Shreve, Crump & Low Redevelopment | 334-364 Boylston Street | Back Bay

Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Does this mean slum dog Druker is going to leave the SCl(330 Boylston) alone:

Notice is hereby given that at 10:30 A.M.
On Tuesday, September 7, 2010
Inspectional Services Department
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, 4th Fl.
Boston, MA 02118
617-635-4775 a public hearing will be held by the Board of Appeal of the City of Boston in
Room 801, City Hall, upon the appeal of

The Arlington-Boylston Realty Trust

seeking with reference to the premises at

340-360 Boylston Street, Ward 5

from the terms of the Boston Zoning Code (see Acts of 1956, c, 665) in the
following respect: Conditional Use Permit, Exception & GOOD Permit

Article(s): 3 (3-1) 8 (8-7-72) 16 (16-6) 21 (21-2) 32 (32-4)

Erect a nine story mixed use building with offices, retail and
restaurant uses, a fitness center, spa and underground parking
for one hundred and fifty vehicles.

If you wish to express an opinion in regards to the above proposal either in favor
or in opposition, please detach the lower portion of this announcement or mail to:

Board of Appeal
1010 Massachusetts Avenue, 4th floor
Boston, MA 02118

Please feel free to call the Board of Appeal at 617-635-4775 if there is a
question or concern you might have regarding this matter.

Members:
Christine Araujo-Secretary
Bruce Bickerstaff
Angelo Buonopane
Peter Chin
Michael Monahan
Anthony Pisani, AIA
Robert Shortsleeve, Chairman

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/backbay.pdf
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Let's hope so and that it wasn't just a typo.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

I think 330 Boylson is SCL. This notice is for 350-360 only.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Screen-shot-2010-08-18-at-10.39.40-AM1.png


Yes, appears to be the building next door which, from this photo, appears to actually be two buildings even though they're joined at street-level.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

I believe this hearing is possibly regarding the special zoning exception they need, which I mentioned way up thread:

Still, Druker needed a special exception to get his 130 ft height. There is special zoning governing this specific block of Boylston capping the height of any building at 85 ft. Presumably, this zoning was put in place to protect both the Arlington Street church and Public Garden from being overwhelmed by hulking, out-of-scale development -- in other words, exactly this type of proposal.

There was a special exception written into the zoning that grants a height of 130 ft, only to be granted after a public design review. In this particular case, however, it seems granting such an exception completely violates the spirit and purpose of the existing zoning. I seriously doubt it was intended to allow megalithic development like Druker's proposal.

Here is some of the pertinent zoning (all of which can downloaded from the BRA's website):

This is the zoning relating to the height of the district (B-8-120c):

SECTION 16-6.
Height of Structures within One Hundred Feet of Certain Streets that Bound Boston Common or the Public Garden. Any building or portion thereof within one hundred feet of the nearest street line of any street described below shall not exceed the height specified for such street as follows:
...
b. South side of Boylston Street from the westerly sideline of Arlington Street to a point 100 feet west of Arlington Street, to a depth of 50 feet from Boylston Street: 85 feet maximum height; beyond said depth of 50 feet: 130 feet maximum height; except that such requirement in a B-8-120c district shall be subject to the provisions of Article 6A.
...



Here is the section of 6A that specifies what conditions need to be met for approval to the exception:

SECTION 6A-3.
Conditions Required for Approval. The Board of Appeal shall allow an exception only if it finds:
(a) That such exception is in harmony with the general purpose and intent of this code;
(b) The exception requested is in conformity with one or more of the following, as applicable: (I) the development plan for the planned development area or (ii) the land assembly and redevelopment or urban renewal plan, or the low rent housing project or housing project for elderly persons of low income for the urban renewal area, or (iii) the plan adopted by the Boston Redevelopment Authority for the downtown district involved, or for the Harborpark District, and such conformity has been certified to by the Boston Redevelopment Authority; or if the exception relates to a setback of parapet requirement in a B-6-90a, B-6-90b, B-8-120a, or B-8-120c district, the Boston Redevelopment Authority has certified to the Board of Appeal that the proposed project has been subject to design review; or if the exception relates to the requirement of Section 25-5.8 concerning the location of a structure in a high hazard coastal (V zone) district, the project has received a Conditional Letter of Map Revision (CLOMR) from the Federal Emergency Management Agency; and
(c) if such appeal relates to a Development Impact Project, as defined in Section 80B-7, the applicant shall have complied with the Development Impact Project Exaction requirements set forth in Section 80B-7.3; and
...


