The Boston Home Team Blog » Southwest Corridor

Bikes Not Bombs Environmental Rally

William Brokhof — Sun, 26 Jun 2011 19:16:41 +0000

Developers won’t confirm or deny new Harvest

William Brokhof — Fri, 29 Apr 2011 21:25:57 +0000

Reblogged from The Gazette:

Harvest Co-op plans new JP store

By John Ruch April 29, 2011

FOREST HILLS—Harvest Co-op Markets is planning a new grocery store as part of a retail/office development on Washington Street south of the Forest Hills T Station.

The new market would be 9,000 square feet and could open in late 2012, Harvest General Manager Mike St. Clair told the Gazette. The existing Harvest at 57 South St. would remain open, though its offerings might change, St. Clair said. Harvest, a member-owned co-op based in Cambridge, recently announced the new store on its web site. Also announced is a new Harvest Co-op for the Fenway as part of the Yawkey Station redevelopment.

The new JP store “will offer a full variety of fresh and organic produce, meat, seafood, deli, grocery and health/wellness products,” St. Clair said in an e-mail to the Gazette.

“We have been looking to grow in Jamaica Plain for years to better serve our members and customers with a bigger store, larger product offering and dedicated parking,” said St. Clair, when asked whether the expansion has anything to do with Whole Foods Market coming to JP.

The South Street store is in a good location, but “it is quite small and a challenge to offer a complete grocery shopping experience,” he said. That shop is in a storefront attached to a house with no parking lot.

“We hope to be in this location for a long time,” St. Clair said of the existing JP store. “Our plans are to refine the product variety to best suit the needs of the neighbors in such a challenging facility.”

Last year, Harvest attempted to open a Milton store as part of a development including a CVS Pharmacy. The town meeting rejected that plan due to noise, traffic and property-value concerns, as the Quincy Patriot Ledger reported at the time.

While St. Clair would not name the development team for the new JP store, he confirmed that it is planned for a vacant MBTA parcel on Washington Street at Ukraine Way. Jamaica Plain-based WCI Corp. has a longstanding plan to build a retail/office building there featuring a grocery store.

WCI spokesperson Brian McGinley declined to comment on Harvest’s new store announcement and not confirm or deny its involvement in the WCI plan. He referred questions to Harvest.

The announcement at www.harvest.coop says that the grocer has signed letters of intent with developers on the JP and Fenway projects, and that “neither [project] is certain” to happen.

“The developers selected Harvest because of our excellent reputation in the Metro Boston area for our high-quality and healthy foods, our many years of community involvement and our commitment to environmental stewardship,” the announcement said.

A city-led community planning process for several vacant MBTA parcels around the Forest Hills T Station, which last years and wrapped up in 2009, pegged a grocery store as a top local desire, as the Gazette previously reported.

WCI Corp. won development rights to two of the MBTA lots flanking Washington Street at Ukraine Way.

Its plans for the western parcel, known as “Arboretum Place,” included a 32,000-square-foot building, including a grocery store, with a plaza in front. The plan for the eastern parcel, on the T station side of Washington, involved a 12,000-square-foot office building with ground-floor retail.

The plan includes about 50 on-site parking spaces on the two parcels, as well as on-street parking. Nearly half of the parcels’ area would remain open space.

In community meetings last year, the WCI plan was favorably received, but traffic was a local concern.

“There’s a lot of stuff up in the air,” McGinley said when asked about the status of WCI’s redevelopment of the parcels.

WCI is a developer and contractor whose work includes various residential and commercial buildings around JP, including the company’s headquarters at 500 Amory St.

***

I for one am all for Harvest and pretty much any of the improvements outlined for Forest Hills.

Casey Overpass – makes it or breaks it for Forest Hills

William Brokhof — Sun, 03 Apr 2011 12:17:07 +0000

I’ve been following the online conversations about Casey Overpass and speaking to a few locals. It seems the overpass is a crucial design problem for local authorities. In my opinion, it’s a make it or break it challenge for the future of Forest Hills. An outstanding design that is welcoming and solves the unbearable traffic issues in the area would transform the area and produce revenue and strengthen property values and the tax base for decades. On the flip side, get it wrong and Forest Hills could easily go down the drain.

