Westwood Station

bostonman · 09-12-2006, 06:15 PM

$1B-Plus Westwood Station Moves Forward
By Beverly Ford Email this story | Printer-friendly | Reprints

WESTWOOD, MA- The first phase of a 4.5-million-sf, mixed-use project here will get under way today when demolition begins on the 260,000-sf General Motors Parts Distribution Center on Blue Hill Drive.

Testa Corp. of Lynnfield will raze the property, and eventually 11 other buildings along Blue Hill Drive and University Avenue, as developer Cabot, Cabot & Forbes clears the way for Westwood Station. The development is one of the largest mixed-use ventures to be built in the Boston suburbs in years.

?For us, it?s become a grand starting point to show the business community that this is real,? Jed Raymond, project manager on the Westwood Station project for CC&F tells GlobeSt.com.

Raymond says the demolition, which should continue through the winter, will open the area for the construction of 1.25 million sf of retail at the $1.5-billion Westwood Station project. Construction won?t actually begin until CC&F receives a special permit from the town, which should take five to seven months, Raymond says. Once construction is completed on the retail portion of the 130-acre site, located adjacent to Route 128 and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Route 128 station, the offices and residential units will follow.

?The heart of the mixed-use will go in first,? says Raymond, noting that plans call for a pedestrian friendly, transit-oriented environment that will create residential units over storefronts to evoke a village atmosphere. The project?s office segment will be developed based on market demand, he explains.

Raymond says much of the materials from the 12 demolished buildings will be turned into crushed aggregate material which will be used in the new construction, probably in roads and walkways. ?We?re going to look at ways to make this an innovative and sustainable project,? he says. ?This will really establish a pattern as to how the rest of the project will proceed.?

During the demolition, both Testa Corp. and CC&F will work with a designated community liaison to remain responsive to community concerns, he adds.

palindrome · 09-12-2006, 07:03 PM

cool beans.

palindrome · 02-01-2007, 02:19 PM

Anyone been by recently? Has any progress been made? I would go myself, but i am at college and lack access to a car.

z-money · 02-01-2007, 02:36 PM

I was by the site in December... The site had been cleared and construction fencing was up... Big Site.

DudeUrSistersHot · 02-01-2007, 10:20 PM

I live down the street... there's a big swath of land that's completely clear now. nothing's gone up yet. The master plan was filed in december. We desperately need this development. The residential tax base isn't growing fast enough and class sizes have gone waay up in the last few years. This year we're looking at the prospect of a 3 million dollar override (huge for a town where this year's education budget was $27 million) that probably won't pass. If it doesn't pass, we have to continue down the path we're going - $300 athletic fees, $350 high school parking fees, $1500 full day kindergarten fees, etc. People who join volunteer clubs that don't even use faculty are now required to pay $100. This is why we're pushing this through the approval process, and why every town in the state should do what they can to do the same.

About 3 or 4 of the classes I was planning on taking this year were cut before I even had a chance to apply for them, and now I'm stuck with shitty classes.

palindrome · 02-02-2007, 11:17 AM

westwood has been a great example of how a city should streamline its development processes. i cannot wait until this project is complete.

Roxxma · 02-05-2007, 12:26 PM

It seems that there are similar plans in the works for Northwest Park in Burlington as well.

Ron Newman · 02-05-2007, 12:53 PM

But since Burlington has no train tracks at all (and never has), how can anything like this work there?

Roxxma · 02-05-2007, 01:59 PM

What do train tracks have to do with anything regarding this? It is a comprehensive redevelopment of a 1950s era office park into a denser mixed use development. It is about 1/2 mile from the Burlington Mall, 128 and US3 and has frequent MBTA and LRTA bus service very close by, some of which could easily be rerouted to serve the new development. The plan is a huge improvement over what is there now. More coverege in these articles from Burlington Times-Union here and here.

Joe_Schmoe · 02-06-2007, 08:50 AM

When I look at the Northwest Park master plan, all I see are the large number of huge parking lots.

palindrome · 02-06-2007, 09:59 AM

thats the first thing i noticed as well. What a let down.

pharmerdave · 02-06-2007, 10:48 AM

Interesting site plan

http://www.architects.org/emplibrary/C1_b.pdf

vanshnookenraggen · 02-06-2007, 01:27 PM

I like it but lets hope the people in Westwood do too. That is TOD at it's finest; I really like what they did with the creek.

Joe_Schmoe · 02-06-2007, 01:51 PM

That site plan, like the Forest Hills plan in the other thread, still has megablocks with useless enclosed courtyards where a street should run. And what the fuck are we doing looking to San Jose and Santa Barbara for inspiration!? There's plenty of towns around here that we can model this on--Great Barrington, Northampton, Newburyport, Salem...

