Public art opportunity for Harvard in Barry's Corner

Harvard professor Preston Scott Cohen is the designer of "one of the best new works of architecture in New York... an angular glass canopy over an obscure but busy pedestrian street". This raises the interesting question about what type of art and architecture Harvard will bring to Allston with its pending Barry's Corner housing/retail development.

I've written before about MIT's Percent for Art program that designates as much as $250,000 for public art at every major MIT renovation or building project and how a similar approach would help Harvard to make good on its promise to transform Western Ave and Barry's Corner.

The Dean of  Harvard Business School said that he couldn't afford public art on Western Ave as part of Harvard's Innovation Lab. But somehow Goldman Sachs, whose New York headquarters are next door to Cohen's canopy, found the money and decided that trying to create a great public space was worth the expense.

As details emerge about Barry's Corner over the next few months, it will be interesting to see which route Harvard and its developer want to take.

CityRoots coming back to Everett Street

The CityRoots organization was a great source of financial and technical support when the Everett Street slope between Lincoln and Aldie streets was beautified over the past few years. Now CityRoots is coming back to help improve the Everett Street slope on the south side of the Pike.

Join them next week to learn more!

Do you enjoy nature in the city?

Volunteer for this year's CityRoots Project!

Participants will:

•       Learn the importance of trees and birds in our cities

•       Tour local green spaces and green roofs

•       Research urban ecology with Boston University faculty    and students

•       Design and develop green space along Everett St.

•       Improve the neighborhood through urban plantings

Join us for an information session!

Where: 95 Everett St, Allston, MA

                                (In case of inclement weather, info sessions

                                will be held  in the lower level of 57 Everett St)

When:  Monday, June 4 from 6-7 pm (led in Spanish)

                                Tuesday, June 5 from 6-7 pm (led in English)

Light refreshments will be served!

For more information, please contact:

Victoria Wolff at Vwolff@urbaneco.org

Book Sale & Fun @ Mellone Park

Mark your calendars  Saturday, June 9  for two events:

The Friends of the Honan-Allston Library Book Sale,  300 North Harvard St, Allston 10:00 am-2:00 pm RAIN OR SHINE

All Books - .10 cents to $3.00  -  All proceeds directly benefit the Honan-Allston Branch Library

Visit the new Teen Area in the Library.

from the Friends of the Honan-Allston Library

                                                          --- and ---

A Day of Fun in Ray Mellone Park, 12 Noon-3:00 PM.   Park located in the rear of the library – NO RAIN DATE

Face painting, ice cream, balloons and  Musical Entertainment by Tim McHale

Come and enjoy the new park and meet your neighbors.

from the Friends of the Ray Mellone Park

It will be a fun day and we look forward to seeing you!!

Weeks footbridge accessibility meeting tonight

JOHN W. WEEKS FOOTBRIDGE ACCESSIBILITY IMPROVEMENTS PROJECT
Thursday, May 17, 2012

6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m.  
Harvard Business School – Cumnock Hall, Room 102
33 Harvard Way, Cambridge, MA  

At the meeting, DCR staff will present a project overview and alternatives for improving accessibility to the John W. Weeks Footbridge over the Charles River in Boston and Cambridge, while maintaining its historic character.  The meeting will include an opportunity for public questions and comment and will be followed by two additional public meetings regarding project design and construction plans.  


http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicmeetings/materials/bridges/weeks2012-5-17.pdf

D14 child safety day on Sunday

Anderson Bridge construction starts this month

If you are travelling between Allston & Harvard Square, you might want to find a different way to get there.

Traffic Information - Charles River Basin Project: "Starting Tuesday, May 29, 2012, MassDOT crews will begin road work required as part of the Anderson Memorial Bridge Rehabilitation Project. During the work, the downstream sidewalk will be closed and traffic will be reduced to one lane in each direction on the bridge."

A Science Complex Update from President Faust

John Tepper Marlin: Splendor in the Glass -- Harvard's 375th in NYC

"Isaacson then read out the first alumni question, a brief one on the status of the Science Center at Allston, and the cognoscenti leaned forward to hear her response. President Faust gave a long answer, taking up a big piece of the discussion period, referring to the impact of the global financial meltdown, which seriously affected the size of the University's endowment. 

A new plan for the Center is being refined, reports President Faust. It will encourage both a greater concentration of scientific talent in the science center and will establish designated locations for nearby private businesses to create spaces for commercializing new ideas."

New springtime babies

The parent robins built this nest in the climbing Hydrangea in our backyard and now they have what looks like 3 very new children!

Thank you Boston for the street trees!

A big thanks to the City of Boston Parks Department for the 5 new trees planted today on Mansfield Street! They will be a great addition to make the street nicer!

Everett Street meeting

The City of Boston Transportation Department and Public Works Department are proposing traffic safety improvements on Everett Street between Adamson Street and Aldie Street in Brighton.

A public meeting to discuss the proposed design will be held on Wednesday, April 25 @6:00 PM at the Brighton Marine Health Center.

