To: Brian Golden
This petition requests that the BRA refuse to accept a PNF from ERP Operating Limited Partnership for the 45 Worthington Street Project. We believe this project should not be considered for development for the following reasons:
Height: The building would be much higher than anything in the surrounding community—probably around 400 feet— probably more than 300 feet taller than the 75 feet allowed height for the Article 59 MFR subdistrict. It would block the view of many residents and create shadow and wind impacts for abutters.
Traffic impact: The proposal is for traffic to enter from Smith and Worthington Streets, which are narrow, 19th century streets, inadequate for the traffic that will be generated. Traffic already backs up on to Huntington Avenue and Tremont Street from these tiny streets; additional cars will make the situation more dangerous. By contrast, the three high rises already on the parcel front on St. Alphonsus Street, (which was widened to facilitate traffic) and Huntington and Tremont, both major thoroughfares.
Parking: Only 270 parking spaces are proposed for 690 units. (295 existing units and proposed 385 units.) Parking is already extremely difficult in the neighborhood.
Scale and density: There are three existing high rise buildings along St. Alphonsus Street, making the area extremely dense already. The project will front on Worthington Street in the Mission Hill Triangle Architectural Conservation district, a residential area of brick and brownstone row houses, which are only 35 feet high. The proposed building would be more than 10 times higher. This height would be appropriate in the down town business district, but not in a residential area. There are some 65 houses in the historic district, in a balanced mix of owner-occupied and rental units, creating a close-knit community. To add 385 rental units on Worthington Street would upset this balance and change the character of the neighborhood.
Zoning. Zoning for the area is MFR-3 with a maximum height of 75 feet. The tower would be some 400 feet, Current zoning calls for a floor/area ratio of 3; this project will exceed that by possible 20 or 30 times. Zoning requirements are meant to protect the neighborhood and “to provide adequate density controls that protect established residential areas and direct growth to areas where it can be accommodated . . .”
(from Article 59, page 4)
Updates
December 23, 2014
The scale of this opposition has grown far beyond what I thought possible when I started this. My energy is thin but seeing this level of public pushback keeps me moving forward against the developers.
Reached 100 supporters
December 23, 2014
104 Comments
I owned and lived at 19 Worthington Street for 10 years. I think such a structure as the one planned would destroy the neighborhood and would be a travesty. This is not even a close call.
Generally i support building new, more dense housing in Mission Hill, to keep housing costs affordable for a variety of income level households. However, a tower this disproportional to anything else nearby seems excessive.
The project is too dense for Worthington Street and should be reviewed for its impact on Mission Hill ' s only historic district. Height, massing, FAR,parking relief sought are all unacceptable. This also sets a dangerous precedent in a neighborhood under extreme private and institutional development pressures.
We have lived on Wigglesworth and Tremont Streets for almost six years. This building would negatively affect the historic quality of the neighborhood and create a parking dilemma.
While this tower seems to offer some revenue for the city, there are several issues with its development. There is nowhere near enough street parking as it stands, and adding this many more housing units will only make matters worse. The style, height, and feel of the building do not fit with the character of this historic neighborhood.
37 Calumet st
Menacing the Triangular Conservation District
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To: Brian Golden
This petition requests that the BRA refuse to accept a PNF from ERP Operating Limited Partnership for the 45 Worthington Street Project. We believe this project should not be considered for development for the following reasons:
Height: The building would be much higher than anything in the surrounding community—probably around 400 feet— probably more than 300 feet taller than the 75 feet allowed height for the Article 59 MFR subdistrict. It would block the view of many residents and create shadow and wind impacts for abutters.
Traffic impact: The proposal is for traffic to enter from Smith and Worthington Streets, which are narrow, 19th century streets, inadequate for the traffic that will be generated. Traffic already backs up on to Huntington Avenue and Tremont Street from these tiny streets; additional cars will make the situation more dangerous. By contrast, the three high rises already on the parcel front on St. Alphonsus Street, (which was widened to facilitate traffic) and Huntington and Tremont, both major thoroughfares.
Parking: Only 270 parking spaces are proposed for 690 units. (295 existing units and proposed 385 units.) Parking is already extremely difficult in the neighborhood.
Scale and density: There are three existing high rise buildings along St. Alphonsus Street, making the area extremely dense already. The project will front on Worthington Street in the Mission Hill Triangle Architectural Conservation district, a residential area of brick and brownstone row houses, which are only 35 feet high. The proposed building would be more than 10 times higher. This height would be appropriate in the down town business district, but not in a residential area. There are some 65 houses in the historic district, in a balanced mix of owner-occupied and rental units, creating a close-knit community. To add 385 rental units on Worthington Street would upset this balance and change the character of the neighborhood.
Zoning. Zoning for the area is MFR-3 with a maximum height of 75 feet. The tower would be some 400 feet, Current zoning calls for a floor/area ratio of 3; this project will exceed that by possible 20 or 30 times. Zoning requirements are meant to protect the neighborhood and “to provide adequate density controls that protect established residential areas and direct growth to areas where it can be accommodated . . .”
(from Article 59, page 4)
Updates
December 23, 2014
The scale of this opposition has grown far beyond what I thought possible when I started this. My energy is thin but seeing this level of public pushback keeps me moving forward against the developers.
Reached 100 supporters
December 23, 2014
104 Comments
NO! A tower is not consistent with the neighborhood the project attempts to situate itself within. A lovely brick front historic district should be kept that way, charming, on a human scale, not perverted by highrise towers and out of town developers who want to create income generating residential towers in an already too dense neighborhood.
I owned and lived at 19 Worthington Street for 10 years. I think such a structure as the one planned would destroy the neighborhood and would be a travesty. This is not even a close call.
Generally i support building new, more dense housing in Mission Hill, to keep housing costs affordable for a variety of income level households. However, a tower this disproportional to anything else nearby seems excessive.
The project is too dense for Worthington Street and should be reviewed for its impact on Mission Hill ' s only historic district. Height, massing, FAR,parking relief sought are all unacceptable. This also sets a dangerous precedent in a neighborhood under extreme private and institutional development pressures.
We have lived on Wigglesworth and Tremont Streets for almost six years. This building would negatively affect the historic quality of the neighborhood and create a parking dilemma.
While this tower seems to offer some revenue for the city, there are several issues with its development. There is nowhere near enough street parking as it stands, and adding this many more housing units will only make matters worse. The style, height, and feel of the building do not fit with the character of this historic neighborhood.
37 Calumet st
Menacing the Triangular Conservation District
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NO! A tower is not consistent with the neighborhood the project attempts to situate itself within. A lovely brick front historic district should be kept that way, charming, on a human scale, not perverted by highrise towers and out of town developers who want to create income generating residential towers in an already too dense neighborhood.