Allston Brighton Community Blog

Will Allston be Florida or New York?

For the foreseeable future, Allston will be neither, but this month’s installment of New Yorker Currents raises important issues about green architecture and green commuting. Someday, if Harvard ever brings back its ideas to bring 10,000 additional people to North Allston every day, this question will deserve careful consideration.

During the review of Harvard's Allston Science complex, the topic of how people get to work got some hand-waving about bikes and shuttle buses, but with the exception of North Harvard Street bike lanes we've never seen much action or specific planning about improving the "roots of the city" on a magnitude needed to handle this massive increase in demand.

Currents: Richard Cook on Sustainable Architecture : The New Yorker

Paul Goldberger, The New Yorker’s architecture critic, spoke with Richard Cook, a partner in Cook+Fox Architects and the designer of the new Bank of America Tower, a Manhattan skyscraper, completed earlier this year, that is the largest building to receive a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum certification, the highest standard set by the U.S. Green Building Council.

23 minutes into the interview they talk about how people get to work and how transportation in cities allows for huge energy savings:

In an urban setting, the people who work in a building use 1/20th the energy and have 1/20th the carbon production because people use mass transit when compared to a suburban office setting.

The Bank of America tower is a 2.2 million sq ft tower without a single parking space in the building.

Hybrid cars are not the answer - mass transit is (a subway car in New York rush hour gets 540 passenger miles per gallon.

It's Park(ing) Day

If you are in the Harvard Ave / Brighton Ave neighborhood today, stop by to check out the conversion of this parking space into a green oasis

Silent Auction & Concert - Sunday @ Hill Church on N Harvard St

Another close State Senate election

State Senate - Middlesex, Suffolk & Essex - 2010 Primary Results - Massachusetts - Boston.com
No results yet from Chelsea, but in the meantime Sal DiDomenico is leading Tim Flaherty 6,288 to 6,118

After whetting city’s appetite, Harvard delivers a McDonald’s - The Boston Globe

Nice editorial in today's Globe, pretty well summing up the situation on Western Ave.

After whetting city’s appetite, Harvard delivers a McDonald’s - The Boston Globe

Vote today

Stop by your polling site and be a good citizen! Vote in today's primary election for several state offices today including State Senate, State Rep, State Auditor, and State Treasurer.

My comments on the Charlesview PDA Amendment

September 13, 2010

Jay Rourke
Boston Redevelopment Authority
One City Hall Square
Boston, MA 02201-1007

Mr. Rourke,

For years, the Chief Planners of the City of Boston and Harvard's Allston Development have supported multi-story new construction on Western Avenue as essential to the future of North Brighton and North Allston.

On May 27, 2009, Boston's Chief Planner Kairos Shen presented the North Allston / North Brighton Community Wide Plan (CWP) for future construction on Western Ave. For the site of the First Amendment to Charlesview Planned Development Area, Mr. Shen stated that new buildings should be 4-6 stories tall.
http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/pdf/PlanningPublications/North%20Allston-Brighton%20PowerPoint%20Presentation%205.27.09%20Module%20I-2-FINAL.pdf

The building proposed in the PDA Amendment is 1 story tall. Article 80 requires that a PDA "conforms to the plan for the district, subdistrict, or similar geographic area in which the Planned Development Area is located." Because the proposed 1 story building does not conform to the CWP, I oppose this Amendment to the PDA and it would be inappropriate for the BRA to approve it.

On June 10, 2009, Harvard's Allston Chief Planner Kathy Spiegelman recognized that land including the site of the First Amendment to Charlesview Planned Development Area presented "an opportunity for an existing urban neighborhood, city and an institution to comprehensively plan together for redevelopment of a significant portion of their neighborhood, city and land." Unfortunately, Harvard and the BRA chose to plan the PDA Amendment in a piecemeal, not comprehensive, approach. The planning for this amendment was also, unfortunately, done without including residents of the Allston/Brighton neighborhood.
http://www.bostonredevelopmentauthority.org/pdf/PlanningPublications/North%20Allston-Brighton%20Module1-Harvard%20response-final.pdf

Ms. Spiegelman also noted that "The densities and land uses presented [in the Kairos Shen May 27 plan] may not create enough value to support the amount of public infrastructure and open space represented in this alternative." Given that Harvard is now supporting new construction with a density much lower than the Kairos Shen May 27 plan, it creates grave doubt about Harvard's support for the development of the thriving community envisioned by Mr. Shen's CWP.

During the review of the Charlesview PDA in 2009, the BRA was well aware of the need to resolve the McDonald's site. Members of the Boston Civic Design Commission and Allston/Brighton residents attempted to integrate the planning for the Charlesview residences and the McDonald's site, but the BRA did not allow this discussion. That the BRA is now considering the McDonald's site in an amendment to the PDA, raises concerns that the BRA is segmenting the review and evading Article 80's requirements for a clear and predictable review "to protect and enhance urban design quality; to encourage the most appropriate use of land; to improve the overall quality of development...and to maintain and improve a healthy economy by augmenting the City's attractiveness as a place to live, to conduct business and to visit."

Sincerely,
Harry Mattison
28 Mansfield St
Allston 02134

--
To reach me by phone, please use my new Google Voice number: (774) 277-9678

"Productive year" brings Harvard endowment up $1.4B to $27.4B

With 1/2 of that $1.4B Harvard could finish the Science Complex on Western Ave...

Endowment Sees 11% Returns After Large Losses The Harvard Crimson

Harvard Fund Rises 11%, Trailing Wilshire Benchmark (Update1) - Bloomberg.com

Boston.com adds A/B site

Boston.com has just launched http://www.boston.com/yourtown/boston/allston_brighton/! Contribute a story idea, post an event, or start a discussion, and hopefully this site will become a great resource for our community.

Harvard claims Brighton Mills isn't sufficiently accessible

Proposal to Move McDonalds Still Upsets Allston Residents The Harvard Crimson

“The proposal will bring Charlesview residents closer to the day when they will enjoy new and improved housing,” wrote University spokeswoman Lauren M. Marshall in an e-mailed statement last month. She noted that moving McDonald’s is a preparatory step in the process of building the new Charlesview residence because it will make the new location more accessible.

Huh?

