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Developer would turn tiny parking lot on North Washington Street into a 15-story hotel
By adamg on Wed, 03/30/2016 - 11:02pm
Archtect's rendering: Hotel is brown-and-silver building across from old Scotch & Sirloin.
A Wilmington builder has filed plans with the BRA to replace a seven-space parking lot at 88 N. Washington St., off Valenti Way, with a 74-room boutique hotel.
Tom McKay's proposed hotel will also need zoning-board approval because, at roughly 148 feet in height, it's roughly 48 feet higher than the 100-foot limit set for the Bulfinch Triangle area. The filing says the height is in line with other recent developments in the area, however. Also:
In order to create a small boutique hotel use on this very small 2,100 sf site, the economics, from a construction as well as a hotel industry operations standpoint, require a 70+ guestroom count.
McKay expects many of the hotel's guests would be family members of patients at nearby Mass. General and Spaulding Rehabilitation hospitals - and that the hotel is an easy subway ride away from both Tufts Medical Center and the Longwood Medical Area.
88 N. Washington St. small-project review application (4.7M PDF).
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Comments
Good!
The Bulfinch Triangle has a number of such small parking lots that should be built over. In some cases this may be more difficult since windows face onto the parking lots.
Halp
I fear if I checked in here I would never leave.
In Dorchester -and elsewhere-
In Dorchester -and elsewhere- the city has declared vacant lots that are 50% larger than this.as too-small-to-be-(re)built in perpetuity, and given them away to abutters who more often than not have turned them into dumps. I always found that ridiculous.
By contrast, I like this study in efficiency and the bold proposal!
I really don't understand where this is
The west side of this block is a different development (the affordable housing one that's now under construction). The east side of the block is mostly warehouse-turned-offices and the Ward 8 restaurant. Then in front of that there's an absolutely tiny parking lot that can literally fit 6 cars. Is it just that tiny lot? Does it wrap around the back of the Medford St buildings? Are they planning to demolish the single-story restaurant building?
That's the spot. The white
That's the spot. The white building in the rendering is the already under construction affordable housing buidling.
One Condition
Only if it doesn't interfere with views of the legacy Scotch n Sirloin sign
Scotch N' Sirloin?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nU5cVMr6SLk
A little stretch and then a big stretch
OK you could walk to MGH from this place. It's maybe 3/4 of a mile. It wouldn't be the most convenient place to stay while visiting someone at the hospital, but it's not crazy.
Conversely, how many hotels are closer to Longwood than this new one? Like every hotel in the city? Even mentioning the idea that Medical Area hospital visitors would choose to stay "an easy subway ride" at North Station is simply ludicrous.
Boston hotels are expensive
And a hotel off the beaten path will command a slightly lower nightly rate. Many people will opt to walk to save the $30-$50 a night, or, if they're traveling on business, expense cabs and Ubers.
MGH shuttle
Fyi......as to proximity to MGH, there's a free Partners shuttle that runs from the Charlestown Navy Yard and stops at North Station on its way to and from MGH.