As the Finance Committee sifted through items in their agenda last night, one item in particular prompted Ward 6 Alderman Rebekah Gewirtz to request an update on the construction being done at Maxwell's Green (formerly known as Max Pac).
Item #190146, That the Director of SPCD provide the Committee on Finance with a current copy of the amended MaxPak covenant, submitted by Alderman-At-Large Bruce Desmond was deemed completed by the committee after Gewirtz asked for an update on it.
Desmond submitted the request during intense labor discussions surrounding the development. It was decided during this time that the units would not be sold as condos, but rented as luxury apartments.
A formal request will be made at tonight's Board of Alderman meeting where it will probably be placed on the agenda of the Committee on Housing and Community Development, chaired by Ward 5 Alderman Sean O'Donovan.
4 comments:
OSPCD? Maybe she should just read your website
The decision to change these units from condos to apartments should have to go through some sort of community review. Condos would bring the pride of ownership while apartments absolutely will not. The difference will dramatically affect the quality of life for abutters to the area, not that the city cares much about that. I sense that KSS, et al, never intended to sell these units as condos from the beginning but I can't prove it. I can't wait for the Tufts fratboys to start moving in and for the For Sale signs on Clyde, Alpine & Princeton Streets to start going up.
Agree 100% John. Also, by renting these units rather than selling them, it means any positive economic impact the green line extension brings (I know, I know, call me a hopeless optimist) will be felt by the developer, rather than those living in, and pouring money back into, the community.
In a city full of triple deckers being subdivided and sold as single units, it would be nice to have a few single unit condos that were intended as condos.
I lived near this area when the old Max Pack building stood - it was quite irritating that it was in such disrepair it was full of nuisance animals and a haven for trespassers.
That being said, the small string of annoyances since the removal of the building have become one large disappointment. This became apparent to me when the Board of Alderman granted the site owners to switch from owned to rented units - it's no coincidence that this was done during the first BoA meeting of the year, when people weren't paying attention (the owner-to-renter change was also not well explained until *after* the request was approved).
I'm glad I no longer live next the site - the inevitable mix of college kids and "affordable housing" renters won't be a positive addition to the neighborhood.
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