Depending on who you talk to on the Prudential Project Advisory Committee (PruPAC) about a recent proposal by Boston Properties and Avalon Bay Communities to build two more towers on the Prudential Center site, the proposed buildings are either too tall, or just what the community needs.

At least those are the initial reactions of some of the committee’ members following a presentation by Boston Properties last week. However, committee members admit that a lengthy public process will determine the final approvals of any project that goes forward on the site.

The proposal, which will cost an estimated $192 million to bring to fruition, calls for a 30-story residential tower on Exeter Street across from the rear-side of the Boston Public Library, as well as a 19-story office tower at 888 Boylston Street, adjacent to the John B. Hynes Convention Center.

State Representative Martha Walz, whose district abuts the Prudential Center property, said this week that her concerns about the project are centered around the proposed building height of each of the two buildings and how those new buildings will work within the context of the larger neighborhood.

“The proposal for the office tower would increase the traditionally acceptable height from 150 feet to well over 200 feet, right at the edge of the street,” said Representative Walz.

“All of the other taller buildings at the Prudential Center are set back from the street and here Boston Properties wants to add a building with significant height basically right at the sidewalk.”

Walz said that until she hears some justification for the increased height she doesn’t understand why it would be needed and noted that Boston Properties has already been approved for an 11-story office tower on the site, which would not go above the traditional 150 feet of allowable height.

“I have to understand more about the commercial real estate market, and they need to make their case to PruPAC in order for that proposal to go forward,” she added.

However, Meg Mainzer Cohen, a PruPAC member and the executive director of the Back Bay Business Association, said that the additional height requested for the Boylston building is understandable, given the vagaries of the commercial office market.

“We feel like the entire project would be an enhancement to the community,” said Cohen. “Any initiative proposal will go through various iterations, but so far we feel pretty positively about both towers.”

Cohen explained that Boston Properties has come back and asked for more height in the office tower to accommodate potential tenants who have indicated that they are looking for a ‘signature’ building, “and to provide that you need more height.”

As for Exeter Street, Cohen said she likes the idea of “activating” Exeter Street with new residential units, especially since the proposal includes retail space on the first floor of the building.

“I also think that Boston Properties has done a very good job of demonstrating to us how the buildings will work on the street,” added Cohen.

But Walz said that height is still a concern for the office tower, particularly in light of the continued construction of the 13-story Mandarin Oriental Boston Hotel adjacent to Lord and Taylor on Boylston Street and the way that project is being received in the community.

“As for Exeter Street, I’m delighted to see more housing being proposed in that area, but I think the design of the building should be more significant,” said Walz. “I really think the developer is missing an opportunity to do something interesting and creative on that site.”

And she added that she also has similar height concerns with putting such a large residential building on Exeter Street right across from the BPL.

“We just have to work on the design of the building and have a hard conversation about what the appropriate height is in that neighborhood,” said Walz. “The Exeter Street building is proposed to be 340 feet and the office tower would be 265 feet. They are both significantly taller than other buildings we typically find right at the streets’ edge in the neighborhood. If we use the Mandarin Oriental hotel as a benchmark, many people in the neighborhood are startled by how big that building feels right at the street and both of these buildings are taller than that is.”

CAPTION: Devon Watkins has meet people when she walks her dog, Langston.

CAPTION: Deborah Leighton found a sense of community when she joined Beacon Hill Village, which serves Back Bay residents as well as those on Beacon Hill.




The moving trucks have come and gone, and the Back Bay abounds with new residents ready to discover their place in the community. At the last census, nearly one third of our neighbors had lived in their homes a year or less.

Marlborough Street resident Devon Watkins came to Boston as a student and moved around a lot. Today, having made the transition to young professional and homeowner, she’s more involved in her neighborhood.
She volunteered for this year’s Taste of the Back Bay event for the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB). “That let me meet people from different age groups and learn more about my community,” said Watkins.

Her dog, Langston, also helped her meet neighbors and make friends. She described how he makes people smile and the neighborly chit-chat that follows. “It’s the best way to meet the people around you,” she said.

Like dogs, children are natural ice-breakers. But, since recent reports cited a six percent decline in school enrollment citywide and census data showed just four percent of the neighborhood population as children age 14 and under, it’s good that there are places for parents to find one another.

NABB sponsors “Moms’ Groups” and its Clarendon Street Playground Committee is always in need of volunteers. The Esplanade Association’s model sailing club is a seasonal opportunity for families to gather. And year-round, the children’s programs at the Boston Public Library are a perfect meeting place.

For adult activities, NABB’s many “Friends and Neighbors Groups” are available to find people who share your interests. The association has a long list of active groups and is always open for members to start a new one.
For example, good conversation is the aim of the “Back Bay Salon,” “Men’s Discussion Group,” and “Parlez-Vous Français?” While “Wine Tastings,” “Let’s Wine and Dine,” and the “On The Town Dinner Group” satisfy the appetites of those who want to share an exploration of the culinary world. There are also book, theatre, and needlework groups.

