Roslindale Infill and Small Developments

Robert Street: why so many parking spaces so close to the train???
 
ajkessel said:
Robert Street: why so many parking spaces so close to the train???
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I think this is/was a potential development parcel. Both lots are underutilized - it does get filled during the farmer's market, though. If you're ever at the main streets office, they have a neighborhood model that shows a building on the belgrade ave side of the commuter rail stop.
 
Roslindale substation update

project approved by the BRA, scheduled to break ground in the spring. the article states that the project isn't fully funded, but this is misleading - from what I understand the apartment building is funded, and sales of units will fund the substation reconstruction.
 
anyone have any idea what's happening in the old select cafe space? it better not become yet another hair salon.
 
I've heard that another food service entity is moving in, but that's just rumor, nothing concrete.
 
Roslindale Substation, Adams Park changes coming

Residents and visitors will see a transformed Washington Street in Roslindale Village come this time next year.

Although the details are still being finalized, Chris Douglass, the owner of Dorchester’s Ashmont Grill and Tavolo, will likely be opening a restaurant in the enormous Roslindale Substation located at the intersection of Cummins Highway and Washington Street.

"We’re extraordinarily confident he is coming in," said Adam Rogoff, the Roslindale Village Main Street Substation Committee co-chairman, who spoke about the project during RVMS’ annual meeting at St. Nectarios Church last week.

"He’s a very strong community activist in his own right," Rogoff added. "And he’s very sensitive to the needs of the community."

Also on the makeover list is Adams Park, the small oasis of green directly across from the substation.

Kyle Zick, the founder and principal of Kyle Zick Landscape Architecture, presented his redesign concept for the park that will create more space for performances, seating, and community events. Construction on the park is already slated to begin in April of this year.

Next to the substation, a 43-unit, L-shaped housing complex called Parkside on Adams will replace the current F. J. Higgins Funeral Home and extend around the back of the substation. There will be 38 parking spaces built underneath the apartments, Rogoff said.

Substation and Parkside on Adams

Construction on Parkside on Adams will begin in early June of this year, according to Rogoff. Construction on the substation will begin at the same time or shortly thereafter.

"This is super, super, super exciting," said Roslindale resident Nina Pralour about the potential restaurant. "Being a resident ... it would be nice to have (another) place to hangout," she added.

The substation and Parkside on Adams project is being developed through a partnership of RVMS, Historic Boston Inc., and the Peregrine Group, a real estate development firm based out of Rhode Island. Peregrine Group will own both the substation and Parkside on Adams.

The F. J. Higgins Funeral Home next to the substation is also more than 50 years old and has historic status, according to the Boston Landmarks Commission. Peregrine Group and its partners must get approval from the commission before they can tear down the home to make room for Parkside on Adams. They do not anticipate any issues getting that approval, Rogoff said.

The substation was built in 1911 and used to house machinery that powered Boston’s streetcar system. It was shuttered in 1971 and has stood vacant and boarded up ever since.

The substation has a first floor and a ground floor that are 3,800 square feet each. The first floor restaurant will likely have an expansive feel that will take advantage of the extremely high ceilings, though the exact layout hasn’t been finalized yet, Rogoff said.

The ground floor is also 3,800 square feet, though it is only about 10 feet high, according to Beverly Gallo, principal at Peregrine Group. Ideas mentioned for the space during the meeting include a cafe, an entertainment venue, and shared office space.

The developers are aiming to finish construction by the summer of 2015, Rogoff said.

RVMS will be posting updates about the project on its website at http://roslindale.net/substationproject.

Adams Park

Although it has gone through a few versions, the final design for the Adams Park renovation includes a large central lawn, increased bench space, a more pedestrian friendly layout for the walkways going through the park, reduced shrubbery, and a larger performance space, according to a plan of the renovation made by Zick’s firm.

"The central green space … is more flexible," said Zick, adding that there would be more space available for "lounging and hanging out."

The large central lawn will replace the mosaic plaza that is currently in the center of the park. At the bottom of the lawn will be a large concrete area available for performances during the Farmers’ Market and other occasions. The walkways will also be made handicapped accessible, according to Zick.

Construction will finish by early summer. Because time is needed to let the new grass grow in, however, the park will be unusable until the end of summer, Zick said.

"We don’t want to rush this," Zick said. "We don’t want to put in new grass and" have it be ruined soon afterward, he said.

The Farmers’ Market, which is usually held in Adams Park, will be held at the upper level parking lot of the Roslindale Village commuter rail for the duration of construction, according to Christina DiLisio, the executive director of Roslindale Village Main Street.
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http://west-roxbury.wickedlocal.com/article/20140330/NEWS/140339854
 
Few updates:

Adam's park is now under construction. looks like they've laid out new path locations and have started removing existing walkway.

Foundation at 18 Robert Street has been built.


This is old news, but a PNF went out for BRA parcel SWC-1 - 68 Rowe Street at the end of last year.

developer met with neighborhood back in December and received positive response:

http://www.wickedlocal.com/x2132765887/Housing-units-dog-park-may-be-on-the-way-for-Roslindale

Still no word if this project is moving forward.

Finally - I'm curious if anyone knows the status of improvements to Hyde Park Ave.
 
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rinserepeat said:
18 Robert Street: 14 unit market-rate condos. Status: Under construction. Existing gas station removed and it looks like they're doing site prep.
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I noticed yesterday that steel has emerged from the foundation. To be honest, I'm a bit surprised that such a small structure is using steel framing. Does anybody know the height? The footprint seems a bit small for 14 units unless it is going to be taller than typical for Roslindale (fine with me).
 
Meanwhile, demo, site prep and safe cracking have begun at the former Higgins Funeral Home in Roslindale Square and the Adam's Park renovation looks mostly complete, grass continues to grow, some granite posts have recently arrived. I don't know where the new posts are going.

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Kind of a small thing, but Universalhub reports that a one story commercial building is slated to get two floors taller with eight apartments above Tony's Market and Redd's. Generally, residents seem supportive. This is just what the outer neighborhoods need, and also what will have to happen if we are really going to add 50,000 residential units in fifteen years.

http://www.universalhub.com/2014/roslindale-square-skyline-could-creep-little

I'm also seeing an uptick in construction on larger lots of a second house, often two family. Roslindale isn't the sort of place for buildings with hundreds of units as we are seeing downtown, but this and two other projects mentioned above will add 64 units right in the square. Imagine if the other one floor buildings are similarly renovated. I could see several hundred more units within easy walking distance of the square and train station.

Now we just need to get the OLX and Rozzie will really hit its stride.
 
^ This is what I've been advocating forever! All the better if the single-story tax payers are structurally sound enough to build on top of.
 
The city should offer tax credits for adding 2-4 floors on top of single floor retail, but only if the existing businesses are allowed to stay. It's difficult to do an add-a-floor, especially while the existing building is occupied, so some incentive to offset the costs would be transformative.

I think the single story "taxpayers" are where the solution to the housing crunch lies, not trying to find vacant lots. Added bonus: you probably don't have to build new parking with such incremental development.
 
Added bonus: you probably don't have to build new parking with such incremental development
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I don't think that's true under zoning, but hopefully the city would be willing to waive such idiotic rules for the greater good.

A few years ago two floors were added on top of a taxpayer on Brighton Ave. I somehow managed to get a chance to ask the developer how that went, and why not more? He said that he would like to do more but zoning made it very difficult.

I didn't get any further details.
 
This one is going to require a zoning variance, mainly due to something peculiar to the site, I believe. Generally, the zoning in Roslindale supports/allows such construction.
 
Interesting, the buyers get $2K in uber/lyft credits.
 
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