Roxbury Infill and Small Developments

Passed this on the 22, just managed to grab my camera in time:

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Corner of Walnut and Seaver.
 
From: http://www.bostonredevelopmentautho...ino-announces-new-projects-moving-forward-14/

Near Dudley

"New Housing for Roxbury"

Total Project Cost: $17.1 million
Total SF: 35,208 SF
Housing Units: 42 units
Jobs: 100 construction jobs
LEED: LEED silver certifiable

The BRA Board unanimously approved new construction and building renovations at a key Roxbury intersection, which will bring more housing to the area.

The Dudley Crossing project includes the rehabilitation of existing buildings at 375-385 Dudley Street and 200-210 Hampden Street to make them more consistent with modern day living facilities, and the construction of two new buildings at 387 Dudley Street and 200 Hampden Street. The four buildings will add a total of 42 new affordable units of housing to the neighborhood and 3,296 square feet of commercial space.

The new units in the project will range in size from one to four bedrooms and include elevators, laundry facilities, community space, and a bike rack. The new construction will improve the area’s curb appeal and bring desirable amenities to the neighborhood.

The $17.1 million project is being developed by Nuestra CDC with architect Narrow Gate.
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Dudley-Crossing_Rendering_Aug2013.jpg


Also, near Eagleston Sq.

"New Roxbury Location for the Elizabeth Stone House"

Total Project Cost: $14.8 million
Total SF: 48,598 SF
Housing Units: 27 units
Jobs: 50 construction jobs
LEED: LEED silver certifiable

The BRA Board unanimously approved the construction of a new location for the Elizabeth Stone House, an organization serving Boston area homeless families.

The Westminster House Project will be a four-story mixed use building located at 3012 Washington Street in Roxbury and have 27 residences on the three upper floors and 13,000 square feet of ground floor area for meeting space, classrooms, staff offices, conference areas, and a childcare facility. The housing units will provide one, two, three, and four bedroom transitional and permanent apartments and have a separate entrance from Westminster Street.

The development team includes developer Elizabeth Stone House and architecture firm, The Narrow Gate Architecture LLC. The project is anticipated to break ground in March 2015 with an estimated March 2016 completion schedule.
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ElizabethStone-House_Rendering_August2013.jpg
 
Akron Street lot eyed for first urban farm connected to new agriculture zoning

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent

Roxbury could be home to the first urban farm in Boston connected to the new Article 89 zoning.

Although the zoning language must still be approved by the city's Zoning Board of Appeals and receive the mayor’s sign-off, officials with the Department of Neighborhood Development were confident Monday night that the vacant lot on Akron Street could be the city's first major foray into the urban farming world.

Article 89, which will appear before the ZBA December 17, once passed, will streamline the process of securing approvals for the cultivation of crops for commercial purposes on lots throughout the city.

Although there are urban farms in Boston, the Akron Street property, if developed, would be the first to use the new zoning language.

"It's the first parcel our agency has identified as a good use for Article 89," William Epperson, a senior project manager for DND, explained to residents at a Monday night community meeting.

City officials met with neighbors at the Dudley Branch Library to discuss the sunny, tree-lined property at 3 Akron St., which has sat vacant for decades.

“Our goal is to create an asset for your community,” Epperson later added.

Officials from DND, which manages the property, explained the Request for Proposals process to residents Monday, detailing the use of community input in the development of the proposal documents. The RFP process is the standard DND procedure for selling or disposing of city-owned land.

The property, which is approximately 8,760-square-feet, is located in a largely residential neighborhood and is directly bordered by residences to the southeast. On the north and west it is directly bordered by Boston Redevelopment Authority property.

DND officials explained that the parcel would most likely be sold to a non-profit organization or for-profit organization acting in a non-profit capacity that has the experience and the financial backing to produce food on the property.

Residents had a number of questions for officials, ranging from how the community could get involved to if the farm would attract rodents and other vermin.

“My concern is with rodents and upkeep,” explained Sheila Cooper, a 43-year-old resident. “The upkeep is not good right now and the lot is right next to me.”

DND officials were quick to explain that rats are more attracted to garbage than fresh vegetables and that any potential farmer would also go to great lengths to protect their crops and the surrounding neighborhood from animals.

“I just don’t know what it will look like,” said Lynda Hester, a 60-year-old resident. “Will it just be a bunch of plastic greenhouses or a beautiful landscape?”

Although a greenhouse could potentially be built on the land, urban farming is generally a low impact use and does not need larger permanent structures, according to DND representatives.

Although residents had plenty of questions, most praised the move by DND and said anything happening at the lot would be an improvement.

"I’m just so happy. Most of the residents are overjoyed, it’s been a longtime coming," said Bette Toney, 63, the president of the Tommy’s Rock Neighborhood Association, who submitted a petition with 25 signatures in support of the project.

Because there was consensus among neighbors at Monday's meeting, officials with DND said they will move forward with developing and advertising a RFP.

A RFP could be advertised as early as the second-week of December with proposals expected back by early-February, according DND officials.

