Wall Street Journal
'Big Dig' Done, Office Developments Rise
By MAURA WEBBER SADOVIJanuary 16, 2008;
With rents rising and the "Big Dig" finally completed after 16 years, Boston is seeing a surge of office development.
Average metrowide annual office completions are expected to jump to 3.3 million square feet in 2009 and 2010 from two million this year, according to Property & Portfolio Research Inc., a Boston-based real-estate research firm. Even more remarkable, several of the new projects are "speculative," meaning that developers have no tenant in hand. The city hasn't had any such projects started since rents cratered after the tech bust of 2001.
Speculative construction is a sign of market confidence. But it could create problems if the national recession that many are predicting boosts vacancies and decreases rents.
The Boston Convention and Exhibition Center anchors a redevelopment of the city's waterfront.
For now, Boston office developers are emboldened by demand from technology and professional service companies that have helped push rents up at a double-digit-percentage pace. Many are banking on a surge in accounting firms and other tenants looking to lease large spaces in 2009 and 2010 and beyond, according to Lauren C. Picariello, research manager for Jones Lang LaSalle in Boston.
Average Boston-area rents rose 10.6% to about $28 per square foot in the third quarter from a year earlier, PPR says. The city, which anchors a region that is home to about 4.9 million people, has seen its annual pace of job growth rise to 1% in November from a year earlier, compared with an average annual decline of 0.2% from 2002 to 2006, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and Moody's Economy.com.
"The timing is right," says Joseph F. Fallon, chief executive and president of the Fallon Co., a Boston-based developer that also built the Westin Boston Waterfront Hotel. Fallon is building a spec 500,000-square-foot office building that is part of a larger mixed-use development called Fan Pier on the South Boston waterfront. Over in the financial district, Dallas-based Lincoln Property Co. is building the 12-story 220,000-square-foot Two Financial Center without any preleasing. Lincoln plans to complete it in 2009.
Moreover, a number of neighborhoods are benefiting from the $15 billion Big Dig roadway project that unsnarled many city streets and added a series of parks where an elevated highway once stood.
The Big Dig has helped open South Boston's once-industrial waterfront to development by making it easier to reach and more appealing. The 2003 opening of the I-90 connector tunnel, part of the Big Dig, improved the area's access to both downtown and Logan International Airport. That was followed by the 2004 opening of the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center in the waterfront area.
Such public investments followed pioneering office-building development in the 1990s. Together, they've turned the area into a recognized up-and-coming address, Mr. Fallon says. An estimated two million square feet of space is under construction in the area now. An additional 18 million square feet -- a mix of office, residential, retail and hotel -- is planned in the next 20 years, according to Kairos Shen, director of planning for the Boston Redevelopment Authority.
Indeed, South Boston's waterfront might even one day count the city's biggest boss among its tenants. In about four years, Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino says he would like to see city hall moved from its current 1960s-era landmark building to a waterfront parcel already owned by the city. The move would be part of his push to bring city services to neighborhoods and to ensure a vibrant mix of civic and commercial uses on the emerging waterfront. "I don't just want tall buildings there," says Mr. Menino.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
A Success Story in Roslindale
West Roxbury Transcript
Arboretum plan is approved
By Jessica M. Smith
Roslindale - Following four years of community meetings and negotiations, the Boston Zoning Commission finally heard and approved Harvard University’s proposal for the Arnold Arboretum.
The plan, as presented by Harvard and the Boston Redevelopment Authority last Wednesday, involves a 14.5-acre parcel of the Arboretum called Weld Hill.
With the consent of the vast majority of the community, Harvard announced that it intends to build a 45,000-sqaure-foot horticultural research facility devoted to studying the biology of trees.
In exchange for allowing the building to be constructed, abutters requested that the remainder of the land remain untouched indefinitely. Instead, Harvard agreed to leave the land alone until 2882, the same year its lease on the Arboretum expires. The university’s intent will be recorded as a deed restriction, meaning that limitations will be placed on the land such as building additional structures or parking facilities.
The university appeared before the Zoning Commission because it was seeking to change the area’s zoning, which currently only allows for single-family residential structures. Unlike the community process that many described as contentious, those testifying during the hour-long hearing were all in support of the project.
In the 45,000 square feet proposed, Director Robert Cook said that about half the space will be devoted to research laboratories, growing facilities and office space.
According to Kevin McCluskey, a senior director of community relations for Harvard, the research performed in Roslindale is “very, very important scientific research that’s central to the mission of the Arboretum.”
“To the public, it is unseen and perhaps underappreciated,” said McCluskey.
Some of the research involves figuring out how to save trees in cities where foliage is declining.
The remainder will be for the technology that sustains the building, including a geothermal well system.
With the approval of the commission and the signature of the mayor, ground could be broken as early as this spring.
“I almost don’t know where to begin. I feel very good in supporting this process,” said Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo.
As Roslindale’s representative on the council, Consalvo described the fate of the Arboretum as the number-one issue facing his constituents.
