A developer whose office is in the heart of FiDi has filed plans with the BRA for a four-story, 36-unit residential building at 55 W. 5 St. at the corner of B Street that he will market under the name SOBO Place.
Developer Joe Hassell's $10-million proposal calls for 36 parking spaces in an underground garage, along with first-floor retail space on a lot now used for auto repair. Five of the units will be marketed as affordable. Most of the units will have two bedrooms; nine will have one bedroom each and six will be studios.
Our project will clean up and utilize an outdated commercial property, which is currently an eyesore for the community. Our stylish design will complement and improve the overall look of the area. High quality, environmentally friendly, and maintenance-free materials will be used where feasible. The be-low ground parking will not distract from the overall appeal of the property and allows for more parking.
55 W. 5 St. small-project review proposal (6.7M PDF).
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Comments
Nice cornices on that giant
By MattL
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 4:23pm
Nice cornices on that giant cinder block.
Probably just trying to avoid
By anon
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 8:10pm
Probably just trying to avoid "neighborhood" opposition by making it as plain and boring as possible.
But... But... It's So "Stylish"!
By Elmer
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 12:24am
[sup] ( that doesn't necessarily mean an attractive "style" )[/sup]
.
By boo_urns
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 12:53pm
It's the new Brutalism.
Look at the cinder block on
By Yuppie Bastard
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 5:08pm
Look at the cinder block on bottom, this building has the cheapest of the cheap building materials, cinder block must cost $3 bucks a block at Home Depot, Windows look like it was passed on from another building, The rest looks like cardboard.
jesus that looks terrible.
By qsdrfn
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 4:31pm
jesus that looks terrible.
Nope. Looks fine to me but
By Jesus
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 4:33pm
Nope. Looks fine to me but thanks for asking.
And you call yourself a carpenter?
By That Joseph
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 10:20pm
C'mon Chuy, it looks like crap and you know it.
Hey! Don't you know luxury when you see it?
By BullDetector
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 4:42pm
It will have stainless Appliances and granite countertops in that 50 sq foot kitchen afterall.
Stainless and Granite?
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 6:45pm
Sooooo 2005!
I'll demand nothing less than graphite finish appliances and engineered quartz countertops!
woof man... just woof. It's
By qsdrfn
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 9:21am
woof man... just woof. It's a rendering, i get it - but is this what we've come to - aim low so as not to offend?
Depends on the store they put in there
By Gary C
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 4:38pm
As long as they put a "Tenant" in there, I'm all for it.
Developers have different realities
By whyaduck
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 4:39pm
"Stylish design"? It looks like a large cinder block.
(No subject)
By aldos
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 4:52pm
[img]http://i.imgur.com/aeriBvL.gif[/img]
Honestly..what is the problem with SoBo?
By SoBo-Yuppie
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 10:06am
What is more American then a group of people moving to a place and renaming it.
I mean, if that is so offensive then you should be calling this land we live on Shawmut and not Boston.
At least the renaming of this neighborhood was done through free market capitalism and not trough rape, murder and genocide like when it was renamed to Boston.
- The Original SoBo Yuppie.
Why do you want to rename the neighborhood?
By anon
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 12:58pm
hint: If it has anything to do with anti catholic, anti-irish bias, that's not a good reason. :)
Reason
By SoBo-Yuppie
Thu, 05/12/2016 - 9:39am
anti-irish? - how many people that live in South Boston were actually born in Ireland? 0.0001% maybe?
anti-catholic? - i don't know anything about religion.
It is more around anti-racist and anti-bigotry. thats why i the neighborhood is being renamed.
Would this be considered
By zetag
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 4:59pm
Broadway Village? Or does that end at the Bypass Road?
That's still Broadway Village
By SoBo-Yuppie
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 4:53pm
It's really too bad about that Starbucks in City Po....uhh... I mean L-Bo Square (L St and Broadway).
Time to pen a letter
By Boston_res
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 5:17pm
I'm going to express my lack of support just because of the name alone.
That sure is
By zetag
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 5:20pm
a reasonable, adult response to the situation.
Better name
By Angry Dan
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 5:36pm
The Residences at Shoebox Place
I'm voting for Cementy McJailville.
By Sally
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 6:38pm
That place needs a cheerful moniker to offset the Siberian prison vibe.
They should do the same in
By ZD
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 5:42pm
They should do the same in Eastie, knock down old ugly homes I'm talkin city blocks of them and build big large condo buildings just like this one in Southie..
This wasn't a home, it was an
By Trump-Baker 2016
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 6:12pm
This wasn't a home, it was an auto repair shop, and they are building lots of luxury condos in East Boston, so you should be happy!
Tear downs and rebuilds are
By PDV
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 11:15pm
Tear downs and rebuilds are the rage in Eastie. Rarely would you see this happening years ago in Eastie, There seems to be more construction equipment than cars roaming the streets of Eastie, is Eastie becoming the new Southie.
Yeah totally
By anon
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 7:30pm
Because these 21st century flamboyant looking condos look so much better than the classic brick buildings Boston's known for...
Huh?
By bosguy22
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 9:05am
The auto repair shop was brick? Well, in that case, SAVE THE AUTO REPAIR SHOP!
In homage
By anon
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 12:33pm
to the auto repair shop, they should put a giant inflatable muffler on the roof, and some Wacky Waving Inflatable Arm Flailing Tube Men out front. To stay with the character of the property and all.
Knock down all those ugly homes and build new buildings?
By mplo
Thu, 05/12/2016 - 3:11am
You mean like what they did in Boston's old West End? What was done to Boston's old West End was a real atrocity, plain and simple. Why the hell couldn't they have just simply re-developed that area instead of razing it totally out of existence, building huge, not-so-attractive high-rise buildings and displace all the original inhabitants in the process?
