Parcel P-12 | 286-290 Tremont St | Chinatown

briv

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From what I gather, the Boston Arts Academy is planning on building a school on parcel-12, the parking lot adjacent to the old Don Bosco parking lot running between Washington and Tremont Streets.

Here is an excerpt from a May 2008 entry to the Boston Chinatown Blog:

Boston's Chinatown Blog said:
Word on the street is that the Boston Arts Academy has already approached funders to launch a capital campaign. This fact has been verified by several people in Chinatown, including the Chinatown Blogger. As part of the capital campaign, the school has assured funders that they have been meeting with the Chinatown community. Contrary, the school has rejected requests to meet since December of last year. If the school has met with someone in the Chinatown community, they have not provided any names.


TCC, which is a coalition of community agencies in Chinatown, is concerned about the lack of information from the school. Ng said at the TCC meeting that due to limited land in Chinatown, there are only 2 parcels available for development, Parcel A and Parcel 12. Parcel 12 was at one point intended to be developed for housing and the community would like to know what the school?s intentions are.


The Boston Arts Academy has initial plans to build a middle school and high school with a total student population of about 500. Add in the nearby Josiah Quincy elementary school and the Josiah Quincy Upper school on Washington Street, there will be about 1,000 students within a block of each other, which may pose traffic problems and how to ensure the safety of the students.

LINK

Another entry from June mentions the city possibly incorporating a new library into project:

The Chinatown Blog'] The past year rumors have floated about Boston Arts Academy?s intentions to relocate to a site adjacent to the former Don Bosco school (now occupied by the Chinatown YMCA and Double Tree Hotel). This blog has been [URL="http://bostonchinatowngateway.com/archives/283 said:
following the progress[/url] of these rumors since October 2007. Nothing has been publicly stated by the school or the City. However, a meeting was held recently by the City confirming plans to relocate the school to the site.

Word on the street is that a meeting was arranged by the City with ?interested? parties. This ?invite-only? meeting was attended by a City Councilor, the Boston Redevelopment Authority, a representative from the City?s Inter-Agency Affairs, the Boston Arts Academy, and the Boston Public School. The City is exploring options to relocate the Boston Arts Academy to the parcel known as P12 and to integrate a library on the site.


LINK



There is a public meeting regarding this proposal being held Wed. July 23, 6:30pm at the Quincy school cafeteria.
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

The Washington St. side of the parking lot is the parking for the Doubletree hotel adjacent to it on Washington Street.
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

You're right Cast. I think I fixed it.
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

The BRA is starting community meetings on a proposed development on Parcel 12, 290 Tremont Street in the Theatre District/Residential Chinatown.

Proposal on the table is a relocation (from the Fenway) of the Boston Academy for the Arts. The relocation will also allow expansion of the school to ninclude a middle school (expanding from 400 to about 700 students).

Also included in the conceptual proposal is a ground floor brand of the Boston Public Library (for Chinatown).

Parcel 12 is a K shaped parking lot, between the Tufts Medical Center parking garage and the Doubletree hotel. This is city owned land.

Although there is no formal BRA proposal for the site, the City, BRA, BPL, BPS, BAA all seem to be fast tracking the idea. First public meeting with the BRA is Wednesday, July 23 at 6:30 PM at the Josiah Quincy School Cafeteria:

From the BRA:

Community meeting regarding the re-use of Parcel P-12

and a presentation by the Boston Arts Academy/Boston Public School Dept.



Wednesday, July 23, 2008

6:30 PM

Quincy School Cafeteria, 885 Washington St.

Cantonese translation will be provided.

If you have questions, please contact Sue Kim, BRA, sue.kim.BRA@cityofboston.gov

617.918.4418
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

The city and the Chinatown community have been exploring different possible sites for a new library. One site that was being explored, and one that I think would have had the potential to be great, is the parcel around the tunnel vent adjacent to the new Chinatown park-- but I guess P-12 has been pretty much selected.

The BPL's site has made the feasibility presentations done by Miller Dyer Spears available on their site as pdfs. Here is a portion dealing with this site:

bpl_p12_1.jpg


bpl_p12_0.jpg


bpl_p12_4.jpg


bpl_p12_3.jpg


bpl_p12_2.jpg
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

Banker & Tradesman had an article this week that seems to indicate that the BRA planning process for Parcel 12 is pretty hard wired. The Red Sox want the old Boston Arts Academy site.

http://enews.thewarrengroup.com/bt/...ve-Eyes-On-Another-Fenway-Parcel/Default.aspx

Sox Have Eyes On Another Fenway Parcel

By Thomas Grillo
Banker & Tradesman Reporter

A plan to move a Boston performing arts high school from the Fenway to the Theatre District could give the Red Sox a chance to expand their real estate holdings around Fenway Park.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino wants to build a new Boston Arts Academy on a city-owned parking lot wedged between the Doubletree Hotel and the Tufts Medical Center at Tremont and Washington streets. If approved, the city would sell the high school now located at 176 Ipswich St., behind Fenway Park, and put the proceeds toward the new $100 million school. The 157,146-square-foot Fenway building is assessed at $13.2 million.

