There's already a 19-unit building replacing the body shop directly next door to this. Granted this is on the end of the street, Everett is a small, almost completely residential one-way street, and this is going to be horrible for noise and traffic on so many levels.

I also feel bad for the people with the AMAZING house at 24 Everett.

Oh, come on

By whyaduck on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 12:56pm.

you do realize that we have a housing shortage, no? Well, that means less single family homes and more multi unit buildings.

This will be all luxury condos.

By Lee on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 1:05pm.

Unaffordable for low income and middle class households for whom the housing shortage is a far bigger threat than for the wealthy.
We need better laws and restrictions on development that are focused on the needs of Bostonians rather than on satisfying the greed of developers and real estate speculators.

Another subject altogether.

By whyaduck on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 1:15pm.

If you have been following my posts, I am usually the one ranting about what "affordable" truly means. I agree with you.

Whatever which way one cuts it, it will mean less single family homes and more multi unit developments which should be also be shared by the wealthier towns.

I am not sure what your last sentence means in regards to laws and restrictions. It is simple, really. The need is more housing that is affordable which means developments that can house many people and where they are not spending large chunks of their monthly income on rent.

just wrong

By hux on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 1:27pm.

More regulation, restrictions, and developer concessions is the exact reason why every single development is luxury.

Boston already has astronomical development costs associated with permitting and construction, on top of essentially a tax for affordable units. Any more and nothing will ever get developed in Boston, and that certainly won't help any socioeconomic group suffering from housing shortages.

It's not going to reduce

By anon on Sat, 12/02/2017 - 9:58am.

It's not going to reduce prices, they will just sell the most expensive units they can.

If there are too many West Ends,

By mplo on Sat, 12/02/2017 - 12:09am.

it will not be good for Boston as a city, on the whole.

A housing shortage

By ChrisInEastie on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 1:35pm.

Doesn't mean we just start lining every residential street in the area with massive big box fauxury buildings. And it doesn't mean every single new unit that goes up in this city has to be luxury with the exception of those mandated by law (notice how many buildings that are just small enough not to require this are going up or have been approved in Eastie as of late). Even that 100% affordable/workforce building across from the Garden is all about tax breaks for the hotel directly connected to it.

These units aren't about building houses for the masses, they're about making as much money as possible for developers and political campaigns, on the cheapest land and with the cheapest materials possible. I call bull on any argument trying to make it out as anything more.

I can also tell you first hand that these buildings are hurting those who already live in the area, and offsetting any impact on "helping" the housing shortage through displacement. Property taxes are skyrocketing in that area, which is causing issues for renters and homeowners alike. There are also major quality of life impacts for residents during and after construction, though I guess one way to address a housing shortage is to make the city unaffordable and undesirable to as many people as possible, right?

Nailed it!

By Lmo on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 1:43pm.

Nailed it!

Hokey,

By whyaduck on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 2:18pm.

I am guessing you live in Eastie.

Yes, I agree with the premises behind your first and second paragraphs.

In regards to your last paragraph, it is called gentrification and the city has been and continues to be unaffordable for more and more folks and this is not a new thing although it is now hitting Eastie.

And in regards to property taxes increasing in East Boston, you might of missed this:

http://www.eastietimes.com/2016/12/16/higher-taxescouncil-votes-to-incre...

So would you be for the housing if it was designed to truly reach the masses?

Yes, I do.

By ChrisInEastie on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 5:06pm.

Going to assume you're out in the burbs watching from afar? Because despite Marty Walsh's sterling reputation for speaking the truth, I can tell you from actual experience, and those of my neighbors, that increased property taxes actually are having an impact on many, and that it's happening very quickly.

East Boston has been slowly gentrifying for many years. While this has definitely put somewhat of a strain on the housing stock, there's a difference between people moving to cheaper areas and developers buying up every square inch possible and turning it into Southie 2.0, claiming it's this vibrant up and coming neighborhood while simultaneously killing the community they're marketing.

