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

[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.