Seaport Neighborhood - Infill and Discussion

Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

Kendall has seen traffic levels decline even as business ramps up. I don't have the figures in front of me, but I think they're doing pretty well on mode share. Don't forget: it's a convenient Red Line stop, as well as a daytime bus hub. Also, I think there's a significant amount of bike commuters.

Actually it's probably less convenient in the evening (for the movies, restaurants) because the buses stop going there after 7-8pm.
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

I'm a startup guy. Things have changed a lot in the last 5 years. It used to be Kendall as the only reasonable place to look for office space. Hence you have Cambridge Innovation Center in 1 Broadway with more than 400 startups under the roof.

But Kendall prices went up and the startups spread out a lot more. Basically anywhere on the Red Line is the rule now. The majority of my startup friends have settled in Downtown Crossing or near South Station (often Leather District).

I don't live out west, but I do have friends there and visit quite a bit. My read on it is that the majority of startups are based in SF-proper with the minority being in the Valley. VCs do still have offices on Sand Hill Road, but most have an office in SF, or are moving to SF all together.

Established companies like Google, Yahoo, Facebook, et. al. are establishing offices in SF to avoid having to bus everyone down to the Valley, which is a big cranky mess all together.
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

abdinoor said:
Established companies like Google, Yahoo, Facebook, et. al. are establishing offices in SF to avoid having to bus everyone down to the Valley, which is a big cranky mess all together.
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Welcome to the Boston Innovation District (Seaport Area)

Please wait for the SILVERLINE BUS!!! Oops sorry the capacity for the bus is filled please wait for the next BUS. This is a first class city and an innovation district?
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

Article over at the Atlantic Cities detailing just where venture capital in the Northeast Corridor is going these days with a map showing Boston's 2011 expenditures:

mafh.jpg


And a breakdown by ZIP code (Boston's total was $3.3 billion, with Kendall receiving 27% of the pie):

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Note these are 2011 numbers. I'd imagine the 2013 numbers would show the DTX and/or Leather District ZIPs creeping into the top 10.

http://www.theatlanticcities.com/jo...ech-startups-became-downtown-phenomenon/6301/
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

JohnAKeith said:
What would be everyone's guess as to how many people take public transportation to Kendall vs. driving vs. how many people take public transportation to the Fort Point South Boston Innovation Seaport Parking Lot District?

I may be in the minority but I've never felt Kendall Square to be that convenient to get to - even with a subway stop right there. It seems so spread out. Going to the movies always seems like a haul. Don't know if this is a common sentiment.

My point being, even though I whined about the lack of public transportation into the Seaport, Kendall isn't that much different, either because it's so spread out or b/c everyone drives there.
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Personal take. It's ridiculously convenient, but that's because I work i nthe Kendall Building (clock tower). The subway is literally 40 feet from my front door.

In general "Kendall Sq." is sooo spread out that it makes no sense to me. It's a 5+ minute walk from Kendall Station to One Kendall? WTF? All the people in tech square and cambridge center however, have no reason not to take the train. All the new stuff going on at 610 and further to Novartis though? That's getting on the borderline for some people. Kind of like the walk from South Station to the Seaport. Not awful to some and quite nice to others during the right months, but I'm guessing a lot of drivers to those (hence all the below grade parking.) All the Binney St, activity is closer to the Subway still, and is not even a bad walk from Lechmere, once it's regularly available again.
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

SeamusMcFly said:
Personal take. It's ridiculously convenient, but that's because I work i nthe Kendall Building (clock tower). The subway is literally 40 feet from my front door.

In general "Kendall Sq." is sooo spread out that it makes no sense to me. It's a 5+ minute walk from Kendall Station to One Kendall? WTF? All the people in tech square and cambridge center however, have no reason not to take the train. All the new stuff going on at 610 and further to Novartis though? That's getting on the borderline for some people. Kind of like the walk from South Station to the Seaport. Not awful to some and quite nice to others during the right months, but I'm guessing a lot of drivers to those (hence all the below grade parking.) All the Binney St, activity is closer to the Subway still, and is not even a bad walk from Lechmere, once it's regularly available again.
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If the Grand Junction ever gets taken over by the urban ring (as LRV hopefully) you could get more stops in the "Greater Kendall" area. Put a stop near Cambridge St, a stop at Binney, a stop at Main St and a stop at Mass Ave. Might be too many stops for that area, but they're no closer together than Central Subway stops. That would tie it all together better.

Also, Lechmere is currently regularly available.

Anyway, this is waaay off topic from the Seaport.
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

From today's Globe:

A snarl in Seaport District’s success story

Heavy traffic has planners scrambling
By Shirley Leung

A few months ago, the good people of the Seaport District began noticing something on their streets they never imagined: gridlock.

While the morning commute is tolerable, everyone seems to head out at 5 p.m., creating bumper-to-bumper traffic along the main spine on Northern Avenue, spilling out onto Atlantic Avenue, and clogging side roads throughout the area.

And the vaunted Silver Line? Its buses are sometimes so jammed during the afternoon rush that riders are forced to wait on platforms for the next one to come by.

“All this growth wasn’t supposed to happen until 2025,” said Mayor Thomas Menino. “It’s a wonderful success. Because of the success, we’re having a problem. It’s amazing to me.
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Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

Now do you understand why companies will be flocking back to Downtown. a much more efficient transit system.

The BRA, City and the Planners completely failed the Seaport District by not intergrating the underground Hard Rails. They were too worried about Fallon & the city getting their fair share of tax breaks by lowering Vertex costs to relocate from Kendall Square.
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

Hard rail was never in the cards...it's way too expensive.

