New development plan marks the South End’s changing identity
Nov 6, 2009
By Kyle Chayka
The South End, an area of Boston south of Back Bay, has changed much over the past decades. The neighborhood has shifted from one of the city’s poorest districts in the 1960s to its current identity as a center of artistic culture, gay community and high-end restaurants.
As this neighborhood’s character develops further, it has become increasingly important to guide the changes that are taking place, making sure to preserve multiple-family residential housing, mixed-use light industrial spaces and artists’ studios, as well as other concerns.
Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), along with a group of strategic consultants, have begun to form a development plan for the South End’s Harrison Avenue- Albany Street area, a section that runs from the Massachusetts Turnpike to Massachusetts Avenue.
This section in the west of the South End neighborhood combines medical, commercial, wholesale distribution and residential land uses. According to the Harrison - Albany Corridor strategic plan, “the presence of underutilized and vacant land parcels” in the area “poses an opportunity for significant development.”
The Harrison - Albany strategic plan is a vision that the BRA has put forward for the area in order to “guide future development” and meet the needs of the community that the South End is home to. On October 28, the BRA hosted a meeting to present the strategic plan and discuss its goals and objectives for future development of the neighborhood.
Still in its draft stages, the Harrison - Albany strategic plan is meant to present a possibility for the future of the neighborhood. While the plan may recommend new zoning regulations for the area in the future, BRA Senior Planner Marie Mercurio emphasized that this project itself will not change zoning. Its purpose, rather, is to suggest what certain areas of the South End neighborhood could look like in the future, according to each area’s particular characteristics.
The BRA’s strategic plan breaks the Harrison - Albany corridor into four distinct sections, called sub-areas, each with its own identity, particular needs, and pre-existing businesses. These sub areas, running north to south down the Massachusetts Turnpike, include New York Streets, South of Washington (SOWA), Backstreets, and the Boston Medical Center/Boston University Medical Campus. As a group, these different sub-areas testify to the diversity of the South End neighborhood and the need to clearly organize its zoning and subsequent development.
The New York Streets sub-area in the northern section of the Harrison - Albany corridor is made up of a grouping of geometric city blocks. This section, due to its position further in the city’s downtown, is already denser and more developed than other areas. Zoned as an Economic Development Area, the New York Streets will focus on non-residential uses, according to the BRA’s strategic plan. New York Streets is centered around the area of Washington Street, Harrison Avenue, and Albany Street.
The finer grain of city blocks found in New York Streets will allow for a more pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, making way for new storefront businesses and “exciting 18-hour uses,” as the BRA’s plan describes. These non-residential uses will also “provide new jobs for Boston residents,” though the BRA has been criticized in the past for farming out city development jobs to out-of-state agencies.
To the south of New York Streets is South of Washington, or SOWA. This neighborhood has recently developed into Boston’s cultural center; complexes in SOWA are home to some of Boston’s most important contemporary art galleries. Farther south down Harrison Ave from New York Streets can be found SOWA’s collection of converted warehouse buildings and boutique shopping outlets.
The BRA hopes to maintain SOWA’s industrial character and reinforce the area’s identity as a home for the arts and artists. The strategic plan also hopes to “maintain the feel of a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood,” including not only retail but also residential housing and artist studio space.
SOWA’s zoning includes several multi-family residential subdistricts and two parks. To the east, SOWA is designated a Neighborhood Development Area, limiting building height to 70 feet and emphasizing a smaller scale for the residential spaces. The BRA strategic plan also seeks to reinforce the area’s connections to public transit. Development plans call for expansion of parking space in SOWA; parking is currently a difficult issue given its prevalence of restaurants and art galleries but relative lack of public transportation.
The Backstreets sub-area combines industrial uses to the east with residential zoning to the west. Future development should “preserve light industrial uses while encouraging… commercial and research uses,” according to the BRA’s plan. Ideally, these new businesses would also drive expansion of housing in the area’s multi-family residential subdistricts.
The Boston Medical Center / Boston University Medical Campus is the southernmost sub-are in the Harrison – Albany Corridor. This area is home to the Boston University School of Medicine, an institution that occupies much of the sub-area’s southeast. Moving to the north, however, the sub-area’s zoning transitions to multi-family residential and neighborhood development areas. The strategic plan calls for blending “the hospital and universities’ historic and modern campus with the adjacent residential and light industrial uses.” The creation of jobs for Boston residents is also emphasized.
The BRA’s plan is still in development and open to critique and discussion. As Chinatown borders on the South End neighborhood, the development of this area should be of concern to all residents. BRA Senior Planner Marie Mercurio referenced Chinatown’s involvement in the planning process and how this participation was furthered by Chinatown’s own development master plan.
Throughout the planning and development process, meetings such as this will provide an opportunity for Boston residents to comment and have their own voice heard.
Kyle Chayka is a Sampan correspondent.
