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Proposed Brighton apartment building would come with free bikes for initial renters
By adamg on Sat, 03/26/2016 - 10:20am
Architect's rendering.
A developer wants to tear down the long unused Dewalt/Black & Decker repair shop where Western Avenue meets Birmingham Parkway near Soldiers Field Road and replace it with a six-story apartment building.
The Mount Vernon Co. is proposing 132 apartments - 53 studios, 59 one-bedroom units and 20 with two bedrooms - as well as three retail spaces on the first floor. The proposal calls for 108 parking spaces and space for 132 bicycles. And initial renters would be offered a free bicycle, according to the company's filing with the BRA, which adds the company hopes to install a Hubway station at the building.
Some 15% of the units would be rented as affordable to people making no more than 80% of the area median income.
Surrounded by potential future development sites, including the historic Charles River Speedway where plans are underway for a residential and retail renovation, the proposed building seeks to be a catalyst for thoughtful development in the area. By enhancing the public realm and providing a continuously activated ground floor filled with contextual retail, lobbies, and amenity spaces, the Project will create a vibrant experience for the residents of the surrounding neighborhood and beyond. These active uses, in conjunction with wide tree-lined sidewalks, will improve the pedestrian experience in an area currently dominated by vehicular traffic.
Mount Vernon hopes to begin construction this summer, with completion in about 16 months.
530 Western Ave. project notification form (97M PDF).
Architectural renderings (10M PDF).
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Comments
If Mt Vernon and New Balance
If Mt Vernon and New Balance can do something with the city to make it safe to cross that horrible disaster of an intersection... it would actually be a nice spot to access the river trails by bike. Good for the neighbors too. But will it happen?
Disaster is right
I run through that intersection pretty frequently because it's my easiest access to the Esplanade trails and I hear the frogger music in my head every time. You're truly risking life and limb with no crosswalks, no crossing lights, and aggressive/confused drivers.
Last summer they redid a couple of the islands and I stopped to talk to one of the construction workers. He said that they were making the whole intersection accessible and putting in crosswalks. Yeah, that never happened... it would be really nice if they could do something about this intersection while they're at it.
email the BRA
Please email [email protected] before April 7 to share those thoughts.
I don't expect Mount Vernon to single-handedly fix Birmingham Parkway and the intersection with Western Ave & the Arsenal St Bridge. But I do think the City and DCR should commit in writing to major safety improvements before this project is approved.
Thank you!
Thank you for the tip! I emailed him tonight.
Good use of that parcel, but
Good use of that parcel, but giving out a free bike doesn't make much sense given they want to put a Hubway station there.
Glad they're finally doing
Glad they're finally doing something with that lot! Building has been vacant forever.
Freebies
Sure, I'd gladly pay an extra $10,000 to live in a place which came with a free $500 bicycle.
I never understood these sorts of promotions. The bike parking is a nice touch. Too bad most of the spots will be filled by untouched identical bikes collecting dust.
I agree
I also don't like how apartments will give out "two months rent free, for new tenants", then jack the rent up 15% the following year.
As a cyclist, the biggest
As a cyclist, the biggest problem I have in finding bike parking is unused bikes.
Giving all the tenants a free bike will just hurt actual cyclists' ability to park my bike conveniently. In my building, I have a crappy spot to park my bike because I use it every day. All the best spots are taken up by people who put their bike there on September 1 when they moved in and have never used it since. And then there is the abandoned bikes my building has to clear out once a year from tenants who moved out and just left their bike, I'm fairly sure many of these will be abandoned in the parking.
Sure, I'd gladly pay an extra
Of course you don't. Because you actually looked at the numbers and applied rational thinking, something the vast majority of people don't do.
This gimmick is a
This gimmick is a disappointment. If someone is already a committed cyclist, then they already have a bike. If they don't, then they really shouldn't be cycling in the city just because they got a free bike -- it's too dangerous for those who don't know what they're doing. Hope they are giving away helmets along with the bikes.
108 parking spaces is way too
108 parking spaces is way too many, especially if they're touting this as a building for cyclists. Will they be offering modified bikes for people with physical challenges? Get rid of the parking and create a garden space for tenant use and add some benches and trees.
It's not even one parking
It's not even one parking spot per unit. New construction needs parking because many of the young transplants like to bring their cars with them even if they like to tell everyone how much they like public transit.
So let's make it easy
> many of the young transplants like to bring their cars with them
With parking right in the building, there's no downside.
Near New Balance rail station
This site is within walking distance of the commuter rail station New Balance is paying for.
Black and Decker Bldg
The old Black and Decker sign was briefly uncovered during demolition.