Once the potential developers have gone through the first round of DND vetting they will be brought to the community to gauge interest. That meeting is expected to be sometime in late-February.

At the earliest crops could replace the weeds and trash on the lot by next summer.
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http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news...ed_for_first_urban_farm_as_part_of_artic.html
 
Elizabeth Stone House receives final approvals for Egleston Square building

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent

A new home for the Elizabeth Stone House was approved by the city's Zoning Board of Appeals Tuesday morning.

The project by the non-profit homeless advocacy group was before the board for a few zoning variances including excessive height.

The organization currently has a facility on Notre Dame Street in Roxbury. Once the new location is constructed all services will be moved to the Washington Street building, allowing the group to expand its reach and capacity.

The $20 million dollar project proposes constructing a four-story structure at 3012 Washington St. in Roxbury for 27 residential units, office space, retail space, and a day care facility. Of the 27 units, six will be one-bedrooms, 12 will be two-bedrooms, eight will be three-bedrooms, and one will be a four-bedroom. Eight of the units will be dedicated to permanent housing, with the rest set aside for transitional housing.

The residential units will be housed in the top three floors of the new building. Approximately 6,800-square-feet of space in the rear of the structure’s ground floor will be dedicated to the day care center.

The main entrance to the building will face Washington Street and will include a small outdoor plaza. The ground floor will also house 9,200-square-feet of programming and office space.

Parking for 20 vehicles will be located at the rear of the building with the entrance and exit off of Westminster Avenue. The “urban wild” behind the current structure, which for the most part is too steep to be built on, will remain for the most part unchanged.

The project will replace the dilapidated single-story structure currently located on the property. The approximately 29,000-square-foot parcel and the structure were purchased by the Elizabeth Stone House in April for an estimated $750,000, according to Nancy Owens Hess, executive director of the Elizabeth Stone House.

The project was approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority Board in late-August.

A community meeting was held for the project in early-August.

At Tuesday's hearing there was an outpouring of support for the project

A representative from the Mayor's Office of Neighborhood Services voiced support for the project as well as representatives from the office of Representative Liz Malia, the office of at-Large City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, and the office of City Councilor Tito Jackson. Representatives from the city of Boston’s Women's Commission, the Boston Police Department District E-13, the Carpenters Union, and the Electricians Local 103 also voiced support for the project.

The project could break ground at the earliest by September 2014 and at the latest by September 2015, according to the project’s architect.
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http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/roxbury/2013/11/hold_elizabeth_stone_house_receives_final_approvals_for_egle.html
 
Harold Street lots could be used for urban farms

By Patrick D. Rosso, Town Correspondent

Two vacant Harold Street lots, known for the trash they collect, could be the next city-owned parcels to be turned into urban agriculture sites.

Representatives from the Department of Neighborhood Development, which oversees the properties, were in Roxbury Monday night to discuss the vacant lots at 225 and 227 Harold St. and to see if residents would be supportive of them being turned into urban farms.

Urban farms differ from the common community garden because the food produced is for commercial purposes.

“We want to get these parcels back to working for the city and the community,” explained Liz Llenas, a project manager for DND.

The lots, which were acquired by DND in the late-1980s, are part of a series of city-owned Roxbury parcels being pushed for farm uses.

The move is connected to the new Article 89 zoning, which will streamline the process of securing approvals for the cultivation of crops for commercial purposes on parcels throughout the city. Although the lots will be used to produce food, which would be sold or donated, urban agricultural is generally a low-impact use.

The new zoning language, however, must still be approved by the city’s Zoning Board of Appeals, a hearing is scheduled for December 17, and receive the sign-off of the mayor.

The language was approved by the Boston Redevelopment Authority in November.

The move to sell the abutting parcels, which total approximately 12,670 square feet and are bordered by residential structures, was met with enthusiasm from residents.

“I’d love to see something going on there to bring the neighborhood up,” said Dollie Taylor-Suttles, a 70-year-old area resident and vice president of the Clark Cooper Community Gardens. “People use to just throw trash there and they just cleaned it up, so I’d love to see a garden there.”

Others said they are supportive of a farm, but eventually would like to see more affordable housing in the area.

“We envision having housing there at some point, but we’d also like to see gardens,” explained Marlena Richardson, a 68-year-old area resident and member of the Garrison-Trotter Neighborhood Association’s board. “We’d like to see the land held in a trust and farmed until a feasible development plan can be created.”

Others wondered how the farms could benefit the community that surrounds the lots.

“Would there be a farm stand?” asked Ralph Shirley, a 31-year-old property developer. “If that’s offered to people who don’t have access to fruits and vegetables I think it could be a good idea.”

The lots will be sold, most likely to a non-profit, through the DND’s Request for Proposals process, which includes community input as well as the public advertisement of the properties.

