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Roslindale could get a Taco Bell, right next to its Wendy's and across from a new apartment building
By adamg on Thu, 03/31/2016 - 7:47am
The Bulletin reports developers are looking at putting in a Taco Bell at American Legion Highway and Walk Hill Street and a 140-unit apartment building across the highway at the site of the Calisi florist.
If built, the Taco Bell would be Boston's third - there's one on VFW Parkway in West Roxbury and one at Northeastern
Taco Bell reps are scheduled to meet with the Mount Hope Mount Canterbury Neighborhood Association on April 14 to explain how a stretch of American Legion Highway that already has several fast-food outlets - McDonald's, Popeye's, KFC, Little Caesar's, Dunkin' Donuts, Simco's and Wendy's - could really benefit from another fast-food outlet, especially one right next to an elementary school.
The meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Home for Little Wanderers.
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Comments
Why Taco Bell ?!
There are so many small local places (Anna's, Boca Grande, Felipe's, even Boloco, or just look around East Boston) who would be better choices if a developer wants to add a Mexican joint to this neighborhood.
This neighborhood?
If this was on Washington St, Belgrade, or Hyde Park, sure but this is right on the main strip mall portion of Roslindale so it doesn't seem like a match for drive up served place like Taco Bell.
No worse than the Dunkins and other fast food joints right on this stretch.
How many fast food places
How many fast food places should one neighborhood have? They are already inundated with them in that short stretch.
Again, what's the neighborhood?
The cemeteries? The Nature Center parcel? The mulch lot? Yes, they're putting in 140 apartments there but I don't really think the future residents of unbuilt apartments should have a say on what's being proposed for a neighborhood.
If you want to argue that somehow chains should be blocked, just make that argument. Don't hide behind 'the neighborhood' when that's tire stores, florist and the dead.
What? Who said anything about
What? Who said anything about the future residents of that development opposing Taco Bell? I'm talking about the existing residents along American Legion and close by. There are multiple fast food places right on that short stretch of AL already. You don't have to agree with me, but don't obfuscate what I said.
But close by where?
I'm honestly not understanding geographically who is being impacted by this then. People who live south of City Florist? That's like 1/2 mile away? The people who live behind the strip mall on Paine Street?
This is going in by the Scrubadub and the Haley end of things, right?
There is a very active group
There is a very active group of residents over there that are working to improve the area to beyond just a long strip mall and speedway, one is quoted in the article itself. Some live behind the stores, others live on Mt Hope, Canterbury, Paine St etc and this is their main drag. I define that as 'close by' but to each his own if you wanna quarrel over exact proximity and what that should mean about how people define 'their neighborhood.' If you go to some of the area meetings and get involved, you'll run into them soon enough. In my view, it's not unreasonable to say another fast food place there is not a good use. I am not staunchly anti-chain, that's not motivation. This is not my personal battle but I understand it. That's my take.
Fair response
I just think that in a city, there is a need for spaces which can accommodate businesses of whatever variety can be supported, more or less. Once we start making sure everything is fine with all abutters, it's to easy to block anything which people don't like and that strangles growth of all sorts. We need to have fast food and gas stations and tire stores. We need to have auto body shops and used car dealers. This is a good spot for a lot of that, especially as it is off of the main transit public corridors where housing is always a better option.
I'd rather have AutoZone in Roslindale than an empty store for example. That's a national chain which doesn't fit in with the narrative of a hip walkable downtown with a farmer's market. If that was an empty lot, I'd bet people might want to block it from opening based on 'suitability'. Yet in reality, I don't see that it bothers anyone as part of the greater RVMS area.
Personally, I've found having
Personally, I've found having the Auto Zone right there in walking distance was a LIFESAVER when my battery died and the car was stuck in the driveway.
Canterbury Street
Those neighbors are direct abutters of the Calisi site. And of course there is an apartment building across the street.
I'm not trying to give you grief, but there are a lot of neighbors that are just off of American Legion Highway. It's just that they are not too visible. The whole area is kind of weird like that.
Because...
...they're the ones that want to build there. Anna's, Boca, et al haven't stepped up.
Not meant to be a wise ass, just stating the obvious.
Did the developer offer to rent it to any of them?
or did they just pick Taco Bell without looking around to see who else might be available?
(it's also odd to build a stand-alone Taco Bell when there's already a KFC to which Taco Bell could be added.)
Perhaps contact the developer
Perhaps contact the developer yourself and inquire?
I'm not sure how the process works
Maybe someone can chime in and tell us how a space eventually gets rented.
I'm guessing there's a broker involved.
I'm also guessing that just because TB was interested that they then don't just go out and solicit every Tex/Mex purveyor around.
I'm also guessing that someone like Anna's would be very selective with their locations (market) and may not have the financing to just open up anywhere.
I'm also guessing that somehow the developer got hooked up with TB, they agreed on a deal, and both parties were happy.
But, I'm just guessing.