How big is your shadow?

With so much talk at the recent Harvard meetings about the size of shadows that new construction in Barry's Corner might cast onto Smith Field, I thought it would be interesting to find some real-world examples in our neighborhood.

The office building at the corner of Cambridge St and Everett St seems to be about the same height as what Harvard tentatively proposed along the eastern border of Smith Field. At 9:45 this morning the shadow reached almost to the edge of the parking lot, which according to the ruler in Google Earth, would be approximately 55 feet. Later in the day and as summer approaches, the shadows would be shorter as the sun moves higher in the sky.

The yellow line in this image from Google Earth measures 55 feet. The taller buildings suggested in Harvard's diagram are farther from Smith Field, so while their shadows would be longer, some of those shadows would be cast onto the other buildings.

Once upon a time, when Harvard promised Barry's Corner culture

In 2007, Harvard did propose building huge amounts of art and cultural facilities in Barry's Corner, primarily on the current Charlesview site. These proposals contributed to a lot of the excitement and enthusiasm about what Barry's Corner would become and how relocating Charlesview would be a net improvement for everyone.
Harvard isn't doing 20 year plans anymore, and Harvard isn't proposing any arts or museums on the Charlesview site. The retail proposed for Barry's Corner is much less than 60,000 sq ft. These changes leave a lot less to be excited about in Barry's Corner.

Source: The Plan for Harvard in Allston (http://harvardmag.com/media/Allston-2007-01-11.pdf) pages 16 & 18

BPS School Assignment policy meeting

Saturday morning at the Jackson Mann

http://www.bostonpublicschools.org/files/03-21-12_meeting_flyer.pdf

New Balance submits BIG plans

New Balance details massive Brighton project - BostonHerald.com:

The athletic equipment maker, led by billionaire Jim Davis, plans four buildings at its “New Brighton Landing” project on Guest Street, including a new world headquarters measuring 250,000 square feet and a 175-room hotel rising as high as 20 stories. 

The company also proposes as much as 650,000 square feet of office space on a nearly 10-acre parcel along the eastbound side of the Massachusetts Turnpike. 

On a separate parcel across Guest Street, New Balance plans to build a 345,000-square-foot sports facility with an ice rink and track. The company said in the filing that the facility “may contain venues for basketball, tennis, ice hockey, general recreation, track and field,” and a fitness facility.
The project includes about 65,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and service space spread among the buildings.

Full details at http://assets.bizjournals.com/boston/news/New-Balance-Brighton-Plan.pdf

Can we have South End-style infrastructure to support South End-style density?

At last night's Task Force meeting, Harvard's consultant suggested that Rollins Square is a valid precedent to consider when thinking about the scale of what Harvard might build in Barry's Corner. In many ways, Rollins Square is a great project as I mentioned in a 2008 post:

Rollins Sq won the John M. Clancy Award for socially responsible housing in 2006. The jury noted that the six-story buildings and four-story townhomes "fit well within its mid-rise neighborhood". It also received a Maxwell Award from the Fannie Mae Foundation for outstanding development of affordable housing and an award from the Boston Preservation Alliance. 

 But buildings like this need to be considered in their context, and the context of Boston's South End is very different than North Allston, particularly in terms of its transportation infrastructure.

Using the MBTA map at http://erikdemaine.org/maps/mbta/, here are the subway lines within approximately 1 mile of Rollins Sq and Barry's Corner. Which location is better able to handle large numbers of residents, workers, and visitors?

If Harvard was willing to talk about a commuter rail stop, a revived section of the proposed but since mothballed Urban Ring, encouraging Harvard employees to live in Allston and walk or bike to work, or other ways to mitigate/reduce the transportation impacts of Rollins Square style housing in Barry's Corner, I expect that their plans would be received much more favorably than they were last night.

New condos coming to Comm Ave in Brighton

Long-awaited plan for Charing Cross condo building in Brighton to be unveiled - Boston.com:

"A local developer will announce detailed plans Thursday night for a long-awaited project to construct a 55-unit condominium building at a highly-visible, city-owned site along Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton... “We’re going to be one of the first ones in Boston to get in on what I think is an emerging condominium market,” said Diamond, declining to disclose the current projected cost of a project that, as of four years ago, was billed at about $18 million."

Nice to see that a private developer can build some owner-occupied housing in Brighton. Does this mean it might be financially viable for Harvard to do the same in North Allston?

Will a March Madness win bring a new arena to Allston?

If #12 Harvard pulls of a big upset this afternoon against #5 Vanderbilt, how quickly will Harvard be able to raise $100M or so to build a new hoops arena in Allston?

http://espn.go.com/ncb/preview?gameId=320750238

Why would anyone "throw out" the Ed Portal?

This is a very strange story. The Ed Portal could certainly be relocated to make space for new development in Barry's Corner. The new Ed Portal could be completed before the current building would be torn down. So the suggestion that the Ed Portal would be "thrown out" or that there would have to be a year without any Ed Portal really doesn't make sense.

