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Trends and thoughts on the world of new urbanism from Greater Boston and the across the World.
 This past Saturday marked the Beyond Walls Block party in Lynn, an event that came at the end of a week filled with 20 artists from area locals to Montreal, Australia, and beyond painting masterpieces on the neglected sides of buildings across the Central Square area of the city. During the week, residents and visitors alike toured the downtown to watch these artists from around the world create their masterpieces. I spent Friday afternoon walking around downtown Lynn in awe of not only the artwork, but the energy and excitement this event brought that was painted not only on the walls but on every onlookers face as they watched the magic happen. “This is just amazing” was the awed reaction a gentleman had as we stood together watching Victor “Marka” Quinonez paint his 6-year old daughter on the side of a 50-foot high canvas. The man told me he came to Lynn from the Philippines decades earlier, and when he told some local family where he was living their response was less than positive. He said he had been out every day during the mural festival checking out the progress and couldn’t wait to show off the new artwork to his family the next time they visit. |
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An old parking lot just off the FDR Drive is New York City's latest urban infill project and its far from the ordinary development. Monadnock Development out of NYC along with local design firm nArchitects has designed a 55-unit micro unit building made up entirely of studios between 250 and 350sf in size. Construction of Carmel Place is nearing completion and leasing of the studio units has started with prices ranging from $2,400 all the way to fully furnished units at $2,900 per month.
Zoning:
While the current project went through an extensive public debate to receive the requisite variances, city officials are looking hard at creating a place in the zoning code for micro-units of this size, largely banned in The City since a new zoning code was enacted in 1987.
Zoning:
While the current project went through an extensive public debate to receive the requisite variances, city officials are looking hard at creating a place in the zoning code for micro-units of this size, largely banned in The City since a new zoning code was enacted in 1987.
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The Problem...
With "millennials" and "baby boomers" fleeing the suburbs for the exciting, walkable, lifestyle that comes with big city living, suburbs are increasingly trying to figure out what to do to salvage their population centers and attract young professionals and families back to town. One Michigan suburb fell on hard times in the early 1990s but is now an example for small suburbs to follow to improve their attractiveness and the lives of their citizens.
Enter Birmingham, Michigan, a town of only 20,000 residents but one which fell on hard times when they lost two large department stores and the two local theaters closed down in the early 90's. The city took a hard look at it's problems and decided to brand itself as a "Walkable Community" changing their zoning code, adapting streetscapes to be more pedestrian friendly, building parks and calming traffic to increase the economic vitality of downtown.
Enter Birmingham, Michigan, a town of only 20,000 residents but one which fell on hard times when they lost two large department stores and the two local theaters closed down in the early 90's. The city took a hard look at it's problems and decided to brand itself as a "Walkable Community" changing their zoning code, adapting streetscapes to be more pedestrian friendly, building parks and calming traffic to increase the economic vitality of downtown.
The Outcome...
Some 3 million square feet of commercial development in 30 new projects came to downtown Birmingham over the next two decades. This has created a beacon for families and millennials alike to move to the quant town just north of Detroit and a successful example of converting an "auto-centric" downtown back to a pedestrian-oriented, economic driver for the town.
SOURCE- Congress For a New Urbanism
SOURCE- Congress For a New Urbanism
The big news out of Boston's real estate development wave last week was Related Beal's entry into the red hot South End market with the purchase of 370 Harrison Ave (the now former Ho Kong Bean Sprout Co site at the corner of Traveler St and Harrison Ave). The purchase price was an astonishing $8 million for the run down corner lot abutting the site of Quinzanni's Bakery. With an assessed value of $620,000, that amounts to a nearly 13x difference between the sale price and assessed value of the property... Clearly there were other plans at play for the lot... Later that afternoon a spokeswoman for Related announced that they did indeed have 380 Harrison (Qunzanni's Barkery site) under agreement which would give them control of the Harrison block between Traveler and East Berkeley Streets.
While the sale of 380 Harrison has not officially been recorded with the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds, if we're to see a similar multiple from assessed value to sale price at 380 Harrison as we saw at 370 Harrison that would amount to a sale price of nearly $20.2 Million*, a total assemblage cost of $28.2 Million* for the two parcels before the first jackhammer hits the concrete. The total parcel assemblage is 44,569sf or $632/sf*.
