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New condos approved on F Street in South Boston
By adamg on Tue, 08/13/2024 - 10:15am
Rendering by Zephyr Architects.
The Zoning Board of Appeal today unanimously approved plans by a developers to replace a triple decker and some vacant land with a nine-unit building at 175 F St. between West 3rd and Bolton streets.
The plans, by developers Evan and David Lank of Hyde Park, call for one studio unit and eight units ranging between one and three bedrooms. The project is small enough that it does not trigger the city requirement for affordable units.
The plans also call for six parking spaces and two roof decks for the owners of two units on the top floor.
Their attorney, Marc LaCasse, said the building's design, which includes three separate "masses," would help it blend into the area, that its "materiality reflects context of the surrounding neighborhood" through its use of wood and brick on the exterior.
Some Bolton Street residents opposed the proposal, saying it was too big and too tall, especially when compared to the one-family homes on their street, and would bring even more noise and disruption to the area because of the roof decks.
Through an aide, City Councilor Ed Flynn (South Boston, South End, Chinatown, Downtown) also opposed the proposal, in part out of his longstanding opposition to roof decks. The aide said residents "often have to call" police because of problems with nearby roof decks.
LaCasse, however, cited a support letter by a West 3rd St. resident who said pretty much every multi-family building in the area has a roof deck and he's not had any problems. LaCasse added that, with the elimination of an originally proposed half-story area on the roof, the building now met the maximum height of 40 feet called for in the block's zoning.
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Comments
What an Ugly building. Why
What an Ugly building. Why only 6 spots for 9 units? Where are the others supposed to park their Teslas
Why not just make them out of corrugated cardboard
...and be done with it?
Has anybody done the legwork
Has anybody done the legwork on why all the new 3-4 story builds look pretty much all the same, more, or less? Are they built to last like a brownstone, or will the bill come due tout de suite?
Look around the hood
Developments that are a few years old, and look like every other development that has been built lately, are having building envelope problems.
Leaky windows are high on the list with leaking roofs and sidewalls. Not to mention the ton of mechanical problems.
They look the same because
They look the same because they're all built the same. Look up 5 over 1 construction, if you want some nitty gritty.
Essentially, it's the cheapest way to build more than 3-5 story tall buildings, wood framing (type 5 construction) over steel first floor (type 1). And then you put a facade of some sort on the outside of the box you just built. You can add some features by breaking up the faces, but since it's wood framing, you can only do that so much, and only very boxy and right angled. But there is only so much variation in boxiness and facades, so they all look the same.
As for how long they will last, they'll last as well as any other wood framed building-- it just depends on the quality of the individual build and how well it's maintained.
The style is largely driven
The style is largely driven by building code and city board requirements. Building code requires the long boxy shape - it basically means that new builds are formed around "double loaded corridors" rather than European and Canadian style "point access blocks." (This requirement also makes it less profitable to build 3+ bedroom apartments, and reduces cross-ventilation, and creates more wasted interior space. Despite what your local firefighter might tell you, it doesn't actually improve fire safety).
City board requirements on materials, exterior structures, and "breaking up the massing" lead to the odd exterior textures and lumpiness.
Construction quality is nearly impossible to judge from the outside, as far as I can tell. Longevity will largely be determined by the competence of the management companies and condo boards.
3-4 story buildings
American Brutalist design..
Beautiful Design
I love the design - it’s very elegant. Certainly better than the rickety dump eyesore and weeded rats nests that have been there for decades. Major upgrade. I’ve been following this project for a while - this photo actually doesn’t do it justice. It’s not a typical box - all the corners are dramatically curved. The massings aren’t just broken up by changing material either - there are legit inset balconies on all sides that make it dimensional.
PS all this drama about roof decks - this is a city - let the people have some outdoor space!