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Stop & Shop looks to plop 1,000 residential units on Allston site
By adamg on Wed, 12/07/2016 - 1:26pm
Banker & Tradesman reports the supermarket chain is loving what New Balance is doing with its Brighton land and wants to emulate that by building 1,000 residential units and new office and residential space on its own 11-acre property.
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Comments
Direct Result of Transit Investment
Notwithstanding it being buried in the middle of the article (after at least 2 mentions of the Turnpike!), this proposal is the direct result of the construction of the soon to be completed Boston Landing Commuter Rail station by New Balance. Instead of taking the 57 Bus to the Green Line or the 70 Bus to Central and then the Red Line, etc. (and the resulting ~45m commute into Downtown), people in this neighborhood will now have a very short trip to points Downtown.
This is the quintessential example of how increasing our housing stock is inextricably tied to improving our transportation network. Both are absolutely necessary for continued economic growth around here.
New Balance (and its contractor, Skanska) are doing great work over there.
Well said
Public transportation expansion around the city has a terrific return on investment. That's why it's so silly for them to reject things like the GLX.
Or to build Fairmount
And to then basically do nothing with it. While not huge, there are plenty of developable sites along Fairmount, which would be more developable if the train ran more than once an hour. Service at "Boston Landing" (what a dumb name) will be approximately every 30 minutes in the morning. Not perfect, but could be ramped up if needed.
Again, Fully Agree
A fleet of DMU/EMU stock and 15-20 minute service would be huge and comparably cheap.
Too bad the T has a moratorium on anything which will improve service.
I presume everyone knew about the RER service and Gondola
I foolishly just assumed that everyone realized and agreed with me that we should have RER type service along the line out to Riverside (using the spur rail west of Auburndale) to West Station (and onto BBY and BOS), where you could connect to the train to Kendall via Grand Junction.
Failing that, I will settle for a Gondola (think skiing, not Venice) from West Station to Kendall. Construction of that could be complete in less than a year, it would move thousands per hour, and it could be paid by MIT and Harvard without either noticing it in their bottom lines.
But service at Boston Landing
But service at Boston Landing will be about every 2 hours midday weekdays and all day weekends compared to every hour on Fairmount. And Fairmount is about every 45 minutes in the peak, while Worcester Line trains making local stops can be about every 40.
Bravo
When I (and many) first moved to Boston, I lived in Allston. Even living near Packard's Corner, you could outrun the B line to Kenmore. The bus was better, but not much depending on time of day.
Reliable and quick transportation will be pushing big changes in LA and this area of Brighton/Allston. Harvard is also probably pretty excited.
If it's the result of
If it's the result of something, then you really can't say that it caused what it resulted from. This was proposed because of something else, not the other way around.
Sounds like what you are saying isn't really true in this case.
The best way to improve transit is not to just add even more demand and then hope it improves later.
More housing did not result in anything here, the housing is the result of something else.
Great. Two thousand would be
Great. Two thousand would be better.
lol.
lol.
Not really, because there
Not really, because there really isn't enough capacity for everything else there.
Hope they keep the Dollar
Hope they keep the Dollar Tree!
Agreed!
But if they close it, you can come to the one in West Rox.
Which is...
T-accessible, I'm sure.
What about more local transportation?
I don't hang out in A-B very often, so I don't really have a feel for that neighborhood's transit other than the new NB station. What is the expectation for non-student populations in the area with respect to car ownership? I have this (perhaps ill-founded) idea that other than the commuter rail, this part of town is somewhat isolated transportation-wise. Is there any truth to that?
nice while it lasted
I can't speak for further out in Brighton, but LA is the best. 15 minute walk to the Green Line, 20 minute walk to Harvard Sq, many bus options to get you to the red line, and the Allston zip code and misconceptions about it being isolated transportation-wise keeping the rents down. Well, that WAS the case. Now it's in line to be the next overdeveloped overpriced area, but I'm not sticking around to watch it happen.
Interesting
A 15 minute walk to the Green Line and a 20 minute walk to the Red Line isn't rich enough transit for lots of folks. It might be if we had the weather of Los Angeles, but lumping it a mile is a bit much for many.