While the sale of 380 Harrison has not officially been recorded with the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds, if we're to see a similar multiple from assessed value to sale price at 380 Harrison as we saw at 370 Harrison that would amount to a sale price of nearly $20.2 Million*, a total assemblage cost of $28.2 Million* for the two parcels before the first jackhammer hits the concrete. The total parcel assemblage is 44,569sf or $632/sf*.
What a difference 3 years make...
| In 2012, Gerding Edlen purchased a 55,000sf parcel on the 93 side of the same block between Harrison and Albany for $12.7 Million to develop what is now the Troy. This parcel was initially purchased for $231/sf or nearly 1/3 the cost that Related may be paying for it's site on the other side of the block. *Of course this is a hypothetical factoring in an educated guess as to what the Quinzanni's site may sell for based on a comparison between sale price and assessed value of the neighboring Ho Kong site and in no way reflects the actual investment of Related. |  |
11/6/15 UPDATE...
Two Deeds were recorded with the Suffolk County Registry of Deeds office for the Quinzani's Bakery property showing Related Company's did in fact purchase the property for the previously estimated $20 Million, a continuation of the $632/sf sale price of neighboring Ho Kong Bean Sprout's building...
What will these excessive land costs do for the price passed off to the end consumer... time will soon tell as we await Related Beal's plans for the neighborhood.
- 390 Harrison Ave. sold for $11.3 Mil
- 380 Harrison Ave. sold for $8.7 Mil
What will these excessive land costs do for the price passed off to the end consumer... time will soon tell as we await Related Beal's plans for the neighborhood.
Thrive, a new 16-acre development in downtown Bentonville, AR.
Downtown Bentonville, Arkansas may not always be thought of as a trend setter or even an early adopter of innovative change but developers in on the edge of downtown have taken a serious financial risk that residents want walkable urbanism... and they're winning in a big way.
ERC Co. purchased 16-acres in a fairly residential, rural section of Bentonville and turned it into a walkable urban paradise. While public transit options may not be plentiful in the area, this at least eliminates the need for residents to be forced to hop into their cars and drive to the nearest Wal-Mart (headquartered just down the road) to pick up a cup of coffee or a quick bite to eat.
Bentonville is adopting what may be a requirement for rural suburbs across America to survive in a changing society that has begun to rebuff the ideals or suburban sprawl for a chance to live a life in a walkable urban center close to friends, work and amenities.
Bentonville is adopting what may be a requirement for rural suburbs across America to survive in a changing society that has begun to rebuff the ideals or suburban sprawl for a chance to live a life in a walkable urban center close to friends, work and amenities.
 | "Based on the trends in Foot Traffic Ahead, there is the potential for market demand for tens of millions more square feet of walkable urban development--and hundreds of new WalkUPs--in America’s cities. Meeting that demand is an opportunity to create huge value for these communities.” -Locus Developers 2015 report titled Foot Traffic Ahead |
Massachusetts is not new to the idea of startups. Innovation hubs first developed in Kendall Square in Cambridge and The Seaport, in Boston and have quickly made their way to cities such as New Bedford, Quincy, Holyoke, Gloucester, and beyond. While startups in Massachusetts are flourishing under the supportive umbrella of organizations like Mass Challenge, the access of Massachusetts' cities and towns to these companies is cumbersome and expensive for both groups.
Enter the Innovative Communities Bill, proposed by State Senator Spilka and Representative Ferente after a competition held at the PayPal Start Tank in late 2014 where the winning proposal, the Innovative Communities Bill, was presented by Cole Boskey.
Enter the Innovative Communities Bill, proposed by State Senator Spilka and Representative Ferente after a competition held at the PayPal Start Tank in late 2014 where the winning proposal, the Innovative Communities Bill, was presented by Cole Boskey.
Innovative Communities will promote and support the Massachusetts startup economy while providing technology solutions that allow municipalities to better serve their residents. The Innovative Communities program will serve as a common place of access, education, and a central point of connection and facilitation for startups and municipalities seeking innovative technology solutions. The focus is on early stage technology companies seeking to pilot their products and services with participating Massachusetts municipalities.
Fast Track Program
Education
How Can You Help?
Email your State Senator or Representative to support Senate Bill 234, The Innovative Communities Legislation as the bill makes it's way through Committee and to a full vote of the House and Senate.
Opening Massachusetts for business with the local startup community is a win for all parties involved.
Lets get this bill passed with the support of the entire Commonwealth!
