Taylor Street Wooden House Renovations Blocked by Neighborhood
When Ramy Rizkalla bought his new home on Taylor Street, he knew it’d be a long road to renovation. That’s because the home, which he originally believed was built in the mid-1800s with original ornamentation and features and would be heavily protected by city agencies. That was before he found out most of what you see on the home today was built in the 1970s. “None of the windows, none of the ornamentation, none of the mouldings, none of it is original,” Rizkalla said. “All of that was added in the 70s and 80s.” And therein lies the solution — and the problem. The renovations, which were approved over an 18-month process through the Boston Redevelopment Authority, the Boston Landmarks Commission, and the South End Historical Society, were blocked this week due to neighborhood concerns. “That’s one of the biggest problems – there really is a substantial misunderstanding of what people are looking at, and what is truly historic,” Rizkalla said. “We have all the necessary approvals but I think there’s been a need for clarification.” Until the situation is resolved, the site will stay as a façade and a hole in the ground, a far cry from the owner’s original intentions. “I saw a tremendous amount of potential of what could be done,” Rizkalla said, who said the biggest reason for the full renovation of the property was his interest in contributing to the streetscape in Boston. “We really are great appreciators of architecture, and the opportunity to continue to integrate contemporary architectures with historic neighborhoods was so alluring to us,” he said. Renovation PlansThe original property is split into two properties, 8 Taylor St. and 10 Taylor St. 8 Taylor St. is the existing home and 10 Taylor St. is a parking space. According to Scott Slarsky, the project’s architect, the idea of the project is to make the home into a single family house, expanding from 2400 square feet to 3400 square feet, and preserve the only historically significant piece of the home, the house’s north elevation, he said. “It will be a gorgeous project,” Slarksy said. “The completed building will be the first wooden house built in the South End since 1899.” As for the new parts of the house, Slarsky said the new façade that will face Washington Park was closely researched and planned. “We worked really closely with the South End Landmarks Commission to have the rhythm and proportions of South End buildings,” he said. Next StepsRizkalla and Slarksy are now again working with the Landmarks Commission and the Boston Redevelopment authority to clarify the constructon plan to the neighborhood and continue construction on […]
Categories: Arrests Tags: Blocked, house, Neighborhood, Renovations, Street, Taylor, Wooden
Letter: Tree Removal on Tremont Street Comes as a Surprise
Dear Editor, This morning I woke up to the pleasant noise of chain saws and wood chippers outside my windows. I look out and the city has cut down 3-4 beautiful trees that lined our street. There was no notice of this happening, and they destroyed my privacy and curb appeal. I know that other residents of the area were upset as well. The trees were beautiful and healthy. They withstood the winds of Sandy without breaking a limb. The trees were located alongside the building 655 Tremont Street on W. Brookline where Gold Gallery is. My windows are directly above Gold Gallery looking out onto W. Brookline. I now have no privacy, and the street looks horrible. They also destroyed our brick sidewalk in the process. I thought I would bring this to your attention so we can get some neighborhood awareness about this, and prevent things like this happening in the future. Let me know if you have any questions, and go take a look; it is bad! Sincerely, Patrick Miller Resident South End Patch
Protests Planned Against MBTA Bag Checks
A pro-4th Amendment coalition with roots in the Occupy movement will stage a protest of random bag inspections at T platforms around the city this weekend, including Kenmore and Ruggles stations. Defend the 4th, a self-proclaimed “group of individuals from a broad array of political/social leanings and organizations,” plans to demonstrate across Boston Feb. 2, according to an email to Patch from coalition spokesman Garret Kirkland. “Any instances of ‘random’ searches being conducted on a citizen or visitor to the Commonwealth warrants protest on 4th Amendment grounds,” Kirkland wrote. “We believe that it is a gross violation of our rights and of the principles of our nation, that any person should have to prove that they are not doing anything wrong.” Defend the 4th plans to march from noon to 3 p.m. Feb. 2, along several branches of the T, according to a flyer. Groups will begin at Harvard Square, South Station, Lechmere, Kenmore and Ruggles T stops. The MBTA randomly inspects passenger’s bags, but does not search, according to Kelly Smith, deputy press secretary for the MBTA. “These random, non-intrusive inspections take place every week at various stations,” Smith wrote in an email to Patch. In 2006, then Gov. Mitt Romney directed the MBTA to perform random bag inspections for explosive materials, resurrecting the practice which started at the Boston Democratic National Convention in 2004. “Passengers are selected on a random basis through the use of a computer-generated sequence of numbers, according to the MBTA,” according to an informational post on the inspections on the MBTA’s website. “These inspections involve the brushing, with a swab, of the exterior of a carry-on. This swab is then placed in explosive trace detection equipment.” In August 2006, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 2nd Circuit in New York upheld a decision that bag inspections on the Metropolitan Transportation Authority do not violate an individual’s Constitutional rights, according to an MBTA press release from October 2006. Following the London subway bombings in July of 2005, New York had instituted a policy that was based on the MBTA’s random bag inspection program used during the DNC. Two court cases- American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee v. Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, 2004 and MacWade v. Kelly, 2006 – upheld the inspections, according to the MBTA. “It’s not searches, it’s swabs,” Smith said. “They don’t even go inside your bag.” Smith added passengers can decline the swabs, but they then forfeit their right to ride on the MBTA. Still, Kirkland asserts Defend the 4th feels all such inspections along the MBTA, and the MBTA’s coordination with TSA, which performs the inspections, are at least inappropriate and […]
