That's Charles Street on the left. See it larger.
Plans released by Boston 2024 show most of the Common and a significant portion of the Public Garden - including the Make Way for Ducklings statues - off limits to the public during the Olympics. Construction of a 16,000-seat beach-volleyball stadium and related structures, meanwhile, would shut the ball fields and other parts of the Common for months before the games.
The plans also show Charles Street shut for both access to the beach volleyball and for the start and finish of the Olympic marathon. The Public Garden along Charles would also be within the "secure perimeter," with a ticket gate for spectators between the Lagoon and Mrs. Mallard.
Frog Pond would also be shut to the public, according to the Boston 2024 proposal. The Frog Pond playground might still be open, though. The Public Garden Lagoon and the Swan Boats dock would be outside the fence, although many people would have to take a roundabout way to get to the dock because the path from Charles would be shut.
The volleyball stadium, intended as a temporary structure, would sit mainly on the ball fields along Charles,with a number of structures planned for the large grassy fields by the parking-garage entrances. This would leave the trees now along Charles, but might require chopping down some trees deeper inside the Common.
The red line shows the security perimeter:
The Olympic marathon would start and finish on the Beacon Street side of Charles Street and wend its way through the Back Bay, downtown, South Boston, the North End, Cambridge, Allston and Brookline.
Athletes and Olympic panjandrums would have access to the venues via dedicated lanes on the turnpike, Stuart Street and Charles Street (the plans seem to indicate the Common garage would be used for their vehicles; the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, which owns the garage, is an enthusiastic backer of the Olympics proposal). Spectators could use any of the nearby Red, Orange and Green Line stops.
Boston 2024 sports venue proposal (70.5M PDF).
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Comments
The bid documents are worth reading
By Ron Newman
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 5:39pm
Before they were released, my reaction to the possibility of Boston 2024 was somewhere between "neutral" and "mildly intrigued." After I started reading them, it quickly swung to "Hell No - these folks have no idea what they are doing."
If you're going to oppose something, it's good to know *what* you are opposing, and *why*.
Beacon Hill Civic Association reaction
By Ron Newman
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:14pm
from the same Herald article:
Good God.
By whyaduck
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 11:51am
I having a problem with a public spaces, such as the Common, as well as the Public Garden being off limits to the public to host this silliness.
That and the potential of mature and healthy trees being cut down in the Common to allow this suckfest to happen...I am mortified beyond expression.
Wake me up when it is over.
Yep, this is the part that
By anon
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:11pm
Yep, this is the part that bothers me most. Use BCEC and Harvard's stadiums, fine. Traffic will suck but at least it's somewhat understandable. But taking a public space and closing it off to the public, the people who live here and use it year round? Ridiculous.
And like you point out, I can't see how this could be good environmentally. But sustainable olympics, right?
I have a problem with the
By bibliotequetress
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 1:06pm
I have a problem with the potential permanent damage, and the possibility some of these "temporary" facilities aren't all that temporary.
Lots of things disrupt the city, good and bad. Sometimes we don't have access to public facilities. The length of this disruption is onerous, but I get the feeling that is going to be one of the weakest arguments against the Olympics in the eyes of the pro-Olympics group. Make arguments for money lost, permanent displacement, and irreparable harm to neighborhoods and neighborhood treasures, ie the Common & Franklin Park.
Yeah, I live right across
By Carty
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:13pm
Yeah, I live right across from the Common, parts of it get closed all the time for e.g. movie shoots. There are good arguments against the bid, this is not one of them.
My dog had better be able to poop somewhere ...
yes
By cybah
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:21pm
But a movie shoot wont occupy the Common for months on end.
Movie shoot maybe a couple of days at most. Maybe a week? Not 4-5 months or more.
Big difference.
Hey, it happens in Bridgeport every summer...
By kalibex
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 5:04pm
...the locals lose access to the entire (Olmstead-designed) Seaside Park for a week every July (and also some access to part of the local beach area) just so Bridgeport can host The Gathering of the Vibes.
All they get in return is a $75 3-day city resident reduced rate ticket (a considerable discount over the full ticket prices, but there's no alternative one-day discounted ticket available for those who can't afford even that and/or don't want to go all 3 days).
It'll always be about the $ and {bleep} the locals...
Wake me up when it is over.
By Bob Leponge
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:41pm
No, everybody needs to wake up last week and get to work.
Massive disruption
By anon
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 11:48am
Besides the economic issues , the freedom of speech issues, and all the lies by the IOC and local officials , the biggest issue is the massive disruption to our lives and jobs.
Take the massive disruption of one annual event, the Boston Marathon, which disrupts many of our lives for the day of the Marathon and perhaps one day before and after.
Now take that disruption multiplied by the number of Olympic venues and events for two weeks plus set up and take down. You do the math.
Jobs, especially
By anon
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:20pm
How on *earth* are people going to get to work the entire summer before and after the Olympics, what with all the security checkpoints and closures on city streets?
I worked in the Theatre District and the Fenway while living in Allston, and getting to work on Marathon Monday, any day of a sports victory parade, or during a Red Sox playoffs game was a chore. And that was pre-2013 events that caused security to skyrocket.
