Tonight at 5:30 A Bug's Life is being shown at the Ed Portal (175 North Harvard St)
Multi-million dollar Harvard purchase on Western Ave
Harvard purchased 1340 Soldiers Field Road (also known as 441-443 Western Ave), a rather uninteresting one-story brick commercial building on 3/4 of an acre. Assessed by the City for more than $2 million, this property (show with a blue outline in the map) completes a huge block of contiguous properties for Harvard on the north side of Western Ave with a view of the Charles River.
Keeping with past practices, Harvard created a temporary corporation "441 LLC" to acquire the property for $1 and then quickly merged it with Harvard Real Estate Allston Inc.
Everett St "house" for sale
There isn't much house left here, but it is nice to see that 205 Everett St is up for sale. I wrote about this property in October 2007, and since then it looks like the current owner has done absolutely nothing to maintain the property. The weeds are high, the trash on the sidewalk is thick, windows have been left open year round, and we can only hope that someone will buy this property and improve it.
Its current condition is a disgrace. It is a visible property at the corner of Everett and Holton and the house has some history, as described by Bill Marchione on the BAHS website:
In 1836, Abel Rice, a cousin of Edmund Rice, and a former Brighton Center schoolmaster, purchased eight acres of land near the intersection of Everett and Holton Streets. Here the farmer/ schoolmaster constructed a Greek revival-style residence, with an ell for schoolrooms, a structure which still stands at 205 Everett Street. Rice devoted his North Allston acreage to the cultivation of strawberries. He is said to have introduced the very first strawberries to the Boston market.
Allston Civic Association meeting agenda for Wednesday, Aug 20
This month's meeting is Wednesday Aug 20th 6:30P.M. at the Honan Library
- Harvard University - relocation of the firefighter training facility to Holton St. & night football game in September
- Taqueria Carpizal - 254 Brighton Ave. - Transfer of B & W license from local restaurant.
- Blanchards Liquors - 103 Harvard Ave. - Expansion of premises
- David Tayeh - 1217A Comm Ave - Smoking Bar proposal
Allston: From lamentable to lovable
A BU student's experience living on Ashford St really isn't representative of life in many other parts of Allston, but it is nice that she grew to love that corner of the neighborhood.
Allston: From lamentable to lovable - The Boston Globe
Allston: From lamentable to lovable - The Boston Globe
News reports on Harvard's toxic gas release in Allston
Toxic Release Prompts Allston Residents To Question Risks of Harvard Construction
www.thecrimson.com
A toxic chemical was inadvertently released into the air during a Harvard construction project earlier this month, prompting Allston residents at a special meeting called by the University Monday night to express concern over future health risks as construction continues.
Styrene leak sets off outrage at contractor, Harvard
www.wickedlocal.com/allston
City officials, neighbors and local legislators were outraged when a contractor hired by Harvard University exposed Allston residents to a chemical causing negative health effects.
www.thecrimson.com
A toxic chemical was inadvertently released into the air during a Harvard construction project earlier this month, prompting Allston residents at a special meeting called by the University Monday night to express concern over future health risks as construction continues.
Styrene leak sets off outrage at contractor, Harvard
www.wickedlocal.com/allston
City officials, neighbors and local legislators were outraged when a contractor hired by Harvard University exposed Allston residents to a chemical causing negative health effects.
Unintended consequences of housing developments
These stories consider the effects of Section 8 housing vouchers that subsidize rents for low-income people to move into neighborhoods more expensive than they could afford without the federal subsidy. While this type of relocation is not what is being proposed for the residents of Charlesview, some of the issues are relevant as we think about an enlarged Charlesview moving from its current isolated current location into close proximity with an existing neighborhood.
The concept of unintended consequences applies to any new housing being proposed, such as the several hundred units of student housing proposed by Harvard near the Windom Street neighborhood. We should think about not only the people who will live in the new housing but also how the new housing will affect the existing community. Especially when there will be significant differences between the new and existing residences. Whether these differences are age (student housing) or economic (Charlesview) they should be considered carefully and be informed by precedents elsewhere.
There are also plenty of examples of housing voucher programs and people with these vouchers that have been successful. Just like there are low-income housing projects that thrive and others that resemble a scene from the TV show "The Wire". Why do some succeed while others fail? Or, more fundamentally, how should "success" be defined?
This is about more than the current residents of Charlesview, many of whom will not live there in 5, 10, or 20 years. It is about how we design, build, maintain, and sustain our society for our collective benefit.
