Millennium (Hayward) Place | 580 Washington Street | Downtown

Re: Hayward Place

The choice to use dark brick and hideous mullions similar to the Hyatt are going to be disastrous. Interestingly the form is similar to that hotel. I guess, following cocktail logic, having two shot ugly girls next door to the taller Ritz will make the Ritz look better for Millennium Partners portfolio.
 
Re: Hayward Place

briv said:
Why the hell do we need a parking garage in this building anyways? It has subway stop built into it.
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This is likely a rhetorical question but for better or worse (almost entirely worse) the fact is there just are not nearly enough people in Greater Boston who will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a condo unit or pay thousands each month in rent to live in a building with zero parking. I don't think we are going to see too many projects get off the ground that consist of higher end rentals or condos and not a single parking space. But we can all hope can't we?
 
Re: Hayward Place

BosDevelop said:
... not nearly enough people in Greater Boston who will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a condo unit or pay thousands each month in rent to live in a building with zero parking...
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Many thousands of Bostonians already do this. The vast majority of residential buildings in the city's core lack attached parking garages.

Underground parking garages are hugely expensive. I bet if the city didn't require them on new buildings, we wouldn't see very many built at all. The parking space requirement essentially just further promotes traffic and congestion by encouraging more people to drive in the city's core. IMO, it should be removed from the code.
 
Re: Hayward Place

Lurker said:
The choice to use dark brick and hideous mullions similar to the Hyatt are going to be disastrous. Interestingly the form is similar to that hotel.
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No surprise you noticed this, Lurker. The resemblance is kinda sad...
 
Re: Hayward Place

Many thousands of Bostonians already do this.
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Not in the target demographic they're hoping will pay through the roof to live here.
 
Re: Hayward Place

czsz said:
Not in the target demographic they're hoping will pay through the roof to live here.
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I would think that the middle/upper income folks who want to live in a dense urban environment such as this would actually be drawn to the fact that a car is not a necessity. Granted, there aren't as many of these folks in Boston as in, say, Manhattan, but I do think some buildings in these downtown locations would attract people who have a "taxi + T" lifestyle.
 
Re: Hayward Place

Some of them are, some of them just want to live a lifestyle that allows them to have a cool view and/or quick commute. Remember that you don't have to want to use your car every day to want to have a parking space. Some of the people who live in these buildings will only take their car out once a week for grocery shopping, or daytripping to Marblehead or whatever. Others will take it out even more infrequently. And these are not the kind of people that are going to deal with Zipcar, either. They are still going to want a place to store their probably also expensive car that doesn't force them to look for a street spot or have to subject them to the elements.
 
Re: Hayward Place

I have Chives drive my limo half a block to work every morning. Sometimes pedestrians try to cross the road, nearly doubling my commute time. Ingrates.
 
Re: Hayward Place

Unfortunately, existing residents in a neighborhood often believe that the creation of new spaces with each new development project will moderate demand for on street parking.

So, they are the most vocal advocates for more and more parking with each new project.

Residents don't believe that eliminating parking spaces could reduce traffic impacts and possibly ease demand for parking as new residents and workers sought public transportation.

If I worked in city planning I'd consider a parking ratio for new development based on proximity to an MBTA station, with buildings nearest the station having the lowest possible number of parking spaces.
 
Re: Hayward Place

czsz said:
Not in the target demographic they're hoping will pay through the roof to live here.
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You mean the same folks targeted by the W, 45 province, etc?

Yeah, clearly the whole parking thing is bringing in the masses.
 
Re: Hayward Place

There's a certain irony (maybe, none) that we are talking about "work-force housing" in the Seaport to appeal to younger Bostonians, which has little public transportation (as of now), but putting parking in a downtown building practically intersected by three subway lines.
 
Re: Hayward Place

BosDevelop said:
The fact is there just are not nearly enough people in Greater Boston who will pay hundreds of thousands of dollars for a condo unit or pay thousands each month in rent to live in a building with zero parking.
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I think it's likely a chicken and egg proposition. Part of the reason that so much new residential construction downtown is "luxury" stems from the expense of building an underground garage. If parking wasn't mandated, we might get some more affordable build options. People who need a guaranteed place to park can always rent a space in one of the many garages already populating downtown. The market is likely to take a far more accurate stance on parking than the zoning laws.
 
Re: Hayward Place

Sigh. Guys, here is the reason why parking garages exist in the city and why there is always going to be parking garage.

