One Mystic | 1 Mystic Avenue | Charlestown

[goody]

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...

I think the Charlestown resistance will boil down to something like "Traffic, traffic, traffic!!! Parking, parking, parking!!!" They nearby brought out the pitchforks when Hood was exploring a concert venue.

 

[whighlander]

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 -- there is only the barest hint of the the Big Honking Windmill -- hidden in the lower right of only one of the renders
and no pix show the Mystic Generating Station -- which even if closed would still be there for many years because of the location of the major substation

 

[Bananarama]

So they definitely just used google maps 3D view. Pre the update last year which added the completed casino.
There's something sort of magically dystopian about the view of that area of Everett. The windmill is a gleaming beacon of the future against it.

 

[Boston35]

Curious if there are any Charlestown residents here and what their opinion is. Not my neighborhood but seems like a good spot for density/ TOD. The knee jerk reaction will be traffic although progress on the Rutherford ave improvement plan and upgrades to the orange line may help. They do have a low parking ratio.

 

[Vagabond]

Curious if there are any Charlestown residents here and what their opinion is. .

Resident opinion: Charlestown respondents will be worried about Sullivan Square traffic. There really are only 2 (3 if you count the Tobin on-ramp) ways out of Charlestown, and they all suck at rush hour. This is an awesome spot to vitalize Sullivan and everybody knows it, but it's an opportunity to demand long-promised traffic solutions.

Professional Opinion: the city knows this is a very profitable site. Clean up the LEED and resilience criteria. Guide a community benefits package to improve that shitty bridge, add bike lanes, and up the affordable housing percentage to 20% to help cover the BH project.

 

[617]

Another resident opinion: agree with all above. I really don’t care since that side of town is basically a no mans land, but traffic was definitely an issue pre-pandemic (not so much now) and a lot of townies feel trapped between all the development happening, the town feels like an island hemmed in by new buildings.

 

[Boston35]

Another resident opinion: agree with all above. I really don’t care since that side of town is basically a no mans land, but traffic was definitely an issue pre-pandemic (not so much now) and a lot of townies feel trapped between all the development happening, the town feels like an island hemmed in by new buildings.

Have you seen the new drawings that do away with the rotary and have a new traffic pattern in SS? Ive seen newer buildings in Boston not allow their residence to apply for a street parking sticker and have a parking ratio of 1:4 per unit. Agree that there has been a development boom around Charlestown- Assembly, Cambridge Crossing, Encore ect. I also view it as tax dollars and jobs leaving Boston/ Charlestown in a recession. Part of mitigation effects can place a focus on allowing local businesses priority on the first floor retail and hiring local.

 

[Boston35]

Resident opinion: Charlestown respondents will be worried about Sullivan Square traffic. There really are only 2 (3 if you count the Tobin on-ramp) ways out of Charlestown, and they all suck at rush hour. This is an awesome spot to vitalize Sullivan and everybody knows it, but it's an opportunity to demand long-promised traffic solutions.

Professional Opinion: the city knows this is a very profitable site. Clean up the LEED and resilience criteria. Guide a community benefits package to improve that shitty bridge, add bike lanes, and up the affordable housing percentage to 20% to help cover the BH project.

Agree although the bridge issue will be a state issue, I think they are addressing this in the Rutherford Ave plan? I can see this building getting to 15-20% IDP units but wont be a tax credit deal from BHH. Tax credit and IDP are two different animals and you would have one developer taking a loss while another one benefits. I would like to see a mix of AMI above the 13% @ 70%. When you get above the 13% it starts to raise the market rate units price. Despite the Boston rental market taking a hit, it is still fourth most expensive market in the country and the average rental price in Charlestown is around $2,700. I would like to see some 3 bedrooms mixed in to help take the pressure off of some larger 3 bedrooms in the Charleston core for families.