DudeUrSistersHot · 02-06-2007, 02:39 PM

http://www.architects.org/emplibrary/C1_b.pdf

this is not Westwood Station. This is a redevelopment plan for Islington (now a part of westwood)'s existing Town Center.

z-money · 02-07-2007, 03:08 PM

Quote:

Westwood Station leasing agent chosen

Richards Barry Joyce & Partners LLC was selected as the exclusive leasing agent of Westwood Station, a mini city planned for the suburbs.

Richards Barry Joyce said it was selected as leasing agent by Cabot, Cabot & Forbes of New England Inc., which is developing the project with New England Development of Newton.

Plans envision turning 130 underused acres near the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Route 128 rail station into 1.49 million square feet of office and laboratory space, 1.35 million square feet of stores and restaurants, 1,000 residential units, and two hotels, Richards Barry Joyce said.

Richard Barry Joyce has been selected as the leasing agent for the office and lab space.

The project's early cost estimates have been put at $1.5 billion.

The clearing of the site is underway with the recent demolition of the former General Motors building; more demolition is set for late spring, Richards Barry Joyce said.
(By Chris Reidy, Globe staff)
Posted by Boston Globe Business Team at 02:05 PM

DudeUrSistersHot · 04-08-2007, 04:42 PM

Why is it that Cabot, Cabot and Forbes only does stuff in the suburbs? They produce quality stuff...

palindrome · 04-08-2007, 04:56 PM

I really look forward to this. Has construction commenced/increased? Last time i asked, they had only torn down the old gm building as well as some other office.

DudeUrSistersHot · 04-08-2007, 05:24 PM

they filed the master plan in december, and have demolished some more stuff. The first building is supposed to open in 2009. they also bought the route 128 offramps so they can improve them. in a week or two, the town is cul-de-sac'ing my street for a while to see how it will affect traffic. construction is supposed to start some time this summer i believe.

DudeUrSistersHot · 04-26-2007, 10:07 PM

http://www.boston.com/news/local/art..._gains/?page=2

Turns out Toffoloni and Walsh were soundly defeated and the project will go on without interruption.

Planning Board - 2 seats up for election

Malster (Incumbent) - 3210
Montgomery (Incumbent) - 2727
Toffoloni - 1693
Walsh - 1798

09-12-2006, 06:15 PM	#1
bostonman Member Join Date: Aug 2006 Posts: 51	Westwood Station $1B-Plus Westwood Station Moves Forward By Beverly Ford Email this story \| Printer-friendly \| Reprints WESTWOOD, MA- The first phase of a 4.5-million-sf, mixed-use project here will get under way today when demolition begins on the 260,000-sf General Motors Parts Distribution Center on Blue Hill Drive. Testa Corp. of Lynnfield will raze the property, and eventually 11 other buildings along Blue Hill Drive and University Avenue, as developer Cabot, Cabot & Forbes clears the way for Westwood Station. The development is one of the largest mixed-use ventures to be built in the Boston suburbs in years. ?For us, it?s become a grand starting point to show the business community that this is real,? Jed Raymond, project manager on the Westwood Station project for CC&F tells GlobeSt.com. Raymond says the demolition, which should continue through the winter, will open the area for the construction of 1.25 million sf of retail at the $1.5-billion Westwood Station project. Construction won?t actually begin until CC&F receives a special permit from the town, which should take five to seven months, Raymond says. Once construction is completed on the retail portion of the 130-acre site, located adjacent to Route 128 and the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority's Route 128 station, the offices and residential units will follow. ?The heart of the mixed-use will go in first,? says Raymond, noting that plans call for a pedestrian friendly, transit-oriented environment that will create residential units over storefronts to evoke a village atmosphere. The project?s office segment will be developed based on market demand, he explains. Raymond says much of the materials from the 12 demolished buildings will be turned into crushed aggregate material which will be used in the new construction, probably in roads and walkways. ?We?re going to look at ways to make this an innovative and sustainable project,? he says. ?This will really establish a pattern as to how the rest of the project will proceed.? During the demolition, both Testa Corp. and CC&F will work with a designated community liaison to remain responsive to community concerns, he adds.

