The demand for single-family homes in Brighton continues, despite a generally still-weak housing market. This Thursday the the Brighton Allston Improvement Association will be hearing from the owners of two different addresses, 82 Presentation Road and 46 Gerrish Street, both looking to construct one-family houses. As always, the meeting starts at 7PM at the Elks, 326 Washington Street, Brighton Center.
April 30, 2012
A real (so far) crack-down on absentee owners
The city is continuing its push against irresponsible landlords. The initiative started in response to a fire at 81 Linden Street, Allston that left one student with a brain injury after he had to jump from the second story to escape from the flames.
It’s good that the city is encouraging the students who live in these buildings to know their rights and file complaints about the unsafe conditions they live in. Another option they have is to withhold rent, depending on the circumstances. That will get the attention of owners like Joseph Ciliberti of Newton, who has over $37,000 in unpaid fines for code violations and a disconnected phone.
Here’s to hoping that the city continues to make this a priority, and doesn’t drop it as it did in the past.
April 26, 2012
Fill yourself to the gills
For months now, sushi addicts have been posting on Twitter, wondering when Maki Maki, an all you can eat buffet-style restaurant would open. According to Grub Street Boston, the place had its opening party a few days ago. I tried to call a couple of times, no answer, so be forewarned, they may not be serving every day of the week.
April 24, 2012
Keyless entry
Boston police responded to call of a breaking and entering at 3:30AM Sunday morning at 33 Highgate Street in Allston. After a brief chase, they apprehended the suspect, who was quite apologetic, but still arrested.
Highgate Street runs from Cambridge Street to Farrington Avenue, and is often used as a short cut to Brighton Avenue. Don’t do it during rush hour, it is not allowed during that time and police sometimes pull people over for making the turn when they’re not distracted by burglars.
April 24, 2012
Clean & shine
The city’s annual park clean-up is taking place this Saturday, April 28 from 8:30AM to 2PM. Contact Angela Holm in the Office of Neighborhood Services (617-635-3485) if you want to help out.
The Hobart Park Neighborhood Association in particular is looking for help. Let them know you are available at hpna -at- usa.net.
April 22, 2012
Slain BU student identified
The BU graduate student who was slain sometime after midnight on April 19 has been identified as Kanagala Seshadri Rao. He was from India and in a very competitive program within the School of Management. Adam at Universal Hub has a collection of links to coverage.
UPDATE
The Boston Globe has more coverage. Sorry, there may be a paywall.
April 21, 2012
Lone Star Taco
Eater Boston has a round-up of reviews on the Lone Star Taco Bar in Union Square, Allston.
April 20, 2012
Bionic dog
Rio is all flesh and blood, with one small addition. To mark his 5th birthday today, my partner and me accompanied our four-footed pal and his owners, who live across the street, to the Boston Animal Control site in Roslindale. There he was outfitted with a microchip. For $20 you get a high-tech identifier that will let any rescue center or kennel that has a scanner to find out your name and phone number. It’s a great deal and provides lots of peace of mind, especially if your canine likes to roam free occasionally, as Rio does. Happy Birthday Rio!
April 19, 2012
BU student murdered
A Boston University student was shot to death in Allston in the early morning hours, according to news reports and the BU website. Police responded to the call at 139 Allston Street, near the intersection of Commonwealth Avenue, at 2:39 AM.
April 19, 2012
Watch where you toss that butt
A fire hit a three-family home at 737 Cambridge Street, Brighton (opposite St. E’s) just after midnight today. According to the Boston Fire Department, apparently someone tossed a cigarette onto a mattress in the back yard, it caught fire and the flames then climbed the porches to the top floor.
Investigators noticed lots of cigarette butts in the yard, so someone in that house was not paying attention. And obviously, the landlord wasn’t either. The property, assessed at $543,500, is owned by Peter Nowd of Needham. Three units rented to a total of 12 people must generate a nice income. Every room must be used to sleep in, though, only six bedrooms among all three apartments. Peter has been using the property as a piggy bank, opening a $150,000 equity line against it in 2006. He has had an interest in the property, through a real estate trust or directly with his wife, since at least 1980.
Photo via Boston Fire Department.
April 18, 2012
Fire hits Glenville Ave.
An Allston laundromat went up in flames around 3:30 this morning.
The business was in a commercial block along Glenville Avenue. (above photo via Boston Fire Department)
April 12, 2012
Arraigned, expelled, evicted
The students from the Ashford Street fraternity are getting hit from all sides. The Alpha Epsilon Pi bro’s are scheduled to appear in Brighton District Court on May 7 for the hazing. Their landlord wants to evict them. And BU says it will expel them. The national fraternity has suspended the chapter. Of course, innocent until proven guilty, they will get their day before local judges and university officials. Yeah, right. Say goodbye to Allston, boys.
April 11, 2012
Perhaps a hotel and more housing for Cleveland Circle
The shuttered Circle Theater in Cleveland Circle has been the object of developer love ever since it closed in 2008. Nothing has gotten very far, but maybe this time will be different.
April 11, 2012
More streets to run on
New Balance unveiled more details of its plans for its new headquarters/hotel/office/sports complex Tuesday night. Creating new roadways and extending Guest Street are included as remedies to the increased traffic. A commuter rail stop seems to be something New Balance wants to talk about but city and state officials do not.
The company is as serious as a heart attack about its plans for the new headquarters. Last July they hired Jay Rourke, formerly a project manager for the BRA, the agency that is overseeing the planning process and will have to approve the project.
The next meeting is April 23 at 7 PM in the WGBH auditorium.
April 11, 2012
Not the ending we were hoping for
The body of Franco Garcia, the BC student who has been missing since late February, was found in the Chestnut Hill Reservoir this morning.
April 9, 2012
Milo is missing
If you love your pet, it’s tough to see someone else lose theirs. Call 617.921.1181 if you have info.
April 9, 2012
Duct tape & condiments
Our local police rescued a bunch of BU fraternity pledges, and now have some fun stories to tell, after discovering five students wearing only their underwear and hot sauce, fish sauce, sardine cans and other accessories.
Makes you wish Dr. Silber were still around, just to hear him rant about the decline of Western Civilization and future BU donors. (h/t Adam at Universal Hub)
April 9, 2012
Anti-Semitic vandalism
There has been some particularly nasty vandalism along Chestnut Hill Avenue in recent days. Three cars have had swastikas scratched into their paint.
April 5, 2012
Acronyms battle, jobs at stake
Wow. Action for Boston Community Development has whacked the funding of longtime – we’re talking at least three decades here – Allston Brighton APAC director Paul Creighton. APAC is the acronym for the Area Planning Action Council, located on Harvard Avenue. Paul has run for Allston Brighton district city council three times. The whole thing has ended up in court. The APAC, meaning Mr. Creighton, has always managed to survive below the radar, enduring changes in US presidents, Boston mayors and sundry local elected officials. So who did he piss off?