Residences at Millennium Park

palindrome

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Proposal for 357 apartments next to Millennium Park
By David Ertischek
Tue Jun 17, 2008, 03:33 PM EDT

Roslindale -

A proposed development adjacent to Millennium Park would feature 357 residential rental apartments.

The Residences at Millennium Park, proposed by the Rivermoor Real Estate LLC, would be located at 99 Rivermoor St., West Roxbury. That land is currently vacant and unused for more than two years, wrote Kevin Joyce in a letter of intent to the Boston Redevelopment Authority.

Due to the size of the proposed development, the BRA must be contacted and involved with the development process. The development would feature studios, 1- 2- and 3-bedroom apartments.

The property abuts the bank of the Charles River and would feature on-site indoor, outdoor and social amenities such as a playground for children living in the development. There would also be enough parking onsite for residents.

John Tourtelotte of Rivermoor Real Estate expects the announcement of public meetings on the project in the next 60 days. The BRA did not have a meeting scheduled for the neighborhood regarding the project, said the BRA Web site.

The property contains a former warehouse for a liquor distributor that would have to be razed. Tourtelotte did not expect any industrial cleanup needed for the project.

City Councilor John Tobin, who has heard about the project for some time, said, ?On the face of it, it?s an interesting proposal. It?s an industrial area. The city archives are there. Boston Gas used to be there. To have Millennium Park as your backyard isn?t the worst thing.?

?It piques your curiosity. This is almost a different situation because there?s no one else around them. It?s not set in a thickly settled residential area,? said Tobin, who added there are only a handful of homes by the location.

Tobin said there?s a need for more affordable rental units in the city. The affordable housing units would be designated by Mayor Thomas Menino?s executive order that all larger developments need to have at least 13 percent of affordable housing as Menino defines affordable housing.

Tobin wondered what type of traffic impact the development would have on the area and Millennium Park. Rivermoor Real Estate is planning on conducting traffic impact studies in the coming months.

As part of the process an impact advisory group will be formed to analyze the project. Members of the group will be a part of the West Roxbury Neighborhood Council.

In the letter to the BRA, Joyce, a lawyer for Nixon Peabody LLP, said the developers would seek several variances from the Board of Appeal including one for dimensional requirements relating to the FAR (floor area ratio), the proposed building height, and the minimum usable open space per dwelling unit, as well as other variances. Tourtelotte said the current proposal would be four stories high.

?The 500-acre Cutler Park is just on the other side of the Charles River. It?s a 10-mile hike with mountain bike trails. Audubon does bird walks there. [The development would] be in the city but has natural amenities right on the doorstep,? said Tourtelotte.
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I have been to the site, and it could definitely use some redev albeit i expect some suburban subdivision over anything larger than 6 stories.


From: Wickedlocal
 
We should expect something around 50-70 stories here, right?? Oh wait, that's Chicago's Millenium Park.
 
^^Think, son.

If we don't know the acreage of the lot, for all we know they could be all 357 apartments in a (large) one story building.

Can't tell height from number of apartments.
Plus, this is W. Roxbury. If this goes above three stories it will be a major coup.

Assuming it gets built at all.

Which is doubtful.
 
Ya, I know, I was thinking about the acreage. But i mean there aren't really lots big enough in Roxbury that are large enough for a building that low with that many apartments. I just figured that someone could estimate. But ya, forget it.
 
Sorry BB. Rereading my post it came off as a bit harsh. I was aiming for funny and missed.

But yeah, W. Roxbury NIMBY's are a brutal bunch. Trust me, I know, I'm related to a few of them.

Despite this only being near a "handful" of homes nearby, expect half the neighborhood to be at the meetings. All in opposition.
 
statler said:
Sorry BB. Rereading my post it came off as a bit harsh. I was aiming for funny and missed.

But yeah, W. Roxbury NIMBY's are a brutal bunch. Trust me, I know, I'm related to a few of them.

Despite this only being near a "handful" of homes nearby, expect half the neighborhood to be at the meetings. All in opposition.
Click to expand...


I went home for the 4th and picked up a copy of the bulletin. Needless to say, there hasn't even been 1 community meeting yet, and there was already 2 editorials and a full article in opposition to this project with everything ranging from traffic concerns, the loss of the 'close-knit community' to alcoholics at Millennium park. Yes, you heard right....alcoholics at Millennium park if this gets built. :rolleyes::rolleyes:
 
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