It's not a major problem if the immediate area has enough mixed use development -- beauty salons, dry cleaners, pharmacies, convenience stores, public spaces, that sort of thing. (I have no doubt that it will have enough banks, cell phone stores, and nail salons.) Again, if that's the case, it becomes a nifty little urban bedroom community, where folks can work downtown, get to Green or Red on the weekends, and meet their weekly small (but more urgent) needs immediately.
Yeah, the "but there are
Yeah, the "but there are buses" argument was irrelevant until the advent of bus apps, because every trip meant risking standing for half an hour in the freezing cold or rain. But now you can pretty much arrive at the stop when the bus does, and you've got the 70, 70A, & 64 to Central (the 64 sometimes going to/from Kendall) and the 66 and 86 going to Harvard Sq. At any one time I check the app there's at least one option within 10 minutes. (and yes, I know not everyone has phones, but anyone moving to that area nowadays will, I'm sure).
Mixed use stuff is picking up, but there are two major grocery stores within a 10 minute walk (or short drive) and Allston Village is a 5-10 minute walk away. Not that I need to sell the place, like I say, plenty of people will be descending on the area soon enough and driving up rents even more (especially once the Trader Joes arrives). But I've lived there since 09 and will miss it.
Union Square (about 2 blocks
Union Square (about 2 blocks away from the commuter rail) has the 66, 57, and 64 buses which provide transportation to Harvard, Kendall, Central, Kenmore, and Dudley Squares.
The 64 to Kendall is the best-kept secret in the area. One-seat ride to high-paying jobs. Main complaint is that it doesn't run frequently enough.
The 57 to Kendall often is similar speed to or faster than the B-line and you can transfer to B, C, or D at Kenmore, so the transfer when going into the city is not bad. Having to wait for the 57 bus when going out of the city is a little annoying.
I live in the area and I only use my car to drive to NH to hike in the woods.
I am still scarred from
I am still scarred from ridding the 64 through the winter of 2015.
It does go all the way to Kendall, but it CRAWS in the snow or rain. And runs every 30 min at rush hour only to show up 15min late.
It goes where need be, but its a PITA.
I've been hoping Stop and Shop
would have sold to somebody else. It's not a great store. My kingdom for Market Basket, Roche Bros.,or Hannafords.
I would agree with you that Stop and Shop
is pretty much the worst, but that particular one isn't bad. I worked on Guest st for many years and frequented that store for lunch and groceries all the time.
Now, if you want to see the world's worst supermarket you only need to hop skip and jump your way to the Stop and Shop in Watertown on Watertown St. THAT place....there is a special place in hell for that supermarket.
South Bay Stop & Shop
South Bay Stop & Shop says hello.
Nothing like rotting produce hitting you in the nose as soon as you step through the door.
Or Jackson Square
Where there is a fence to keep people from getting there from the subway . . .
South Bay Stop & Shop
That place is disgusting.
Stop and Shop Arlington
says "move over, Watertown."
stop and shop being sold
stop and shop and hannafords already share the same parent companies, so you can nix that idea right there.
the companies that own S&S are like comically larger than roche brothers or market basket. its like comparing the size of a fetus to Shaq. so unless they plan on divesting that seems unlikely. doubly so when you realize that their primary business is in fact, owning different chains of grocery stores.
considering the rather dismal prices (as a consumer) at S&S im sure they arent interested in tossing it from their lineup
S&S Staying
S&S is stayling. They will build a new store adjacent, in vicinity of car dealership (which appears to be planning a move) and once the new building is open, the old one will be demo'd and housing built.
I don't understand how both
I don't understand how both Stop & Shop and the Shaw's across the Pike both survive with such close proximity to each other. It's a bit ridiculous to have two such GIANT stores so close.
Same in Watertown/Waltham
There's a big Stop & Shop in Watertown about a quarter mile from a big Star Market in Waltham (they're on the same road). And they're both always busy. Go figure.
Me, I'm team Hannaford.