Fast Track Program
- Develop and promote a streamlined process for startups to contract with municipalities for contracts under $10,000
- Develop a pre-qualification process for participating startups to expedite the purchase of innovative technologies
Education
- Educate municipalities on how to purchase innovative technology from startups within the existing procurement structure
- Educate startups on how the municipal purchasing process works and the requirements and standards that must be fulfilled by startups in order to sell to municipalities
- Develop marketing and outreach campaigns to engage municipalities and startups
- Organize events and expositions for startups to showcase their technology and municipalities to communicate their technology needs
- Conduct statewide innovation competitions to solicit proposals for innovative uses of technology
- Serve as a startup and municipality coordinator and matchmaker for technology pilot opportunities
- Organize pilots and establish procedures to implement pilots in innovative communities
- FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE: in the form of grants to finance all or a portion of the costs associated with the adoption of an innovative technology
- Establish evaluation, audit, and compliance procedures for participating startups, including a technology readiness assessment, self-audit, and standardized due diligence investigation of participating startup business profiles
- Establish an advisory board consisting of public and private sector representatives to aid the Innovative Communities Program
- Commission an investigation study of the existing procurement laws and barriers in to the process of adoption of innovative technologies
How Can You Help?
Email your State Senator or Representative to support Senate Bill 234, The Innovative Communities Legislation as the bill makes it's way through Committee and to a full vote of the House and Senate.
Opening Massachusetts for business with the local startup community is a win for all parties involved.
- The 351 cities and towns in the commonwealth will benefit from working directly with some of the most innovative minds and creative early stage companies across Massachusetts. Communities will serve as testing grounds for the local startup community, allowing them to pilot their apps with Massachusetts Municipalities looking to spur economic growth in the private sector while benefiting from the work of the startup through the pilot program.
- Startups benefit from having the opportunity to work with a local, open and accessible community as a client in early stages of their formation and the organization surrounding the program allows for coordinated feedback from all entities involved.
Lets get this bill passed with the support of the entire Commonwealth!
Eden's Inc, the owner of Boston's largest strip mall has submitted a proposal for an urban lifestyle center the likes of which the Newmarket District has never seen. The property in question sits just beyond the current South Bay Center on land currently occupied by light industrial facilities. South Bay Center will remain, for the most part, untouched.
The proposal calls for 500 apartments, 200 hotel rooms, a 65,000sf cinema and 115,000sf of new retail space. This is very much in line with Mayor Walsh's call for taking a look at transit nodes in this section of the city and converting vacant and underutilized industrial spaces into high density residential use. The Newmarket Station on the new Fairmount Line is only a few thousand feet from the proposed development and would provide residents direct access to the downtown corridor.
Newmarket sits adjacent to Widett Circle, the much discussed "geographic center" of Boston and a district that is at the center of discussions to be redeveloped into the focal point of the Boston2024 Olympics. Following the Olympics the site could then utilize Olympic Infrastructure to redevelop what is now a heavily underutilized area of Boston.
The South Bay Center expansion will no move through Article 80, Large Project Review at the BRA and is subject to a lengthy community process over the coming months.
The proposal calls for 500 apartments, 200 hotel rooms, a 65,000sf cinema and 115,000sf of new retail space. This is very much in line with Mayor Walsh's call for taking a look at transit nodes in this section of the city and converting vacant and underutilized industrial spaces into high density residential use. The Newmarket Station on the new Fairmount Line is only a few thousand feet from the proposed development and would provide residents direct access to the downtown corridor.
Newmarket sits adjacent to Widett Circle, the much discussed "geographic center" of Boston and a district that is at the center of discussions to be redeveloped into the focal point of the Boston2024 Olympics. Following the Olympics the site could then utilize Olympic Infrastructure to redevelop what is now a heavily underutilized area of Boston.
The South Bay Center expansion will no move through Article 80, Large Project Review at the BRA and is subject to a lengthy community process over the coming months.
Specifically the Mass Ave at Boylston Street Block... The Peebles Corporation out of the warm, sunny, beachy, not cold and snowy, Miami Beach (yes, days like today make me wonder why they're coming to work all the way up here too), has won the right to develop Parcel 13, a MassDOT controlled air rights parcel over the Mass Pike.
This was the only proposal of the three that stayed within zoning limits for the district and there seemed to be a large amount of attention focused on this fact during community discussions. This coupled with the strong experience of Peebles in air rights development projects in other cities, and recent failure of the Columbus Ave air rights project may have helped to sway the board in their direction.