There are so many design challenges in this city that go unmet. Instead of holding out for the long ball, impatience and short-sighted frugality tend to ruin the process. I’ve seen it many times right here in Jamaica Plain. I sincerely hope the Forest Hills residents are vocal and get some say in how they want their neighborhood to look and function. I’m reblogging an article from Patch here for your convenience:

On a dreary, cloudy day, the Casey Overpass looks even uglier. Large brick-red scabs of rust spot the I-beams along its side. The towering concrete supports are streaked with brown and orange runoff. A look up to the underside of the overpass reveals flaking, crumbling brickwork.

Jamaica Plain’s Monsignor William J. Casey Overpass is an eyesore to say the least. But its increasing structural deficiency is what began to worry the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. And now, after 57 years of mounting disrepair, the state is making plans to tear the thing down.

MassDOT has launched a six-month study of alternatives to replace the Casey Overpass, during which there will be committee meetings, as well as forums open to the public. The first of these is public forums will be held Wednesday at 6:30 in the Agassiz Community Center.

“The project’s been in the works for some time,” says Adam Hurtubise of MassDOT. “We haven’t decided on a course of action yet. One of the reasons we’re having these community meetings is to get feedback from neighbors so that we can develop a repair project that can meet the needs of the most people.”

Neighborhood groups, green advocates, motorists, bicyclists, pedestrians and state officials all have an opinion on what should replace the overpass, whether that be an at-grade redesigned intersection or a new, smaller above-grade overpass.

The current overpass is both higher and wider than is needed, after being built over elevated train tracks that have been long closed. It was recently reduced to one lane each way due to unsafe outer lanes.

However, some community members are unimpressed with the communication so far. Frederick Vetterlein, co-chair of the Stonybrook Neighborhood Association Steering Committee, has attended several meetings regarding the overpass’s future but has yet to see examples of what might replace it.

“I was disappointed that there hadn’t been concrete work done to show up traffic patterns,” he explains. “The process is only six months long and we’re already a month into it. I just wonder when the actual engineering work will be done to show where the traffic is going to go… so we could see ramps or how many surface lanes and traffic lights would be necessary, where the exits are, how the traffic is processed.”

Hurtubise says those concerns “are all things for which we’re soliciting public input.”

Because heavy traffic on the Casey Overpass affects roads deep into the surrounding neighborhoods of Forest Hills, Stonybrook and others, Vetterlein asserts that traffic control needs to be the number one priority in the redesign of the intersection.

“It’s already a mess there – the traffic jams up twice a day and it’s like a giant wall that blocks and separates Jamaica Plain and makes Forest Hills very inaccessible to the rest of Jamaica Plain,” Vetterlein says.

Sarah Freeman, a longtime JP resident on the working advisory group for the project, is hopeful that they will be able to reach a solution that meets the needs the various user groups of the area in a greener way.

Freeman, who also represents the Arborway Coalition, sees the renovation of the Casey Overpass as a way to reconnect a section of the Emerald Necklace and re-open Franklin Park to much of JP. Currently, it is largely cut off from residents due to the size and backed-up traffic of the overpass.

“From an Emerald Necklace point of view, the function that’s needed is to connect the Arboretum with Franklin Park in a way that doesn’t negatively impact other uses but achieves the goal of safe and inviting connection between the parks,” she says. “There are neighborhoods that have ‘their’ neighborhood park and much of JP lost that with the overpass becoming a barrier rather than a connector.”

While generally residents are hopeful about the project, Vetterlein also harbors concerns about the affect a smaller or nonexistent overpass will have if Jamaica Plain continues to grow.

