Harvard rents a building!

As reported by the BRA and Allston Brighton Community Blog Harvard has RENTED one of the many empty buildings it owns in Allston!

I believe the building in question had been used by the Harvard Police and some contractors.  It seemed to be one of least run down buildings in their inventory.  Although the Crimson reports that some build out will happen maybe this will prove to Harvard that it needs to up the maintance of its vacant buildings to make them more marketable.

Regardless great news.  1 done, many to go.

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.

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-…

Western Ave gets more art

I’d like to see a tenant there, but a little art in the windows is a step in the right direction.

Harvard cleans up for the BRA walking tour?

Harvard cleaning up for the tour tomorrow?

I noticed this at about noon today.  I hope Harvard cleans up before the walking tour (1).  For those that don’t drive by every day this is the empty building at 176 Lincoln St (2).

All teasing of Harvard and their empty properties aside vandalism and/or disrepair isn’t cool.   Since it was pushed toward the street either (1) someone pushed it over (vandalism) or (2) a Harvard contractor or employee with a key to the gate hit it backing out of the locked driveway (blatant disrepair).

In both cases this is what happens when properties are virtually abandoned.  I hope this starts and ends with an uprooted cosmetic post.  

“On Thursday, May 7, the BRA will lead a walking tour/site visit
of the Holton Street corridor.  We will meet at 4:00 p.m. at the
Allston-Brighton Resource Center, 367 Western Avenue. ”

(2) http://www.thisisharvard.org/3/harvards-empty-lincoln-st-in-allston/ 

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.

Mutant Rats Attack Allston?

This would be funny if it wasn’t (almost) true:

http://www.ivygateblog.com/2009/04/harvard-expansion-unearthing-rats-big-enough-to-put-saddles-on-allston-residents-not-glad/

New Use For Former Comcast Building

Travis St gate today

Comcast has since moved to the other side of the Pike… adding its foot traffic to the revitalized Cambridge St.  Given all the empty store fronts on Western Ave I think people would even welcome a tattoo parlor (no offense to Stingray Body Art) in North Allston.

Science center site map

Before the fence

Oldies, but goodies - Allston resists Harvard

Former Charlesbank Cleaners:

Former Citgo

 (1) http://groups.google.com/group/ABNNF/browse_thread/thread/38462be4dfe8e7bc