Tensions Rise in Allston Over Ed Portal | News | The Harvard Crimson:

“Being thrown out of the building would represent a problem for the various activities we provide for the community,” Lue said, emphasizing the importance of maintaining continuity for the more than 100 children who utilize Portal resources.

“Missing a whole season, or two seasons, could really interfere with their progress,” he said.

Harvard still considering a new Allston stadium

The Rise of Harvard Basketball | FM | The Harvard Crimson:

Prior to the 2008 recession and the steep decline in the University’s endowment, the construction of a new basketball stadium in Allston was in consideration.

“Before the stock market took that big dive it did and the endowment had that big struggle, there was a greater plan for all of those facilities on that side of the river to eventually be relocated,” Mannix says.

Those plans, however, were put on hold with the bad economy. Today, the construction of a new stadium in Allston remains in discussion.

“It’s still a subject of conversation,” [Staples Founder Tom] Stemberg adds. “People are still talking about it. Nobody’s done anything yet because nobody’s given up the money, but I think, you know, if the money were there, I think we’d get it done.”

Speedway comments

To: dcr.updates@state.ma.us

I am writing to follow-up comments that I and other neighbors made at the February 27 public meeting regarding the future of the Speedway building.

To fully realize the potential of a rehabilitated Speedway and help create a financially and operationally feasible project, it is essential to consider the future of the abutting properties.

Adjacent to the the Speedway buildings are blighted and underutilized properties owned by the State and Harvard University. Harvard's property (the former Toureen Kennels / Brighton Animal Hospital) has been vacant for several years and I expect that demolition is the only viable option. If Harvard refuses to engage in constructive discussions, eminent domain should be considered.

To this end, I hope that DCR will reach out to Harvard, the Smith Health Center (who is leasing some or all of the State's adjacent property), and any other related parties to identify strategies for collaboration that can maximize the potential of this set of parcels.

If nothing else, this holistic approach might find opportunities to create shared parking facilities among various future users. This could address the limited space for parking at the Speedway which was noted as an obstacle during DCR's public design charrette.

Presentation from Monday's Speedway meeting

regarding the future of the crumbling building along Soldiers Field Road at the western end of Western Ave

http://www.mass.gov/dcr/news/publicmeetings/materials/parklands/speedwaypresentation2012-2-27.pdf

The 'Ink Block' - The high end of the Barry's Corner spectrum

A Guide to the 'Ink Block' Proposal at the Former Boston Herald Site - South End, MA Patch:

The former site of the Boston Herald for more than 50 years, at 300 Harrison Ave., is 6.22 acres.

National Development’s plans call for the construction of three new buildings, which would all be between 70 and 100 feet high, and the reuse of the existing Boston Herald building, mainly for its foundation. The four buildings would be five, eight, eight and nine stories high and together would be nearly 550,000 square feet.

There would be 471 new residential units and a total of about 85,000 square feet of retail space, including a 30,000-square-foot space for a grocery store and multiple smaller, ground-floor spaces for retail and/or restaurants.

1282 Boylston as a Barry's Corner comparison (using 1/2 as much land)

Harvard is suggesting that 200-400 apartments could be built on 2.5 acres in Barry's Corner. 1282 Boylston St is a recently approved project of a comparable size (210 units, 331,000 sq ft) on a 1 acre site of a parking lot near Fenway Park which was home to a McDonald's until 2009.

From the Boston Herald

Mayor Menino Announces 1282 Boylston Approved by BRA Board - November, 2011:

The 331,000 square foot project that will be developed by The Abbey Group will replace an underutilized surface parking lot with 12,000 square feet of ground floor retail space, 88,000 square feet of office space, a 295 space below grade parking garage, and 210 housing units, including 21 affordable units.

The $150 million project will include a 2,700 square foot ground floor community center furnished with computers and presentation equipment that will be maintained by the building management and available for use by the neighborhood.

Why not develop more Barry's Corner?

I mentioned below that Harvard proposes to develop only 2.5 acres of Barry's Corner's northwest corner. From my perspective, Barry's Corner and this area would benefit from as much new housing and retail as possible, so why think small?

The parcel bounded by Western Ave, Smith Field, North Harvard Street, and Harvard Athletics is 6.5 acres. Developing more land = more housing, more retail, more people enlivening the area, more jobs, and more general economic activity - all of which are good things.

Maybe there isn't enough demand for that much housing and retail, I don't know, but it would be hard to argue that the existing uses are the "best and highest uses" possible. Everyone likes Harvard's Ed Portal, and it could be relocated elsewhere in Allston either temporarily during construction or permanently, and alternative office space for the 10-person staff of the Silk Road Project could be found elsewhere. But if the demand exists, then I hope Barry's Corner can get the biggest boost of energy that it can.

What is "market rate"? $3,800+/month for a 2BR

Harvard is describing its proposed Barry's Corner apartments as being "market rate" and the project as being "market driven". There was discussion last night about what that really means, and what the rents would be in such a situation.

