LDNA NEWS

Friday, April 28, 2006

About More Than Litter

Since the funding for the Clean LD Project ran out in February, many of you have noticed that litter has returned with a vengeance to our neighborhood. It also appears that other "quality of life issues" have returned as well. Is there a correlation between the two? I am no expert but some who are, think so. From the article titled Broken Windows by James Q. Wilson and George L. Kelling, which appeared in the March 1982 edition of The Atlantic Monthly:

  • "Consider a building with a few broken windows. If the windows are not repaired, the tendency is for vandals to break a few more windows. Eventually, they may even break into the building, and if it's unoccupied, perhaps become squatters or light fires inside. Or consider a sidewalk. Some litter accumulates. Soon, more litter accumulates. Eventually, people even start leaving bags of trash from take-out restaurants there or breaking into cars."

The Clean LD Project cleans up litter but, honestly, I think it does more than that. It makes our neighborhood better as a whole. Please talk to your trustees and get a commitment for $100 per unit, per year. Thanks. -- Chris Betke, LDNA Chair


Wednesday, April 26, 2006

May Meeting

HINES PROJECT FOR THE SOUTH STATION AIR RIGHTS AT MAY MEETING

At our May meeting, the BRA will present the Hines proposal for a three building project over the South Station air rights. The project includes a Tower with office (920,000 sq. feet), a hotel/residential building with a 200-room hotel and a 170,000 sq. ft. residential component and a mid-Rise Office Building of 455,000 sq. ft. as well as associated parking for up to 755 cars.
Obviously, this is a big project that will have a great deal of impact on our neighborhood. Please attend! -- Chris Betke, LDNA Chair

WHEN: May 3 @ 7 pm

WHERE: The offices of Iron Mountain, 745 Atlantic Ave., 7th Floor, Boston, MA
[Enter the building at the corner of Atlantic and Beach, sign in with the security guard and proceed to the 7th floor lunch room]

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Next meeting 4/19

Next LDNA Meeting (4/19) @ 7 pm Iron Mountain 745 Atlantic Ave. [Enter the building at the corner of Atlantic and Beach, sign in with the security guard and proceed to the 7th floor lunch room].

AGENDA
We have the PERFECT spring meeting topic! A presentation by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society regarding the Society's plans to create a botanic garden on the Rose Kennedy Greenway!!!
Also on the agenda...
* Update on The Clean LD Project
* Volunteers for Boston Shines Event for April 29 Neighborhood Clean-up…
THIS MEETING WILL BEGIN AT 7 PM SHARP AND SHOULD NOT LAST MUCH LONGER THAN AN HOUR.
Also, note that our May meeting will be on May 3 and will be the BRA public meeting on the Hines Project Planned for the airspace over South Station. See you tomorrow! -- Chris Betke, LDNA Chair

Thursday, April 13, 2006

Teradyne Building Sold


Boston Business Journal - March 13, 2006
http://boston.bizjournals.com/boston/stories/2006/03/13/story7.html



Millennium to buy former Teradyne bldg. in Boston
Boston Business Journal - March 10, 2006
by Michelle Hillman
Journal Staff
Millennium Partners is negotiating a deal to buy 179 Lincoln St., one of two buildings owner Teradyne Inc. is selling.
A purchase-and-sale agreement is being negotiated for the 240,000-square-foot office building with the price estimated to be about $100 per square foot, according to sources.
The sale of the Lincoln Street building, along with Teradyne's headquarters building at 321 Harrison Ave., are being brokered by David Pergola Sr., executive vice president of Meredith & Grew Inc., who declined to comment on the buyer or sale price.
Teradyne (NYSE: TER) put its Lincoln Street offices up for sale last year after announcing the company would be leaving the city for the suburbs.
The Lincoln Street property -- located on the edge of the Financial District and bordering Chinatown -- was marketed for sale as a residential conversion site, but developers who looked at the building said the floor space is too large for condos. It is unclear whether Millennium will convert the property for other uses, such as a hotel, or operate it as an office building. Teradyne employees will remain in the Lincoln Street building until this October.
Executives in the Boston office of the New York-based developer could not be reached by press time, but sources confirmed Millennium won the bidding. Others who bid on the property included Griffith Properties LLC, but as of last week the company was thought to be out of the running, said Keith Wallace, director of finance at the Boston-based real estate investment firm.
Last year Millennium sold the two office buildings it developed at 10 St. James and 75 Arlington St. to Boston's Liberty Mutual Insurance Co. for nearly $500 million. In addition to renovating the Ritz-Carlton Boston, Millennium developed the Ritz-Carlton Hotel & Towers, Boston Common, which opened in 2001. Millennium is also the developer of the luxury condominium project called One Charles in Boston's Back Bay.
As of last December, Teradyne had about 470,000 square feet of vacant commercial space in properties the company owns in North Reading. Last year, Teradyne said it would move 800 Boston employees and its headquarters by next year.
The technology company is also selling 321 Harrison Ave. in the South End, with the property officially hitting the market in the last week, said Pergola. The Harrison Avenue building would likely remain office since it is not suited for conversion, said sources. Teradyne could sell the Harrison Avenue building for as much as $60 million, according to a report by Banc of America Securities LLC last September.
Michelle Hillman can be reached at mhillman@bizjournals.com.
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Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Update 4/14 - The Clean LD Project

UPDATED 4/14/06 WE ARE OVER HALF-WAY THERE!!!

Here is a list of pledges to date:

Residential
Lincoln Street:
108 Lincoln -- $1000
116 Lincoln -- $1500
150 Lincoln -- $1500
210 Lincoln -- $2500
200 Lincoln -- $1500
Beach Street
111 Beach Street -- $4600
112 Beach [ottello] -- $2500
121 Beach -- $2500
South Street
None

Atlantic Ave
None

Residential Pledges: $17,600

Other Pledges:
The District [180 Lincoln]: $1000
Arthur Choo & Assoc.: $500
The NonProfit Center
(89 South Street, Floor 7): $1000
Medium Bold: $500
Perfect Curve: $250
TPG Creative - $250
Total: $3500

AMOUNT NEEDED PER YEAR: $40,000
AMOUNT PLEDGED TO DATE:
$21,100
NEEDED TO REACH GOAL: $18,900

Tuesday, April 11, 2006

April Meeting

The next LDNA meeting will be on Wed., April 19 @ 7 pm. It will be held at the offices of Iron Mountain, 745 Atlantic Ave., 7th floor, Corner of Beach and Atlantic
Sign in with the guard on the first floor.