“We are not against taking down the overpass. It would be a beautiful thing to be able to do it, but we want to be convinced that it will work, that this isn’t something that will continue to plague us in the future,” he explains. “There is a vast amount of development that’ll happen in this area. If this overpass doesn’t fit in to a plan for growth for the area, it is just going to continue to be a dividing point.”

For more information, visit the Mass Dot Casey Overpass Project Web site or attend the first meeting, April 6, 2011 from 6:30 to 8:30 at the Agassiz Community Center, 20 Child St.

Bartlett Square to be Cornerstone of Jamaica Plain’s Brewery District

William Brokhof — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 22:18:30 +0000

Jamaica Plain kicks off 2011 with the addition of Bartlett Square

2010 was box office year for Jamaica Plain real estate. There were certainly some ups and downs and working with the banks has been no cake walk – but Jamaica Plain homes have held in there for the long haul. JP has that certain je ne sais quoi that can be found no where else in Boston.

Although the commercial side of Jamaica Plain had some shake ups along Centre and South Streets, and there’s some controversy over the new Whole Foods market scheduled to fill the Hi-Lo space, the east side of the MBTA tracks is still decidedly lacking restaurants, cafes, bars, shops, etc. making those locations somewhat less desirable due to the distance to amenities. However, it look like Jamaica Plain might be inching closer to a balanced commercial and retail base as several large projects move forward

Over the last 15 years the “hot spots” in Jamaica Plain real estate have migrated. Obviously there will always be strength in the Pondside, Mosshill and Sumner Hill markets, but there seems to be some real interesting growth in the Brookside neighborhood (more recently referred to as The Brewery District), Parkside, Stony Brook, Jackson and Hyde Squares and of course Woodbourne. It’s exciting. While one always hopes that development is fair and equitable, it’s nice to see what would otherwise be empty lots repurposed.

While I reserve my opinions on some of the proposed and partially completed projects for a later date, some of them I find downright exciting. I happen to live on Amory Street near The Brewery and the new project at Bartlett Square has my eye.

I attended one of the community meetings when the project was in the planning stage and I was immediately impressed with how well Maple Hurst Builders handled the design integration with the surrounding buildings not to mention the complicated traffic and parking issues in the area. I held my breath that the project would pull through and maintain the overall “spirit” that had been proposed at that meeting. It has surpassed all expectations thus far.

I was immediately impressed with how well Maple Hurst Builders handled the design integration of Bartlett Square with the surrounding buildings, not to mention the complicated traffic and parking issues in the area.

I’ve done a lot of traveling throughout the United States, paying special attention to the architecture and infrastructure of various places along the way. It’s something I find very interesting, and to be frank, after visiting some of these places, parts of Boston are underwhelming in terms of development. It seems that often in an attempt to maintain strict planning and zoning rules in an effort to maintain a rigid historic Boston vernacular – the overall city suffers. I yearn for more creativity and variance but it is so rare.

Enters Bartlett Square. Don’t get me wrong, it’s no Frank Gehry fantasy (not a fan actually) but rather a very well designed addition to the neighborhood. The project fits nicely with the rows of old brick buildings between Amory and Washington Streets while tipping it’s hat to a more and more eco-conscious, modernist market.

I have been a fan of Maple Hurst Builders since I began my real estate career. The workmanship is noticeable, attention to detail is evident and the materials are high quality. The company ethos is apparent and sets them apart from much of the competition. Here’s an excerpt from the Maplehurst website – might as well let them ring their own bell:

Specializing in the redevelopment of under-utilized urban properties, Maple Hurst Builders has earned particular acclaim for the development, design and construction of in-fill projects that enhance their respective Boston neighborhoods by artfully blending classic architecture with contemporary details.

Each residence crafted by Maple Hurst Builders is distinctive, featuring amenities and workmanship typically reserved for custom-built homes.

Respect for the environment has always been an integral element of the design and construction of every project. Green building and sustainable construction are not merely marketing terms at Maple Hurst Builders. Resource and energy conservation, judicious use of materials and permanence of the structure are paramount. Maple Hurst Builders always will strive to deliver properties of unsurpassed value and enduring beauty.

