Hey, there! Log in / Register
New condos approved off VFW Parkway in West Roxbury
By adamg on Tue, 03/06/2018 - 12:46pm
Architect's rendering.
The Board of Appeals today unanimously approved Richard Olstein's plans to put up 60 apartments in two buildings on his land diagonally behind Savers on VFW Parkway- with access through an existing curb cut on the parkway.
Olstein had originally planned 156 units and a new access road on Baker Street, but agreed to reduce the number of units and not put in any access via Baker Street after meetings with residents and city officials. Residents will have access to 90 parking spaces - the minimum required under zoning for that area.
An office building on the parcel that houses a day care will remain in place.
The BPDA board approved the project last fall.
The mayor's office supported the project. One resident spoke in opposition, warning of traffic issues on nearby streets and saying the complex would not really fit in with the existing single-family homes nearby. An aide to City Councilor Matt O'Malley (West Roxbury, Jamaica Plain) also raised traffic concerns. In response, the board voted to approve on the condition Olstein meet with neighbors again to try to iron out the traffic concerns.
BPDA filing (8.4M PDF).
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
Just askin'
Adam: do you have a shortcut key to automatically type "One resident spoke in opposition, warning of traffic issues on nearby streets and saying the complex would not really fit in with..." in any story about development near a residential neighborhood? It would save you a lot of typing.
It sounds to me like access would be via a new curb-cut on Baker
Street, and not via an existing curb-cut on the Parkway.
It sounds as though not doing
It sounds as though not doing that was a concession made to placate abutting residents.
If you look at historicaerials.com, there's never been more than a pedestrian walkway, going back to '38. https://www.historicaerials.com/location/42.278690012820896/-71.16882205...
I guess this means there's no hope of bringing back Sandy's ;^)
But the shade! And the wind tunnel!
Is no one worried about the shade this building will cast upon Savers? What about the wind tunnel effect? Innocent shopper may be blown off their feet if this abomination is approved.
One resident spoke in
Cripes. Because the Home Depot and existing condo complexes on VFW are a bucolic rural landscape. Traffic around there IS garbage, but that's because commuters use the area as a passthrough to get to and from the highway (looking at you, VFW and Spring)
New Development is Great, but Where's the Traffic Solution?
New developments in the neighborhood are great, especially ones near transit! This condo project sounds like an exciting addition, but where's the greater vision? When I hear "traffic," my head turns towards the MBTA / Keolis. The city is ever growing and there seems to be no urgency to reduce pockets of traffic where there is obvious growth and potential.
The Needham Line passes over the West Roxbury Parkway, just before it crosses the marshes to Needham. That area is the perfect location for another commuter station, maybe a rapid transit station down the road. It would serve the residents of this development, as well as Dedham’s Riverdale neighborhood and the homes, condos and businesses along the Parkway. Paths, like the ones found in Brookline (http://www.walkboston.org/sites/default/files/WalkBostonMapBrooklinePath...) and handicap accessible walkways could be added between the Parkway and Baker Street. Residents off Baker Street could access the area by foot without having to walk all the way to the corner of Baker Street and the West Roxbury Parkway or drive for access to the area. The stop could be called “Parkway Station” and give access to a community that is presently more car dependent.
I look forward to seeing this development come into fruition. I just wish there was more collaboration between these developers and the state around city planning as they continue to build for the future.