Portside at Pier One | 29 Marginal Street (Pier 1, Pier 5) | East Boston

Re: Portside at Pier One

Because Menino doesn't actually care about East Boston and there's no friends involved to give tax breaks to, so nothing will happen.
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

East Boston has to look like it has potential in order to help swing the Casino toward Suffolk Downs. Why do you think this all of a sudden is back on the big boss' radar?
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

Massport has been trying to get this project moving for I believe 13 years now, it is by far their longest stalled project. There's blame on all sides here.
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

porter said:
Massport has been trying to get this project moving for I believe 13 years now, it is by far their longest stalled project. There's blame on all sides here.
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Trouble has been translating hype Eastie Hype into concrete reality

One would expect that a neighborhood with:
1) "drop dead" views of downtown,
2) one stop by the Blue Line from the FinDist,
3) a short SilverLine ride from the SPID
4) walk from a major International Airport

.........[fill in the blank with superlatives}

But - despite the hype -- except for Logan -- East Boston has failed to acheive any positive distinction -- OK also Santarpio's
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

I've never understood why the harbor facing side of Eastie wasn't a major development zone. It should be yuppie and startup central.
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

HenryAlan said:
I've never understood why the harbor facing side of Eastie wasn't a major development zone. It should be yuppie and startup central.
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#1. Environmental regulations for developing on the shoreline.
#2. The land and shallow water is highly contaminated requiring expensive abatement and the new pier footings are pricey.
#3. Zoning dramatically limits the height without a lot of BRA negotiating.
#4. Traffic/Access to the city/Tolls/the parking issue for East Boston, which makes the North End look friendly in comparison.
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

Shh dont let the word get out on how beautiful Jeffries Point is. I for one hope it stays below the radar at least long enough to purchase one of the back-bay type townhouses that are there. The housing stock is really incredible; I suggest you all take a walk up Webster Street to Brophy Park, and be sure to take a walk down some of the little ally streets off Summer St. Some even have gas lighting! Most of the buildings are quite well cared for and obviously loved by their owners as well.
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

whighlander said:
But - despite the hype -- except for Logan -- East Boston has failed to achieve any positive distinction -- OK also Santarpio's
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With all due respect, Westie, I think you have things ass-backwards here. You certainly have a keen sense of history, but how much do you really know about East Boston in the post-Logan expansion era? Are you familiar with the diaspora (to North Revere, Saugus, and Lynnfield) in the wake of the destruction of Wood Island Park and the Neptune Road neighborhood? Have you connected the dots between quality of life and long-term residency (and home ownership)? Or the connection between owner-occupancy and community engagement (and quality of life)? And what do you know of the political landscape on this side of the harbor? What can you say about Gus Serra and Bob Travaglini, and their legacy of ineffectual (and unopposed) leadership? (Their political descendants stand prepared to sell their constituents out to an even more nefarious adversary than Massport.)

Like any issue, it's not the threads, it's the rich tapestry they create...

I'm no fan of recycling my old posts, but this one pretty much covers it.
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

I had a couple conversations with developers looking at the East Boston waterfront several years ago. They lost interest in what I had to say when I responded negatively to their plans to offer condos at the $800 per square foot range and above.

People would gladly consider the neighborhood as an option, but only if it makes sense, and $ comes into that equation.
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

Beton Brut said:
With all due respect, Westie, I think you have things ass-backwards here. You certainly have a keen sense of history, but how much do you really know about East Boston in the post-Logan expansion era? Are you familiar with the diaspora (to North Revere, Saugus, and Lynnfield) in the wake of the destruction of Wood Island Park and the Neptune Road neighborhood?

Like any issue, it's not the threads, it's the rich tapestry they create...

I'm no fan of recycling my old posts, but this one pretty much covers it.
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Bet --- I'm just thinking about how crappy the South End looked when I first walked around as an undergrad in the early 1970's

I think you could by the shell of a bick townhouse for $5,000 -- that would be close to 3 more zeros today

No - I wouldn't want to live on Neptune Road. However, the environment of Eastie down by the water is a different kind of kettle of fish -- yet the community is still well below the city-wide average in income an a lot of the buildings need a coat of paint, etc.
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

BeeLine said:
Some progress in Maverick Sq.. This is the East Boston Neighborhood Health Ctr.
Nice looking building, but in the wrong place. It overwhelms the square which contains mostly one or two story buildings.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/beelinebos/6802695753/in/photostream/
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A 4 story building doesn't overwhelm Maverick, it points to what the square was before and what it should become again. That is exactly the type of development needed in Eastie.
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

What do you mean "it points to what the square was before" ?
 
Re: Portside at Pier One

great addition...it's absolutely appropriate. It's five seconds from a subway station that gets you to the heart of downtown in five minutes...and one story buildings are appropriate??? That's not a wise planning policy.
 
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