At a full meeting last week, members of the Prudential Public Advisory Committee (PruPAC) were split nearly down the middle in non-binding votes on whether to oppose new development projects on Exeter and Boylston streets.
The votes indicate committee members are far from in agreement on whether the new towers-one residential, one office and retail complex will ultimately benefit or detract from the community, and the results send an unclear message to the Boston Redevelopment Authority, who will ultimately decide the fate of the projects.
PruPAC voted twice, once on the proposed residential tower known as the Exeter Residences, and once on the modern glass and steel office and retail complex proposed for 888 Boylston Street. The vote on 888 Boylston tipped narrowly towards approval, with 13 members approving and 10 opposed. The vote on the Exeter Residences was a dead-even push, with 11 yays, 11 nays, and 2 abstentions.
In response to the vote, Mayor Tom Menino has asked developers Boston Properties to rethink the design of the Exeter Residences to address residents’ concerns.
“The developer has to go back and see how they can win majority approval for the residences,” Menino told the Boston Herald. “The developer has made concessions on height and affordable housing, but they have to figure out a way to get majority community support for the apartments.”
The projects were also roundly criticized at an open public meeting earlier this fall.
Eliot Laffer, who represents the Neighborhood Association of the Back Bay (NABB) at PruPAC meetings, said the group opposed both projects in their current form for several reasons. Specifically, Laffer said NABB objects to the height of the 888 Boylston building proposed, which, at 235 feet, exceeds the 155 feet allowed by zoning.
Laffer said it was also worth considering that the residents of the neighborhood have been dealing with almost non-stop construction for years.
“The people that live around there have been dealing with continuing construction for a very long time, and a little pause might not be a bad thing to evaluate what might be the total impact of the Mandarin in terms of traffic and other considerations,” said Laffer.
For the Exeter Residences, NABB and most of the dissenters disapproved of the effective loss of "sky," the open space that gives residents of nearby buildings their impressive city views. The new building could result in the loss of some of those views, which are a major part of what owners believed they were buying when they originally purchased their condos.
However, Meg Mainzer-Cohen of the Back Bay Association (BBA) has strongly supported both projects, citing the economic benefit-$1.2 million in projected tax revenue and 600 jobs – and the need for both office space and affordable housing.
"There is very little affordable housing in the neighborhood, and the Exeter Residences would have 27 percent affordable units, which is significant," said Mainzer-Cohen. "I also think that the building design is vastly improved and would be a benefit to the streetscape of Exeter Street." 

Meanwhile, 888 Boylston would provide for much-needed office space. 
 "We continue to have a pretty strong demand for office space, especially at the Prudential Center," she said. "There are tenants that want to relocate, and there isn't enough space." She added she thought the design of the new building fits in well with the surrounding architecture, and that lowering the height of either building would reduce the economic benefit.
However, opposition to the project included not just residents, but also influential elected officials. State representatives Marty Walz and Byron Rushing and City Councilor Mike Ross voted against both projects, citing the concerns of their constituents. Councilor Bill Linehan voted in favor of 888 Boylston Street and against the Exeter Residences.
The final decision now rests with the BRA, which will vote on the matter at its public meeting on December 4. PruPAC advises the BRA but has no actual authority to approve or halt the project. Given the divided nature of last week's vote, it is also unclear what message the body will ultimately send to the BRA. Besides the divided note, calls from the mayor to address concerns with the Exeter Residences - one or both of the buildings - could be in jeopardy in their current proposal.
The project could start construction as early as June if the necessary approvals are obtained. The 888 Boylston building has been rumored to be courting Bloomingdale’s for residence in its proposed lower retail section, and would also be fronted by an expansive new pedestrian plaza with elaborate plantings and fountains.
The Prudential Public Advisory Committee, composed of local residents, business owners, and officials, has been working with the developers on the project for over a year.

