MaxPak

[el-cubano-15.livejournal.com]

It's nice to see that eyesore finally gone. My understanding is that the complex that is supposed to be built there is quite nice, but I can't imagine that it's ever going to be completed. I've heard they're going to be between 75 - 199 condos / townhouses, but with the housing market being what it is these days and for the foreseeable future the likelihood that the project gets going is small. I would love to see a new park go up in that spot. What this city needs is more green space.

Comments

[ron_newman]

The development will include a park in the middle of the property. It makes sense to develop property next to a future Green Line station, but I'd prefer to see some commercial mixed in with the residential.

[fefie.livejournal.com]

I'd have preferred mixed use too, but the neighborhood did not want that. I'm glad the plans include be a (privately funded) public park there as the development will be alongside the Community Path extension and next to the eventual Lowell St. T stop.

[el-cubano-15.livejournal.com]

Do you expect construction to start this year?

[ron_newman]

No.

[pjmorgan.livejournal.com]

Let's hope no units are completed and go on the market until *after* the green line stop is in place. That way we'll get people moving in without cars (and the units will sell easier).

It'd be awesome if the Kennedys would get generous and just decide to build a huge park instead, but that's just a total fantasy.

[squirrelitude]

One LJ'ers "eyesore" is another LJ'ers "urban decay playground and photography studio".

[fefie.livejournal.com]

Yeah, it was indeed a fantastic "urban decay playground" for photographing!

[rethcir.livejournal.com]

I'm all for a certain amount of density in development, but given the amount of times you see these big developers go upside down on these things (See: NorthPoint, or the DTX Hole), resulting in a half-finished shell of concrete and drywall, maybe more opportunities should be given to the construction of "regular" housing by private individuals? How many three-deckers could they have put up in this space?

[ron_newman]

That would require the current owner to sell the property off piecemeal in small lots. That might be a good plan but I don't know how the city could compel it. Also, full development of the property depends on building a new street or driveway up to the Lowell Street bridge, which probably is not an expense that can be easily shared among many small property owners.

[i-leonardo.livejournal.com]

the site is an industrial brown-field: development will also have to pay for remediation. if it was chopped up into postage stamps for 3-deckers, the cost-per-house of remediation would be prohibitive.