Seaport Square (Formerly McCourt Seaport Parcels)

cjbski said:
Agreed. But the Seaport needs necessities ASAP to begin to get there. CVS (suddenly disappeared from the radar as all of the other retailers at Watermark are putting "coming soon" signs up, CVS is nowhere to be found), a reasonable grocery store, maybe a mom and pop sandwich shop, etc.
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Highly unlikely a mom and pop sandwich shop will be able to afford the rents.
 
whighlander said:
Suffolk -- Beacon Hill proper lacks a place to buy shoes...
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North River Outfitter
Red Wagon (kids shoes)
Moxie
Crush Boutique
Helen's Leather
Are's Shoe Repair

For someone who writes such long-winded off-topic posts where you throw in a lot of research, I'm a little surprised you didn't run a quick google maps search of "shoes Beacon Hill."
 
As far as what the Seaport is missing to be a fully-realized neighborhood, I'd suggest the following:
- full service grocery store (fortunately one of the M parcels may fulfill this)
- primary and secondary schools
- a library branch (*HOWEVER, a case can be made that District Hall fulfills the role of a paperless library... it's an excellent place to do work, research, and meet others)
- post office

With over a million square feet of new retail, I feel good about the mix of services like shoe stores, sandwich shops, pharmacies, tailors, cleaners, banks, gyms, places of worship, and other specialty joints that activate the street and strengthen the community. The 76 Walk Score is promising... I suspect by 2020 it'll jump up at least 10 points with everything coming online.
 
dshoost88 said:
North River Outfitter
Red Wagon (kids shoes)
Moxie
Crush Boutique
Helen's Leather
Are's Shoe Repair

For someone who writes such long-winded off-topic posts where you throw in a lot of research, I'm a little surprised you didn't run a quick google maps search of "shoes Beacon Hill."
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Dshoot -- Didn't really think that the criteria for neighborhood is instantaneous availability of footwear -- these days there is Amazon Prime same day delivery

I think that you could find several fairly exclusive towns in the North, NW, South of Boston where you might have a problem walking to purchase a pair of Air Jordans or even Bostonians
 
cjbski said:
Agreed. But the Seaport needs necessities ASAP to begin to get there. CVS (suddenly disappeared from the radar as all of the other retailers at Watermark are putting "coming soon" signs up, CVS is nowhere to be found), a reasonable grocery store, maybe a mom and pop sandwich shop, etc.
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There pretty much is a mom & pop sandwich/lunch shop... J. Pace & Son at Northern & Congress in the Park Lane.

whighlander said:
Dshoot -- Didn't really think that the criteria for neighborhood is instantaneous availability of footwear -- these days there is Amazon Prime same day delivery

I think that you could find several fairly exclusive towns in the North, NW, South of Boston where you might have a problem walking to purchase a pair of Air Jordans or even Bostonians
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You made an incorrect statement, which was easily disproven. Stop trying to change the subject.
 
dshoost88 said:
As far as what the Seaport is missing to be a fully-realized neighborhood, I'd suggest the following:
- full service grocery store (fortunately one of the M parcels may fulfill this)
- primary and secondary schools
- a library branch (*HOWEVER, a case can be made that District Hall fulfills the role of a paperless library... it's an excellent place to do work, research, and meet others)
- post office

With over a million square feet of new retail, I feel good about the mix of services like shoe stores, sandwich shops, pharmacies, tailors, cleaners, banks, gyms, places of worship, and other specialty joints that activate the street and strengthen the community. The 76 Walk Score is promising... I suspect by 2020 it'll jump up at least 10 points with everything coming online.
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Dshoot -- that is a better list of criteria -- although today the local school is not necessarily a criteria
 
This whole conversation outlines why seaport square parcel M needs to break ground ASAP. Renders: http://www.archboston.org/community/showpost.php?p=241375&postcount=1

Some of the pros of it:

- would eliminate the plateau affect given its three towers a many smaller buildings
- add different materials to Seaport Blvd
- add a pedestrian orientated courtyard
- tons of retail
-grocery store
- 1000 housing units
- fills in the worst dead zone in seaport


This was approved last week by the BRA. It is supposed to break ground this fall and have a 30 month construction timeline. I am a believer that this project will transform seaport into a real neighborhood if it gets built how it is currently presented. Sure, one marina park drive, waterside place, and 100 pier 4 all suck and add little. But the next generation of projects will transform this area into a modern neighborhood. In three years, the entire area will be unrecognizable
 
Wouldn't the Sleeper Street Café also qualify as a mom-and-pop sandwich shop?
 