The new Charlesview location doesn't need any "preparatory" steps to become more accessible. This may sound good to the Crimson readers in Cambridge who don't know anything about the Brighton Mills Shopping Center, but it doesn't make much of any sense to those of us familiar with the reality there.

Brighton Mills and the future Charlesview site already has access from Western Ave (at 3 locations), Everett St, Holton St (2 locations), and Litchfield St. Harvard has abundant empty and under-utilized land in the immediate vicinity for construction activities and I can't imagine how a new McDonald's a few yards from its current location is a preparatory step for anything other than making sure that Western Ave continues to fall far short of its potential.

To the contrary, not building a new McDonald's at Brighton Mills would bring the Charlesview residents even closer to enjoying their new housing because there would not be McDonald's construction getting in the way of the Charlesview construction.

Brazilian Festival - Sunday @ Herter Park

"Eventually" Harvard will garden in Allston

They've been thinking about it for 3+ years, and someday it might actually happen.

http://www.boston.com/news/education/higher/articles/2010/09/07/student_gardens_provide_food_for_mind_body/?page=2

"Eventually, Harvard plans to plant a 1 acre garden across the river in Allston,
she said."

The Allston Village Street Fair is coming - Save the Date

Sunday, September 12 - More info at http://www.allstonvillagestreetfair.com/

Crimson suggests Allston reevaluation

The Year Ahead The Harvard Crimson

The indefinite postponement of the Allston Science Complex’s construction likewise merits reevaluation. If Harvard wishes to remain at the forefront of future research and innovation, it cannot hesitate to move forward, even in the close wake of economic adversity. Doing so is part of what it means to lead.

How much can change in 5 years

While doing some housecleaning I found a copy of this 8-page 11x14" mailing sent by Harvard to probably thousands of Allston and Brighton residents back in 2005. Before it ended up in the recycling bin, it seemed worthy of being preserved as a PDF for future reference and as a reminder for what was to have been.

Planners Chart Ideas For Harvard In Allston - 2005

Fixing the Charles River bridges

Great interview with Jackie Douglas from LivableStreets about their Better Bridges campaign which could bring great improvements to our quality of life in Allston and beyond.

On Biking: Fixing the Charles River bridges for bikers - Brookline - Your Town - Boston.com

Thanks to BU students

A big thank you to the Boston University students who volunteered last Saturday morning to help clean up the Everett St Slope!

It is always great to meet more neighbors who care about our community and are willing to give some time to help improve it.

Crimson story about Harvard's plan to sabotage the future of Western Ave

Allston Residents Concerned Over McDonald's Relocation - http://www.thecrimson.com/article/2010/8/21/western-mcdonalds-avenue-harvard/

"McDonald’s long-term lease guarantees the corporation’s property rights to its
Western Avenue location, according to [BRA spokesperson Jessica] Shumaker."

Dear Ms. Shumaker and anyone else using this "McDonald's Property Rights" rationale:

The City and Harvard could negotiate a reasonable price for the City to use its right of eminent domain to take the land needed for the extension of Telford Street. Maybe, in light of its impact on Allston and Brighton and its desire to help Western Ave someday gain the density needed to be a viable Main Street, Harvard would agree to allow the taking for $1 or 2.

McDonald's, as a tenant, would have no ability to veto this agreement between Harvard (the landowner) and the City. Maybe then McDonald's would be willing to continue doing business in their exisiting building and reconfigure their parking and drive-thru so it can remain a "fixture on Western Ave."

The Construction that Harvard hasn't stopped

BBJ takes a look at the Law School and Museum projects that continue at Harvard.

Education construction jobs a lesson in economy - Boston Business Journal

Endorsements in the State Senate race

Barrios endorses Flaherty for his former state Senate seat - Cambridge, Massachusetts - Cambridge Chronicle

Former state Sen. Jarrett Barrios is expected to announce his endorsement of Democratic state Senate candidate Tim Flaherty in the upcoming Sept. 14 primary.

Sal DiDomenico said his campaign has received the "progressive" endorsements of Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz (D-Boston), Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton), Sen. Patricia Jehlen (D-Somerville) and Rep. Carl Sciortino

Another idea for Harvard's empty A/B property

How about an "Allston Free Store"? Especially with many people about to move in and out of the neighborhood it would seem like there would be no shortage of people giving and taking.

In Brooklyn Store, Everything’s Always 100% Off - NYTimes.com

Upcoming zoning hearing

50 Gardner St - Change the legal occupancy from a one-family dwelling to a lodging house.
More info at http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

McDonald’s redevelopment rankles Allston-Brighton neighbors - BostonHerald.com

Story in today's Herald about Harvard's proposal for a new McDonald's at Brighton Mills.

The quotes from Harvard and the BRA manage to avoid the issue that concerns many neighbors and that contradicts years of Harvard/BRA/community planning - to create jobs and economic and civic life on Western Ave, new construction should be multi-story mixed-use buildings, not one-story detached buildings like the proposed new McDonald's.

http://bostonherald.com/business/general/view.bg?articleid=1274503&srvc=business&position=4

Support Habitat For Humanity - Warehouse Sale This Weekend

This Friday-Sunday Harvard Habitat for Humanity is holding a Community Warehouse Sale at Habitat's warehouse in Allston.

Warehouse Sale
224 Western Ave (former Verizon building across from Smith Field)
Allston, MA 02134

Glassware, dishware, household appliances, books, new and used designer clothing, refurbished computers, select furniture items
At least 40% off retail prices
Automatic 10% discount on purchases over $200 (excluding computers)

August 13-14: 10am-5pm
August 15: Noon-5pm
Proceeds benefit Harvard Habitat for Humanity

Maybe the Cambridge St overpass sidewalk will finally get fixed

Crumbling Allston Sidewalk Creating A Danger

http://wbztv.com/local/sidewalk.crumbling.allston.2.1855467.html

Harvard offers Brighton a new McDonald's - Meeting on Thursday

During the past several years, Harvard and the Boston Redevelopment Authority have explained to the residents of North Allston and North Brighton that our main street, Western Ave, needs new development much taller and denser that the one-story buildings that are currently on Western Ave.

Many residents, who support a future for our neighborhood that includes more jobs, more opportunities for small businesses, and an improved 21st century community, have supported these plans while also stressing the need for transportation improvements and respect for residents who live on or near Western Ave.

Harvard University also spoke in support of multi-story new development, most recently and specifically in this June 2009 presentation.