02-01-2007, 02:36 PM	#4
z-money Member Join Date: Nov 2006 Posts: 32	I was by the site in December... The site had been cleared and construction fencing was up... Big Site. __________________ -Z

02-06-2007, 01:27 PM	#13
vanshnookenraggen Moderator Join Date: May 2006 Location: New York City Posts: 4,588	I like it but lets hope the people in Westwood do too. That is TOD at it's finest; I really like what they did with the creek. __________________ http://www.vanshnookenraggen.com \| http://futurembta.com brivx: well, my philosophy is: as designers, we make a good theater, we dont direct the play

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09-12-2006, 07:03 PM	#2
palindrome Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 1,757	cool beans.

02-01-2007, 02:19 PM	#3
palindrome Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 1,757	Anyone been by recently? Has any progress been made? I would go myself, but i am at college and lack access to a car.

02-01-2007, 10:20 PM	#5
DudeUrSistersHot banished Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 315	I live down the street... there's a big swath of land that's completely clear now. nothing's gone up yet. The master plan was filed in december. We desperately need this development. The residential tax base isn't growing fast enough and class sizes have gone waay up in the last few years. This year we're looking at the prospect of a 3 million dollar override (huge for a town where this year's education budget was $27 million) that probably won't pass. If it doesn't pass, we have to continue down the path we're going - $300 athletic fees, $350 high school parking fees, $1500 full day kindergarten fees, etc. People who join volunteer clubs that don't even use faculty are now required to pay $100. This is why we're pushing this through the approval process, and why every town in the state should do what they can to do the same. About 3 or 4 of the classes I was planning on taking this year were cut before I even had a chance to apply for them, and now I'm stuck with shitty classes.

02-02-2007, 11:17 AM	#6
palindrome Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 1,757	westwood has been a great example of how a city should streamline its development processes. i cannot wait until this project is complete.

02-05-2007, 12:26 PM	#7
Roxxma Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: South End, Boston Posts: 244	It seems that there are similar plans in the works for Northwest Park in Burlington as well.

02-05-2007, 12:53 PM	#8
Ron Newman Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: Davis Square, Somerville, MA Posts: 7,914	But since Burlington has no train tracks at all (and never has), how can anything like this work there?

02-05-2007, 01:59 PM	#9
Roxxma Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Location: South End, Boston Posts: 244	What do train tracks have to do with anything regarding this? It is a comprehensive redevelopment of a 1950s era office park into a denser mixed use development. It is about 1/2 mile from the Burlington Mall, 128 and US3 and has frequent MBTA and LRTA bus service very close by, some of which could easily be rerouted to serve the new development. The plan is a huge improvement over what is there now. More coverege in these articles from Burlington Times-Union here and here.

02-06-2007, 08:50 AM	#10
Joe_Schmoe Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 362	When I look at the Northwest Park master plan, all I see are the large number of huge parking lots.

02-06-2007, 09:59 AM	#11
palindrome Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 1,757	thats the first thing i noticed as well. What a let down.

02-06-2007, 10:48 AM	#12
pharmerdave Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Brookline Ma Posts: 77	Interesting site plan http://www.architects.org/emplibrary/C1_b.pdf

02-06-2007, 01:51 PM	#14
Joe_Schmoe Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 362	That site plan, like the Forest Hills plan in the other thread, still has megablocks with useless enclosed courtyards where a street should run. And what the fuck are we doing looking to San Jose and Santa Barbara for inspiration!? There's plenty of towns around here that we can model this on--Great Barrington, Northampton, Newburyport, Salem...

02-06-2007, 02:39 PM	#15
DudeUrSistersHot banished Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 315	http://www.architects.org/emplibrary/C1_b.pdf this is not Westwood Station. This is a redevelopment plan for Islington (now a part of westwood)'s existing Town Center.

04-08-2007, 04:42 PM	#17
DudeUrSistersHot banished Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 315	Why is it that Cabot, Cabot and Forbes only does stuff in the suburbs? They produce quality stuff...

04-08-2007, 04:56 PM	#18
palindrome Senior Member Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Boston Posts: 1,757	I really look forward to this. Has construction commenced/increased? Last time i asked, they had only torn down the old gm building as well as some other office.

04-08-2007, 05:24 PM	#19
DudeUrSistersHot banished Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 315	they filed the master plan in december, and have demolished some more stuff. The first building is supposed to open in 2009. they also bought the route 128 offramps so they can improve them. in a week or two, the town is cul-de-sac'ing my street for a while to see how it will affect traffic. construction is supposed to start some time this summer i believe.

04-26-2007, 10:07 PM	#20
DudeUrSistersHot banished Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 315	http://www.boston.com/news/local/art..._gains/?page=2 Turns out Toffoloni and Walsh were soundly defeated and the project will go on without interruption. Planning Board - 2 seats up for election Malster (Incumbent) - 3210 Montgomery (Incumbent) - 2727 Toffoloni - 1693 Walsh - 1798