I-90 Interchange Improvement Project & West Station | Allston

Wait, what? Maybe you will be able to get some bucks out of Harvard to fund it.
 
Equilibria said:
Yeah, that was my reaction too. You'd think this would be the last thing they'd build after the whole rest of the site was full.
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I imagine an air rights project would be immensely easier and cheaper if completed while the highway and tracks beneath it are also under construction right?
 
Equilibria said:
Yeah, that was my reaction too. You'd think this would be the last thing they'd build after the whole rest of the site was full.
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I could imagine some design options where the air rights parcels provide superiors connectivity, flow or access within the overall site (or to the broader Harvard Allston design), and are hence prioritized.
 
Temper your expectations, Wu is already angling to kill it with NIMBY words:

In every aspect of this development project, the city of Boston prioritizes an open and transparent community process that incorporates the feedback of Allston residents. The city will work with the community to build a plan that promotes climate resiliency, green space for Allston’s families, and a public transit-oriented future to better connect all of Boston’s neighborhoods
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I'm surprised she didn't manage to work "equitable" in there somewhere.
 
393b40 said:
Temper your expectations, Wu is already angling to kill it with NIMBY words:



I'm surprised she didn't manage to work "equitable" in there somewhere.
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I have no idea why neighbors or the city would be against air rights by default. She said a a whole lot of nothin' there.
 
Equilibria said:
...She said a a whole lot of nothin' there.
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She said a whole lot of nothin', yet densely jam-packed with the types of phrases that get politicians elected:
("transparent community process" "feedback [from] residents" "the city will work with the community""green space" "families").

I think some tech company should just develop an AI that writes mayor's statements and speeches for them, if that's not already the case.
 
393b40 said:
Temper your expectations, Wu is already angling to kill it with NIMBY words:



I'm surprised she didn't manage to work "equitable" in there somewhere.
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She said what she's supposed to say. It seems like Wu could be anti-development based off her stance on the harbor garage but I think the jury is still out- she hasnt really encountered many proposals so far
 
Suffolk 83 said:
She said what she's supposed to say. It seems like Wu could be anti-development based off her stance on the harbor garage but I think the jury is still out- she hasnt really encountered many proposals so far
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I think Wu's stance on the Harbor Garage is more due to a sharp City attorney telling her that the Municipal Harbor Plan was fatally flawed in execution and would end up in court for decades if they tried to Band-Aid it.
 
Yeah, I don't see what is controversial there. Mayor makes a statement about new large scale development by Harvard and says things that make her constituents/voters happy and would look for in said development. It's not like Harvard is some poor upstart private developer trying to get by - for such a large scale development Harvard should be pushed to include things like green space and public transit: things like West Station should 100% be pushed into the plan to have to happen (just like Assembly Square and other TOD).
 
Harvard owns everything there. They want to make money as soon as possible. Empty field doesn't do that. Harvard thinks waiting is expensive, so it sweetens the pot saying "Hey, City of Boston and MassDOT... Shake a leg on approval and we'll take you to dinner."
Right now the City and MassDOT are trying to be cool, but really, they have to be stoked! This is great news. They're going to prom! All the language is merely political cover for The Process.

Thought: Since the Grand Junction Line is now officially part of the CSX portfolio AND Harvard has a cozy relationship with CSX after the Allston landing purchase that, perhaps, is why this happened now instead of five years ago?
 
BeyondRevenue said:
Thought: Since the Grand Junction Line is now officially part of the CSX portfolio AND Harvard has a cozy relationship with CSX after the Allston landing purchase that, perhaps, is why this happened now instead of five years ago?
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Grand Junction's state-owned. CSX used to own it, sold it to the state some years back now. Hasn't seen freight in a while, probably won't again now that CSX's been approved to eat Pan Am, but the only way GJ could have anything to do with this is if CSX sunset its residual freight rights over it (which I kind of doubt they did).
 
BeyondRevenue said:
Harvard owns everything there. They want to make money as soon as possible. Empty field doesn't do that. Harvard thinks waiting is expensive, so it sweetens the pot saying "Hey, City of Boston and MassDOT... Shake a leg on approval and we'll take you to dinner."

Right now the City and MassDOT are trying to be cool, but really, they have to be stoked! This is great news. They're going to prom! All the language is merely political cover for The Process.
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On what evidence? Harvard has been acting all along like they couldn't care less if they just parked the land for 2 decades to let it appreciate in value before filling any part of it. They've been in a total anti-hurry ever since the deal was inked for that haul, and that's a big reason why the transportation assets have been so agonizingly slow to develop.

Thought: Since the Grand Junction Line is now officially part of the CSX portfolio AND Harvard has a cozy relationship with CSX after the Allston landing purchase that, perhaps, is why this happened now instead of five years ago?
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The Grand Junction doesn't abut or pass through one single acre of Harvard property. It's irrelevant to what they do with Beacon Park. The only reason we reference it in this thread is because it has to be accommodated in the Pike 'Throat' reconstruction. The 'Throat' abuts BU and the river, not any Harvard property. The GJ has rejoined the Worcester mainline long before it skirts anything that Harvard owns or may someday build on.
 
FYI - The Grand Jct was conveyed to the MBTA effective 12:01PM June 17, 2010. At the time, Beacon Park Yard was still under the control of a CSX Yardmaster there (part time). When there was no yardmaster physically there, it's control went to the Worcester Yardmaster. At some point that went away (I think). Not sure who actually has control of it other than the Worcester Line and Northside Terminal dispatchers providing access. I would imagine CSX retains to freight rights.
 
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