?We don?t have anything official to say about it,? said Janet Marie Smith, the Boston Red Sox staff architect. ?We are watching this with great interest, but the last thing we want to do is appear as though we are pushing the school out.?

The Red Sox have been buying property around the park since a consortium headed by John Henry bought the team in 2002 for $660 million. Under the name of New England Sports Ventures, the team has purchased the former Sophia?s Latin Bar and Restaurant at 1270 Boylston St., a warehouse at 160-170 Ipswich St., the Town Taxi garages at 154-156 Ipswich St., WBCN?s former headquarters at 1265 Boylston St. and McDonald?s at 1282 Boylston St.

In addition, Michael Dee, the team?s chief operating officer, told Banker & Tradesman last fall that the ball club intends to purchase the parking garage behind the park at 49-67 Lansdowne St.

William Richardson, president of the Fenway Civic Association, said the Sox would be the likely buyer of any real estate on Ipswich Street. ?My guess is that the Sox would create office space which would allow them to move people out of Fenway Park to make way for more ballpark-related uses at Fenway,? he said.

July 24, 2008
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

What are the seven unlabeled upper levels in the massing diagram in post #5?
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

^^ I'll take a guess and say office or clinical space (maybe labs) for NEMC. Conjecture based on MDS being DFCI's "house" firm.

If I happen to run into Myron Miller, I'll ask him.
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

Good guess. It's inconceivable to me that anything would happen on this parcel without the involvement of NEMC. The original Silver Line tunnel proposal pushed by the T was going to bore right through this parcel ... NEMC pulled its weight with the political powers behind closed doors to kill that proposal, first recruiting and then abandoning allies in the neighborhoods as soon as it got what it wanted. There are still some sore feelings about NEMC's cynical conduct on that issue, so "support" of a school here might be one way to smooth some feathers while blocking any attempt by the T to resurrect that scheme.

Those interested in schemes to reuse the old streetcar tunnel under Tremont Street will note that this parcel was the most logical place for a new entry point.
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

Anyone know the latest on plans to build a new school in Chinatown?
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

This thread title needs an update, since P12 is DEFINITELY NOT going to be the Boston Arts Academy. That option is long dead.
 
Re: Parcel P-12 (Boston Arts Academy Chinatown School)

FAA Logan map puts this site at just under 375.

Honestly, we should create a sticky thread with just a post of the FAA Logan Map. It would be an easy way to reference it.
 
Re: Parcel P-12 | Chinatown

^^ Rather than clutter the front page with more sticky threads, I added the map to the 1st post of the Development Map and Chart sticky thread.
 
Re: Parcel P-12 | Chinatown

^^ Rather than clutter the front page with more sticky threads, I added the map to the 1st post of the Development Map and Chart sticky thread.

Thanks for taking the initiative. We could definitely use a bigger version if you can find one. That map is miniscule for the amount of land it covers!
 
Re: Parcel P-12 | Chinatown

So i have been meaning to write a brief synopsis about the last meeting for this parcel....

- The community has requested that the site be maximized to its tallest height. Roughly it is zoned for about 100'0" below the FAA limit.
- The turnout at the meeting was largely of the chinatown community with majority of the questions focusing on the community benefits.
- A single bay village resident attended the meeting to voice a few concerns, particularly about potential shadows over the small park that sits directly across Tremont Street.
- Multiple Easements that cross the site are desired to be kept.
- The Asian Community Design Corporation (ACDC) was present, and after a brief discussion with the director of real estate, they would ultimately like to be the developer with financing coming from a traditional developer (similar to One Greenway). The same director mentioned to me that this would be a good site for the 115 Winthrop Square off site affordable housing units here. Would like to work with MP, but nothing has been finalized.
- Speaking of affordability; the chinatown residents wanted to push the affordable numbers to a minimum of 50% affordable units, with a desire for 100%. The desires also went to what level is "affordable". some wanted to go as low as 30% AMI.
- Tufts has an interest in the site, not particularly about developing it, but the vice president of real estate mentioned wanting to be active in the community. All branches of the Tufts umbrella (University, Medical Center, Shared Services) were all present at the meeting
- There will be one more meeting after a comment period about the design guidelines then they are anticipating a RFP to come out by mid/late summer.
 
Re: Parcel P-12 | Chinatown

^Fantastic write-up. Thanks!
 
Re: Parcel P-12 | Chinatown

The community has requested that the site be maximized to its tallest height....

Thanks.
Pardon, do you know
specifically who these folks are?
Martians? i wanna send them a donation
so they can keep coming back
to our good Earth.
Amen.
 
Re: Parcel P-12 | Chinatown

Thanks.
Pardon, do you know
specifically who these folks are?
Martians? i wanna send them a donation
so they can keep coming back
to our good Earth.
Amen.

The community in Chinatown is not afraid of height. We'll take height to get more affordable housing. BPDA is well aware of this, and often comments on it as an outlier in Boston.
 

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