Piers Park 3 Redevelopment

shmessy said:
That's one of the most absolutely stunning videos I've ever seen. Whoever produced that work is an ace.
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They did an awesome job. As an Eastie resident with a drone, I'm envious that they were able to get permission to use it there ("No Drone Zone"/FAA restrictions). But as an Eastie resident who also regularly enjoys Piers Park and the Harborwalk, I'm glad there aren't a bunch of them buzzing around.

It goes without saying that this is an incredible project. I like that they're trying to restore a more natural appearance to the waterline though I worry that it'll become a trap for floating plastic/garbage. But that's a minor concern and this will be transformative.
 
shmessy said:
That's one of the most absolutely stunning videos I've ever seen. Whoever produced that work is an ace.
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I agree! The visuals of the city are amazing. It goes on a little too long for me, and then the kids choir is out of place in my opinion.........BUT it's worth the watch. :)
 
shmessy said:
That's one of the most absolutely stunning videos I've ever seen. Whoever produced that work is an ace.
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Sad that so much of it was Brooklyn instead of Olmstead and Brookline -- that's the relevant comparison
taking the Muddy River swamp and making it into the Back Bay Fens
which has fairly well stood the test of a Century of evolution
 
whighlander said:
Sad that so much of it was Brooklyn instead of Olmstead and Brookline -- that's the relevant comparison
taking the Muddy River swamp and making it into the Back Bay Fens
which has fairly well stood the test of a Century of evolution
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Great point - - it SHOULD be very similar to Olmstead's gem with its three long piers reaching into Brookline Harbor, right next to Dukakis International Airport!

Otherwise, a non-tangential, completely relevant and fabulous insight.
 
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shmessy said:
Great point - - it SHOULD be very similar to Olmstead's gem with its three long piers reaching into Brookline Harbor, right next to Dukakis International Airport!

Otherwise, a non-tangential, completely relevant and fabulous insight.
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The even sadder part is that Olmstead did the quintesential harbor edge project which the Trustees have in "Lands End" -- they should have sent their New Yoiker Landscape Architects there for inspiration
 
whighlander said:
The even sadder part is that Olmstead did the quintesential harbor edge project which the Trustees have in "Lands End" -- they should have sent their New Yoiker Landscape Architects there for inspiration
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Is that anywhere near WORLD'S END in Hingham?

Because, like with Brookline earlier, you're evidently under the impression that Hingham and East Boston are exactly alike in context, urban atmosphere and mass transit access......of course, along with Hingham's world famous Sean McDonough Internatonal Airport......
 
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shmessy said:
Is that anywhere near WORLD'S END in Hingham?

Because, like with Brookline earlier, you're evidently under the impression that Hingham and East Boston are exactly alike in context, urban atmosphere and mass transit access......of course, along with Hingham's world famous Sean McDonough Internatonal Airport......
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Shmessy -- Piers Park 1,2,3 have a lot more in common with World's End in Hingham, or the once Wood Island Park or anyway they should than with the Brooklyn Bridge or La Rambla, etc.

One of the problems with fixating on the process as opposed to being focused on the final product -- as Hubert Humphrey told a then young Mike Dukakis "[I [Humphrey] am a true liberal and you [Dukakis] are a "Process Liberal" -- you don't care if Shxxx comes out of the pipe as long as it is Chrome Plated"

None of the community folks whose comments and such are so assiduously being solicited are going to be around in 2120 [well very few baring some genetics breakthrough]. Even in that eventuality very few of their descendants likely will be living in East Boston -- but Piers Park III will just be ready to celebrate it's Centennial and the Piers Park 1 will be 11/4 Centuries old.

50 years for a neighborhood is a long time -- take a look at what the South End or Kendall Square looked like circa 1970 or the Fan Pier area in 1990 to 2000

However -- for a park -- 50 years is just about the time to take assessment of its current state of repair and do some sprucing up around the edges
 
whighlander said:
Shmessy -- Piers Park 1,2,3 have a lot more in common with World's End in Hingham, or the once Wood Island Park or anyway they should than with the Brooklyn Bridge or La Rambla, etc.

One of the problems with fixating on the process as opposed to being focused on the final product -- as Hubert Humphrey told a then young Mike Dukakis "[I [Humphrey] am a true liberal and you [Dukakis] are a "Process Liberal" -- you don't care if Shxxx comes out of the pipe as long as it is Chrome Plated"

None of the community folks whose comments and such are so assiduously being solicited are going to be around in 2120 [well very few baring some genetics breakthrough]. Even in that eventuality very few of their descendants likely will be living in East Boston -- but Piers Park III will just be ready to celebrate it's Centennial and the Piers Park 1 will be 11/4 Centuries old.