So how surprising that Harvard is now proposing to build a new, one-story, free-standing McDonald's fast food restaurant on Western Ave. Their proposal would demolish the existing Brighton Mills McD's and build a new one just a few yards closer to Petco.

Some modification to the existing McDonald's building or parking/drive-thru area is needed to conform with the Charlesview plans to build new housing at the KMart/OfficeMax site. But this does not need to block the development that our community needs to breath some new economic life into our neighborhood.

Interested in learning more? Please attend the community meeting on Thursday at 6:30pm at the Honan Library (300 North Harvard St).

Cyclist is killed by a car in Brighton

Please be careful out there on bike, foot, and car!

Cyclist is killed by a car in Brighton - The Boston Globe

Syracuse U. Supports the Rebirth of a City

While Harvard's Allston Work Team continues to search for a tenant to fill Harvard's vacant CITGO station, the Syracuse U. is helping build a stronger Syracuse , as described in today's NY Times.

Rebirth of a City - Opinionator Blog - NYTimes.com

Syracuse has been particularly attractive to people like Mr. Destito thanks to a forward-thinking coalition that includes Mayor Stephanie Miner; Nancy Cantor, the chancellor and president of Syracuse University; Joanie Mahoney, the executive of Onondaga County; and a mix of neighborhood groups and business associations. The university has bought empty industrial buildings and renovated them, using some of the space for programs and renting out the rest.

From "Syracuse as Anchor Institution"

Neighborhood and Cultural Entrepreneurship
The entrepreneurs who will drive economic growth and job creation through the 21st century increasingly will come from our cities, from groups whose talents have gone largely untapped. SU is catalyzing communities of experts locally, nationally, and globally to tap that talent, as evident in the following projects.
Enitiative
South Side Innovation Center
Near West Side Initiative
South Side Initiative

Deep Ellum in the NYT

Congrats to Union Square's Deep Ellum for making the New York Times "36 Hours in Boston"

Beer lovers, on the other hand, should head to Deep Ellum in Allston (477 Cambridge Street; 617-787-2337; deepellum-boston.com), an elegant pub with 28 taps that regularly rotate with Massachusetts breweries like Pretty Things Beer and Ale Project.

Upcoming zoning & licensing hearings

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

Bluestone Bistro - 1799 Commonwealth Avenue
Pizza Days, Inc. 111 Brighton Avenue
Darbar Restaurant - 130 North Beacon Street
157-171 Brighton Avenue
82 Academy Hill Road
50 Chestnut Hill Avenue
49-51 Cushman Road

Wednesday ABNNF meeting

ABNNF is getting together on Wednesday, August 3 at 7:00 to prepare for a couple upcoming meetings:

Harvard's August 5 "coffee hour" with Bill Purcell and Kathy Spiegelman (8-9am @ 175 North Harvard St)
The BRA's meeting about the Brighton Mills McDonald's on August 12 (6:30PM @ the Honan Library)

Our Wednesday meeting is at 102 Litchfield St, home of Tim and Jane McHale. Hope you can join us.

Kudos to PSF!

Brighton community center begins to take shape - The Boston Globe

RCN Internet down

Don't know how many people are affected, but RCN has confirmed an Internet outage in the area.

Maybe "complete" was a poor choice of words

Harvard University Allston Initiative - Construction Mitigation - Science Complex Project Updates

"The work required to pause the Harvard Allston Science Complex Project has been completed."

That sounds more accurate. Have a nice weekend!

Behnisch's Yale lab heals rifts with community

New Haven Lab Is an Architectural Experiment - WSJ.com

As the Journal notes, the Behnisch-designed $1 billion Allston Science Complex for Harvard is currently on hold (despite the construction management team describing it as "complete"), so in the meantime it is interesting to learn about this Behnisch-designed lab in New Haven that is "a quite visible attempt to heal longstanding physical and psychological rifts in the surrounding community."

It is not a co-developed structure, but it is a twist on the typical "university as owner and developer" model, as the 146,000-square-foot building was privately developed by Fusco Corp. and leased to Yale-New Haven Hospital and the privately owned building will contribute more than $1.1 million in taxes to New Haven.

And the WSJ story ends with a paragraph that could be another parallel to the situation on Western Ave.

Considering the site was a 25-foot hole in the ground for decades, the Park Street Clinical Laboratory is an entirely new and welcome experience for New Haven. "What had been a gash in the city is now a stepping stone," Mr. Svigals said. "It shows the hospital extending a hand to the community."

Harvard Completes the Science Complex!

At least according to http://www.allstonconstruction.harvard.edu/science/project-updates.html

What's in bloom on the Everett St Slope?

Sunflowers!

Thanks for the help pulling weeds yesterday and, for the sake of the plants, hopefully we will get more than a sprinkle of rain this morning.

Everett Street slope weeding & cleanup - Wednesday @ 6:00

The Everett Street Slope is looking much better, thanks to the efforts of neighbors who helped weed, water, and clean up earlier this month. Some of us will be meeting tomorrow (Wednesday) at 6:00 between Lincoln and Adamson streets to keep up the good work.

Hope you can join us.

Bike/Ped bridge underpasses on Cape Cod

Last month while on Cape Cod I had the pleasure of biking on the Cape Cod Rail Trail for the first time. It was clean, safe, beautiful, and welcoming to people walking, biking, and riding skateboards at speeds from 1 to 20 mph. Birds, rabbits, and turtles were on or near the path, adding nicely the connection with the natural world.

An enjoyable engineering feature was the underpasses that allowed travelers on the rail trail to continue their voyages without having to cross the busy roads above.

I have no idea how much money it cost to build these underpasses on Cape Cod, and I have no idea how much it would cost to add underpasses to the Charles River bridges that connect Allston and Cambridge and will soon get their once-in-a-lifetime reconstructions. But at the very least it seems reasonable to have a public and open discussion with MassDOT, DCR, and other interested parties about the cost, the design, and how underpasses might, or might not, improve the Anderson, Western Ave, and River Street bridges.

