"Ultimately, Harvard has no institutional obligation to prioritize the development of a community over the actualization of its private goals. However, it does have a social obligation to act as a constructive member of the community and do as little inadvertent harm as possible to Allstonians in the pursuit of its objectives."
But last week, days after published reports implicated the co-captains of the basketball team in a widespread academic cheating scandal that may involve dozens of varsity athletes, the mood at Harvard had shifted...The news could reignite a contentious decades-old debate about athletes and academic integrity in the Ivy League...Harvard’s senior basketball co-captains, Kyle Casey and Brandyn Curry, have taken leaves of absences for the 2012-13 year, according to two Harvard officials briefed on the situation.Will this news dampen Harvard's enthusiasm to build a new basketball arena in Allston? If there is going to be a period of introspection at Harvard about the role of athletics, it would be a bit awkward to at the same time be also committing tens of millions of dollars on the construction of a new arena.
Railroad draws new business to Hopedale, MA
"Daly Field is currently operated by the state Department of Conservation and Recreation, which has neglected it amid uncertain funding. But that’s no reason to write it off. Daly Field is still a valuable state asset with great potential. Under no circumstances should hours of use be dominated by a private college. And hours devoted to public use, for that matter, shouldn’t be monopolized by residents of a single neighborhood.
State environmental groups, including the Conservation Law Foundation and the Environmental League of Massachusetts, have urged lawmakers to reject the bill, but were ignored by the House and Senate. Governor Patrick shouldn’t make the same mistake."
Sitting and eating was mentioned frequently and that is fine, but if Barry's Corner is going to be a real center of community activity then it needs to bring people together to do more than have a sandwich on a bench.
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."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."
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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. |  |
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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.Full details at http://assets.bizjournals.com/boston/news/New-Balance-Brighton-Plan.pdf
The project includes about 65,000 square feet of restaurant, retail and service space spread among the buildings.
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.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.
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"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?
“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.
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.”
The former site of the Boston Herald for more than 50 years, at 300 Harrison Ave., is 6.22 acres. |
| From the Boston Herald |
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.
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.
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.
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
"The Gardner Pilot Academy in Boston, Massachusetts, also established an English language program for its students’ families that now serves 100 families. Thereare five levels of classes, ranging from Basic Beginner to Advanced, offered on weekday evenings to accommodate the schedules of working adults. Classes arefree 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"
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.’’
"...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."
"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."