The next step for the proposed "Viola" development, consisting of a mix of condos, rental apartments, retail and a hotel, is BRA article 80 process which will most likely elicit major changes to the proposed drawing. At a meeting earlier this month, there seemed to be large push back to the cantilever section of the project on the Mass Ave side of the property so this may be one of the first elements of the project to change.
I'm excited to see this project moving forward and looking forward to see what this final project does for the neighborhood (...even if we are about 7-years away from completion). In the meantime... Let's activate this desolate urban wasteland and see if we can't make a place out of it before shovel's hit the ground.
This was the only proposal of the three that stayed within zoning limits for the district and there seemed to be a large amount of attention focused on this fact during community discussions. This coupled with the strong experience of Peebles in air rights development projects in other cities, and recent failure of the Columbus Ave air rights project may have helped to sway the board in their direction.
The next step for the proposed "Viola" development, consisting of a mix of condos, rental apartments, retail and a hotel, is BRA article 80 process which will most likely elicit major changes to the proposed drawing. At a meeting earlier this month, there seemed to be large push back to the cantilever section of the project on the Mass Ave side of the property so this may be one of the first elements of the project to change.
I'm excited to see this project moving forward and looking forward to see what this final project does for the neighborhood (...even if we are about 7-years away from completion). In the meantime... Let's activate this desolate urban wasteland and see if we can't make a place out of it before shovel's hit the ground.
Mayor Walsh is asking that every Boston resident buys five of their holiday gifts from a business on your local Main Street and support local through the #5onMain campaign. Do your part and buy local this holiday season!
Also, consider supporting one of the hottest new local brewing company in Trillium Brewing. They've been closed for the past few weeks dealing with some unspecified regulatory issues and could use some support during the Holidays. Since we aren't able to buy what we most want, their growlers, consider supporting their online store and buying your holiday gifts online while still supporting what makes Boston great, it's local businesses and startups.
| If that wasn't enough to get you to support... even MBL pitchers are throwing their support behind Trillium including former Red Sox pitcher David Aardsma. |
A group of ten Northeastern graduate students working with local architect Tim Love have mocked up an extremely detailed model for what is one of many suggestions on how to use the 60 acre former rail yard in Allston.
Starting geographically from West to East, the first project is the Beacon Yards project. This 60 acre site was formerly owned by the CSX Railroad corporation and, only recently, was sold to Harvard University in hopes of spurring future neighborhood development (whether that was the best move for the neighborhood remains to be seen but based on Harvard's work with Barry's Corner we can only hope they continue to build for the benefit of the surrounding neighborhood and not another isolated HBS campus). Currently, as the site stands, it is split down the middle by the Allston/ Brighton tolls of the Massachusetts Turnpike. To kill two birds with one stone, MassDOT hopes to straighten out this section of the Pike, alleviating traffic in a heavily traveled section of the roadway while also opening up the site to it's full development potential.
The plan is to build a mix of retail, office and residential to help create a new neighborhood in a section of Allston long devoid of much life. Boston Society of Architects has created an all volunteer group of local designers and community members to help push their visions of what the site could look like. One such design, and my current favorite, envisions creating an "Allston Esplanade" which would require moving Storrow Drive away from the water and creating 3-acres of open space, parkland, bike lanes and running paths along the water in a section of the Charles that desperately needs it. The project also brings back into play the long discussed "West Station" creating a public transit option directly to downtown and Kendall Square in Cambridge (Major transportation announcement coming from Governor Deval Patrick tomorrow directly affecting this project).
Six projects are attempting to do just that...
Faneuil hall
| Walking through Faneuil Hall on a recent Fall afternoon I paused after noticing something I hadn't seen throughout all of the Summer months... there was no one around... Now, this was the first cold day of the year and it was a Tuesday afternoon so we can chalk some of this fact up to the weather and time of the week but this seems to be an increasingly problematic issue with Faneuil Hall. Locals don't go here and the tourism season dies down in the winter leaving a few empty chain restaurants, stores, a tourist trap version of the Cheers Bar and the bars you loved to go to when you were 21 (or in many cases younger) and fresh out of college. In 2011 The Ashkenazy Development Group out of New York City, a company known for buying and repurposing large historic destinations, purchased the rights to lease the space from the City of Boston and has since made minor cosmetic changes to the property while plotting the revitalization of the space to try and bring back the locals. The site, which hasn't seen any major restoration project since the 1970's, will soon undergo a massive restoration project the likes of which Faneuil Hall has never seen. We knew some of these plans include tearing up the existing Quincy Market space to install larger restaurants with seating and a center bar to better utilize the existing structure of the historic building but it looks like plans also expand to the outdoor space surround Quincy Market. |  For a site that welcomes 20 million visitors every year, once the weather turns cold and tourist season passes, Faneuil Hall can feel desolate and lonely on a cold weekday afternoon. |
Dan Biederman, the man who brought New York, Bryant Park, and someone long regarded as a champion of urban management and public placemaking has been chosen to lead the charge to recreate Faneuil Hall's outdoor space. He'll have the difficult task of recreating the brand to be welcoming and inviting to both tourists and locals from a space now avoided by most locals outside of a visit from family and friends from outside Boston. Plans for the space call for a model very similar to that of Bryant Park, lots of outdoor tables and new seating to welcome more people and invite people to spend more time in the space creating a changing environment all their own.