Gov. Patrick Names William “Mo” Cowan Interim Senator
With Tuesday’s official nomination of U.S. Senator John Kerry to the post of Secretary of State, the field is opening up with folks vying for Kerry’s seat in his unexpired term in the U.S. Senate. But before that even happens an interim senator has to be named. On Wednesday, Governor Deval Patrick announced his former chief of staff William “Mo” Cowan will be the interim senator and will serve until a new senator is elected in the June 25 special election. Patch reported in December that Cowan, a Stoughton resident, would be stepping down this month and returning to the private sector. Besides being Patrick’s former chief of staff, Cowan also served as chief legal counsel to Governor Patrick, having served in the Patrick-Murray Administration since 2009. He earned his law degree from Northeastern University. “I am proud and delighted to appoint Mo Cowan as interim U.S. Senator from Massachusetts,” said Governor Patrick in a statement Wednesday. “Mo’s service on the front lines in our efforts to manage through the worst economy in 80 years and build a better, stronger Commonwealth for the next generation has earned him the respect and admiration of people throughout government. The people of the Commonwealth have benefited from his wisdom and good judgment during his time in our office, and will again in the Senate.” Cowan said he’s honored and humbled by the appointment. “I pledge to you and the people of Massachusetts that during this interim period I will work as hard as humanly possible to perform my duties with the needs and aspirations of our state’s citizens foremost in mind,” Cowan said. Current U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren, who was elected in November, said she’s “very pleased” to welcome Cowan to the Senate. “As former chief of staff to Governor Patrick, Mo brings a deep knowledge of the issues facing the people of our Commonwealth to the Senate,” Warren said. “He will be a committed, hardworking interim Senator, and I look forward to working closely with him to protect the interests of Massachusetts families.” The primary is set for April 30 and the special election is June 25. Nomination papers will be made available through Secretary of State William Galvin’s office, giving candidates four weeks to collect the 10,000 signatures required to get on the April 30 primary ballot. Candidates in the Running for Senate SeatAlready officially in the running for Kerry’s senate seat is Congressman Edward Markey (D-Malden). Markey announced his intentions to run back in late December. While Markey announced back in December his intentions to run for Kerry’s seat, there has also been talk – but no official confirmation – that Congressman Stephen Lynch is also considering a run […]
Removed Tremont St. Trees Presented Public Safety Hazard, According to City
A big shock came to residents of the Tremont and W. Brookline area this week, when three trees marked for “maintenance” were completely removed. Resident Patrick Miller wrote in to South End Patch noting that the tree removal destroyed his property’s curb appeal and privacy. “My windows are directly above Gold Gallery looking out onto W. Brookline,” he said. “I now have no privacy, and the street looks horrible. They also destroyed our brick sidewalk in the process.” It wasn’t long before others began to share their own concerns. Reader Omar wrote that he was very disappointed – and borderline angry – to see the trees removed from the block. “Trees are a key component of West Brookline Street’s charm and beauty,” he wrote. “The fact that the removal came without warning adds insult to injury. The neighborhood should be more aware of this kind of activity and prevent it in the future.” However, the root of the issue actually dates back to 2011, according to the city of Boston, which has come through with an answer and specific information as to what lead to the tree’s removal through a Citizen’s Connect response from the Parks Department. Max Ford-Diamond of the Parks Dept. wrote in his response the three pear trees at 655-657 Tremont St on W. Brookline were removed due to the hazard that they posed to public safety. “The original case was created on June 10, 2011, which requested that the trees be pruned,” he wrote. “The site was inspected on June 30 by the Boston Parks Departments Inspector who is a Massachusetts Certified Arborist.” “At the time the three trees were inspected they were deemed unable to be pruned to the cities pruning specifications and in need of removal for several reasons: All three trees were leaning more then 25 degrees over the road; All three trees have had multiple emergencies where large leaders had broken off of them; The trunks of the trees have been hit numerous times by trucks and cars and have large wounds that have never healed and were starting to decay. The Boston Parks Department also does not plant this species of tree anymore due to there high risk of failure due to poor branch structure and weak branch attachment points. The Boston Parks Department has pictures of these defects that show why the trees needed to be removed. A new tree request will be made for this location to have the site inspected for new trees. The replanting process currently takes between 6 and 12 months. The contractor who removed the trees has been notified to go back to […]