Globe story on Anderson bridge reconstruction

Bridge between Harvard Square and Allston could be reduced to three lanes - Cambridge - Your Town - Boston.com

Upcoming zoning hearings

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

8-6 Wiltshire Road, 135 Market Street, 2193-2201 Commonwealth Avenue, 60 Dunboy Street, 3-5 Duval Street

If you like sushi...

then I highly recommend a trip to Fish Market on Brighton Ave for lunch or dinner. My wife and I ate there soon after it opened a while back and thought it was good, but not great. We went there again this past weekend and were wowed by how great it was! Imaginative, fresh, beautiful, and delicious food, all at a reasonable price for sushi. The crazy eggplant maki, jalapeno twister, and crispy crab maki were some of our many favorites.

(They do not have a liquor license, so BYOB just like Pho Pasteur in the old days)

Upcoming zoning hearings

11 Sparhawk Street - Side Yard & Rear yard Insufficient
11A-11C Sparhawk Street - Lot Frontage, Front, Side Yard & Rear yard Insufficient
458-460 Western Avenue (Boyne Pub) - Erect a outdoor patio for seasonal seating for patrons.

MassDOT bridge meeting this afternoon

In case you might be downtown with a free hour this afternoon, MassDOT is hosting a meeting about the reconstruction of bridges including the 3 bridges that connect Allston and Cambridge.

More info at:
http://livablestreets.info/event/massdot-public-meeting-highway-dvision-district-6-bridge-projects

MassDOT Public Meeting for Highway Division District 6 Bridge Projects

Tuesday, July 13, 2010
4:00 - 5:30 PM
State Transportation Building
MBTA Conference Room
10 Park Plaza, Boston, MA 02116

Thanks for Lincoln St cleanup!

Thanks to the work crew whose efforts today made the Lincoln St Green Strip look much better!

Everett St weeding & clean-up - Tuesday @ 6

Thankfully we don't need to water the plants on the Everett St slope
this week (and I hope your basement was drier than mine on Saturday)
but it would be great to continue the weeding and general clean-up
that we've done the past couple weeks.

We will meet from 6-8pm on Tuesday between Adamson and Lincoln Streets
and hope you can join us.

Renewal

A nice story in today's Globe about the turn-around of Roslindale Square and reminder that concentrated physical improvements on Western Ave (possibly at the CITGO station @ surrounding properties today, Harvard's old Verizon warehouse in the near future, the current Charlesview site in a few years after its residents have moved...) and creative programming (like the free summer concerts in Roslindale's Adams Park) could make a big difference.

"Renewal can take place, even in the city’s neediest commercial areas. But only in finite steps."

Cheaper to lease than build the Science Complex

A large bio-tech company is going to expand in the Boston area. Should it join with Harvard to co-develop Harvard's Science Complex on Western Ave, or should it lease space in some buildings that are already built? Based on the data in this Globe story, it is a pretty easy choice.

Harvard's billion-dollar 589,000-square-foot complex was to be home to approximately 1,000 employees. Spending a billion to make lab space for 1,000 is $1M per person and $1,700 per square foot.

If Sanofi is leasing 112,000 square feet for $65M, that's $580 per square foot. (Globe story does not provide the length of the lease).

Now there are a whole bunch of assumptions and unknowns about both of these projects, but the conclusion seems valid. Finishing the Science Complex as previously designed will probably cost more like $650M than $65M. But in the current real-estate market, a "drug giant" need only spend the latter to achieve a major expansion.

Thinking about it this way supports my expectation that whatever Harvard and any partners will build on the Science Complex foundation will be much simpler and cheaper than what was previously designed. And leasing space in existing buildings will have to get much more expensive before it makes financial sense to build something new.

Another drug giant bringing jobs to Mass. - The Boston Globe

One of the world’s largest drug makers, Sanofi-Aventis SA, is planning a $65 million expansion in Cambridge that will create about 300 jobs...
Sanofi-Aventis has nearly 400 workers in Massachusetts, including 160 in Cambridge...
It has sublet 30,000 square feet of space elsewhere in Cambridge, but is now close to leasing 112,000 square feet at 640 Memorial Drive, an MIT-owned building aimed at life sciences companies, for the new division headquarters.

Reminder: Everett St tonight @ 6

It sure is hot this afternoon, but by 6pm the sun will be heading down and maybe the temp will be below 90. Join us on Everett St between Lincoln & Adamson to pull weeds, water, clean up, and help our neighborhood look better.

Happy Independence Day

Crowds line a Cambridge Street overpass to watch the fireworks.

More Everett St weeding & watering on Tuesday @ 6

A few neighbors made good progress on the Everett St slope earlier this week. Let's continue making the site look even better, especially considering that there is no rain forecast for the next several days and those plants need water to thrive and survive.

Please join us on Tuesday, July 6 from 6 to 8 on Everett between Adamson and Lincoln Streets to help beautify this part of our community. Neighbors of all ages are welcome to participate - kids who want to pick flowers are especially invited. Bringing work gloves is recommended.

Upcoming zoning hearings

95-97 Surry Street - Change the legal occupancy from a two-family dwelling to a
three-family dwelling

446 Washington Street - Create off street parking for two vehicles.

45 Radnor Road - Extend living space into the attic.

50 Turner Street - Create off street parking for six vehicles

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

BTU & BCU for safer Allston biking

This is a great story about the Boston Cyclists' Union collaborating with the Boston Transportation Department to make bicycling safer and more enjoyable in Allston. If you are one of the many cyclists who read this blog, please contact BCU to get involved.

City invites BCU to work on Allston road design solutions « Boston Cyclists Union

Getting to Four with Harvard

Getting to Yes, the famous book written by Harvard negotiation experts, is a classic on the subject of how to have productive and rewarding negotiations that lead to mutually acceptable agreements. More recently, another pair of Harvard profs wrote 3D Negotiation - a book that stresses the importance of the "setup":

"The setup ensures that the right parties have been approached, in the right sequence, to address the right interests, under the right expectations, at the right table or tables"

Thursday morning at 8:00 at the Ed Portal is the first walk-in coffee hour with Bill Purcell. This upcoming opportunity, which is mentioned in a Harvard Crimson story but seemingly not at http://allston.harvard.edu/ or http://www.evp.harvard.edu/allston-work-team, raises some questions about what interests should be discussed and what expectations are constructive to have at this point in the Harvard-Allston relationship.

