Hey, there! Log in / Register
Looking less likely the Peterborough Street restaurants will ever return
By adamg on Sun, 02/21/2010 - 7:47pm
Mike Mennonno reports the owner of the burned-out restaurant row last week submitted plans to the BRA for a five-story mixed-use development; Mike is not optimistic the original tenants will be able to afford the new rents.
Neighborhoods:
Topics:
Free tagging:
Ad:
Support Universal Hub
Help keep Universal Hub going. If you like what we're up to and want to help out, please consider a (completely non-deductible) contribution.
Comments
There is already a proposed
There is already a proposed Hotel at the Burger King site on the other side of the school lot and the Hojo is about a year away from a massive revamp. A hotel at this site, given the residential nature of the street, and the proximity of the other developments is silly. The space required to add a lobby will reduce the available lease space for restaurants to near nil and the sidewalk cafe space will have to be completely removed for a drop off/pick up area. This is addition to the loss of street parking spaces. I also imagine there will be issues with traffic from the cab company and the hours when the school across the street has buses in queue for the handicap.
Given the sentiment of the neighborhood wanting a fast return for the block as a one story commercial space, and tepid support for a five story mixed use RESIDENTIAL/restaurant block if rebuilding was going to take a long time, I seriously doubt there will be any support for a hotel. 200 people came to the last community meeting regarding this site, if the owner or BRA attempt to ram something not in keeping with the neighborhood through, they are going to get an ear-full.
Mumbles himself left rather quickly from a coffee event when confronted by the neighborhood about the loss of the mounted police. Somehow I doubt his office is going to be happy to get even more mail regarding development shennanigans in the Fenway.
It would be a huge, huge
It would be a huge, huge waste to build another 1 story building.
As for a hotel...why not? The area needs more rooms. Ever tried staying in one? The Hojo charges $300+ a night for much of the year, and it's a dirty motel! It's absolute theft. A family member stayed there once, and they got a bargain at $150 a night. I visited their room, I've seen nicer motels next to highways in the middle of nowhere. There are no other options nearby, Hotel Commonwealth is even more overpriced, and beyond that you're either in Copley or the Hyatt in Cambridge.
As for "It's called a "residential neighborhood", I didn't realize we were planning a 1960's suburb. Mixed use is was makes a neighborhood vibrant, and last I checked, 5 restaurants are anything but residential. He's proposing a hotel, not a damn shoe factory.
I'm glad to see that the entire area is growing up, and that includes using land smartly and building a 4-6 story building where space was wasted on a 1 story strip before.
Yes, because character really detracts from a neighborhood...
as far as lack of hotel space, it seems to me you don't spend much time in a neighborhood you make such bold statements about. For instance, as far as hotels you seem to have left out the Hotel Buckminster, the Inn at Childrens, and the Holiday Inn on Beacon St, Brookline or if you want to push the boundary, there's the Eliot.
The restaurants on that block served a purpose, they provided alternative cuisines to a neighborhood that needed them, a neighborhood that is now left with mostly fast food and pub food. They were not just serving Red Sox fans, but the people who live and work in the Fenway year round, and the people there loved having them there and I loved going there. Your attempt to make light of the authors statement of it being a "residential neighborhood" with the retort that "we" aren't planning a "60's suburb" is even more ludicrous in that small, family owned restaurants make a neighborhood vibrant, they way they used to be in the 60's.
If adding another hotel that this city really does not need on Peterborough Street is your idea of "growing up' than I'd rather languish in the naivete of my childhood, as I've seen enough of the character of this city destroyed in the name of smart land use.
I lived there for 4
I lived there for 4 years.
You're right, I forgot Hotel Buckminster and the Holiday Inn. I've actually stayed at the holiday inn. It doesn't change the fact that if a motel is priced at $300 a night, there is a severe shortage of rooms.
Of course the restaurants served a purpose. I ate at them many times and would love to see them return. However, the "build quickly and get them back!" phase is over. That ship sailed, they did not build quickly. So now here we are in 2010 with a hole in the ground (ok, a shuttered building shell). We could build an ugly single story building, or something that better matches it's neighbors and brings more business to the entire neighborhood. I see a 7 story building across the street. That's the character of the neighborhood.
And yes, I think a hotel can coexist with the restaurants. The post I replied to is full of assumptions. A cab stand, a drop off area, a driveway, no street parking.... Does hotel commonwealth have any of this? No. Why would this hotel? I think a small, european style lobby (door, front desk and elevator) can coexist with 4 restaurants. We don't need to have the dry cleaner return, the area is full of them.
First of all, there is no way
First of all, there is no way they could build much else in that lot, it backs up to the brick building giving it about 50 feet from curb to wall, how is a "mixed use" project feasible?
Second, even if they build some dopey hotel there you think the other hotels are going to lower their prices? Really? Nyet.
No, I've never tried to stay
No, I've never tried to stay at a hotel in the area ... because I live there! A hotel is of no use to me as a resident. Restaurants are. Why would I embrace the idea of sacrificing one of the things that made the neighborhood nice to live in so that random people passing through can have more hotels to choose from? I can see why a property owner might think it would be to his own benefit, but it would not be a benefit to the neighborhood in any way.
It will work!
Most apt. buildings in the Fenway were built for the working class. They are small, limited storage space etc., we don't have guest rooms or loft space like in the South End. We need affordable hotel options! Haven't you ever wanted one of your friends or family members to visit you on the short term but you have no place to have them stay? This would be a great option for them without paying the prices of a chain.