BuilditDenser said:
This whole conversation outlines why seaport square parcel M needs to break ground ASAP. Renders: http://www.archboston.org/community/showpost.php?p=241375&postcount=1

Some of the pros of it:

- would eliminate the plateau affect given its three towers a many smaller buildings
- add different materials to Seaport Blvd
- add a pedestrian orientated courtyard
- tons of retail
-grocery store
- 1000 housing units
- fills in the worst dead zone in seaport


This was approved last week by the BRA. It is supposed to break ground this fall and have a 30 month construction timeline. I am a believer that this project will transform seaport into a real neighborhood if it gets built how it is currently presented. Sure, one marina park drive, waterside place, and 100 pier 4 all suck and add little. But the next generation of projects will transform this area into a modern neighborhood. In three years, the entire area will be unrecognizable
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Buildit -- all they need to do is find some Desperate Chinese money and it will be whizzzing along before the end of the year --- for some hopefully mistaken reason the Chinese money is looking at being outside of China by the year of the Rooster
 
whighlander said:
Dshoot -- that is a better list of criteria -- although today the local school is not necessarily a criteria
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A) If you're going to abbreviate my alias, please write Dshoost, not Dshoot... it's annoying the heck out of me! (For context, my name is Derek Shooster... cat's out of the bag)

B) Of course schools matter for a neighborhood! Are you kidding?!?!?! The strongest communities and neighborhoods are equitable for all people--young, old, singles, families, handicapped, active, religious, well-educated, low-income, wealthy, middle-class, etc. With something like 20,000 new housing units coming online in the Seaport from 2005 to 2030, it is essential the appropriate municipal services are provided to these new taxpayers, and that includes 'the local school.'

Don't be ignorant, guys.
 
The enormous post office is right across the Summer Street bridge and has expanded hours. We don't need a branch in the Seaport (unless part of a land swap deal).

CVS and grocery story is what we need. If apartment/condo construction keeps up then a lot of this should be self-executing. Businesses will serve markets.

I already walk from Congress and A Street to the South Station CVS. That's cold comfort for people who live in Park Lane or D Street, but it's a reasonable walk for everyone else, including Parcels B & C and Fan Pier/Pier 4.

I don't think a lot of mom-and-pop anything will open up around the Seaport given cost. The Seaport area has some good mom-and-pop package stores and a dry cleaner on D Street (though most people who live in Seaport will be using pick up / delivery services a la Zoots). And we have J Pace as someone pointed out.

Schools are a political football in this city. Don't hold your breath.

From the perspective of someone who moved in circa 2011, I've been really happy with the pace of amenities coming online. The main issue is grocery shopping. We rely on Peapod, Roche. Bros. in DTX and South End Whole Foods if driving. It works but a local grocery store or two would go a long way.
 
dshoost88 said:
A) If you're going to abbreviate my alias, please write Dshoost, not Dshoot... it's annoying the heck out of me! (For context, my name is Derek Shooster... cat's out of the bag)

B) Of course schools matter for a neighborhood! Are you kidding?!?!?! The strongest communities and neighborhoods are equitable for all people--young, old, singles, families, handicapped, active, religious, well-educated, low-income, wealthy, middle-class, etc. With something like 20,000 new housing units coming online in the Seaport from 2005 to 2030, it is essential the appropriate municipal services are provided to these new taxpayers, and that includes 'the local school.'

Don't be ignorant, guys.
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Dshoost88 -- Sorry -- sloppiness on my part -- spell checker doesn't help with peoples nom de web either

No -- that wasn't the point -- depending on the size of the neighborhood and its age of development the school may or may not be in the neighborhood.