Is this going to mean the entire city shuts down and most of its residents move out for months? Because that is unrealistic.
Fuck This
By anon²
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 11:52am
^
"This is a terrible idea" - Henry Lee
By Ron Newman
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 11:55am
Today's Herald has reaction from Friends of the Public Garden and the Beacon Hill Civic Association:
The Herald may yet have a bright future in our city if it becomes the voice of the anti-Olympics movement. At times like this, I'm glad we still have it.
Globe needs to be renamed....
By Michael Kerpan
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 11:58am
... the Daily Olympics Shill.
Thanks goodness..
By whyaduck
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 11:59am
voices of reason. However, it is all about the $$$ and that is what worries me.
Is this a done deal? I truly hope not. I am getting this sinking suspicion that there is not much healthy debate about the pros and cons of this going on.
Not a done deal
By adamg
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:09pm
That won't be until 2017, when the IOC picks a city - and we are up against other cities.
Better ones, too
By bibliotequetress
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 1:20pm
The IOC is under pressure to pick the first South American or African Olympic city, so we're far from the first pick.
Uh...
By Kaz
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:22pm
Rio is 2016.
Rio de Janiero is hosting in 2016
By anon
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:33pm
I think a few African cities are interested in 2024.
A couple weeks... 9 years from now
By MSBoston
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 11:59am
A growing refrain I hear from nay-sayers and skeptics is that they can't possibly be inconvenienced for three weeks. Nine years from now.
Look -- Boston Common is a treasure in our great city, but I think we can all agree that in its current state, it is far from a gem. Even in the warmer months, the park is rife with bald stretches of grass, dying trees, uneven walkways, and overflowing trash barrels. I don't intend to criticize the park's custodians and conservators, it's just that in an era of limited funds, it's impossible to maintain such a heavily visited public park the way everyone would want.
Why not take this opportunity for the Olympics to clean the place up a little bit, throw in some much needed upgrades, and bear with it being off-limits for a couple weeks? As things currently stand, a large section of it has been roped off for rehabiliation every summer anyways. Use the next 9 years to figure out alternate arrangements for those couple weeks.
And which Common are you visiting?
By whyaduck
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:06pm
I walk in the area and through the area in all the seasons and it looks pretty good to me. I see it being cleaned by city workers. Yeah, there are patches of dead grass but that happens. As well as dead trees, which are eventually removed. Uneven walkways? Where? Upper Beacon Street proper is not the Common, my friend.
And it is a gem. A historical gem.
I don't think I personally need the Olympics to "clean the place up". Thank you very much. And leave the damn trees alone.
You see, people have a
By anon
Sat, 01/24/2015 - 2:07pm
You see, people have a problem with big old trees because the roots stick up out of the ground and that makes it unfair to people who have mobility issues or prefer to wear pointy heels wherever they go. So we should take down ALL of the trees and pave over ALL of the parks because otherwise it just isn't fair and you're a selfish piece of garbage for appreciating a little nature in the city and the roots and dirt and uneveness that comes with it!
Upgrade?
By Saul
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:05pm
Why is building a stadium in the Common considered an "upgrade"? A few weeks? Try months of disruption.
Probably at least a year....
By Michael Kerpan
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:14pm
... taking into account site preparation, building, disassembly, and (hopefully) site restoration (which will be a pretty massive job) -- possibly a couple of years of disruption.
It's not a couple weeks, though
By adamg
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:11pm
We're not talking about a carnival that shows up one night, unpacks, spends two weeks here and then leaves (or like that revival tent that seems to show up every summer on the Tremont Street side).
It's going to take months to build that stadium and it's going to take a long time to take it down.
And I suspect the security restrictions will start well before the athletes arrive as well.
How will this proposal improve the Common?
By Ron Newman
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:18pm
I'm all for sprucing up the Common, and if bringing the Olympics to Boston speeds that process along, fine.
But this proposal *damages* the Common.
Explain to us why
By roadman
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:30pm
we can't hold beach volleyball (IMO one of the most idiotic "events" of the Games) on an actual beach?
That to me is the biggest flaw in the whole plan to descrate the Common.
Well, we are talking about our Boston beaches...
By bibliotequetress
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 1:23pm
... there's a risk of tripping over a body.
How does putting in a stadium
By Kinopio
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:31pm
How does putting in a stadium improve the grass? London lost access to public areas for years leading up to their olympics. If you think we will only lose the common for a few weeks then you are clueless.
How?
By anon
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:37pm
How does building a stadium and stands help improve a park?
Boston is near the ocean. Why doesn't the proposal have beach volleyball on an actual beach?
Ocean-view NIMBYs will
By anon
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 1:46pm
Ocean-view NIMBYs will probably have an issue with that.
Come again?
By Kaz
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 1:32pm
So...it's impossible to maintain the park, but we should spend 9 years preparing for the Olympics instead...so we can help the park?