“This is not a case of ‘Not in my backyard.’ [Residents] said build it, but give us the protections we need. I’ve never seen a group work so tirelessly,” said Consalvo, who told the commission that the Institutional Master Plan before them had resolved “99.9 percent of the issues.”
State Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez, who represents the 15th Suffolk District, agreed.
“It’s a product of the will of the community,” said Sanchez.
According to the two politicians present, the desirable proposal would not have been possible without direct input from Mayor Thomas M. Menino, numerous city officials and Roslindale residents who care dearly about their neighborhood.
For Julie O’Brien, a Mendum Street resident who has led community meetings about the Arboretum, the proposal wasn’t ideal, but it was one she would support.
“[The land] should have remained open, but this does preserve, for the most part, the things that the community wanted,” said O’Brien, adding that she still felt a certain ambivalence toward the proposal.
“I just hope the construction process works out as well as both sides anticipate,” said O’Brien, who was joined by Roslindale resident Walter Michalik.
Michalik, who sat on the Arboretum task force, told the commission that the project was one he had come to accept.
Arboretum plan is approved
By Jessica M. Smith
Roslindale - Following four years of community meetings and negotiations, the Boston Zoning Commission finally heard and approved Harvard University’s proposal for the Arnold Arboretum.
The plan, as presented by Harvard and the Boston Redevelopment Authority last Wednesday, involves a 14.5-acre parcel of the Arboretum called Weld Hill.
With the consent of the vast majority of the community, Harvard announced that it intends to build a 45,000-sqaure-foot horticultural research facility devoted to studying the biology of trees.
In exchange for allowing the building to be constructed, abutters requested that the remainder of the land remain untouched indefinitely. Instead, Harvard agreed to leave the land alone until 2882, the same year its lease on the Arboretum expires. The university’s intent will be recorded as a deed restriction, meaning that limitations will be placed on the land such as building additional structures or parking facilities.
The university appeared before the Zoning Commission because it was seeking to change the area’s zoning, which currently only allows for single-family residential structures. Unlike the community process that many described as contentious, those testifying during the hour-long hearing were all in support of the project.
In the 45,000 square feet proposed, Director Robert Cook said that about half the space will be devoted to research laboratories, growing facilities and office space.
According to Kevin McCluskey, a senior director of community relations for Harvard, the research performed in Roslindale is “very, very important scientific research that’s central to the mission of the Arboretum.”
“To the public, it is unseen and perhaps underappreciated,” said McCluskey.
Some of the research involves figuring out how to save trees in cities where foliage is declining.
The remainder will be for the technology that sustains the building, including a geothermal well system.
With the approval of the commission and the signature of the mayor, ground could be broken as early as this spring.
“I almost don’t know where to begin. I feel very good in supporting this process,” said Boston City Councilor Rob Consalvo.
As Roslindale’s representative on the council, Consalvo described the fate of the Arboretum as the number-one issue facing his constituents.
“This is not a case of ‘Not in my backyard.’ [Residents] said build it, but give us the protections we need. I’ve never seen a group work so tirelessly,” said Consalvo, who told the commission that the Institutional Master Plan before them had resolved “99.9 percent of the issues.”
State Rep. Jeffrey Sanchez, who represents the 15th Suffolk District, agreed.
“It’s a product of the will of the community,” said Sanchez.
According to the two politicians present, the desirable proposal would not have been possible without direct input from Mayor Thomas M. Menino, numerous city officials and Roslindale residents who care dearly about their neighborhood.
For Julie O’Brien, a Mendum Street resident who has led community meetings about the Arboretum, the proposal wasn’t ideal, but it was one she would support.
“[The land] should have remained open, but this does preserve, for the most part, the things that the community wanted,” said O’Brien, adding that she still felt a certain ambivalence toward the proposal.
“I just hope the construction process works out as well as both sides anticipate,” said O’Brien, who was joined by Roslindale resident Walter Michalik.
Michalik, who sat on the Arboretum task force, told the commission that the project was one he had come to accept.
Don't Change More Road Either
Boston College neighbors: keep More Road as is
By Richard Cherecwich/Staff Writer
Thu Jan 17, 2008, 02:11 PM EST
Brighton - Neighbors are opposed to Boston College’s plan to reroute St. Thomas More Road to the east, saying it would limit the ability to commute from Brookline.
However, many supported a plan to keep the existing More Road while creating a new offshoot adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery.
“Basically, the current More Road should stay in place to allow people who drive on Beacon Street to go to Washington Street. That’s how my husband commutes,” said Eva Webster.
More Road currently accommodates north- and south-bound traffic from Beacon Street and crosses Commonwealth Avenue onto Lake Street, a one-way road running north to Washington Street. BC’s 10-year institutional master plan proposes moving More Road to the eastern edge of the campus and closing the connection to Lake Street. The realigned road would cross Comm. Ave. into the new main entrance of BC’s Brighton campus.