There isn't much comparable new construction in Allston, but here are a couple examples from the Longwood area that might be relevant - these 2BR apartments are $3,825 and $3,950 per month. The Trilogy on Bolyston Street is a "first-class", luxury building and Harvard wasn't clear if it envisions something on par with this, but in the meantime we can consider this to be a possible high-end of the range for rents.

A possible alternative would be to include some "workforce housing" which would be affordable to people who earn approximately the median income. Workforce housing is a priority of Mayor Menino and a report by the Urban Land Institute observes that:

• Housing in the Boston metropolitan area remains unaffordable to the vast majority of workforce households
• Between now and 2020, the Boston metropolitan area market will face an additional shortage of nearly 11,000 units, leaving many of the region’s teachers, firefighters, nurses, and other workers vital to the area’s economy priced out of the market.
• The ability to house workers in key workforce housing employment sectors—teachers, health care workers, police officers, and firefighters, among others—is vital to the economic sustainability of the Boston metropolitan area.
• Workforce renter households, particularly those with three or more persons, are largely priced out of the market for new-construction rental apartments. The high cost of land, entitlement, and construction makes developing new rental housing for these households challenging, if not impossible, without creative public financing solutions and other subsidy mechanisms.

Harvard's Barry Corner proposed 2.5 acre site

One of the questions at last night's Harvard Allston Task Force meeting was about the specific size and location of land that Harvard proposes to use for the construction of new retail and apartments in Barry's Corner. Harvard didn't offer an exact boundary perpendicular to North Harvard Street, but it looked something like this.

According to http://www.daftlogic.com/projects-google-maps-area-calculator-tool.htm this is 2.5 acres.

Deja Vu - More claims that Allston rentals will be subject to city's laws

Mayor Menino Orders Inspectional Services Walkthrough of Allston Area with Heavy Student Population | City of Boston:

February 17, 2012 

Mayor Thomas M. Menino today announced that the City’s Inspectional Services Department (ISD), in collaboration with the Boston Police and Fire departments, has completed a three day code sweep of rental units located at Gardner, Pratt, Linden and Ashford Streets in Allston, an area heavily populated with students. ISD will again be in the area tomorrow at 12 PM to follow up with students, distributing pamphlets with information on rental housing resources and how to protect themselves from potential health and safety hazards. 

“Boston is home to thousands of students, and they all deserve a safe place to live,” Mayor Menino said. “We will not allow landlords to take advantage of students by neglecting their properties and putting people at risk. We also want to make sure that renters in Boston, particularly students, are aware of their responsibilities as tenants. We will continue to work with the student community as well as landlords to ensure a safe environment for everyone.”

Where have I heard this before? Oh, that's right we hear the same thing every year or two, usually in the fall when students return to Allston. I wonder if this time there will be more consistent follow through.


Here's effectively the same story from 6 years ago.

Landlords Who Take Advantage Of Students Targeted - Mayor Tours Off-Campus Housing - http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/9771985/detail.html

August 31, 2006

As thousands of college students descend on Boston, Mayor Thomas Menino promised to crack down on landlords who take advantage of students.

NewsCenter 5's Pam Cross reported that Menino said routine inspections of apartments usually rented to college students found trash, rats and other unsanitary conditions.
"It's one of the worst (apartments) I've seen, especially for a neighborhood," said Edward Kennedy, of Boston Inspectional Services. "There is definitely a rat infestation here as well."

"They have debris (blocking windows). Coming out of the window, you would trip over something," Menino said.

What type of housing would improve North Allston

While reading this story in today's Crimson about Harvard's plans for new housing in Barry's Corner (Barry's Corner Plans Worry Allston Residents) I thought back to the home-ownership post I wrote in 2008 regarding the ownership/rental mix for the new Charlesview housing.

During the public review of Charlesview the project was described as having apartments south of Western Ave and condo along Telford St on the north side of Western Ave. For many in the community who believe that more homeownership would be a good thing here, we looked forward to the construction of these condos.


But while construction of the apartments is moving ahead briskly, there is no activity relating to the construction of the condos which are now describes as being "Phase 2" of the project and, according to this Globe story, that "phase’s timing is market dependent" and who knows when or if that means it will be built.


So, getting back to Barry's Corner, the documents that I linked to in that 2008 post have been moved or deleted, and data from the 2010 Census is now available. 

But the story is still the same regarding two topics raised in the Crimson article - Allston has few families and few homeowners.

Allston: 13% owner-occupied housing units. Households with individuals under 18 years = 9%

Jamaica Plain: 44% owner occupied.  Households with individuals under 18 years = 23%

South Boston: 40% owner occupied.  Households with individuals under 18 years = 17%

Roxbury: 20% owner occupied. Households with individuals under 18 years = 35%

South End: 39% owner occupied. Households with individuals under 18 years = 15% 

Harvard's Housing Studies website explains that:

Strong and consistent evidence indicates that homeowners are more likely to: a) be satisfied with their homes and neighborhoods; b) participate in voluntary and political activities; and c) stay in their homes longer, contributing to neighborhood stability. 

