Rendering by RODE Architects.
A developer that proposed an apartment building on 142-146 St. Mary's Street, on the Boston side of the border with Brookline last year has submitted new plans that call for a slightly smaller building, but one with a pedestrian path running from the Fenway stop on the Green Line on one side of the building to Medfield Street on the other. Read more.
The Boston Licensing Board today gave Matsu Nori Handroll Bar, 900 Beacon St., the right to allow customers to bring their own beer and wine. Read more.
The owner of a two-story parking garage at 142-146 St. Mary's St. in Audubon Circle, says it will soon file plans to replace the structure with a six-story, 90-unit residential building. Read more.
Boston Restaurant Talk reports H Mart is moving into the Beacon Street space where Whole Foods used to be.
Patrick Magure takes us behind the counter at the Busy Bee on Beacon Street in Brookline on a Saturday morning: Read more.
Patrick Maguire reports that Japonaise Bakery & Café, on Beacon Street on the Brookline side of Audubon Circle, expects to re-open in 45 to 60 days. Owner Takeo Sakan closed it in 2021 for the first extensive renovations since it opened in 1985. He started a GoFundme page both to help pay for the new equipment and to help support the staff during the closure.
Rendering by Gensler.
The Zoning Board of Appeal today approved plans by a London-based developer and Children's Hospital for four new buildings at 819 Beacon St. that will have one wing rising 17 stories and which will include 53 units that will provide short-term housing for families living more than 50 miles from Boston who have children getting care at the hospital. Read more.
Photo by Patrick Maguire.
Patrick Maguire reports the Whole Foods on Beacon Street in Audubon Circle at the Brookline/Fenway line is closing this coming Wednesday. He reports a regional manager broke the news to employees this morning.
Architect's rendering of Boylston building.
Scape, a British company that initially wanted to build a 533-bed private dorm building on Boylston Street, has filed new plans with the BPDA that now call for a Boylston Street building with 477 market-rate apartments - and for 445 apartments in a new Audubon Circle building and another 220 apartments in a new building on Charlesgate West. Read more.
One of the new "protected" bike lanes on Beacon Street in Audubon Circle is currently protected from bicyclists, P. Cheung reports.
Sheri Ann Cheng, meanwhile, pleaded with the city to do better plowing on Hyde Park Avenue into and out of Forest Hills:
But the Boston Sun reports some nearby residents question the need for yet another liquor store in the area.
UPDATE: More about the Brookline bunny in the comments.
Ryan Ruel spotted this baby bun outside the Economy True Value hardware store on Beacon Street in Brookline today.
Posted under this Creative Commons license and in the Universal Hub pool on Flickr.
Architect's rendering
A developer has filed plans to replace a low-slung commercial building with a 45-unit, five-story apartment building at 839 Beacon St., between the circle and the turnpike. Read more.
A concerned citizen reports on the situation on Buswell Street:
There are two of these. They guarded a parklet. Said parklet has begun its winter hibernation but his two friends remain. I just talked to his two friends and they'd like to join Mr. parklet in hibernating before they get snowed on as currently they just block parking spaces.
H/t R.
Fire scene. Photo by Samantha Irene.
The Boston Fire Department reports a four-alarm fire at 877 Beacon St. early this morning did an estimated $3 million in damage, forced the evacuation of residents of neighboring buildings and injured two firefighters.
Firefighters responded at 1:25 a.m. to the building, which housed offices, not apartments. The department says that while residents were evacuated - MBTA buses were brought in to give them shelter - firewalls between the buildings held, preventing the fire from spreading. Residents were allowed back in around 4:30 a.m.
A concerned citizen could take it no more and went out in the rain last night to chronicle the fact that one of those welcome signs still has Tom Menino's name on it.
Update, 9:15 p.m. NStar reports more than 2,500 customers in Boston and Brookline have no power.
An NStar transformer in an underground vault along Beacon Street self-immolated shortly before 8 p.m., plunging many of the blocks around into darkness. Power in both Boston and Brookline was affected; fire officials refrained from exclaiming "oy, the vault!" but they were probably thinking it.
The Boston Licensing Board next week considers a deal in which the landlord of the defunct Morton's Steakhouse on Boylston Street would sell its liquor license to Boston Beer Works on Brookline Avenue so that Boston Beer Works can in turn sell its beer and wine license to Mei Mei on Park Drive.
Phew.
Boston Police report the 7-Eleven at 508 Park Dr. was held up around 8 p.m. yesterday.
Boston Police report they are looking for three men who got out of a car in Audubon Circle around 2:50 a.m. Saturday to pummel a BU student who objected to them trying to run him down as he crossed the street.
"The victim stated the suspects assaulted him by punching and kicking him," police say, adding he was taken to Brigham and Women's in critical condition. Police say they are looking for three black men in a dark-colored sedan.
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