A press release sent out last week by a spokesperson for the Columbus Center project says the development team will focus on restoring the sidewalks on Clarendon, Berkeley and Stanhope streets. The work is being done while a separate team is reviewing the project’s viability.
The cleanup is in response to neighborhood complaints about area rats, unwalkable sidewalks, and lost parking spaces, along with scrutiny from the mayor’s office.
"We all understand that in these difficult economic times, some developments will need more time to complete their projects but residents and neighborhoods cannot be left with vacant construction sites that inconvenience businesses and residents' ability to live and work," Mayor Thomas Menino said. “The Columbus Center team understands the responsibility they have to their neighbors.”
For 13 years, the ambitious Columbus Center has promised to link the South End and Back Bay by building a hotel, residential, and retail complex over the turnpike. The project has received public subsidies totaling $116 million, but when the developers’ request for more money was rejected, the project stalled and developers requested an 18-month extension to find more financing. The deadline to approve that extension has passed. New plans have been discussed to build a less expensive deck over the turnpike, but these plans haven’t been vetted by officials until the final report on the project’s future plans is submitted by the end of the year.
For months, residents were left wondering about the future of the project, since the developers had kept quiet. Even the MassPike recently stated it hadn’t heard from the developers for months on what they would be doing to clean up the area. However, this release was sent last week by the developers’ spokescompany, McDermott.
Previous statements by the MassPike and the mayor’s office acknowledge the multiple delays in the project, but because of the economy, are crossing their fingers that the project is able to continue, without costly cleanup costs being plopped into their laps if the developers decide to drop the ambitious project.
The cleanup work will include:

• On Clarendon Street, a reopened sidewalk, removal of jersey barriers and fence, and a new temporary sidewalk to work around temporary fencing.
• On Stanhope Street, fencing will be moved back to the property line along the street to restore the sidewalk, and a temporary handicap ramp will be created.
• On Berkeley Street, barriers will be replaced with a temporary sidewalk; the bridge sidewalk will reopen; and a new fence line on Berkeley will meet up with the existing MassPike bridge fence.

Aside from cosmetic changes, they also plan to repair the MassPike’s north wall.
Other restoration work reportedly completed includes removal of scaffolding and construction trailer, the relocation of fencing, restored parking spaces and sidewalks, replacement and repair of green visual fence screening, and ongoing debris removal, weed and rodent control.
The developers of Columbus Center (Winn-CUIP) have retained the Beal Companies and The Related Companies as development consultants to evaluate the financial viability of the project. The consulting team is also meeting with city and state officials and community members to analyze the challenges for moving forward.
While previous statements included a mid-November deadline for this report, the developer and consultants expect this to be completed before the end of the year.

When you’re the daughter of a famous interior designer, the Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
May Appleton “Apple” Parish Bartlett lives in a flat overlooking the Charles with her golden doodle Billy, along with collections of carved wooden animals, a half-dozen antique bird cages, wooden nods to her name -- apples and pears -- and other touches unique to her taste, a sort of Shabby Chic meets folk art.
“I don’t care what people think,” says Bartlett, who also sells “pure whimsy” at her Maine store, Apple’s, as well as her decoupage artworks. But she knows her mother would approve of her home decor, the same way she approved of her former Back Bay apartment.
“She would have loved it,” said Bartlett.
Bartlett is the daughter of Sister Parish, the legendary American interior decorator, who is known as the Martha Stewart of the Upper Class. The former Dorothy May Kinnicutt was born into a patrician New York family in 1910, and during the Depression put her design ability to work, her “American country” style inspired by the family’s Maine summer house. Her firm, Parish-Hadley, was filled with a client list that eventually included the Rockefellers, Astors, and Whitneys, and transformed Jackie Kennedy’s White House into American elegance.
With her daughter, Susan Bartlett Crater, Apple Parish Bartlett wrote a biography about her mother, “Sister: The Life of Legendary American Interior Designer Mrs. Henry Parish II.” Bartlett recently regaled attendees at a recent book night at the Beacon Hill Civic Association with tales of her mother’s flair and the drama that surrounded her.
“What seems important to me is permanence, comfort, and a look of continuity in the design and decoration of a house,” said Sister Parish. Among the things she believed in was: buy the best bed you can afford; invest in a quality sofa; and start a collection of items that you love. She fell in love with painted French furniture, and enjoyed creating a homey undecorated look.
Apple’s home is filled with collections of items she picked up at flea markets and antiques stores. Like her mother, she doesn’t believe in throwing out things to follow the latest trend every couple of years. “The influence my mother has on me, it’s subconscious,” she said. “She really just wanted people to be comfortable. Every house should be a happy one.”
Along her bedroom wall she has a dozen framed paintings, some of which she describes as “crappy,” but that’s the charm, she said. “It makes it more interesting.”
Some of her walls are lined with intricately designed and oftentimes fun wallpaper designed by her daughter, Susan Crater, who launched Sister Parish Design in New York.
Her home is a steady accumulation of loved things, some which she inherited from her mother, others that she picked up along the way at flea markets. Some items she’ll repaint or refinish, others, like the ancient coffee table, is peeling gesso paint, but she loves the look.
To some, the look may be “cluttered,” she admitted, but her home is clean. “I’ve never seen an apartment as goofy looking as this.” She then added, “I do what I do, which makes me really happy.”