It also states:

SECTION 6A-1.
...the Board of Appeal may, in a specific case after public notice and hearing, allow an exception from the provisions of this code...
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

I believe this hearing is possibly regarding the special zoning exception they need, which I mentioned way up thread:

So RD, if he wanted to add several floors, would also need a special exception for the SCL building, right? And would the board of appeal ask him, in the context of reviewing this pending request, what his intentions were with regard to SCL?

I also wonder how this exception, if granted, affects the shadowing of the Tiffany windows in the church.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

The Arlington Building was featured in this month's National Trust Magazine:

shreve_national_trust_magazine.jpg
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

A far more compelling case than the cartoon chalet below...
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Eh, not a great photo but what can I say, I had just come from Hemp Fest.

shreve.jpg
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

They've got scaffolding up one of the Druker buildings on Boylston. Anyone know what's going on?

shreves_092010.jpg
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Is is holding it up?
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Isn't this one of the two adjoining buildings covered by the zoning exception? Though I have to say, the scaffolding doesn't look like demolition scaffolding.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

The scaffolding was for the painters. 342-350 Boylston and the Women's Industrial Union all got a nice fresh coat of paint... and are actually looking quite handsome and somewhat cared for for once. Don't know what this means, whether Druker is settling in for the long haul, making the most of things or what.

These buildings are hell to photograph for me because they always seem to be in shadow. Such is life on the south side of the street I guess.

342-350_boylston_street_paintjob_a.jpg


342_boylston_paintjob.jpg
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Up-and-coming sites may make Boston a leader in e-commerce
By Scott Kirsner
July 10, 2011

In a Back Bay building that once housed Shreve, Crump & Low, husband-and-wife entrepreneurs Greg and Dina Selkoe are building an e-commerce company that is already bigger than the upscale jeweler ever was. With about 100 employees in Boston, Karmaloop expects to generate $130 million this year peddling hoodies, sneakers, and shades to the uber-hip.

...

The Karmaloop site sells products such as a $25 printed T-shirt from Fly Society, but the company expects in September to launch a new site, Boylston Trading Co., to offer more expensive, slightly more dressy attire, Selkoe says. The new site will be accompanied by an invitation-only showroom in the old Shreve building at Boylston and Arlington streets.

http://www.boston.com/business/arti...ay_make_boston_a_leader_in_e_commerce/?page=1

Some good news (hopefully) for a building that should be landmarked, rather than torn down as Ronald Druker had wanted.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Good to see the first floor re-tenanted, but not so good for this store to be off-limits to the general public. (Or will this just be a membership store that anyone can join, a la Costco?)
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

So heinous. Down the street from the Shreve building. Can we trade this for that one?

IMG01607-20110810-1618.jpg


IMG01608-20110810-1619.jpg
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

That entire block is a disgrace, given it's location. How much of it is in Druker's hairy hands?
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Actually, other than the storefronts, I don't think it looks so bad. It appears that the old townhouses in the space above Mens Wearhouse have been recently renovated. The tops of the old townhouses up the block are pretty sorry looking though.
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

Roxxma, I totally missed your comment when you posted, but it appears to be true!

410 Boylston Street has been converted into four floor-through homes.

Photo.aspx


Four exceptional residences in a historically significant double wide brownstone. These meticulously renovated homes feature elegant floor thru plans just steps from the Boston Public Garden. Exquisite in every detail with direct elevator access, three bedrooms, two and a half bathrooms, state-of-the-art kitchens, spa-like bathrooms, dramatic outdoor spaces and custom finishes. Rental parking available nearby.
Price range is: $1,995,000-$2,300,000

http://campionre.com/Developments/
 
Re: Shreve, Crump & Low bldng may be replaced w/ new develop

John -- I'll bet that some of those 'sawed-off" buildings are the remnants of once nicer buildings that were stumped during the Great Depression

In Boston and other cities in the Northeast as the economy stayed stagnant for years (previously after a crash there typically would be a rapid rebound) -- landlords getting taxed by the square foot started cutting the tops off of the building and in some cases just demolishing them -- as vacant land (used for parking) or stumps -- were taxed at a lot less than a nice brownstone -- but empty building

during the current Grand Recession -- Detroit is pursuing much of the same on an organized city sponsored scale -- they are bulldozing and returning to agriculture whole empty neighborhoods
 

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