Building small apartments in Barry's Corner will maximize Harvard's profit and will also move Allston in the wrong direction - further exacerbating our lack of families and homeowners.

Hopefully it will be possible to balance Harvard's goals for a money-making development of Barry's Corner with the type of housing that will also advance the housing and social goals of Allston.

Alford ask Mayor to remember Allston

Remember Allston - BostonHerald.com:

Mayor Tom Menino offered the correct incentive for Vornado Realty Trust to finally deal with its gaping problem downtown (Feb. 3). I hope he applies the same incentive to Harvard to complete its science complex, which is a 5-year-old, 5-acre, 50-foot-deep hole in our neighborhood.

The BRA has notified Allston that it will “discuss the planning and development of Harvard-owned properties from this point forward.” At this time — and after requests from the community — the BRA agenda still does not include a discussion of the abandoned science complex. Like with Filene’s/Vornado, I hope Menino will not issue more permits until Harvard has completed its science complex or at least shown a plan that would have parallel construction of the complex with any new development.

— Paul Alford, Allston

Gardner School featured in national report

Congratulations to Allston's Gardner Pilot Academy for being featured in this report by the Center for American Progress!

Lightening the Load - A Look at Four Ways that Community Schools Can Support Effective Teaching - http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/2012/01/pdf/chang_wraparound.pdf

"The Gardner Pilot Academy in Boston, Massachusetts, also established an English language program for its students’ families that now serves 100 families. There

are five levels of classes, ranging from Basic Beginner to Advanced, offered on weekday evenings to accommodate the schedules of working adults. Classes are

free of charge, and child care is provided....

While only 25 percent of Gardner families attended parent teacher conferences in 1997, 98 percent of families participated in the 2010-11 school year"

New Balance's New Brighton plans

As I wrote 2 years ago about New Balance's potential expansion, the devil is in the details, and it will be a long time before the details of this plan are worked out. But the big ideas of offices, track and field, hockey, and hotel all sound pretty good. Especially if this spurs infrastructure improvements like a commuter rail stop (and it is hard to imagine a project of this magnitude without it) in the Everett Street / Market Street area it can be really great.

Boston Redevelopment Authority project website

New Balance's Letter of Intent to the BRA

2012 Kickoff Party - Charles River Conservancy Young Professionals

2012 Kickoff Party - Charles River Conservancy Young Professionals:

Wednesday, January 18, 2012
6:00pm until 7:30pm

Join us to help launch the CRC Young Professionals Group, dedicated to supporting the Conservancy's efforts and providing unique outdoor opportunities to interact with the Charles River in every season.

Enjoy delicious hors d'oeuvres from OM, enter raffles to win gift certificates from local restaurants and businesses, and learn about our first outdoor event: SNOWSHOEING in Herter Park on February 4th (hope for snow)! Kickoff attendees will receive a beautiful map of the Charles River Basin and parklands, as well as a special copy of "River Stories". All are welcome!

The CRC is a nonprofit citizens’ advocacy group dedicated to the renewal and stewardship of the Charles River Parklands.

Wentworth Students Redesign Allston/Brighton

Architecture Students Redesign Allston/Brighton Neighborhood : Wentworth Institute of Technology:

The Phoenix reviews Stone Hearth Pizza

On the Cheap: Stone Hearth Pizza - On The Cheap:

"There is no shortage of pizza joints in the greater Boston area, that's for damn sure. But Stone Hearth Pizza —with locations in Cambridge, Needham, Belmont, and, as of a few weeks ago, Lower Allston — is the front-runner for guilt-free, locally sourced pizza pies."

Congrats to Rep Moran on his new leadership role

"Via @statehousenews, House leadership changes: Rep. Rushing to whip, Moran to division chair and Michlewitz as Elex Laws chair "

An Allston Pledge for Harvard

Harvard created a "Kindness Pledge" for freshmen and an "MBA Oath" for business school graduates. In my article on page 10 of this Occupy Harvard publication I ask what Harvard might say in an "Allston Pledge".

http://occupyharvard.files.wordpress.com/2011/11/occupycrimson_pdf.pdf

State Senate Candidates Forum for the Second Suffolk & Middlesex district

Thursday, December 8

6:00 pm    Meet-and-Greet with the candidates & light refreshments (contributed by Athan's)
6:30 pm    Candidates Forum

Elks Lodge, 326 Washington Street, Brighton Center, parking at rear of building (enter lot from Winship Street)

Sponsor:    Brighton Allston Improvement Association

Moderator:    Michael Pahre, Editor, Brighton Centered Blog

On Tuesday, December 13, a special election will be held to fill the state senate seat vacated by Steve Tolman in the Second Suffolk & Middlesex district, which includes most of Allston and Brighton, parts of the Back Bay, Fenway and Cambridge, and all of Watertown and Belmont.  Join us to meet the candidates!

To check if you live in this district, visit www.wheredoivotema.com

Residential booming in Boston, but Harvard is quiet

The Globe reported yesterday on 5 new residential projects that would combine to create more than 1,400 new units of housing in Boston.

