PROPOSED: Vista Della Torre

[runawayjim]

The timeline is more troubling than the design of the placement of the building, etc.

Very interesting strategy. They are running very early interference now so that when and if the market is projected to be ready for action in 2010-11 they can move fast in 2009.

But...two problems:

1) thetre is no provision that commits to this even being a "go" 1 1/2 years from now (I know of no way the city can make one)

2) the potential that we have another open space/parking lot instead of a building

I do see the point of moving the building much closer to Broadway and then perhaps with no street abandonment - but the critical factor is a plan that approves street abandonment conditional upon actual vertical construction commencing no later than September 2008.

How's that?

[Cotuit]

The City Council did the right thing tonight and sent the abandonment of Bradford Street and the air rights on Federal Street back to Planning and CPC for review.

Everyone who wrote letters and made calls really made the difference on this one!

[glassandsteel]

Thank you to everybody that did so, today can be marked in the "win" column.

[Frankie811]

The City Council did the right thing tonight and sent the abandonment of Bradford Street and the air rights on Federal Street back to Planning and CPC for review.

Everyone who wrote letters and made calls really made the difference on this one!

[Cotuit]

But to make it work, the project needs the city to approve the abandonment of Bradford Street, and to allow an archway to be built over Federal Street.

[Frankie811]

Everyone who wrote letters and made calls really made the difference on this one!

[mental757]

here is a paragraph from an un-related project in a recent PROJO story:

"The commission had also expected to hear petitions from a developer planning a 33-story condominium tower on Federal Hill that would require the city to abandon Bradford Street and allow use of the air rights over Federal Street, but the review was postponed at the request of the developer. Mayor David N. Cicilline has asked the developer, Frank Zammiello of Cranston, to find a way to build the tower that would not involve the abandonment of Bradford Street. "

go Mayor!!

[Cotuit]

This was continued at last night's CPC meeting. The Mayor asked the developer to sit down with the Planning Department to come up with a plan that does not include closing Bradford Street. So the Developer asked for a continuance per the Mayor's request.

[misterchlo]

33 stories on federal hill?? that is bigger than anything in the city thus far, correct? any of the skyscraper size queens please feel free to confirm that # for me i can't believe this is realistic at 33 stories.. from a community opposition standpoint or from a business sense. i bet it never gets built at that height...in that spot.

[runawayjim]

33 stories on federal hill?? that is bigger than anything in the city thus far, correct? any of the skyscraper size queens please feel free to confirm that # for me i can't believe this is realistic at 33 stories.. from a community opposition standpoint or from a business sense. i bet it never gets built at that height...in that spot.

[Cotuit]

33 stories on federal hill?? that is bigger than anything in the city thus far, correct?

[Lone Ranger]

the skyscraper size queens

[jencoleslaw]

size does matter.

[Baines]

That would be 1 foot taller than the original Westin putting it in as number 3 by a hair in the rankings.

[Frankie811]

Ya just knew that David Brussat would add his two cents on this project.

[runawayjim]

Ya just knew that David Brussat would add his two cents on this project.

[Lone Ranger]

size does matter.

[Cotuit]

Drug dealers hide behind skyscrapers.

[runawayjim]

Now, see, that's just arrogance. I don't know about you, but I find such an attitude to be downright offensive. Height? I fail to see how height offers offense. But bar me from your building because I'm just a dirty commoner, and yeah I'll probably get a lil' bit upset about that.

[Liamlunchtray]

Oy Vey - He actually thinks this monstrosity is a good looking building. I had figured that this being ugly is something we could all agree on. He never fails to amaze me.

[misterchlo]

size does matter.

[Lone Ranger]

Again with this project, we come back to the fact that the site sits next to an interstate highway, making it an appropriate spot for height & hi-density. But this is an old discussion.

And as to these notions of context & scale, I ask, have you ever been to New York City, and if so, have you ever heard of building there named the Empire State Building? Only the most famous & beloved skyscraper in the world, the ESB is even today completely (and amazingly) out-of-scale to the buildings surrounding it. And I believe (in this very thread, some time ago) Garris has already proposed the example of the Eiffel Tower, which is just a little bit out-of-scale to the rest of Paris and has somehow strangely become emblematic not only of its city, but also of its country. Fancy that.

So yes, misterchlo, I think you were exactly right to say that it's not the size of the skyscraper that matters, but rather how you use the skyscraper. I like a good democratic skyscraper in an already vibrant urban neighborhood.

[runawayjim]

I like a good democratic skyscraper in an already vibrant urban neighborhood.

[misterchlo]

Again with this project, we come back to the fact that the site sits next to an interstate highway, making it an appropriate spot for height & hi-density. But this is an old discussion.

And as to these notions of context & scale, I ask, have you ever been to New York City, and if so, have you ever heard of building there named the Empire State Building? Only the most famous & beloved skyscraper in the world, the ESB is even today completely (and amazingly) out-of-scale to the buildings surrounding it. And I believe (in this very thread, some time ago) Garris has already proposed the example of the Eiffel Tower, which is just a little bit out-of-scale to the rest of Paris and has somehow strangely become emblematic not only of its city, but also of its country. Fancy that.

So yes, misterchlo, I think you were exactly right to say that it's not the size of the skyscraper that matters, but rather how you use the skyscraper. I like a good democratic skyscraper in an already vibrant urban neighborhood.

[Lone Ranger]

new york city? i hear that's past way past westerly..why would i venture so far. and this empire state building you speak of, it can't possibly be bigger than that big blue bug? impossible.