The development at Bartlett Square is pursuing a rigorous eco-conscious design including solar panels that will support hot water and common electric needs, bike storage, a Kone “eco-efficient” elevator, Energy Star appliances, high efficiency heating and cooling and vegetative green roof, etc.

Bartlett Square employs serious eco-conscious design

In addition to the 13 condo units (two of which are affordable units per city of Boston guidelines) there will be three desperately needed retail spaces ranging from 775 SF to 1875 SF. I’m swooning at the mere idea of some healthy food options. Personally, I have my eye on a certain live foods restaurant. I suppose what stores go in will have a dramatic effect on the area and help determine the personality of that portion of the neighborhood.

I believe this section of Jamaica Plain has some amazing history and architecture, setting it apart from the more bucolic JP that is west of the MBTA line. The Brewery District and abutting neighborhoods seem to have the potential to be something like Williamsburg in Brooklyn or parts of Portland, OR. I like the grittier feel and the antique brick structures.

Locationally, the project is the bomb. Some of my favorite places in Jamaica Plain are all within walking distance. Just a few doors down from a little bodega and a block from Canto 6 with it’s steamed up windows and ridiculously mouth watering pastries and sandwiches. BMS Paper is Valhalla for party people. One of the best kept secrets in Boston IMO. You can get anything from industrial kitchen supplies to wine glasses for about $.50 each. I’m saving up for the “diner” plates they have. You know, those thick, heavy plain white plates and cups that are so strong they last for 50 years? Next on the list is Axiom Center for New and Experimental Media.

AXIOM is located at the corner of Green and Armory Streets. The gallery is on the ground floor level of the Green Street train stop on the Orange line at 141 Green St. A little about Axiom from their website:

Axiom was founded in 2004 by Heidi Kayser as an artist’s collective who originally exhibited work in a collaborative studio space. From 2005 to 2009, Axiom grew into a non-profit center whose mission is to support and nurture cutting-edge contemporary art practice through exhibitions, events, education and collaboration.

In 2010, Axiom merged with Boston Cyberarts, the organizers of the renowned biennial festival, the Boston Cyberarts Festival.

In 2011, Axiom returns to a collaborative management practice by forming the new Axiom Group, a collective of artists who curate exhibitions and events, provide educational programming, exhibit their own work, and participate in day-to-day operations. We are not currently accepting new members, but we love short term volunteers! If you are interested in volunteering or interning, (up to three college credits available) contact us: info@axiomart.org.

From the gallery at Green Street station, heading north up a gorgeous bike and pedestrian path takes you right by The Brewery complex which is home to some of Jamaica Plain’s favorite businesses. Bella Luna and the Milky Way pump out the best hand made galactic eats this side of the galaxy. You can’t go wrong with a Simple Simon and one of the Sam Adams brew made specially for this establishment. Next door is Ula Cafe, a treasure trove of delectable breakfast yummy treats and creatively combined sandwiches. Everything there seems to be fair trade, consciously sourced, etc. Stop in for an excellent cup a Joe and free Wi-Fi. When you’ve had your fill of some exotic strada or your favorite – the bacon, cheddar and chive scones, and you’re feeling a bit lumpy, you can jog upstairs to the massive Mike’s Fitness. Mike’s is a great gym and you’ll find, like the rest of Jamaica Plain, Mike’s is pretty diverse. Anyone will feel comfortable working out here. My favorite spot is on the recumbant bike or the Cybex elliptical in front of the huge windows overlooking the MBTA tracks and the Southwest Corridor.

As the project proceeds, I’ll keep you informed with more updates. If you have any questions in the meantime don’t hesitate to ask. If you’d like to hear it from the horse’s mouth in person, you can speak to the developers of Bartlett Square at the 1st Annual Jamaica Plain Home Energy Fair, Saturday March 5th, 9:30-1 pm at Bella Luna.