Two months ago Harvard seemed eager to move ahead with planning for new housing in Barry's Corner, and their consultant mentioned having more public meetings in October. But October came and went with no meetings and no news about how Harvard plans to proceed. Which is too bad, because if done right new housing and retail in Barry's Corner could be a great improvement to the area.

Another wave of apartment construction to hit Boston - The Boston Globe
Investors in multifamily housing developments are taking advantage of a fortuitous turn of events: rising rents, low vacancy rates, and interest rates below 4 percent - a combination that translates to unusually hefty profits.

"There has never been a better time in the last 40 years to develop a multifamily project in Boston" said George Fantini, chairman of the mortgage banking firm Fantini & Gorga.

Mayor Thomas M. Menino and other city officials said they are receiving proposals for new housing projects every day. “I have investors coming to me and saying, ‘What opportunities do you have? How can we be involved?’ ’’ Menino said. “I haven’t seen that in a while.’’

Renting To Four Or More College Students Is Illegal

A recent court ruling could have a significant impact on off-campus student housing in Allston, Brighton, and across the state.

The Toga Party Is Over: Renting To Four Or More College Students Is Illegal Lodging House | The Massachusetts Real Estate Law Blog

"...the Massachusetts Appeals Court ruled that renting to 4 or more unrelated students in one apartment unit is an illegal “lodging house” unless a special license is obtained.

...using the College Hill ruling, housing authorities, who want to crack down on unruly, crowded apartment dwellers, may seek to require lodging licenses for apartments occupied by 4 or more unrelated persons."

Yet another possibility for Harvard's vacant Allston land

I agree the the Mayor and others quoted in this story that kids on skateboarders shouldn't be messing up fancy granite fountains. So how about find some more appropriate place, like maybe on some of Harvard's property that is just sitting vacant?

Mayor tells skaters: Take board meetings elsewhere - BostonHerald.com:

Rondo, Pierce & friends coming to Allston

Rondo Hosts Boston Charity Classic Basketball Game:

Rajon Rondo will host the ”Boston Charity Classic” this Saturday at 6pm ET, with proceeds benefitting local Boston charities providing holiday meals and support to families in the Boston area.

Scheduled participants in the game include Rondo, Paul Pierce, Glen Davis, Marquis Daniels, Josh Smith, Kendrick Perkins, Rudy Gay, Leon Powe, Jeff Green, Kevin Durant, JaJuan Johnson, Jeremy Lin and Kyle Lowry among others.

Tickets will be available to the public on Tuesday, November 15th and can be purchased through the Harvard Athletics Box office either in person or via phone (65 North Harvard St. Boston, MA 02163 – 617.495.2211). Box office hours are 9:00am-5:00pm, Monday through Friday. Tickets are $50 for general admission, $100 for courtside seating, and parking is $10 at the arena.

Ed Portal expands into expiring space

Seems strange that Harvard is spending money to renovate a building that is supposed to be demolished in a couple years to build graduate student housing in Barry's Corner.

Ed Portal Builds New Annex | News | The Harvard Crimson:

Today's Callie Crossley Show

The Callie Crossley Show today featured an interview with two Harvard professors who would like to see researchers at Harvard and other Boston-area universities focus more of their research on issues directly relevant to the city.

"We kick off WGBH's "Where We Live" series with the city-university connection. Boston is home to some of the world's best research institutions and leading experts on urban issues such as poverty and crime. Though Boston is the perfect place to study societal issues, the city's scholars usually go outside greater Boston—opting to study cities like Lagos or Los Angeles. A new initiative out of Harvard University's Radcliffe Institute is aiming to change this. The goal is to have our universities collaborate with city officials to examine how the city works, how it fails, and the policy changes that can make this a better place to live."

Harvard School of Public Health Ponders Allston

If Harvard is still considering which schools might occupy the Science Complex on Western Ave, it will be many years before those decisions will be made, the planning completed, the buildings redesigned, and construction resumed.

School of Public Health Looks to Expand in Allston | News | The Harvard Crimson

With the recent approval of the Harvard Allston Work Team’s recommendations for Allston, the School of Public Health may now have a renewed hope for moving to the site of the formerly-planned Allston Science Complex....

Just as when Bloom was dean, those who work at the School of Public Health are divided on the possibility of moving to Allston.

But moving into Allston is not without its complications. The School of Public Health has had a presence in Longwood since 1913 and its own building in the area since 1923, a history that faculty members say complicates the possibility of moving.

Dockery says that, over the years, the School of Public Health has also developed “very strong connections” with the neighboring Medical School.

“I think we’re torn,” he says.

Professor Alberto Ascherio expressed a similar opinion in an email.

“Because of our close connections with the Harvard Medical School, I would prefer to remain in the medical area,” Ascherio wrote.