When Arlington Street resident Deborah Leighton moved into the city from Concord, she was already part of some Boston activities such as volunteering for Massachusetts General Hospital. But it was Beacon Hill Village (BHV) that made her feel part of this community.

BHV (which serves residents of both Beacon Hill and the Back Bay) has its focus on those age 50 and over. That age group forms nearly a quarter of the residents in this area.

Leighton was thrilled when she heard about the organization. She went to the first meeting and was impressed with what they were doing. “It is for people who need help in their home, but it is absolutely also geared to people who are still incredibly active,” she said.

She cited BHV’s many social and cultural activities, like “Conversations with...,” exercise classes, walking groups, dining and travel programs as ways to meet people. “Once you join in some of the events, you start seeing people on the street whom you know, and that’s a wonderfully cozy feeling,” she said.

Leighton thinks there are two clues to having a sense of ownership in a community. “It’s knowing people and it’s feeing safe. And, Beacon Hill Village serves both those purposes,” she said.

For whatever purpose needed, BHV, NABB, and dozens more organizations stand ready to welcome those who have finished their unpacking. It’s time to get out, meet the neighbors, explore the neighborhood, attend an event and find your place in the life of the Back Bay.

Credit: D. Harney
Caption: Showing off some of Dyptique’s autumnal scented candles is store manager Risa Nishimoto.






Admit it — even though Labor Day was weeks ago, it’s still been squeaking into the 70s and you’ve still been stretching the fashion rules by continuing to wear your white capris. This Sunday, though, that notation on the calendar that marks the first day of fall is an unmistakable sign that it is time to pack away those flip flops and reach for your cutest pair of boots. It’s not that bad — autumn in New England means gorgeous foliage, the Patriots, apple cider and much more. Here are a few suggestions on how to ease into fall enjoyably — and fashionably.

Fill your home with the scents of fall
Jennifer Lopez, Sean “P Diddy” Combs and Sarah Jessica Parker are just a few of the many celebrities Parisian parfumerie Dyptique counts among its “keepers of the flame.” Dyptique candles inspire a cult following, and the Back Bay’s Newbury Street shop is one of only two American stand-alone boutiques. Manager Risa Nishimoto recommends five candle scents in particular for the autumn season. Oranger captures the essence of an orange tree with a hint of clove. Opopanax, “a warm and relaxing fragrance that is perfect for cold autumn nights,” is an amber scent with a touch of vanilla. Cannelle is a cinnamon scent that was one of Dyptique’s three original candles created in the early 1960s. Miel, a honey scent, and Coing, a quince scent that hints of apple pie, round out Nishimoto’s aromatic recommendations.

Beatify your home with fall accessories
Lavender Home and Table on Newbury Street, a 2007 Best of Boston winner, is a great place to pick up European designer and antique pieces for your home. For the fall, Lavender co-owner Deb Schneider suggests a luxurious pillow by Anichini, maker of fine linens. The unusual size and style of the pillow make it a standout, and the rich fabric is inviting in the cooler weather.

“It is a 12” x 26” knife-edge pillow in ‘velluto lino,’ a 40 percent linen, 60 percent cotton velvet in many beautiful colors. The velvet has a slightly aged look to it. It would make a terrific accent pillow for a bed or couch,” Schneider said.

Update your wardrobe for the new season
Fall clothing means more than just sweaters and bulky coats. Mark Connelly at Newbury Street’s Sean Store recommends stocking up on a few of Sean’s versatile poplin shirts, available in 20 different colors — from brown to green to aubergine.

“They can be worn with jeans or with a suit. They brighten it up if someone’s wearing a dark suit or clothing. The shirts make it pop,” Connelly said.

All the clothes Sean carries are by French designer Emile Lafaurie, including Sean’s line of cotton suits, an alternative to the traditional wool suit.

“This clothing is for the man who wants to show that he makes an effort and enjoys being put together, but doesn’t want to look cookie cutter,” Connelly said.

CAPTION: Danny Aguilar demonstrates how he put together 100 hot subs for Bachelor #2’s production company.




On Wednesday, September 12, around 8 o’clock in the evening, Danny Aguilar of Bostone Pizza on Newbury Street was busy serving up pizzas, salads and sandwiches to a full house when the phone rang.

On the other end of the line was the catering manager for the production crew filming Bachelor #2. Could Aguilar have 100 hot subs ready in an hour?

Yes, absolutely.

But how? Aguilar, who has 20 years of experience in the restaurant industry, called in two employees who had just left, and his team got busy. They finished the order within the hour and still managed to feed their other hungry patrons.
“
We’re a new business and it was our biggest day ever from a sales perspective,” said Chris King, whose wife, Caryn, and Aguilar are partners in the New York-style pizzeria, which opened in January.

