New Berklee Dorm - 168 Mass Ave

[bbfen]

Juicy rumor making my bbm go wild. Berklee had a CAC meeting yesterday and those friends of development Shirley and Ned attended. They 'farted all over the room' is the quote. Told the taskforce how all their work is wrong. Meg Cohen countered Shirley........ but Shirls just got up and leftthe meeting while Meg was talking. Who was there? what happened?

[Justin7]

[/highschool].

[Mayor Menino's Crohn's]

Sounds to me like Ned is a spoiled child...

[PaulC]

More info and pics, also shows changes to 150 mass ave

http://www.berklee.edu/taskforce/pre...esentation.pdf

[GW2500]

Bah dut dut dUt dahh, i'm lovin it. And in all sincerity, a horrendous flu for any one against this slam dunk.

[Suffolk 83]

That original proposal of nearly 400' for a dorm in this town is hard to imagine. Would have been a nice change of pace if it wasn't chopped nearly in half at Mass and Boylston right next to a T stop. I can almost understand people being frightened of that many college kids living near them even though there's already a ton.

[bbfen]

Originally Posted by Suffolk 83

That original proposal of nearly 400' for a dorm in this town is hard to imagine. Would have been a nice change of pace if it wasn't chopped nearly in half at Mass and Boylston right next to a T stop. I can almost understand people being frightened of that many college kids living near them even though there's already a ton.

These particular students already live here, in the East Fenway and West Fenway neighborhoods. Getting them into dorms *is* what the neighbors want.

The complaints from Kressel and Co aren't about consolidating the students. They say the master planning process produces illegal zoning changes, the CAC is a waste of time and the BRA is not legitimate. So any building above as of right and FAR should not be allowed.

[GW2500]

It's also fair to say almost no one lives at the Mass Ave/Boyleston intersection. Actually, one side is curently exposed highway and really this isn't in anyones' imediate backyard. It's more of an argument of well if I walk down my street, take a right walk another 500 ft I better not see a tower (at the intersection of two of the biggest streets in Boston, right next to a T station and many other taller towers). WWJSD, Joey Stalin that is.

[found5dollar]

Originally Posted by GW2500

WWJSD, Joey Stalin that is.

I was hoping for Jimmy Stewart.

[KentXie]

And now we know Ned is full of shit. He could care less about UFP, he only cares about the status quo.

And Shirly is probably an arrogant person who probably left because she didn't want to hear someone's opposing view. What a joke.

Did anyone complain about the tower itself or how they will bring too many college students in one area?

[bbfen]

Originally Posted by KentXie

And now we know Ned is full of shit. He could care less about UFP, he only cares about the status quo.

And Shirly is probably an arrogant person who probably left because she didn't want to hear someone's opposing view. What a joke.

Did anyone complain about the tower itself or how they will bring too many college students in one area?

I wasn't actually at the meeting where it happened, but the students are already there and the tower design (crossroads project) hasn't gone past massing and shadow studies yet.

[Mayor Menino's Crohn's]

http://www.bostonherald.com/business...iz#articleFull

While the economic downturn has stalled commercial projects in Boston, many of the city?s colleges and universities are moving forward with expansion plans.

?Schools have a definite advantage over private developers in this economy,? said David Begelfer, CEO of the real estate trade group NAIOP Massachusetts. ?They have a captive audience in students - who will use the new space, and their tuition revenues will finance it.?

While the developers of the Filene?s block, Fan Pier and Seaport Square lack tenants and financing to start construction on their long-planned buildings, Emerson College and Suffolk University spent $122 million on performance space, dorms and classrooms for their Downtown Crossing campuses in 2010.

This year will see even more shovels in the ground:

Northeastern University plans to build a 16-story residence hall on Huntington Avenue at the YMCA.

Berklee College of Music is proceeding with a $65 million, mixed-use building on Massachusetts Avenue that would house a 350-student dorm.

Wentworth Institute of Technology recently won city approval for a 10-year master plan that includes two projects expected to break ground in 2011.

Boston College is ready to commence construction on more than 400,000 square feet of construction and renovation projects at a cost of $143 million.

?Some schools are reaping the benefits of recouping up to 90 percent of their endowments that were lost in the economic tsunami of the last two years,? said John Fish, CEO of Suffolk Construction. ?As a result, the boards of trustees at these institutions have given a vote of confidence to move forward with these aggressive initiatives.?

Recovering endowments couldn?t have come at a better time, Fish said. He is convinced that schools are facing increased competition.

?These colleges and universities recognize that, in order to attract students, they must upgrade their campuses to make them state-of-the-art in technology and innovation,? Fish said.

Jack Dunn, a BC spokesman, said the school can finance its construction, in part, through a $22 million donation from Patrick Stokes, a BC alum who is the retired CEO of beer maker Anheuser-Busch.

?We are in a position to build at this moment because of skilled fiscal governance and the generosity of Mr. Stokes,? he said. ?As we speak, we are doing a $150 million in construction projects.?

John Nucci, vice president of external affairs at Suffolk University, said his school has been able to proceed with an aggressive construction schedule due to tax-exempt bonds from MassDevelopment.

The school?s latest project, a $68 million academic building on Beacon Hill at 20 Somerset St., will house Suffolk?s New England School of Art and Design. The 10-story building will replace former MDC offices. Contractors are removing asbestos from the facility, and demolition is slated to begin within a few weeks.

John Palmieri, director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority, said Boston?s student population is growing and schools are expanding based on demand

?Boston continues to be a very attractive place for students,? he said. ?It?s clear that these schools can support improvements through tuition, endowments that are coming back and philanthropic giving.?

[TomOfBoston]

Why encourage colleges and universities to expand in Boston? If this continues, there will be no room for the large department store to move back into Downtown Crossing and no land left to build manufacturing plants.

Oh, never mind!

[PaulC]

The last slide shows the skyline with the 2 new prudential buildings and the 3 new Christian science buildings

http://www.berklee.edu/taskforce/pre...esentation.pdf