Mixed-Use Washington @ Walnut | Newtonville

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New renders released

https://www.flickr.com/photos/139261813@N06/31151673706/in/album-72157672936680274/
 
That's depressing. Why has Greater Boston turned into Floyd the Barber? Buzzcut everything!!!! Kill any form of expression or difference at the summits of all buildings!!! Conformity!!!!!!
 
I actually think the new render is a tad classier, less chintzy than the original. Overall an upgrade, despite lopping off some height.
 
Shepard said:
I actually think the new render is a tad classier, less chintzy than the original. Overall an upgrade, despite lopping off some height.
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....or they added alot of trees and got rid of the Dunkin Donuts from the render. That classes it up in a hurry. ;)
 
I personally love how they added trees in front of the Dunkin' Donunts to their render. Or perhaps the "flag poles" with signage in front of what will be a very tight sidewalk, what with 15 foot tree planters... This is a joke.
 
Mods, can you change the name of this to Washington Place | Newtonville or something like that. Proposed Newtonville development is vauge.
 
The developer won't have enough votes to get this through Newton's city council, and so is withdrawing the proposal that's currently before the city. But they intend to come back with a redesigned project that has enough added affordable housing unit that it meets the 40B exemption from local zoning:

http://village14.com/2017/02/23/orr-block-to-be-built-as-40b/#axzz4ZeHLLI00

Going from a predominantly market rate 4-5 story building to a mixed income 6 story building is a great outcome for the region, but probably the exact opposite of what the project's opponents were trying to achieve.
 
Globe: Newton developer opts for affordable housing project in face of opposition

Boston Globe said:
Facing stiff opposition and long odds, the developer of a controversial project in Newton is switching gears, opting instead to pursue an affordable housing plan under a state law that would allow him to bypass city reviews.

The abrupt change comes after developer Robert Korff of Mark Development LLC spent two years trying to build 160-unit apartment and retail complex known as Washington Place in the Newtonville section of the city.

Instead, Korff said he will now try to build a slightly bigger, taller complex under the state’s so-called 40B law, which allows developers to circumvent local zoning restrictions on large projects if a community’s affordable housing stock falls under 10 percent. He estimates that the project will have 200 units in all — 20 to 25 percent could be classified as affordable — and be six stories tall, with retail on the ground floor.

[...]
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617 said:
Wow that is awesome...for the developer. Surprised this doesn't happen more often.
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I wonder if this means we have finally gotten to the level of housing prices/rents where 40B levels of affordable units make sense given the very high value of the market rate units. Seems to be what this developer is telling us.
 
JANAM said:
Anybody know why this doesn't happen more often?
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Seems like a great way to never get anything you need approved afterwards never approved or delayed by "bureaucracy".
 
Hahaha. Oh I can see this law being used cleverly to stop NIMBYs in their tracks now. Genius.
 
Jouhou said:
Hahaha. Oh I can see this law being used cleverly to stop NIMBYs in their tracks now. Genius.
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This quote pretty much sums up the beautiful people's attitude re: 40B -


In Newton, Fredrick Arnstein, president of Neighbors for a Better Newtonville, said the 40B law “was probably well-intended, and has probably done some good, but it’s a bane for many communities, and quite irrational.”
 
HalcyonEra said:
This quote pretty much sums up the beautiful people's attitude re: 40B -


In Newton, Fredrick Arnstein, president of Neighbors for a Better Newtonville, said the 40B law “was probably well-intended, and has probably done some good, but it’s a bane for many communities, and quite irrational.”
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I think it's applicable better in some specific situations than in others. Here, we have a developer from the community who has made off-the-record promises not to turn his design to crap once freed from the city approval process - out of the goodness of his heart and a desire to not ruin his neighborhood center. Even if this guy follows through on that and builds an attractive project that adds urbanity and street activation, not everyone will. Some might just use 40B as a shortcut to throwing up Soviet housing blocks with blank walls fronting the street.

The best solution is still to find ways to lessen the out-of-scale impact that neighborhood NIMBY activists (a minority of neighborhood residents) have on the process. As Newton saw with the Austin St. development, pro-development activists can win if they're willing to make themselves heard.
 
^^Jesus you're beautiful. Thats a sig!
Equilibria said:
The best solution is still to find ways to lessen the out-of-scale impact that neighborhood NIMBY activists (a minority of neighborhood residents) have on the process. As Newton saw with the Austin St. development, pro-development activists can win if they're willing to make themselves heard.
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i'm also on my 4th cup of coffee. :)
 
HalcyonEra said:
This quote pretty much sums up the beautiful people's attitude re: 40B -


In Newton, Fredrick Arnstein, president of Neighbors for a Better Newtonville, said the 40B law “was probably well-intended, and has probably done some good, but it’s a bane for many communities, and quite irrational.”
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Classic intolerant elitist hypocrisy: diversity for thee, homogeneity (none of those people) for me. So Newton.
 
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