Kudos to Ray for the Well-Deserved Honor

Allston Park Renamed After Resident | News | The Harvard Crimson

Farm the Yard (or Allston)

Bill McKibben, a Harvard alum and founder of the climate change advocacy organization 350.org, revives the idea of having Harvard students do some agricultural labor.

Farm the Yard | Harvard Magazine Sep-Oct 2011: "If college is about supplying what’s missing, then it’s time to dig up a good chunk of the Yard and plant a garden."

While it is hard to envision more than a small "demonstration garden" in Harvard Yard, the Allston Farm is one of many interesting ideas for Harvard's underutilized land that is still waiting to come to life. Most of the field behind the Honan Library is now being put to good use as Library Park, but there is still a decent sized strip of field fenced off and unused along the park's north side. Or maybe it could go next to the Business School in a few years when Harvard tears down the old Charlesview.

If Harvard's brains thought more about Boston

Nice column in the Globe about how Harvard and other Boston-area universities might take more interest in what is happening here in their backyard.

Why don’t Boston’s great professors study Boston? - Ideas - The Boston Globe

“If you had 2 to 3 percent of the Harvard faculty being involved in Boston,” said Winship, “that would be a sea change.”

David Manfredi plans Kendall Sq

Harvard is bringing David Manfredi to Allston to plan Barry's Corner, which makes it interesting to look at his ideas for nearby Kendall Square (starts at slide 13).

The goals he identifies are:

• create places that expand the public realm and become a “common ground”

• respect the historic grid and scale of streets

• make more and better connections between community, commercial and academic land uses

• provide building opportunities for innovation tenants

• contribute to an integrated mix of uses in the district

• establish a prominent, welcoming new gateway to the Institute (MIT)

Crimson writes about the past and future of Barry's Corner

After Troubled Past, Barry's Corner in Allston Poised for Development | News | The Harvard Crimson:

Glavin going to Somerville

Somerville lures top Boston staffer for planning post - Somerville - Your Town - Boston.com

"Somerville is home to some of the most exciting urban development zones anywhere," Glavin said in a statement. "The city is ideally located within the Boston metropolitan marketplace and, with the Orange and Green lines on the near horizon, it has the opportunity to be a national model for how dynamic a city can be."

Biking For Everyone workshop - October 4

Glavin leaving the BRA

Four years ago Michael Glavin became the Boston Redevelopment Authority's Deputy Director for Institutional Development. Last night he announced that he is leaving the BRA in October. No information was provided as to who would replace him as Harvard accelerates its activity in Allston.

Crimson story on last night's Task Force meeting

Allston Residents Dissatisfied with City's Role in Planning | News | The Harvard Crimson

"Members said that the BRA has underrepresented the community and left them lost about whom to turn to for community support.

“It’s always been to me about how businesses, institutions, and the city can work together to make a better neighborhood,” Houghton said. “I don’t have any convincing feel that this process does that at all.”

Ray Mellone, chair of the task force, echoed Houghton’s sentiments.

“I cannot see how we can do our job of reporting to the community without any control over the situation,” Mellone said.

Google invests in the new Charlesview

Affordable housing investment in Allston clicks for Google - Business - The Boston Globe:

“We want to be responsible corporate citizens, and that’s what drove us to invest, but the returns are also quite good considering the risk,’’ said Axel Martinez, an assistant treasurer for Google. “Charlesview is one of the places where we were able to add value, when in the past projects like that wouldn’t have gotten done.’’

MassHousing is providing a series of loans for the Charlesview project, along with $72 million in financing from Harvard University and the $28 million from Google, which stepped up its investments in low-income housing in 2010, when the prices of tax credits were between 60 and 70 cents on the dollar."

Boston Public Schools MCAS results

Boston.com has the newly-release MCAS results for all Boston schools here.

What kind of Barry's Corner does Harvard want?

Harvard gets mixed grades - BostonHerald.com

Allston neighbors worried that their concerns would be steamrolled as Harvard University announced plans to jumpstart its campus expansion yesterday, but others were happy to hear that work on the $1 billion health and life science center and other projects was getting started again."

Harvard schedules construction on Allston campus - The Boston Globe: 

Harvard officials did not disclose any details about the cost, size, or scope of the project at Barry’s Corner, apparently sensitive that discussing any such components would trump the public process and upset neighbors.
Allston resident Harry Mattison said he is concerned the development will house too many graduate students and not enough families, young professionals, and older residents.

“Is this going to be about making a neighborhood for all walks of life, or is it 150 beds for men and women in their early 20s who have a better idea of what’s fun to do at 2 in the morning,’’ Mattison said. “We want a real sense of place where there’s activity so people will say on a Sunday, ‘Let’s go down to Barry’s Corner and walk around for awhile.’ ’’

Harvard has said only that the complex will include rental housing for “Harvard graduate students, visiting scholars, faculty members, and others’’ and that it will be combined with “retail facilities and amenities’’ for the neighborhood.

Harvard Crimson writes that Allston Residents Feel Disconnected

Allston Residents Feel Disconnected | News | The Harvard Crimson:

"...But Allston residents say these initiatives are not enough. They complain that direct communication with Harvard has never existed, even before McCluskey’s departure, and they criticize the University for not working side-by-side with community members."