I get that you don't always get what you want when it comes to retailers/restaurants in your area. My town just had a big stink with CVS moving in to the point that CVS clandestinely signed a lease thru a third party so it was kept secret. But you can't just say "We want a Trader Joe's here" because TJ's may simply not want to be there.
Man, I'd love to have an Anna's out here, but it ain't gonna happen. ;-)
Pretty sure the developer
isn't truly interested in spreading the gospel of high-quality, authentic Mexican cuisine throughout the land.
Because
That's how the free market works.
(note- I've never eaten Taco Bell, but still, if there is a market for it, they should open up shop.)
Living in a condo next to a Taco Bell
is pretty much my vision of hell on earth. But no doubt there are many people who feel differently.
This will be a good addition.
This will be a good addition. Those other places (except Boloco) have good burritos too, but sometimes I just need to eat me some Taco Bell.
Dude, nobody goes to Taco
Dude, nobody goes to Taco Bell because they want Mexican food. They got to Taco Bell because they want Taco Bell.
Small and Local
Already tried and failed in a location next to Simcoes. If Taco Bell can make it work, then that's just fine with me.
Taco Bell and Anna's Taqueria are really apples and oranges
Although granted, Taco Bell is a pretty mealy apple and Anna's Taqueria is a pretty tasty orange. But the two styles of Mexican food are very different, and which people prefer can vary. Taco Bell isn't just a less-good variant of what Anna's will sell, it uses a whole different set of ingredients to produce a different kind of burrito. And of course, the fact that Taco Bell is cheaper doesn't hurt.
Taco Bell reps are scheduled
Okay, so, Taco Bell is garbage, but what a ridiculous series of hoops. Clearly there's demand, if all those places are still standing. Either it'll succeed or fail. And what the heck does an Elementary School have to do with anything? Last I checked, Elementary kids weren't given off-campus lunch privileges.
Personal note
I almost never eat fast food anymore, but I gotta say that Taco Bell's over-the-top gimmicks like Doritos Locos and the Quesalupa are always tempting to me. They really know how to speak to my inner college-aged stoner.
Eww
Just eww.
I think that I should be able
I think that I should be able to decide what other people do with their money and their property. Because, you know... I'm me!
Good point, why should people
Good point, why should people care what happens where they live. What nerve!
ps the neighbors don't decide, City Hall does. If you think otherwise, you don't know what you're talking about.
*yawn* you mean there isn't one there already?
Slow news day if we're talking about adding a Taco Bell to that area.
It's like reporting on the opening of a Panda Express at an airport.
140 units way too much!!
Who cares about the taco bell, the real issue is the 140 unit apartment building. I live on walk hill st. about a quarter mile from where primavera/calisi's flower shop is located. We technically have JP addresses but this development is very close and will effect us. I'd love to see something built in that long vacant location, but 140 units is way too much for that space and would be extremely ugly and unfitting for that location. People who live in the quiet and very residential woodbourne area further down on walk hill will be the ones most affected by this development when the neighborhood becomes flooded with even more cars, traffic, and noise.
I have to agree
And I'm a pro-residential development kind of a guy.
As the article states, it's a long walk to any kind of public transport (except for the 14, which, as the article notes, is a joke) so you'd have maybe 100 cars trying to leave for work right by a busy intersection every day. The Canterbury Brook would constrain a lot of solutions to traffic, too. I don't see this working.
Forest hills station is a 1.5
Forest hills station is a 1.5 mile walk from there. All those cars are gonna end up parked .5 mile up the street, adding to the long line of other frugal drivers who don't want to pay for parking.
Is the Simco's on ALH even
Is the Simco's on ALH even open anymore? I haven't seen the shutters open in a long, long time. The one on Blue Hill Ave seems to do okay.
yes...
...the $5.30 lime rickeys will pay the rent for a long time
Shuttered Calisi Florist??
I take offense to having my family business described as being "shuttered".
We are open & a thriving flower shop.
Maybe this news reporter should consult with the owners of an establishment before branding it.
My apologies
I've fixed the reference.
But I'm still confused
So, Calisi's will be closing if this gets approved?
BTW, they are great florists.
It's about public health and public safety
I must have missed the meeting when the city decided to dump all the things other neighborhoods don't want onto what should and could be a beautiful Parkway. A 35 mph city-owned road is not a highway. A 4500 foot open brook should be respected, not contaminated. The thousands of families living along the American Legion corridor deserve more than trash, traffic, and fast food chains that contribute to high rates of childhood obesity, diabetes, and asthma. The highly-rated Haley Elementary School needs a playing field far more than an abutting drive-through. The city is revitalizing many neighborhoods. This multi-neighborhood multiracial stretch of greenway is overdue for this.
Greenway? I like your vision.
I was going to be all flippant, but it's clear you've done a lot of work on this proposal. Good job.
But here's a serious question: where should the facilities you don't want in your neighborhood - Eversource, PWD, MBTA, Us Army, correctional facilities, etc. (not to mention fast food joints) - go? Do you want these to be in some other neighborhood of Boston, or in some other town?
(The Popeye's you can put in my neighborhood).
