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Large replacement for Boston Flower Exchange approved
By adamg on Sat, 08/18/2018 - 10:16am
Architect's rendering.
The BPDA board has approved a developer's plan to replace the Boston Flower Exchange at 540 Albany St. with a new office and R&D complex with 1.6 million square feet of space.
Exchange South End will include a $12.5 million payment to the BPDA's fund for building or acquiring affordable housing, and $2.5 million to a city job-training program.
The 5.6-acre project will include four buildings, from 6 to 20 stories, arranged around a public square.
Exchange South End project impact report (176M PDF).
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Comments
A Tale of two Cities
Less than a half mile away urban refugees are living in storage containers, under Newmarket station in Silver Line bus stops and under bridges.
More office space, Walsh is
More office space, Walsh is really tone deaf on the housing crisis in Boston. Boston I'd very slow compared to other cities like Seattle that are dealing with a housing crisis, but Walsh keeps prioritizing office space like Menino. That's a lot more cars (1,100 parking spaces plus lots of uber and lyfts) of people that increasing have to move farther and farther away from Boston due to lack of housing.
Perhaps you missed the story ...
About the 1,300 or so residential units proposed for South Boston.
But that's just one project
As opposed to the city's entire housing plan.
Anon is Rip Van Winkle
He or she has been sound asleep for 6 years if they think Walsh is ignoring housing in favor of offices.
Flower Exchange
This architect's rendering would look so much nicer without cars in it.
I Know
You could take the reliable MBTA service to it...right, the one bus to it.
Not everyone lives within walking distance of their job FYI.
I will say this, the City's next light rail line should run from Dudley, up Albany, across W 4th and up the completely unnecessary Haul Road.
Why the cars are creepy
It isn't their presence so much as they seem to be randomly assorted in varying configurations on a paved over space with no clear purpose (and lots of stripes).
I don't know about you, but when we drive to work, the car goes in a lot or a garage. We don't just randomly leave it in the middle of a plaza.
Which makes me wonder about that plaza in the rendering - doesn't seem to gel with the stated goals of the BRA or the city when it comes to minimizing heat retaining and runoff-generating surfaces.
That's a street within the complex
If you look at the plantings & bollards, you'll see it's actually an intra-complex street. They will need that for deliveries, pickups, dropoffs, et cet. The cars were intentionally included in the illustration to indicate that functionality.
Good luck
I know that when I'm looking for a job or apartment, I want it to be right next door to the BU infectious disease lab. Just imagine-Ebola, anthrax, TB, and a whole lot of other stuff being stored and cultivated right next door. How convenient!
According to the advocates for the lab, it is safe, which may be true, of course, until it isn't.
no housing
this isnt housing
not to mention
Don't forget all the radioactivity across the street.
http://archive.boston.com/news/local/articles/2005/03/27/blaze_damages_s...
Fear of the Known versus?
Anon -- I suppose any Anon --why do we always hear about the highly protected knowns such as the BU lab, or the MIT nuclear reactor -- left to the lefty reader to find it with Google Maps
Versus -- of I don't know -- how about these::
All of the above in the 2nd list have happened in the recent past and will continue to exist and the resultant will happen in "nice places" as well as the "not so nice places" in the inner city and sometimes the suburbs