Planners want the Commonwealth Avenue entrance to be the primary access point for the campus. As it currently exists, access to the campus is only available via a right turn in/right turn out from the outbound side of Commonwealth Avenue. The new plan would also feature a break in the center median on Commonwealth Avenue, allowing cars to cross the MBTA Green Line tracks.
The notification form filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority said the school will examine alternatives to this plan, including only opening the median to cross the train tracks or keeping the existing More Road open. At a Task Force meeting on Wednesday night, the community supported the alternatives.
Resident Charlie Vasiliades said he had no problem with the other options, but didn’t want to close the existing More Road segment.
“I’m dead set against it,” he said.
Planners from VHB Inc., the transportation consultants for BC’s master plan, said extensive traffic studies will look at all the options, and more information will come after the BRA request more information in its scoping determination.
“At this point in time, we’re not saying we have it all worked out and we have all the answers. We don’t,” said David Black, senior project manager for VHB.
Moving the BC MBTA station
The 10-year plan also includes the MBTA’s proposed plan to move the Boston College station from its current location north of Commonwealth Avenue to a platform in the center of the road as part of the T’s overall initiative to make stations more handicapped accessible. The existing station cannot be updated, according to BC.
To create the center platform, BC will contribute 11 feet of land on both sides of Commonwealth Avenue to maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction and existing parking. The college has also committed to paying some of the cost. Passengers would exit and enter the train on the same platform, and the trolleys would use a switch to change directions from inbound to outbound.
One former T official said the idea would never fly.
“The crossing trains back and forth wouldn’t work at all,” said Bill Donovan, a former operations coordinator for construction for the MBTA and a Rogers Park Avenue resident. “The BC line is now the slowest in the system. I just can’t see it happening.”
MBTA officials have not appeared before the community to discuss the plans.
“I don’t think any of this has been thought out, and I wouldn’t even talk about MBTA stations there until the MBTA comes with a plan,” Donovan said.
By Richard Cherecwich/Staff Writer
Thu Jan 17, 2008, 02:11 PM EST
Brighton - Neighbors are opposed to Boston College’s plan to reroute St. Thomas More Road to the east, saying it would limit the ability to commute from Brookline.
However, many supported a plan to keep the existing More Road while creating a new offshoot adjacent to Evergreen Cemetery.
“Basically, the current More Road should stay in place to allow people who drive on Beacon Street to go to Washington Street. That’s how my husband commutes,” said Eva Webster.
More Road currently accommodates north- and south-bound traffic from Beacon Street and crosses Commonwealth Avenue onto Lake Street, a one-way road running north to Washington Street. BC’s 10-year institutional master plan proposes moving More Road to the eastern edge of the campus and closing the connection to Lake Street. The realigned road would cross Comm. Ave. into the new main entrance of BC’s Brighton campus.
Planners want the Commonwealth Avenue entrance to be the primary access point for the campus. As it currently exists, access to the campus is only available via a right turn in/right turn out from the outbound side of Commonwealth Avenue. The new plan would also feature a break in the center median on Commonwealth Avenue, allowing cars to cross the MBTA Green Line tracks.
The notification form filed with the Boston Redevelopment Authority said the school will examine alternatives to this plan, including only opening the median to cross the train tracks or keeping the existing More Road open. At a Task Force meeting on Wednesday night, the community supported the alternatives.
Resident Charlie Vasiliades said he had no problem with the other options, but didn’t want to close the existing More Road segment.
“I’m dead set against it,” he said.
Planners from VHB Inc., the transportation consultants for BC’s master plan, said extensive traffic studies will look at all the options, and more information will come after the BRA request more information in its scoping determination.
“At this point in time, we’re not saying we have it all worked out and we have all the answers. We don’t,” said David Black, senior project manager for VHB.
Moving the BC MBTA station
The 10-year plan also includes the MBTA’s proposed plan to move the Boston College station from its current location north of Commonwealth Avenue to a platform in the center of the road as part of the T’s overall initiative to make stations more handicapped accessible. The existing station cannot be updated, according to BC.
To create the center platform, BC will contribute 11 feet of land on both sides of Commonwealth Avenue to maintain two lanes of traffic in each direction and existing parking. The college has also committed to paying some of the cost. Passengers would exit and enter the train on the same platform, and the trolleys would use a switch to change directions from inbound to outbound.
One former T official said the idea would never fly.
“The crossing trains back and forth wouldn’t work at all,” said Bill Donovan, a former operations coordinator for construction for the MBTA and a Rogers Park Avenue resident. “The BC line is now the slowest in the system. I just can’t see it happening.”
MBTA officials have not appeared before the community to discuss the plans.
“I don’t think any of this has been thought out, and I wouldn’t even talk about MBTA stations there until the MBTA comes with a plan,” Donovan said.