It's all about fairness especially for underserved neighborhoods
Spread them out! Every neighborhood deserves their fair share of community benefits, like walking distance parks, nutritious restaurants, good public transportation, bike paths, good employers, full service banks, what have you.
And every neighborhood should take on their fair share of stuff like utility companies, dollar stores, low-end car lots, etc. Every neighborhood school should have a nice environment with good recreational facilities.
American Legion is zoned residential and neighborhood commercial, not heavy commercial, and certainly not light Industrial.
American Legion is not a highway, it is a parkway. It has ended up the way it is through neglect and abuse, not planning. The thousands of residents have been invisible. Most of the businesses make no effort to have nice looking facades, contain the garbage they produce, shovel so that people can walk safely, or contribute to the community in any way.
American Legion has suffered from chronic disinvestment from the city. Several years ago a decision was made that the name hwy would enable the City to not allocate funds to repave its own roadway. The state paid but it is still city-owned, and ought to be given the full Complete Streets/VisionZero treatment that the city of Boston has committed to. Anyone who uses "the city has to put X somewhere, doesn't it?" should, like you did, have the decency to volunteer their own backyard.
Deserving
I like the idea of fairness. I really do. It's very American. But I think we differ on what that means people deserve, or what fairness means in practice.
The idea of balancing out residential, commerical, and industrial uses throughout Boston's neighborhoods (I'll give you the benefit of the doubt and say I feel sure you are not proposing to offload Boston's industrial needs on neighboring communities, out of sight out of mind) is kind but also preposterous.
There are good reasons that big lots dedicated to ground-level light industrial use, like bus yards, mulch piles, and car lots, are in a place like the hinterland of Roslindale instead of in Back Bay. Reason number one is the value of an acre: there's no way such a business could pay the land cost and taxes, and it'd have to be government-supported. Karl Marx Auto body isn't what people are paying taxes for. And why are the dollar stores not in Beacon Hill instead of Hyde Park? Because people who live in Beacon Hill wouldn't shop there. The dollar stores are where they are because that is where their market is. I don't shop there, but then I'm trying to gentrify this joint just like you.
Let's imagine for a moment a Sim Boston perfectly redesigned to have this mix of uses in each neighborhood. One of the things you would eliminate is rich neighborhoods, because the nobs don't want to live next to a car wash. They'll either cluster and change the usage by their dollar power or just move to Weston.
You would also eliminate poor neighborhoods, because no area would be crappy enough for people to look down on it and refuse to move there without a big price break. Congrats if that's your goal. But that doesn't mean you would eliminate poverty; you would only eliminate low rent.
Me, I love the idea of a middle-class world. It's as American as apple pie. But it's not the world we live in now, and shipping all the rich folks out to Weston and all the poor folks down to Brockton doesn't fix our city.
Gentrification of the ALH would not improve the life of poor folks in the neighborhood, it would just sweep them on to somewhere else. Is that fairness? Or is it more fair to let some neighborhoods continue to be cheaper than others? Of course, if you own by the ALH now, you'd make some money selling! Win?
One more thing, and that's please don't go dropping the epithet "neighborhood school" unless you mean it.
We all know that Boston doesn't have neighborhood schools anymore. We even know that the students at the Haley mostly aren't from the neighborhood of the Haley.
There are some folks here - and I figure you're probably not one of them - who would like to see a return to neighborhood schools. And if that were to happen, then there might even be more support in the city for improving the immediate environs of schools, because the people whose kids are at the schools would live in the neighborhood of the schools.
But the kids at the Haley mostly don't walk there from the neighborhood, they take the bus from Mattapan or are driven there from JP by their moms. It's not located where it is because it's convenient to neighborhood kids, it's there because it's on a good highway, er, parkway for driving. Do the kids care so much what they see out the window on the way?
I'm not saying it's not a fine little school - it's much more equal than the rest of them - but if you turned it into a neighborhood school, there is no catchment you could draw that would include most of its current students. If we went back to neighborhood schools, that wouldn't be a good site for a school and it would probably be closed.
And, yes, there might just be enough room for a teeny tiny Popeye's in my back yard, but nobody better park in my damn driveway.
Who doesn't want a Taco Bell?
So no, this is not a situation of things "all other neighborhoods don't want." I'm willing to be anything that if Taco Bell announced that they were going in on Blue Hill Ave at Morton Street (I noticed a good location a little bit back) or anywhere on any Washington Street in Boston, people would not be up in arms about it.
As for the Haley, you do know what is where the Taco Bell might go now? A used car lot and what appears to be an ice cream stand. As for the "greenway," yes, from Walk Hill Ave to Lena Park that is a point, but from Walk Hill Ave to Hyde Park Ave, there have been commercial uses that most likely predate you- the legend is that when I was a finicky child, the only meat I'd eat was McDonalds, and guess where my parents would go- American Legion Highway, back in the 1970s.
If you think you know better what should go there, get the money together and buy the property from the Calisis. Then you can donate it to the City or use it as a farm or whatever you want to do with it.
american legion highway
is a clogged artery in more ways than one