For the past several years, many questions asked by residents of Allston and Brighton to various Harvard employees have been returned with some form of "I don't know" or "I'll have to get back to you on that." Most recently, questions about the Science Complex and the status and schedule of Harvard's Allston Work Team have received variations on that response. We hear these non-answers so often that, for some, it may be hard to believe. As the Crimson reported:

"University officials remained unable to present detailed updates on the future
of Harvard's campus across the river... University officials did not present a
timeline for moving forward with construction on the Science Complex"

Are there times when Harvard employees have information that they don't want to share? Maybe on some occasions the answer really is unknown and other times the answer is known but will not be shared, especially in a large public meeting with the media in attendance.

Perhaps it is helpful to categorize any question we might ask or subject we might attempt to raise on Thursday and in the future. Issues in categories 1, 2, and 3 are more likely to receive an "I don't know".

Category 1: The answer is not known, and even if it was known it would not be shared

Category 2: The answer is known, but Harvard considers it none of our business.

Category 3: The answer would be provided, but it doesn't exist.

Only when we get into category 4 might Harvard feel comfortable and confident enough to provide an answer or discuss a topic. So while Harvard might be delighted to talk about a "4" like the design of Library Park, trying to discuss Harvard's budget for Allston construction through 2015 (or 2025) seems like more like a dead-end "1".

This methodology, if it has any validity, is difficult to use because the Allston/Brighton public knows so little about Harvard's current state of planning and operations. Has Harvard really gone back to square one (or earlier) and thrown out all of the planning for the Science Complex and the rest of the Allston 50 year plan that we saw back in 2007? What are all those Harvard Deans discussing during their Allston meetings? Do they really have no schedule for their planning and deliberations?

If we could talk with Bill Purcell about Harvard's openness and certainty regarding various relevant to the Allston/Brighton community, and when and how they might move towards 4, that would seem like a pretty constructive way to spend a coffee hour.

Taste Allston for lunch today

From noon to 3 today is the annual Taste of Allston , a great chance to support local businesses and try the wide variety of food from around the world served by restaurants in the Allston Village district.
12-3 PM
Murr Center @ Harvard Athletic Complex, 65 North Harvard St

BRA finds Lowe's inadequate - Guest St planning to commence

Good for the BRA on this one!

Lowe's Brighton - Preliminary Adequacy Determination

Everett St ribbon-cutting on Monday

On Monday at 3:00 Mayor Menino will be in North Allston for a ribboncutting at the new Community Green Space at the intersection of Everett & Holton (alongside the German International School). The Charles River Watershed Association and Allston Brighton CDC have done a great job with this project and hopefully the green will keep spreading along Everett St in the years to come.

Allston Org Changes @ Harvard

Farewell to the ADG - the Allston Development Group and the University Planning Office are merging into a new department of Capital Planning and Project Management. A national search is underway for a VP to lead this new organization.

Harvard To Merge Allston Development Group and Univ. Planning Office | The Harvard Crimson

Everett Street flowers

Many interesting flowers are blooming all over the Everett Street slope (between Lincoln & Adamson Streets). The blue asters are particularly abundant and feel free to stop by to pick some if you'd like. Soon we will also have tons of Cosmos and other flowers opening as we move into the summer.

Harvard Allston Farmers Market opens today

One of Allston's seasonal treats is the Farmers Market in the Harvard parking lot at the corner of Western Ave and N. Harvard St, open Fridays from 3-7 pm.

Allston Civic Association meets tonight at Honan Library, 6:30

Inspectional Services Dept. - A representative from the city's I.S.D. will be on hand to discuss problems related to absentee landlords.
Harvard University: Presentation of Fall Football Schedule
Shabu Shabu, Brighton Ave. Request for extension of hours until 1:00A.M.
Night Star Deli, 59-63 Harvard Ave. Proposal for 24 hour convenience store

NOTE: Anyone who wishes to come early (6:00P.M.) to have a discussion about closing times for restaurants/convenience stores/bars and other late night businesses is welcome.

CSX Leaving Allston Next Year

Removing the easements will make it possible for Harvard to build new buildings on the CSX property, but until the Science Complex is completed it is hard to imagine Harvard starting construction of something else.

Much is riding on Worcester rail deal - The Boston Globe

A long-awaited, $100 million deal between the state and railroad giant CSX will move operations from the company’s sprawling rail yard in Allston to Central and Western Massachusetts and add at least seven train trips to the Worcester-Framingham commuter rail line in 2012.

CSX spokesman Robert Sullivan said Allston train operations would be shifted west by 2012. That clears the way for Harvard University to finally assume control of the site. Since 2001, the university has purchased around 140 acres in the area, said spokeswoman Lauren Marshall. After CSX leaves, the university will probably seek to remove easement restrictions, making construction of new university buildings possible.

A/B Parking Fines Going Up?

Boston Mayor Menino Wants Parking Tickets To Increase From $15 To $25 In Some Neighborhoods, Allston - wbztv.com

Boston's Mayor Menino wants to increase the fines for parking at expired meters and in no parking zones from $15 to $25.

This wouldn't apply to downtown zones, where fines are already more expensive, but to outlying neighborhoods like Allston/Brighton.

Upcoming zoning hearing

31 Matchett Street - Remove and replace roof, extend living space into the attic, erect two dormers and renovate.
http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

Transportation, safety, and other improvement opportunities near the Charles River

Almost 2 years ago, a Brighton resident wrote to the Boston Globe's GlobeWatch about the unsafe situation at "the congested, sprawling intersection at Leo M. Birmingham Parkway and Soldiers Field Road between the Arsenal Street Bridge and Western Avenue." A DCR spokeswoman told the Globe that "We're going to take a look at that intersection as soon as we can." I don't know if DCR has taken a look yet, but no improvements have been made.

With all the talk about bicycles, pedestrians, the environment, and creating more healthy lifestyles, here are a few videos showing some opportunities for improvements at that intersection and a couple other nearby locations.

Harvard slices, dices, but wait! There's more!

Bruce and Bob sum it up pretty well in their quotes below.

Task Force Meeting Presents No Clear Timeline for Allston Campus | The Harvard Crimson

But many residents agreed that the meeting was merely an "informercial," as Bruce Houghton, a task force member said during the meeting, which provoked a wave of laughs from the audience.

"We have a finite life, and Harvard does not. They can outlive us," said Robert W. Alexander, an Allston resident who worked part-time for Harvard before retiring in 2007. "They listen, they lend an ear, and they do nothing about it. It's very frustrating."