20 Somerset Street Building
Back Bay Sun
January 16, 2008
Suffolk files IMPNF; responds to BHCA concerns with offer by Dan Salerno
Suffolk University filed its institutional master plan notification form with the city on Friday, despite the objections voiced by the Beacon Hill Civic Association over a lack of detailed information about plans for the 20 Somerset Street building. The filing, however, came with a pledge from university Vice President John Nucci to discuss a non-expansion zone in Beacon Hill.
“While any potential impacts [from 20 Somerset] have been addressed with the Task Force over the last several months, we agree that with the approval of 20 Somerset Street, discussion and negotiation of a non expansion zone is appropriate for the Upper Beacon Hill area,” said Nucci.
“Specific details and boundaries should be the product of review by stakeholders with the aim of reaching a mutually beneficial agreement.” A non-expansion zone could be an important carrot to offer to the neighborhood in light of recent resistance voiced by community groups to Suffolk’s plans. Members of the BHCA objected to the inclusion of the 20 Somerset Street project in the IMPNF because of a lack of details about the potential impact on the neighborhood.
Suffolk plans to use address to house its New England School of Art and Design, currently located on Arlington Street in the Back Bay. “There has been very limited discussion on the impact of a new school at 20 Somerset Street on the neighborhood, and the BHCA position is that the description of the potential impact [in the IMPNF] is inadequate,” said Rob Whitney, the BHCA liaison to the Suffolk Task Force, at a meeting in December. “The neighborhood is already saturated with academic uses.”
Nucci stressed that although the project is included in the IMPNF filed on Friday, a separate project plan has not been submitted, and the IMPNF includes only the intended use for the sight, not details of the project, which will be decided in concert with the community. Nucci said that he has expanded the public comment period for an additional 30 days, and that he welcomes the opportunity to work with the community. “We want to be sure that people fully understand that this is a very benign use with limited impacts and we want to be sure they have an opportunity to comment on it,” said Nucci.
In a written statement to the press, Suffolk outlined a number of design principles for the project meant to reduce the potential impact on the community. The principles include a pledge that the height of the new building will not exceed the height of the current structure, that the building use will be solely academic and will not contain any residential, athletic, or student center facilities, and that there will be no increase in shadow impacts on the Garden of Peace, 10 Bowdoin Street or Beacon Hill.
January 16, 2008
Suffolk files IMPNF; responds to BHCA concerns with offer by Dan Salerno
Suffolk University filed its institutional master plan notification form with the city on Friday, despite the objections voiced by the Beacon Hill Civic Association over a lack of detailed information about plans for the 20 Somerset Street building. The filing, however, came with a pledge from university Vice President John Nucci to discuss a non-expansion zone in Beacon Hill.
“While any potential impacts [from 20 Somerset] have been addressed with the Task Force over the last several months, we agree that with the approval of 20 Somerset Street, discussion and negotiation of a non expansion zone is appropriate for the Upper Beacon Hill area,” said Nucci.
“Specific details and boundaries should be the product of review by stakeholders with the aim of reaching a mutually beneficial agreement.” A non-expansion zone could be an important carrot to offer to the neighborhood in light of recent resistance voiced by community groups to Suffolk’s plans. Members of the BHCA objected to the inclusion of the 20 Somerset Street project in the IMPNF because of a lack of details about the potential impact on the neighborhood.
Suffolk plans to use address to house its New England School of Art and Design, currently located on Arlington Street in the Back Bay. “There has been very limited discussion on the impact of a new school at 20 Somerset Street on the neighborhood, and the BHCA position is that the description of the potential impact [in the IMPNF] is inadequate,” said Rob Whitney, the BHCA liaison to the Suffolk Task Force, at a meeting in December. “The neighborhood is already saturated with academic uses.”
Nucci stressed that although the project is included in the IMPNF filed on Friday, a separate project plan has not been submitted, and the IMPNF includes only the intended use for the sight, not details of the project, which will be decided in concert with the community. Nucci said that he has expanded the public comment period for an additional 30 days, and that he welcomes the opportunity to work with the community. “We want to be sure that people fully understand that this is a very benign use with limited impacts and we want to be sure they have an opportunity to comment on it,” said Nucci.
In a written statement to the press, Suffolk outlined a number of design principles for the project meant to reduce the potential impact on the community. The principles include a pledge that the height of the new building will not exceed the height of the current structure, that the building use will be solely academic and will not contain any residential, athletic, or student center facilities, and that there will be no increase in shadow impacts on the Garden of Peace, 10 Bowdoin Street or Beacon Hill.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
"She Opposes Everything"
State Representative Opposes Claims She Opposes Everything
By Thomas GrilloReporter
State Rep. Martha M. Walz is in her second term representing Boston’s Back Bay, West End, Beacon Hill and Cambridgeport neighborhoods.
Attend any community meeting in Boston’s downtown neighborhoods and you’ll find state Rep. Martha M. Walz somewhere in the room. In her second term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Walz is the neighborhood’s voice when it comes to development. She has questioned the height of 888 Boylston St., Boston Properties’ office building proposal; fought Suffolk University’s plan to turn a vacant Beacon Hill building into student housing; and spoken out against public financing for the Columbus Center project in Boston.
