Roslindale Infill and Small Developments

Henry, That is correct. It took me until I was looking at the floor plans to figure that out.

Being that there is a free municipal parking lot adjacent to this development, I can almost hear people shouting that the new residents will be using the parking lot for their own use. If overnight parking is banned, it might solve the problem, but I have no idea what the rules are for that lot. I might remember to stop by tomorrow and take a look.
 
They are proposing about half the required parking. Rozzie meetings are interesting. You have some of your usual people complaining about parking and then you have a chunk of people who say there is too much parking. Decent design, though. I have the feeling that this will get support in the end.
 
Randomgear said:
Henry, That is correct. It took me until I was looking at the floor plans to figure that out.

Being that there is a free municipal parking lot adjacent to this development, I can almost hear people shouting that the new residents will be using the parking lot for their own use. If overnight parking is banned, it might solve the problem, but I have no idea what the rules are for that lot. I might remember to stop by tomorrow and take a look.
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I don't think there is overnight parking in the municipal lot, as it has a two hour limit (I think). Based upon discussion at Universal Hub and a Roslindale Facebook group, I think opposition will likely be limited to a few cranks. Parking is their lead complaint, but really, they just don't want any more people in Roslindale. If you defeat the parking complaint, they move on to traffic, then move on to quality of like, etc. They will actually make statements along the lines that a new apartment building will force other property owners to lose their lawns. This building will make Roslindale look like Southie and Charlestown with no lawns, no tress, etc. That's the type of complaint, but far more people seem supportive.

The neighborhood meeting is scheduled for 6:30 to 8:00 on the 21st. I'm not certain yet whether I can make it to the Community Center that day, but I am certainly hoping for a good turn out of pro-development, pro-density folks.
 
HenryAlan said:
I don't think there is overnight parking in the municipal lot, as it has a two hour limit (I think).
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All municipal lots are 2hr parking Monday through Friday 8am-6pm. There are a few newer lots that just have "2hr parking" signs, but that's because those signs were installed by a contractor when they were rebuilt.
 
Was anybody able to make the neighborhood meeting tonight? I had a conflict but would enjoy a report.
 
From Universal Hub:

Parking main focus of meeting on proposed Roslindale Square condo project

Immediate neighbors of a 19-unit, two-building condo proposal for land behind the Roslindale Square municipal parking lot raised issues of setback, privacy and loss of sun at a BRA meeting at the Roslindale Community Center tonight. Once the developer and his architect agreed to work on those, the talk turned, as it usually does, to parking - and the issue of increasing the housing stock in a neighborhood that has been largely been unaffected by the building boom hitting other parts of the city.
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... continues
 
I attended, most people were supportive of the development. Maybe four or five people said that a 1:1 ratio wasn't enough. Only two people were adamant that the parking wasn't nearly enough.

A few people spoke that increasing density near the square would help local businesses who have been struggling.

Two commenters who helped develop the Roslindale Commercial Zoning District (I might not have that name right) said that in the commercial district a 1:1 ratio was allowed, but beyond that more was required. Neither overtly objected to the development. One BRA member said it looked like the development was very near the line, but the resolution on his phone was too poor to know for sure.

One Taft Hill neighbor was PO'd that the BRA didn't send him an invitation and couldn't comprehend that the BRA had different rules than the Zoning Board of Appeals.

Another abutter requested that some changes be made to the design to increase privacy in the back yards of the adjacent houses. Both the developer and the architect said that they were already working on it (they had met with abutters previously and the abutters said that they felt that the developers were working with them). The development team said that they would have new plans to show in about a week.

All in all, I think that most of the community supports this.
 
Parkside on Adams is finished, units are selling.
Roslindale Village Main Street has moved into the first floor space fronting Washington St and Adams Park.
I'm still hoping that this development team will renovate the old sub-station, that was a big reason for this development, but there appears to be no action on that front. Perhaps they need to sell most of the units (and make some profit) before they begin on the substation.

fcv4te.jpg
 
Randomgear said:
Parkside on Adams is finished, units are selling.
Roslindale Village Main Street has moved into the first floor space fronting Washington St and Adams Park.
I'm still hoping that this development team will renovate the old sub-station, that was a big reason for this development, but there appears to be no action on that front. Perhaps they need to sell most of the units (and make some profit) before they begin on the substation.

fcv4te.jpg
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It's still happening, and Ashmont Grill is opening an outpost there.
 
Re: the substation, there were apparently some environmental remdiation based delays, but it is about to get going. Here's a Facebook post from somebody at Roslindale Main Streets:

the developer, Peregrine Group, had hoped to do the construction on Parkside on Adams and the Substation simultaneously but was forced to delay the work on the Substation for a number or reasons out of their control, some of which are listed above. (Re-mobilizing the construction will be more costly to them.) The exterior work, which will include opening up the large windows, is to begin soon (maybe closer to early April) with interior work to follow later in the Spring. If possible, Peregrine Group along with its non-profit partners RVMS (which I'm affiliated with) & Historic Boston Inc. hopes to be hosting an open house in the early summer for the public to spy on some of the progress. It's been a long process - but will be well worth it. #CBCRozzie and Third Rail are great business concepts that will add much to the village.
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More development news, the multi-floor addition to the Redd's/Tony's building is well underway. If other single story buildings in the square follow suit, it will be a huge increase in density/urbanity.
 
There's a request for proposals out to redevelop he Archdale projects. The RFP mentions "mixed income" development and I've heard that the plan is to add more units than what is existing.
 
Here's hoping they plant more trees...

Still, it looks like the Paris Opera House when compared to the HardiePlank Executive Favelas proposed for my neighborhood (Exhibit A; Exhibit B).
 
I love that little area of flower shops and nurseries... And the whole area retains the quiet feeling of all the old institutions that used be there (Boston State Hospital, the sanitarium, etc). It's actually one corridor I'd rather NOT see densified.
 
FK4 said:
I love that little area of flower shops and nurseries... And the whole area retains the quiet feeling of all the old institutions that used be there (Boston State Hospital, the sanitarium, etc). It's actually one corridor I'd rather NOT see densified.
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Yeah, I'm struggling with that. On the one hand, there is a lot of space there and America Legion Highway is arguably under utilized for transportation, so the whole area could host quite a bit more housing and other development (with some bus upgrades). But if it were to happen, I'd want the city to go whole hog on the corridor and completely urbanize it. That would certainly eliminate all those connections to before and to the existing feel of abutting greenery. I don't have a strong feeling about the option of preserving as is verses conversion to a full build out boulevard. But what I really don't want is something that mixes what it is now with sporadic but large and obtrusive structures such as this one.

People I know who live over in that area which is now branding itself as East Roslindale seem very much against this and similar projects. As for myself, I'm mostly more interested in the Square and Washington St./Belgrade Ave. densification. I think more can be done there and it's overall a better set-up for the "city" section of Rozzie, leaving American Legion for the "country" section.
 
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