The almost 60-year-old Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA)will changeits name next Tuesday, a WBUR article reported yesterday.The shift to the name of Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA) is meant to more accurately describe the agency's function.Aware that it haddeveloped a less than favorable reputation, the BRA wantsdialogue with city residents and neighborhoodsto bepart of its planning process. Agency director Brian Goldenhopes the rebranding will lead to stronger public support and approval:

There are still far too many people, far too many community organizations that view the organization negatively, and we think that by emphasizing planning, by being in the neighborhoods talking about planning, receiving meaningful input from the people of Boston, and adopting planning documents that can accommodate quality future development, we will have greater public support, greater legitimacy and greater credibility, Golden said.

Read WBUR's The Boston Redevelopment Authority is Getting a New Name.Doyou have plans to relocate to Boston?Are youthinking about where to livein Boston?Im always ready to help with your questions about buying or selling Boston homes or condos.Please call meat617-584-9790, or email me using the blue link right below.  

Boston Real Estate Headlines:

• Tiny House Zoning Regulations: What You Need to Know
• Chinese Buyers are Snapping Up Luxury Condos in Boston
• Foreign Investment Surging in Boston
• Bostons Second Trader Joes to Open Near Harvard Next Year
• Harbor Garage Development Plans Shrink Again
• Despite Limited Inventory Greater Boston Market Continues to Boom

Featured Boston Real Estate:

• 580 Washington Street #15E, Midtown $1,600,000
• 587 East Broadway #4, South Boston $699,000
• 40 Worcester Street #1, South End $1,245,000

#BostonCondos #BostonRedevelopmentAn apartment and condo tower with 300 units could be another to come in a series of developmentschanging the face of Boston'sFenway neighborhood.Curbed Boston reports that 2 Charlesgate West is the site that developer Trans National plans to submit a proposal for to the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA). Trans National Group's headquarters are already located at that address.Read Curbed Boston's Fenway's 2 Charlesgate West: The Neighborhood's Next Big Tower?Boston'sFenway neighborhood, best known as home to Fenway Park and the Red Sox, is borderedon the North by Commonwealth and Brookline Avenue;on the East by Massachusetts Ave;on the West by the Riverway, near the Brookline border; and on the South by Mission Hill.Heres the BRAs explanation of the Development Review process.

Are you planning on relocating to the Boston area?Ifyou have questions about buying or selling Boston condos or homes, get in touch with me by phone at 617-584-9790 or via email using the blue link below.  

Boston Real Estate Headlines:

• Boston Real Estate: How Property Taxes Work
• Boston Real Estate: Selling Your Boston Condo or Home
• As Spring Market Surges, Home Appraisals Arent Slowing Buyers Down
• 3 Housing Trends Emerging This Spring
• 3 Trending Areas to Buy Homes in Boston

Featured Boston Real Estate:

• 53 Worcester Street #3A, South End $1,895,000
• 177 Beacon Street #1, Back Bay $2,250,000
• 440 Commercial Street #603, Waterfront $949,900
• 30 Worcester Square #10, South End $429,000

  

#BostonRedevelopment #BostonCondosBlending indoors and outdoors is the architectural theme of a newly proposed59 story buildingfor Boston's Downtown Crossing, according to a Boston Globe article.One Bromfield, the605 foot mixed-use residential building proposedby Midwood Investment and Development is designed as amix of apartments and condos above three retail floors. (You might notice a few discrepancies between the Globe article, which states the building will be 705 feet tall and have two floors of retail, and the project papers filed by the developer, which states a height of 605 feet and three floors of retail.)Read The Boston Globe's Downtown Crossing Tower Submitted.The project site has 23,700 square feet of land.The estimated number of residential units is 419, but that number may change as the design progresses. The developer looks tosatisfy all affordable housing obligations on-sitewithaffordable rental units.Here's the originalProject Notification Formthat wasfiled with the Boston Redevelopment Authority (BRA)in 2008.The design, according to the Draft Project Impact Report, filed with BRA on April 28, 2016,aims to "enhance the streetscape and the pedestrian experience through the use of lighting and transparent glass on the faade that will blend the boundaries between the indoor and outdoor environments."The project overview section of the report describes a vision of how the building will interact with street life:

"The Projects retail and residential components will foster pedestrian activity and contribute to the vitality of the area throughout the course of the day and during the evening hours. The building massing, with its soft edges and unique cuts, will make an iconic impression along the Boston skyline and will enhance the street level experience."

Here's the BRA's explanation of the Development Review process.Here's a look a current Midtown/Downtown Bostonreal estate.Do you have questions about buying or selling Boston condos or homes? Please feel free to get in touch, either by phone at617-584-9790 or via email using the blue link below.  

Boston Real Estate Headlines:

• Boston Redevelopment: Busy Transit Stations Hold Development Potential
• U.S. New Home Sales Fall in March
• Boston Real Estate: Selling Your Boston Condo or Home
• 3 Housing Trends Emerging This Spring
• Housing Costs May Prompt Population Shift

Featured Boston Real Estate:

• 151 Tremont Street #16S, South End $615,000
• 14 Rutland Street, South End $2,195,000
• 314 320 West Second Street #505, South Boston $799,000
• 29 Fairfield Street #1A, Back Bay $2,075,000

 #BostonRedevelopment #BostonRealEstateBoston's Mayor MartyWalsh is asking for ideas for restoring the city's 1908 Northern Avenue bridge. Today's issue of the Boston Globe reports that options include building an entirely new bridge in its place;restoring a portion of the current bridge; or restoring and raising the entire current bridge.Boston's Northern Avenuebridge began as a route forsteam trains to haul wool and fish from the wharves. The Coast Guard warned that it was in danger of collapse, according to the Boston Globe article. It has been closed even to pedestrians since 2014, but there are those who'd like to see it re-opened foron-foot travelers:

"The thought of raising the bridge or building a higher-level span bothers pedestrian advocates, whod prefer the keep the at-grade crossing. Any option would be expensive; just dismantling the current bridge and floating it out of Fort Point Channel would cost around $15 million."

Read the Boston Globe's Honor Boston's Past by Restoring the Northern Avenue Bridge.A recent press release from theBoston Redevelopment Authority (BRA) announces that the sitewww.NorthernAveBridge.orghas been created to host the exchange of ideas. The Ideas Competition will be formally launched March 21. The BRAis coordinating this effort togetherwith the Boston Society of Architects (BSA) and several City of Boston departments:

If you have questions about buying or selling Boston real estate, please get in touch!Call me at617-584-9790, or send me an email using the blue Questions? button below. I'd look forward to hearing from you.  

Boston Real Estate Headlines:

• Ideas Keep Coming for Bostons City Hall Plaza
• 10 Developments to Watch in Boston and Cambridge
• The Costs New Homeowners Are Blindsided By
• Why a Smarter Home is a Greener Home

Featured Boston Real Estate:

• 1 Charles Street #1405, Back Bay $1,150,000
• 12 Sackville Street #1, Charlestown $729,000
• 3 Appleton Street #503, South End $499,000
• 32 Derne Street #6A, Beacon Hill $6,500,000