50 years for a neighborhood is a long time -- take a look at what the South End or Kendall Square looked like circa 1970 or the Fan Pier area in 1990 to 2000

However -- for a park -- 50 years is just about the time to take assessment of its current state of repair and do some sprucing up around the edges
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It’s East Boston. Blocks away from Maverick Square T station and Logan Intl Airport. No amount of Whighlanders Patented Irrelevant Tangent Pontifications changes that one foundational difference. You may as well write a few paragraphs calling for putting the Prudential Tower in Sturbridge. Locational context is everything.

Quit wasting everybody’s time with your irrelevant and non-sensical Hubert Humphrey stories. I know you think it is funny, but some of us were having a good discussion here.
 
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shmessy said:
It’s East Boston. Blocks away from Maverick Square T station and Logan Intl Airport. No amount of Whighlanders Patented Irrelevant Tangent Pontifications changes that one foundational difference. You may as well write a few paragraphs calling for putting the Prudential Tower in Sturbridge. Locational context is everything.
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Shmessy -- no one is not aware of the location -- its what you do with the location -- the Muddy River was nothing until Olmstead reworked it

If it was my landscape -- I'd put a pile of big boulders for kids of all ages [and dogs] to clamber over with the top high enough to get a good view and with some in the water so people can actually see the 3m Boston tides in action
 
whighlander said:
Shmessy -- no one is not aware of the location -- its what you do with the location -- the Muddy River was nothing until Olmstead reworked it

If it was my landscape -- I'd put a pile of big boulders for kids of all ages [and dogs] to clamber over with the top high enough to get a good view and with some in the water so people can actually see the 3m Boston tides in action
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If you looked at the plans, that’s exactly what they are doing with a good portion of the park (posts # 2 and 9). But you were too busy typing out screeds about Hubert Humphrey and couldn’t be bothered.

Try to keep it relevant.
 
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I'll snag some pictures (not a whole lot to see yet), but they've got construction fence taking up most of the "lawn" on the northern end of Piers Park. I haven't seen much actual work going on, but they're definitely getting prepped.
 
Walked by today and there were hard hats and front loaders and the sounds of construction so it seems to be genuinely underway. Not sure how much work they'll get done this season though.
 
shmessy said:
Great update in the Globe today:

www.bostonglobe.com

How do you build a new park in Boston? Get some of the cityâs biggest companies involved. - The Boston Globe

To help with the Trustees of Reservations' first project, reviving a crumbling pier in East Boston, a number of roundtable executives opened their companies’ checkbooks.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
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Seems like the Trustees can be very persuasive. Afer this project is done it would be awesome if they could persuade Financial District execs to cough up the cash to build the Garden Under Glass.

Something better than this, though.

aNpMBIO.jpg
 
themissinglink said:
www.bostonglobe.com

Plans to redevelop pier on East Bostonâs waterfront park scratched for now - The Boston Globe

The Trustees of Reservations is considering alternative sites for a green space in the neighborhood.
www.bostonglobe.com www.bostonglobe.com
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Theoharides said the land trust is now considering alternative locations in the neighborhood for a green space project after finding that the Piers Park Phase III project, as it stands, would not provide adequate protection, given the costs, from rising sea levels and floods as the climate warms.
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Since the East Boston project was conceived in 2018, sea level rise projections have gotten worse. A state model of coastal flood risk shows that much of the site would be underwater by 2050, and the rest of it highly susceptible to coastal flooding during storms. With the updated data, the organization no longer believes the park’s current design would provide the neighborhood with meaningful protection from coastal flooding, Theoharides said. Protecting the neighborhood from flooding was a key part of the pitch to funders.
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Totally understandable that this project is going to cost far more than they expected but this excuse is total nonsense. Phase 3 plans, at least the ones they shared in the past, had no ability to "protect the neighborhood from flooding". Phase 2 did that. And it was always apparent that the majority of Phase 3 would be a floodplain during storms. The real reason is buried:
The Trustees’ former CEO, Barbara Erickson, who had championed the project, died from cancer in 2021. Since her death, the organization has had three different leaders — two interim CEOs and then Theoharides, who started as the permanent leader last summer. The nonprofit then laid off 30 employees, a 10 percent cut, in February to address a “multimillion-dollar structural deficit.”
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The former designs since they'll probably vanish from the trustees website soon:
1000018214.jpg
1000018215.jpg
 
HelloBostonHi said:
Totally understandable that this project is going to cost far more than they expected but this excuse is total nonsense. Phase 3 plans, at least the ones they shared in the past, had no ability to "protect the neighborhood from flooding". Phase 2 did that. And it was always apparent that the majority of Phase 3 would be a floodplain during storms. The real reason is buried:

The former designs since they'll probably vanish from the trustees website soon:
View attachment 52327View attachment 52328
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I'm absolutely gutted by this news.😞
 
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