I'd love to see some local input from the burgeoning urban design and placemaking industry that's taken shape here. These firms have their fingers on the pulse of Boston as evidenced by the success of such designs as Lawn On D and The Rose Kennedy Greenway.
I'd love to see some local input from the burgeoning urban design and placemaking industry that's taken shape here. These firms have their fingers on the pulse of Boston as evidenced by the success of such designs as Lawn On D and The Rose Kennedy Greenway.
Government Center Garage
| The massive redevelopment project coming to the hulking Government Center Garage will be done in phases with the first phase breaking ground in 2015. The plan is to create a massive office, residential and retail complex that will once again connect the exploding North Station area with the development wave in Downtown. The project is a joint endeavor of HYM Investments and Bulfinch Congress Holdings, the firm who first bought the property in 2010. Visit the project website to learn more. |  |
Congress Square
 | Comprised of four buildings that made up the former world headquarters of Fidelity Investments, Congress Square is the latest venture by Related Beal and an attempt at revitalizing a section of Downtown Boston that's lacked much in the way of street level activation for years. The plan is to turn the large alley that runs within the block into a large pedestrian way (think European Street with cafe's with outdoor seating and shopping all along the strip). The plan is to also build out condos and office space on the floors above the newly revitalized street. Visit the Project Website for More |
111 Federal Street
| One of the last remaining development parcels in Boston's Financial District, the Winthrop Square Garage, could be looking at a new 740 ft high tower filled with condos, office space and retail revitalizing a strip of Federal Street that's long sat in decrepit shape with the only real retail and street activation consisting of a daily USPS truck providing mail services. The project is being proposed by Boston real estate developer, sports franchise owner and entrepreneur Steve Belkin. |  |
Boston Harborfront
The Municipal Harbor Planning Project is an ongoing discussion on the future of Boston's Waterfront, an area that, until the removal of Boston's other "green monster," was a blighted area unvisited by residents and tourists alike along Boston's Waterfront. Today it sits up against a glistening gem of a project in the Rose Kennedy Greenway that has reclaimed open space for the cities residents and created enormous opportunity for Boston's Waterfront. While much of the attention in this area is on the nearly 20 year attempt by developer Don Chiofaro to develop the site of the current Boston Harbor Parking Garage, city and state officials are looking at how to revitalize the entire waterfront area.
 | Harbor Garage Project: The Chiofaro Company has proposed two towers, one containing nearly 900,000sf of offices, the other containing 120 condo units and a luxury hotel operator. Both towers will be connected by a large scale ground level retail/ entertainment complex which has been a major focus of public input on the project and continues to be a focal point of debate. Because this project is within 300' of a public water way it falls within State Department of Environmental Protection review and is still winding it's way through Chapter 91 review while awaiting Boston Redevelopment Authority Article 80 review. For more information on this project please visit the project website. |
| James Hook Lobster Co. Site: Developers of the long underutilized site have proposed a 22-story structure on the existing lot with major improvements to the harborfront section of the existing site. Developers also plan to maintain the James Hook Lobster Restaurant at the site with a new 9,000sf restaurant anchoring the lowest level of the building. |  |
And then there's still City Hall Plaza...?
 The City is on the right track with events like the Donna Summer Roller Skate Party in the summer Boston Calling now happening twice a year and signed up for more shows over the next few years. Plans for Winter's Landing consisting of an ice rink and restaurant fell through at the last minute but are still in the plans for next season. Above all else, the plaza needs to be more inviting for residents, visitors and guests during all seasons and not longer exist as the concrete and brick wasteland that it currently is. |  |
Jonathan Berk
Starting a dialogue on the future of urban living in Boston and beyond.
I invite everyone to continue the discussion in the comments below each post.
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