Lowe’s meeting tomorrow

From AllstonBrighton2006:

Lowe’s will be presenting their proposed Guest Street project before
the BAIA this Thursday night (March 4th) at the Elks Lodge # 2199, 326
Washington St., Brighton at 7 p.m

I’m already double booked for the night, so give’m hell.  Although I’m usually pro-empty-building-development I think Lowe’s is a poor choice for that location.  That area of Market St is almost impassable on Saturday or Sunday via motor vehicle.  A trip to Brighton Center from North Allston would require a helicopter if this gets approved.

The New Balance plan sounds much better if they can get buy in from the owners of the land.  A collaspe of the Lowe’s deal - again - should hopefully speed up counter offers.

A local Lowe’s would be nice though.  It just needs to be in a lot already served by a 4 lane road…

Charlesview approved

Although it isn’t all we wanted I’m somewhat glad its done.  Let’s demolish some empty buildings!  And actually replace them with new buildings!

Charlesview apartments approved

Boston Business Journal - by Mary Moore

The Boston Zoning Commission on Thursday approved a mixed-income development proposed by nonprofit builder The Community Builders and Charlesview Inc., the governing board of the Charlesview Apartments.

The new Charlesview Residences in Allston will includee 240 rental units and 100 owned units.

full story

Also mild kudos to Harvard for coming up with creatives uses for an empty VW dealership… time to go to Play It Again sports for some cheap skates since its BYO-skates.

Also also don’t forget to vote Tuesday.

Bank Robbery?

The Citizen’s Bank in Stop and Shop in Brighton is surrounded by D-14 officers. The lights are out and all the tellers look spooked. I’m guessing bank robbery or attempted robbery…

Rat Attack! Good thing for new barrels

Admittly no one took the trash out for Thanksgiving week, but this was fine given the over abudance of trash barrels we now have.  Upon bringing in the barrels this morning I noticed that one of them had a hole GNAWED through it.  The marks look bigger than a mouse and smaller than a squarrel.  I think (and hope) the new City of Boston barrels are thicker than our old rubbermaid.

In other news I had my first sidewalk rat sighting in awhile the Monday before Thanksgiving.  This time the rat took longer to flee.  As a side note I saw no rats during my 2 weeks in China.  So Allston has the distinct honor of having more rats than Hong Kong or ShenZhen per capitia, based on my sample size of 1 observer.

Maybe Boston should have an open hunting season on rats?  Only subsonic air powered sidearms allowed, firing within 300 yards of a dwelling would be allowed…  actually that sounds like suicide… it would probably take a 410 shotgun to take out an Allston rat…

Remember to vote on Tuesday!

Some may say that voting doesn’t matter. I for one have always had an apathetic response to most of our local pols. They seem nice enough, but what effect do they really have on my daily life other than occasional irritation over a lack on concrete action over Harvard’s actions or passing unenforceable city bylaws?

Regardless this is an opportunity to have your voice heard and to potentially change the status quo at City Hall. If only certain demographics vote only those people will be truly served.

Ballet preview:

http://www.cityofboston.gov/TridionImages/CoB%20Preliminary%20Election%209-22-09%20Ballot%20Order%20-%20Web%20Version_tcm1-4338.pdf

Support Positive Change in our Neighborhood!

Community Artwork

Art is always controverial, but its better than mindless graffiti and blight.

Miles suggested flowers. Walsh suggested a skyline or clouds. Instead, in the weeks to come, the mural will fade to a blank wall.

…a blank wall that will become quickly blighted.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/08/21/allston_x_men_theme_mural_soon_must_fade_to_blank/

http://allston02134.blogspot.com/2009/08/say-goodbye-to-lincoln-st-mural.html

This is where I break from some of the long time residents and where I try to be more pragmatic for the good of the community.  Whether you love it or hate it, its an improvement and its removal will not help our community.

Support the new Corner Cafe coffee shop

A new not for profit cafe has opened near the corner of Western and North Harvard St were Stadium Convenience and more recently a Boston Housing Police substation were located.  During a walk to Harvard Square I noticed the new shop.  Walking over to investigate I found that it had just closed.  The workers there were nice enough to open up and let us buy some ice cream.  They also showed one of my friends their refrigerator packed with pastries from Finale.  Would a chain store reopen after hours or be staffed by such courtious people?  I think not (no comments about some of the staff at Bruegger’s at Shaw’s)

Important Charlesview meeting this Monday

We need to come together as a community and hammer home what the new Charlesview has to look like:

1. Better integration with the community

2. More public green space

3. More small retail space

4. Less density

The latest proposal in July is much better than the one proposed last year, but it can still be better yet.  We deserve better.

