Roxbury Infill and Small Developments

The number of people on the streets around Mass/Cass has gone WAY up since COVID. 60% of them are not from Boston. There are more used needles around than previously as well. And because a lot of public facilities are closed, the amount of human feces on streets and sidewalks is out of control. People in the South End want everyone to get the help they need. The current situation is not really helping anyone.
 
cden4 said:
The number of people on the streets around Mass/Cass has gone WAY up since COVID. 60% of them are not from Boston. There are more used needles around than previously as well. And because a lot of public facilities are closed, the amount of human feces on streets and sidewalks is out of control. People in the South End want everyone to get the help they need. The current situation is not really helping anyone.
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Exactly.

I happen to live in the area and am involved in pushing the City on these issues. The one thing that kinda works now is keeping quality of life up for the residents of the South End. It is ultimately a bandaid on a sucking wound, though.
 
10 Taber
Im liking the massing on this.
50814435556_eb9d4b5ebf_c.jpg


The renovated Roxbury Branch of BPL is sort of open now and the plaza is so pretty!
50814435646_fba763c13f_c.jpg
 
Lots of street level interaction, some brick.. nice. Sorta weird that they have two different iterations, presumably the old and new versions, both in the same advert. Havent seen that before, I wonder why that is. Either way good to see the infill chugging along.
 
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HelloBostonHi said:
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I know its been done for a year or two now, but 1065 Tremont is such a great bit of infill development. Just compare:

View attachment 11322
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Wow! Talk about a gamechanger for that corner. Vivid improvement. I love that.

So why does the iconic postcard view corner in Kenmore Square (which replaced a faded, but interesting and well appointed facade building) NOT get 10% of the care and sense that this corner got replacing a one-story dreck?
 
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shmessy said:
Wow! Talk about a gamechanger for that corner. Vivid improvement. I love that.

So why does the iconic postcard view corner in Kenmore Square (which replaced a faded, but interesting and well appointed facade building) NOT get 10% of the care and sense that this corner got replacing a one-story dreck?
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I definitely agree that this is a huge improvement, but I don't think the design or materials on display here are considerably better than for Kenmore North. I haven't seen either facade in person yet, but from the pictures I think the complaints being made about Kenmore North would have been even louder had it looked like this (the renders for that project actually looked good if you forgot what it was replacing).
 
Definitely a great piece of infill. It's a shame that the insurance agency wasn't replaced with ground-floor retail. I'm sure it would be a popular spot considering the building currently serves as an LP for Northeastern students.
 
Equilibria said:
I definitely agree that this is a huge improvement, but I don't think the design or materials on display here are considerably better than for Kenmore North. I haven't seen either facade in person yet, but from the pictures I think the complaints being made about Kenmore North would have been even louder had it looked like this (the renders for that project actually looked good if you forgot what it was replacing).
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Once again, you are comparing probably the most visible corner lot in Kenmore Square (a location broadcasted internatonally during the Boston Marathon and many other times per year) to replacing a one story decrepit shack in Roxbury.

Math-wise, I'd estimate that lot in Kenmore should be a 9 and it is being developed at a 5. The shack in Roxbury was a 1 and it was developed into a 5.

Furthermore, it's a "Lebowski Rug" - it really enhances the buildings on each side of it on that corner. It IMPROVES its surroundings. I'm sorry, but the Kenmore North project is a turd thrown into a nice pool.
 
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shmessy said:
Once again, you are comparing probably the most visible corner lot in Kenmore Square (a location broadcasted internatonally during the Boston Marathon and many other times per year) to replacing a one story decrepit shack in Roxbury.

Math-wise, I'd estimate that lot in Kenmore should be a 9 and it is being developed at a 5. The shack in Roxbury was a 1 and it was deveopled into a 5.

Furthermore, it's a "Lebowski Rug" - it really enhances the buildings on each side of it on that corner. It IMPROVES its surroundings. I'm sorry, but the Kenmore North project is a turd thrown into a nice pool.
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I don't think we've ever had this conversation before, and your argument was that Kenmore didn't get 10% of this effort. My argument is that it got 100% of this effort, when it should have had 200% (or 0% since nothing would have been better in that case). We're making the same point.

It's great infill.
 
Equilibria said:
I don't think we've ever had this conversation before, and your argument was that Kenmore didn't get 10% of this effort. My argument is that it got 100% of this effort, when it should have had 200% (or 0% since nothing would have been better in that case). We're making the same point.

It's great infill.
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I agree about the materials, but respectfully disagree about the projects overall.

This is great infill that RESPECTS its neighbors. Point - look at how it melds its colors, windows and concepts to its older neighbor to the right - it beautifully lines up the windows/stories to its neighbor:

www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com

I am not seeing nearly the same conversation/coordination occurring at Kenmore North with its neighbors:


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shmessy said:
I agree about the materials, but respectfully disagree about the projects overall.

This is great infill that RESPECTS its neighbors. Point - look at how it melds its colors, windows and concepts to its older neighbor to the right - it beautifully lines up the windows/stories to its neighbor:

www.google.com

Google Maps

Find local businesses, view maps and get driving directions in Google Maps.
www.google.com www.google.com

I am not seeing nearly the same conversation/coordination occurring at Kenmore North with its neighbors:
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That's an interesting point, although the fact that the neighbor has a blank party wall (probably formerly shared with a building torn down in a prior generation) makes it easier to make a seamless streetwall. With the required gap between buildings in the Kenmore case I'm not sure the same synergy was possible.
 
Interesting article on the UHub site about a new project in the Dudley/Nuban Sq area. It also has links to other small projects in the neighborhood.
www.universalhub.com

Hibernian Hall could get new neighbors - in a residential building next door

The owner of a pair of small storefronts on Dudley Street, next to Hibernian Hall on Dudley Street has filed plans to replace the one-story structures with a five-story building with 28 residential units. Read more.
www.universalhub.com www.universalhub.com
 
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