If there is an additional feature that The Back Bay Architectural Commissioner (BBAC) favors almost as much as having the facades of the brownstones remaining pristine, it is the need for additional trees and saving what already exists. The Vendome Condominium Trust sought permission to remove the four Commonwealth Avenue Bradford pear trees in their front yard. The applicants sought to replace these approximately 30-year-old trees with new Kousa dogwoods. The application was denied without prejudice, and may be back next month.
At 45-47 Commonwealth Avenue, the commissioners reminded the applicant that all care is to be taken to protect the magnolia tree in the front yard. The yard will be excavated for the new water retention well. The owner assured the commissioners that he is committed to preserving the tree at all cost. This application was approved, along with permission for a garage door entrance to be cut into the back wall of the structure.
The same applicant for 177 Newbury and 234-236 Newbury received a mixed bag from the BBAC on almost identical proposals. The new construction of a rear addition approximately 10 feet by 20 feet long was approved; whereas for 234-236 Newbury Street, a similar addition was denied. “The alley for 234-236 Newbury Street is not as developed,” Commissioner John Christiansen who opposed the measure told the applicants. The applicants received approval to excavate the front yards down to more than five feet, not the seven feet they sought, to provide an entrance into a storefront space.
In another matter, Kingston Realty, owner of 93 Massachusetts Avenue, showed they did think outside of the box and received approval for their temporary sign while construction at the site occurs. Last month, Kingston Realty was denied permission. The commissioners also wanted the scaffolding to be more pedestrian friendly. William Young, senior planner for the BBAC, told members the most complaints that he ever received was when the scaffolding was erected around the former Ritz Hotel on Arlington. “It was finished to such a high degree, that everyone thought that it was permanent.”

The near disaster at Crate and Barrel

A near disaster was averted at the Boylston Street Crate and Barrel store on Saturday. Nearly 80 firefighters converged on the location to knock down a stubborn fire that caused almost $2 million in damages and might well have destroyed an important commercial block in the heart of our neighborhood if sufficient manpower and equipment had not been mustered.
With all the talk of cutbacks swirling around, this fire and the manpower it took to keep it from spreading, is proof positive of the value of a strong and continuing public safety presence even in the face of declining revenues and the desire to cut back.
We learn the hard way that cutbacks in public safety are largely unacceptable as measures intended to protect the taxpayer.
The very cuts that may be made in public safety in order to balance the city budget are the very measures that decrease the taxpayers’ safety as they sit in the comfort of their homes.
In addition, From time to time, Boston has had its share of serious fires, and on occasion, a conflagration. To say this can never happen again is to ignore the lessons of history.
History does, from time to time, repeat itself as the great philosopher Emanuel Kant wrote.
Back Bay and Beacon Hill are so densely populated with people and commerce that any fire has the potential to be worse than it turns out if all things are equal.
And as we all know, this is not a world where everything is always equal.

Thanksgiving and Christmas

Despite the national media’s desire 24/7 to eliminate Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, both holidays are going to happen.
Both holidays won’t be called off or fail to impact all of us because the economy is off.
Even during the most cataclysmic economic times such as during the Great Depression, Thanksgiving and Christmas remained as the two major occasions when families were brought together to celebrate what we have and not what we’ve lost.
And so it will be again this year.
Your IRA and 401K may be down and out, but the holidays will remain.