Neighbors Praise Big McBride Street Project, Push For More Affordable Units

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A view of the proposed 3521-3529 Washington St. project looking north along Washington (to the left) and east along McBride.

SSG Development and New Boston Ventures

A view of the proposed 3521-3529 Washington St. project looking north along Washington (to the left) and east along McBride.

A view of the proposed 3521-3529 Washington St. project looking west along Washington (to the left) from the corner of McBride and Washington.

SSG Development and New Boston Ventures

A view of the proposed 3521-3529 Washington St. project looking west along Washington (to the left) from the corner of McBride and Washington.

A project for 132 residential units with retail and a four-story self storage facility at Washington and McBride took a step forward Monday. Neighbors have pushed for and gotten key changes to the design.

The development at the former Flanagan & Seaton Motor Car Co. has been in the works since 2010, when it looked quite different from the proposal floated Monday to neighbors during a meeting at English High School.

Instead of parking out front along Washington, the project now hides the parking in and under a central lot. Instead of three separate chunks of housing, a more dense design leaves room for a community garden and other outdoor space.

Here's an overview of the plan presented Monday:

  • 132 residential units, with 88 in a five-story mixed-use building at the corner of Washington and McBride streets and 44 in a block lining the train tracks off Burnett Street.
  • A four-story, 132,000 square-foot self-storage facility
  • 25,000 square feet of retail on the first floor of the mixed-use building
  • 166 parking spaces both above and below ground
A couple walks their dogs past the Flanagan & Seaton site at the corner of Washington and McBride streets on Monday, Sept. 22, 2014.

Chris Helms

A couple walks their dogs past the Flanagan & Seaton site at the corner of Washington and McBride streets on Monday, Sept. 22, 2014.

Since 2010, neighborhood groups including the Overall site plan for 3521-3529 Washington St. as of Aug. 25, 2014. Overall site plan for 3521-3529 Washington St. as of Aug. 25, 2014.[/caption]

Contamination an issue

One big change from the developer's initial plans was moving what is now a 44-unit residential block as far away from contaminated land as they could. Soil testing, according to architect Andy Graves, showed contamination from the area's previous industrial uses is concentrated under what would be the self-storage facility.

Much of the soil in the corner by the train tracks and McBride Street will have to be dug out and shipped off, said David Williams, director of market development for SSG. The developers are still working out with the Department of Environmental Protection what exactly has to happen at the site.

Community Benefits

Developers touted several aspects of the project that provide amenities to the neighborhood.

Among them is a community garden that, according to Fred Vetterlein of the Stonybrook Neighborhood Assoc., would be managed by Boston Natural Areas Network.

One wall at the self-storage building would be for a community mural, Graves said. And there's a community meeting space planned for a back corner of the self-storage building.

Eventually, a connector from the Southwest Corridor Park bike trail would pass through the back of the property along the railroad tracks.

What Retail?

There would be first-floor retail along Washington and McBride streets. Williams said no specific tenants have signed on, since the project hasn't even been approved yet, but that they've reached out to grocery stores.

Jennifer Uhrhane of the Stonybrook Neighborhood Assoc. urged the developer to choose retailers that provide practical benefits to neighbors. The project has 25,000 square feet of retail space.

"Transit-oriented development only works if, along with being next to T stations, it also has basic amenities," she said. "We could certainly use more restaurants, but there are a lot more people who will need a grocery store and other basic retailers."

Window for Comments Extended

Neighbors won a small but important victory Monday as the developer agreed to extend a Boston Redevelopment Authority comment period from a deadline of Oct. 10 to Oct. 24. As Uhrhane pointed out, the project has been in the works a long time, but the new revisions have only been public since Aug. 25.

To see details of the project, you can download a PDF here. Once you've taken a look, comments can be mailed or emailed to the Boston Redevelopment Authority. The project is officially known as 3521-3529 Washington St.:

Tyler Norod
Senior Project Manager
Boston Redevelopment Authority
One City Hall Plaza
Boston, MA 02201
(work) 617-918-4349
(fax) 617-742-7783
McBride streets. The project includes 44 residential units seen here between the train tracks and Burnett Street. The Flanagan & Seaton site occupies a long block at the corner of Washington and McBride streets. The project includes 44 residential units seen here between the train tracks and Burnett Street.[/caption][selfie]

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