Huh?
Monty wants to open a boutique hotel. Boutique Hotel = Expensive....I guarantee you the nightly rates of this new proposed hotel will be at least double that of the Howard Johnson's or the Inn at Longwood, both just over $100 a night and both "chains"...they have plenty of rooms year-round that my visitors have utilized. Nevermind the fact that we have the Hotel Commonwealth and the Eliot Hotel as well.
Exactly, my apartment had no
Exactly, my apartment had no room for all of my visiting family members. I had to send them all the way to the motel on soldiers field rd. It was a huge annoyance.
Whose benefit?
As much as I loved restaurant row, and was heartbroken over the loss of Thornton's in particular, I'm not at all sure it's the property owner's responsibility to "benefit the neighborhood". No doubt there will be some effort to recreate the concept (which grew organically, btw), but the chief benefit an owner expects is profit. If he can achieve that without disrupting the neighborhood, that's the extent of his obligation, IMO.
I think I remember hearing a
I think I remember hearing a while back that El Pelon was moving to Brookline/Washington Sq? Any news about that? I feel the loss of their fish tacos quite acutely.
Fell through
The owners of the space they were going to rent apparently weren't going to let them build the kitchen the way they wanted. A friend of mine had met them through mutual friends and found out they are most likely moving back to Mexico, if they haven't already.
El Pelon is coming back
According to the owner, El Pelon will be returning to town by opening opposite BC somewhere...details to come later, it seems.
heart vs. smart
According to the November '09 Globe article cited (and linked to) in the post, "Hoben has tried unsuccessfully to open a new restaurant elsewhere while maintaining hope of serving his signature fish tacos in the Fenway again." (Please click on hypertext in blog posts -- it's not hard and that's what it's there for :)
The Fenway is a pretty unique and in some ways fragile urban ecosystem. My fear is simply that the reality of a high-end hotel in that space will price local eateries out. Restaurant Row was a nice, laid-back space with tons of outdoor seating and affordable fare. You could always see people of all ages and income brackets enjoying life out there. It was really the heart of that neighborhood.
It'll be sad to see that go, however "smart" the development that replaces it. Sometimes a little heart is better than "smart" in the long run.
Hey, Monty Gold.
Screw you.
Well, that sucks.
I was a huge fan of Sorrento's when I lived in the Fenway. Enough to be tempted to look at visiting their suburban location. I wouldn't expect 1-story restaurants to have gone up in its place, but it would be discouraging if any new development prices out the sorts of local businesses that were attracting people to the Fenway. With all the new development there since I've moved, it has seriously lacked small retail and restaurants to serve the new residents. The neighborhood had started with an attractively dense number of quality eateries. Restaurant row took up a huge chunk of that, though. If its replaced by one or two large, heavily financed locations (that could easily turnover regularly), it'll be a blow to the neighborhood. I'd hope to see it replaced with 3-4 mixed size dining establishments. I'd like to think such an amenity could be highly attractive to a development that mixed condos and rentals.
Sad...
Although I never lived in the neighborhood, I know how important the "restaurant row" was. The fire really wiped out a significant chunk of the dining options for residents. It would be too bad if the restaurants were replaced by something that really didn't benefit residents at all.
Restaurant Row
This lively dialogue is exactly what's missing in my beloved West Fenway. I have been a resident here for over 9 years, and this enthusiasm is exactly what's needed to give this neighborhood a swift kick in the ass. Why are we overlooked in this neighborhood? Because none of us get off our asses and DO SOMETHING about it. As much as Monty wants to talk, the neighborhood will NEVER support a hotel - a 2 story office above restaurant/retail, absolutely!! And I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there is little chance that any of the restaurants are going to come back...and any "gossip" you hear to the contrary is just that...gossip. Thorntons has already moved on in Providence, Greek Isles had no insurance, Rod Dee is very happy in Washington Square, Umi will be hard pressed to compete with Basho at 1330 Boylston and with Canestaro's expanding there is little point for Sorrento's to return...they weren't doing so well anyhow as shown by their "Now serving Persian specials" sign written on paper plates. I miss El Pelon with all my heart...but I am not naive enough to think Restaurant Row will ever return with it's original players.
the owner from Thornton's
the owner from Thornton's hopes to come back, let's keep our fingers crossed:
http://www.projo.com/food/content/wk_thorntons_res...
Thornton's Providence
I hadn't realized that Marty Thornton had opened a clone of his Fenway restaurant in Providence. No website, but it's got a Facebook page. Must organize bus trip.
I forgot about Basho opening
I forgot about Basho opening soon. That also brings up the point that if residents walk just to the border of the neighborhood there are half a dozen new restaurants that have opened in the past two years. Burton's and Cambridge One have flourished. We now have an Upper Crust, a much coveted BerryLine, Marshall's Fenway Farmstand, Canestaro's is still alive and well, Trattoria Toscana is hidden gem of the neighborhood, Hidyan Cafe, Church (which is still no Linwood), Blackjack Pasta Bar, Thaitation (which I think is all the same chef's as its previous incarnation as the second branch of Brown Sugar) and last but not least College Pizza. So the neighborhood, even within the our block radius is far from devoid of restaurants. Its still a big loss, as those were very popular and good or a quick bite, but new restaurants will come in one day.