 

[whighlander]

Agree although the bridge issue will be a state issue, I think they are addressing this in the Rutherford Ave plan? I can see this building getting to 15-20% IDP units but wont be a tax credit deal from BHH. Tax credit and IDP are two different animals and you would have one developer taking a loss while another one benefits. I would like to see a mix of AMI above the 13% @ 70%. When you get above the 13% it starts to raise the market rate units price. Despite the Boston rental market taking a hit, it is still fourth most expensive market in the country and the average rental price in Charlestown is around $2,700. I would like to see some 3 bedrooms mixed in to help take the pressure off of some larger 3 bedrooms in the Charleston core for families.

Boston35 -- go and read the filing
as I posted in response to RandomWalk a couple of days ago

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?

 

[stefal]

Oh boy, we need a more informed general public. The NIMBYism and/or general negative/pessimistic perception of this is already ramping up on Facebook. I don't follow the page, but it came as a suggested post, and I couldn't help but click to see the 100 comments. Some notable ones listed below:

• "Look ridiculous. Do [not] my need or want this in my neighborhood."
• "There is already a few luxury condos already in place in the vicinity"
• "How about affordable housing instead" and general implications these 600 market-rate units will sit empty for foreign investors, making up most of the comments

I don't know, how do we market a transformative project like this, in the middle of an industrial park and parking lots, with all market-rate and affordable housing, ultra-close proximity to transit, such that people understand this is beneficial for the Boston area as a whole? [on the topic of marketing, I hope this doesn't end up with a ridiculous name] Maybe this can branch off into a new thread, but the perceptions of the Boston development scene are too bleak to just sit there and watch falsehoods spread like fire and supported with likes/herd mentalities sometimes. With the mayoral race ramping up and no single candidate seeming to have a clear and promising housing policy that won't backfire, there seems to be growing momentum against building more units in and around Boston.

 

[Blackbird]

Oh boy, we need a more informed general public. The NIMBYism and/or general negative/pessimistic perception of this is already ramping up on Facebook. I don't follow the page, but it came as a suggested post, and I couldn't help but click to see the 100 comments. Some notable ones listed below:

Thanks for posting the link! To be fair, there aren't a lot of NIMBY rallying cries here that are actually getting attention. The only one is: "Smh.. Yes we don't need another freaking high rise !!!! Yes. We do need more affordable housing than freaking high rise apartment's that the average person can not afford !!!" I'd love to comment something like "well they aren't going to build single family homes right up against Sullivan Square, Debbie, and even if they did the houses would be worth $2 million for the location alone". But Only in Boston is a public page, and I don't need certain Facebook friends responding to my comment there.

The other popular comment: "Here comes all the bitching 'we don’t need another high rise peeps, we need affordable housing!' Well, there are plenty of people who find these high rises affordable, so there’s that." Skirts the point, but isn't well worded. The emphasis should be on the fact that those who might find these units affordable are currently occupying units in Somerville and Charlestown that used to house middle and working class folks. Developments like this might leech them out of those neighborhoods. However, then you have to think about induced demand; assuming that building more luxury housing will always bring down prices in the area is like assuming that adding lanes to a highway will always reduce traffic.

 

[stefal]

Yeah, it's not the worst I've seen, but this building is a crazy one to be mad about. Maybe the design makes me wish for something better, but understanding the development process involved in "triggering" new neighborhoods, I'm gonna live with it. Design aside, this should've been approved yesterday and under construction tomorrow. The Globe comment sections are usually far worse, and every once in a while I'll come across some pretty drastic and ignorant NIMBY threads on Twitter. The general sentiment is that there is no good development and never will be, and we're supposed to somehow build affordable housing for all, either through a city government that, today is far too bureaucratic to effectively, efficiently, and or feasibly build what we need, or by somehow forcing developers and banks to take major risks with no reward, or to stop development altogether and keep housing stock/supply constant while demand rises.

 

[Boston35]

Thanks for posting the link! To be fair, there aren't a lot of NIMBY rallying cries here that are actually getting attention. The only one is: "Smh.. Yes we don't need another freaking high rise !!!! Yes. We do need more affordable housing than freaking high rise apartment's that the average person can not afford !!!" I'd love to comment something like "well they aren't going to build single family homes right up against Sullivan Square, Debbie, and even if they did the houses would be worth $2 million for the location alone". But Only in Boston is a public page, and I don't need certain Facebook friends responding to my comment there.

