Learning more about the Charlesview proposal from the Boston Globe

Harvard University agrees to resident relocation deal - The Boston Globe

"CBT architects of Boston will design the buildings, the tallest of which - closest to the river - is tentatively slated to be 10 floors. Others will range from four to six stories."

On the subject of building height, page 28 of the North Allston Strategic Framework says:

"The Framework addresses height and massing of new buildings to ensure in general the preservation of the traditional character of residential neighborhoods while allowing the kind of significant new development that will bring substantial benefits to North Allston.

Thus, west of North Harvard Street the Framework envisions heights of up to 35' on the southern side of Western Avenue and a mix ofheights on the north side, with further community review of buildings with heights over 45-55' (with an assumed maximum height of 95') and an expectation that these taller buildings would offer substantial public benefits such as additional affordable housing and public space."

So on both sides of the Western Ave it sounds like Charlesview, Harvard, and the BRA have decided that the "envisioned" and "assumed maximum" heights can be exceeded. The NASFP goal to "acknowledge the need for careful transitions in scale, vehicular circulation, and design between existing residential neighborhoods and new development" also seems in jeopardy.

I have no problem with the concept of new housing for Charlesview. The problem is that:

The project seems to have been fully designed without any input from people who live on Litchfield, Holton, and other nearby streets and would be greatly affected by it.

The project is another example of ad-hoc, one project at a time, development in our community. It is another nail in the coffin of the Strategic Framework, which promised a special study of the Holton Street Corridor which was supposed to lead to "a zoning strategy that creates a mix of uses that in turn provide attractive, pedestrian-friendly links through Holton Street between the two residential neighborhoods to the east and west"

There has been consistent questioning at Harvard Allston Task Force meetings about the fate of this "special study". Here is one relevant excerpt from meeting minutes:

"Harry Mattison raised the topic of special study areas that were mentioned in the NANSP but never done and asked whether the Task Force wanted to pursue the study areas, particularly the Holton St. study. Gerald suggested that he was open to the Task Force’s ideas about what to incorporate into the Holton St. study that would be useful to the Task Force. Ray suggested that until there was something to react to, it didn’t seem fruitful to pursue completing the studies."

Well, now there is certainly something to react to!