While she gets high praise from neighborhood activists, members of Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s administration privately say that she’s against everything. Walz represents Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the West End and Cambridgeport. She also works as an attorney at Littler Mendelson, where she advises clients on employee law.
Walz graduated from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, New York University School of Law and Colgate University.
Q: Some at City Hall say that you oppose any development in Boston. Can you name any projects that you favored at the height the developer’s requested?
A: I did not oppose the height of the Beal Co. project at 131 Clarendon St. [The 9-story building with 350 housing units is under construction.] It all comes down to whether or not a developer has a plan that makes sense for the site and the community. If they do, then height is not a problem. But if the proposal is too tall, I’ll work to get it reduced. It’s disingenuous for anyone to suggest I oppose everything.
Q: You are among the loudest voices in opposition to Columbus Center [the $800 million project that would be built on a deck over the Massachusetts Turnpike in the South End. It would feature a 35-story glass tower and four 11-story buildings that will house 451 condominiums, a hotel and 917 parking spaces.]
A: That’s not true. My comments in the last few years about Columbus Center have related exclusively to the question of public financing. Once the Boston Redevelopment Authority approved the project, I haven’t said a word in opposition to the project itself. I object to the taxpayers subsidizing the profits of a developer.
Q: But why wouldn’t a developer take advantage of public financing?
A: Because the developer [Roger Cassin] got increased height and density in exchange for a promise not to accept public subsidies. [Cassin denies a promise was made.]
Q: But it still doesn’t sound like you supported the 1.3 million-square-foot proposal. You were a member of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay and they opposed it, correct?
A: Yes. NABB opposed it. I did not support approval because I thought more changes should have been made. The design could have been improved and the height on parcel 16 should have been further reduced, and there’s too much on-site parking. I want something built there; the question is what kind of development. I have asked the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to move forward with a Request for Proposals for the air rights parcel at Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street. I also support John Rosenthal’s air rights project in Kenmore Square.
Q: You opposed Suffolk University dorms for 20 Somerset St. on Beacon Hill.
A: I opposed the dorm. But I was not against the school putting an academic building there. It suits developers and those who work with them to paint people in the community as always opposing things, when the facts prove that assertion to be wrong.
Q: You are against Boston Properties’ effort to increase the height of their proposed building at 888 Boylston St. from 11 to 19 stories. A: I favor the approved building at 11 stories.
Q: What about the AvalonBay Communities’ plan for a 30-story residential tower on Exeter Street?
A: I don’t have a point of view on that one. It’s easy for people to paint elected officials and community activists as opponents of everything. But the facts are quite different than the stereotypes that they try to create to suit their own agendas.
Q: The Prudential Center has tall buildings. This is a city. If skyscrapers can’t be built there, then where?
A: There are plenty of locations that are appropriate for tall buildings. No one is arguing that we shouldn’t have height. I have not objected to anything downtown. That’s where they belong.
By Thomas GrilloReporter
State Rep. Martha M. Walz is in her second term representing Boston’s Back Bay, West End, Beacon Hill and Cambridgeport neighborhoods.
Attend any community meeting in Boston’s downtown neighborhoods and you’ll find state Rep. Martha M. Walz somewhere in the room. In her second term in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, Walz is the neighborhood’s voice when it comes to development. She has questioned the height of 888 Boylston St., Boston Properties’ office building proposal; fought Suffolk University’s plan to turn a vacant Beacon Hill building into student housing; and spoken out against public financing for the Columbus Center project in Boston.
While she gets high praise from neighborhood activists, members of Mayor Thomas M. Menino’s administration privately say that she’s against everything. Walz represents Back Bay, Beacon Hill, the West End and Cambridgeport. She also works as an attorney at Littler Mendelson, where she advises clients on employee law.
Walz graduated from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, New York University School of Law and Colgate University.
Q: Some at City Hall say that you oppose any development in Boston. Can you name any projects that you favored at the height the developer’s requested?
A: I did not oppose the height of the Beal Co. project at 131 Clarendon St. [The 9-story building with 350 housing units is under construction.] It all comes down to whether or not a developer has a plan that makes sense for the site and the community. If they do, then height is not a problem. But if the proposal is too tall, I’ll work to get it reduced. It’s disingenuous for anyone to suggest I oppose everything.
Q: You are among the loudest voices in opposition to Columbus Center [the $800 million project that would be built on a deck over the Massachusetts Turnpike in the South End. It would feature a 35-story glass tower and four 11-story buildings that will house 451 condominiums, a hotel and 917 parking spaces.]
A: That’s not true. My comments in the last few years about Columbus Center have related exclusively to the question of public financing. Once the Boston Redevelopment Authority approved the project, I haven’t said a word in opposition to the project itself. I object to the taxpayers subsidizing the profits of a developer.
Q: But why wouldn’t a developer take advantage of public financing?
