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South Boston church to neighbors: You don't like condos? Fine, we'll replace this old school with a parking lot
By adamg on Sun, 01/14/2018 - 2:16pm
The Globe reports on plans by Gate of Heaven Church and the Archdiocese of Boston to turn the old Gate of Heaven school into rubble after several years of church officials failing to convince neighbors to let them sell the building to housing developers.
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Comments
different model?
The Archdiocese of Brooklyn leases old schools for 49 years to developers who convert them to rentals. The Boston plan could call for mixed income, like in a real city!! Preference for long time residents in zip code in a lottery to lessen displacement( yes there is displacement when lux comes in) , win win, somebody tell Bishop Sean. The Catholic Community did invest heavily in Church properties, ( we paid for them) it is understandable the community feel angry and should be taken into account. However housing is a real need, Boston does not have large Catholic Families with 5 kids like a generation ago, but these buildings are very special to us, it is where we grew up.
http://www.brooklyneagle.com/articles/2014/4/16/rescue-me-shuttered-gree...
UM Boston does have large
UM Boston does have large Catholic families... not Irish but many Latinos are Catholic and they have the same family sizes our ancestors had one generation ago.
I have no other point to make but to remind my European based brothers and sisters that the block keeping the Catholic church in one piece these days is the Latino block.
The prophesy will be fullfilled...
They will pave paradise and put up a parking lot.
Quoting John Costello
From the 2015 post:
John Costello is the best commenter on UH. If you disagree with me, you are wrong.
Strictly speaking...
Cardinal Law wasn't, in the legal definition, a pimp.
It is entirely true, however, that the parishioners of the Gate of Heaven Church paid for the building and the grounds.
If the Church takes that away, then is it stealing from the loyal parishioners?
Strictly speaking
No. Churches are corporations with boards.
If you give them something, the board now controls it.
In this case, a corporation
In this case, a corporation sole.
I mean, this is ok since we
I mean, this is ok since we don't have a housing crisis
Keep yer pants on...
We're actually getting there - I think we added close to 6000 units last year and permitted another 5800 and there are about 6000 more units coming online this year - each of those a 2-3 year supply of housing in Boston. If we keep this up - we'll actually have about the right amount of housing in 2-3 years - (although no guarantees it'll be in the right price range).
Apparently same thing in happening in NY and Miami - after every bust comes a deluge - and then another bust and then a recovery. Wish I had a solution - but in the meantime - sounds like rents and prices are going to at least stabilize the next couple of years if not actually come down - though that is highly dependent on interest rates as well which have kept the price of pretty much everything in the stratosphere.
hope this doesn't happen
it is a beautiful looking building.
Condos are a much better idea than a parking lot. but only if they are a minimum of 3 beds and 2500 sq ft. This will keep the bros out.
Not bros with roomies.
Not bros with roomies.
Yes it will.
a 3 bed, 2500 sq ft condo in South Boston would run close to $2 million. No "bro" has that kind of money. and if he has rich parents, boston isn't even on their list. they are looking at LA, NYC, London, Hong Kong....real world class cities.
hopefully, one day, Boston will be in the same group.
Why you looking to keep the
Why you looking to keep the bros out? The only reason why I can think of is to help families but honestly if you are making it a 2 million dollar condo now you have wiped out most families too.
Then it'll be a world class
Then it'll be a world class city.
I went to BU. There's plenty
I went to BU. There's plenty of bros with parents that can afford that. Don't meant that all bad too, some of them were cool. But lets hope your next neighbor are exactly the bros you fear for wishing to price people out for your own peace.
There's plenty of bros with
Will it?
It is a beautiful building,
It is a beautiful building, BUT, it is also a building the is falling apart. The cost of just maintenance to the parish is insane. The neighborhood said no to condos, no to selling it. This is not a bad solution. People want to cry about needing another school, have you looked at the attendance numbers in Catholic Academy or St. Peter Academy? There aren't enough kids for another school. Having a parking lot is not a bad idea. Read the actual proposal. It has overnight parking spaces, for a nominal fee. It also allows the parish to have parking for mass, weddings, funerals, and special events - which will relieve congestion and double parking on the street.
Because extra room for cars will solve the housing crisis
Actually leasing the building to develop rental properties could work too. Verizon did it in Chinatown. Keep it non profit. Low income and/or elderly housing. Family shelter? How about one for single male parents with children?
If you want to raise the building for parking then you better build a parking garage.
Except the Archdiocese won't
Except the Archdiocese won't allow it, this isn't "new" news. Parking is better for the community and the church. The funds made will help with the church's upkeep.
Parking is not better for the comunity
Parking is a luxurious convenience for the current neighbors that don't want to share local amenities or change the rocketing ascent of their property values.
I would agree that the Archdiocese owes the local community that paid to build this property. There are many ways to benefit city residents that are more urgent than middle class condo owners wanting artificially cheap local parking. Housing is a crisis, parking is inconvenient. Very few of the local residents that spent their lives putting money in the basket passed on Sunday can afford to live in that neighborhood anymore. Providing the current locals with parking is a dishonest representation of the community that built this church.
Citation needed
Please provide some concrete examples of where providing extra space for cars has solved a housing crisis.
Take your time.
sarcasm takes as much time as
sarcasm takes as much time as it takes
This parking lot is empty most of the time
(1) This lot has offered rental spots to the neighborhood in the past, but the lot is rarely full (often only a few cars) when it isn't being used for church activities - so is there really demand? Will these forty new spots (on top of the existing spots) be used at all times, every day? People say that they need more parking, but will the neighborhood actually choose to pay for rental spots rather than circling for free street parking? If there isn't actual demand, then this is not the highest and best use. Seriously, does anyone know how often this lot was used by the neighborhood? I've never seen it full on weeknights.
(2) If it's a "nominal" fee, then how is this going to generate income to keep the church open? I thought that was the primary goal for the Church and the neighborhood opposition to residential and school uses. Shouldn't any parking rate be the market rate to ensure the Church gets sufficient income to continue to serve the neighborhood?
parking
There is a waiting list for the existing spots at Gate of Heaven. Believe you can't park till 7 or 8 and out by 8.
Just goes to show you
The BRA doesn't always know what's good for you.
do they ever?
n/t
This happened on Old Harbor
A few years ago I remembered a petition going around Southie to try to block the sale of a garden plot on Old Harbor Street to the Cronin Group to build condos. The neighbors blocked the sale and bought the lot to build..... a parking lot.
Its been 2-3 years now and there is a rusty backhoe sitting on the ripped up site with no activity since last summer.
Just on looks alone- I'd rather see condos then a halfway dug up lot collecting wind-blown trash.
Urban Renewal Failures Redux
This is a decision straight out of the worst urban renewal choices made in the 1950s and 60s. Nearly any other use of the land would be better than a surface parking lot (up to and including tearing the building down and replacing it with something else). The NIMBYs of South Boston should be ashamed for forcing this choice after blocking plans for housing in a city with a tremendous need for new homes.
Paved paradise and put up a
Paved paradise and put up a parking lot!