Meeting THIS wednesday

I can't emphasize enough the need for everyone to attend the BRA meeting THIS WEDNESDAY,
8/21, concerning the construction project at Washington/E Berkeley/Shawmut.   As you can see by the rendering to the right, this initial proposal is a massive building, and most folks will this this is a bit out of scale for the neighborhood.    (the 'small' brown building on the left is the Project Place building (Meyers & Chang) at the corner of Washington & East Berkeley)

Please come out and give the city your opinion - and bring your friends and neighbors.   If attendance at the meeting is thin, the city will think we don't care!!

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Please be advised that an Expanded Project Notification Form regarding 80 East Berkeley Street in the South End was received by the BRA on August 8, 2013.  The Druker Company, Ltd. (the “Proponent”) proposes an eleven-story building with approximately 290,000 square feet of office space on ten floors and approximately 18,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and/or restaurant space, as well as an underground parking garage containing a total of approximately 200 public and accessory parking spaces. The Proposed Project also includes an accessway connecting Washington Street and Shawmut Avenue.

A public meeting will be held on this proposal.  Details below:

Meeting date/time: Wednesday, August 21, 2013 at 6:00PM

Meeting location: The Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street

Shawmut/E Berkeley Construction Meeting

The BRA has announced a public meeting for the proposed construction at Washington/E Berkeley/Shawmut.  This parcel is the parking lot at Shawmut/E Berkeley and the adjoining auto shop lot at E Berkeley/Washington.  As part of the of the BRA re-zoning of the Harrison/Albany area, this area is zoned to be a maximum height of 150 feet.

This is a bit project that will have a huge impact on our neighborhood.   The official notice is below.  Once designs and a comment address are available, I'll post them in another blog entry.

I hope everyone can attend!!!

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Please be advised that an Expanded Project Notification Form regarding 80 East Berkeley Street in the South End was received by the BRA on August 8, 2013.  The Druker Company, Ltd. (the “Proponent”) proposes an eleven-story building with approximately 290,000 square feet of office space on ten floors and approximately 18,000 square feet of ground-floor retail and/or restaurant space, as well as an underground parking garage containing a total of approximately 200 public and accessory parking spaces. The Proposed Project also includes an accessway connecting Washington Street and Shawmut Avenue.

A public meeting will be held on this proposal.  Details below:

Meeting date/time: Wednesday, August 21, 2013 at 6:00PM

Meeting location: The Stanford Calderwood Pavilion at the Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street

Best,

Casey Ann Hines

Project Manager

Boston Redevelopment Authority

One City Hall Square

Boston, MA 02201

617-918-4244

Casey.Hines.BRA@cityofboston.gov

Old Dutch demolition

South End Patch reports demolition of the Old Dutch Candy building has begin.   (Corner of Tremont and Dwight).   Patch managed to get into Atelier and have some nice overhead photos you can see in this article.

The removal makes way for a new 6 story condo building, construction of which should begin as soon as demolition is completed.

Chevron approved

The ZBA (Zoning Board of Appeals) has approved construction of the new building at 514 Tremont.   This is the 6 story building that will replace the Dutch Candy building at the corner of Tremont and Dwight.

Details can be found in this Boston.com article

Taylor street construction hearings

We have two neighborhood construction projects in the works, both of which abut Taylor/Watson park.  Both of these projects have hearings before the Landmarks District Commission on this Tuesday (Nov 1).  While both projects are currently scheduled for our December meeting, some abutting neighbors might be interested in attending these public hearings.

Both of these are Advisory Review hearings.  This means Landmarks is not taking any kind of vote or issuing any approvals.  Construction projects ask for an advisory hearing to basically take their early designs before landmarks to say "This is what I'm planning on doing - what's your opinion".    This allows projects to get Landmarks feedback before they spend time and money on detailed plans.  Landmarks then gives their feedback on the project's current direction, allowing the project to make any modifications to the project before the official Landmarks hearing.

Since this is an advisory hearing, there is no neighborhood association feedback as of yet, but this is an opportunity for residents to see a project in it's early phase.   I don't know what kind of (if any) feedback form residents is allowed during an advisory review.

Unfortunately, although a stone's throw from each other, the two hearings are scheduled 3 hours apart...  The hearings take place at City Hall, room 801.  After 5:30, enter city hall via theCongress street entrance.

5:30-6:00 - Advisory review of 8 Taylor street - "proposal to add onto the wood-clad townhouse at 8 Taylor st, which includes an addition onto the adjacent vacant lot at 10 Taylor st."   (10 Taylor is currently used as a driveway for 8 Taylor, and is enclosed by a stockade fence).  The hearing should cover both height and materials of the proposed addition.

9:00 - Advisory review of 251 Shawmut ave (Abandoned building at corner of Shawmut and Milford).   This hearing is for the external building changes.  This hearing will discuss extending the large plat windows on the first floor around to the Milford side, adding oriels, and recladding the external wall the faces the park.  The hearing will not address their request to change zoning of the 1st floor from Commercial to Residential.  ESNA should be taking that issue up at our December meeting.


Again, both these items are currently on our December agenda.   Another blog/email will go out before that meeting to give you extensive project detail for both projects, as each one will be coming to the NA to ask for our support for their projects.   These Advisory Review hearings are for direct abuters and interested parties to get  more information.  If you can't make the hearings, you'll still get all the project information and get a chance to vote on the proposals at our December meeting.