The New Retail Thread

That slab sided closed UDG next to the never-busy catholic shrine, across from a grimy 7/11 and a closed CVS makes that corner just dismal. Above the CVS is becoming a lab building (lol) but the Chauncy/Arch intersection at Summer could be so much better with even two functional businesses.

Nice shots by the way, and I agree that the pitted and pot holed ladder district streets are begging for a bit of love too.
 
Streets linking Washington to Tremont/Common seem like low hanging fruit for infrastructure improvement --

West Street

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Winter Street is a little better but room for improvement

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The rest show some of the challenges from Quincy Market area --

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QM4.jpg
 
Smuttynose said:
Streets linking Washington to Tremont/Common seem like low hanging fruit for infrastructure improvement --

West Street

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Winter Street is a little better but room for improvement

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The rest show some of the challenges from Quincy Market area --

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jesus. can't the city yank management of quincy market/fanueil hall from these chuckleheads? so embarrassing.
 
One of the most lucrative tourist attractions in the US (I think the number indicated includes Quincy Market as well) and it seems the management company didn't invest that much back into the place. Just raised the rents and took the profits.

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Smuttynose said:
Streets linking Washington to Tremont/Common seem like low hanging fruit for infrastructure improvement --

West Street

View attachment 48272

View attachment 48273

Winter Street is a little better but room for improvement

View attachment 48274

The rest show some of the challenges from Quincy Market area --

View attachment 48275

View attachment 48276

View attachment 48277

View attachment 48278
Click to expand...

I think one of the issues with the sidewalks on Temple and West ( as well as Winter) are hollow sidewalks. I think the building Owners may own the sidewalk. I'm generalizing but there most likely would be pushback of any improvements to their sidewalk that will make their property taxes go up..
 
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Suffolk 83 said:
Faniuel Hall is the 4th most popular tourist destination in the country? I dont believe that
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kmp1284 said:
20m visitors? What constitutes a visit, walking or driving on Congress Street and glancing in the general direction of Faneuil Hall?
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This map is highly suspect. White Mountain National Forrest makes up like 1/8 of the land area in New Hampshire. It is not the same thing as Faneuil Hall. And Faneuil Hall is not the same as a single building like the B&J's Factory or the LLBean Flagship Store
 
BosDevelop said:
The city did not terminate or "yank" Ashkenazy's lease
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OK........splitting hairs. Mayor Wu was very disappointed in the current management of Ashkenazy, and I think she worked to get a new company. Yes, the new company "acquired" the lease, and the city did not officially yank or terminate the Ashkenazy lease.

"City officials have worried about the need for physical improvements as well, and have stepped up the pressure on Ashkenazy, including by pointing out nearly $45 million in repairs."

A new start for Faneuil Hall? New operator takes over historic marketplace.

Both the city and merchants have clashed with the operator of the marketplace for years.
www.boston.com
 
Smuttynose said:
I snapped a few photos of the street-level environment of Downtown Crossing and Faneuil Hall over the weekend and have attached photos here along with some general observations. All in all, I think we are holding our own. I was surprised that the vacancies were maybe even more perceptible than DTX. In DTX, all the major retail anchors - Macy's, Primark, Old Navy, HomeGoods, etc. - are all still anchoring (I can't really comment how well they are doing, but the pedestrian traffic on a mild Sunday was very healthy). There are some noticeable vacancies (and some of these challenges I think predate the pandemic). There are a few no brainer things the City could do though. The infrastructure in some sections of DTX just sucks. Particularly on the streets that link the Washington Street to the Common/Tremont. The curbing is falling apart, the lighting is terrible, it gives off the perception that it is unsafe (even if it is not) and certainly does not invite people to hang out.

These photos are from Washington Street (unless otherwise flagged) and show some good and bad, including some of the big weak spots:
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Thanks for taking these shots. I feel that the weak spots that you've highlighted are quite glaring and representative of the overall vibe I get from DTX, despite the pockets of "good" that you have also pointed out. I think perhaps some of us locals have rose-colored glasses on when thinking about the state of DTX. "It's not so bad," some say. I've been quietly bemoaning about DTX's condition for years (and yes, I know how grimy it was back in the 80's as well with the combat zone nearby and it's not "as bad" now). A recent visit to a couple of other world-class cities' downtown areas further hammered home for me what DTX could be but how far away it is from that potential. I do hope for some proper concerted investment in the area, but I'm not sure if I'll be around long enough to see it happen.
 
jl326 said:
Thanks for taking these shots. I feel that the weak spots that you've highlighted are quite glaring and representative of the overall vibe I get from DTX, despite the pockets of "good" that you have also pointed out. I think perhaps some of us locals have rose-colored glasses on when thinking about the state of DTX. "It's not so bad," some say. I've been quietly bemoaning about DTX's condition for years (and yes, I know how grimy it was back in the 80's as well with the combat zone nearby and it's not "as bad" now). A recent visit to a couple of other world-class cities' downtown areas further hammered home for me what DTX could be but how far away it is from that potential. I do hope for some proper concerted investment in the area, but I'm not sure if I'll be around long enough to see it happen.
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Probably the only way it will get any attention from City Hall is to build more bike lanes.
 
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Looks like the map is a bit dated but I Googled it and it's still pretty impressive numbers!
Located in the heart of downtown Boston, Faneuil Hall Marketplace is the 7th most visited tourist destination in the world, welcoming over 18 million annual visitors to explore its iconic shopping, entertainment, and diverse food options.
Also; here is an article on the new manager
A new start for Faneuil Hall? New operator takes over historic marketplace.
 
Java King said:
OK........splitting hairs. Mayor Wu was very disappointed in the current management of Ashkenazy, and I think she worked to get a new company. Yes, the new company "acquired" the lease, and the city did not officially yank or terminate the Ashkenazy lease.

"City officials have worried about the need for physical improvements as well, and have stepped up the pressure on Ashkenazy, including by pointing out nearly $45 million in repairs."

A new start for Faneuil Hall? New operator takes over historic marketplace.

Both the city and merchants have clashed with the operator of the marketplace for years.
www.boston.com
Click to expand...
I wasn't trying to split hairs at all. They voluntarily left and were not forced out. They were asked by the city to make improvements that they did not want to make. And then there is the issue of the direct financial ties between the new landlord and Ashkenazy so I am not sure we will end up with an operator much better in the long run. I remain highly skeptical.
 
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