Bartlett Square to be the Cornerstone of Jamaica Plain’s Brewery District

William Brokhof — Mon, 14 Feb 2011 21:41:38 +0000

Brookside play structure is hoppin'!

William Brokhof — Sat, 06 Mar 2010 15:54:52 +0000

It almost feels like Spring again – but I know better. Boston has a way of tricking you with a nasty snow storm in March. Let’s hope this 53 degree day proves Spring is finally here.

JP gets playful renovations

William Brokhof — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:11:59 +0000

My daughter Vitoria is very excited about the new playground structures that are going in around Jamaica Plain. This one is in the section adjacent to New Minton. These blue things make me curious…what are they? From whence have they cometh? Are they edible?

I look forward to your comments.

Mumbles stumbles on bike lanes in Boston

William Brokhof — Thu, 08 Oct 2009 15:37:31 +0000

I had a pint with my friend Matt McGlinn last night. He just got a new iPhone and was proudly showing me a photo he snapped of a brand spankin’ new bike lane that had been painted on Washington between Jamaica Plain and Roslindale.

Washington St. bike lane

Matt is one of those guys that bikes to work rain or shine all year round for the most part. A real die hard. Matt, his wife Rachel moved to Roslindale from Jamaica Plain a couple years ago when it was clear that they needed more room for a growing family. I was their buyer’s agent and helped them buy a cute single family home. They’re very happy there but miss the convenience and community of Jamaica Plain. However, being a stand-up guy, “Matty” insists on cycling to work and doing his part to save the planet.

Matt "Matty" McGlinn

Living in Jamaica Plain right on the Southwest Corridor for the last 15+ years I’ve definitely noticed the increase in two-wheeled activity over the years. I have a great deal of respect and admiration for the brave and noble souls who take their lives in their own hands every day and pedal their way to work. While they are working every day to take part in the economy, they are reducing carbon emissions and all the bad stuff that goes along with the petroleum and auto industry, as well as staying healthy, which must play some role at least in not exacerbating the health care situation.

I was pleased to hear that the city was taking some action finally – making a stand for the righteous cause of cyclists. Protecting a noble breed. In the past, the Pacific Northwest has led the way with bicycle friendly streets. To a lesser degree, even our neighbor, Cambridge has done their share to improve bicycle safety and convenience. I started doing a little poking around and it seems that until recently there were no bike lanes on Boston streets. studies have shown that regular cyclists use main thoroughfares as opposed to “bike paths” which are usually fraught with bumps and curves and obstacles that slow down the commute. This is why it’s so important to have designated bike lanes to protect these folks.

The first two lanes in Boston apparently were from Comm Ave to the BU Bridge , one on the American Legion Hwy (things that make you go hmmmmm) and now it seems there is one that was just finished last night from Forest Hills Station to Roslindale Village. Matty reports the city just painted the new lines last night. In addition, the city has added new bike cages at Forest Hills and Alewife stations.

photo by Doug Mink of rozziebikes.com (click for more info)

A huge round of applause to the city for these efforts. However, I’m a little confused by the choice of American Legion Highway as the second bike lane in Boston. It seems rather odd doesn’t it? If you haven’t ever traveled this stretch of road you probably wouldn’t think much of this decision. Another blogger (and biker) was equally vexed – Harrumph! also notes in a recent post that the decision to spend 67K painting bike lanes on this stretch of road seemed ill-timed. I’m not sure how these decisions are made, or by whom, but it seems that the right way to go about choosing bike routes would be based on use, or congestion, or consensus, or anything that resembled community process. Understand, I know very little about this process or about the process that precipitated painting lines on American Legion – and I welcome any comments in explanation. As you know if you have read any of my previous posts, I am a Realtor and dare I say a bit of a cynic. What some of you may not know is that there are two large developments that this newly paved road passes through – namely, Harvard Commons (Cruz Development) and Olmsted Green (Lena Park & New Boston Fund). As Flaherty recently said of Menino’s email debacle, “a fish rots from the head down”, and I have to admit, I smell something fishy. Not only did the city spend 67K putting in a bike lane, but according to Harrumph!, they didn’t do a very good job.

