YMCA/ Northeastern Dorm (formerly GrandMarc at St. Botolph)

[KentXie]

Dallas developer lands dorm deal at Boston YMCA
By Scott Van Voorhis
Wednesday, June 28, 2006

A major Boston dorm project is in the works, with a Dallas developer landing a deal for a sizable building site at the landmark YMCA complex off Huntington Avenue.

Phoenix Property Co. has agreed to shell out at least $25 million to buy part of the YMCA of Greater Boston?s marquee Central Branch building and surrounding lot.

The developer will take over roughly half the YMCA site, which borders Northeastern University?s campus. Preliminary plans call for a mid-rise student housing complex that could have as many as 700 beds, said Kelley Rice, a spokeswoman for the YMCA of Greater Boston.

?The sale of this property will keep the Y focused on providing the best possible neighborhood facilities and most valuable services for our members and for the communities we serve,? said John Ferrell, the Y?s chief executive officer.

While Northeastern has been looking for additional dorm sites, there are several other colleges in the area with student housing needs as well.

The YMCA, in turn, will hang onto 100,000 square feet that currently serves as its administrative offices, as well as space for an after-school program, a teen center and 88 units of affordable housing.

Money from the sale will be used to renovate the YMCA?s remaining portion, while also upgrading other branches as well, including West Roxbury, Hyde Park and a new Norwood facility, Y officials said.

The final sale price, in turn, could rise by an additional few million dollars depending on how much new development Phoenix is able to get approval for from City Hall, according to Rice, the Y spokeswoman.

[KentXie]

2 wings of Huntington Ave. office complex to be sold

June 28, 2006
The YMCA of Greater Boston has agreed to sell two wings of its central office complex on Huntington Avenue in Boston to Phoenix Property Co. of Dallas, YMCA officials said. The price will be $25 million, or more if the new owner is successful in developing the property into a dormitory of up to 700 beds. The YMCA will own and operate 100,000 square feet of the building and will renovate that space. Proceeds of the sale will be used also to improve operations in West Roxbury and Hyde Park and at a new facility in Norwood, they said. Phoenix Property, an affiliate of Lincoln Property Co. of Boston, will use its portion of the building, near the Northeastern University campus, for student housing. The entire site is 1.5 acres and has 235,000 square feet. The properties being sold are known as the Hastings and St. Botolph wings.

[ablarc]

Hope this doesn't result in demolition of any part of that handsome building. Always a pleasure to see it sitting in the bend of Huntington.

[citytect]

I lived in the YMCA my freshman year at Northeastern. The building is great piece of architecture - a landmark for sure. It was renovated several years ago, but much of the intereor renovations were of a low-quality and effectiveness. The dorms that are contained in the "Hastings Wing" of the Y, the portion of the building that was sold, are in fairly poor condition. Living there was not an experience I'd want to repeat. The rooms have built in beds and desks that are ancient and unpleasant to use. Closets have no doors. The dorm quarters on the whole have evidently been sloppily "renovated" numerous times over the years. The result is a mishmash of cheap finishes, pealing (mostly brown) paint, outdated fixtures, and a musty aroma. An overhaul of this wing of the building is in order. While I'd caution the owners to be respectful of the building's history, I'd also concede that most of the interior is beyond the possibilty of restoration.

[PaulC]

anybody know anything about this:

The project consists of a 1,140-bed residence hall for undergraduate and graduate students and faculty, with accessory retail uses and amenities (possibly including game room, lounge, bistro or caf?, media rooms, meeting and conference rooms) and the potential construction of a half basketball court on property to be acquired from YMCA of Greater Boston. The Project is proposed to be constructed behind the main YMCA branch on Huntington Avenue.

http://www.cityofboston.gov/bra/cale...p?EventID=1325

[TC]

That's a big dorm.

Might be the project replacing the Gainsborough garage?

[ablarc]

Glad it won't affect the YMCA, one of Boston's most urbane buildings.

For a while it housed Northeastern students on some floors. Does it still?

[Mike]

New Dorm Tower Proposed for Fenway Neighborhood
By Thomas Grillo

A new 34-story tower that would house more than 1,000 dormitory beds has been proposed for Boston?s Fenway neighborhood, according to documents filed with the city.


Link


Anyone know anything more about this? Banker and Tradesman won't let us read more of the story without paying ...

[Merper]

i think they may mention it in the latest issue of the Currant, front cover?

something about a privately built dorm.

[ablarc]

Originally Posted by Merper

a privately built dorm.

Great idea.

They could build high rises all over town with only the requirement that you be a full-time student. Living together in a single such mega-dorm building, you could find students from NIMBY-tormented Suffolk, Northeastern, Emerson, Harvard, BU, MIT...

[kz1000ps]

34 stories in the Fenway? My interest has been piqued, to say the least.

Having said that, it's about time a private developer comes in and supplies housing to students. This business model has played out successfully in countless other areas nationwide in the past half dozen years, and it was only a matter of time before it would arrive here.

[briv]

Originally Posted by ablarc

Great idea.

They could build high rises all over town with only the requirement that you be a full-time student. Living together in a single such mega-dorm building, you could find students from NIMBY-tormented Suffolk, Northeastern, Emerson, Harvard, BU, MIT...

Ive often wondered why this sort of thing wasnt already happening. I think its a brilliant idea -- college cross-pollination.

[TC]

If this is the project from the front of the Boston Courant, then they are talking about the YMCA site fronting St. Botolph. In the rendering it also looks like another building across the street either in Mathews Arena parking lot or on the Gainsborough Garage site.


When I hear 'Fenway' I really don't think of this area.

[briv]

The Courant article:

[kmp1284]

Although the design looks a bit weak, I love the idea.

[palindrome]

This is such a great idea, and IMO the perfect neighborhood for it.

[vanshnookenraggen]

We out-source everything else, why not dorms?

If a college could reduce tuition this way then I say hell yeah!

Also, I like the building.

[Bobby Digital]

Woa there's no way this would reduce tuition... maybe if your talking r+b but even then the developer is going to look at what the college charge to live on campus and offer about the same.

great idea, great location.... why a 90 foot height limit still exists in areas like this blows my mind... tough to tell what the building looks like from that scan, but there aren't alot of very attractive dorms that I can think of. and this one doesnt really look like it either.

pretty crazy to think that there aren't already 20 of these privately owned buildings around town.

great idea till some neighborhood association kills it.

[JSic]

I'm afraid this ones getting scaled down...

[palindrome]

Hmm, anyone know where i can find information about community meetings on this? I would like to attend some.