As Program Moves Poor to Suburbs, Tensions Follow - The New York Times
American Murder Mystery - The Atlantic
Natomas crime wave raises question about low-income housing - The Sacramento Bee
The concept of unintended consequences applies to any new housing being proposed, such as the several hundred units of student housing proposed by Harvard near the Windom Street neighborhood. We should think about not only the people who will live in the new housing but also how the new housing will affect the existing community. Especially when there will be significant differences between the new and existing residences. Whether these differences are age (student housing) or economic (Charlesview) they should be considered carefully and be informed by precedents elsewhere.
There are also plenty of examples of housing voucher programs and people with these vouchers that have been successful. Just like there are low-income housing projects that thrive and others that resemble a scene from the TV show "The Wire". Why do some succeed while others fail? Or, more fundamentally, how should "success" be defined?
This is about more than the current residents of Charlesview, many of whom will not live there in 5, 10, or 20 years. It is about how we design, build, maintain, and sustain our society for our collective benefit.
As Program Moves Poor to Suburbs, Tensions Follow - The New York Times
American Murder Mystery - The Atlantic
Natomas crime wave raises question about low-income housing - The Sacramento Bee
'Traffic,' by Tom Vanderbilt
Traffic is a frequent topic of conversation in A/B, especially when Harvard, BC, Lowe's, and others are seeking to expand here. This new book offers some new ideas, challenges some conventional wisdom, and offers a glimpse at traffic jams across the centuries.
Book Review - 'Traffic,' by Tom Vanderbilt - Review - NYTimes.com
Book Review - 'Traffic,' by Tom Vanderbilt - Review - NYTimes.com
...People are driving to do things they once did at home or down the block. “It is not just that American households have more cars,” he writes, “it is that they are finding new places to take them.” They’re going someplace to eat. They’re driving to Whole Foods because they don’t like the produce at their neighborhood supermarket. They’re going out to get coffee.
Traffic does not yield to simple, appealing solutions. Adding lanes or roads is a short-lived fix. Widen one highway, and drivers from another will defect. Soon that road is worse than it was before. The most effective, least popular solution — aside from the currently effective, unpopular solution of $5-a-gallon gasoline — is congestion pricing: charging extra to use roads during rush hours
Meeting tonight - Chemical release at Harvard construction site
According to a flyer distributed to residents near the construction site, there will be a meeting tonight at 6 at the former WGBH building at 114 Western Ave for neighbors to learn more about the unauthorized chemical release on August 1 that occurred during construction of Harvard's Science Complex.
More info is available at the ABNNF Google Group.
More info is available at the ABNNF Google Group.
Bike lanes for bikes
There has been a lot of hoopla about the new bike lanes on the 3/4 of a mile of Comm Ave between Allston and Kenmore Sq and they are a welcome addition to the city. Now it looks like we need some traffic enforcement. Predictability is one of the most important factors for safe roads for both drivers and bicyclists to be able to anticipate what will happen on the road. Cars parked in the bike lane force the bikes to swerve in and out of traffic - a situation that could be more dangerous than having no bike lane at all. So hopefully drivers will learn - with help from some parking tickets, if needed - that bike lanes are for bikes, not cars.
Neighbors spruce up Everett Street
The TAB describes the ABNNF's Everett St planting in a story featuring my son Levi.
Neighbors spruce up Everett Street with greenery - Allston/Brighton TAB
Neighbors spruce up Everett Street with greenery - Allston/Brighton TAB
Harvard Allston Task Force - no meeting tonight
There has been some confusion about this month's schedule for Harvard Allston Task Force meetings. A schedule was announced in June with meetings on August 6 and August 20. However, an email sent Monday lists the only August meeting on August 13. There is also a Library Park meeting tomorrow night - see Monday's email for details.
Write the TAB to support housing for all in A/B
The opinion piece by Allston resident David McNair in this week's TAB explains what many people believe to be one of the most important issues relating to the proposed Charlesview expansion and relocation. David writes about the benefits and precedents for a true mixed income development. This is this the opposite of what Charlesview proposed - they want to put exclusively low-income housing at the KMart site and all of the project's market-rate condos along the river.
Overwhelming evidence has shown that a real, integrated development, with people of diverse incomes living side-by-side, is best for the people living in the development and the people living around it.
"Mixed-Income Housing: Myth and Fact" published by the Urban Land Institute, tells us that:
Charlesview, the City, and Harvard need to hear from the Allston and Brighton community that we understand the benefits and importance of an inclusive, integrated development and the benefits of mixed-income development.
Please write to the Editor of the TAB at allston-brighton@cnc.com to support a mixed-income Charlesview.