A: Because the developer [Roger Cassin] got increased height and density in exchange for a promise not to accept public subsidies. [Cassin denies a promise was made.]
Q: But it still doesn’t sound like you supported the 1.3 million-square-foot proposal. You were a member of the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay and they opposed it, correct?
A: Yes. NABB opposed it. I did not support approval because I thought more changes should have been made. The design could have been improved and the height on parcel 16 should have been further reduced, and there’s too much on-site parking. I want something built there; the question is what kind of development. I have asked the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority to move forward with a Request for Proposals for the air rights parcel at Massachusetts Avenue and Boylston Street. I also support John Rosenthal’s air rights project in Kenmore Square.
Q: You opposed Suffolk University dorms for 20 Somerset St. on Beacon Hill.
A: I opposed the dorm. But I was not against the school putting an academic building there. It suits developers and those who work with them to paint people in the community as always opposing things, when the facts prove that assertion to be wrong.
Q: You are against Boston Properties’ effort to increase the height of their proposed building at 888 Boylston St. from 11 to 19 stories. A: I favor the approved building at 11 stories.
Q: What about the AvalonBay Communities’ plan for a 30-story residential tower on Exeter Street?
A: I don’t have a point of view on that one. It’s easy for people to paint elected officials and community activists as opponents of everything. But the facts are quite different than the stereotypes that they try to create to suit their own agendas.
Q: The Prudential Center has tall buildings. This is a city. If skyscrapers can’t be built there, then where?
A: There are plenty of locations that are appropriate for tall buildings. No one is arguing that we shouldn’t have height. I have not objected to anything downtown. That’s where they belong.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Even 9 p.m. is Too Late for Roslindale!
Roslindale Transcript
Open for dinner or only for lunch?
By David Ertischek
Wed Jan 09, 2008, 11:53 AM EST
Roslindale -
Roslindale - What was once known as Roslindale’s Old Muffin House is now involved in a dispute with neighbors about what time the current restaurant would be open.
The owners of the La Lechonera Café want to be open until 9 p.m., and some residents want the little corner restaurant to close at 2 p.m.
Ted Vega and Efrain Ortiz bought the little eatery on the corner of Cummins and American Legion highways in May 2006 and opened one day after Thanksgiving in 2007.
Vega proudly spoke about repairing the restaurant, which he said was rundown with broken windows and falling apart because the building had been vacant for several years.
But while no one seems to be against the café being open, many residents, including the Canterbury Manning Neighborhood Association, are against the café being open until 9 p.m. and would like to see it close at 2 p.m., similar to what the Muffin House used to do.
“First of all, it poses a parking issue,” said Paula Butler, who lives three doors down from the eatery on Cummins Highway. “They’re parking in front of my house … The man deserves to make a living, but first the hours are way too long for our neighborhood situation.”
A snowstorm stopped the café’s owners from being able to meet with the neighborhood association late last month. The owners and association had met previous to the scheduled meeting, in which the association recommended the restaurant be closed at 2 p.m.
Butler said that she feels as though the café did things behind the neighbors’ backs by opening for dinner without a proper license.
But Dan Pokaski, chairman of the licensing board for Boston, said that is a common mistake among restaurant owners. The café currently has a license to operate from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“It happens from time to time. People forget to get common victualler’s licenses. They get the ISD, the fire and the health permit and forget they need a permit to sell food. We don’t want to put them out of business; we want to make sure they comply with the law.”
But the Canterbury association urged the owners to be open only until 2 p.m., which their license was granted for. For a while, the eatery was open until 9 p.m., and they advertise that they are open for dinner. But as of this past Monday, there was a sign on entrance that said they would be closing at 2 p.m.
“Mainly our problem is the same problem we’ve been having since 2006,” said Vega. “It’s that the neighborhood association is not being reasonable with us.”
The main issue is the available parking at the site, which Vega said is more than ample. The restaurant seats 18 people with six tables, and there are 13 parking spots that Vega said is deeded to the restaurant. Some residents contend that the parking is not deeded to the restaurant, but Vega has provided paperwork to the state proving that they do own the lot.
Vega is waiting for springtime so he can draw in better parking lines so the parking lot is more defined. Pokaski himself said he would be going to the location to see the parking situation.
Pokaski said he expects the licensing board to rule today (Thursday, Jan. 10), after the Transcript goes to print, on whether the restaurant may be open until 9 p.m.
But Vega said that most neighbors have received him well. He said that as soon as he put up his signage, residents came over to welcome him to the neighborhood and, of course, get some food.
“This neighborhood is not against us. People came right away. Whites, blacks, Spanish, everybody,” said Vega.
He added that most of his customers come after 6 p.m. for traditional Spanish dinners or Cuban sub sandwiches.
To prove that he has the support of the neighborhood, Vega and Ortiz have been circulating a petition to be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
Vega said he thought there were some ulterior motives for neighbors being against the eatery.
“It’s creating a lot of friction right now, especially for the Spanish community. Why us? Our interpretation is that it is racism,” he said.