The other popular comment: "Here comes all the bitching 'we don’t need another high rise peeps, we need affordable housing!' Well, there are plenty of people who find these high rises affordable, so there’s that." Skirts the point, but isn't well worded. The emphasis should be on the fact that those who might find these units affordable are currently occupying units in Somerville and Charlestown that used to house middle and working class folks. Developments like this might leech them out of those neighborhoods. However, then you have to think about induced demand; assuming that building more luxury housing will always bring down prices in the area is like assuming that adding lanes to a highway will always reduce traffic.

Thanks for sharing. I would encourage anyone here from the neighborhood to submit thoughtful comments and participate in the BPDA process.

 

[Ruairi]

I got in to it on twitter with people who wanted to build a school/rehab center/car park here. Clearly had no idea where the site is. they got backed up by a lot of others who seemed to think it was bad because "we're not California" and "we need more affordable housing/affordable isn't affordable/you don't know what boston people think' and 'we don't need another seaport'.
In synopsis, I wasted a few hours of my day arguing with people who were vehement against this. Best I could tell, I don't think they understand that charlestown is also west of rutherford ave.

 

[stefal]

I got in to it on twitter with people who wanted to build a school/rehab center/car park here. Clearly had no idea where the site is. they got backed up by a lot of others who seemed to think it was bad because "we're not California" and "we need more affordable housing/affordable isn't affordable/you don't know what boston people think' and 'we don't need another seaport'.
In synopsis, I wasted a few hours of my day arguing with people who were vehement against this. Best I could tell, I don't think they understand that charlestown is also west of rutherford ave.

I'm seeing this everywhere, for every project. It's quite ridiculous for this one especially. The car park one is hysterical to me - look across the street, and across the street from that, and across the street from that, and ac-....

Same with the school, I'm sure a developer will turn over the property they just spent a few hundred thousand on acquisitions and designs for the city to build a school in one of the least optimal locations for a school possible... Then you'll hear complaints that they built a school in the middle of a blighted neighborhood that's overrun by traffic and noise. File under What I Hate About Boston I guess

/rant

 

[Ruairi]

I'm seeing this everywhere, for every project. It's quite ridiculous for this one especially. The car park one is hysterical to me - look across the street, and across the street from that, and across the street from that, and ac-....

Same with the school, I'm sure a developer will turn over the property they just spent a few hundred thousand on acquisitions and designs for the city to build a school in one of the least optimal locations for a school possible... Then you'll hear complaints that they built a school in the middle of a blighted neighborhood that's overrun by traffic and noise. File under What I Hate About Boston I guess

/rant

yup, I made those points and got 'they'd just have to sell one market rate unit to pay for the whole thing', which in turn got lots of likes, which meant I kept getting notifications of people liking absolute rubbish.
I can see why social media is bad for ones mental state!

 

[Blackbird]

I got in to it on twitter with people who wanted to build a school/rehab center/car park here. Clearly had no idea where the site is. they got backed up by a lot of others who seemed to think it was bad because "we're not California" and "we need more affordable housing/affordable isn't affordable/you don't know what boston people think'

Pretty weird to say “we need more affordable housing”, then propose something that doesn’t add any housing.

 

[Ruairi]

Pretty weird to say “we need more affordable housing”, then propose something that doesn’t add any housing.

yea, I think there's a knee jerk need to object without really considering why you're objecting. Then once you've staked out your corner, you defend it to the hilt, no matter what evidence there is to the contrary. Seems to be the way of things these days.

 

[Boston35]

Comment period open.

One Mystic Avenue | Boston Planning & Development Agency

Learn about the BPDA's development review process, view information about development projects in the BPDA approval pipeline, and learn how you can get involved.

www.bostonplans.org

 

[sm89]

They had a meeting about this project earlier this week. Anyone watch it or hear the feedback they received?