Ink Block (Boston Herald) | 300 Harrison Avenue | South End

Bonus FAR is available here via PDA if they wanted it. I don't understand economics well I guess, why wouldn't they use it?

Isn't this already a PDA, hence the increased FAR and height relative to the South End?
 
I think anything abutting the Expressway should be at least Troy's height.
 
Isn't this already a PDA, hence the increased FAR and height relative to the South End?

The entire Harrison-Albany Corridor was rezoned a couple years ago after a major planning initiative. The height and FAR limits in the area north of East Berkeley Street were increased significantly relative to the South End proper.

The middling-rise nature of much of the Ink Block is a real disappointment. The developer is not coming close to using the zoning that is available. Yes, the section along Albany Street, in particular, should be much taller (and is zoned as such to provide a buffer to the highway).

What is amazing is that this is one of the few places near downtown Boston where the developer would have faced essentially NO opposition to more height and density.
 
South End open market moving to Ink Block in the Spring per Facebook announcement. They claim it will give them more space, not sure how though. Perhaps they will use part of the Whole Foods parking lot?
 
South End open market moving to Ink Block in the Spring per Facebook announcement. They claim it will give them more space, not sure how though. Perhaps they will use part of the Whole Foods parking lot?

Hum, mixed feelings about this. The parking lots at Ink Block could be a good area for the market, but it will screw up the parking for shoppers.

Also, I will miss the connection to Thayer Street and the artist studios.
 
Agreed. SOWA moving here doesn't feel like the right thing to do...
 
Yea i don't understand the move at all. Maybe it will make sense when it's in the space and we can all see it but right now it seems like its financially motivated
 
Could this be due to one (or more) of the lots SOWA is currently on finally being developed? I'm thinking of the food truck one especially.
 
I think you could be right, curcuas. The strange thing is, the Vintage Market JUST moved into a new spot, and now they're moving again? I guess if they stayed and everyone else moved, it wouldn't be that far away, but it's still a little strange baring something like the lots getting redeveloped.
 
Putting aside which owner is acting like the biggest asshole, my take away is that there will eventually be two competing markets. One under 93 and one where the market currently is. That's probably a win for visitors and the surrounding communities. And perhaps the vendors as well, who may end up paying lower rent as a result of the competition.
 
Putting aside which owner is acting like the biggest asshole, my take away is that there will eventually be two competing markets. One under 93 and one where the market currently is. That's probably a win for visitors and the surrounding communities. And perhaps the vendors as well, who may end up paying lower rent as a result of the competition.

If you read through the whole article, the two proponents promise to undercut each other for rent, so it will be better for vendors. It will be interesting to see if there is enough demand in the area to support two markets or not.

The one that is under I-93 should be an easy walk from Broadway station though.
 
The market is not moving to empty lots at the Ink Block, it's moving to under the freeway.

Article says it's moving to the Ink Block next year and under the highway the year after.

I agree with the above; hopefully this turns into two nice markets. Personally, I think the city could support a handful more SoWa style markets before getting close to any sort of saturation point. What I'd really like to see is some sort of open air infrastructure get built a la Boroughs Market in London, which is itself in an underpass.
 
Does anyone know what is going on underneath 93 directly across the street from this (intersection of albany and traveler).

Looks of construction activity over the last month and lots of areas dug up.
 


GREAT idea!


.....and then reality reared its ugly head when I read the last part of the article:

"Right now MassDOT isn't making any definitive promises regarding the Infra-Space 1 timeline. The plan, currently, is to start advertising the construction contract for Phase 2 in November, Blatt-Eisengart said. If the process goes smoothly, Infra-Space 1 could be open soon – very soon, in fact.

The hope is for construction to get underway this spring, with completion possible in as little as little as 120 days.

"We're hoping to cut a ribbon next summer," Blatt-Eisengart said."


......and then I looked at the date of the article.
 

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