Lancaster Boston | 1501 Commonwealth Ave | Brighton

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http://www.wickedlocal.com/allston/news/news_calendar/x1379334849

Hearing on 1501 Commonwealth Ave. coming up
Tue Mar 11, 2008, 08:50 PM EDT

Brighton - The following was submitted by the Department of Neighborhood Development and the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services.

The Department of Neighborhood Development and the Mayor?s Office of Neighborhood Services invites the public to a community meeting to hear and comment on proposals to develop 1501 Commonwealth Ave., Brighton. The meeting takes place Thursday, March 20, 6:30 p.m., at Jackson Mann Community Center, 500 Cambridge St., Allston.

DND has received four eligible applications to develop 1501 Commonwealth Ave., in response to a recent Request for Proposals. At the meeting on March 20, each of the four development teams will make presentations of their proposals. There will be time for questions, and attendees will discuss next steps of review.

The community is encouraged to attend the meeting. For questions about the meeting or the property, call John Feuerbach, DND senior development officer, at 617-635-0353.
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Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

Thanks. I don't always trust StreetView with exact addresses. I assume this is a tear-down rather than a rehab?
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

That's the right site. I'm glad that thing is getting replaced; it's too bad its downtown cousin (the Midtown Hotel) isn't getting the same treatment.

Edit: what's up with the rendering? Look closely: 1930s cars, fashion, and trolley...
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

my 1st apt in boston was across the street from there! glad they're getting rid of the ugly building!
 
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Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

czsz said:
Edit: what's up with the rendering? Look closely: 1930s cars, fashion, and trolley...
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Because beer cans and vomit aren't going to sell it. ;)
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

The maintenance fee must be pretty high to support the time machine, though.
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

Ron Newman said:
Isn't this far enough from both BU and BC to avoid that problem?
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Having lived a bit further out on the B Line up until last September, I can say "not really" with a fair degree of certainty.

It's not quite as bad as Harvard Ave. or the Cleveland Circle-ish area, but it's not that good, either.

I found the general vicinity to be pretty dumpy.
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

Right behind this property is a public housing project, though a generally well-maintained one. (Fidelis Way)
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

czsz said:
Edit: what's up with the rendering? Look closely: 1930s cars, fashion, and trolley...
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People want to live in a fantasy world of the past....Bob Stern style
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

That car is a dead ringer for my pal Frank's 29 Nash rat rod.
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

Passing by this site at least twice everyday on the green line, I'm glad it finally has something planned for it. This stretch of Comm. Ave. is awful on that side of the street. If only they could do something about its truly terrible neighbor Regency House.

I figured something was up with this place as some Boston Fire Department guys have been heading in and out of this place for a month or two now.

EDIT: Prior meeting details can be found here

One of the proposals can be viewed here.
 
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Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

What on earth does Comm ave in Allston have to do with Charing Cross? Is the developer a homesick brit?
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

I'm glad they didn't choose the B?nai B?rith proposal. The exposed parking garage would have been quite an eyesore. Although from the rendering of the current proposal it looks like the ground floor of the front of the building has two garage entrances. I'm hoping they can keep the ground level interesting for pedestrians and not just have it be a big blank wall with garage doors.
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

This intersection will feel so much nicer having that corner closed in. I'll have pictures of the site within a day or two.
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

It's not really a pedestrian-friendly stretch to begin with. It's at the crest of a steep hill and up on an access road removed by a grassy slope from the main part of Comm. Ave. The developer looks to have focused pedestrian friendliness on the side street.
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

czsz said:
It's not really a pedestrian-friendly stretch to begin with. It's at the crest of a steep hill and up on an access road removed by a grassy slope from the main part of Comm. Ave. The developer looks to have focused pedestrian friendliness on the side street.
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Yeah, there is really nothing that can be done to make that side of Comm Ave more pedestrian friendly. That hill is a chore to climb, and most people walk on the opposite side of the street or hop on the B Line to avoid it.
 
Re: 1501 Commonwealth Ave

From the Redfin Boston blog:

For years, the old Provident nursing home has been just another eyesore on Commonwealth Avenue. Set atop a hill near the corner of Warren Avenue and Commonwealth Avenue, the building has hulked depressingly over a trash-strewn median strip, in the shadow of a medical office building and public housing.

But last week, the community met once again to discuss proposals to turn the depressing old property into something useful and hopefully beautiful. Proposals currently on the table include:

Allston Brighton CDC? A five-story building with four stories of housing and a one-story garage. Eight units would be one bedroom, 23 two bedrooms, and 9 three bedrooms; 21 of the units would be set aside as affordable housing while 19 would be market rate.

B?nai B?rith Housing New England ? A five-story building with 39 one-bedroom units and 13 two-bedroom units; 20 units would be set aside for low-income buyers, 15 for middle-income buyers and 17 units at market rate. The building would draw on the architectural style of buildings in the neighborhood.

Brighton Partnership for Community Reinvestment ? A six-story building with housing on four stories and two stories reserved for a garage. It includes 49 two-bedroom units and eight one-bedroom units. Nineteen units would be set aside for affordable housing and 38 available for market-rate housing. The proposal centers on the beauty of the building and the developer promises funds to clean the disgusting median strip in front of the building, upgrade the nearby park, and even promises .33 percent of every sale to be set aside for the community to use at its discretion.

New Atlantic Development Corp ? Four stories of the five-story building will be used for housing, while one story would be reserved for parking. The building includes three, one-bedroom units, 39 two-bedroom units and eight three-bedroom units. Half of the units will be available as affordable housing while the other half will be sold at market rate. This project focuses on sustainability, and includes plans to retain rainwater and use heat-recovery ventilation systems that are energy-efficient.

I wasn?t at least week?s community meeting, but I think this stretch of Commonwealth Avenue feels dirty and abandoned. There?s definitely a ?yuck? factor in walking down that block. Any good plan will focus on bringing a little beauty to the area. Apartments should be large enough to attract young couples and families, and not just students. More attention should be paid to maintaining and beautifying the street and parks nearby. A really smart use of space would include some retail stores in the mix to increase foot traffic and neighborhood walkability. Mixed-income housing is good, but let?s face it, this part of Brighton is also in dire need of middle-income and professional residents. (Witness how the 300 Allston Street condos dramatically changed the feel of the neighborhood, in addition to providing a very-well-maintained, now heavily used neighborhood park.) I?m not sure that any of the proposals on the table combines ALL of these things, but if I were to choose among them, it seems the Brighton Partnership for Community Reinvestment hits closest to the mark.
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There was an article last June in the Allston-Brighton TAB that also covered the proposals, along with thoughts from some neighbors.
 
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