Chris Gordon leaving Allston (sort of)

Chris Gordon, who came to Harvard 4 years ago "ready to build" and became Harvard's most highly paid employee in 2007, resigned today from his position as the Chief Operating Officer for the Allston Development Group.

But in a resolution that strikes me as somewhat ironic, Chris will actually be spending more time in Allston in after he leaves his office in Cambridge's Holyoke Center where he, from a distance, oversaw Harvard's Allston planning and construction. His new job at Harvard will be teaching courses in real estate development at the Harvard Business School, which is located (of course) in Allston.

Leader in Harvard's Allston planning to step down - Local News Updates - MetroDesk - The Boston Globe

Harvard meeting tonight

There is a meeting tonight from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at the Honan-Allston Library with Harvard and the BRA, in case anyone is interested in what the future of our neighborhood might be.

Harvard University will provide an update on its activities in the North Allston area including: improvements to its existing properties, leasing efforts, community engagement and community benefits. Also, the university will discuss its plans for the interim conditions at the Science Complex and its efforts to find a successful approach to developing the property; the role of the university’s Work Team that is assessing the future needs of the university; the appointment of Bill Purcell as special advisor on Allston. Mr. Purcell will be attending this meeting.

Apartements proposed for Market/N Beacon

It will be interesting to see the design for this project. The squat, ugly building on the corner of Market & N. Beacon, surrounded with asphalt parking along the sidewalk, unfortunately limits the potential for this intersection. In any case, some nicely done housing and retail would be a big change from the Grossman's.

But as I've said before, it is hard to evaluate these ad hoc proposals, especially with other parcels nearby (like the gas station and UHaul across the street) that also seem like likely site for development in the near future. Contemplating the uses, design, and goals for this area would be a lot easier to do in a proactive and holistic manner instead of one development at a time.

Mixed-use project proposed for Brighton - Boston Business Journal

Brighton-based Hera Development has submitted plans to the BRA to replace the Grossman’s Bargain Outlet and Vocational Action Center with 20,400 square feet of commercial space; 122 apartments comprising 148,000 square feet; a 4,700-square-foot day care center; and 219 “below-level” parking spaces.

Recent local projects by Hera include:

1285 Beacon Street, Brookline – a 27,000+ SF two-level Class A retail building with two levels of underground parking in the heart of Coolidge Corner.

462-470 Washington Street, Brighton – a 18,000 SF, 2-level retail building with 30 parking spaces and a 8,600 SF, single-story retail building with 18 parking spaces.

It's BostonApartments.com day!

http://www.cityofboston.gov/cityclerk/hearing/upload_pdfs/docket_pdfs/065204252010.pdf

Quebec fires create unhealthy Boston air

In case you are wondering about any strange atmospheric conditions this afternoon

National Weather Service Watch Warning Advisory Summary

...AIR QUALITY ALERT IN EFFECT UNTIL 8 PM EDT THIS EVENING...

THE MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION HAS ISSUED
AN AIR QUALITY ACTION DAY FOR FINE PARTICULATES...IN EFFECT UNTIL
8 PM EDT THIS EVENING.

THE UNHEALTHY AIR QUALITY IS DUE TO THE SMOKE FROM WILD FIRES
BURNING IN QUEBEC INTO THE REGION TODAY. CONDITIONS ARE EXPECTED
TO IMPROVE TONIGHT AS THE WIND DIRECTION SHIFTS.

Artistic yard sale on Franklin St

Lots of interesting art and miscellaneous stuff on sale at the corner of Franklin and Holton

Tweed Ride on Monday at Herter Park

Facebook | Tweed Ride Spring

Date:	Monday, May 31, 2010
Time:	12:00pm - 5:00pm

Spring is here and it's time for another Tweed Ride! A ride for ladies and gentlemen of leisure through Boston and Cambridge.

To keep in line with the Memorial Day holiday, we will be ending the ride with a picnic most likely at Artesani Park in Brighton. Bring your own picnic baskets (utensils, dishes), dish to share and grill-ums.

Prizes donated by:
Cambridge Used Bikes

Prizes will be given for winners in the following categories:
1 - Most enviable vintage ride
2 - Best decorated helmet
3 - Best facial hair- man or woman
4 - Most graceful mount and dismount
5 - Best common bike kitted-out in tweed
6 - Best pooch accommodations
7 - Slowest pace

Allston in Harvard's Year in Review

A few good stories about Harvard and Allston as The Crimson wraps up its coverage before summer vacation.

A Tale of Two Worlds The Harvard Crimson - Harvard employees living in Allston experience two sides of a heated debate

“It’s easy for an individual to point fingers at a large institution without understanding the University’s perspective, but it may also be helpful for University planners to walk a mile in local shoes,” says one Allston employee who wished to remain anonymous to protect his relationship with his employer and neighbors.

But despite their more balanced perspectives, several Allston residents employed by Harvard say they were not immune to the disappointment following the University’s decision to halt construction on the Science Complex.
“They promised us the world, a utopia,” Robert Alexander says.

Reimagining Allston The Harvard Crimson - Co-developing the Allston campus may be a solution to financial constraints

At this point, all options are open, and Harvard has not decided what type of relationship it seeks or whether co-development should even happen, University Executive Vice President Katherine N. Lapp says.
“We’re not sure what will come our way as we start to talk to outside potential partners, so we don’t want to say we’re going to do one thing and foreclose a possibility somewhere else,” Lapp says.
Allston Neighborhood Coordinator Daniel Roan writes in an e-mail that the City of Boston would be “open” to the idea so long as it promotes “the development of well planned and financially sound development in Allston that expands economic opportunity, improves the quality of life for the neighborhood and increases housing choice.”

A Temporary Relief The Harvard Crimson - Allston construction pause forces Harvard School of Public Health to find short-term solutions

With the promise of an additional 450,000 square feet of space, Allston would have lifted much of the pressure imposed by overcrowding at the school, which hampered its ability to expand its teaching and research facilities.

“We are at capacity—I mean, you should see schedules,” says Nancy M. Kane, the school’s associate dean of educational programs. “It takes a computer doing advanced linear programming just to figure out when to schedule a class, and you’re always going to conflict with someone.” “It’s a nightmare,” Kane adds.

“We’re in a state of overcrowding that’s really not sustainable in the
long term,” Dean Julio Frenk says. Though plans are not finalized at this point, Frenk says school officials have identified potential space to be leased in Longwood.

