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Massport: You can build that Innovation District neighborhood thing without us, thank you very much
By adamg on Fri, 05/31/2013 - 10:48am
Massport, which should really be renamed MassPortAndRealEstateDevelopment, has decided it's not going to let a develop build 300 apartments on some vacant land it owns near Bank of America Pavillion because, well, just because:
The statement did not elaborate on why the residential units are not allowed.
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Comments
So....
The guy who helped Massport devise their development plan somehow ended up getting a job at the real estate development firm that has the rights to build on that land. Shocking.
On the other hand
If you read the article, it points out that Massport is putting the nix on the plans "that guy" (aka Louis Cabral) has drawn up to develop the parcel. Seems like he didn't have much residual good will to cash in among his old mates.
On yet a third hand (foot?), if one were really into paranoia (and who doesn't enjoy a healthy dose of paranoia where urban development is involved?), one might imagine that this contretemps is simply a way of providing ethical/PR cover for when Massport relents and lets the developers do what they want - "We said no before we said yes".
On the fourth hand (yeah I really should have just gone to feet) - It's not immediately apparent to me why idiots who want to pay large amounts of moolah to live in an hospitality district right next to the airport shouldn't be allowed to do so.
It's not immediately apparent
So they don't end up complaining about the airport's operations or changes to its operations. MassPort is a very "evil" agency, I've always thought, and they're always out to protect their own goals in any way they can.
Come now
Its not next to the airport, there is at least 4000 ft of water between that part of the waterfront and the edge of Logan's fence. Surely a little 19-hour-a-day flightpath overhead doesn't bother you?
Massport is always thinking long term
Why would they give up on a parking lot which has cash payers?
You cannot graft from a one time large transaction with an upfront lease payment for the site. That payment is easily traced.
A parking lot, which turns over spaces for day and night parking, with people paying cash, is a long term opportunity for theft.
Someday avail yourself of a trip to Massport Headquarters over by Terminal A. They have hand scanners for entry, right next to the Herald machine in the lobby. It is just missing a Dunkin Donuts to make the scene complete.
Has Massport done some good in terms of preserving an industrial waterfront? Yes. Is it still a warehouse for East Boston, Winthrop, and South Boston sign holders and time attenders? Yes.
“Massport is concerned the
“Massport is concerned the proposal includes residential units which are not allowed in that area under Massport policy,” said Massport spokesman Matthew Brelis." That' s what the Herald's article says.
Who can blame them , they have some hairy real estate that is not conducive to human consumption , who wants future works to be gummed up with battling residents. Just as in people that buy houses near railroad tracks that may be dormant, then scream to high heavens when the tracks become used again.
They may be a little oversensitive. Last year
A Worcester school for autistic kids run by a 30 year veteran educator was denied the use of a privately owned Worcester Airport building that had for 10 years been a school for kids with mental disabilities like Down Syndrome. They claimed it was a change in use. Since the city sold to MassPort, they no longer had any power to force them to allow it. They were just glad to be rid of an airport with no scheduled airlines. Only in MA.