The parking ratio on this is surprising. That is not a location well served by transit, and will be even less well served once the bus network redesign is implemented. Having fewer parking spots than units might actually be problematic in this case, and I say that as somebody who almost always wants less parking, not more. Unless the Needham Line is getting an infill station, I don't see how this is going to work.
Yeah, that is surprising.
There’s no way it takes anyone 30 minutes to get from Chesbrough to Spring St. I hope someone pulled out google maps and set the time for rush hour morning to disprove that crap.-Approved
Baker Street Market in West Roxbury to be replaced with 14 condos and a smaller store
By adamg on Tue, 12/12/2023 - 12:50pm
“The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved plans by the owner of the Baker Street Market at Baker and Vermont street in West Roxbury to replace his store and parking lot with a four-story, 14-unit condo building with 23 parking spaces - and a smaller space for him to keep operating the market.
Two of the units - a one-bedroom condo and a two-bedroom one - would be sold affordable - to people making no more than 80% to 120% of the Boston area median income.
Owner Louis Dakoyannis, who grew up on Baker Street, says he would fill in the curb cut on Vermont Street.
Several nearby residents spoke against the plan, saying that the building was out of character with the surrounding one- and two-family houses and would lead to parking problems on nearby streets, even with 23 parking spaces, in part because customers of the hair salon across the street, which Dakoyannis also owns, would have nowhere to park.
They also said it would contribute to further congestion on Baker Street. One resident of nearby Chesbrough Street said it already takes her a half hour to drive the roughly half-mile to Spring Street in the morning.
The proposal needed board approval for reasons that included the building being taller than allowed under the site's zoning and because of issues related to traffic visibility at the intersection. Dakoyannis's attorney, Joseph Hanley, said the new building would actually increase visibility at the intersection.”
https://www.universalhub.com/2023/baker-street-market-west-roxbury-be-replaced-14
Agreed, and we are slowly building momentum for this. There have been three build above projects completed recently in my neighborhood, with another getting underway. There have also been some tear downs and replacements of single story retail with multi-level combined housing above street level retail. There is a huge opportunity for more of this, and what I've noticed is less pushback with each new proposal. Under Squares+Streets, some of this might become as of right construction, and then it will hopefully really take off.
@F-Line to Dudley can speak to the titanically disgusting moronity of Dedham's decision to sink the chance of turning this line into an OL extension back in the day. Probably the most egregious and unforgivable example of a transit failure and loss of a very direct ROW straight to downtown anywhere in the region.
I’m really only lamenting the loss of the entire ROW, not the later loss of the small segment off Spring St didn’t become a linear path—I do think it would’ve been nice, and unique, for something like that, but we are a nation of private property rights no matter the cost, and so no, it would not have been anything other than a nice thing for the public to take a nice walk on.
Strongly oppose this. Really a shame. This will totally ruin the experience of the back part of Allandale Woods, by the old bird house or whatever it's called. It's quiet, natural, and nearly totally unspoiled (despite the major construction the nursing home just did last year -- not sure how -- they built an embankment over a wetland). This is a loss for the people and a loss for wildlife.90 Allandale
View attachment 50031
“The 90 Allandale development will be constructed on an 87,162 square-foot lot. The lot is currently occupied by a single-family dwelling, which will be razed and replaced with the proposed development. The Proposal is to construct a new four (4) phase residential development comprised on four (4) two and a half story townhouses each containing two (2) single-family dwelling units, for a total of eight (8) home ownership condominiums on the northerly portion of the lot. Each condominium will be two and a half stories and contain three (3) bedrooms. The southerly portion of the lot will be protected from future development with the recording of a deed restriction. Additionally, each unit will have a garage, which will allow parking for two (2) motor vehicles per unit.”
https://www.bostonplans.org/projects/development-projects/90-allandale
https://bpda.app.box.com/s/t4ux7zuf082yzmrf4dt02025967zfahw
I'm not in love with it either, particularly the 2 parking spots per unit part. 1 per unit should be plenty anywhere in Boston.
why not recognize that open space is precious and NOT develop any of these lots on Allandale, and in fact, raze the existing houses and expand the woods so they are more contiguous with the open spaces of Allandale Farm and the Arboretum? Why does there need to be development here at all? This is not regressive at all. It may be unrealistic, but certain spaces actually should be DEconstructed and that would be genuinely good urbanism.