Lowe's @ the BCDC

The BCDC agenda for Tuesday contains this report about the proposed Lowe's

BOSTON CIVIC DESIGN COMMISSION
Tuesday, June 1, 2010
BRA Board Room, Room 900, 9th floor, Boston City Hall

5:20 - 5:35 Report from Design Committee:
Lowe’s Project

Brookline to fine party animals

Could this work in Boston too?

Brookline OK’s law to fine partygoers - The Boston Globe

"the law in Brookline will allow police to levy a fine of $100 against party hosts and guests for the first incident and increase the fines up to $300 for subsequent violations. Landlords would also be fined and held liable unless they are actively working to evict tenants."

Tolman, DiDomenico oppose illegal immigrant legislation

But it passes 28-10

Senate vote hits illegal residents - The Boston Globe

"The sweeping provision, if it makes it into law, would toughen or expand rules that bar illegal immigrants from public health care, housing, and higher education benefits.

The amendment would also clear the way for courts, the state attorney general, and even average citizens to get new tools, including an anonymous hot line, to report illegal immigrants or companies that employ them to the government."

Remember when Harvard Law was heading to Allston?

At Harvard, Kagan’s Sights Were Aimed Higher - NYTimes.com

Among the most contentious issues then facing Harvard was how to expand beyond the confines of Cambridge. The university had been buying up property across the Charles River in the Boston neighborhood of Allston. When Mr. Summers’s predecessor, Neil L. Rudenstine, suggested that the law school move, the law faculty responded by voting against it, 37 to 1.
“It’s rare that anyone here agrees about anything,” Professor Steiker said, “but everyone agreed we didn’t want our campus moved across the river.”
But when Mr. Summers was installed as president in 2001, he put the Allston move back on the table. With the faculty up in arms, the longtime law school dean, Robert C. Clark, asked Ms. Kagan to head a study committee; he thought she had the potential to succeed him as dean and wanted to give her a leadership role. Ms. Kagan, who had just been granted tenure, would be wading into perhaps the most fractious issue at the university.
She seemed to have an instinctive feel for how to build a case that would work with Mr. Summers. “Her approach was to give a rational basis, instead of just an emotional one, for the faculty’s reaction,” Professor Clark said.
She hired a consultant, and persuaded the university to foot the bill, producing a 101-page strategic plan that considered everything from future growth to dormitory space to the intellectual benefits of remaining near the arts and sciences buildings. She made no explicit recommendation, but the study strongly suggested that Allston was far better suited to the biomedical sciences than the law school. The plan was soon dead, and Ms. Kagan gained folk hero status.

Retail resurgence in other Boston neighborhoods

With the notable exception of the beautiful expanded Mahoney's Garden Center on Western Ave, this "retail resurgence" in Fenway, Dorchester, Roxbury seems to be passing by Harvard's Allston & Brighton property.

Fenway, Roxbury projects signaling retail resurgence - The Boston Globe

“We see the economy is getting a little better this year and people are thinking about expansions, new locations, and new concepts,’’ Menino said

Charles River bridge letter by Allston & Cambridge neighborhood groups

At the April ABNNF meeting we discussed the reconstruction of the Western Ave and River St bridges with Steve Miller from LivableStreets, Renata von Tscharner of the Charles River Conservancy, and others. From that meeting, and conversations with our Allston and Cambridge neighbors, the letter below was recently sent to the leaders of our State's Transportation department.

Please share your comments below about how you'd like to see these bridges and the area around them improved.

Larry Harmon on PSF

Larry Harmon has this well-deserved tribute to the efforts of the Presentation School Foundation in today's Globe and their need to raise $275,000 by June 10.

An urban paradox in Oak Square - The Boston Globe

In a brutal economy that has crippled sophisticated nonprofit groups, a cadre of volunteers from an unpretentious neighborhood find themselves a foundation grant or two shy of pulling off a redevelopment deal that represents the best of urban life.

The Impact of Harvard's Allston Freeze

Report critical of colleges’ risk-taking - The Boston Globe

The study suggests that by taking on too much risk universities added to the economic troubles of their communities rather than helping shore them up. “Allston is the worst-case scenario in terms of the social cost,’’ Joshua Humphreys, a Harvard history lecturer said

Link to the report -
Educational Endowments and the Financial Crisis: Social Costs and Systemic Risks in the Shadow Banking System - which contains the following:

The sudden postponement of planned construction projects, most notably Harvard’s ambitious Allston Initiative, translates into lost jobs, broken promises, and diminished opportunities for community economic development. Based solely on potential earnings from the anticipated jobs that fail to materialize from the Allston delays, the report conservatively estimates that more than $860 million in expected economic activity will be lost over the next three years. Longer delays will deepen community economic losses.
Harvard’s Allston Initiative promised to transform the neighborhood and create unprecedented economic, recreational, and cultural opportunities. Harvard’s decision to suspend the initiative will have negative impacts on the neighborhood and throughout the region due to the loss or postponement of expected jobs, stalled economic development, and the on-going underutilization of land Harvard the university has aggressively acquired over the last two decades. The Allston delay has also created considerable uncertainty among residents and area businesses and further soured already strained relations with the community.
we estimate that a one-year delay in moving forward with the initial Phase 1A projects would result in lost direct earnings of more than $85 million and a total economic impact for the region of approximately $275 million. A two-year delay would result in lost short-term earnings estimated at more than $170 million, and a total economic impact of approximately $550 million. With a three-year delay, the figures increase to more than $270 million in lost earnings and a total regional economic impact of more than $860 million over the first three years. These impacts are driven solely by the forgone earnings of construction workers and permanent employees; they do not include the impacts of the lost procurement spending for construction materials and equipment that would have occurred in the region. Our estimates are therefore conservative in nature.
Harvard’s neighbors in Allston will pay the highest price for Harvard’s thwarted ambitions, in lost community development, shuttered businesses, and a desolate landscape of under-utilized property.

Goodbye nachos, Hello thin salty pizza

A 300+ seat pizzeria? Is there that much additional demand for 'za in Allston?

It’s game over for Sports Depot - BostonHerald.com

Allston’s Sports Depot is in its final inning after 22 years.

The Cambridge Street sports bar and restaurant will close to make way for a Regina Pizza.