If they implement the changes they discuss in the article things should improve.

I will say that the seaport is one of the only neighborhoods that I willingly pay for parking, it's impossible to find a meter down there.
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

What is going to happen when the Seaport finally gets 50% built-out from here?

Its going to be a TRAFFIC NIGHTMARE

Love this statement
“All this growth wasn’t supposed to happen until 2025,” said Mayor Thomas Menino.
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Its not growth all your doing is relocating companies throughout the city to help promote your friends projects. This is called corruption
 
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Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

I just want to say, I went to Harpoon Brewery last weekend and it's amazing how different the Seaport can be at certain areas. At the WTC, the whole area was jumping, then two blocks south, past the paviliion, the entire area is compeletely dead. I wouldn't be too quick to say that this place is a "success," yet. It definitely has potential. However, like I said before, I don't see the Innovation Dist. as a future hub of technology. I think the Seaport is better suited for more traditional white collar businesses + as an entertainment district with upscale bars, clubs, a bowling alley, a roller rink, and restaurants.

Think about it. Who wouldn't want to eat at a restaurant gazing out into the water, or party/dance on a rooftop deck next to the harbor? They already have a few of these near the WTC and it's full of activities there but it would be nice to have some more. I would love a Boston's version of Navy Pier here.
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

Easy solution for you. Don't drive there.
Then you can have sweet traffic dreams.

As has been discussed in the past, the big hope is upgrades to the Silverline as the demand continues to rise. Whether it ends up on rails at some point as we hope is any ones guess.

“That’s what is really appealing,” said Zach Barber, a spokesman for Vertex, the Cambridge biotech that will move about 1,500 employees to Fan Pier starting at the end of the year. “You don’t really have the convergence of all the transportation options anywhere else.”

He gets it.

Having to wait for the next bus??? The horror. Getting a few more buses on line for peak service hours sounds pretty straightforward and easy. That next bus could be sitting right behind the full one.

Of course as it also mentions in the article, this type of gridlock is nothing new to those downtown and in the back bay. So why is this traffic going to send companies running to downtown that is already a nightmare to drive in? Oh yeah I forgot, hard rail is the only real public transport for getting people to work.....
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

SeamusMcFly said:
Easy solution for you. Don't drive there.
Then you can have sweet traffic dreams.

As has been discussed in the past, the big hope is upgrades to the Silverline as the demand continues to rise. Whether it ends up on rails at some point as we hope is any ones guess.

“That’s what is really appealing,” said Zach Barber, a spokesman for Vertex, the Cambridge biotech that will move about 1,500 employees to Fan Pier starting at the end of the year. “You don’t really have the convergence of all the transportation options anywhere else.”

He gets it.

Having to wait for the next bus??? The horror. Getting a few more buses on line for peak service hours sounds pretty straightforward and easy. That next bus could be sitting right behind the full one.

Of course as it also mentions in the article, this type of gridlock is nothing new to those downtown and in the back bay. So why is this traffic going to send companies running to downtown that is already a nightmare to drive in? Oh yeah I forgot, hard rail is the only real public transport for getting people to work.....
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What happens when the 1500 More vertex employees start in the area by year end along with the rest of the build-outs? I used to wait for the bus and when it was packed I hated waiting for another bus which sometimes took an extra 15 Mins.

I would be sick moving to this inefficient transit area if I was an employee.
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

Uh huh. Like I just said up there. Increase buses, increase frequency. This ain't your standard old bus subject to traffic that shows up every 15 - 30 minutes. As much as you don't like it. It's a subway. In a dedicated tunnel. Run more shuttles on the SS to SLW route, for seaport commuters. Keep the Logan runs as is.
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

Symptom, or solution?

"Vertex will also operate its own bus shuttles, joining a growing fleet of private buses that ferry workers to and from points like North and South stations. There’s even one service that takes Fan Pier tenants to Downtown Crossing at lunch time so they can run errands."
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

SeamusMcFly said:
Uh huh. Like I just said up there. Increase buses, increase frequency. This ain't your standard old bus subject to traffic that shows up every 15 - 30 minutes. As much as you don't like it. It's a subway. In a dedicated tunnel. Run more shuttles on the SS to SLW route, for seaport commuters. Keep the Logan runs as is.
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What about the areas that the bus is not underground?
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

Stop the presses - rational comments on the Globe article? Whaaa? Are the trolls busy with something else today?
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

The bus is pretty much underground until the Logan stretch...semi above at SLW but the two main stops (courthouse and WTC) are underground.
 
Re: Innovation Dist. / South Boston Seaport

SeamusMcFly said:
Of course as it also mentions in the article, this type of gridlock is nothing new to those downtown and in the back bay. So why is this traffic going to send companies running to downtown that is already a nightmare to drive in?
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Exactly. All the most successful parts of this (and every other) city are traffic nightmares. People will slowly change their commuting patterns as this traffic crush progresses. People will learn to stagger their work hours away from rush hour as the traffic worsens.

Also, it takes time for people to relocate where they live to accomodate these new jobs coming online. South Boston and Downtown will absorb a lot of people in the coming years which will ease car congestion, but it will take time. One of the major benefits of mixed-use districts is relieving the need for transportation in the first place. Obviously not everyone will relocate, but the area does have good (if not quite excellent) access by all modes of transportation so there is still capacity for many many commuters.

Give it time, the Seaport will work. It will work better with train service, but the bus tunnel has a lot more capacity it will work just fine for several more years.
 
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