The Alcott (née Garden Garage Towers) | 35 Lomasney Way | West End

meeting: Tuesday, January 25 ? 6-8PM

Just got this email:
BRA
The Boston Redevelopment Authority
will host a public meeting regarding
Garden Garage
Tuesday, January 25 ? 6-8PM
The Shriners Hospital for Children Auditorium
51 Blossom Street, Boston
Project Proponent: Equity Residential
Project Description: This community meeting is being held in compliance with Article 80 of the Boston Zoning Code to present to the community the Equity Residential (the ?Proponent?) proposal to replace the existing 710-space Garden Garage on Lomasney Way with two (2) major buildings with heights of approximately 240 and 310 feet and an 850-space parking structure that will extend 50 feet below grade (the ?Proposed Project?). The redevelopment of the site will involve demolition of the existing garage and a small, vacant one-story wooden structure formerly used as the Boston Children?s School Annex. The Proposed Project provides approximately 985,000 sq ft of development, of which approximately 551,000 sq ft is residential space, 22,000 sq ft is common area and amenity space for residents, and approximately 385,000 sq ft is for parking and mechanical equipment. The 21-story North Tower will contain approximately 200 residential units and the 28-story South Tower will have approximately 300 units.
Close of Comment Period: Friday, February 25, 2011
Jay Rourke, Boston Redevelopment Authority
One City Hall Square, 9th Fl, Boston, MA 02201
phone: 617.918.4317
fax: 617.742.7783
email: Jay.Rourke.BRA@CityofBoston.gov
Click to expand...
 
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Re: New West End building

If you ask me, they BRA should focus less on the Garden Garage, and focus more on the redevelopment of this:


causewayAfter.jpg






That street is disgraceful! The "Penalty Box" along with North Station Liquors next door is sad. Not to mention driving down Causeway is like driving up and down someone's spine. At least plant some trees on the island outside of the Garden. Geez.
 
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Re: New West End building

It seems like rectangular-motif pixellated facades are the wave of the future for towers in Boston.

The Clarendon, MassArt, now this...
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

For the sake of the lazy, here are a few images from the PNF.

Existing garage:
Garden-Garage_PNF_color_rendering_3.jpg


Garden-Garage_PNF_existing_1.jpg


Garden-Garage_PNF_existing_2.jpg


Proposal:
Garden-Garage_PNF_color_rendering_1.jpg


Garden-Garage_PNF_color_rendering_2.jpg


Garden-Garage_PNF_perspectve_4.jpg


Garden-Garage_PNF_perspectve_3.jpg


Garden-Garage_PNF_perspectve_2.jpg


Garden-Garage_PNF_perspectve_1.jpg


Garden-Garage_PNF_program_elev_2.jpg


Garden-Garage_PNF_circulation_plan.jpg
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

If these are built than the 37 story tower at North station will soon follow I hope,thanks for posting the renderings!
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

Meh. Don't love it, don't hate it. Those varied-profile strips along the sides of the building might be improved with some wavy treatments that come away from the building.

This strikes me as a developer choosing on "good enough for the money" and actively avoiding any sort of statement.
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

Of course it is. If you want to make money here you comply to any BRA-NIMBY rule. It's not completely terrible. All these lesser developments hurt the city but the NIMBYS/BRA dont understand it
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

Hate that they're keeping it contextual with Charles River Park by including all that "open space". The garage will have provided a better streetwall.

Love that they were forced to include the holdout tenement in the renderings.
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

Does the holdout tenement look like it's been incorporated into a low-rise building of some sort, or is the picture unclear?

In terms of height does anyone know how these will compare to the Longfellow Towers?
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

The concept remains suburban.

Oh, those undulating and intersecting fat tipped arrows ... so mired in the Sixties along with the design!

Just build retail on most of the wasted green space, and be done with it.

Maybe some mom-and-pops will re-appear.
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

ablarc said:
The concept remains suburban...

...Just build retail on most of the wasted green space, and be done with it.

Maybe some mom-and-pops will re-appear.
Click to expand...

Exactly. Like it or not, we're stuck with these sort of towers, so we might as well make better spaces around them. The "towers in a park" model is a failure. Retail (if done well) would create a vibrant urban atmosphere, instead of desolate "parks". Some of the retail / mixed buildings could be 2-5 stories, new side streets and well thought out public spaces could be built. Create a street-scape, restore life to the city!

...but the NIMBYs will have something to say... too many shadows, too much traffic, too dense, basically not suburban enough.

Head to keyboard.
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

I used to work at the Museum of Science and would walk past this garage all the time. Truly anything with any sort of ground floor retail would be a major improvement. It is a total wasteland from Science Park station to the courthouse. more people and more retail is what this area needs. The design isn't bad from what i see... sue i would connect the two builds on the ground floor for more stores, but i do see what they are trying to do.
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

Shepard said:
Does the holdout tenement look like it's been incorporated into a low-rise building of some sort, or is the picture unclear?
Click to expand...

It's merely distortion resulting from its transparency in the rendering.
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

So if all things go accordingly maybe this thing gets going in 2012?
 
Re: New West End building

JohnAKeith said:
Can you all step back a bit for a second? There is an elderly apartment building next door, no?... While their views are obviously affected by the garage, already, going tall on a new building will have some effect so don't cut their heads off completely.
Click to expand...

Solution: eliminate Medicare subsidy for cataract surgery.
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

I'd be happy to see this project built. It would be the first step towards reintegrating the West End with the rest of the city.
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

West End Place was the "first step". This is almost a step back, since it will leave the street with such a gap-tooth of useless greenery.
 
Re: Garden Garage Towers (New West End building)

So at first glance I'm guessing that the lead architect on this also designed one marina park, or at least the taller of the 2 buildings. Looks like they took that design and squeezed it and stretched it up. At least it's slender looking from 2 sides.
 
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