I'm all for increased housing, especially when so much of the older stock in the city is in need of a revamp. And yes, I think we need reasonably priced housing for the masses. But no, I'm not all about these giant boxy buildings being stuck in locations like this regardless.

so, Chris

By anon on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 2:22pm.

Are you going to become a developer and make it all happen the way that you would like it to?

Or are you afraid that your assertions that everyone should have high quality housing for little money would run into reality very quickly?

It's funny

By ChrisInEastie on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 4:49pm.

because East Boston has been an affordable neighborhood, with plenty of available housing, that has gotten along just fine for a long time.

Define "luxury"

By anon on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 2:36pm.

The "luxury" label gets thrown around a lot as a perjorative against most development.

As far as I can tell all it means new + market rate.

market rate

By hux on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 4:28pm.

That's just the thing. The real estate market is currently insane, with demand far outpacing supply. According to free market economics, this results in increased prices for that minimal supply. Most people have a hard time understanding that.

While I understand East Boston was historically a place where immigrant populations could move to because it was essentially less in demand than other neighborhoods, people have now realized how close it is to downtown and other major amenities, so the demand to live there has gone up drastically. Couple that with the largest population boom in recent history for Boston, and the development of East Boston and the increased demand to live there is just a fact of the our times.

That's just reality, and I'm sorry if it does not match the reality some people wish to see, but that's the way it is. Cities evolve and change over time.

Come on over

By ChrisInEastie on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 6:06pm.

There's a giant "Luxury Condos For Sale" banner on the side of a building being gutted on Everett at this very moment, and I've seen these on many others throughout the neighborhood, even on smaller cross streets. Look through some listings for good measure as well.

That's marketing lingo

By merlinmurph on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 5:23pm.

"Luxury" is just the marketing boys doing what they do.

There is no housing shortage...

By bradyblack on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 1:39pm.

An investment property shortage, I believe you mean. Drive around the back bay around seven and see how many places have their lights on. Look at half of these new high rises that have gone up, same thing. Nobody lives in half these places. Investors have made this city unlivable for the common folk.

citations needed

By anon on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 2:07pm.

citations needed

There's been plenty about

By anon on Sat, 12/02/2017 - 10:01am.

There's been plenty about investors buying properties and barely living in them.

Well, ok, but there is still

By whyaduck on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 2:21pm.

a affordable housing shortage in the city:

https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2017/11/02/can-boston-affordable...

Exactly. People who move to

By anon on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 5:58pm.

Exactly. People who move to the Back Bay don't want to drop $900K to live on the 19th floor of a shiny new high-rise tower in a lcookie-cutter unit... they want a condo in an historical brick building with a little bit of architectural charm on leafy Marlborough Street. With all of the new plastic-y luxe towers going up in the Back Bay, it's the old condos that are soaring in value and in high demand with no inventory. You want sources? Google it.

A lot of these Developers are

By East Boston resident on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 2:01pm.

A lot of these Developers are pouring in by the droves from places like Brookline /Allston and recently as far away as Quincy and Ireland!! They use entities “the LLC’s “ to hide their true identity, They’ve never had any attachment to the Eastie neighborhood up until the real estate market began to be hot, You see them in the local paper , They contribute to local charities in favor for local zoning breaks!! It’s all about making cash at the end with these developers, They all have the deepest pockets, and their buying up a large chunk of the neighborhood.

yep

By hux on Fri, 12/01/2017 - 4:14pm.

Developers run businesses and make profits. They operate like other businesses who see a market with a potential to make a profit and they go there.

This notion that all developers are cartoonish evil, greedy people who just exist to take advantage of poor people, ruin neighborhoods, and then go home and swim in their pools of money like Scrooge McDuck is insane.

Not to mention that cities and most houses would never have existed without having been developed in the first place. Did you build your house? Do you know who did?