Vega added other points that make him a good neighbor such as the fact that while even it is a liability against him, he allows parents to park their cars in his lot while they wait for the children to be dropped off by school buses. He also patrols the property twice a day picking up every bit of trash he can find.
City Councilor Rob Consalvo said that he would “wait to hear what residents have to say.”
He added that if the restaurant were to take off, there could be a major traffic problem considering the site is already a busy road.
“These are issues that have to be addressed and make the community feel at ease. Everyone has their day in court,” said Consalvo.
Open for dinner or only for lunch?
By David Ertischek
Wed Jan 09, 2008, 11:53 AM EST
Roslindale -
Roslindale - What was once known as Roslindale’s Old Muffin House is now involved in a dispute with neighbors about what time the current restaurant would be open.
The owners of the La Lechonera Café want to be open until 9 p.m., and some residents want the little corner restaurant to close at 2 p.m.
Ted Vega and Efrain Ortiz bought the little eatery on the corner of Cummins and American Legion highways in May 2006 and opened one day after Thanksgiving in 2007.
Vega proudly spoke about repairing the restaurant, which he said was rundown with broken windows and falling apart because the building had been vacant for several years.
But while no one seems to be against the café being open, many residents, including the Canterbury Manning Neighborhood Association, are against the café being open until 9 p.m. and would like to see it close at 2 p.m., similar to what the Muffin House used to do.
“First of all, it poses a parking issue,” said Paula Butler, who lives three doors down from the eatery on Cummins Highway. “They’re parking in front of my house … The man deserves to make a living, but first the hours are way too long for our neighborhood situation.”
A snowstorm stopped the café’s owners from being able to meet with the neighborhood association late last month. The owners and association had met previous to the scheduled meeting, in which the association recommended the restaurant be closed at 2 p.m.
Butler said that she feels as though the café did things behind the neighbors’ backs by opening for dinner without a proper license.
But Dan Pokaski, chairman of the licensing board for Boston, said that is a common mistake among restaurant owners. The café currently has a license to operate from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m.
“It happens from time to time. People forget to get common victualler’s licenses. They get the ISD, the fire and the health permit and forget they need a permit to sell food. We don’t want to put them out of business; we want to make sure they comply with the law.”
But the Canterbury association urged the owners to be open only until 2 p.m., which their license was granted for. For a while, the eatery was open until 9 p.m., and they advertise that they are open for dinner. But as of this past Monday, there was a sign on entrance that said they would be closing at 2 p.m.
“Mainly our problem is the same problem we’ve been having since 2006,” said Vega. “It’s that the neighborhood association is not being reasonable with us.”
The main issue is the available parking at the site, which Vega said is more than ample. The restaurant seats 18 people with six tables, and there are 13 parking spots that Vega said is deeded to the restaurant. Some residents contend that the parking is not deeded to the restaurant, but Vega has provided paperwork to the state proving that they do own the lot.
Vega is waiting for springtime so he can draw in better parking lines so the parking lot is more defined. Pokaski himself said he would be going to the location to see the parking situation.
Pokaski said he expects the licensing board to rule today (Thursday, Jan. 10), after the Transcript goes to print, on whether the restaurant may be open until 9 p.m.
But Vega said that most neighbors have received him well. He said that as soon as he put up his signage, residents came over to welcome him to the neighborhood and, of course, get some food.
“This neighborhood is not against us. People came right away. Whites, blacks, Spanish, everybody,” said Vega.
He added that most of his customers come after 6 p.m. for traditional Spanish dinners or Cuban sub sandwiches.
To prove that he has the support of the neighborhood, Vega and Ortiz have been circulating a petition to be open from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m., seven days a week.
Vega said he thought there were some ulterior motives for neighbors being against the eatery.
“It’s creating a lot of friction right now, especially for the Spanish community. Why us? Our interpretation is that it is racism,” he said.
Vega added other points that make him a good neighbor such as the fact that while even it is a liability against him, he allows parents to park their cars in his lot while they wait for the children to be dropped off by school buses. He also patrols the property twice a day picking up every bit of trash he can find.
City Councilor Rob Consalvo said that he would “wait to hear what residents have to say.”
He added that if the restaurant were to take off, there could be a major traffic problem considering the site is already a busy road.
“These are issues that have to be addressed and make the community feel at ease. Everyone has their day in court,” said Consalvo.
Wants Harvard to "Dazzle" Community
Allston Brighton Tab
Neighbors ‘completely dissatisfied’ with Harvard benefits plan
By Richard Cherecwich, Staff Writer
Thu Jan 10, 2008, 11:31 AM EST
Allston, Mass. - The Harvard-Allston Task Force is “completely dissatisfied” with the $21 million community benefits package proposed by Harvard, and will meet separately with both the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the university to discuss possible last-minute changes.
The package is part of a cooperation agreement that must be signed by both the city and Harvard before the school begins work on a $1 billion science complex on Western Avenue. The agreement will be signed in the next two weeks, BRA officials said.