Harvard ready for Tata Hall approval - Not ready to respond to the public

At the BRA Board meeting tomorrow afternoon, Harvard will be seeking (and I expect will be given) final approval by the BRA to proceed with the $100 million Tata Hall building at its business school.

During the BRA's comment period for this project that ended last week, comment letters were submitted that were generally supportive of the project and at the same time suggested how the project could be improved, how Harvard could mitigate the project's impacts and make good on past promises, and requested reasonable information about its impacts. See page 2 in this document for a letter from the Charles River Watershed Association, page 5 for one from Cathi Campbell on behalf of the State-appointed Citizens Advisory Committee, page 16 for one by John McQueen, and page 20 for one from the Allston neighbors who serve on the Harvard Allston Task Force.

Harvard, in this letter, responded to some questions that various public agencies asked about the project. However, the letters mentioned above got no response, just this:

"In addition, at the close of the public comment period the BRA received several comment
letters, including one from the Harvard‐Allston Task Force. These letters included a number of
suggested mitigation measures and community benefits and these letters are currently being
reviewed by the Harvard team."

What's the point of asking for public comments if Harvard chooses not to respond to them and the BRA doesn't do anything about it?

Crimson editorial ponders Harvard's future in Allston

The Future of Allston | Opinion | The Harvard Crimson:

Now that the brightest of the brightest (Harvard's Allston Work Team) have had their say, how much more research is needed? Will the University undertake significant construction in Allston in the near future? Or is now just not the right time, financially, for the University to commit to further building?

It has been nearly three years since the demise of the original Science Complex plan. What is the future of Allston?

The Crimson notices Harvard's slowing Allston Farmers Market

Probably more a symptom of how little Harvard has happening in Barry's Corner more than a reflection on the farmers market itself. The opening this fall of Stone Hearth Pizza and the Swiss Bakers will bring a little more life to the area, but it really needs a lot more than that to become any kind of destination.

Allston Farmers' Market Struggles | News | The Harvard Crimson:

"Carrying plastic bags stuffed with produce, a shopper at the Harvard Allston Farmers’ Market reflected on the state of the University-created outdoor market: “They’re starting to lose people out there, aren’t they?”

Local farmers and community members have echoed this shopper’s off-hand remark.

They say that unlike the bustling Harvard Farmers’ Market outside the Science Center, the Allston market—envisioned as part of the University’s outreach into the Allston community—has had trouble attracting customers and vendors."

Slow cleanup from Irene on Lincoln St

10 days since the storm and as of this morning there were still lines down at the intersection of Lincoln and Royal.

Harvard Magazine on Harvard expansion

A couple stories about Allston in the new edition of Harvard's alumni magazine. Nothing that qualifies as "breaking news", but there are some interesting insights into Harvard's approach.

http://harvardmagazine.com/2011/09/building-and-buying-a-campus

http://harvardmagazine.com/2011/08/rethinking-allston

But back in Cambridge, there was trouble with the neighbors, as Zeckhauser anticipated. The 259,000-square-foot Center for Government and International Studies, for which planning began in 1995, was not completed until 2005; it had to be completely redesigned more than once to appease community concerns, more than quadrupling its price to a reported $140 million.

The first acquisition [in Allston], of a Sears warehouse site, was completed in 1989. Harvard’s Allston holdings grew from 140 acres in 1994 to 354 today,

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, Prince Charles, a speaker at the University’s 350th celebration, noted in a symposium on urbanization that American universities had been very successful in contributing to the health of their host cities, something he hoped might be transplanted to England. Now, with plenty of space to expand and new plans for business and academic development in Allston, Harvard can hope that the prince’s observations about American universities will come true on its own patch of real estate, across the river.

Construction of housing for Harvard faculty and graduate students near Barry’s Corner is expected to provide swing space for graduate students displaced by the impending undergraduate House renovations.

Little visible Stone Hearth progress

It has been 4 months since renovation started at the former CITGO station. This morning at 9am there wasn't any visible activity at the site and, while there may be great progress being made inside, the exterior is far from ready for a grand opening.

Police investigate shooting near Harvard Business School - The Boston Globe

Police investigate shooting near Harvard Business School - The Boston Globe

Federal $ coming to upgrade Comm Ave

$6.1m US grants for Commonwealth Ave. upgrade, 11 other state road projects - Boston.com

"A plan to make upgrades along 1.5-mile stretch of Commonwealth Avenue between Packard’s Corner and Kenmore Square was one of a dozen state transportation projects that have received a combined $6.1-million in federal grant funding, officials announced Wednesday.

The state’s transportation department received $1 million – the second-largest of the 12 grants awarded to Massachusetts – to pay for resurfacing a section of Commonwealth Avenue, primarily between Alcorn Street and Kenmore Square. The funding will also go toward reconstructing sidewalks, upgrading traffic signals and making other safety improvements along that stretch of roadway"