?
 
https://boston.curbed.com/boston-de...0568/boston-waterfront-rezoning-harbor-garage

What is Amos Hostetter using all his non-profit money to fight this development? This guy truly proves my point that these non-profit companies are slush funds for billionaires and only use their money for private agendas.

This is truly disingenuous on using funds that are diverted paying their fair share of taxes only to cost the taxpayers even more money in city/state court fees to fight knocking this garage down for the public.

Why not just have a public vote to settle everything on the next ballot.
Garage or development

Just buy the site and knock it down build a park. This is insane.
 
TheRifleman said:
https://boston.curbed.com/boston-de...0568/boston-waterfront-rezoning-harbor-garage

What is Amos Hostetter using all his non-profit money to fight this development? This guy truly proves my point that these non-profit companies are slush funds for billionaires and only use their money for private agendas.

This is truly disingenuous on using funds that are diverted paying their fair share of taxes only to cost the taxpayers even more money in city/state court fees to fight knocking this garage down for the public.
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Impugning and defaming the character and motivations of one of Boston's most generous philanthropists probably isn't going to win your side much support in this fight.
 
kmp1284 said:
Impugning and defaming the character and motivations of one of Boston's most generous philanthropists probably isn't going to win your side much support in this fight.
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Concerning this specific matter. The developer is looking to better the entire area. Create a new Blueway park, possibly help the Aquarium raise funds to rebuild their own facilities and bury the garage to activate the Greenway.

Just curious what is Mr. Hostetter doing trying to better this area for the public with his non-profit funds?
Trying to protect the waterfront from an above garage that is already blocking 95% access to the water from the public. That's his contribution?

No need of defaming anybody's character just look at his actions--supporting CLF agenda which makes no sense vs the developer's proposal concerning the overall public.

How much better would this area be for the CHILDREN? The Greenway, Blueway park to an updated possibly renovated newer Aquarium?

Whats CLF vision trying to tell us the garage is a better option? Very disgraceful and very selfish dishonorable people.
 
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I'm confused on one point. Since the twin tower concept is dead, won't the new building occupy essentially the same footprint of the current garage?
 
kmp1284 said:
Impugning and defaming the character and motivations of one of Boston's most generous philanthropists probably isn't going to win your side much support in this fight.
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Hosteller is a do as I say, not as I do jackass. I don't care how much money he throws around town. He's already been exposed as a fraud on this issue.

Revisiting an earlier calculation, using stellarfan's comparables to the Common garage as well as info on Chiofaro's taxes and operating costs, we postulated that he's making no less than 1M a year free and clear after taxes on the parking. But what we didn't include is that he has retail all along the first floor of the garage. Unless he doesn't own that as well, he's got to be making some decent coin on that as well as retail space in the heart of downtown isn't exactly cheap. Garden garage of course doesn't have retail as its underground, so Chiafaro is making even more money than we thought, again using stellar's #'s.

If I were him, I'd call everyone's bluff. Either you wrap up all permitting this year, or the garage stays for the rest of its useable life. If that means 50 years, and its operated by his kids, so be it. When you have all the leverage, as Don does, its time to play hardball and threaten to walk away. This has gone on long enough and if Amos wants to pony up market value for the land, plus compensate Don for lost profits after he deals the garage, then so be it.
 
Re: What's Happening With Project X?

Time to unlock the thread. i almost wonder if my post in response to the last CLF publicity whoring/boasting about lawsuits (a few days ago) convinced the Chiofaro Co to finally issue a public rendering of the basic site plan? i'm sure it's a coincidence. :)

Tosh said:
"Chiofaro Co has left the State/ City stakeholders to quash the CLF before they reveal a new formal render for what will be a single, low-skyscraper. That said, a level of dogma about this project has been allowed to persist which allows the parties opposed to this project to push a narrative...."
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Re: What's Happening With Project X?

Equilibria said:
We may need to reconsider our policy for locking/unlocking threads... I get the need to cut off unproductive/offensive conversations, but occasionally there's real news on something, and these are important projects for the city.

Anyhow:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/busines...harborfront/Na0EPThY924yTI5eCGFXmK/story.html
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POV01-JULY2017-R03-8369.jpg


POV02-JULY2017-R02-8364.jpg


That "plaza" is mostly driveway. IRL it'll be pretty much always full of cars.
 
Re: What's Happening With Project X?

I see the renderings as OPEN SPACE---Use your imagination on what this strip can evolve towards the aquarium and waterfront.

Its open ended because the developer is leaving the vision to the overall PUBLIC imagination.

What does the public want from this open space? Mostly likely it will become another park
 
Re: What's Happening With Project X?

Way too much pavement. It looks pretty barren looking. Why are all those people hanging out on the roof in the bottom right of the 2nd pic?
 
If I'm reading that photo correctly, I believe that rooftop is about where the current NEAQ stands? If so, that leads to a lot more questions.
 
Aside from rendering crowds of people at 8 AM in the morning -- and no shadow from his new building -- the Globe noted the garage entrance ramp is positioned smack dab in the middle of the new open space. Don't know whether a garage grade level entry would be additive to the overall building footprint and count against the 50 percent lot coverage.

I counted about 22 floors: at a max floor footprint of 28,675 square feet, that's 631,000 gsf to that point in the renders. Assuming average of 13 feet per floor, that's 286 feet. Ten more floors at 12 feet per floor brings him to about 900,000 gsf. So his tower will top out at about 400 feet, a height similar to HT.

If he stays under 420 feet, more stringent, life-safety building codes don't come into play.
 
gonna need a lot MORE GREEN in dat plaza.

did i say plaza? eek.

This is going to be THE BIG DEVELOPMENT STORY for the next few years. And therefore; the old and temp HG threads should be merged and OPEN.

Statler, how bout it man?
 
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I'd be in favor of re-opening this thread when and if Chiofaro releases a render of the entire building. He has done so only once, which was a view of the building if one was on a USAir shuttle (that long ago) on a Logan taxiway. In the years that have followed, he has not released a single rendering of the entire building; its always of lower levels and his sequential notions of what the open space would look like. Remember the beach?
 
i expected a slightly cantilevered northside wall.

We're sure getting that. Possibly on the Greenway side too.
 
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