Repost:

Press Release:

August 24th: “Integration, Not Segregation!”
Community Rally and March for a better Charlesview Plan
Tell the BRA and Harvard “Enough is enough!” Preserve our Diversity, No
Segregation Between Rich and Working People!

Rally at 5:30 in Barry’s Corner (N. Harvard and Western Ave) at 5:30, walk
together to the 6:30 meeting about the Charlesview Plan at the Career
Recourse Center across from Brighton Mills McDonalds on Western Ave. We
will also hold a picket during the meeting.

After months of conversations with the community, the BRA, Harvard and the
Charlesview board have decided to ignore the overwhelming opinion of our
neighborhood and Charlesview tenants that the new Charlesview should
reflect the rest of North Allston/Brighton. We want to preserve our
diversity with a mixed income complex!

The BRA/Harvard/Charlesview Board’s Plan is to build a complex that will
house affluent tenants in market rate, waterfront housing, while sticking
the lower-income residents in a separate area by the Brighton Mills
parking lot.

This plan flies in the face of their own studies:
(Charlesview developers:) “Our experience has shown that, where the market
is ready, public housing residents, working poor families, and market rate
renters and owners, of different races, will live side by side in a high
quality housing development, with first-rate program supports, culturally
sensitive staff, and broadly appealing community activities.” This is a
publication by The Community Builders, the Charlesview Development Group,
titled “Resident Success in Economically Integrated, Socially Diverse
Housing”
http://www.tcbinc.org/what_we_do/resident_success/Ford_MIMR_Resident_…

(Harvard:) This blog post cites several Harvard studies about the
importance of integration and the damaging effects of economic
segregation.
http://allston02134.blogspot.com/2008/09/abnnfs-motivation-regarding-…

Summer Community Meetings

Is this Lower Allston or Detroit?

Schools Out Forever from Vice Magazine BY JAMES GRIFFIOEN (external link)

Is this an empty Harvard property in Allston?  No.  Our diligence will prevent this from happening here.  It was left empty by a different set of problems with a different set of solutions, but led to the same outcome — or hopefully only a potential outcome in our case.

Remember to attend community meetings this Spring/Summer.  Its tough with the nice weather and competing interests, but its important.

On a sidenote after getting quite a few seemingly automated spam comments  (no, our readers don’t need Viagra from Russia) registration is required for commenting.  Its an easy, automated process and will be used for no other purpose than to stop bots.  As an added bonus your comments will no longer be held for moderation (unless they contain too many links) so you should see them post immediately.

I want my new park and triple deckers…

Walking around last Sunday there were lots of great things to see — utility boxes being painted (1) and new pansies planted everywhere (2).  Walking around to the other side of the river I saw a new park near completion at the corner of Western and Memorial where Mahoney’s used to be.  The park looked like it was very well designed and had 3 new buildings rising behind it (top of image to the left).  The buildings blended in with the neighborhood well — not too tall, not too wide.  If it wasn’t for the new paint and my memory of the area I would have said they were there for years.  I thought what a great model for Harvard and/or Charlesview to follow.  I asked a friend in Cambridgeport and he said it was new MIT housing.  Great!  I can write a blog lambasting Harvard and holding up MIT as an example of what is pure and good.

Wrong!  Upon googling the project it became quickly clear this was a Harvard development (3).  Wha-wha-what?!?   I’m confused.  Shouldn’t there be a large tower blocking the river or perhaps a large hole in the ground (ok, there was a small hole, but I saw the dirt that was going to fill it in piled next to it)? 

Ok, I’m bashing Harvard for the new Charlesview design, which they allegedly have no control over, and for a building that they allegedly don’t have the money to complete and they ARE continuing work on the Library Park.  All I have to say is they seem to be doing a pretty good job on the other side of the river and spotty job on this side. 

And at the risk of sounding like a broken record — the new Charlesview will be their neighbor too.  If that comes off poorly Harvard students won’t need http://www.thisisharvard.org to see poorly maintained Harvard-related buildings, they will only need to look out their classroom or apartment windows.

(1) http://allston02134.blogspot.com/2009/04/boston-shines-brings-art-to-western-ave.html;   My favorite so far is the one in front of Stadium Autobody.

(2) Can’t get the photos off my camera with BitPim, but walk around they’re really there!  Especially in Barry’s Corner.

(3)  http://www.cambridgema.gov/cdd/cp/parks/riverside/index.html