The task force met in an executive session on Monday, Jan. 7, to discuss the package.
“Until Monday night, we didn’t know we were completely dissatisfied with this because we hadn’t talked about it,” Chairman Ray Mellone said at a task force meeting on Wednesday.
The meetings with the BRA and school are tentatively scheduled for the week of Jan. 14. Although they will be executive sessions with discussion between the task force, they will be open to the public, Mellone said.
Mellone acknowledged that the agreement would likely be signed whether or not the task force agrees on the benefits package, but both the BRA and Harvard agreed to meet to discuss possible changes.
“Let’s see if we can do anything to improve the way the package is put together,” Mellone said. “I don’t know if that’s going to be futile or not.”
The package includes $9.3 million for construction of new parks and improvements to sidewalks and streets in Allston, and $4.2 million for education projects, including an education portal offering math and science tutoring to Allston-Brighton children.
“This list that you have does represent what we believe to be a full program of benefits and we plan to move forward with Harvard. We have not moved forward yet,” said Michael Glavin, the BRA’s deputy director for institutional development.
Allston residents have sought larger-scale benefits from the project, including a university-sponsored community school. The BRA supports projects such as this, but they can’t be agreed to within the timeline for the science project, said BRA planner Gerald Autler.
The $21 million is only related to the 589,000-square-foot science complex, and more benefits will come as the school continues to expand into Allston in the next 50 years.
As the task force and community begin discussions for benefits associated with that long-term plan, Mellone wanted to make sure what he felt were past mistakes were not repeated. Other task force members agreed they were disappointed.
“I think what we wanted was to be able to dazzle our community,” said task force member Millie McGlaughlin. “Now we’re at a point where people don’t feel they did a good enough job for the community, and that’s difficult to hear, as a member of the community.”
Harvard officials said a benefits matrix drafted by the community influenced the package, and they want to build a partnership to continue into the future.
“We did not create and get to this place in the benefits agreement by calculating dollars associated with a building and an investment,” said Kathy Spiegelman, chief planner for Harvard’s Allston Development Group. “The expectation of 10 years past and 10 years forward is the university will continue to make investments in what the task force and community think are community benefits.”
Neighbors ‘completely dissatisfied’ with Harvard benefits plan
By Richard Cherecwich, Staff Writer
Thu Jan 10, 2008, 11:31 AM EST
Allston, Mass. - The Harvard-Allston Task Force is “completely dissatisfied” with the $21 million community benefits package proposed by Harvard, and will meet separately with both the Boston Redevelopment Authority and the university to discuss possible last-minute changes.
The package is part of a cooperation agreement that must be signed by both the city and Harvard before the school begins work on a $1 billion science complex on Western Avenue. The agreement will be signed in the next two weeks, BRA officials said.
The task force met in an executive session on Monday, Jan. 7, to discuss the package.
“Until Monday night, we didn’t know we were completely dissatisfied with this because we hadn’t talked about it,” Chairman Ray Mellone said at a task force meeting on Wednesday.
The meetings with the BRA and school are tentatively scheduled for the week of Jan. 14. Although they will be executive sessions with discussion between the task force, they will be open to the public, Mellone said.
Mellone acknowledged that the agreement would likely be signed whether or not the task force agrees on the benefits package, but both the BRA and Harvard agreed to meet to discuss possible changes.
“Let’s see if we can do anything to improve the way the package is put together,” Mellone said. “I don’t know if that’s going to be futile or not.”
The package includes $9.3 million for construction of new parks and improvements to sidewalks and streets in Allston, and $4.2 million for education projects, including an education portal offering math and science tutoring to Allston-Brighton children.
“This list that you have does represent what we believe to be a full program of benefits and we plan to move forward with Harvard. We have not moved forward yet,” said Michael Glavin, the BRA’s deputy director for institutional development.
Allston residents have sought larger-scale benefits from the project, including a university-sponsored community school. The BRA supports projects such as this, but they can’t be agreed to within the timeline for the science project, said BRA planner Gerald Autler.
The $21 million is only related to the 589,000-square-foot science complex, and more benefits will come as the school continues to expand into Allston in the next 50 years.
As the task force and community begin discussions for benefits associated with that long-term plan, Mellone wanted to make sure what he felt were past mistakes were not repeated. Other task force members agreed they were disappointed.
“I think what we wanted was to be able to dazzle our community,” said task force member Millie McGlaughlin. “Now we’re at a point where people don’t feel they did a good enough job for the community, and that’s difficult to hear, as a member of the community.”
Harvard officials said a benefits matrix drafted by the community influenced the package, and they want to build a partnership to continue into the future.
“We did not create and get to this place in the benefits agreement by calculating dollars associated with a building and an investment,” said Kathy Spiegelman, chief planner for Harvard’s Allston Development Group. “The expectation of 10 years past and 10 years forward is the university will continue to make investments in what the task force and community think are community benefits.”
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