In a city, it's always easier to travel into the city because once you get into the city, you can utilize different modes of public transportation such as buses, taxis, and trains, to get to places. However, the opposite is true. When leaving the city, it is harder to get around. For example, once you get to Wonderland, you're pretty much at the end. You can't travel any further out without the usage of a car. This true for nearly all commuter rail lines and T station far away from downtown. You can always drive to the commuter station, park your car and then utilize the train if you're from the suburb but you can't take the commuter rail and then use the car if you're from the city.

PLUS, as I stated earlier, wealthy folks WOULD NOT, no matter how close or convenient, ride public transportation. These people need parking garages and no doubt many of the residents of Hayward Place would fall into that category.
 
Re: Hayward Place

Am I the only one who thinks this will overwhelm Washington St. I wish they had set back the higher floors and move the mass to the back of the project. I'm not against the size of the project, I think it's a lost opportunity to build more density in the heart of the city. I don't blame Menino, he's clueless on these things. What I don't understand is what the hell does that guy Shen do?
 
Re: Hayward Place

Guys, here is the reason why parking garages exist in the city
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Actually, two reasons:

1) Market forces
2) Regulation

There's no denying that market forces may dictate for parking spaces. But that doesn't mean market forces would dictate that every new building would be built with a certain ratio of units to parking, as regulation does. In fact, with no regulation, if there were extra overnight capacity at other garages to absorb it then a building may not be built with any parking at all so as not to incur the costs of constructing it. Same thing with a residential building that is courting a specifically different demographic than moneyed pied-a-terres.
 
Re: Hayward Place

here is a spin no one has brought up. Is it possible that by having many smallish to medium sized garages created underground with new development it may draw more and more cars out of the large downtown garages, and south boston parking lots, creating a situation where it would become more profitable to redevelop the behemoths instead of letting them sit?
 
Re: Hayward Place

KentXie said:
For example, once you get to Wonderland, you're pretty much at the end. You can't travel any further out without the usage of a car.
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Um...what?

Take a look at the MBTA system map and try again.

Check out north beverly for example.
http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/system_map/

Also, they have these things called rental cars and taxi cabs.


PLUS, as I stated earlier, wealthy folks WOULD NOT, no matter how close or convenient, ride public transportation. These people need parking garages and no doubt many of the residents of Hayward Place would fall into that category.
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Complete bullshit, not worthy of a reply.

Only poor people ride transport, amirite?

Thats probably why downtown Manhattan has no public transport. Too many rich people that would never use a train. Only the folks in Harlem take the bus.
 
Re: Hayward Place

While not wealthy, I am probably upper-middle class and a major reason I moved to Boston from Atlanta was to get out of my car. I have my car parked at a friend's house in the suburbs--haven't been behind the wheel for 6 months now (will probably sell the car). I rely entirely on public transit and the ancient art of walking, live a block away from a T station and I am a 10 minute walk from everything I could want (though my doctor's office is about a 15 minute walk). I can count on one hand the number of times I've been tempted to drive somewhere.
 
Re: Hayward Place

Shepard said:
Actually, two reasons:

1) Market forces
2) Regulation

There's no denying that market forces may dictate for parking spaces. But that doesn't mean market forces would dictate that every new building would be built with a certain ratio of units to parking, as regulation does. In fact, with no regulation, if there were extra overnight capacity at other garages to absorb it then a building may not be built with any parking at all so as not to incur the costs of constructing it. Same thing with a residential building that is courting a specifically different demographic than moneyed pied-a-terres.
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Stop.

You're both right.
 
Re: Hayward Place

jass said:
Um...what?

Take a look at the MBTA system map and try again.

Check out north beverly for example.
http://mbta.com/schedules_and_maps/system_map/

Also, they have these things called rental cars and taxi cabs.
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The map only proves my point. As you can see, many of the stops and towns are served by one bus route that covers only a small part of the area (such as Reading, Lynnfield, and Wakefield). I like the rental cars and taxi cabs but the cabs normally charges an exuberant amount (I know the cabs at Rt. 128 charges 5 dollars PER person and $20 if it's one person). The rental car however requires you to return it which could be a hassle. Owning a car it's more convenient.



Complete bullshit, not worthy of a reply.

Only poor people ride transport, amirite?

Thats probably why downtown Manhattan has no public transport. Too many rich people that would never use a train. Only the folks in Harlem take the bus.
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Ok I didn't mean all. But many prefer not to use public transportation. The fact of life is, many people will use car even if there's is public transportation because it's more private and more convenient. They won't use it all the time, but sufficient enough that they will own one. How many of us here on the board owns a car, whether they use it often or not?
 
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