Event Notices Real Estate

Update: Dock Square Garage Public Meeting April 5th

Update: This public meeting has been rescheduled for April 5, 2018, 6:00 p.m. at Boston City Hall, 9th Floor, BPDA Board Room.

The Boston Planning & Development Agency will host a public meeting regarding the dock square garage on Tuesday, March 13 from 6pm – 8pm at Boston City Hall. The project proponent, Fortis Property Group, proposes to retain the existing building and its current parking garage and restaurant with pool tables and live entertainment uses, and construct a new, ten-level, approximately 195-unit residential addition on the roof.

See the full public meeting notice below.

6 Replies to “Update: Dock Square Garage Public Meeting April 5th

  1. Unfortunately, the design offers no active ground floor uses on the side facing the Greenway. If the developer were willing to remove a few of the parking spaces on the right side of the ramp on that side of the building, then it could fit some shallow retail bays.

  2. Jared,

    Parking is vital in that area. Helps out a lot of people. There is less cars and more open space in the suburbs if that suits your preferences.

    1. Parking is not vital downtown, especially in a destination well-served by both commuter rail stations, dozens of bus lines, and within walking distance to every rapid transit line. Still, the new buildings on Beverley Street show how to accommodate parking without deadening the street life. Each building has parking on it’s second and third floors, disguised to look like ordinary livable space, while the ground floors have several active retail and restaurant uses.

      The new hotel planned for the triangle plot across from the garage in front of Haymarket will also have ground floor retail/restaurant space, compounding the missed opportunity to have active frontage on both sides of the street.

      As for fewer cars in the ‘burbs. Check your facts. According to the U.S. Census’ American Community Survey, 50% of households in the North End do not own a car and 78% of North End commuters walk or take public transit to work. Can you find a suburban zip code with similar figures?

  3. I agree that we (and the City/BRA) should push for (require) ground floor retail in every new development or redevelopment. Ground floor retail supports the residential and visitor communities and can contribute to active, cleaner and safer pedestrian pathways. Watch the towers go up at Government Center Garage over the next several years, where millions of square feet of high end office space and residences will be supported by a pittance of retail establishments, and the little retail that will be constructed there, other than one large restaurant, will come at the end of a 20-year construction period, if at all. At that development, the BRA recently approved the replacement of proposed retail space in the first floor of the residential tower now under construction on New Sudbury Street into a foyer/concierge for the luxury condo owners, apparently so they would not have to mingle with the renters. No open space, retail or other public amenity is included in the tower that will stand 480 feet high and house 432 residential units.

Comments are closed.