Charlesview plans should promote economic diversity in housing - Allston/Brighton TAB
Overwhelming evidence has shown that a real, integrated development, with people of diverse incomes living side-by-side, is best for the people living in the development and the people living around it.
"Mixed-Income Housing: Myth and Fact" published by the Urban Land Institute, tells us that:
"Mixed-income housing has been recognized as a means to leverage market forces to provide a secure, high-quality, well-maintained living environment while increasing affordable housing options for lower- and moderate-income households. As a result, mixing incomes has become a popular way to supply affordable housing options, increase absorption in large planned developments, revitalize urban neighborhoods, and decrease the concentration of poverty in publicly assisted housing. When located close to job centers and services, mixed-income housing provides more than just another housing product—it also activates smart growth principles by reducing travel times and congestion."Mixed-Income Housing Developments: Promise and Reality, published by the Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, recognizes that "mixed-income housing is not a silver bullet" but also concludes that
In the face of strong evidence like this, it is hard to understand why Charlesview and Harvard favor an economically-segregated development."History has shown that concentrating large numbers of very poor households in one area is a destructive policy that is to be avoided at all costs."
Charlesview, the City, and Harvard need to hear from the Allston and Brighton community that we understand the benefits and importance of an inclusive, integrated development and the benefits of mixed-income development.
Please write to the Editor of the TAB at allston-brighton@cnc.com to support a mixed-income Charlesview.
Charlesview plans should promote economic diversity in housing - Allston/Brighton TAB
New at the Honan Library
This great map from 1925 on the floor in front of the main desk shows the neighborhood around the library as it used to be. You can also see the map here on the Brighton Allston Historical Society website but it is worth a trip to the library to see it printed in this large format.
ABNNF meets tonight
We will meet at 6:30 at the Resource Center (367 Western Avenue) for our August meeting
- Our framework for the Charlesview relocation--we have presented our ideas to the BRA, and now we need to strategize how to build support for them.
- Community Needs Assessment survey: Harvard's consultant group, Copernicus, is almost ready to launch this extensive survey of Allston/Brighton residents and their needs in the areas of education, healthcare, housing, open space/public realm, and transportation. Results of this survey will weigh heavily on the "master plan for community benefits" associated with Harvard's campus master plan, and it would be useful for us to reach some consensus on how to respond to it.
- Our framework for the Charlesview relocation--we have presented our ideas to the BRA, and now we need to strategize how to build support for them.
- Community Needs Assessment survey: Harvard's consultant group, Copernicus, is almost ready to launch this extensive survey of Allston/Brighton residents and their needs in the areas of education, healthcare, housing, open space/public realm, and transportation. Results of this survey will weigh heavily on the "master plan for community benefits" associated with Harvard's campus master plan, and it would be useful for us to reach some consensus on how to respond to it.
How's the water?
The story in today's NY Times brings to mind the rather sorry state of outdoor swimming in Allston. The nearby DCR pool at Magazine Beach in Cambridge gets 5 stars, but on this side of the river the options are either the Reilly Memorial Swimming Pool (355 Chestnut Hill Ave) in the southwest corner of the neighborhood or the one hard alongside the Mass Pike, Soldiers Field Rd, and North Beacon St shown in the photo to the right.This pool might have been quite nice before the Pike was built, and it is too bad that the mitigation for the Pike's construction (if there was any) didn't include relocating the pool to somewhere else. In its current location, you can just about feel the car and truck exhaust wafting down the hill from the Pike to the pool. Getting there by bike or foot is just about impossible. And the building doesn't seem to have been renovated since its construction (probably in the 1930s or 40s based on its architecture and condition).
The existing pool and building doesn't use that much land - at 100x300 feet it is less than 3/4 of an acre. Even still, I don't expect a new pool, useful for only 3 months of the year, to be at the top of anyone's list during the Community-Wide Planning of A/B North or any other planning exercise. But it also can't be that expensive to dig a hole and build a small, one-story bath house. While a swimmable Charles River may still be years away, a new, clean, attractive pool accessible by car, foot, and bicycle is worth considering.
Discovering the Cool Pleasure of New York City Pools - NYTimes.com
Lose the chain-link
People in Somerville are literally taking down barriers and enjoying the improved appearance of yards without chain link fences.Neighbors lose the chain-link and reconnect the community - The Boston Globe
We've made many improvements to the Lincoln Street Green Strip this summer (and more are still to come). Removing and lowering the old chain link fence was one of the simplest things and one that I think has make a very positive difference.
Please join us for Everett St planting on Saturday and Sunday
Here are just a few of the many trees and other plants that we have for our Everett St planting days this weekend. 9 to Noon both days - refreshments and tools will be provided. The more the merrier!
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