The interior of St. Gabriel’s church, which closed in July 2007, is in tough shape, based on these photos. There appears to be a lot of water damage. The property had been owned by St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, but I am not sure if the sale of the hospital to the for-profit Steward Healthcare System included the church, monastery and long-closed school.
April 2, 2012
Before and after
The owner of 60-62 Dunboy Street will be up before the Board of Appeal on April 10 to legalize the expansion of living space into the basement. This request is also going to be discussed Thursday at the BAIA. This is how the house looked before construction:
This is how it looks now.
Obviously a bit more was going on than just adding some basement living space, but the work is complete and it is pretty much a moot question. There was a “For Sale” sign in front, but that is now gone and the units may be on the rental market.
March 31, 2012
Buildings and brakes
The BAIA has a full roster of items for their meeting on Thursday, April 4, including updates on a proposal to build a two-family and a three-family at 45-47 Murdock Street, Brighton. Meineke will be talking about their plans to add a bay to their garage at 11 Faneuil Street, Brighton. All this and more will be discussed at 7:30PM at the Elks, 326 Washington Street in Brighton Center.
March 29, 2012
Maybe the coyote was looking for a turkey dinner
Last night I encountered a coyote. This afternoon, three turkeys took a stroll through my yard.
March 29, 2012
Coyote town
I spotted a coyote at 10:30 last night on Dunboy Street, near the intersection of Hardwick near Oak Square.
March 28, 2012
New Balance pics
The WGBH video screen overlooking the Mass. Pike will be vying for attention with the New Balance sneaker-shaped headquarters. Boston.com has a slide show of renderings and site plans.
March 24, 2012
Sneakers and a whole lot more
An office building in the shape of a shoe will be one of the highlights of New Balance’s plan for its fourteen acres along Guest Street, adjacent to the Mass. Pike. (Globe article may be behind paywall). The company filed its plan with the city earlier this week. Other elements include a 175-room hotel, a sports facility open to the public that might include venues for track and ice hockey, and additional office space. Restaurants and retail will be weaved into different parts of the project. What this all adds up to is 1.4 million square feet of building in structures ranging from roughly nine to twenty stories.
How will people get there? Some of them will drive and leave their car in one of the 1750 parking spaces. Other than that, the plan is vague. A commuter rail stop is mentioned, but in a context of listing all the obstacles to it. Which leaves the bus. Routes 64 and 86 stop at the site but neither runs that frequently. New Balance currently provides shuttle vans to Harvard Square and Kenmore Square during rush hour and is the quickest way to connect to the subway.
When is this going to happen? Spring 2013 is projected for the start of construction. Lots of questions to ask, details to be discussed, many meetings sure to follow.
March 13, 2012
Burritos for nothing
Boloco is giving away burritos today until 8 PM to benefit the Playmakers program, which trains people who are helping kids deal with some pretty tough circumstances. Stop by their restaurant at 1940 Beacon Street in Cleveland Circle.
March 13, 2012
Round of MBTA hearings over, another plan in the works
Last night’s hearing was attended by about 200 people, with more than 30 speaking against the cuts and fare increases (There were more, but I left after I spoke, at #29). It was a mix of people who seem to have made the rounds to many of the hearings and local residents, along with local State Senator Will Brownsberger and State Representatives Kevin Honan and Michael Moran. It received additional coverage on NECN. Neither of the T’s proposal’s got any support, and it looks like they are looking to develop alternatives, if you read to the end of the Boston.com story above. Whatever plan they devise, it will likely only resolve the system’s budget woes for the short-term, given its heavy debt load and the increasing demand on its service.
March 11, 2012
Shubow Park
This small bit of green space at the intersection of Chiswick Road and Commonwealth Avenue in Brighton is up for some planning and improvements. Fronted by Temple B’nai Moshe, it is named for Rabbi Joseph Shubow, its first rabbi. Neighbors can get involved at a public meeting Tuesday, March 13 at 6:30PM at the Hamilton School, 198 Strathmore Road.
March 11, 2012
If you ran the T
The MAPC (click the link for their very long and boring title) has created a calculator that lets you decide how the MBTA should balance its budget. Senator Will Browsberger has linked to an array of facts, figures, data and debt schedules that will engage transit geeks and make everyone else’s eyes glaze over. Read it all while you wait for the 57.
March 8, 2012
1501, Charing Cross Road?
http://youtu.be/7BKcExKy1Fc
Tonight’s meeting will give neighbors a look at the plans for the city-owned property at 1501 Commonwealth Avenue. The report on Boston.com contains no explanation for the name, “Charing Cross,” which seems an attempt at…what? So people can imagine they are buying a condo above a quaint British bookshop?
The project as described looks pretty good, and will bring some life to a stretch of the avenue that sorely needs it. Let’s hope the city will make good use of the $50,000 developer contribution to improve the shabby median across from the site, and the $25,000 that is pledged to Ringer Park. One question that I did not see answered was what are the income levels for the eighteen apartments designated as affordable.
March 8, 2012
Someone is going to hell
Nothing is sacred anymore. A woman told the District 14 police that her wallet was stolen from a pew while she was in the chapel at St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center.
March 7, 2012
Pick your park design
March 5, 2012
Local kids can summer in Maine
The Harvard Allston Partnership announced $100,000 worth of grants to local organizations, including the West End House Summer Camp.
March 4, 2012
Shocked, shocked: drunks in a bar on NYE
Brighton Beer Garden is up for a violation hearing this Tuesday, March 6 at 10 AM in City Hall. Seems they had a hell of a New Year’s party, with officers finding lots of tipsy patrons thanks to an open bar. Neither is allowed, this is Boston, thank you.
March 3, 2012
Where else would they put it?
Nstar is going to rebuild the transformer on Electric Avenue, starting next week, according to the Hobart Park Neighborhood Association.
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March 2, 2012
McDonald Land
Harvard may take its time with all the property it owns, but not McDonald’s. The rebuilt, slightly relocated fast-food emporium on Western Avenue is already open, with the official festivities happening tomorrow, March 3 at 10AM.
March 2, 2012
Defunct nursing home site may get housing
The BRA will hold a meeting to discuss a condo proposal for 1501 Commonwealth Avenue, Brighton on Thursday, March 7. The property came into the city’s hands when the Provident Nursing home failed to pay its property taxes. Located on the service road just past Warren Street as you head outbound, the site has been the focus of an on-again, off-again process since 2007. The current plan is for 55 units with an equal number of parking spaces in a four-story building. The development team is listed as the Brighton Partnership for Community Reinvestment. Stop by the R.E. Hawes Medical Building, Brighton Marine Health Center, 77 Warren St., 3rd Floor, Conference Room #1 , Brighton between 5:30 and 7:30PM.
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