MaxPak site - urban exploration and public hearing

[ron_newman]

The "MaxPak site" is a set of abandoned industrial buildings just beyond the end of the Community Path, in a triangle bounded by Clyde and Warwick Streets, an abandoned freight railroad, and the very active Lowell Line commuter rail tracks.

A couple weeks ago, a Tufts student named xsemperfidelis wandered over there with a friend and took lots and lots and lots of great night photos. She was inspired by an earlier urban explorer calling himself "vanshnookenraggen", who posted two daytime photo essays of the same site: One Two

KSS Realty Partners now own this site, and plan to tear down all the old factory buildings and replace them with 199 condominiums. This requires a zoning change, so there will be a public hearing tomorrow (Thursday, March 1) at 6 pm at City Hall.

As a member of the Somerville Bicycle Committee, I plan to raise a number of concerns, chiefly about KSS's plan to use the abandoned right-of-way as a temporary construction road for trucks, without first removing the railroad tracks and ties. I am concerned that this benefits only the developer and not the city, and could delay construction of the Community Path extension.

Comments

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

with all the Boston-area condo inventory sitting on the market not moving, they want to build *more*? what are they, meshugah? Community considerations notwithstanding, it just sounds like a dumb idea from a business perspective.

[pierceheart.livejournal.com]

well, if they catch a clue and start dropping prices, especially in our area, I'll take it . . . sick of renting.

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

sick of renting.

yeah, tell me about it. :-(

Unfortunately it'll take quite a price drop before I can afford anything around here I'd want to live in. (For values of "around here" that include "inside I-495, where I don't have to sweep the spent shell casings and crack vials off my front doorstep every morning.")

[ron_newman]

Some day, a Green Line station will be next to this site, or at least very near it. So it does make sense to have high density here.