Do you hear how dumb that sounds? If in 9 years we could prepare the entire city for the Olympics just to help the park (by squatting on it for months and wrecking all sorts of parts of it just so that 96 people can play beach volleyball)...then I think we could find the money to fix it up and not 9 years later.
Of course, that's if it's even close to the condition you claim it is...which it isn't.
What's stopping us now?
By MSBoston
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:17pm
We could CERTAINLY find the money to fix all this up now.
What's stopping us from doing all the things that we desperately need and have been talking about for a decade now? (rapid bus lines, south coast rail, green line extension, UMass Boston dormitories)
As far as the Common goes, there's nothing stopping us now -- from leveling walkways where roots have buckled the asphalt, turning on some of the water features that haven't run in years, or maybe de-oxidizing some of the statues.
The point of all this is, an international event like this would finally force us, and put us on a timeline, to do things we should have done or could have done a long time ago.
Stopping them, you mean
By Kaz
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:34pm
I'd have the city and/or state spend that money in a heartbeat...if they had it.
Instead it's sitting in corporate bank accounts. The money that would pay for these things is largely corporate. Want them to pay for fixing up the garden in less than a 9 year timeframe? Beg or make them via taxes. But it shouldn't take an international affair to ply that money out (so they can try to sell us on all their cool sponsored products).
I am surprised they did not
By Matt_J
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:15pm
I am surprised they did not propose to move the burial ground to make way for a concession stand. In truth the final bid is not in yet.
Don't give up yet
By Michael
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:16pm
They have to put the sponsor-mandated gargantuan McDonalds someplace.
Nah, no need to move it...
By erik g
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 1:04pm
Nah, no need to move it... given how much respect the bid affords the rest of Boston's residents, building on top of an old burial ground seems like it would be par for the course.
After The Olympics leaves town...
By theszak
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:29pm
After The Olympics leaves town there will be a Museum Project
http://www.lpom.org/exhibits-gallery/
Ooh, this is exciting
By Michael
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:31pm
"Constructed with $22 million in federal funds, the Olympic Village, once the temporary home for the finest athletes in the world, now houses federal inmates from around the country as Federal Correctional Institution Ray Brook."
And you NIMBY jerks say there can't possibly be any lasting benefits.
Enough of these preliminaries
By roadman
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 12:53pm
Let's get to the real question here. For beach volleyball, does the IOC have inflation standards for the balls? And how are those standards enforced?
Where are they going to put
By mariac
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 1:10pm
Where are they going to put off the "offensive looking homeless people" ???
They will probably ship them
By Matt_J
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:51pm
They will probably ship them off to an island..... oh wait. I mean bus them somewhere out west.
IN 1984 in LA...
By teric
Sat, 01/24/2015 - 7:01pm
they dressed them in tuxedos...I kid you not.
Marathon Route
By Ari O
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 1:20pm
Good lord why would you not try to use as much of the actual marathon course as possible? Say, run out the river to Newton/Wellesley and then pick up the course coming back. Or make a loop through the city from the stadium, up through downtown, out through Cambridge, out Route 16 and then back in via the Comm Ave? It's the goddamn most well-known marathon course in the world, with the possible exception of the actual route from Marathon to Athens, but they've only been running that annually since the '70s.
Guess what route they used for the 2004 games? (Apparently they got a waiver to have a straighter-than-regulation course. I wonder if Boston could get the same.)
Or, meh, let's just run a loop around somewhere.
The marathon course is point
By chaosjake
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 1:52pm
The marathon course is point-to-point and net downhill, so it comes with a lot of baggage. Such as, for example, not being eligible for world records. I think the Olympic folks want to allow for records.
(Yes, I know you suggested making a loop that would only partially follow the Boston course, but once you stray from the course at all, why bother incorporating any of it?)
Agreed-lame route
By JohnAKeith
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:11pm
While the idea of having runners going along an historic route such as down Comm Ave has at least some appeal, the entire 26.2 mile course looks totally lame! It loops? Is that common for an Olympics(tm) marathon? Ugh. "Wheeee, we ran a circle!" (ellipse?)
An "official" marathon can't be point-to-point
By Ron Newman
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:20pm
if it wants to be counted for world records. The Boston route isn't official in this sense, and neither is the one in Greece. The course doesn't need to be an exact loop, but it needs to be closer to a U-shape than to a straight line.
Chicago marathon route
How long is the Freedom Trail?
By SwirlyGrrl
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:16pm
Have them do laps.
Now, I would pay to see the
By Matt_J
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:52pm
Now, I would pay to see the Russians, North Koreans, and any other dictatorship have their athletes run the Freedom Trail.
Makes it fair
By Kaz
Fri, 01/23/2015 - 2:18pm
Looping does two things:
1) makes your net elevation change equal 0. So, runners that excel uphill versus downhill don't have an advantage over the course of the entire race. Net downhill (like the Boston Marathon) also makes the course times faster.
2) makes your net wind direction equal 0 (barring shifting winds throughout the race). You'll run into and out of the wind an equal amount of time. The Boston Marathon is almost always downwind (again, making records faster) since our prevailing winds are from the west.
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