There are no markings or signs of any type indicating what the bike lanes are.
Drivers don’t get it and many encroach into the lanes.
Neither side has NO PARKING signs, and many cars use the Blue Hill end by Franklin Park as a parking lane, endangering both cars and bikes.
The newish 30 MPH limit is, shall we say, not fully in the public consciousness. Biking the route today, I estimate that the average speed was 45, with many going faster.
Cyclists don’t yet know it is there.
It’s not the best example of where people live to where they want to travel.
The bike lanes are broad, as in the picture at Walk Hill (click for a larger view) where they piggyback on a bus zone, but narrow in the Northern region to perhaps 3 or 3.5 feet, not really adequate.
The travel lanes are quite broad and should have each given another foot to the bike lane to make it safe.

It seems rather ill-planned, no? Was this just a developer pulling strings so they could say they had a bike lane from their new “green” development? Listen, don’t get me wrong, but wouldn’t that money have been better spent on Huntington Ave, on Centre St in Jamaica Plain, in the South End, anywhere other than American Legion Highway? I would like to know how many cyclists are using that path on a daily basis right now – as compared to some of the more congested parts of the city? I sincerely welcome comments here. I am ignorant as to the overall plan and would very much like to understand it.

I am really excited about the prospect of Boston becoming really bike friendly. Not only would it be good for the environment and traffic reduction, but it would be nice to sit with front-runners Seattle and Portland in the progressive movement toward sustainability. As Boston becomes a more pleasant place to live, more people will move here and more jobs will be created. Everybody wins.

Curb your enthusiasm – and your pet.

William Brokhof — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 17:08:01 +0000

Listen, I love dogs as much as the next guy. I’ve owned a dog my whole life – they complete me. However, I am also a homeowner and a big fan of my Japanese-ish styled landscaping. I have worked very hard weeding, pruning, obsessing over my tiny postage stamp of Boston. One afternoon after having just watered said yard, I was sitting on my stoop and a passerby and his dog stopped to admire my garden – and urinate on it.

Back away from the flowers Fido

I snapped. “Hey! What in do you think you’re doing!” The man made no attempt to pull his pooch from my plants. I was fuming. Then, just like when you buy a new car, you notice them everywhere, I started noticing people doing this quite often. Not just in front of my house but all over Jamaica Plain.

Don’t get me wrong, I understand that sometimes you’re out with your trusty companion and he/she just has to go. It’s a dog after all – not ruled by the strange social conventions we are – peeing only in porcelain. I expect some common sense however. I live directly across from the Southwest Corridor. There are acres of prime potty spots. Try em’ you’ll like em’.

Let’s be fair – this is probably just a simple communication issue, right? Okay, my request to all dog owners is this – if at all possible, curb your pet. Walk it in the park. If Fido is having an emergency, pull him off my favorite bush. Dog urine apparently kills plants. In case you weren’t aware, you are on my property, ruining it. In a sense, if you think about it, you are vandalizing my property. Okay, there, I feel better.

By the way, lest cats escape my onslaught – they aren’t without blame either. As a matter of fact, I’ve been doing a little research on cat poop. I’d heard in the past that exposure to cat feces could be very toxic to pregnant women and small children. I wasn’t sure if this was an urban tale or truism. After doing very little research I have learned that I am certain (conclusive evidence or not) that I don’t want anymore neighborhood cats dropping a deuce-deuce in my yard. There are plenty of articles to shed light on the discussion. The Straight Dope answers a reader’s questions about toxicity and even raises a few points about the correlation between schizophrenia and T. gondii, the bacteria in question. The American Veterinary Medical Association put out an interesting piece on Taxoplasmosis and the issues surrounding it.

To make a long story short – keep your pets off your neighbor’s property. A lot of folks in Jamaica Plain grow food on their land and you don’t want to be responsible for contaminating it. Thank you kindly for listening.