The South End, an area of Boston south of Back Bay, has changed much over the past decades. The neighborhood has shifted from one of the city’s poorest districts in the 1960s to its current identity as a center of artistic culture, gay community and high-end restaurants.
As this neighborhood’s character develops further, it has become increasingly important to guide the changes that are taking place, making sure to preserve multiple-family residential housing, mixed-use light industrial spaces and artists’ studios, as well as other concerns.
Mayor Thomas Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA), along with a group of strategic consultants, have begun to form a development plan for the South End’s Harrison Avenue- Albany Street area, a section that runs from the Massachusetts Turnpike to Massachusetts Avenue.
This section in the west of the South End neighborhood combines medical, commercial, wholesale distribution and residential land uses. According to the Harrison - Albany Corridor strategic plan, “the presence of underutilized and vacant land parcels” in the area “poses an opportunity for significant development.”
The Harrison - Albany strategic plan is a vision that the BRA has put forward for the area in order to “guide future development” and meet the needs of the community that the South End is home to. On October 28, the BRA hosted a meeting to present the strategic plan and discuss its goals and objectives for future development of the neighborhood.
Still in its draft stages, the Harrison - Albany strategic plan is meant to present a possibility for the future of the neighborhood. While the plan may recommend new zoning regulations for the area in the future, BRA Senior Planner Marie Mercurio emphasized that this project itself will not change zoning. Its purpose, rather, is to suggest what certain areas of the South End neighborhood could look like in the future, according to each area’s particular characteristics.
The BRA’s strategic plan breaks the Harrison - Albany corridor into four distinct sections, called sub-areas, each with its own identity, particular needs, and pre-existing businesses. These sub areas, running north to south down the Massachusetts Turnpike, include New York Streets, South of Washington (SOWA), Backstreets, and the Boston Medical Center/Boston University Medical Campus. As a group, these different sub-areas testify to the diversity of the South End neighborhood and the need to clearly organize its zoning and subsequent development.
The New York Streets sub-area in the northern section of the Harrison - Albany corridor is made up of a grouping of geometric city blocks. This section, due to its position further in the city’s downtown, is already denser and more developed than other areas. Zoned as an Economic Development Area, the New York Streets will focus on non-residential uses, according to the BRA’s strategic plan. New York Streets is centered around the area of Washington Street, Harrison Avenue, and Albany Street.
The finer grain of city blocks found in New York Streets will allow for a more pedestrian-friendly neighborhood, making way for new storefront businesses and “exciting 18-hour uses,” as the BRA’s plan describes. These non-residential uses will also “provide new jobs for Boston residents,” though the BRA has been criticized in the past for farming out city development jobs to out-of-state agencies.
To the south of New York Streets is South of Washington, or SOWA. This neighborhood has recently developed into Boston’s cultural center; complexes in SOWA are home to some of Boston’s most important contemporary art galleries. Farther south down Harrison Ave from New York Streets can be found SOWA’s collection of converted warehouse buildings and boutique shopping outlets.
The BRA hopes to maintain SOWA’s industrial character and reinforce the area’s identity as a home for the arts and artists. The strategic plan also hopes to “maintain the feel of a vibrant mixed-use neighborhood,” including not only retail but also residential housing and artist studio space.
SOWA’s zoning includes several multi-family residential subdistricts and two parks. To the east, SOWA is designated a Neighborhood Development Area, limiting building height to 70 feet and emphasizing a smaller scale for the residential spaces. The BRA strategic plan also seeks to reinforce the area’s connections to public transit. Development plans call for expansion of parking space in SOWA; parking is currently a difficult issue given its prevalence of restaurants and art galleries but relative lack of public transportation.
The Backstreets sub-area combines industrial uses to the east with residential zoning to the west. Future development should “preserve light industrial uses while encouraging… commercial and research uses,” according to the BRA’s plan. Ideally, these new businesses would also drive expansion of housing in the area’s multi-family residential subdistricts.
The Boston Medical Center / Boston University Medical Campus is the southernmost sub-are in the Harrison – Albany Corridor. This area is home to the Boston University School of Medicine, an institution that occupies much of the sub-area’s southeast. Moving to the north, however, the sub-area’s zoning transitions to multi-family residential and neighborhood development areas. The strategic plan calls for blending “the hospital and universities’ historic and modern campus with the adjacent residential and light industrial uses.” The creation of jobs for Boston residents is also emphasized.
The BRA’s plan is still in development and open to critique and discussion. As Chinatown borders on the South End neighborhood, the development of this area should be of concern to all residents. BRA Senior Planner Marie Mercurio referenced Chinatown’s involvement in the planning process and how this participation was furthered by Chinatown’s own development master plan.
Throughout the planning and development process, meetings such as this will provide an opportunity for Boston residents to comment and have their own voice heard.
Kyle Chayka is a Sampan correspondent.
Article Reference: http://www.sampan.org/show_article.php?display=2150
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