Although a hard timeline has not been established, DND representatives said an RFP could be developed and advertised by mid-December with the final developers selected by late January or early February. Once the final developers have been selected, DND will bring them out to the community to gather input before the property is sold, with the possibility of crops growing on the properties by early-summer.
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http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news...treet_lots_could_be_used_for_urban_farms.html
 
Grove Hall advocates look to increase connections to the community

By Patrick D. Rosso, Boston.com Staff

As development comes to Roxbury and specifically Grove Hall, advocates for the community are looking for ways to improve the neighborhood’s infrastructure to increase economic development, support existing businesses and attract new ones, and encourage outsiders to visit the bustling urban area.
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“Everything in Grove Hall is pretty much old,” explained Joel Harper, owner of Got Sole 1981, a Grover Hall-based sneaker shop. “We can do a lot of things to fix Grove Hall, but we have to figure out how to get people to Grove Hall and make them feel safe.”
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http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news...cates_look_to_increase_connections_to_th.html
 
Grove hall is one of those spots that could be so much more, but it feels like a suburban strip mall atm.
 
Matthew said:
Grove hall is one of those spots that could be so much more, but it feels like a suburban strip mall atm.
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I'll take that suburban strip mall, which is little different, except for size, from the Porter Square Shopping Center or the Star on Beacon Street in Brookline, over the vacant lot that sat there for 25+ years.

There is plenty of occupied streetscape fronting retail in Grove Hall. The Stop & Shop and other retail in the plaza is on a tight enough site, that the area was vastly improved by its development.

People are not all 25 and can bike back from the grocery store with enough food once a week to feed a family of four. Have you ever lugged 6 bags of groceries onto an MBTA bus? Try it on a day like today and post snaps for us. My mom had to do it back in the 70's. She learned to drive post haste.
 
Demolition of former B-2 police station could begin by spring

Although the dates are not exact, the project is expected to be advertised by early-March, with work anticipated to begin by early-April, according to the BRA. The demolition, expected to take approximately 120 days, will cost an estimated $970,000.

Once the building has been removed, the site will most likely be developed for a number of new uses including retail, parking, and office space.

We have a plan we developed with the community that deals with the feasibility of what can be done at the site, explained Kairos Shen, director of planning for the BRA. We think we can build close to 170,000-square-feet of development on the site. We also think parts of the site could accommodate a structured parking garage.
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We've said from day one that this is a critical parcel,� said Shen. Basically the idea is to create retail frontage from the library to the new police station. Without that frontage the new police station and the library are just boxes that aren't connected.
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http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news...former_b-2_police_station_could_begin_by.html
 
I'm convinced in the coming years there will be greater development attention in the Roxbury neighborhood and, therefore, there should be a Roxbury Development Thread we can plop different project details into.

Take a look at this Development Project submission for 1065 Tremont Street at the corner of St. Cyprians Place. Six stories, 16 rental units (mainly 2- and 3-bedrooms), and ground floor retail.

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Please feel free to share any development updates for the Roxbury neighborhood in this thread.
 
the contrast between those buildings is not favorable to the new one. They should try to match the old one better in style.
 
Ron Newman said:
the contrast between those buildings is not favorable to the new one. They should try to match the old one better in style.
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I have to disagree. First of all, no designer worth his salt should ever design "in a style". What becomes a style should be a natural process of responding to the values of the society of the time, as well as the sites environment, context, and intended use. I unfortunately don't have the time to write up something more cohesive, but in general it is becoming more and more favored in the preservation community for infill and additions to be contextual yet distinct. Contemporary architecture vs faux historic is highly encouraged.

The proposed building does this very well. The windows are divided into a regular grid and have similar proportions of facade/glass as the existing building. The grey material of the penthouse going down the side nicely mirrors the adjacent bay window on the brick building, allowing them to merge together. The proportions of new to old are in general favorable.

That doesn't mean it's perfect. The storefront is jarringly short, it jumped out at me immediately. Perhaps they intend for signage to make up the rest of the height, but that really should have been worked out in the design. The penthouse would also be less obtrusive if it was set back 1-3 feet. This would also allow the glass railing on either side to be extended across, mirroring the cornice on the brick building.

You can tell this is a cheap building, so IMO, by using modern materials we will end up with a better looking product. To build something that has more historic character and doesn't stand out like a sore thumb (HIP-storic Charlestown anyone?) requires a much larger budget (Chevron, and the other new residential building in the Back Bay). "Craft" today is a commodity; it is not cheap to hire real masons like it was in the 19th century. Hence why even relatively expensive buildings like Millennium Place have obvious prefab brick panels. So when working with a limited budget in the machine made - paste and stick era we live in, it's best to work with what you can. Whatever material they are using for the facade, it will have more depth and character than it would if they were trying to replicate something historic on a limited budget. Alucobond used well > prefab brick + hardiboard any day.
 
If you saw what this building has to look at across the street, it makes this place look like The Chevron.

That being said, we are entering another phase of build'em fast and cheap (or we may be knee deep in it) in Boston. This building is Huskie storage and nothing else.
 
Like it's look just fine but there should be more density. There's no rational reason it can't or shouldn't be bigger other than the usual self-centered "too tall" and "this will make parking my car on the street harder" objections of abutters.
 
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