Boston Restaurant Associates, owner of the brick-oven pizza chain that started in the North End in 1926, will spend about $1.5 million to open a 300-plus-seat pizzeria in the former train depot in September.

Upcoming zoning hearings

11-13 Rushmore Street - Remove existing first floor addition and erect second floor
addition.

45 Allston Street - Confirm the legal occupancy as a three-family dwelling and
extend living space into the basement.

1958-1960 Beacon Street - Increase seating capacity of restaurant from one hundred and ninety-five patrons to two hundred and forty patrons.

232-244 Fanueil Street - Allow four family residential building to be built on same lot as existing two-family dwelling.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

Cleaning up in Allston today

Hazmat release probed at Allston train yards - Local News Updates - MetroDesk - The Boston Globe

Tonight's Allston Civic Association agenda

Honan Allston Library, 6PM

33-47 Quint Ave. Proposal to create parking for church uses.
Sports Depot, Cambridge/Franklin Streets. License Transfer
Nile Lounge, 70 Brighton Ave. Proposal to add Wine and Malt license to Smoking Bar
Avenue Bar and Grille, Comm. Ave. Request to increase occupancy from 151 persons to 190.
Last 1/2 hour of the meeting to be spent on membership issues

Upcoming zoning hearings

50 Hobart Street - Extend living space into the basement of a two-family dwelling.

33 Wiltshire Road - Remove and replace the retaining wall.

72 Oakland Street - Demolish part of existing garage, change the legal occupancy
from a garage to a four family dwelling, erect a four family
residential building. Allow four family residential building to be built on same lot as existing two-family dwelling.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

Jerry McDermott goes to work for Sen. Brown

McDermott to run Brown’s Boston office - The Boston Globe

US Senator Scott Brown will announce today the hiring of former Boston city councilor Jerry McDermott as the new state director of his Boston office.

Neighborhood Potluck this Thursday - Please join us!

A Western Ave Cycletrack?

On Biking: a cycletrack coming to Cambridge and maybe Boston, too - Cambridge - Your Town - Boston.com

"Cambridge and Boston are both looking at potential cycletracks on Western Avenue that would combine to stretch from Central Square to Allston Village."

Vote in Tuesday's State Senate election

Tuesday is your chance to be one of the few voters to cast a ballot in the special election to fill the State Senate seat vacated by Anthony Galluccio.

You can vote if http://wheredoivotema.com/bal/myelectioninfo.php reports:

Senate in General Court: VACANT - MIDDLESEX, SUFFOLK & ESSEX DISTRICT

Should Harvard buy this blighted neighborhood eyesore?

The Dewalt/Black & Decker building at the western end of Western Ave is for sale.

I wrote about this property here and here, and what happens to this building will tell us a lot about the future trajectory of our neighborhood.

In some parallel universe, we might want Harvard to buy it. As a first-class, long term investor in our neighborhood, we might be able to count on Harvard to develop the site for a use that would be mutually beneficial for all. But unfortunately Harvard doesn't seem to be in a position (for various reasons) to help redevelop this site.

The site is located in the Western Ave / Soldiers Field Road Community Commercial sub-district where the zoning allows a maximum floor area ratio of 1 which would allow at most a 15,000 square foot building on this 15,000 parcel. Existing zoning also limits the building height to 35 feet. But considering that Harvard and Charlesview both were granted City approval to build much higher in this area and the increased, it seems unlikely that nothing bigger than a 15,000 sq ft, 35 foot building would be built here.

But the neighbors in this area, and presumably any potential buyers, have no idea what type of new construction on this site might be warmly welcomed and what might be strongly opposed (either in the community or City Hall). Should this be a location for retail, housing, commercial space, or some combination thereof? If housing, should it be rental, condo, affordable, or high-end? Is a max height of 35, 55, or 75 appropriate?

Asking these questions brings to mind the North Allston / North Brighton Community Wide Plan that the community and BRA were once working on together. The CWP has been in hibernation for almost a year and when key parcels, with tremendous potential, in gateway locations come on the market, wouldn't it be great if the City planners and local residents had already agreed on what type of development is desired?

Instead, here we are in a realm of uncertainty, with no useful guidance existing for whoever might be interested in buying the property, and all we can do is hope that their goals and expectations match whatever might eventually come from any community/City planning that may (or may not) ever happen.

Here is the listing from Centre Realty Group

Unique Commercial Building For Sale. 50,000 + Average Daily Traffic. Four (4) way intersection with six (6) designated lanes along with traffic signal at Major high traffic intersection of Soldiers Field Road, Western Ave, Waverly Street and Arsenal Street. Building is approximately 4,000 square feet with expansion capabilities. Former Black and Decker retail store, with ample parking behind and around building. Charles River Views, and abuts Harvard Redevelopment Zone.
Assessed Value: $332,000
Property Tax: $4,500.26

2 Allston companies in Inner City 100

Congratulations to HDM Systems Corporation and PepperDash, who are both located on Lincoln Street were ranked 9th and 19th respectively in the 12th Annual Inner City 100 Ranking.

HDM designs and manufactures advanced power electronics, which enable clean technology for battery-based mobile and renewable energy applications.

PepperDash is a leading provider of control programming services, including energy management and graphic design, for educational, governmental, medical, commercial and residential environments.

Upcoming zoning hearings

50 Hobart Street - Extend living space into the basement of a two-family dwelling

33 Wiltshire Road - Remove and replace the retaining wall\

72 Oakland Street - Demolish part of existing garage, change the legal occupancy from a garage to a four family dwelling, erect a four family residential building.
Allow four family residential building to be built on same lot as existing two-family dwelling.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/ons/pdfs/allstonbright.pdf

Allston Board of Trade dinner on Thursday

Harvard Political Review looks at Allston

Delayed Development, No Political Communication: Harvard in Allston « The Harvard Political Review

"Harvard effectively has no choseive political and communication strategy for its Allston project. This isn’t just hyperbolic writing, but an observation based on the University’s repeated failures to communicate with residents and inability to identify the needs of the Allston community and find a way to work to find a mutually amenable solution."

Harvard Ceramics sale starts Thursday

A couple times a year we get to see the amazing art of the Harvard ceramics studio. This season's sale starts Thursday and you can see some of the art here.

Crumbling Allston Sidewalk Creating A Danger

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