Perspective: Charing Cross best condo plan for 1501 Comm.
By Merrill H. Diamond, Diamond Sinacori LLC
Thu Apr 10, 2008, 09:28 AM EDT
Allston-Brighton - I am writing in response to the article by Keith Howard, ?Four push condo projects,? that appeared in the March 28 edition of the A-B TAB. As the spokesperson for the Brighton Partnership for Community Reinvestment, LLC ? a joint venture of Diamond Sinacori and Hart Development Associates ? I would like to correct and clarify some aspects of that article which attempts to differentiate among the four proposals.
Perhaps most important, while the reporter correctly notes our pride in what we feel is easily the most beautiful building of the four proposals, it would have been helpful to amplify a bit on the reason for, and the importance of, that pride. Designed in a traditional English Jacobean architectural style that is indigenous to the area, our building, Charing Cross, speaks to the need to create a signature piece of architecture to continue the revitalization of Brighton that we started with the development of The Waterworks at Chestnut Hill. Not only will this be important to the market-rate buyers who are intended to populate the buildings proposed by each respondent, but it will signal a definite halt to the cookie-cutter, box-like architecture that already exists on and adjacent to the site.
It should also be noted that Charing Cross is a five-story building (not a six-story building as reported), as defined by the city of Boston zoning bylaws. This was not an error on the part of your reporter, but the result of an incorrect project comparison sheet provided at the first of two public hearings held on April 20.
In addition, the unit mix indicated was incorrect. Our building is very focused on drawing families to Brighton and our unit mix, with everything from 2-bedrooms with den and 3-bedroom townhomes, reflects this objective.
By way of comparison, it would have been helpful to note several other points of differentiation between our project and those of our competitors. Included among these is the fact that our proposal has the highest percentage of market-rate homeownership units (67 percent), it relies, by far, on the least amount of public subsidies in order to become a reality and, in the process, leaves much of the remaining public subsidy money available for other worthy city of Boston projects. In addition, our proposal will yield more than 60 percent more revenue than our nearest competitor in annual city property taxes.
Finally, but by no means of lesser importance, we are the only development team that is proposing a series of specific, significant community benefits. These include the following: $50,000 to address the deplorable condition of the Commonwealth Avenue gradient across from the site; $25,000 to jumpstart the revitalization of nearby Ringer Park; $25,000 to enhance the computer lab at the Commonwealth public housing development; a construction and management apprenticeship program for residents of the Commonwealth public housing development; and a transfer tax on the resale of units at Charing Cross that will yield approximately $500,000 in additional revenue over a 30-year cycle (approximately $15,000 per year in perpetuity). This money can be used to both sustain the aforementioned community benefits and to fund new community benefits.
We believe that we have proven our commitment to the revitalization of Brighton with the development of The Waterworks at Chestnut Hill and with our many other projects in the area. If your readers believe that our proposal is worthy of support, we urge them to e-mail letters of support to DND?s project representative, John Feuerbach (jfeuerbach.dnd@cityofboston.gov), to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (Lance Campbell at
lance.cambell.BRA@cityofboston.gov), and to their elected representatives.
Submitted for the Brighton Partnership for Community Reinvestment LLC.