Sure there used to be neighborhood grade schools where all the kids just walked to school. Today those are quite rare. Once you get to the Middle and High Schools with campi housing if not educating 1000 to 3000 students -- not too too many are neighborhood schools. And then there are all of the non-public schools which parents may chose to send their children to based on income, scholarship or in some places vouchers.

For example consider Lexington with a population of 30,000 approximately what the Seaport / Innovation District population will be in the next 20 years.

Lexington has a similar demographic to the evolving demographic of the Seaport / Innovation District except Lexington's adults are probably somewhat older.

Lexington's Public Schools considered one of the most "progressive" and highly rated School Districts in MA has 6 grade schools, 2 middle schools and Lexington High School

However, there are also in Lexington 3 public-school-sized private schools, and some handful of miscellaneous other learning enterprises. According to the private school review web site there are 43 private schools within a 5 mile radius of my zip code [one half of Lexington].
 
Views out of Vertex's 9th floor with my iPhone.

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dshoost88 said:
North River Outfitter
Red Wagon (kids shoes)
Moxie
Crush Boutique
Helen's Leather
Are's Shoe Repair

For someone who writes such long-winded off-topic posts where you throw in a lot of research, I'm a little surprised you didn't run a quick google maps search of "shoes Beacon Hill."
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datadyne007 said:
You made an incorrect statement, which was easily disproven. Stop trying to change the subject.
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Dshoost ( AND Data)
I'm actually going to weigh in here because I work in the area and do plenty of business on Charles Street. Since this started with a story about a MAN looking buy shoes, let's be clear that none of the places listed are men's shoe stores. Ares doesnt even sell shoes, just repairs them. North River is a clothing store; nobody would ever go there to shop for shoes there even they did sell them. Moxie is a women's boutique that has some (women's) shoes, and Crush doesn't even sell shoes at all. Helen's sells upscale cowboy boots. In the context of the story, NONE of these are "shoe stores", and in a more general sense none are general shoe stores for either men or women and many of them don't even sell shoes.

There's a difference between googling something and bothering to see if the results are actually true.

Whighlander - dont think I'm defending you... I dont care to argue over what makes a neighborhood or not tonight... but couldn't sit and see a neighborhood I know well get misrepresented.
 
Fair enough. Thank you for your perspective.

Parcel M1/M2 should help the overall retail scene in the Seaport with its mall-style outdoor retail spaces. Wouldn't be surprised if it got a shoe store, clothing store, maybe homewares, etc. All the retail in the Seaport right now is either generic quick service/coffee shops or large-format restaurants & entertainment venues (movies, bowling, gyms). M1/M2 should bring a touch of Newbury St or Assembly Row to the Seaport and provide people with a place to buy things they may need in a pinch without having to travel downtown.
 
FK4 said:
Dshoost ( AND Data)
I'm actually going to weigh in here because I work in the area and do plenty of business on Charles Street. Since this started with a story about a MAN looking buy shoes, let's be clear that none of the places listed are men's shoe stores. Ares doesnt even sell shoes, just repairs them. North River is a clothing store; nobody would ever go there to shop for shoes there even they did sell them. Moxie is a women's boutique that has some (women's) shoes, and Crush doesn't even sell shoes at all. Helen's sells upscale cowboy boots. In the context of the story, NONE of these are "shoe stores", and in a more general sense none are general shoe stores for either men or women and many of them don't even sell shoes.

There's a difference between googling something and bothering to see if the results are actually true.

Whighlander - dont think I'm defending you... I dont care to argue over what makes a neighborhood or not tonight... but couldn't sit and see a neighborhood I know well get misrepresented.
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I can't believe we're arguing about this but ... the pure-play shoe store is a bit of a fossil these days, if you hadn't noticed. Unless you're at Michaelson's (full disclosure - I was shod there throughout my childhood) or payless, you're buying your shoes in a store that also sells clothes.
 
Agree. You guys heard of Zappos? I haven't purchased shoes in a store in years, save for a pair of Toms on Lincoln Road due to bad packing for a Florida trip. Stores are show rooms these days. Maybe M parcel will bring in throwback retail, but probably more along the lines of Apple than a DSW.
 
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