King, who has a background in economics, is well aware of the trickle-down effect of such a success for Bostone Pizza. He said that Bachelor #2 that night brought financial benefits to his two employees, as well as to M. Cutone Produce in Malden, Bertolino Beef, the Piantedosi Baking Company in Malden, and Restaurant Depot (which supplies paper products) due to the additional orders Bostone Pizza made. “This goes beyond Newbury Street,” said King.

Officials at the Massachusetts Film Office estimate that the film industry will contribute $????????? to the state’s economy this year. The number of films shot in the state has increased dramatically since a 2006 law made production companies eligible for special tax credits.



SIDEBAR

Daniel Cantwell of Commonwealth Avenue was worried about a marble bust he saw lying on the floor of the Grand Staircase in the Boston Public Library late last week. He was concerned that the film crew of Pink Panther 2, which has been filming in the library this week had damaged it when they were setting up.

The bust was damaged, but it wasn’t the film crew, said Mary Bender, acting communications manager at the BPL.

She said a vandal or vandals knocked over the bust, which library officials believed can be restored. She said the police are investigating the matter.

Bender said a few library patrons have complained about having to take a longer walk around to another door to get into the library, but most are excited and interested in the movie making. She said all library services have been fully functioning as usual.

Do Longfellow first, put Storrow on hold

Regrettably, the plans to fix the tunnel between Clarendon and Arlington streets on Storrow Drive have broken down.

The committee that the Department of Conservation and Recreation created to figure out the best options for a redo of Storrow Drive has been sidelined.

The DCR Commissioner Richard K. Sullivan is promoting a construction plan that is universally disliked by all the downtown players. And his insistence at maintaining the status quo on the redone roadway has attracted criticism from many quarters.
Participants believe that other options, which may ultimately prove better, have gotten short-shrift. They think that DCR’s focus has been on moving cars and that the department has given only token attention to improving the pedestrian or park experience. They also think DCR has not reached out to other public agencies — Mass Highway, the Mass Pike and the MBTA — to come up with mitigation for reducing traffic on what was supposed to be a parkway, not a major thoroughfare.

So, with the public process tanking and DCR’s solutions found wanting, it is time to stop the whole project for about 10 years, a proposal John Messervy, director of capital and facility planning for Partners Health Care, MGH’s corporate parent, proposed last week.

DCR officials are probably incapable of taking such a step at this moment. They’ve dug in their heels too deeply. Neighborhood leaders should get to Governor Patrick, Executive Office of Environmental Affairs Secretary an Bowles, and Executive Office of Transportation and Public Works Secretary Bernard Cohen to shut this project down — for now.

DCR plans to repair the tunnel in any event, and the engineers who described the repairs at an advisory committee meeting said that while the repairs are designed to last at least five years, they would actually last for ten. This needs to be confirmed, or a 10-year patch must be executed.

A decade will give the state time to repair the Longfellow Bridge, which Messervy says is more important to people and goods getting in and out of Boston than is Storrow Drive. As Messervy has pointed out, the bridge carries not only automobiles, but also delivery trucks, pedestrians and the Red Line. In theory, Storrow carries only passenger cars.

Postponing the Storrow Drive project for 10 years will also give the state time to coordinate plans from its various agencies to implement a coordinated set of traffic mitigation projects such as new ramps to the pike or new MBTA routes that will change traffic patterns in the whole city. It will also give them time to test such ideas as closing entrances and exits on a temporary basis between Storrow Drive and city streets.

A decade will give the state time to figure out how it is going to manage transportation as a whole, not just vehicle traffic. Recent news reports have claimed that in 2005 Bostonians sat in traffic for 46 hours, or the equivalent of almost two full days and nights. Keeping Storrow Drive a major highway will not help traffic flow. Ultimately, it will simply give drivers another roadway on which to come to a halt.

Right now DCR’s recommendations seem antiquated in the face of the state’s own Massachusetts Transportation Finance Commission’s report, which came out on September 17. Among other things, this commission recommended that drivers be charged user fees to drive on the main roads. It recommended an increase of 11.5 cents to the gas tax, as well as indexing the tax to inflation. Taking steps such as these would likely reduce traffic, making previous assumptions about traffic volumes on Storrow Drive faulty.

The plan also seems antiquated given the steps the real “world class” cities have taken or have considered taking to reduce traffic. Paris’s bikes, London’s congestion pricing and New York’s talk of congestion pricing suggest that every transportation project we undertake from this point on has to abandon the 1950s ideas that moving cars fast is desirable or even possible.

DCR has approached this project with those 1950s ideas. Department officials have lost the faith of those who were working with them. It is time to put this project aside until such a time that we can come up with a plan that doesn’t perpetuate the mistakes of an earlier generation.