That would've been a better way to do it. We had some family friends who resided in Boston's old West End, and were pushed out, thanks to the destruction of that neighborhood.
Spelling error?
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 6:48pm
They spelled "bozo" wrong.
This building is so sobo yuppie it hurts.
By anon
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 7:50pm
surely there's a way to bring back D street projects in lieu of this nouveau horror.
Not to worry. The projects
By Yupster
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 8:27am
Not to worry. The projects are right across the street.
its not 1980
By SoBo-Yuppie
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 10:02am
projects, smojects....i walk through them everyday and the people there couldn't be nicer.
its not 1980 and this is boston. now if we were in LA or Chicago (REAL tough cities) then i'd be a bit worried.
You are one tough hombre.
By anon
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 1:00pm
Dragging all those poodles and trophy dogs through the mean streets of gentrified SOBO West.
No. I am not tough.
By SoBo-Yuppie
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 1:59pm
That is the point. Obviously you missed it.
NONO
By Ron Newman
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 7:50pm
(which can be a future name for luxury condos in Mattapan, NOrth of NOrfolk Street)
Hey Mistah' Developah'......
By R U Kisin Me
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 8:37pm
SONO.....
Ugly is a selling point
By SwirlyGrrl
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 8:56pm
If you lived here, you wouldn't have to look at it.
instead you can look across
By anon
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 9:26am
instead you can look across the street at the D st projects
Just when you think
By ChrisInEastie
Tue, 05/10/2016 - 10:04pm
developers couldn't be any more out of touch with how actual Boston residents think...
Or any more out of touch
By KarenK
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 1:18am
with the associations that name has for those of us who are not oblivious to the current devastating epidemic of opioid addiction....
What does the name "SoBo" have to do with opiates?
By Ron Newman
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 9:59am
Please explain, as I have no idea.
Suboxone
By anon
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 11:53am
nickname for narcotic treatment (which itself is addictive)
Huh?
By bosguy22
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 12:15pm
That's quite a stretch
Holy ... ^&*(
By ElizaLeila
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 8:43am
Even I can't find a positive spin on this one.
I give up.
So, no more auto shop?
By KSquared
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 9:08am
And are they happy about that? Does this developer already own that land or do they have to buy out the auto shop?
Who's they?
By piscis
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 12:01pm
It looks like the parcel is owned by the owner of E&S Auto. I would think he is very happy about this.
Just curious if the auto shop is on board
By KSquared
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 12:16pm
It was super nice having that mechanic steps from where I used to live, for simple things like inspections to minor body work.
While you could consider it an eyesore, like the proposal does many times, it still provided a service.
I'd assume so since it seems
By piscis
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 12:20pm
I'd assume so since it seems that the mechanic is selling to the developer. Probably just cashing out while the market is hot.
Yeah, I don't know if I'd consider it an eyesore either...it's an auto shop.
Next in line
By KSquared
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 2:08pm
The belt factory and "condos" where I used to live on W 5th between B and A/Dorchester Ave.
Surely whomever thinks an auto shop is an eyesore must have fits over an actual industrial building.
Actually they probably wouldn't be a fan of Doughboy either...
Who needs an auto shop?
By Ralph Boston
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 10:24pm
This is SoBo! Nobody uses cars in a gentrified community. Didn't you know that?
Who "needs"?
By bosguy22
Thu, 05/12/2016 - 9:25am
Why does this have anything to do with what the neighborhood "needs"? The mechanic that operates on that site owns the property (or his family does). They want to sell. Another party wants to buy and put up condos rather than run an auto repair facility. The mechanic at that site says he'll open another shop at a location TBD. What's your problem? That the building is ugly?
Eyesore? Maybe.
By anon
Thu, 05/12/2016 - 10:38am
Maybe not.
Auto shops are, however, one of the worst point sources of fairly nasty pollution in the Commonwealth.
Small, but nasty.
"Stylish Design?"
By XenaKat
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 1:35pm
"Stylish design?"
"Stylish design?"
That is the UGLIEST "stylish" building I've ever seen. Looks almost exactly like the old-school projects of the 1970's. All it needs is to be painted brick red and you can eliminate "almost" as an adjective.
I"m also gonna question "maintenance free" materials. Everything is going to need maintenance sooner or later. Walls will need to be painted or cleaned (depending on whether they are indoor or outdoor) outdoor windows will need to be washed by professionals, storm drains and/or gutters will need to be cleaned, and even water/sewer pipes and electrical wiring will need to be repaired or upgraded eventually.
Plop that one right outside D St
By SouthieLocal
Wed, 05/11/2016 - 6:58pm
The Southie Bulletin Board is going to be on fire when this building becomes occupied. I think the newcomers are gona love their new OFS neighbors.
I'm going to say it because no one else is
By eherot
Thu, 05/12/2016 - 10:18am
One parking space per unit shouldn't even be a thing in buildings that are 1000 feet from a subway station.
this must be overlooking the
By sam
Mon, 05/16/2016 - 8:58pm
this must be overlooking the d street projects. it seems like it doesn't really impact the value much from other units i've seen sold nearby. maybe they'll fix up those projects some day.
BORING
By A.S. Merrimac
Wed, 06/01/2016 - 10:55am
Bland, boring, uninspired & cheap. Oh and a really stupid name! All this crap will be falling down in less than fifty years, but these developers don't care, they got their money and they'll be long gone. Shame on the BRA and the ZBA for allowing this crap-insensitive urban renewal re-imagined.
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