One Mystic | 1 Mystic Avenue | Charlestown

Man, I'm so ready for this randomized window fenestration fad to pass over. The thick-thin back and forth isn't attractive and is a cheap trick to insert "design" into a facade without much thought. It looks dated on the Hub on Causeway tower, and just as bad here. I was hoping the Sudbury (hell, even the Alcott) would show just how strong a rational stretched grid of windows could be.

That said, it could all be much worse. The massing is... trying, and I wonder how many of those balconies will get cut. Nice to see some attention to the ground level.
 
RandomWalk said:
No 3 bedroom units for families to grow into?
Click to expand...
Random -- if you read the filing document -- it speaks extensively of compact aka tiny units [300 sq ft] there are some a mite larger and then a handful of 2br which probably could have a couple and a couple of kids
especially when the kids are young
I'm not really sure who is the expected target population -- perhaps Casino workers?
 
Bananarama said:
Man, I'm so ready for this randomized window fenestration fad to pass over. The thick-thin back and forth isn't attractive and is a cheap trick to insert "design" into a facade without much thought. It looks dated on the Hub on Causeway tower, and just as bad here. I was hoping the Sudbury (hell, even the Alcott) would show just how strong a rational stretched grid of windows could be.

That said, it could all be much worse. The massing is... trying, and I wonder how many of those balconies will get cut. Nice to see some attention to the ground level.
Click to expand...

It also has colossal order windows in groups of two. This is also getting old.
 
I like it... but I have a hard time seeing it get past the neighborhood group...

It's a nice fantasy though.
 
meddlepal said:
I like it... but I have a hard time seeing it get past the neighborhood group...

It's a nice fantasy though.
Click to expand...

generally speaking, i'd fully agree with you -- hard to get locals who've been embedded like ticks in the same area for generations to get on board with any major, transformative projects in their own back yard -- but... what "neighborhood" is nearby that'd complain? the buses and other gear on MBTA land? the industrial lots to the north? home depot? i can't see anyone over in assembly or on the other side of 93 in east somerville really caring all that much.
 
chrisbrat said:
generally speaking, i'd fully agree with you -- hard to get locals who've been embedded like ticks in the same area for generations to get on board with any major, transformative projects in their own back yard -- but... what "neighborhood" is nearby that'd complain? the buses and other gear on MBTA land? the industrial lots to the north? home depot? i can't see anyone over in assembly or on the other side of 93 in east somerville really caring all that much.
Click to expand...

And East Somerville doesn't matter. The only neighbors who can complain about this will be in Charlestown.

Wise it is to put your big building in the farthest corner of your city limits...
 
Equilibria said:
And East Somerville doesn't matter. The only neighbors who can complain about this will be in Charlestown.

Wise it is to put your big building in the farthest corner of your city limits...
Click to expand...
The best part about this is that it sets the stage for a much more impactful Sullivan Square revamp. The whole area is ripe for development, and this is the first major piece. By going for a 700 unit building, all of the following developments will be able to use this as the standard.

I don't love the mini units, but in a housing crisis total units might matter more to the economic pricing bubble than family units. Remember that there is a huge proportion of family units taken up by roommates who can't afford their own place. Break that cycle and family units come back to the market.

The view of the building coming down 93 certainly stands out, and stretches the feeling Assembly started that you're "in the city" much farther out of downtown. I hope the final design keeps an impactful presence.
 
Equilibria said:
And East Somerville doesn't matter. The only neighbors who can complain about this will be in Charlestown
Wise it is to put your big building in the farthest corner of your city limits...
Click to expand...
Even if east somerville did matter, this is the other side of 93 to the north east. I cant imagine shadows being an issue and the elevated highway means there's not much reason to object over visual impact. Traffic is the only thing that could cause objections but for me, this is still in the camp of 'ask for x expecting Y'.
 
Ruairi said:
Even if east somerville did matter, this is the other side of 93 to the north east. I cant imagine shadows being an issue and the elevated highway means there's not much reason to object over visual impact. Traffic is the only thing that could cause objections but for me, this is still in the camp of 'ask for x expecting Y'.
Click to expand...
This could start a trend:
Thanks to the Puritan's penchant for starting up local government as soon as enough settlers settled to have a preacher and school master -- Greater Boston is fragmented government-wise
This fragmentation makes it very hard for developers to assemble large tracts of land for traditional CA or TX type of massive single family residence developments
On the other hand -- if you can stick a tower on the boundary of your city or town so that you satisfy the neighbors in the town with the tower -- then let the shadows spill over the border into the next town
short of a law suit in Land Court -- the developer get's a fairly free reign

This might be a test case -- only Somerville can complain -- and given the Commonwealth's initiative to loosen the strings to allow more housing -- well we'll have to see
 
Vagabond said:
The best part about this is that it sets the stage for a much more impactful Sullivan Square revamp. The whole area is ripe for development, and this is the first major piece. By going for a 700 unit building, all of the following developments will be able to use this as the standard.
Click to expand...

It's possible that without a concerted effort from the City, the residents of this building will be the NIMBYs for the next. You only get away with building in the middle of nowhere for a limited amount of time before it becomes somewhere.

Assembly and Cambridge Crossing have avoided this by having master plans and master developers. Assembly has also been helped along by the radically pro-development Curtatone Administration.
 
Equilibria said:
It's possible that without a concerted effort from the City, the residents of this building will be the NIMBYs for the next. You only get away with building in the middle of nowhere for a limited amount of time before it becomes somewhere.

Assembly and Cambridge Crossing have avoided this by having master plans and master developers. Assembly has also been helped along by the radically pro-development Curtatone Administration.
Click to expand...
Witness the Harbor Towers in Boston. There, residents argue (while somehow keeping a straight face) against the concept of high-rise buildings on the harbor.
 
JeffDowntown said:
Witness the Harbor Towers in Boston. There, residents argue (while somehow keeping a straight face) against the concept of high-rise buildings on the harbor.
Click to expand...

Counterpoint: was there much resistance to the North Station towers, the Alcott, etc. from existing West End residents?
 
2 main differences between north station high rises and harbor towers.

1. waterfront
2. Condo vs Apts

both contribute favorably to this development getting completed. However, I’m still a skeptic.
 
stefal said:
View attachment 10407
Click to expand...
I try not to get hung up on rendering background quirks and inaccuracies (because really who cares), but its curious to me here that the casino isn't included in this render. Plopping the big, honking, existing Encore right over this project's shoulder might make it look a bit less prominent and "out of character," which I'd think would only help it as it goes through the approval process.
 
JumboBuc said:
I try not to get hung up on rendering background quirks and inaccuracies (because really who cares), but its curious to me here that the casino isn't included in this render. Plopping the big, honking, existing Encore right over this project's shoulder might make it look a bit less prominent and "out of character," which I'd think would only help it as it goes through the approval process.
Click to expand...

Maybe foretelling the imminent bankruptcy, closure, and demolition of the casino by the time this thing gets built... (kidding)
They also put a strange glow around several of the units in the daytime renderings, as if they were originally intended to be night images...
 
Id like it if we could get some ground level perspectives from a little ways back from the building. Its so hard to tell what impact this thing is even going to have from these drone style shots that nobody will ever actually see.

I guess Im just going to hold back judgement until I can see what its actually going to look like from real world perspectives because it may not be so jarring in real life. It does seem kind of out of place from the helicopter shots, so Id like to see the difference.
 
  • Like
Reactions: W-4
You must log in or register to reply here.

Back
Top